FST-7 How Does This Look??

[Johnson513]

No that's perfect. I believe you said you're off any AAS at the moment? If that's the case I would really think about the T3. It will definitely help in fat loss but will also lead to muscle loss which I think being off cycle and cutting (stressful on it's own) will only exacerbate. I don't think the benefits in your current situation warrant the consequences but ultimately it's up to you to decide.

If you stick to this workout program I would always place compound lifts before the accessory, isolation, and auxiliary lifts. These are the fundamentals of any effective program. You should be fresh when you perform them not only to get their full benefit by lifting heavy with high intensity but because they're also more technically demanding than the other lifts (think a correctly performed squat vs lying leg curl). Also, I would consider reversing the rep scheme from 12/10/8/8 to 8/8/10/12.

If you are open to more significant changes here are a few other things I'd think about. Realize that these changes would basically mean you'd be doing something other than this particular program though.

gear allows you to train with more volume for the most part. You're cutting also which is a particularly stressful time for the body. This is a program with lots of volume but relatively low intensity. Volume is your enemy when cutting naturally. Intensity is much more important towards muscle retention than volume for a natty. You're not on gear at the moment so optimally I'd choose a lifting program that had high intensity and low volume.

Instead of a light weight 12rep squat set go for a heavy double at 90% 1RM. Do that for a few sets across. Maybe work up to a couple heavy triples and then do a higher volume back off set for 8-12reps. Do a 5x5 scheme for the main lifts like squats, deads, press, and bench. Do the 5x5 with weights > 80% of your 5RM. Look up Prilepin's chart and it'll teach you how to calculate reps and sets needed for any given percentage of your 1RM.

The program you laid out seems to have a lot of volume but towards the end of the workout you will begin to get fatigued. On some days you're doing 7-8 different lifts and 4 sets of each. That's up to 32 sets while you're cutting. By set 30 how much intensity will you be putting into each rep? Not the RPE scale (rating of perceived exertion) but the % of 1RM scale? I would reduce the exercise selection a bit and also the amount of days you lift.

Maybe 3-4 days instead. Each day centered around a big compound lift or something like push/pull, upper/lower etc. Your first lift if the day would be a big compound lift done with high intensity low volume. Now depending on your ultimate goal, BB/aesthetic vs PL/strength, I'd suggest maybe 2-4 other lifts. If PL is the goal, find lifts that address your weak spots. If BB, target smaller muscles with isolations and high reps.

I believe "less is more" when it comes to cutting. If you want to go high volume it's beat suited if eating at maintenance or surplus. When cutting I prefer to get in, lift some heavy shit, and get out not spending too much time in their. You're not looking to build muscle when you're cutting and eating enough protein and lifting with more intensity is the best approach to preserving existing muscle mass.

My thoughts jump around a bit here so I hope it makes sense.

Thanks Doc! I always respect what you have to say and you're one of the members I've learned a lot from and always look forward to reading your posts...

What you're laying out is not what I want to hear at all, but the more I look around, what you're saying is once again dead on.

Are there any names of programs out there that you can direct me towards that I can use as a base, maybe adjust, and then double check with the members here?

Man, this sucks... Everything I'm reading has me in and out of the gym in 30 minutes. I'd SERIOUSLY rather not. Also, if I took 3-4 days off a week from the gym I would literally go crazy... That's just not gonna happen. I can't mentally do that. Now granted, I just want to get to a point that I have a low enough body fat % to cycle again... My plan was to go on in October, but due to the pathetic UGL climate, 3 shitty purchases, my plans changed... Oh, plus I ate like a bear about to hibernate.

Is there a program I can do that allows me to workout 6 or 7 days a week for 1 to 1.5 hours while cutting and preserving muscle? I can be all about high intensity and low volume... (Did I just contradict myself?)

Yes, I'm aware that the T3 or T3T4 could be catabolic to some extent... Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to be adding albuterol to the mix starting sometime this week too. Thoughts on that?

