fortitude flexibility

[EllisV]

I dont know whether anyone else has the same issue but i am a father so after my 9-5 i dont like spending any longer than an hour in the gym 4 days a week i have been doing FT for 6 weeks now and love it but the sessions are lasting around 80-90 minutes which is putting pressure on home life . i know there is 3 day split alternative but I like training 4 times in a week, i hate rushing the end of my workout or skipping stretches to get done faster. anyone have any ideas?

[Scott Stevenson]

I dont know whether anyone else has the same issue but i am a father so after my 9-5 i dont like spending any longer than an hour in the gym 4 days a week i have been doing FT for 6 weeks now and love it but the sessions are lasting around 80-90 minutes which is putting pressure on home life . i know there is 3 day split alternative but I like training 4 times in a week, i hate rushing the end of my workout or skipping stretches to get done faster. anyone have any ideas?

Hey Bud!

A couple things could be done here;

1.) After finishing training for a muscle group, move right to the warm-up for your next muscle group, do the 1st warm-up set and THEN the stretch for what you just trained. (Don't worry about missing out on any metabolic stress with the stretch here. ) This will have you stretching when you'd be resting between warm-ups.

2.) Focus on bilateral stretches vs. doing one limb / side at a time.

3.) Pick your exercises such that you spend less time loading / unloading if at all possible. This is what slows me down the most, esp. on loading set days. It can help a good bit with MR's E.g., do a unilateral leg press MR instead of bilateral. This might mean using 4plates side instead of 8-10.

[I'm guessing from the thread title that it's the stretches that you think slow you slow the most?...]

The Family Man Plan (3x/ week) was made specifically for this kind of situation.

-S

[Con]

Is getting up early to do your training a viable option?
I have found that once you're used to it early morning training sessions can be very productive and actually set you up nicely for the day.

[dens228]

I train first thing in the morning also. I've been doing it for so long it's just a regular part of my day. I still do it even though I no longer need to.
Also, my training goes a little faster because I usually warm up two body parts at a time before I hit my work sets.
For example I warm up back and chest, then hit my back sets, do one more warm up for chest and hit those work sets.

[EllisV]

Hey Bud!

A couple things could be done here;

1.) After finishing training for a muscle group, move right to the warm-up for your next muscle group, do the 1st warm-up set and THEN the stretch for what you just trained. (Don't worry about missing out on any metabolic stress with the stretch here. ) This will have you stretching when you'd be resting between warm-ups.

2.) Focus on bilateral stretches vs. doing one limb / side at a time.

3.) Pick your exercises such that you spend less time loading / unloading if at all possible. This is what slows me down the most, esp. on loading set days. It can help a good bit with MR's E.g., do a unilateral leg press MR instead of bilateral. This might mean using 4plates side instead of 8-10.

[I'm guessing from the thread title that it's the stretches that you think slow you slow the most?...]

The Family Man Plan (3x/ week) was made specifically for this kind of situation.

-S

hey scott,

great advice thanks alot, where me and my training partner are both ex powerlifters we like the heavy basics but obviously these take more plates. my gym also isnt the best with machine placement for example the squat rack and isolation leg machines are at the other side of the gym! but in the spirit of FT you adapt and grow so now we lunge more and my legs are blowing!!

in all honesty after i made the post yesterday i trained and me and my partner got through the workout so quick i had to check to see we hadn't missed anything but i guess this is week 6 so we know where we are with loadages and rest times. how long do your sessions last?

[EllisV]

Is getting up early to do your training a viable option?
I have found that once you're used to it early morning training sessions can be very productive and actually set you up nicely for the day.

I should do really.. sometimes you need someone to tell you to do something to do it ill try it thanks man

---

I train first thing in the morning also. I've been doing it for so long it's just a regular part of my day. I still do it even though I no longer need to.
Also, my training goes a little faster because I usually warm up two body parts at a time before I hit my work sets.
For example I warm up back and chest, then hit my back sets, do one more warm up for chest and hit those work sets.

great advice thanks

[Scott Stevenson]

hey scott,

great advice thanks alot, where me and my training partner are both ex powerlifters we like the heavy basics but obviously these take more plates. my gym also isnt the best with machine placement for example the squat rack and isolation leg machines are at the other side of the gym! but in the spirit of FT you adapt and grow so now we lunge more and my legs are blowing!!

I find it strange how some gyms are set up. THere's one here in town that I just re-joined b/c its like 8min away. Long story, but they ended up getting rid of some machines and adding a few others, which included dismantling a few in the move. (I can tell this b/c a few of the weight stacks no longer have the plates numbered sequentially... LOL)

The machines are almost entirely randomly "arranged" in one room, which is kind of funny (and a bit sad actually...) LOL

in all honesty after i made the post yesterday i trained and me and my partner got through the workout so quick i had to check to see we hadn't missed anything but i guess this is week 6 so we know where we are with loadages and rest times. how long do your sessions last?

Good - glad it went faster.

I'm closer to 2hr, but I'm using Tier III for the most part (and training alone, so all that plate moving around slows me a bit, too). I could probably knock it down 15-20 min (and have), but lately I'm shooting a little video and purposefully trying to experiment with new exercises, ways to do them, etc. (Sometimes I don't actually come up with anything, but I'll intentionally spend an extra minute or so letting the creative juices flow during the course of the workout. The gym is kind of my lab. )

-S

[MaxDog]

I should do really.. sometimes you need someone to tell you to do something to do it ill try it thanks man

---

great advice thanks

I am also in the morning crowd, 6 am during the weekdays and 7 am on weekends. This allows me to get my workouts in without worrying about work or family commitments/events that may arise.
That said, I have been training at this time for years, so I am very well adjusted to it. The other bonus is that the gym is pretty quiet (except for a few weeks in September and January ) so its perfect for doing the FT program and having access to the racks or equipment you need.

[EllisV]

I am also in the morning crowd, 6 am during the weekdays and 7 am on weekends. This allows me to get my workouts in without worrying about work or family commitments/events that may arise.
That said, I have been training at this time for years, so I am very well adjusted to it. The other bonus is that the gym is pretty quiet (except for a few weeks in September and January ) so its perfect for doing the FT program and having access to the racks or equipment you need.

the only down side is i have a 9 month old and another one on the way in September so mornings are tough lol

[EllisV]

I find it strange how some gyms are set up. THere's one here in town that I just re-joined b/c its like 8min away. Long story, but they ended up getting rid of some machines and adding a few others, which included dismantling a few in the move. (I can tell this b/c a few of the weight stacks no longer have the plates numbered sequentially... LOL)

The machines are almost entirely randomly "arranged" in one room, which is kind of funny (and a bit sad actually...) LOL







Good - glad it went faster.

I'm closer to 2hr, but I'm using Tier III for the most part (and training alone, so all that plate moving around slows me a bit, too). I could probably knock it down 15-20 min (and have), but lately I'm shooting a little video and purposefully trying to experiment with new exercises, ways to do them, etc. (Sometimes I don't actually come up with anything, but I'll intentionally spend an extra minute or so letting the creative juices flow during the course of the workout. The gym is kind of my lab. )

-S

yep mine is like that not much description on plates for cables and machines and different cables have different stacks so logging can be a nightmare!

I am also on tier III i imagine your warm ups are much more looked after than mine. my training partner is nuts his squat warm up is 3 plates a side so i really have to try to slow him up to get mine done but in all honesty sometimes i give in and do the same. just hope nothing goes pop, as im normally very safe but the pressure to get home is mounting