H.O.S.S Training Program - great for beginners and advanced trainers!!!

[Randy Robitaille]

The simple idea behind the H.O.S.S Training Program program is to focus on the tried and true full body, compound movements of the squat, bench press and deadlift for the first exercises of each workout day. Some could argue that if you truly bust your balls and put 110% effort into those exercises you could actually be done for the day after doing just those. Well if I had you do that you'd think I was nuts LOL so I've added in some other great exercises that are also important on your journey to getting huge. Here's the program:

Monday - legs/calves

squats: 2x15, 1x10, 5x5, 1x15 "pump & burn set"
leg press: 5x5
stiff leg deadlifts: 1x15, 3x10
standing calf raise: 3x30+
seated calf raise: 3x30+

Wednesday - chest/delts/tri's

bench press: 2x15, 1x10, 5x5, 1x15 "pump & burn set"
dips: 3x as many as possible
flys: 3x10
standing barbell press: 2x15, 3x8
skull crushers: 4x10-8
push-downs: 4x10

Friday - back/traps/bi's/

deadlifts: 2x15, 1x10, 5x5, 1x15 "pump & burn set"
bent rows: 1x15, 5x5
chin-ups: 3x as many as possible
barbell shrugs: 4x10 (go heavy)
standing barbell curls: 1x15, 4x10
hammer curls: 1x15, 3x10 (each arms)

I put legs first in the program on Day 1 because for most people legs are their weakest, or should I say least trained, bodypart hey....I said MOST people so that might not mean YOU...but I bet it probably does LOL they were my weak bodypart too for a long time until I started squatting properly and regularly. So let's start with Day 1 (usually on a Monday).

To explain the rep scheme for the first exercise each day we'll use the squat as an example, it goes like this:

squats: 2x15, 1x10, 5x5, 1x15

So the 2x15's are warm-up sets or feel sets I call them, to see where you're at that day and to prepare you for the working sets to come. The 1x10 is still a warm-up but its getting a little heavier nowthe REAL working sets are the 5x5.....these are the balls out sets, use one weight for all 5 sets. And then there is the 1x15 "pump & burn set" at the end to set your muscles on fire.

***The reps should be done as follows: When you do 1x15 that is a warm-up set but you should still find a weight that you struggle on the last 2-3 reps...1x10 (still considered a warm-up) you should really be using a weight that allows about 1x 8 or 9 with some struggle near the end to get the final 1-2 reps - when you are doing 10 reps with that weight (a week or 2 down the road...increase the weight and start again) and w/ the 5x5 sets you should be able to hit 5 reps on say the first 3 sets but on the last 2 sets you should only be able to do 3 or 4...So pick ONE weight and stick with it for the whole 5x5 sets OK. I'll give you example of what I would typically use for squats OK. I would use 135x15, 225x15, 315x10 and then I jump right to 495 for my 5x5 working sets and then go back down to 225lbs for the final 1x15 PUMP & BURN SET. Once again, if you can do 5 sets of 5 reps the weight you've chosen it isn't heavy enough...so increase it!!! The final set of 15 reps, or the PUMP & BURN set, should be done with the weight you used on your second 1x15 set...I find that seems to work the best (so 225lbs in my example given above) but GO TO FAILURE if you can do more then 15 reps. Do NOT do any drop sets or negatives or anything like that but just go to natural failure. You might be able to hit 20 reps on the final set so go for it. With the warm-ups, 5x5 sets and the "pump & burn set" in this program you get verying rep ranges to help with growth/shape, to activate the muscle fibers and tax the muscles and respritory system differently AND most importantly to build strength & MASS. The bench & deadlift rep scheme are exactly the same as above and for ALL exercises for that matter. After warm-ups use one weightfor your 5x5 or 4x10 or 3x10 sets. ALL final sets are to natural human failure

