FT Questions....

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Scott I had a question regarding loading exercise selection for my "C" rotation. I'm using FT as a 12 week off season phase for my powerlifting, and was wondering for a thigh compound movement would you recommend a 2-3s pause squat, 3-5s eccentric and concentric tempo squat, smith machine squat or front squat, or a second squat day to fill out my rotation? My first two loading weeks are leg press and squat.
I would assume your answer would be whatever you think is going to help you the most, but in this situation I think they all could help me, I just want to pick the movement that would best fit in your style of programming, and not make this too too much of a hybrid, while still having some carryover to my powerlifting form and success (as mentioned in my other thread I'm having some problem maintaining tightness in my squats resulting in lots of shifting and twisting at the moment, hence the selection of the exercises above)
Might be hard to answer given this information, but any info you have or clarifying questions would be appreciated
By the way I'm in my 2nd week so far and loving it! Really learning how far concentric muscular failure really is down the line, and learning to embrace the pain and push myself harder than ever before!

Hey Bud!

First thought is that I'd not plan on going 12 weeks with a Blast, as folks typically don't make it past 6 weeks. Heck, I'd imagine that you'd make better progress doing 3 sets of 3 weeks Blasts (1 week Intensive Cruise) than trying to go a full 12 weeks.

Well, with FT, the goal is to have continuous reps during all sets (including each of those clustered within a muscle round), so in keeping with that, I'd not do Pause squats.

You'll be able to do slo ECC / CON tempo repps during pump sets, which ill give you the kind of muscular stress (but perhaps not fit with what you're trying to evoke in terms of squat form in a fatigued condition).

For the sake of specificity, I'd probably go with a chained or banded squat or perhaps a box squat (with a consistent tempo) over a smith or front squat. (Front squat could be a good one to have in your rotation, though.

Another variation might be to use a Safety squat bar or a topsquat to squat.

Also, you could at some point use a high bar / Oly style squat if this varies significantly from how you squat.

So, for a third Loading Set Thigh exercise, I'd consider:
Squat with Chains
Squat with Bands
SSB or Tope Squat Squat
Oly style squat.


And perhaps down the road:
Front squat
Hip Belt squat
Even Zercher squat
Smith squat

-S

[B_Forge]

There seems to bee a good bit of variety as to what works for different folks, so you'll really have to experiment.
Melatonin makes some groggy the next day, others not. L-Theanine, L-Tryptophan and GABA help some. Some just like a nice cup of Chamomile tea.

Also, taking in a larger percentage of your daily your carbohydrate before bed can help, too.

I'd also be sure you don't have apnea... (I can follow up on that if needed.)

-S

I have had a sleep study done on me to test for apnea couple years ago when I was experiencing similar problems, so I don't think it is that. I've trying to utilize higher carbs before bed as well, as sometimes I do tend to wake up hungry, so will keep up with that, and potentially purchase some of what you listed above.

In regards to GABA, from what I have read, I thought is was unable to cross the blood brain barrier, so it has little effect. Have you seen other research, or any anecdotal evidence of it being effective in its effect on sleep?

Thanks!

[Scott Stevenson]

I have had a sleep study done on me to test for apnea couple years ago when I was experiencing similar problems, so I don't think it is that. I've trying to utilize higher carbs before bed as well, as sometimes I do tend to wake up hungry, so will keep up with that, and potentially purchase some of what you listed above.

In regards to GABA, from what I have read, I thought is was unable to cross the blood brain barrier, so it has little effect. Have you seen other research, or any anecdotal evidence of it being effective in its effect on sleep?

Thanks!

Yeah, more food before bed would be a great idea.

GABA does cross the BBB to some degree. There's a decent review on examine.com

Years ago (>10yr ago), a friend had a shitload of GABA that he gave me for free. I tried taking it before training - that was a no go b/c it made me quite drowsy, so that's my personal experience with it. I was taking gram amounts, though. When I take the TN sleep aid combo (I take more than what is recommended on he label), I get the same tingly feelings paresthesia I used to get when taking GABA, which I attributed to GABA.

So, that's an option to consider.

(Seems a theme this week here on the board has been trying stuff out for yourself to some degree. Getting good sleep is definitely an area where setting up a personalized routine can be important. )

-S

[EverTrue]

Hey Bud!

