FT Questions....

[bill2]

We could go round n' round here, but I've already suggested you go to try Tier III.

I don't know how you've progressed on Tier II except that you're "doing great." (Sorry if you mentioned something else before.)

However, if you're really addicted to training, like you say - I'm really being serious here - then you're not going to do well as well as you could with any program b/c you've not got the ability to sense when you should put on the brakes / take a day off, or drop down a Volume Tier, etc. This is essential to making FT work the way I've set it out.

-S

as you suggested Scott i will move on tier 3..
i must re-program my mind to follow your recomendations as far as days in the gym etc and see what happens right?
my ultimate goal is maximum fat free mass and if you feel thats the best route ..im ok with that..
so to reccap..
-im moving to tier 3
-no more than 4 wheight training per week..-
-the 3 remaining days i can do cardio-massage-stretching etc in order to improve body composition..

Any more suggestions Scott?
thanks for everything

[Scott Stevenson]

as you suggested Scott i will move on tier 3..
i must re-program my mind to follow your recomendations as far as days in the gym etc and see what happens right?
my ultimate goal is maximum fat free mass and if you feel thats the best route ..im ok with that..
so to reccap..
-im moving to tier 3
-no more than 4 wheight training per week..-
-the 3 remaining days i can do cardio-massage-stretching etc in order to improve body composition..

Any more suggestions Scott?
thanks for everything

I would suggest only moving to Tier III if you are certain that you can improve your progress compared to Tier II. However, you want to trying simply for the sake of training, which throws the purpose of making progress out the window.

Please tell me how you are doing on Tier II as far as measure of progress: Weight, Strength, body comp, etc.

I don't know that what you're suggesting to do on your non-weight training days will improve body composition. Actually, given what you've told me and how our communication has flowed, I would be it will likely interfere with muscle gains, as you simply have a tendency to over do things, I suspect.

For instance, NOW, you're planning on going up a Tier AND adding in cardio. That would NOT be my suggestion as far as optimizing progress, but your other "goal" of feeding you addiction to training is a whole other matter and really one I can't help you with.

(The way I look at it and from the feedback I've gotten - if you're training as hard as you possibly can, there will very VERY few people who can use Tier III Turbo and not feel like the need the time off from the gym in order to recovery.)

-S

[dice77]

I have found that FT has made me move on to variations of exercises I've never dons before. DB squats, 1 leg presses/curls/extensions. Today the most intense thing was MR 1 arm seated HOIST rows as my 2nd thickness exercise (T2). It just allows for endless possibilities that keep training fun and intense. Very enjoyable and challenging day in and day out.
Do other people find themselves just tweaking things they have done for years and benefitting from it bc of the FT program?

[Scott Stevenson]

I have found that FT has made me move on to variations of exercises I've never dons before. DB squats, 1 leg presses/curls/extensions. Today the most intense thing was MR 1 arm seated HOIST rows as my 2nd thickness exercise (T2). It just allows for endless possibilities that keep training fun and intense. Very enjoyable and challenging day in and day out.
Do other people find themselves just tweaking things they have done for years and benefitting from it bc of the FT program?

Everyone's doing that, I hope (if I'm reading you right).

That variety is the spice of training and the great thing about it is doing a novel exercise or an old exercise in a novel way is a novel stimulus. So, mixing it up like that to keep things fresh and fun is what your'e supposed to do - its not a like you're dumping the program and having a screw off day.

It's like playing hooky and being in class at the same time!

-S

[bill2]

I would suggest only moving to Tier III if you are certain that you can improve your progress compared to Tier II. However, you want to trying simply for the sake of training, which throws the purpose of making progress out the window.

Please tell me how you are doing on Tier II as far as measure of progress: Weight, Strength, body comp, etc.

I don't know that what you're suggesting to do on your non-weight training days will improve body composition. Actually, given what you've told me and how our communication has flowed, I would be it will likely interfere with muscle gains, as you simply have a tendency to over do things, I suspect.

For instance, NOW, you're planning on going up a Tier AND adding in cardio. That would NOT be my suggestion as far as optimizing progress, but your other "goal" of feeding you addiction to training is a whole other matter and really one I can't help you with.

