FT Questions....

[RyanM]

I do something similar, and got the go-ahead, though in my case my MR exercises are many of the loading exercises from the previous week. This way you get the same amount of variability in exercises but they're being spaced 1.5 weeks apart instead of just half a week apart.

Cool, thanks. It seems like we have some flexibility in how we choose the muscle round exercises each week and just wanted to see if I'm thinking about this the way Scott intended.

[MaxxPursuit]

Cool, thanks. It seems like we have some flexibility in how we choose the muscle round exercises each week and just wanted to see if I'm thinking about this the way Scott intended.

That's one of the things that is really attractive about Scott's Program. Flexibility and variation. Just gotta make sure you beat that log book!

[Scott Stevenson]

Hey Scott, as promised I got some blood work. While I did start splitting up my TRT the dose was the same so the main changes that occurred were from diet mostly and training to some degree. Training in the sense that maybe there was a more cardio-like effect from the higher reps but then again I was previously training 5-6 days per week vs only 3 days per week now. Diet wise I went from a more mixed / carb heavy diet (but also lower calorie since I was only a couple months out from dieting) to an FT diet of carb focused on workout days and <100g of carbs on most off days and therefore more fats such as EVOO, avocado, nuts, peanut butter and eggs. Total fat on those days were usually 130-170 (previous was 50-80g on most days)

Before:

Cholesterol, Total: 184 (125-200 mg/dL)
HDL Cholesterol: 56 (> 40 mg/dL)
Cholesterol/HDL: 3.3 (< 5.0)
LDL Cholesterol: 112 (<130 mg/dL)
Triglycerides: 81 (<150 mg/dL)
Non-HDL Cholesterol: 128 (30 more than LDL target)




Current:

Cholesterol, Total: 164 (125-200 mg/dL)
HDL Cholesterol: 66 (> 40 mg/dL)
Cholesterol/HDL: 2.5 (< 5.0)
LDL Cholesterol: 85 (<130 mg/dL)
Triglycerides: 67 (<150 mg/dL)
Non-HDL Cholesterol: 96 (30 more than LDL target)

Those are fairly substantial changes. CONGRAT's.

What's the time span in between?

(Why did you decide to train 3 x / week?...)

-S

[Scott Stevenson]

I thought so as well. There were 6 weeks in between, but the changes were only implemented for the last 4 weeks. We can't be completely sure with just my own example but with such a noticeable change so quickly I'd say it's likely due to the increase in healthy fats (and decrease in carbs), with maybe some cardio effect occurring from FT.

I went with the 3x/week because I knew I would make myself go as often as I set up to go, which sounds good, but we just began clinic and hospital blocks, as well as the full course load and I have a night job (which everyone tells me I'm crazy for having ). I figured the extra rest/recovery/sleep would provide better results and allow me to not let lifting get in the way of my career responsibilities.

Having said that, in my next blast I plan on going up to turbo tier 2 in the last 3 weeks in which case I will force 4 days per week for that period and see how it goes.

Sounds like a sensible choice going 3 x / week, but the night job on top of Dental school... Whoa!

Well, just play it by ear with the Tier and Version. The point is to recover from training, not just to train. (I know you know that, but I also sense you like to push yourself, too.)

-S

[RyanM]

I saw a few pages back where Scott answered someone's question on how to do a split squat muscle round. You would do 4 reps with one leg then alternate to four reps with the other, etc. Would this be the same technique for all muscle round unilateral exercises (think DB rows, DB curls, etc.)?

[marcheoucreve]

Hi Guys,

I would know how much time does a FT training session takes for you?

I am currently in the "three day a week program" - third Tier and a workout takes me about 2 hours, with proper warm-up and stretching.

For example this week :

- Tuesday (upper load and lower pump ) : about 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Thursday (lower load and upper pump ) : 2 hours and I haven't been able to do the last superset (arms) because of the gym closure
- Saturday (muscle round) : 2hours and 10 minutes

Is this normal or am I too slow?

Thanks

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Guys,

I would know how much time does a FT training session takes for you?

I am currently in the "three day a week program" - third Tier and a workout takes me about 2 hours, with proper warm-up and stretching.

For example this week :

- Tuesday (upper load and lower pump ) : about 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Thursday (lower load and upper pump ) : 2 hours and I haven't been able to do the last superset (arms) because of the gym closure
- Saturday (muscle round) : 2hours and 10 minutes

Is this normal or am I too slow?

Thanks

That's not far off, depending as well on how strong you are, too, which will (for most) dictate how many warm-ups you need to do. If your'e going to 12 plates / side on a leg press, then you might need to warm up with 3, 6, 8, and 10 plates / side (and perhaps some knee extensions, etc.).