Make sure you really give the squats your all. Do them in a power rack and set the saftey bars just lower then the bottom position of the squat (hopefully you're being honest with yourself and truly going BELOW parallel - if not then start). To help me go below parallel I set the saftey bars at the perfect height at the bottom position of the squat for me so that I actually ding them on each rep (not hard like slamming into them...I just ding them softly and then EXPLODE up out of the bottom position) so I know I've gone the proper distance down.....if I don't ding, I don't count the rep....but I hardly ever don't ding anymore LOL Now, if you're truly squatting balls out and then doing leg presses balls out heavy followed by stiff legs - you've just worked your entire legs fully and utterly and you should be fried.....what else could you possibly do? why would you need to do more...or better yet HOW could you even possibly want do more? I have the answer - you're still thinking like a bb'er LOL You seriously just have to give the program a good solid try......you'll see that extensions, lunges and hamstring curls are NOT needed after doing killer squats let alone everything else!!! And you should almost feel like puking just from the squats alone LOL. Forget the "shaping" exercises OK. They have their place, just not in THIS program. H.O.S.S is all about the BIG 3 as they get the natural test and hgh levels flowing like nothing else can. The basic exercises, done with low reps, naturally trigger the bodies testosterone output, but the higher reps and longer time under tension for the 2x15, 1x10 and the final 1x15 "pump & burn sets" force the body to output more AND raise growth hormone levels. With H.O.S.S you have all the bases covered!


REST TIME BETWEEN SETS - The warm-ups on the first exercise, of each day, shouldn't take too long - the first 2 sets of 2x15 reps should be done with 30-40 secs rest between sets.....these are just lights warm-ups and are meant to get the body & mind into the groove of what's to come, plus higher reps hit the muscle fibers a little differently and are meant to get the heart kick started and get you breathing deeply. The next set of 1x10 should be done within 1 minute of the last set of 1x15....therefore the 3 warm-ups should not take longer then 5 mins to complete. Next comes the 5x5 sets.....try not to rest longer then 1 to 1 1/2 mins OK. These are strength reps but not to be confused with 1 or 2 or even 3RM's which would need 2-2 1/2 mins + so try to learn the feeling of 1 to 1 1/2 mins of rest for this program IMO.

Therefore if you rest at the high end of 1 1/2 mins between sets for the 5x5 sets they should take 10mins max. The final set is the pump and burn set of another 1x15 and is done to shock and confuse the muslces and get some cardio over load so try to basically strip the weight after your last 5x5 set and GO FOR IT. So that's 5 mins for 3 warm-ups sets and 10 mins for the 5x5 and another 1min for the final 1x15....therefore the first exercise of each workout, squats, bench, deads - should be over in around 15mins - even 20 mins MAX so that leaves lots of time for the rest of the exercises. All the other exercise on each day should be kept in the 1 min to 1 1/2 min rest time frame - work up to this OK and you could even try to rest less for the final exercises like curls or calves or tri's.....like back to under 1 min.

Since I don't recommend any cardio during this phase and H.O.S.S came about during my years of powerlifting/strongman hybrid training the idea is to try to keep the rest periods under 1 1/2 mins but preferably around 1 minute.....this will get you sweating like nothing else as your heart will be pounding out of your chest and your lungs will be on fire.....and the HOSS program encompasses multi rep schemes like 15's, 10's, 5's and then 15's to get the heart going and to hit different fibers and to get different results ALL in one workout program. So next time you hit the gym just get into things. The idea is not to go FAST and careless but to get into a "trance" and not fuck around....1 to 1 1/2 mins of rest is quite a bit these workouts should be done in well under 1 1/2 hours......I usually get them done in 1 hr.

Get in, get out and GROW!!!

The same thing goes for Wednesday and Friday or Days 2 & 3. Bench press balls out first and deadlift balls out first on their respective days. Just doing these exercises as is will kick your ass. Now keep in mind that I advise you switch up the program a little after 3 MONTHS of following H.O.S.S AS IS!!! After 3 months I advise you spend the next 1 MONTH period doing variations of the BIG 3 and the exercises that follow as variety is the spice of life but only after giving this an honest try for 3 MONTHS OK (The ONE MONTH Switch Up program can be found later in this thread).

