Week 1 FT Setup

[Joe Jeffery]

Hey guys,

Diving into Turbo Tier 2. How does this setup look to you?


Day 1 - Lower Load / Upper Pump

Thigh: 2x6-12 - 1 set RPE9, 1 set RPE10
High Bar Back Squat

Quad: 1x6-12
Close Stance Leg Press

Ham: 1x6-12
RDL

Adductors: 1x Rest Pause set with 2x failure points - 20-30 reps

Calves: 4x6-12
Leg Press Calf Raise

S/S Chest/Back: 2x15-25 - followed by 90 sec loaded chest and loaded back stretches
A1) Machine Fly / Close Grip Pulldown
A2) Machine Press / Machine Low Row

S/S Delts / Abs: 2x15-25
A1) DB Side Raise / Cable Crunch
A2) Cable Side Raise / Hanging Leg Raise

S/S Bi's/Tri's: 2x15-25
A1) Cable Curl / Rope Pressdown
A2) Reverse Grip Curl / OH Rope Extension

Day 2 - Upper Load / Lower Pump:

Back: 3x6-12
Wide Grip Chinup x 2 (one to RPE9, one to failure)
HS Low Row x 1

Chest: 2x6-12
Incline DB Press (one to RPE9, one to failure)

Delts: 2x6-12
DB Shoulder Press (one to RPE9, one to faiure)

Thigh: 2x15-25
A1) Wide Stance Leg Press
A2) Close Stance Leg Press

S/S Quad/Ham: 1x15-25
Leg Extension / Seated Ham Curl

Calf: 1x15-25
Seated Calf Raise


Day 3 - Full Body MR

Thigh: 1xMR
Close Stance Leg Press

S/S Quad / Ham: 1x15-25
Leg Extension / Seated Ham Curl

Calf: 1xMR
Leg Press Calf Raise

Back: 1xMR
Machine Low Row

Chest: 1xMR
High Cable Fly

Delts: 1xMR
DB Side Raise

Biceps: 1xMR
Single Hand Cable Curl


Day 4 - Full Body MR

Back Pulldown: 2xMR
Lat Pull-In

Back Row: 2xMR
HS Low Row

Chest: 1xMR
HS Decline Chest Press

Delts: 1xMR
Cable Side Raise

Tris: 1xMR
Rope Pressdown

Thigh: 1xMR
Leg Extension

Calf: 1xMR
Standing Calf Raise

Abs: 1xMR
Reverse Crunch

Also, when I have finished this week, should I switch all the exercises up for next week or just attempt to beat the logbook on the above movements?

Thanks!
Joe

[Altamir]

Hey Joe,

So it looks like you have some basic frame work right, but are missing A LOT of the finer details.

I'd look at this thread FT Most Frequently Questions asked here on the Forum and reread the book on Zig-zagging and load set rotations. It also appears you've got your pump sets for lower a bit mixed up. And too many pump sets for bi's and triceps. and your loading sets for chest and shoulders have no isolation movements. There probably are a few more things, but this is what stands out.

I would strongly encourage you to start with tier 1 basic and make sure you have the fundamentals of the program down and solid before moving to tier 2 or to turbo. I understanding this may feel like crawling, when you want to run. But I can assure you if you give your training sessions 100% you will most CERTAINLY get something out of it.

[Scott Stevenson]

Joe,

As Altamir noted - there's a good deal to address here.

I'd start with p. 87 and reading about how to perform the set types, specific:'
• Exercise selection (e.g., they are not pre-set for MR's or Pump sets, although you can have some things in mind.
• Set Execution You have the rep ranges right for Pump sets, but the way those are performed is something Im' guessing you might have overlooked.
• Progression - this is done differently for Loading sets vs. MRs vs. Pump sets.

Also, there is no use of RPE in Fortitude training. You can of course assess your own RPE on a Borg Scale, but the idea is to leave 1-2 reps in the tank, not use RPE as your guide. I think this is a better way to create clarity of mind when deep into a set. An RPE of a 9 might be halfway through a set of 6 reps on a rack dead for one person (at rep 3 or 4) and at rep 5 for another person. To my knowledge, use of RPE in this context has not been examined scientifically. And, even if it has (especially givens I'm not aware of it), leaving 1-2 reps in the tank is a better way to eek out as much volume as possible without the impact of an actual failure repetition.

And I whole-heartedly second the notion of starting with Tier I Basic.

-S

[Joe Jeffery]

Perfect, thank you guys! I have had a thorough reread and understand a lot of where I went wrong! I am dropping back to Tier 1 basic and running from there - kind of scary when compared to what I was doing!!

I now have set 3 rotations for all loading movements, for example:

Week 1: Squat
Week 2: Hack Squat
Week 3: Leg Press
REPEAT

So I should aim to beat my previous scores every time, right?

I have removed all exercise selection for MR's and Pump sets and will be going by feel and function of that given day.

Is that correct?

[Joe Jeffery]

Hi Dr Scott,

Hope you are having a great Christmas!

