HST training: full-body training for muscle growth

HST training is a program developed by Bryan Haycock that draws on muscle hypertrophy research and works the whole body three times a week. The rep count shifts from 15 to 10 and then 5, the training load rises with every workout, and every 6-8 weeks comes a longer rest phase. No magic tricks, but there is plenty of logic behind it.

What HST training is and where it came from

HST stands for Hypertrophy-Specific Training. Author Bryan Haycock took laboratory studies on the mechanisms of muscle growth as a starting point and tried to build a real-life training program from them. Haycock candidly admits that turning study results into sets and reps is not a mechanical process – there is always something open to debate. All the more so because the science in this area keeps moving forward.

Several of Haycock’s positions run against entrenched beliefs. According to Haycock, a muscle doesn’t have to be fully recovered before the next workout, training a sore muscle is not taboo, maximal intensity isn’t necessary for muscle growth, and training to failure is something to avoid rather than seek out. Muscle fatigue is not, in itself, a good sign that growth is being set in motion.

How HST training is structured

Split and frequency

The traditional muscle-group split is replaced by full-body training. The whole body is trained three times a week. The logic is that the acute training response – elevated protein synthesis and IGF-1 levels – returns to normal about 36 hours after a workout. A more frequent rhythm keeps the muscles in a more anabolic environment for longer.

Full-body training is hardly a new invention. In the 20th century it was the rule rather than the exception for a long time, and plenty of strong, solid men came out of it. For beginners, this kind of rhythm is often the best introduction to the gym – at least until the foundation is in place.

Volume, sets and reps

A typical cycle lasts 8 weeks and is divided into three two-week blocks. For each muscle group, 1-3 exercises are chosen, and each is done for 1-2 sets.

• First 2 weeks: 15 repetitions – joints and ligaments get ready for heavier work.
• Next 2 weeks: 10 repetitions – the classic hypertrophy zone.
• Last 2 weeks: 5 repetitions – heavy loads, for strength and growth.
• Optionally, another 2 weeks of negative training with five repetitions – only with a training partner’s help, because the training load goes well beyond the usual.

The weight on the bar is increased from one workout to the next. Constant training to failure is consistently avoided – this is one of the program’s core principles.

Exercise selection

Since there are few exercises, they need to be ones that allow you to use heavy loads. The list of recommendations is headed by squats, deadlifts, incline bench press, pull-ups, shrugs, barbell overhead press, flyes, dumbbell biceps curls, French press, calf raises and back extensions. Compound exercises, in short.

Recovery and strategic deconditioning

Every 6-8 weeks comes a training break of 9-12 days, which HST calls strategic deconditioning. The point isn’t only physical recovery – that already happens within the first 7 days. The extra days are there so that the muscles “forget” the previous training load and respond more strongly to the new cycle. The need for such a long break is, of course, debatable, especially in a program that doesn’t pile up fatigue anyway.

Pros and cons of HST training

What works: full-body training three times a week, alternating rep ranges, compound exercises, a cyclical structure and a healthy dose of common sense about training to failure. For a beginner, it is often the best possible framework.

What may bother you: an advanced lifter sometimes gets more out of a split program, where lagging muscle groups get separate attention. 9-12 days of complete rest after a relatively gentle six-week cycle feels too long to many. And if three workouts a week make you climb the walls at home, this program is mentally harder than it is physically.

FAQ about HST training

Who is HST best suited for?

Beginners and intermediate lifters who want to gain muscle mass and only have time for three workouts a week. Advanced lifters often try it for variety after a long split cycle.

How many sets per muscle group does it add up to per week?

If each workout has 1-2 sets and the same muscle is trained three times a week, you end up with 3-6 sets per muscle group per week. That’s lower than on some split programs, but the frequency makes up for the volume.

Can you combine HST with training to failure?

Not really. One of the program’s core principles is to avoid pushing a muscle to the very end and to always leave a little in reserve. Trying two opposing philosophies at the same time usually dampens the effect of both.

Translated from Body magazine; Author: Michael Höglund

Translation: Greta

Source: Turg.Fitness.ee

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