 

[Johnson513]

Ripped,rugged and dense 2.0 ..Google that one.Me and a workout partner when I was down south ran this 2 years ago on a calorie deficit with success -we were not natty but it was designed for the natty in mind.

I couldn't find the OG version, but I found others talking about it.... Later tonight I'll check it out more.

 

[Johnson513]

I did FST-7 the last 8 wks before a competition, and man let me tell you I was a lot more pumped and volumized come showtime!!!! I think it's a good routine you have posted

Thanks brother... Big fan of your site btw...

This routine in the OP is incredible, and right in my zone, but I think my timing for it is off possibly now that I read more about my goals and the routines to get there....

I'll definitely implement the FST7 when I get on cycle...

 

[dnoyez]

I would drop the t3,t4...and run clen.Some say albuterol is a better option to clen.As was said before jacking up the thyroid may not be a good idea off cycle during a cut.

 

[Docd187123]

Thanks Doc! I always respect what you have to say and you're one of the members I've learned a lot from and always look forward to reading your posts...

What you're laying out is not what I want to hear at all, but the more I look around, what you're saying is once again dead on.

I'm not trying to say you NEED to switch your program brother. It's just what I personally have found works best for most people and what I've experienced the most success with. This program could very well likely do everything you need it to and I hope I'm not coming across as saying you better switch programs if you want to preserve muscle or anything like that.

Are there any names of programs out there that you can direct me towards that I can use as a base, maybe adjust, and then double check with the members here?

Most if the programs I'm intimately familiar with would probably cripple if done during a cut lol. They are extremely intensity and volume heavy and recovery will be an issue if you do these while cutting. I think Lyle McDonald and Layne Norton both have some training programs geared towards cutting online but it's been a while since I last checked.

I'll do some searching around to see if I can find any programs for you. The other options are to just stick with this one you have now or just make one up yourself. I'm sure many here would be more than willing to help as would I.

Man, this sucks... Everything I'm reading has me in and out of the gym in 30 minutes. I'd SERIOUSLY rather not. Also, if I took 3-4 days off a week from the gym I would literally go crazy... That's just not gonna happen. I can't mentally do that. Now granted, I just want to get to a point that I have a low enough body fat % to cycle again... My plan was to go on in October, but due to the pathetic UGL climate, 3 shitty purchases, my plans changed... Oh, plus I ate like a bear about to hibernate.

30min is quick even for what I'm describing. I'd imagine a full workout with warmups to take 45min to 1:15. Some options here are lift 3-4x a week as I described earlier and on the other days do some cardio like HIIT or even better some prowler/sled work if you have one, lift like I described 3-4 days a week and then 1-2days go in and do some light work for reps (nothing crazy intense just to get a little blood flow and active recovery going), maybe do a quick and light full body circuit workout on. 1-2days for the same reasoning as before, etc. There's plenty of options if you want to be in the gym more but the basic premise is your high intensity/low volume lifting like I mentioned before should be 3-4 days in most cases and the remaining days you can fill with something else but with a mindset of "I'm here to promote blood flow and active recovery, I'm here to burn cals with cardio or metabolic type training, etc.

Is there a program I can do that allows me to workout 6 or 7 days a week for 1 to 1.5 hours while cutting and preserving muscle? I can be all about high intensity and low volume... (Did I just contradict myself?)

See above. You can add in some gym days to keep yourself sane but you must keep these extra days in the spirit of what Im Talking about. You wouldn't want those extra days to he so hard that they affect everything else. Another quick trick to keep you in the gym more frequently and for longer to preserve your sanity is work on some things you might not do or don't do enough currently.

Spend more time stretching both static and dynamic. Maybe before and after lifting. Spend more time on mobility work. Things like foam rolling, trigger point therapy, lacrosse ball on muscle tissue. If I had the time I'd also be doing yoga or something similar on some off days, serious lol. Spend kore time warming up before you lift. Let's say you're work sets for squat will be 405. Prolong the warmup a bit:

Bar x 10 x2sets
135 x 8
185 x 6
225x 4
275 x 2
315 x 1
365 x 1

That's just a quick example. You'd know how best to warmup without letting it affect your work sets.

