FST-7 training by Hany Rambod

[pumpster]

a heavier weight wouldn't matter at that point, as its mearly a pump/burn set.

I don't think those sets are just pump and burn in the same way some use finishing sets, not at all. German volume training like that is used all by itself as an intense workout, not at the end of workouts. German volume training isn't just pumping blood in there, it's overloading the muscles by high intensity, based on the number of sets and relatively short rest periods. You can overload the muscles in this way just as well as by increasing the weight or reps, as a primary driver of growth not as a finishig exercise.

[tbombz]

well you can think what you may but what im telling you about overtraininig is accurate

[Fatpanda]

I don't think those sets are just pump and burn in the same way some use finishing sets, not at all. German volume training like that is used all by itself as an intense workout, not at the end of workouts. German volume training isn't just pumping blood in there, it's overloading the muscles by high intensity, based on the number of sets and relatively short rest periods. You can overload the muscles in this way just as well as by increasing the weight or reps, as a primary driver of growth not as a finishig exercise.

yes gvt is like that and hit in certain aspect i.e. more work or same work in shorter time, however thats not what hany is doing - he is only using the 7 sets at the end to force blood into the muscle and increase the facia, nothing more.

well you can think what you may but what im telling you about overtraininig is accurate

i agree i can think what i may, so i still disagree. 

[pumpster]

yes gvt is like that and hit in certain aspect i.e. more work or same work in shorter time, however thats not what hany is doing - he is only using the 7 sets at the end to force blood into the muscle and increase the facia, nothing more.

You're interpreting it as just pumping when in fact the approach is clearly GVT in every way.

[Larsen]

increase cortisol, deplete nutrients, tear down muscle, risk injury, fry cns, etc etc etc

why stop at 7 sets ? why not double it to 14 ?

This is a common question.
Hany has arived at 7 sets with trial and error. He has tried 5 sets and he belives that you reach you maximal pump at 7. This is not to say that there aren't some people out there who are indeed able to get the job done with 5 sets. He belives that with the proper sleep and nutrition that the 7 sets will work just fine for you.

You stated that it tears down muscle, well inorder to build more muscle you need to tear it down. This is somthing even a noob should know.

At the end of the day it all comes down to the right nutrition, you can train like a mad man but if you diet is not in check then you will not reach your potential.

[Fatpanda]

You're interpreting it as just pumping when in fact the approach is clearly GVT in every way.

he says that the reason for the 7 sets at the end is to stretch the facia, not increase nutrients or gh output, or overall work.

Do I still train heavy, or can I just pump up with light weights?

One thing I don't want anyone misconstruing is that FST-7 is all about pumping. That's just one component. I also believe that a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, and you absolutely must train with heavier weights in the 8-12 rep range. I have tried many variations of heavier and lighter training with clients over the years, and discovered that both types are needed. Heavy weights will build thickness and density, but they will not give you that round, full look. Similarly, getting incredible pumps all the time can impart some of that roundness, but you won't ever get extreme muscle size without training with heavy straight sets. So you need to focus equally on maximizing both your strength and your pump in the same workouts to see optimal results. Here's an example of a biceps workout, FST-7 style, that shows you how to incorporate both:




Alternate dumbbell curls 3-4 x 8-12

Machine preacher curl 3 x 8-12

EZ-bar curl 7 x 8-12 (rest 30-45 seconds between sets while sipping water - more on this next month)




I don't typically like to use very high reps, because too often you will experience general fatigue and get short of breath before you have built the maximum pump in the muscle. I also don't like the weight to be too heavy and limit the reps any lower than eight, because this is when you see form breaking down and ancillary muscles kicking in and robbing the target muscle of the proper stimulation. You can think of the ‘7' set as blowing up a balloon. We keep the rest periods fairly short, because as you pump up the muscle, a little blood escapes in that time. You can think of it as blowing up a balloon with a slight leak in it - even though the balloon is being inflated, some air is escaping. The key is to build on the pump sets by set, exponentially, so that it reaches its maximum state by the final set. If the rest periods were too short, you wouldn't have enough energy to do justice to the seven sets. Another question I often get is, should the weight be constant as the seven sets go on? It can be, but it's perfectly fine to reduce the weight one or two times as needed to stay in the proper rep range. There may also be times when you need to increase the weight, but this happens less often.

see, the main sets are for strength/size, the 7 at the end are simply for pumping blood in there.

[Fatpanda]

You stated that it tears down muscle, well inorder to build more muscle you need to tear it down. This is somthing even a noob should know.

At the end of the day it all comes down to the right nutrition, you can train like a mad man but if you diet is not in check then you will not reach your potential.

  really?

i would think dorian and ronnie both know more about tearning down muscle and correct nutrition than us, yet both have gotten injured 

7 is overkill imo, 2 or 3 sets would be enough.