A time saver for you:

After finishing the training for a muscle (group), move quickly to the next exercise for the next muscle group, secure the machine and get your first warm-up set in. THEN do your stretch for the muscle group, either at that station (e.g., ham stretch with your leg on a calf press machine) or elsewhere, but leaving your stuff - belt, wraps, etc. on the machine you'll be using. This would look something like this:

Finish training Back with Back Width MR.
Move to chest machine and do 1st warm-up.
Stretch 1 Lat (if doing Unilateral lat stretch
Next chest warm-up
Stretch other Lat.
Last chest warm-up
Chest MR.

-S

[marcheoucreve]

I've only gone up to Tier II so far but that takes me 70-80 minutes most of the time so if you're including warming up and stretching I'd say that seems about right.

Thanks for your response Pumped340

Let me know how much time do you spend when you're in the third Tier

[marcheoucreve]

That's not far off, depending as well on how strong you are, too, which will (for most) dictate how many warm-ups you need to do. If your'e going to 12 plates / side on a leg press, then you might need to warm up with 3, 6, 8, and 10 plates / side (and perhaps some knee extensions, etc.).

A time saver for you:

After finishing the training for a muscle (group), move quickly to the next exercise for the next muscle group, secure the machine and get your first warm-up set in. THEN do your stretch for the muscle group, either at that station (e.g., ham stretch with your leg on a calf press machine) or elsewhere, but leaving your stuff - belt, wraps, etc. on the machine you'll be using. This would look something like this:

Finish training Back with Back Width MR.
Move to chest machine and do 1st warm-up.
Stretch 1 Lat (if doing Unilateral lat stretch
Next chest warm-up
Stretch other Lat.
Last chest warm-up
Chest MR.

-S

Hi Scott,

Thank you for the response.

That's a lot good tips and I will organize my next workout with your advises.

I'm not strong at all but I do need proper warm-up (few sets) to really feel and prepare the muscle for the assault, in order to give my best on the exercise.

Before your program, I never have stretched other muscles groups than legs.

I really appeciate the sensation and benefice of stretching so I really put emphasis of those.

I don't know why, but I believed that the muscle group should be stretched IMMEDIATLY (without pause) after the last working set

So with your instuctions I will be able to gain a few minutes, here and there.

Your reply reassure me, cause by dint of hearing and reading over the web that "workout should be short..., we need to excercise like sprinters..., ect" I told me : am I on the wrong path? Am I doing things the wrong way?

I love the program so far

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Scott,

Thank you for the response.

You're welcome!

That's a lot good tips and I will organize my next workout with your advises.

I'm not strong at all but I do need proper warm-up (few sets) to really feel and prepare the muscle for the assault, in order to give my best on the exercise.

Before your program, I never have stretched other muscles groups than legs.

I really appeciate the sensation and benefice of stretching so I really put emphasis of those.

I don't know why, but I believed that the muscle group should be stretched IMMEDIATLY (without pause) after the last working set

That would depend on the type of stretch you're using and how you're doing the stretch. If you're stretching unilaterally, there's going to be a pause in between.

If you don't have your wits about you after a set, going right into a stretch (especially an Extreme Stretch) can be dangerous, too.

If you want to do an occlusion stretch ASAP afterwards, you can certainly do that. You'll see in the book wrt Occlusion stretches that I suggest you start them within a minute or two of finishing the last set of the last exercise for a muscle (group).

The option I gave was to allow you to actually finish the workout (before your gym closes.)

So with your instuctions I will be able to gain a few minutes, here and there.

Your reply reassure me, cause by dint of hearing and reading over the web that "workout should be short..., we need to excercise like sprinters..., ect" I told me : am I on the wrong path? Am I doing things the wrong way?

I love the program so far

If your workouts last so long that you feel you can't train hard near the end, then there could be a problem, but otherwise, I'd look at your recover (and progress) in the grander scheme.

While I didn't think it would make or break anything, I too thought the idea was to go into occlusion and extreme stretches as fast as possible to keep the maximum amount of blood possible in the muscle. Not that that always happened lol but man the burn is far more intense when you do go right into it.

No, I've never recommended as fast as possible, but obviously that would mean greater metabolite accumulation. That would have people running / hobbling across the gym to get to their favorite stretching station in some cases. (Not the greatest idea in some gyms especially.)

I'd also rather folks not try to do an Extreme Stretch in a highly fatigued situation because this (for some) may just be asking for injury.

-S