Restarting FT after "years" of no training

[Rich.A]

Where to begin...

I bought the FT book when it first came out, and i absolutely loved the style of training at the time. As time went on, i eventually stopped training as much, and i have been inconsistent in the gym for perhaps 3 years or so. This is simply because training wasn't a high priority in my life. At the time I was completing my BSc in sports & exercise science, and then a MSc, and now I am halfway through my PhD - consistent training was the last thing on my mind, if i was lucky i would get to the gym once a week, but there has been month long periods where i have done none.

Having reflected a lot over this gym lockdown period, i've come to realise that serious training was a big joy in my life, and something that i seriously regret giving up. And some of my favorite programs where FT, DC, & 531.

So here is my question, would it be wise to start FT (Tier 1) as soon as the gyms re-open? Or should i give myself a solid base of training prior to jumping in?

Thanks in advance

Rich

[Scott Stevenson]

Where to begin...

I bought the FT book when it first came out, and i absolutely loved the style of training at the time. As time went on, i eventually stopped training as much, and i have been inconsistent in the gym for perhaps 3 years or so. This is simply because training wasn't a high priority in my life. At the time I was completing my BSc in sports & exercise science, and then a MSc, and now I am halfway through my PhD - consistent training was the last thing on my mind, if i was lucky i would get to the gym once a week, but there has been month long periods where i have done none.

Having reflected a lot over this gym lockdown period, i've come to realise that serious training was a big joy in my life, and something that i seriously regret giving up. And some of my favorite programs where FT, DC, & 531.

So here is my question, would it be wise to start FT (Tier 1) as soon as the gyms re-open? Or should i give myself a solid base of training prior to jumping in?

Thanks in advance

Rich

Hey Rich!

I trained through my PhD (competed even), but mined was in exercise physiology. (What are you studying?...)

I bring that up mainly b/c I, too, was crazy busy and knew from the lack of sleep and overwork I'd not be making any crazy gains. Instead, training was my respite, my "me" time. I would train entirely intuitively, essentially, and I trained HARD. I messed around with different dietary strategies (Keto being one) and learned how to keep myself lean with a diet that was sustainable. (There was one point where I think I trained every day straight for about 2 years, even if this meant coming into the gym at 4AM, which is what I had to do on many occasions.

So, big Q is what do you want to do and what can you fit into your a schedule?...

----

I'd probably start with a full body workout, 3x / week, shy of failure initially and building volume to maybe 3 sets / large muscle groups and 1-2 for smaller until you feel you're ready for another split or to move to FT.

You could then do the Family man plan (or similar) or just move through the FT days as you can fit into your schedule. This will mean training everything at least twice weekly even if you just get to the gym 2-3x / week.

-S

[Rich.A]

Hey Rich!

I trained through my PhD (competed even), but mined was in exercise physiology. (What are you studying?...)

I bring that up mainly b/c I, too, was crazy busy and knew from the lack of sleep and overwork I'd not be making any crazy gains. Instead, training was my respite, my "me" time. I would train entirely intuitively, essentially, and I trained HARD. I messed around with different dietary strategies (Keto being one) and learned how to keep myself lean with a diet that was sustainable. (There was one point where I think I trained every day straight for about 2 years, even if this meant coming into the gym at 4AM, which is what I had to do on many occasions.

So, big Q is what do you want to do and what can you fit into your a schedule?...

----

I'd probably start with a full body workout, 3x / week, shy of failure initially and building volume to maybe 3 sets / large muscle groups and 1-2 for smaller until you feel you're ready for another split or to move to FT.

You could then do the Family man plan (or similar) or just move through the FT days as you can fit into your schedule. This will mean training everything at least twice weekly even if you just get to the gym 2-3x / week.

-S

Hi Scott, Thanks for the reply. It's good to know that you were able to successfuly train whilst completing your PhD, it gives me some hope.

My PhD is a mix between biomechanics and physiology. In essence, i'm investigating accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) in a squat, the first study was looking at the force-velocity relationship (as most research either focuses only the concentric side, or is a single joint model), we are hoping to publish this in the next month or so. Study 2 has been looking at the hip/knee/ankle joint moments of the concentric & eccentric phase of traditional squatting and AEL squatting. The next studies will then look at the acute/chronic responses to AEL squatting, and the changes in strength/hypertrophy/performance.

-

In terms of what i want to do, competing does not interest me anymore (although i did want to in the past). Mainly, i want to build a physique that is maintainable year round, i want to enjoy training training, and a part of that is knowing that i am on the best path to maximizing my time in the gym. I think i realise i have to be a lot more organised if i want to achieve this.