(The way I look at it and from the feedback I've gotten - if you're training as hard as you possibly can, there will very VERY few people who can use Tier III Turbo and not feel like the need the time off from the gym in order to recovery.)

-S

well many thanks Scott for your ideas ..but lets get things from the begining again cause i feel we are going in places i didnt intened to..
as i said i came to FT after experimenting with mountaindog training for aout a year..
i proggresed in training 7 days a week plus 1-2 cardio( or ZERO if feling tired or not feeling it that day..) obviously not all of them was max poundage and max intensity.. ii was listening my body and as usualy my main 4 workouts where as intense as they could be!
the other 3 pump days increased blood flow aided in recuperation served also as destress pill if you like and ALSO ALOOWED ME STAING LEANER AND NOT RELY SO MUCH ON CARDIO..(i had this in mind when i wrote in this forum for ways to improve body composition etc after the 4 main days of FT training..)
i liked training more than cardio to do that and basicaly i asked you how i could follow a simiral approach ( TRAINING 6-7 DAYS) WHILE TRAINING WITH FT ...

as far as FT training ..i prety much beating the log at every workout plus 0,7-1 kg up in bodywheight in 4 weeks with same bodyfat...( keep in mind i do hard cardio the other 3 days)
i have a setendary job plus i follow your nutrition ideas for mass gains..

[Scott Stevenson]

well many thanks Scott for your ideas ..but lets get things from the begining again cause i feel we are going in places i didnt intened to..
as i said i came to FT after experimenting with mountaindog training for aout a year..
i proggresed in training 7 days a week plus 1-2 cardio( or ZERO if feling tired or not feeling it that day..) obviously not all of them was max poundage and max intensity.. ii was listening my body and as usualy my main 4 workouts where as intense as they could be!
the other 3 pump days increased blood flow aided in recuperation served also as destress pill if you like and ALSO ALOOWED ME STAING LEANER AND NOT RELY SO MUCH ON CARDIO..(i had this in mind when i wrote in this forum for ways to improve body composition etc after the 4 main days of FT training..)
i liked training more than cardio to do that and basicaly i asked you how i could follow a simiral approach ( TRAINING 6-7 DAYS) WHILE TRAINING WITH FT ...

as far as FT training ..i prety much beating the log at every workout plus 0,7-1 kg up in bodywheight in 4 weeks with same bodyfat...( keep in mind i do hard cardio the other 3 days)
i have a setendary job plus i follow your nutrition ideas for mass gains..

You're welcome, Bud.

I'll keep my answer simple:

To satisfy your need to train more days / week, you could:
-Split Day 1 and 2 into 4 workouts by splitting up the Loading and Pump Sets. (This gives you 6 training days / week)

-If you can recover, you could move to Tier III. (I would rather see you do this vs. continue to do cardio.)

For the purpose of bodybuilding, I would do neither of these, as you seem to be making great gains where you are, doing what you're doing. It sounds like you've gained more muscle from 4 weeks of FT than you did over 9 months of MD training (3 x 3 month programs).

For the purpose simply training more often, you can do whatever you like, really. Other than the above, in keeping with an FT format, as was mentioned days ago by Pumped: I devised FT in the way that I did for various reason, i.e., I've not got a better solution for you.

Consider this:

JOhn's base MD program is a 4x / week program, with extra days of training added in per your recovery ability. Shelby Starnes does MD training this way (4 days / week) and has made great gains for instance.

You, on the other hand, out of your need to train as often as possible, took John's program to a 7 d / week format. This resulted in very little progress over 9 months.
NOW, you're wanting to take my 4 days / week program and revise it by adding more training days into the week, even after you've been making great gains with FT (and know from the past that a program more like mine - Yates style). You're asking me to come up with some way to make what I see as an error in training judgment (adding extra days of training) into something that you can get away with.

It may be possible for you to train more days / week simply by splitting Days 1 and 2, but it seems you don't like that answer. (I've given it to you several times now.) I've given you the option to up your volume, too, to Tier III, but that doesn't seem like it would make sense, given you're making great gains right now.:

Increasing your volume and going to 6 days / week would be the same sort of thing that didn't work with MD training.