Yes, I'm aware that the T3 or T3T4 could be catabolic to some extent... Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to be adding albuterol to the mix starting sometime this week too. Thoughts on that?

I'm not a big fan of clen or albut. I just don't see them as making a significant impact on fat loss. I have no experience with albut but I've ran clen before and even while supplementing taurine I experienced the most awful cramps and sides I've had from any compound. Just bc I'm not a fan doesn't mean you shouldn't use them but I don't think albut will make or break your progress either way.

 

[Docd187123]

Here's an article Lyle McDonald wrote. There's part two at the bottom. Pretty informative if you're up for the read

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/

 

[Demondosage]

Thanks brother... Big fan of your site btw...

This routine in the OP is incredible, and right in my zone, but I think my timing for it is off possibly now that I read more about my goals and the routines to get there....

I'll definitely implement the FST7 when I get on cycle...

Thanks for following, good luck with the workouts

 

[Johnson513]

I'm not trying to say you NEED to switch your program brother. It's just what I personally have found works best for most people and what I've experienced the most success with. This program could very well likely do everything you need it to and I hope I'm not coming across as saying you better switch programs if you want to preserve muscle or anything like that.



Most if the programs I'm intimately familiar with would probably cripple if done during a cut lol. They are extremely intensity and volume heavy and recovery will be an issue if you do these while cutting. I think Lyle McDonald and Layne Norton both have some training programs geared towards cutting online but it's been a while since I last checked.

I'll do some searching around to see if I can find any programs for you. The other options are to just stick with this one you have now or just make one up yourself. I'm sure many here would be more than willing to help as would I.



30min is quick even for what I'm describing. I'd imagine a full workout with warmups to take 45min to 1:15. Some options here are lift 3-4x a week as I described earlier and on the other days do some cardio like HIIT or even better some prowler/sled work if you have one, lift like I described 3-4 days a week and then 1-2days go in and do some light work for reps (nothing crazy intense just to get a little blood flow and active recovery going), maybe do a quick and light full body circuit workout on. 1-2days for the same reasoning as before, etc. There's plenty of options if you want to be in the gym more but the basic premise is your high intensity/low volume lifting like I mentioned before should be 3-4 days in most cases and the remaining days you can fill with something else but with a mindset of "I'm here to promote blood flow and active recovery, I'm here to burn cals with cardio or metabolic type training, etc.



See above. You can add in some gym days to keep yourself sane but you must keep these extra days in the spirit of what Im Talking about. You wouldn't want those extra days to he so hard that they affect everything else. Another quick trick to keep you in the gym more frequently and for longer to preserve your sanity is work on some things you might not do or don't do enough currently.

Spend more time stretching both static and dynamic. Maybe before and after lifting. Spend more time on mobility work. Things like foam rolling, trigger point therapy, lacrosse ball on muscle tissue. If I had the time I'd also be doing yoga or something similar on some off days, serious lol. Spend kore time warming up before you lift. Let's say you're work sets for squat will be 405. Prolong the warmup a bit:

Bar x 10 x2sets
135 x 8
185 x 6
225x 4
275 x 2
315 x 1
365 x 1

That's just a quick example. You'd know how best to warmup without letting it affect your work sets.



I'm not a big fan of clen or albut. I just don't see them as making a significant impact on fat loss. I have no experience with albut but I've ran clen before and even while supplementing taurine I experienced the most awful cramps and sides I've had from any compound. Just bc I'm not a fan doesn't mean you shouldn't use them but I don't think albut will make or break your progress either way.

Man, I really appreciate all the feedback...

I'm going to draw something up tonight and tomorrow and post it up. I know that you are not necessarily telling me that I have to change my routine, but the fact of the matter is I've been doing my style workouts for a long ass time and it's definitely time for me to change things up. You know, the whole "if nothing changes, nothing changes" thing... I'm in solid shape but it's just time for me to step my game up a bit and what better time than now.

