Fortitude Training (Review)

Don't feel too bad, I have been doing this on and off since it came out and still seem to do it wrong:lol:

You guys are doing just fine.... LOL

Another way to think of this.

Pick up the weight and tap into the muscle(s) that your'e trying to train. Let's say you're doing a unilateral cable pulldown.

Do you feel the lower lats engaging?... Are they sore there? How about the lateral aspects of the lats, that show from the front on a lat spread?... Did you hit these well in your previous back workout?... With the pump sets, we want to make sure you don't miss those spots.

Charles Glass (Venice Gold's) talks about filling in the holes with different exercises. You can do the same with pump sets, picking them based on how you feel before even doing the set, or even adjusting the set on the fly.

If you're doing a lat pulldown and feel like you want to make it more of a width exercise, sit more upright, pull your scapulae back, keeping your arms in a plane with your torso (kind of like when pulling the arms down before a rear double biceps the way some do it) and target that area, doing pulsing partial reps when deep into the movement, where you can strongly contract the lower lats (adding some back arch as needed at the bottom of the ROM).

You can see that if you're feeling out the set in this way, that trying to log progression could be a bit like spitting into the wind. So, the focus here is metabolic stress, more so than progressive overload, and connecting with the muscle in terms of where the training stimulus was / is lacking from the rest of the training as well as what your physique is showing you (where you lack development).

(This is a way to make good use of "foo-foo" isolation exercises, so to speak, b/c these are NOT easy done this way, which is why I keep them continuous, so folks are not doing widow makers and draining the nervous and endocrine systems.)

-S
 
I try to make pump sets as filthy as possible. The nastier the better lol. 21s work very well although i tend to do 30s or dirty 30s as we like to call them. Lol

And of course one that @Scott Stevenson showed us on the ft camp, 5s in the hole which are disgusting.
 
I have just been doing high rep sets to failure. Doing things like 5 in da hole or 21's would a psychological problem lol. I need to get over it in that case. Ft works so well i am actually taking 5 days off to regroup and come back better. First bresk over 2 days that i will have had since over new years!
 
I have just been doing high rep sets to failure. Doing things like 5 in da hole or 21's would a psychological problem lol. I need to get over it in that case. Ft works so well i am actually taking 5 days off to regroup and come back better. First bresk over 2 days that i will have had since over new years!
I just been doing 25/30 rep sets for pump sets, sometimes have a pause and carry on till the target number is hit.
That's what I like about this system, even if you do it wrong it still kicks your ass.
 
I have just been doing high rep sets to failure. Doing things like 5 in da hole or 21's would a psychological problem lol. I need to get over it in that case. Ft works so well i am actually taking 5 days off to regroup and come back better. First bresk over 2 days that i will have had since over new years!
It's just nice to mix it up mate. And as you said your self your strong through the higher rep ranges so varying the tempo and rep style makes things that much more difficult but also very satisfying. :)
 
Hi Guys,

First post here, but I wanted to jump on the band-wagon and share my experience so far using FT.

Yes it's hard, yes it's taxing and yes it will make you rue the day you were born. But it WORKS.

I'm a bit of a volume sadist so after using Tier 1 Basic for a week I jumped straight to Tier 3 Turbo lol.

This isn't me trying to be Billy big balls, I just saw it as a challenge and so far I'm revelling in it. I'm currently cutting, and believe me I'm having to do minimal if any extra cardio (I go for a hike or long walk most weekends but that's about as intense as it gets).

Yesterdays workout looked something like this. Scott, I hope you don't mind me posting this but it may clear up some queries as to what an end-to-end workout may look like. (I'll happily edit/remove this section of the post below if so)

Leg Press warm up 2x8, Intra-set light stretching.

Leg Press 12 Reps
1:30
Leg Extension 12 (Failure)
1:30
Leg Press 10 Reps
1:30
Ham Curl 12 (Almost Failure)
1:30
Leg Press 8 (Failure)


Pump Sets:

Calves 15-25 Reps x 5
<1:00 Rest

Latt Pulldown (I find it so hard to connect with this movement, so it's a great one for me)
S/S with Machine Press
1:00
Cable Pullovers
S/S with Machine Press

Side Laterals
S/S Crunches
1:00
Front Raises
S/S Leg Raises
1:00
Banded Face-pulls
S/S Plank

Preacher Curl Machine
S/S Tricep Machine
1:00
Cable Hammer Curls
S/S Tricep Pushdown


Shit load of volume, soaked head to toe and took just over an hour all in all.

Very happy with the results so far!
 
I try to make pump sets as filthy as possible. The nastier the better lol. 21s work very well although i tend to do 30s or dirty 30s as we like to call them. Lol

And of course one that @Scott Stevenson showed us on the ft camp, 5s in the hole which are disgusting.

30 rep sets every week on the standing bicep cable curls ouch ouch ouch!
 
Nice and slow and just change it around to suit.

So bottom half partials the upper partials then full reps. Burnnnnn.

Yeah used to do 21s like that for biceps, do you do a 30 set on every body part just to finish the session?
 
Yeah used to do 21s like that for biceps, do you do a 30 set on every body part just to finish the session?
No mate. It's just one of many ways to hit your pump sets. Just try and find the most hideous way of hitting the desired muscle and voila. Lol
 
Hi Guys,

First post here, but I wanted to jump on the band-wagon and share my experience so far using FT.

Yes it's hard, yes it's taxing and yes it will make you rue the day you were born. But it WORKS.

<SNIP>

Yesterdays workout looked something like this. Scott, I hope you don't mind me posting this but it may clear up some queries as to what an end-to-end workout may look like. (I'll happily edit/remove this section of the post below if so)

Leg Press warm up 2x8, Intra-set light stretching.

Leg Press 12 Reps
1:30
Leg Extension 12 (Failure)
1:30
Leg Press 10 Reps
1:30
Ham Curl 12 (Almost Failure)
1:30
Leg Press 8 (Failure)


Pump Sets:

Calves 15-25 Reps x 5
<1:00 Rest


<SNIP>

Very happy with the results so far!

Thanks for the post, man! Glad it's working for you. :)

FYI - You would do Loading sets for calves this day (NOT Pup sets) and adductors as well (DC-Style RP set as noted at the bottom of the overview sheets).

-S
 
I wish I'd never read the bit about 90second sets for pump. It HURTS :sad:(

Been setting a timer and doing 4 reps without locking out, then 4 partials at some point of the movement (tends to depend if over or under estimated what weight to use) until the timer is up. I'm desperate for the 90seconds to be up so I've usually got the weight about right!
 
What's FT training like for off season guys?

Personally I am a high volume guy. I don't feel I can leave the gym unless I smash the reps out And hit exercise after exercise. Usually train 5 times a week
 
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