Just saw Brad Schoenfeld post thus on FB and wanted your opinion as I know a latge part of FT is failure training:

The persistent claim by some in the industry that training to absolute muscular failure is essential for maximizing muscle growth is without research-based support. Certainly training with a high level of effort is important for continued muscular gains, and perhaps there *might* be a benefit to taking some sets to all out failure (again, the basis for this is largely speculative). But there's no basis to contend that the vein in your temple needs to bulge like a serpent when eking out that last rep to maximize growth, and it may in fact be detrimental over time by hastening the onset of overtraining. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence; here the evidence is virtually non-existent

Thanks Doc!!

Joe

[Altamir]

Perfect, thank you guys! I have had a thorough reread and understand a lot of where I went wrong! I am dropping back to Tier 1 basic and running from there - kind of scary when compared to what I was doing!!

I now have set 3 rotations for all loading movements, for example:

Week 1: Squat
Week 2: Hack Squat
Week 3: Leg Press
REPEAT

So I should aim to beat my previous scores every time, right?

I have removed all exercise selection for MR's and Pump sets and will be going by feel and function of that given day.

Is that correct?

Bingo, best of luck on starting FT my friend!

I think Scott is a little more equipped to answer your second question that I, but I'll throw in at least what I have learned from FT and failure. and it's honestly that you don't know where it lies until you've gone beyond it. Pump sets have certainly taught me that where I thought failure was, was not. and there was more effort and more intensity I could be bringing to my sets. I think it also sets a predetermined mind set going into a training session or a set. If I am aiming for "enough volume to grow muscle, but not to failure" I'm setting myself up to not go as hard. as I don't want to "overtrain". That reeks of "meh" and perhaps is a good way for someone else to train, but doesn't get my blood going. Versus going into a leg pump set and aiming for "I'm not quitting until my legs give out from under me, and after that I'm going to bang out partials and an iso hold, no matter how much the pump hurts and my legs are on fire." That's the mind set to me that speaks of effort and success. That gets me excited to train, and hit the gym HARD. FT also has cruise periods built in which address the overtaining issue. Because this is HARD.

[Joe Jeffery]

Bingo, best of luck on starting FT my friend!

I think Scott is a little more equipped to answer your second question that I, but I'll throw in at least what I have learned from FT and failure. and it's honestly that you don't know where it lies until you've gone beyond it. Pump sets have certainly taught me that where I thought failure was, was not. and there was more effort and more intensity I could be bringing to my sets. I think it also sets a predetermined mind set going into a training session or a set. If I am aiming for "enough volume to grow muscle, but not to failure" I'm setting myself up to not go as hard. as I don't want to "overtrain". That reeks of "meh" and perhaps is a good way for someone else to train, but doesn't get my blood going. Versus going into a leg pump set and aiming for "I'm not quitting until my legs give out from under me, and after that I'm going to bang out partials and an iso hold, no matter how much the pump hurts and my legs are on fire." That's the mind set to me that speaks of effort and success. That gets me excited to train, and hit the gym HARD. FT also has cruise periods built in which address the overtaining issue. Because this is HARD.

Thank you! As I understood it pump sets weren't to be taken to true failure, only loading sets, is that incorrect?

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Dr Scott,

Hope you are having a great Christmas!

Just saw Brad Schoenfeld post thus on FB and wanted your opinion as I know a latge part of FT is failure training:

The persistent claim by some in the industry that training to absolute muscular failure is essential for maximizing muscle growth is without research-based support. Certainly training with a high level of effort is important for continued muscular gains, and perhaps there *might* be a benefit to taking some sets to all out failure (again, the basis for this is largely speculative). But there's no basis to contend that the vein in your temple needs to bulge like a serpent when eking out that last rep to maximize growth, and it may in fact be detrimental over time by hastening the onset of overtraining. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence; here the evidence is virtually non-existent

Thanks Doc!!

Joe

I'm exactly on the same page as Brad here, as far as I can tell. I address this on page 17 of the book. (I've covered this here on the board a few times now, I think.)

Failure takes its toll, and my empirical observation has been that, e.g, with LOADING sets, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure allows the vast majority of the volume to be performed with the sets (e.g., 9 reps whereby 10 would have been the last rep, failing when attempting an 11th reps) without the disproportionate impact on recovery that comes from a true failure set.

This is why the sets in an MR performed after the failure point are with a weight / load that does NOT elicit failure. (You'll get good at picking these depending on where in the MR you reach failure. See the examples in the book on page 96 or so.)

As far as failure on PUMP sets... Again, it's in the book. (I'm intentionally not going to respond here other than that to get you in the habit of looking at the book. )

-S

[Joe Jeffery]

Thank you Dr Scott! Hope you are having a lovely Christmas. Me and my Mrs are eating plentifully today and are both beginning FT basic Tier 1 tomorrow!! I am excited!!

[Scott Stevenson]

Thank you Dr Scott! Hope you are having a lovely Christmas. Me and my Mrs are eating plentifully today and are both beginning FT basic Tier 1 tomorrow!! I am excited!!

Hope yours was good too and that the workout was a blast!

-S