So, those are your options as I see them: continue making great gains or continue repeating your pattern riding the edge of overtraining and making little in the way of gains. What you do is TOTALLY up to you, my man. I friggin' LOVE to train, so I get you - and I've overdone it more than a few times.

You have my permission to go hog wild with the training for sure, but other than what I've said, I don't see any way for you to have your cake and eat it too, here.

-S

[bill2]

You're welcome, Bud.

I'll keep my answer simple:

To satisfy your need to train more days / week, you could:
-Split Day 1 and 2 into 4 workouts by splitting up the Loading and Pump Sets. (This gives you 6 training days / week)

-If you can recover, you could move to Tier III. (I would rather see you do this vs. continue to do cardio.)

For the purpose of bodybuilding, I would do neither of these, as you seem to be making great gains where you are, doing what you're doing. It sounds like you've gained more muscle from 4 weeks of FT than you did over 9 months of MD training (3 x 3 month programs).

For the purpose simply training more often, you can do whatever you like, really. Other than the above, in keeping with an FT format, as was mentioned days ago by Pumped: I devised FT in the way that I did for various reason, i.e., I've not got a better solution for you.

Consider this:

JOhn's base MD program is a 4x / week program, with extra days of training added in per your recovery ability. Shelby Starnes does MD training this way (4 days / week) and has made great gains for instance.

You, on the other hand, out of your need to train as often as possible, took John's program to a 7 d / week format. This resulted in very little progress over 9 months.
NOW, you're wanting to take my 4 days / week program and revise it by adding more training days into the week, even after you've been making great gains with FT (and know from the past that a program more like mine - Yates style). You're asking me to come up with some way to make what I see as an error in training judgment (adding extra days of training) into something that you can get away with.

It may be possible for you to train more days / week simply by splitting Days 1 and 2, but it seems you don't like that answer. (I've given it to you several times now.) I've given you the option to up your volume, too, to Tier III, but that doesn't seem like it would make sense, given you're making great gains right now.:

Increasing your volume and going to 6 days / week would be the same sort of thing that didn't work with MD training.

So, those are your options as I see them: continue making great gains or continue repeating your pattern riding the edge of overtraining and making little in the way of gains. What you do is TOTALLY up to you, my man. I friggin' LOVE to train, so I get you - and I've overdone it more than a few times.

You have my permission to go hog wild with the training for sure, but other than what I've said, I don't see any way for you to have your cake and eat it too, here.

-S

thanks for clarifing some things Scott..i definetely must re- program my mind with that situation..
always crosing the line with overtraining isnt a good thing..
i will follow your advise for sure..

[bill2]

i always have in my mind that more training days via pump workouts =better blood flow to the muscles=better recovery=eventually a more refined -denser -leaner physigue=less need to do cardio and less cardio sessions...

[Scott Stevenson]

i always have in my mind that more training days via pump workouts =better blood flow to the muscles=better recovery=eventually a more refined -denser -leaner physigue=less need to do cardio and less cardio sessions...

Why do you have this idea in your head?...

Is blood flow to muscles during the course of the post-workout recovery period somehow limited?

I've heard a lot too: If you want to increase the total amount of blood flow to muscle, then doing cardio would be the way to go, something like swimming for instance.

(In actuality, we know that metabolic stress - via blood flow restriction - is a stimulus for hypertrophy.)

-S

[bill2]

Why do you have this idea in your head?...

Is blood flow to muscles during the course of the post-workout recovery period somehow limited?

I've heard a lot too: If you want to increase the total amount of blood flow to muscle, then doing cardio would be the way to go, something like swimming for instance.

(In actuality, we know that metabolic stress - via blood flow restriction - is a stimulus for hypertrophy.)

-S

what i meaned by that statement is that cause of that idea i have in my mind i increased my training days to 7 a week via pump workouts..
thats was the main reason for more freguent training..
but maybe i was overjealous and i overdone it and that lead me to overtraining and diminished gains? ( i gues yes as you said that also...)