-

I completely agree with what you said re: starting with a full body and increase volume slightly over time, i would then focus on maximizing recovery.

I have reread FT as well as reading a lot of stuff by Jordan Peters, and looking at the general structure of how both of you seem to program.

I will probably set up my plan to be: Heavy Lower/Light Upper, Heavy Upper/Light Lower etc. with exercises focusing on: Hamstring, Thigh, Calf, Chest, Delt, Back Width, Back Thickness.

1 Set per exercise (2 for calfs), 6-10 reps for heavy, 15+ reps for light. Progress in volume (if needed) over 8-12 weeks. Then slowly transition over to a FT style of training 3x per week.

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Scott, Thanks for the reply. It's good to know that you were able to successfuly train whilst completing your PhD, it gives me some hope.

It certainly can be done, but I really had to MAKE time. I lost sleep to do so, but it was worth it all n' all.

My PhD is a mix between biomechanics and physiology. In essence, i'm investigating accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) in a squat, the first study was looking at the force-velocity relationship (as most research either focuses only the concentric side, or is a single joint model), we are hoping to publish this in the next month or so. Study 2 has been looking at the hip/knee/ankle joint moments of the concentric & eccentric phase of traditional squatting and AEL squatting. The next studies will then look at the acute/chronic responses to AEL squatting, and the changes in strength/hypertrophy/performance.

I'm VERY interested in this. Do you have any pilot work published (e.g., a proceedings abstract or what have you)?...

I'm guessing you're familiar with this work:

1. Dudley GA, Harris RT, Duvoisin MR, Hather BM, and Buchanan P. Effect of voluntary vs. artificial activation on the relationship of muscle torque to speed. Journal of applied physiology 69: 2215-2221, 1990. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2077019
2. Tesch PA, Dudley GA, Duvoisin MR, Hather BM, and Harris RT. Force and EMG signal patterns during repeated bouts of concentric or eccentric muscle actions. Acta Physiol Scand 138: 263-271, 1990.
3. Hather BM, Tesch PA, Buchanan P, and Dudley GA. Influence of eccentric actions on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance training. Acta Physiol Scand 143: 177-185, 1991.

(And this more recent one: 1. Pain MTG, Young F, Kim J, and Forrester SE. The torque-velocity relationship in large human muscles: Maximum voluntary versus electrically stimulated behaviour. Journal of Biomechanics 46: 645-650, 2013. )

Gary Dudley was my mentor for my PhD.

-

In terms of what i want to do, competing does not interest me anymore (although i did want to in the past). Mainly, i want to build a physique that is maintainable year round, i want to enjoy training training, and a part of that is knowing that i am on the best path to maximizing my time in the gym. I think i realise i have to be a lot more organised if i want to achieve this.

I was all about maintenance when in school. Eating to gain would have put me in a carb coma (which is partly why I did and experimented so much with a low carb dieting).

-

I completely agree with what you said re: starting with a full body and increase volume slightly over time, i would then focus on maximizing recovery.

I have reread FT as well as reading a lot of stuff by Jordan Peters, and looking at the general structure of how both of you seem to program.

I will probably set up my plan to be: Heavy Lower/Light Upper, Heavy Upper/Light Lower etc. with exercises focusing on: Hamstring, Thigh, Calf, Chest, Delt, Back Width, Back Thickness.

1 Set per exercise (2 for calfs), 6-10 reps for heavy, 15+ reps for light. Progress in volume (if needed) over 8-12 weeks. Then slowly transition over to a FT style of training 3x per week.

Sounds like a solid plan and also one you can adjust depending on circumstances.

-S

[Rich.A]

It certainly can be done, but I really had to MAKE time. I lost sleep to do so, but it was worth it all n' all.


I'm VERY interested in this. Do you have any pilot work published (e.g., a proceedings abstract or what have you)?...

I'm guessing you're familiar with this work:

1. Dudley GA, Harris RT, Duvoisin MR, Hather BM, and Buchanan P. Effect of voluntary vs. artificial activation on the relationship of muscle torque to speed. Journal of applied physiology 69: 2215-2221, 1990. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2077019
2. Tesch PA, Dudley GA, Duvoisin MR, Hather BM, and Harris RT. Force and EMG signal patterns during repeated bouts of concentric or eccentric muscle actions. Acta Physiol Scand 138: 263-271, 1990.
3. Hather BM, Tesch PA, Buchanan P, and Dudley GA. Influence of eccentric actions on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance training. Acta Physiol Scand 143: 177-185, 1991.