You made a comment regarding "active recovery" and I'm going to research that a bit more. That sounds very interesting...I might implement it and not even know, but I'll find out with more research tonight. I truly like the idea of a couple full body workouts a week just to keep the blood flowing and I would enjoy some sled work but I don't have access.

Rolling out is something I NEED to do more but that part bores me... Stretching in general doesn't keep my attention as id rather be putting up some weight but it's so damn beneficial... I've been debating buying a couple foam rolls to have at home... I'll have to pick them up now. Yoga on the other hand I actually enjoy. I met my wife in a Bikram yoga class and used to be into restorative yoga a bit but it's been a couple years now... That's a good suggestion for an "off" day.

 

[Johnson513]

I would drop the t3,t4...and run clen.Some say albuterol is a better option to clen.As was said before jacking up the thyroid may not be a good idea off cycle during a cut.

Too late... Operation Thyroid Jack has already been implemented...

 

[Johnson513]

Here's an article Lyle McDonald wrote. There's part two at the bottom. Pretty informative if you're up for the read

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/

I read this earlier today. Great stuff..

I am obviously one of those under the old school of thought that the high reps with less weight was ideal to lose weight. I'm not saying that doesn't work but I'm down to try something different.

 

[Docd187123]

Man, I really appreciate all the feedback...

I'm going to draw something up tonight and tomorrow and post it up. I know that you are not necessarily telling me that I have to change my routine, but the fact of the matter is I've been doing my style workouts for a long ass time and it's definitely time for me to change things up. You know, the whole "if nothing changes, nothing changes" thing... I'm in solid shape but it's just time for me to step my game up a bit and what better time than now.

You made a comment regarding "active recovery" and I'm going to research that a bit more. That sounds very interesting...I might implement it and not even know, but I'll find out with more research tonight. I truly like the idea of a couple full body workouts a week just to keep the blood flowing and I would enjoy some sled work but I don't have access.

Rolling out is something I NEED to do more but that part bores me... Stretching in general doesn't keep my attention as id rather be putting up some weight but it's so damn beneficial... I've been debating buying a couple foam rolls to have at home... I'll have to pick them up now. Yoga on the other hand I actually enjoy. I met my wife in a Bikram yoga class and used to be into restorative yoga a bit but it's been a couple years now... That's a good suggestion for an "off" day.

My perspective on things is that for a beginner almost anything can work. They are so unadapted to any sort of stimulus that riding a bike down the street can in fact help muscle mass. As you progress to intermediate and beyond, your training by necessity must take in some sort of specificity to accommodate YOUR goals. Seeing as everyone's genetic, hormonal, lifestyle, etc makeup is different means that you must be specific in your goals and open to trying things outside your comfort zone possibly to succeed. By the sound of it you're well past the beginner stage of things and thus must get more specific.

If a certain program is giving you results you're happy with then there's absolutely no need to change anything. Many try to keep the body guessing by constantly changing things but in doing so they may lose sight of their goal, they stop making progress in some cases, they have a hard time measuring progress bc they're always changing x or y, they lose focus bc they're hopping on 7 different trains to reach the same destination that the one express train could have taken them to directly, etc. My point is, if something works stick with it until it stops or slows down to a crawl. If something doesn't work don't continue to beat the dead horse.

Active recovery is a neat little trick I learned about. You lower your intensity and volume on those days so your workout doesn't increase your fatigue levels. The work you do though will increase blood flow throughout the body which can aid in recovery. It also keeps your CNS and motor patterns fresh. It can help with some form issues since the weight is light enough that no form degradation should be happening and the volume is light enough that accumulated fatigue doesn't set in for that work out. Finally it keeps you in the gym and active. An example of how I've used active recovery in the past. My old program had me squatting 3x per week. On Tuesday I would do 3x5 on squats and attempt to set a PR for a 3x5. On Thursday I'd take 70-80% of Tuesdays weight and do 2 sets of 5 or maybe even less. This is the active recovery day. Then Saturday I'd do another heavy 3x5 and attempt to use more weight than Tuesday. On Thursdays the weight was light enough that it didn't affect my recovery for Saturdays session, blood flow increased, it gave me more time to tweak my form, and it kept me happy squatting a 3rd day.

