Introduce Yourself: If you've never Posted, Post here please...

[tye_89]

Tye,

Welcome!

You are the ultimate approval point in your program, really, but no, there isn't a "check my FT Layout" thread. Folks just make their own thread if they need some help with laying out the program.

I will caution you though, that just plopping your entire FT layout into a thread doesn't typically invite a lot of responses, from what i've seen. (It doesn't show a lot of effort relative to what someone would have to give back to offer a full response.)

Better to ask some pointed questions about anything that's unclear to you, at least to grease the wheels. (I don't get the sense that you'd do this at all, but when folks ask things like, "the book says XYZ, so is XYZ right?... I just want to be sure," this also tends to be met with crickets.. LOL )

-S

Haha, understood! I'll start a topic with help i need on two things. I have read the book that much now i think i basically have it all covered. Done a first trial day today of muscle rounds and really enjoyed it, forgot the stretching on a few exercises though. Just going to take some time easing in and getting in a groove.

[Mrjankkuli]

Hello everybody!!
Im former powerlifter and live in Finland. So now in winter time when its getting darker there is plenty of time just train or heat sauna. Big fan on Scott, listen every podcast/read articles.. Just read new book(BYOBB) and looking forward Fortitude vol2. Also member in Jordan Peters site.

So puke until you squat!!!

Jani

[Ali Fraser]

Hello everybody, I've just started fortitude and loving every second. Started with two muscle round sessions to the back end of last week and have done loading lower and pump work upper. I can see the reason for only training 4 days a week, Ive slightly tweaked the set up so it focuses more on upper body e.g on the loading lower i done fewer sets and increased sets on upper body.

I do have one question, on upper body loading it pairs back width with back thickness and chest compound with chest isolation, could you alternate between chest and back for example, chest compound with back width and chest isolation with back thickness. My thoughts are to give the back a good rest between sets to lift heavier loads or will it be too much rest between sets to generate optimal hypertrophy?

Love the forum already, bouncing ideas off like minded individuals is always fun.

[Scott Stevenson]

Hello everybody!!
Im former powerlifter and live in Finland. So now in winter time when its getting darker there is plenty of time just train or heat sauna. Big fan on Scott, listen every podcast/read articles.. Just read new book(BYOBB) and looking forward Fortitude vol2. Also member in Jordan Peters site.

So puke until you squat!!!

Jani

Other than sauna (did you like the section in the BYOBBCoach book, BTW?...), what do you do to prevent seasonal affective disorder?...

(LOL! Which came first, the puke or the squat?...)

-S

[Scott Stevenson]

Hello everybody, I've just started fortitude and loving every second. Started with two muscle round sessions to the back end of last week and have done loading lower and pump work upper. I can see the reason for only training 4 days a week, Ive slightly tweaked the set up so it focuses more on upper body e.g on the loading lower i done fewer sets and increased sets on upper body.

I do have one question, on upper body loading it pairs back width with back thickness and chest compound with chest isolation, could you alternate between chest and back for example, chest compound with back width and chest isolation with back thickness. My thoughts are to give the back a good rest between sets to lift heavier loads or will it be too much rest between sets to generate optimal hypertrophy?

Love the forum already, bouncing ideas off like minded individuals is always fun.

Welcome!

OK, so a few thoughts - I'd not go right to changing volume if you're trying to bring up weak muscle groups.

Check the FAQ stickie in the FT forum for my thoughts on that. (You're using a hammer right off the bat when another tool might be a much better choice.)


------------
Same thing goes with the alternating of back and chest. Yes, you could do that, of course, and that's a viable strategy (to decrease fatigue and increase loads), but you'll no longer be able to compare notes with all the folks who have done it the way FT is written out.

Also, you'll miss out on pre-fatiguing effects of exercise order (e.g., isolation before compound) and, in the event you plateau on a given exercise, not be able to simply keep that exercise in your rotation by switching order.

E.g., if you REALLY want to have incline smith presses and are doing doing 1 set of these, when you plateau there, you'll:
1.) Not be able to evaluate your isolation exercise in the same way to see if your'e making progress in the combo (e.g., you get the same reps on the smith incline, but go up 2 reps on the pec isolation, so this is overall progress).
2.) Not be able to switch the order of isolation and compound, and thus re-set reps / load for those to begin progress again. (Doing this, means a different activation strategy d/t differing fatigue and, while the exercises stay the same, the stimulus is renewed because of this.