(And this more recent one: 1. Pain MTG, Young F, Kim J, and Forrester SE. The torque-velocity relationship in large human muscles: Maximum voluntary versus electrically stimulated behaviour. Journal of Biomechanics 46: 645-650, 2013. )

Gary Dudley was my mentor for my PhD.


I was all about maintenance when in school. Eating to gain would have put me in a carb coma (which is partly why I did and experimented so much with a low carb dieting).


Sounds like a solid plan and also one you can adjust depending on circumstances.

-S

Thanks for the replies Scott, eating enough to fuel training and recovery is somthing i do need to work on.

Yes i am very familiar with Dudley & Pain's work, trying to understand the unique neural activation strategies of eccentric contractions, and its implications, has been a large undertaking.

At the moment i only have the one conference proceeding (European college of sport science congress 2020), unfortunately this has been postponed until the end of the year due to the current pandemic.We will most likely not be presenting this data now as the university is restricting international travel as well as having updated the data since.

Here is the accepted abstract that we submitted:

Determining Concentric and Eccentric Force-Velocity Profiles During Squatting Using A Novel Motorised Isovelocity Device
Armstrong R, Baltzopoulos V, Langan-Evans C, Clark D, Jarvis J, Stewart C, & O’Brien T
Research Institute of Sport & Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University

INTRODUCTION:
Understanding the relationship between force & velocity (FV) is an integral part of resistance training prescription to optimise neuromuscular adaptation. Typically, as concentric (CON) velocity decreases, force production increases, and the force of eccentric (ECC) contractions exceeds that of concentric contractions. However, the majority of FV research focuses on single-joint movements, or on the CON portion of a multi-joint movement. No previous study has investigated the CON & ECC FV relationships in the squat movement, due to the challenge of applying high ECC loads and velocities safely and accurately. This study used a motor driven cable training system (Kineo, GLOBUS) that allows isovelocity squatting to construct the CON & ECC portion of the FV profile during a squatting exercise.

METHODS:
Following 2 familiarisation sessions performed at least 4 days prior to testing, 13 resistance-trained males (23 ± 3 years old, 1.6 ± 0.3 x BW squat) performed 3 repetitions of maximal effort isovelocity squats at 3 CON (0.75, 0.5, & 0.25 m/s) & 3 ECC velocities (-0.25, -0.5, & -0.75 m/s). The isovelocity phase of each movement was identified from the cable velocity plateau, and confirmed by 3D motion capture (Qualysis, 200 Hz). Peak vertical ground reaction force in the isovelocity phase from each trial was collected using 2 force plates (Kistler, 2000 Hz). Force data were low-pass filtered (6 Hz) and normalised to an estimated isometric force to construct the FV profile. A One-way ANOVA between velocity and peak force was performed, whilst a paired sample T-Test, with limits of agreement (LOA), were used to assess differences between target & actual cable velocity.

RESULTS:
Measured cable velocity had a small fixed bias (0.02 m/s) greater than the prescribed velocity (P<0.001, LOA=0.002:0.037). There was a significant effect of velocity on peak force (P=0.001). Peak CON force increased as CON velocity decreased. Peak ECC force at -0.5 & -0.75 m/s was greater than isometric force (21 & 25% respectively), but not at -0.25 m/s. However, normalised ECC force at all velocities was highly variable between individuals (SD = 0.37).

CONCLUSION:
This is the first study to investigate the CON & ECC FV profile in a squatting movement, with the Kineo appearing to be a viable method for controlling squat velocity. The CON FV profiles of all participants conformed to well established patterns. However, ECC FV profiles varied between individuals. On average, the group produced a peak ECC force ~25% greater than the greatest CON peak force. Though this ranged from -24% to +87%. Therefore, practitioners should be cautious of using a ‘one-size fits all’ approach when prescribing ECC overloads during squat training. Performing CON & ECC FV profiling has the potential to inform barbell squat load prescription to optimise neuromuscular adaptation. Further research should identify why ECC force production varied between individuals and which eccentric overloads maximise strength and hypertrophy.



We will be submitting the full paper to journals within the next month. Some things to note, we have since increased our population to 15 and changed the data analysis techniques. Which has lowered the peak eccentric forces to 10% greater than isometric force.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask

[Scott Stevenson]

Thanks for the replies Scott, eating enough to fuel training and recovery is somthing i do need to work on.

Yes i am very familiar with Dudley & Pain's work, trying to understand the unique neural activation strategies of eccentric contractions, and its implications, has been a large undertaking.