So try the program AS IS above for at least 3 months. Don't even add in another day, like doing something Thurday, because it will effect your deadlifts and those are VERY important. Don't forget that deadlifts from the floor actually work your thighs and hamstrings so in essence you are training your legs directly once and indirectly again on back day. Just give it 3 months and make adjustments from there OK. You could do some cardio on Saturday.....but I don't see the need if you're trying to get HUGE. Just eat clean and you won't get fat right. Not seeing abs or striations doesn't mean you're fat LOL blurry abs are OK and you always want to see some legs & calf definition and nice shape to the bi's & tris. If you lose all that then we'll talk

Look further on into this thread for the ONE MONTH H.O.S.S SWITCH UP PROGRAM

[Randy Robitaille]

The H.O.S.S Training Program should be followed "as is" on page one of this thread for 3 months. After 3 months I would suggest taking ONE WEEK OFF and then doing the following workout with the following substitutions for variety, mentally and physically, for 2 months followed by ONE complete week OFF from ALL TRAINING again and then get back on the program "as is" for another 3 months and repeat. Here is the H.O.S.S 2 MONTH Switch-Up Training Program with substitutions:

Monday - legs/calves

squats: 2x15, 4x10, 1x15 for this phase I reccomend having some fun and trying new things like wide stance, close stance with toes pointed out, front squats, smith machine squats or as box squats etc and make sure you try a set of 20 rep deep breathing squats OK...they are KILLER!
then either: leg press or hack squats or machine squats etc: 4x10
leg extensions: 3x10
leg cursl: 3x10 either lying or seated or standing
standing calf raise: 3x15+
seated calf raise: 3x315+

Wednesday - chest/delts/tri's

FLAT chest press: 1x15, 4x10, 1x15 either flat dumbbell presses or Hammer Strength Presses or machine presses etc
Incline press: 1x15, 3x10 either incline barbell or dumbells or Hammer Strength or machine
Flyes 3x10 either flat or incline flyes or decline or peck deck or cable cross-overs
Shoulder Presses: 1x15, 3x10 either seated shoulder presses w/barbell or dumbells or standing barbell press or standing dumbell press or Hammer Strength presses or machine presses
side raises: 3x10 either standing or seated
then either skull crushers or over-head tricep extensions or close-grip bench press: 4x10-8
then either regular push-downs or rope push-downs or reverse grip push-downs: 3x15-10

Friday - back/traps/bi's/

deadlifts: 2x15, 4x10, 1x15 either rack pulls (partials) sumo, platform, bands or chains etc
Rows: 1x15, 3x10 either bent barbell rows or t-bar rows or Hammer Strength rows
Pulldowns 1x15, 3x10 either wide grip front pull-downs or close grip pulldowns or Hammer Strength pulldowns
barbell shrugs: 4x10 (go heavy) or dumbbell shrugs or Hammer Strength Machine shrugs or rear shrugs
standing dumbbell curls: 1x15, 4x10 (each arm)
then either hammer curls or preacher curls or spider curls or concentration curls: 3x15-10 (each arms)

During this phase the idea is to continue to go balls out on squats, bench press & deadlifts (or the variations of them) with increases in weight weekly or reps AND still go balls out on all the other exercises that follow on each day during this 2 month period. I would also say its OK to add in some light cardio on Tuesday & Thursday if you wanted - 30 mins of light treadmill or stationary bike keeping the heartrate under 130bpm's - but take SATURDAY & SUNDAY OFF 100%. Cardio on Tues & Thurs should only come into play if you feel you've put on a little too much bodyfat during the first 3 months on H.O.S.S. Abs get more then enough work from the squats, deadlifts, rows, standing barbell presses, curls etc etc so don't worry about those unless you think your core is a bit weak. In that case do a 10-15min core warm-up b4 each workout of crunches, leg raises, side bends, hyper extensions. Seeing your 6 pack is more a matter of diet but this program isn't concerned with beach bods LOL This "2 MONTH Switch-UP Program" phase of H.O.S.S is only to add some variety for the mind and body - but still GO HEAVY.....don't wimp out. H.O.S.S is all about getting HUGE!!!

Eric