Definitely look into foam rolling, voodoo floss, and get yourself a lacrosse ball if you don't have one. All these are things I use to help me continue on my journey. There's enough evidence out there showing their efficacy. As to the yoga, it seems like you had me beat to it

 

[Demondosage]

I agree with whats been suggested. The further along u get, the more u need to take 2 steps back to take another leap forward. What most guys have a hard time doing is backing off, because the gym becomes more mentally needed than physical. The brain becomes accustomed to seratonin and dopamine releases and going a few days without it can actually cause anxiety. However, there are ways to stay in the gym and not kick the shit out of yourself on a daily basis. Yoga, cardio, abs, lighter days, foam rolling, these are all different angles to take to reach your overall goal physique (which for the record you'll never be satisfied no matter how good u get) When I developed the SCT training (super conjugate training) routine, it was based on this very concept. The advice given is spot on!!!

 

[insertnamehere]

Nice posts @Docd187123 . I design all my strength programing around Prilepin's chart and I've been practicing active recovery for quite awhile now- definitely helps a ton.

I also believe in doing higher intensity with less volume for the majority of the sessions within my training blocks. Although i have been considering the addition of a low intensity high volume training block to allow my connective tissue to catch up.

Anyway, good posts Doc.

 

[Docd187123]

Nice posts @Docd187123 . I design all my strength programing around Prilepin's chart and I've been practicing active recovery for quite awhile now- definitely helps a ton.

I also believe in doing higher intensity with less volume for the majority of the sessions within my training blocks. Although i have been considering the addition of a low intensity high volume training block to allow my connective tissue to catch up.

Anyway, good posts Doc.

Nothing wrong with switching it up to go higher volume for a little while.

How has Prilepin's chart influenced your training? For me it has given me a way to better program my main lifts to progress in strength and to a lesser extent size. I used to do so much volume when I was younger not realizing how important the intensity part of the equation was.

 

[heady muscle]

The program is interesting. I have always stretched a lot during my workouts. My sister was in gymnastics as a kid and my mother was into yoga, so me and my brothers were always advised to stretch by them.

But using "the 7 sets" as a way to stretch the muscle is interesting. Gorge the muscle with blood while under high stress (if I am understanding it properly). Rolfing would work too! lol.

I like preexhaust exercises. I don't always do them, but leg extensions prior to squats is fun and blows the quads out. If your hammies are lacking, why not? Experiment. It's your body.

 

[Johnson513]

Yea,
I'm having a hard time coming up with a solid "cut" workout schedule... I read for hours online and eventually it's like drinking water from a fire hose.
Information overload...
I'm looking at these 5x5 routines (which I have never done before) but I don't know if that's the route to go on a cut. All I know is I want to switch it up, but I don't know which rout is best...

 

[Docd187123]

Yea,
I'm having a hard time coming up with a solid "cut" workout schedule... I read for hours online and eventually it's like drinking water from a fire hose.
Information overload...
I'm looking at these 5x5 routines (which I have never done before) but I don't know if that's the route to go on a cut. All I know is I want to switch it up, but I don't know which rout is best...

A progressive overload 5x5 routine will be extremely demanding during a hypocaloric state ie cutting. I'd look more at something like a 3x5 if anything. I'll try PM you later and see if we can't come up with something that suits you.

 

[Johnson513]

A progressive overload 5x5 routine will be extremely demanding during a hypocaloric state ie cutting. I'd look more at something like a 3x5 if anything. I'll try PM you later and see if we can't come up with something that suits you.

You're rockstar status Doc...
Many thanks!