FT Questions....

[Scott Stevenson]

My gym has those rubber coated DB's that have a narrow profile.....very difficult to keep between my feet without having a spotter. I may try to grab someone and have them lift them into place for me. If that doesn't work, I may rig up my super squat hip belt with a loading pin for some ham curls somehow.

Hams curls on the cable rack were decent, but I need to get better ankle cuffs.

I was able to get on the decline bench backwards and simulate a GHR. It's a bit awkward, and due to the leverage setup, I need to assist with my hands. It turns into a "negative-only" movement and highly dependent on the amount of effort I push off with, but I can get them to work. In fact, I just did them last night.

Sucks about those DB's.

On the decline bench you might be able to set it to it's flattest setting and then prop up the end to make it level or even inclined.

Also, I've seen those done using a pad on a smith machine weighted with enough weight to hold the bar in place on the safeties. This padded bar holds you down when kneeling on a bench slipped up under the smith machine. Getting the height right can be a PITA sometimes.

I'll keep experimenting. Usually when you're forced to think outside the box with exercises you'll stumble onto something that is a new favorite.

Indeed.

I will say one thing - my strength is really starting to take off right now (compared to recent experience). Initially I thought it was a placebo effect, but the longer it goes, the less I believe that. Eventually I want to enter into a fat-loss phase, but I wanted to wait until I got 1-2 full effort blasts under my belt. This would help me get a better feel for the program and how it's supposed to work, plus it might help elevate my metabolism and make my calorie intake starting point a bit higher.

Good call on riding it out like that.

That strength increase could be a "mass placebo..." Pardon the pun, as I've seen it happen few times.

-S

[myologist77]

Scott,

I did my first two loading days this week. Im doing my first show this year in april (NPC mid illinois) and I realized my hamstrings need work. I didn't do my hamstring curls in the zig zag format but instead did them after thigh/quad with some primer sets to put in some more blood and get them warmer for my load set.

My question is is the zig zag format enhancing my hamstring set and am I compromising the program design by not doing it this way?. I wasn't planning on doing it this way but it was instinctive.

[Scott Stevenson]

Scott,

I did my first two loading days this week. Im doing my first show this year in april (NPC mid illinois) and I realized my hamstrings need work. I didn't do my hamstring curls in the zig zag format but instead [bd]id them after thigh/quad [/b]with some primer sets to put in some more blood and get them warmer for my load set.

[b]My question is is the zig zag format enhancing my hamstring set and am I compromising the program design by not doing it this way?. I wasn't planning on doing it this way but it was instinctive. [/b]

I can't tell what you're doing - which came first, but it should be pretty simple.

1.) Warm up / ready the weight on all your exercises for loading sets.

2.) TO FOCUS ON HAMSTRINGS with loading sets:

---Do the ham isolation exercise FIRST
--- Pick a compound thigh exercise that hits the hams well or do it such that it does that.
Examples: Leg press with fee high on plate. Low bar (PL-style squats), Wide stand (sumo style) squats, belt squats with wide sumo stance, any plate loaded machine or hack squat with feet adjusted out in front and wide

3.) Consider even doing just two ham isolation exercises on some days, both before and after the compound thigh Loading set


Also, make sure to do you ham stretch FIRST after the Thigh zig zag set and choose an Extreme or occlusion stretch. This might be using a light (~95lb) BB and doing a SLDL style extreme stretch (Just ahold in the bottom position of a SLDL, with low back arched and protected

-S

[myologist77]

[b]My question is is the zig zag format enhancing my hamstring set and am I compromising the program design by not doing it this way?. I wasn't planning on doing it this way but it was instinctive. [/b]

I can't tell what you're doing - which came first, but it should be pretty simple.

1.) Warm up / ready the weight on all your exercises for loading sets.

2.) TO FOCUS ON HAMSTRINGS with loading sets:

---Do the ham isolation exercise FIRST
--- Pick a compound thigh exercise that hits the hams well or do it such that it does that.
Examples: Leg press with fee high on plate. Low bar (PL-style squats), Wide stand (sumo style) squats, belt squats with wide sumo stance, any plate loaded machine or hack squat with feet adjusted out in front and wide

3.) Consider even doing just two ham isolation exercises on some days, both before and after the compound thigh Loading set


Also, make sure to do you ham stretch FIRST after the Thigh zig zag set and choose an Extreme or occlusion stretch. This might be using a light (~95lb) BB and doing a SLDL style extreme stretch (Just ahold in the bottom position of a SLDL, with low back arched and protected

-S

Hamstrings first seems like a good way to go. Always liked that shift in the DC protocol. I will probably add in some hypers at the end of the zig zag now and then. i recently tweeked the move a bit and it lights up my hams without back involvement

thanks again

[Scott Stevenson]

Hamstrings first seems like a good way to go. Always liked that shift in the DC protocol. I will probably add in some hypers at the end of the zig zag now and then. i recently tweeked the move a bit and it lights up my hams without back involvement

thanks again

Roger the above.

My experience with folks doing FT for the first time is that pre-determined ideas about adding in tweaks and twists don't usually get implemented in the first blast.

-S

[DOWORK]

Scott,

Do you still recommend zig zagging through exercises on muscle rounds

For example day 4
Back width-->chest-->delt-->back thick etc..

[Scott Stevenson]

Scott,

Do you still recommend zig zagging through exercises on muscle rounds

For example day 4
Back width-->chest-->delt-->back thick etc..

Well, that's not a general recommendation, but is something that can be done. It can increase workout time d/t more warm up set, but is a better approach for those who aren't particularly strong (and recognize this as what could be holding back physique development). The extra rest for a given muscle group (when training others) will mean slightly higher loads on the latter MR's.

-S

[DOWORK]

Well, that's not a general recommendation, but is something that can be done. It can increase workout time d/t more warm up set, but is a better approach for those who aren't particularly strong (and recognize this as what could be holding back physique development) The extra rest for a given muscle group (when training others) will mean slightly higher loads on the latter MR's..

-S

Alright cool, thanks for the answer!

[Cerberus777]

Scott,

I'm about to take a second job...Most the time I can for see being able to make it to the gym 4 times a week, but with new job and family stuffs, if one were to miss a day. Would you continue where you left off last week? Or drop the an MR day and treat the week like the family guy 3 a week?

[dens228]

If it were me, I'd pick up where I left off...........I think every component of the routine contributes to it's success.....so I wouldn't skip any of the protocol.