Also, there's a certain amount metabolic fatigue that comes from coupling the exercises together as I've set up FT right now, that then carries over as a training adaptation that improves performance during MR's and pump sets (and vice versa).

Lastly, while I do think you've got a good strategy there, there's the issue of holding down machines for two different muscle groups, which may or my not be less convenient, depending on your gym. Also, you'd possibly be increasing your warm-up time somewhat.

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Generally, I think there's much more to learn from training a program out as written (at least for a single training cycle / blast), than modifying it from the get go. Now, of course, this doesn't mean do things you absolutely know aren't going to work for you (and this is why FT doesn't prescribe specific exercises, in part). Also, if you're training with a decently well constructed program that novel / different from what you've been doing, that will typically lend itself to making gains, too (as changing training approaches is the essence of periodization).

-S

[Ali Fraser]

Scott thank you for your response, before reading this i decided to stick with how the program was written and in my mind i treated it like 4 mini sessions, back loading the stretch, chest loading then stretch, shoulder loading then stretch and then pump lower and stretch.

P.S. Sorbet is the one

[Scott Stevenson]

Scott thank you for your response, before reading this i decided to stick with how the program was written and in my mind i treated it like 4 mini sessions, back loading the stretch, chest loading then stretch, shoulder loading then stretch and then pump lower and stretch.

P.S. Sorbet is the one

All I read of the above is "sorbet..."



(You're welcome!)

-S

[steve_johnson]

Hey Fellow FTr's!

I purchased FT several years ago after hearing Scott on a podcast. His methodology just made a lot of sense in regards to training frequency. I read the book, but at the time lacked the confidence or "mental fortitude" to tackle his program.

I kept listening to Scott on podcasts, and read some of his work on Mountain Dog Diet website, and recently decided to give it a go and re-read the book. I also purchased the "Virgin Voyage" training plan to help me as well.

I'm 48, and have been training for 31 years. I've never done anything like this program. I love it. I'm literally drenched at the end of every workout and I'm only on Basic Tier II.

I also purchased Scott's new book BYOBBC, and it's a great read! I recommend the hardcover. It has an old school textbook appeal, and it certainly is a textbook (an interesting one however). Even though my competitive days are most likely over, this book, along with FT should help me achieve my physique and strength goals.

Anyway, glad to be part of the board. Looking forward to learning from you all.

Regards

[Scott Stevenson]

Hey Fellow FTr's!

I purchased FT several years ago after hearing Scott on a podcast. His methodology just made a lot of sense in regards to training frequency. I read the book, but at the time lacked the confidence or "mental fortitude" to tackle his program.

I kept listening to Scott on podcasts, and read some of his work on Mountain Dog Diet website, and recently decided to give it a go and re-read the book. I also purchased the "Virgin Voyage" training plan to help me as well.

I'm 48, and have been training for 31 years. I've never done anything like this program. I love it. I'm literally drenched at the end of every workout and I'm only on Basic Tier II.

I also purchased Scott's new book BYOBBC, and it's a great read! I recommend the hardcover. It has an old school textbook appeal, and it certainly is a textbook (an interesting one however). Even though my competitive days are most likely over, this book, along with FT should help me achieve my physique and strength goals.

Anyway, glad to be part of the board. Looking forward to learning from you all.

Regards

Hey Steve!!!

Great to see you over here!

(If you want to post up that file you sent me to a thread in the FT forum, feel free!)

-S

[ShangShang]

Hi y'all from Finland!

Doing my first cycle of the FT training and loving every second - even though how brutal it can be. Been working out for roughly only 3-4 years now, so I wonder if FT is too advanced program for me... But so far at least so far it's the only program that shares the same philosophy and ideology that I have about "optimal" training.

Wonder if you guys have talk a lot about the "fortitude" part here in the forum. For me counting the exact amount of reps has been a bit of a problem... I think I can push myself further, if I can just concentrate purely on the performance, without bothering the exact amount of reps done. But that would mean quite clumsy notes on log book, which seems to be relatively important part of FT training, isn't it?

Anyway, now mainly doing my duty of saying hi, so... Hi everyone!