Hypertrophy-Specific Training - A quick overview

Hypertrophy training is gaining more and more followers as people not only want to look good, but increased muscle mass offers numerous benefits: increased metabolism, greater protection of injuries, greater strength etc. 

In the last decade a new trend in hypertrophy has risen. Hypertrophy-Specific Training™ (HST), created by Bryan Haycock, has gained more popularity and is practiced by many people in the gyms. The basic idea behind this training method is the fastest muscle growth possible without losing efficacy over an extended period of time, and without the use of anabolic steroids. 

A comparison of a "typical" gym routine (up) with a HST routine (down).

The principles of HST (1) are:

1) Mechanical Load

2) Acute vs. Chronic Stimuli

3) Progressive Load

4) Strategic Deconditioning

HST training relies in the gradual increase of intensity and gradual decrease of repetitions. It recommends reducing the number of repetitions every two weeks, and in every two week block, to execute the number of the repetitions with the maximum load. Many common HST programs start with a 15 repetition, 2 week block that is performed over six workouts with the sixth workout being at the exercisers maximum 15 repetition weight.

For example if a person has 60 kg as a 10 repetition maximum load in bench press, in a 3 training schedule week he should use 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 kilos respectively in every of the 6 training sessions of those 2 weeks. It is generally good to increase progressively the resistance by about 5% of the maximum load of the current repetition number until it is 100% in the 6th training session of the 2 week block (2).

Another guideline by the HST training method is to generally keep the sets of the exercises in each workout session within 1 to 2 (1). The muscle will still work 6 sets per week but an individual will not excessively load the central nervous system on one workout, risking overtraining. Muscle groups should be loaded 3 times per week, following the Frequency Principle. Frequent low-volume and high-intensity stimulus is needed for the muscles to adapt.

Although HTS is not a scientifically proved method of training, it is based on physiological principles of hypertrophy first discovered in the laboratory. More and more people choose HST as their hypertrophy training method, and they indeed report fast and desired results.


References


1. http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html acessed on 17/11/2012

2. http://www.ridgely.ws/publications/minor-principles.pdf acessed on 17/11/2012