Here's the deal...I was on the NROL "guy who considers skinny an insult" program for about 8 months or so. I finished H-1, H-2, S-1, and I started S-2. During S-1, I hurt my patella tendon in my knee, but I finished out the program anyway. I did S-2, but I only did the upper body workouts in it so I could let my knee heal.
After that I read "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe so I could learn how to perfect my squat form. His book was pretty convincing so I got started on his progressive routine for about 4 weeks, which is a full body routine where you squat every workout and add weight to the bar every workout for as long as you can until the lifts stall. I got into some more reading by the same author. One of his books called "Practical programming" explained a lot of things about strength training in general. It basically says that you should add weight every single workout until you can't anymore, then you should start a program that has you adding weight once a week until you can't do that anymore....And so on...
BUT....Here's my deal. I wasn't really getting the same feeling from my workouts as I was during the NROL hypertrophy (and strength) routines. So I decided to go back to H-1 (because I loved that one!!!!) Is it a bad idea to go back to H-1?
I know that the way this program is layed out has you doing hypertrophy routines, then strength, then hypertrophy, then strength..... So after all this strength training I've been doing I guess it would be a logical progression to move back to a hypertrophy routine like NROL has you doing. The thing is that I noticed that H-2 and H-3 work more in the lower rep ranges then H-1, which makes me think that H-1 is supposed to just kind of prepare you for the more strength based H-2, H-3, and strength routines. I really liked H-1, and I got a bunch of great gains from it (because I was a noobie at the time), but I'm not sure if going back to it is kind of like backwards progression.
Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
It shouldn't be a problem, as long is you're not doing H1 for twice as long as you should. The idea is to do something else, that way your body unadapts from the movement patterns.
I agree with Cynic. You've done some other programs in between then and now, so you'll be fine. Should be interesting to see how much more weight you're doing this time through it.
Well, so far I've been using slightly lighter weights. #1 for squats, I'm doing full squats, which I wasn't before. #2 I'm not used to the high rep ranges and short rest times so I had to start out lower then what I was doing before. Should I be using higher weights then what I was using the first time I did H-1 you think? Even though I've gotten used to this low rep, super long rest time routine....
Well, so far I've been using slightly lighter weights. #1 for squats, I'm doing full squats, which I wasn't before. #2 I'm not used to the high rep ranges and short rest times so I had to start out lower then what I was doing before. Should I be using higher weights then what I was using the first time I did H-1 you think? Even though I've gotten used to this low rep, super long rest time routine....
I would hope that you'd end up with higher weights than you did at the end of your last H1 program for most of your lifts (mentally correcting for the difference between full squats and whatever you were doing before).
This time around you also know a lot more about training in general from reading Coach Rippetoe's excellent materials. Every workout could potentially be more effective as a result.
That was my plan to end using higher weights, but you think it's alright to start out with lower weights then what I ended with previously just to get back into the swing of things?
My main concern was that going back to H-1 may break the pattern that I was following.
H-1 - mostly high reps
H-2 - lower reps, but still some high rep days
S-1 - low reps
S-2 - low reps
Rippetoe routine - low reps H-1 - High reps
I was afraid that I'd lose whatever I had gained from working my way up to the lower rep, heavier weight routines by going back down to the lower intensity, higher rep routine.
That was my plan to end using higher weights, but you think it's alright to start out with lower weights then what I ended with previously just to get back into the swing of things?
Yes. I think that's not only fine, but probably necessary.
Quote:
My main concern was that going back to H-1 may break the pattern that I was following.
H-1 - mostly high reps
H-2 - lower reps, but still some high rep days
S-1 - low reps
S-2 - low reps
Rippetoe routine - low reps H-1 - High reps
I was afraid that I'd lose whatever I had gained from working my way up to the lower rep, heavier weight routines by going back down to the lower intensity, higher rep routine.
The goal of a hypertrophy period in your program is to add muscle size that's primed to grow after you've added the density that comes with greater strength. When you get back to your lower-rep strength periods you may initially find that you're strength is slightly lower than the last low-rep sets you did in your Rip plan, but you should end the strength period with greater strength than you ended the first strength period. Does that make sense? That's how it works. The bigger muscles now have the potential to gain more strength.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not
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