First thought is that I'd not plan on going 12 weeks with a Blast, as folks typically don't make it past 6 weeks. Heck, I'd imagine that you'd make better progress doing 3 sets of 3 weeks Blasts (1 week Intensive Cruise) than trying to go a full 12 weeks.

Well, with FT, the goal is to have continuous reps during all sets (including each of those clustered within a muscle round), so in keeping with that, I'd not do Pause squats.

You'll be able to do slo ECC / CON tempo repps during pump sets, which ill give you the kind of muscular stress (but perhaps not fit with what you're trying to evoke in terms of squat form in a fatigued condition).

For the sake of specificity, I'd probably go with a chained or banded squat or perhaps a box squat (with a consistent tempo) over a smith or front squat. (Front squat could be a good one to have in your rotation, though.

Another variation might be to use a Safety squat bar or a topsquat to squat.

Also, you could at some point use a high bar / Oly style squat if this varies significantly from how you squat.

So, for a third Loading Set Thigh exercise, I'd consider:
Squat with Chains
Squat with Bands
SSB or Tope Squat Squat
Oly style squat.


And perhaps down the road:
Front squat
Hip Belt squat
Even Zercher squat
Smith squat

-S

Ok thank you so much! Will probably go with low bar with flat shoes and high bar with Olympic shoes!
And I definitely didn't mean a 12 week block haha. I respond well to high volume and a quick deaload so I'm basically doing 3.5 weeks blast 1.5 weeks cruise for the entirety, and starting lower on tiers, but working on pushing up, and going with a progressive overload approach on the volume with starting low and overreaching closer to the planned cruise. Or if I feel good I cAn extend like the book says

[Scott Stevenson]

Ok thank you so much! Will probably go with low bar with flat shoes and high bar with Olympic shoes!
And I definitely didn't mean a 12 week block haha. I respond well to high volume and a quick deaload so I'm basically doing 3.5 weeks blast 1.5 weeks cruise for the entirety, and starting lower on tiers, but working on pushing up, and going with a progressive overload approach on the volume with starting low and overreaching closer to the planned cruise. Or if I feel good I cAn extend like the book says

Sounds like a good plan!

-S

[Brian Kjærgård Jakobsen]

Hi scott

how do you feel the reps speed should be on loading reps
and muscle rounds?

for the last couple of years i have dont the 3-4 sec negative and explosive on the positive
I feel i get more out of it more time under tension that just doing the pistons way 1-2 sec up and down.


did i miss this in the book maybe? like to hear what you think about this.

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi scott

how do you feel the reps speed should be on loading reps
and muscle rounds?

for the last couple of years i have dont the 3-4 sec negative and explosive on the positive
I feel i get more out of it more time under tension that just doing the pistons way 1-2 sec up and down.


did i miss this in the book maybe? like to hear what you think about this.

Good question, Brian.

The load should always be under your control, and I'm strongly in favor of controlling the negative and most often performing a *intentionally* powerful concentric, even if, due to fatigue, the load is not moving rapidly at he end of the set.

*Each exercise* lends itself to different rep tempos when the focus is on trying to target a give muscle rather than just simply move the weight up and down.

So, in some cases, to feel a nice groove with the exercise, adding some body english to create a tempo and feel to the exercise is appropriate, but ONLY if the person doing so is knowingly doing this, rather than just using this as an excuse to lift heavier loads.

---Some of this is due to the resistance curve that a particular machine / movement imposes over the full range of motion of the repetition.

---Some of this is also a function of the greater intrinsic force producing ability of skeletal muscle tissue during concentric vs. eccentric movements. The body english reduces the load during concentric (getting past sticking points mentioned above) and leaves you with a heavier load than otherwise to lower in a controlled fashion.

I just did a short youtube vid where I cover this a bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WlRKmwuSBg


A good example of the above are two ways manner in which some people do BO rows:
1.) Some use a bit of body english but keep the (pulling) stress on the lats, erectors, etc. during the concentric, They are just using a bit of hip extension (without dangerously rounding the back) during the concentric to keep the load moving, while CONTROLLING the eccentric, keeping a strong activation during this part of the rep. (I suspect that doing this may also activate a stretch reflex that promotes activation in the lats, too.)

2.) Other prefer to be perfectly "strict," because this can foster a better ability to focus on and sure that the set-limiting fatigue is dictated by the lats, traps etc. (Fewer moving parts here so all the focus can go to the target muscle.)

