FT Questions....

[Scott Stevenson]

I will be starting FT in a couple weeks(tier 1). I have a question about back training. One thing I learned with my time with DC is my back can handle more volume and still progress. One thing I started doing was a width exercise and 2 thickness ones. One would be a neutral/underhand grip type row pulled to the Lower stomach, and one would be a wider overhand grip pulled to the upper stomach/nipple area, or a rack pull. For me these 2 exercises hit the back completely differently and both Serve a purpose. I know FT is a template that Someone then tailors to themselves, just curious your thoughts on that approach for back

Just a quick thought here. (This bears repeating.)

FT allows you to Fine tune you training stimulus with Pump sets and, of course, exercise selection.

Most folks want to adjust the stimulus simply by doing more - a blunt instrument of increasing volume with more sets.

I'd challenge folks to try to use the Pump set technique (5's into the hole is a favorite) to adjust stimulus if, for instance, a muscle group can handle "more" (like back).

As Dens mentioned, the frequency allows you to pick up variety over the course of the week, so even if volume is low, you can do several different exercises over the course of the week's training for a given muscle group.

OOk so looking at basic tier ii, my back could look like this

Day 1 pump chest/back (2)
Decline hammer chest / rope pulley lat pulls
Pec deck flys/ pulley kneeling single arm row

Day 2 load Back (3)
Tbar row
Underhand pulldown machine
Rack pull

Day 4 muscle rounds
V grip pulldown MR
Smith machine overhand BB row MR
Pulley V grip row Mr

I have a question for day 2. It says 3 sets for back. Is that supposed to be a zig zag with an ISO in there somewhere?? Lol I see it as a green light to smash 3
Big movements but that could be wrong. I think tne point of the zig zag is to have some ISO work

Tier 2 loading day would be zig zag between width and thickness. Two of one, one of the other. Dealers choice on which.

So T-bar, close grip pulldowns, back to t-bar as an example.

R.e the bolded (for Machmood):

You'd just choose two exercises for zig-zagging. You'll have a hard time holding down three machines at once in most gyms, plus its a PITA to load and unload all of that. Generally, you can couple the two exercises using the same machine / station.

E.g., Rack deads (thickness). in a rack would be zig-zagged in a rack you also do rack chins or (weighted) pull-ups (width).

-S