FT Questions....

[Scott Stevenson]

Hey Bud,

Yeah, being "relatively" untrained probably made a huge difference.

Folks who've not done higher freq. programs don't recognized how this can "creep" up on you.

I'd simply stick with the MR workouts you've been doing, Tier I (at least fro the first Intensivey Cruise workout) and do that maybe Friday (not sure when your last workout was, but give it an extra day off) and then again 2-3 days later. I'd go with about a 9 days IC (INtenisvie cruise).

MAKE Sure that you're working around those aches n' pain. You may have to do some MR workouts that are highly creative or almost seem foo-foo to you.

Don't do a bilateral leg press if your knees hurt - do a unilateral one with very light weight slow and controlled. (A unilateral LP MR is tough - basically 12 sets of 4 without rest, unless a weight drop is needed)

. Do a supported rows to lay of the low back.

Cable work to workout around achy shoulders

Machines, not free weights and even partial ROM to above portions of a ROM that cause tendons to seem a bit niggly. (This is the perfect time to do a FLEXIBILITY stretch to ensure that you're not just cutting ROM short and walking away from the exercise. We eon't want to be losing flexibility d/t workout around pain.)

-S

Scott;

I'm about 3.5 weeks into my first FT blast. Week 1 was basic 3-day tier 1, weeks 2 & 3 were basic 3-day tier 2. Due to the beating I took in weeks 2 & 3, I scaled back to tier 1 for week 4. My shoulders & knees are sore, sleep isn't terribly good, and I'm feeling less motivated these last few days. So....it's time to cruise. When transitioning to the MR workouts only, I am assuming that, even though I've been using the 3-day plan, I'm supposed to use the 4-day MR workouts (upper / lower). I wouldn't think that I'm supposed to use the 3-day MR workout since it's full body. Is this correct?

On a side note - I'm really surprised at how quickly I had to cruise, especially considering that I'm using a lower volume tier. I know my recovery isn't what it used to be (I'm 35), but I'm getting lots of aches & pains in places where I never have issues (shoulders mainly). In this blast, due to the types of sets (loading & MR), I've been able to move poundages that I haven't touched in a few years. (I think I military pressed 205 lbs for 11 or 12 reps last workout.) I'm sure this has a lot to do with it. I think the frequency might be playing a role too. I've been doing a traditional push/legs/pull routine for about 4 years where the frequency is once per week, but I hammered the muscle on that day.

EDIT - forgot to mention - I had about 2 weeks of training in before I started this FT blast, so that likely contributed to the shortened blast as well.

In the end, it was a good first blast. I'm going to get a few MR workouts in, take a short break, and start back up probably by the week of the 17th.