At the moment i only have the one conference proceeding (European college of sport science congress 2020), unfortunately this has been postponed until the end of the year due to the current pandemic.We will most likely not be presenting this data now as the university is restricting international travel as well as having updated the data since.

Here is the accepted abstract that we submitted:

Determining Concentric and Eccentric Force-Velocity Profiles During Squatting Using A Novel Motorised Isovelocity Device
Armstrong R, Baltzopoulos V, Langan-Evans C, Clark D, Jarvis J, Stewart C, & O’Brien T
Research Institute of Sport & Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University

INTRODUCTION:
Understanding the relationship between force & velocity (FV) is an integral part of resistance training prescription to optimise neuromuscular adaptation. Typically, as concentric (CON) velocity decreases, force production increases, and the force of eccentric (ECC) contractions exceeds that of concentric contractions. However, the majority of FV research focuses on single-joint movements, or on the CON portion of a multi-joint movement. No previous study has investigated the CON & ECC FV relationships in the squat movement, due to the challenge of applying high ECC loads and velocities safely and accurately. This study used a motor driven cable training system (Kineo, GLOBUS) that allows isovelocity squatting to construct the CON & ECC portion of the FV profile during a squatting exercise.

METHODS:
Following 2 familiarisation sessions performed at least 4 days prior to testing, 13 resistance-trained males (23 ± 3 years old, 1.6 ± 0.3 x BW squat) performed 3 repetitions of maximal effort isovelocity squats at 3 CON (0.75, 0.5, & 0.25 m/s) & 3 ECC velocities (-0.25, -0.5, & -0.75 m/s). The isovelocity phase of each movement was identified from the cable velocity plateau, and confirmed by 3D motion capture (Qualysis, 200 Hz). Peak vertical ground reaction force in the isovelocity phase from each trial was collected using 2 force plates (Kistler, 2000 Hz). Force data were low-pass filtered (6 Hz) and normalised to an estimated isometric force to construct the FV profile. A One-way ANOVA between velocity and peak force was performed, whilst a paired sample T-Test, with limits of agreement (LOA), were used to assess differences between target & actual cable velocity.

RESULTS:
Measured cable velocity had a small fixed bias (0.02 m/s) greater than the prescribed velocity (P<0.001, LOA=0.002:0.037). There was a significant effect of velocity on peak force (P=0.001). Peak CON force increased as CON velocity decreased. Peak ECC force at -0.5 & -0.75 m/s was greater than isometric force (21 & 25% respectively), but not at -0.25 m/s. However, normalised ECC force at all velocities was highly variable between individuals (SD = 0.37).

CONCLUSION:
This is the first study to investigate the CON & ECC FV profile in a squatting movement, with the Kineo appearing to be a viable method for controlling squat velocity. The CON FV profiles of all participants conformed to well established patterns. However, ECC FV profiles varied between individuals. On average, the group produced a peak ECC force ~25% greater than the greatest CON peak force. Though this ranged from -24% to +87%. Therefore, practitioners should be cautious of using a ‘one-size fits all’ approach when prescribing ECC overloads during squat training. Performing CON & ECC FV profiling has the potential to inform barbell squat load prescription to optimise neuromuscular adaptation. Further research should identify why ECC force production varied between individuals and which eccentric overloads maximise strength and hypertrophy.



We will be submitting the full paper to journals within the next month. Some things to note, we have since increased our population to 15 and changed the data analysis techniques. Which has lowered the peak eccentric forces to 10% greater than isometric force.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask

Hey Rich - Thanks for sharing that!

Had all your subjects been squatting on a regular basis?...

In testing the subjects, did you notice large variability in ability to maintain squatting form without back rounding or some breach of form compared to the concentric trials?...

(I'm imagining trying to produce maximal effort when squatting while the load is bearing down on me and can easily imagine sensing a form breach and an inhibitory "reflex" to just get out from under the load. I don't know that even highly trained powerlifters do negative only reps with loads >1RM.)

OTOH, the individual who produced nearly double isometric force during ECC contractions seems extraordinary. Was he an outlier?

[Did you run correlations on RT experience, squatting experience, relative CON squatting (F/kg body mass) strength and ECC strength?... Wondering if you can tease out some associations / explanations for the variability that could be of practical value, e.g., that those with lesser experience with squatting or not as well trained based on strength might be more prone to not produce greater forces, thus potentially negating the potential purpose of ECC training to create an overload... Heck, doing so could even mean "practicing" an ineffective activation strategy for force production during squatting and thus backfire as a training strategy to improve performance... Just shotgunning thoughts here...]

-S