(Not here that the preferred angle of he upper body differs a good bit on this exercise, so that's another variable in the mix.)

Doing #1 requires that you know how to activate your lats and that this fosters *stronger* contractions, and especially heavier loads on the eccentrics. When watching Ronnie Coleman (for the most part), I have the sense he was doing this quite well. When seeing vid. of Branch Warren (for instance), I don't always get that sense. (Dave Henry is phenomenal at activating the target muscle - a "trained" eye can just sense this in how he lifts, especially on back movements.)

------------

So, the rep tempos is a function of the person and the exercise, IMO.

As a side note, one reason why she individuals have weak muscle groups is probably an inability to make that muscle a highly prioritized prime mover in traditional exercises. E.g., those with a weak chest are often "delt pressers" (in which case arching the back strongly and implying a scapular retraction strategy works well, and even a dumping traditional BB pressing movements for a period of time to re-learn pec activation can help).

------------

As far as tempo for Loading Sets vs. Muscle Round:

Loading Sets are performed with your "go to" exercises for increasing size, so these should be the ones that are tried and tested by you and during which you feel a strong activation during the set. That being true, Loading sets are REALLY about progressively overload - getting stronger and lifting heavier weights. Keeping the person (AND SAFETY) in mind, these would be the exercises (mainly the compound ones) where employing some body english to keep the big loads moving would make sense, but only for certain exercises:

If you do weil with a touch n' go (no crazy bounce) style rack deadlift (like you might have seen Dusty Hanshaw do), then take that shit to town.

However, I would NOT suggest doing "ballistic-style" behind the neck barbell pressing.

So again, the exercise and person matters.

-------

Muscle Rounds are chosen (see the book on p. 95) to "fill in the holes" in your physique so here we're talking about a more targeted activation strategy, which lends itself to a slower, more controlled (minimal body English) lifting style in general.

For example, if your lower lats are weak / underdeveloped, you might even employ split second pause at the bottom of a reverse seated unilateral pulldown (hands supinated) to be sure you're really feeling the contraction where you want to.

---------------

So, if you're not sure about tempo and not feeling the target muscle, slower and more controlled is your best bet. Also, filming yourself or asking someone who has been in the gym for a while to give you a critique can be very helpful.

(FYI, here's a meta-analysis and review headed up by Brad Schoenfeld on this topic of rep tempo and muscle growth that basically says there seems to be a wide range that's effective. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25601394 )

-Scotta

[B_Forge]

Yeah, more food before bed would be a great idea.

GABA does cross the BBB to some degree. There's a decent review on examine.com

Years ago (>10yr ago), a friend had a shitload of GABA that he gave me for free. I tried taking it before training - that was a no go b/c it made me quite drowsy, so that's my personal experience with it. I was taking gram amounts, though. When I take the TN sleep aid combo (I take more than what is recommended on he label), I get the same tingly feelings paresthesia I used to get when taking GABA, which I attributed to GABA.

So, that's an option to consider.

(Seems a theme this week here on the board has been trying stuff out for yourself to some degree. Getting good sleep is definitely an area where setting up a personalized routine can be important. )

-S

This is great info thank you. There is a 6 Oz tub of GABA for sale on amazon right now, so I think that qualifies as a shit load lol. So I think I will grab that and keep bumping up my calories as well. My sleep seems to suffer more on non training days so I think I will increase there as well as on training days and hopefully things will improve.

[Scott Stevenson]

This is great info thank you. There is a 6 Oz tub of GABA for sale on amazon right now, so I think that qualifies as a shit load lol. So I think I will grab that and keep bumping up my calories as well. My sleep seems to suffer more on non training days so I think I will increase there as well as on training days and hopefully things will improve.

That's a lot of GABA! (Bulksupplements brand?...) I think this guy have me like 1 kg of it... LOL

Hope that strategy works out for you!

-S

[Brian Kjærgård Jakobsen]

Hi scott

thanks for your crazy long answer but a very good one on reps lenght.

i am in week 2 of your basis

1. Question
program tier ll day 1
load set how is that set up? it is one box with 2min?
is it then thigh
2min break,
quad
2min break,
hams,
2 min break,
thigh


2.Question
program tier ll day 2
i am wondering is the pump set for thigh quad, hams, and calf
all in 1 set? like no breaks?

sorry if this is in your book, then i missed it.
really loving this type of program