Hypertrophy Specific Training

When Hypertrophy - Specific Training (HST - German: hypertrophiespezifisches Training) is a training principle in bodybuilding and weight training, which is characterized by brief but frequent workouts. Unlike other training principles is not trained to failure.

Emergence and dissemination

The American Brian Haycock regarded as the intellectual father of the HST training. Haycock has the training principle originally developed to compensate for the lack of progress in his own training. He worked intensively with the scientific principles of muscle growth and realized that the traditional training systems in bodybuilding often did not follow the latest scientific discoveries. Therefore His HST training tries to make the scientific connections between muscle growth and strain into a simple, solid training system. The training method in October 2000 it became known to a wide audience as they presented Haycock in the newsletter of the homepage " www.ThinkMuscle.com ".

The HST principles

Mechanical stress (mechanical load)

In order to achieve muscle growth, the muscle must be mechanically stressed. Muscle growth occurs through a variety of complicated biological processes. The HST training is not to explain the growth process of the muscles in conclusion, but it provides the necessary basics, such as hypertrophy work.

Frequent training load ( acute vs.. Chronic stimuli)

Thus, the mechanical stress also stimulates muscle hypertrophy, the muscle must be trained sufficiently often. Scientific studies have shown that after 36 to 48 hours of muscle size returns to its initial level.

Progressive weight increase (progressive load)

The weight should be increased from workout to workout because the muscles can adapt within 48 hours to the stress and no longer causes an enlargement of the muscles.

Strategic deconditioning ( strategic deconditioning )

At a certain point the body no longer responds to the stimuli with growth, then he needs a break from training to work in connection with enhanced performance can again.

Other principles

From these four basic rules to further principles derived:

• The training weight must always be improved or at least remain constant, it must never be reduced.
• If a weight is too high, never the weight is reduced, but the number of repetitions.
• At least three training sessions per week are to be completed for each muscle group.
• The training must be completed before muscle failure occurs.
• It is sufficient to train 1-2 sets per exercise.
• The rest days are observed.