FT Questions....

[Scott Stevenson]

Sorry to ask if it's already been asked but I wanted to throw this out there.

Is there any validity to only rotating between 2 exercise groupings for a bodypart if the movements are really feeling like they're working well and progressing nicely? I've got 3 1/2 weeks left in this blast before I move (and change gym) and I'm almost certain that I can keep progressing well on just 2 movements for my lower body for this blast.
Obviously it's a valid enough approach, but that's not the point - I mean, is it FT approved? From my s&c background we would rotate exercises fairly frequently but I know the whole point behind the Loading Sets on FT is to just keep progressing as long as you can, not as fast as you can. So if I need to be patient and just hit my RFESS and Smith Squats every 3 weeks I will.

Hey Bud!

I think by "validity" you're asking if it's a "valid," meaning potentially effective approach to rotate between two vs. three exercise groupings (when doing FT).

Firstly, I'm for whatever works best for an individual.

The three exercise group (e.g., call them A, B and C) rotation is an empirically derived one that works well for intermediate and advanced guys generally for the following reasons:

• Reduces the contribution of "acute" improvement in exercise execution from (skill acquisition, neural adaptations, etc.) to performance improvements (more weight a/o more reps). After 3 weeks, you're not going to forget how to do the exercise, but if, for example, you performed the same exercise (same set type) every week, you could improve the same amount, session by session or even MORE so when obviously, all other things being equal, your'e gaining more size over 3 weeks vs 1 week. THUS, the gains in reps / weight are more a function of muscle mass.

• Prevents to some degree niggles (as known in the UK) or repetitive wear / use injuries inflammation that can come from doing the same movements regularly.

• Keeps things nicely fresh psychologically in that you might not even remember what you previously did or its not haunting you at least if doing the same exercises (as FT loading sets) every 3 weeks.

• Includes decent variety which is important for full muscular development IMO, and does this in interaction with other exercises that would be used for the same muscle groups during a given week. (The combo's would be very different, meaning a different sequence of activation patterns, fatigue patterns, damage patterns, etc. week by week but will still the log book data to stick to a progressive overload regime b/c there is indeed a repeating pattern. )


This is the kind of rotation that I've found generally works better, but some can and DO like to so the same grouping week in and week out or alternating between two groupings, e.g., for the reason you note above.

In your case, practically speaking, it really doesn't matter much b/c you'll be off to anther gym and who knows what in terms of other training (Jiu Jitsu, etc.) so these last few weeks where you are really won't matter much in the long haul.

You might also thinks about why third grouping isn't one you want to repeat: Are you plateauing there. are these not good exercise for you / to target your physique, can you perhaps get better at them, and / or change the order of exercises (how you zig zag them)?...

-S