Sussing out FT

[masonator]

TinyTim aka righty checking in.
Thanks, Dr Scott - those words are appreciated.

Hi masonator,
I kinda got fed up with posting in my journal on TM in the end and deleted it - too much calling out of gains because people weren't having it that 15kg+ in 8 months was possible with barely a movement in multi-site caliper measurements (though I did gain some fat, for sure).

Still, Dr Scott received weekly pics and a ton of data, from which he managed my diet (I was a paid client of Dr Scott's).

Anyway, to the question of tier 1 vs tier 2.

Here's how I saw it: I have pretty crappy genetics - skinny fat by nature and an ecto frame. But I will not deviate from a plan and that was the key to making this awesome program work for me.
We set up a list of lifts which I had to beat every workout. Missing them meant potentially losing them and, as they were my favourites, I wasn't about to lose them. So, I had to beat them.

The first week was easy - because I hadn't yet worked out just how deep into muscular overload I could go.
Week two was hard - beating good (for me) lifts required effort.
Week three and I was thinking "how'm I gonna beat this - that was a cracking set last week?"
But they got beat.
And so on, deeper into overload every week and learning to push the mental boundary because there were plenty of physical fibres not yet fired and spent.

This was mostly all on tier 1 - I think we tried tier 2 for half a blast and it destroyed me - I needed an early cruise from that one.

If you can and do go further than you've gone before in terms of progression from week-to-week, and keep doing it week after week until it's time to cruise, tier 1 is "just" a tool facilitating very rapid progress - concentrating everything into as few lifts as possible and giving everything. Got quite anxious before some sessions because I knew they were going to be relatively insane but they got done. And I literally couldn't wait to leave the gym and get home to eating, as eating was the key between recovering and gaining, and burning out. I'll let Dr Scott go into the details of macro amounts he built me up to, if he's so inclined.

I was 46 at the time, so hardly in my prime of gaining youth.

One thing though - the cruise, as laid out in the book, played a huge role in sustained gaining. I came back from each cruise stronger and heavier and very refreshed. Not a meal was missed and not a cheat food was eaten. Just good old-fashioned slog.

I've been chatting with Dr Scott and it's shortly time for me to gain another 15kg under his wing (I laid the training up for a while as I swopped careers and got ready to move house). Unless he says differently, it'll be tier 1 again.

Hey Righty, I used to be more active on MT many moons ago but it has died a death from the good old days tbh although I went by the name Selecta!

I did look for your journal but obviously couldn't find it but thankfully a lot of your answers in the FT thread on T Muscle were still there and were helpful.

I must admit I started on Tier 1 today, started a log and it was a bit of a "feeler" session as I imagine the rest of the week will be but I did come out of it feeling ravenous but not wasted like I did from my PHAT session. (wasted in a "too much" kinda way I mean!)

So I have no qualms about sticking with tier 1 for a bit and seeing how it goes.
Either way it is nice to hear from people like yourself who I know have been there and done it, physique and routine wise so know your stuff!

To be fair a few other "mature" guys in the UK BB scene who I respect have also jumped on Fortitude so I can tell it must work !

I appreciate you commenting and if you have any tips/advice along the way that would be spot on!

By the way, 43 here so no spring chicken either !!!!