[QuakerOats]

increase cortisol, deplete nutrients, tear down muscle, risk injury, fry cns, etc etc etc

why stop at 7 sets ? why not double it to 14 ?

if you were straining balls out on every one of those 7 sets with heavy weight then it would be a problem but the weight you'd have to use would be very moderate considering you're only resting 30-45 seconds so i don't think your recovery or cortisol will be taxed very much.

[pumpster]

he says that the reason for the 7 sets at the end is to stretch the facia, not increase nutrients or gh output, or overall work.

see, the main sets are for strength/size, the 7 at the end are simply for pumping blood in there.

It doesn't really matter what he clains, the 7 set format is exactly GVT, which is one way to overload the muscles while also pumping them big-time.

[Fatpanda]

if you were straining balls out on every one of those 7 sets with heavy weight then it would be a problem but the weight you'd have to use would be very moderate considering you're only resting 30-45 seconds so i don't think your recovery or cortisol will be taxed very much.

no, if the 7 sets were at the start of the workout you would be right, but at the end of a normal workout your cortisol is already higher adding these pump/burn sets are asking for trouble.

on gear not so much, as a natural no way.

[Larsen]

really?

i would think dorian and ronnie both know more about tearning down muscle and correct nutrition than us, yet both have gotten injured 

7 is overkill imo, 2 or 3 sets would be enough.

Ya because they trained to f'ing heavy for to long of a time. And they were both Mr. Olympia's

[pumpster]

7 is overkill imo, 2 or 3 sets would be enough.

2 or 3 sets would be enough as a finishing pump, which isn't the idea.

[Fatpanda]

It doesn't really matter what he clains, the 7 set format is exactly GVT, which is one way to overload the muscles while also pumping them big-time.

  why are you arguing with me then ?

i said the 7 were simply a pump set, he states that himself.

you claimed they were not simply a pump set and are really gvt in disguise ?

regardless - this and gvt will produce overtraining too  

[Fatpanda]

2 or 3 sets would be enough as a finishing pump, which isn't the idea.

 

You can think of the ‘7' set as blowing up a balloon. We keep the rest periods fairly short, because as you pump up the muscle, a little blood escapes in that time. You can think of it as blowing up a balloon with a slight leak in it - even though the balloon is being inflated, some air is escaping.

[Larsen]

It is clear to me that you are nothing but a hater. You can say that this style does not work but the proof is on the IFBB stage. Phil Heath, Troy Brown, Guy Cistranino, Curtis Bryant and Jay Cutler. Are you a trainier of the pros? Do you have the nickname "The Pro Creator"? That is what I thought, Hany is a one of the top trainers in the buissnes.

I hade no intention in bashing anyone, but you put down a style of trainig that you know nothing about. You think you have it all down to a science, but inorder to understand this you will need to contact Hany and get help.

[Larsen]

those of you who are saying that you will overtrain on FST-7, well I think you are right. That is right you heard me say it, you will overtrain. This style of training is ment to help you laging bodyparts. If you do use it on all you muscle groups then I would do it for 5-6 weeks then take a 2 week off from this style and then get back at it.

[Fatpanda]

those of you who are saying that you will overtrain on FST-7, well I think you are right. That is right you heard me say it, you will overtrain. This style of training is ment to help you laging bodyparts. If you do use it on all you muscle groups then I would do it for 5-6 weeks then take a 2 week off from this style and then get back at it.

so first i'm a hater then you argee with me 

[The Coach]

It is clear to me that you are nothing but a hater. You can say that this style does not work but the proof is on the IFBB stage. Phil Heath, Troy Brown, Guy Cistranino, Curtis Bryant and Jay Cutler. Are you a trainier of the pros? Do you have the nickname "The Pro Creator"? That is what I thought, Hany is a one of the top trainers in the buissnes.
I hade no intention in bashing anyone, but you put down a style of trainig that you know nothing about. You think you have it all down to a science, but inorder to understand this you will need to contact Hany and get help.

You know what dude, I'm going to end this shit right now. You mention Heath, Brown, Cistnaros, Bryant and Cutler, what you fail to mention is the amount of gear they're on. Don't freaking sit there and tell me the "proof is on the IFBB stage" because it IS NOT. Take someone who has never touched a steriod or insulin in their life THEN do the research. A little FYI dude, almost anything works when your on gear. If you would like to have Hany come on here and debate this, I'm all ears. FUCK, I'm tired of these "gurus" coming up with some new training method and pass it off like it's some miracle way to bring up a body part but don't tell you that you have to be on a ton of shit to get there.

[tbombz]

You know what dude, I'm going to end this shit right now. You mention Heath, Brown, Cistnaros, Bryant and Cutler, what you fail to mention is the amount of gear they're on. Don't freaking sit there and tell me the "proof is on the IFBB stage" because it IS NOT. Take someone who has never touched a steriod or insulin in their life THEN do the research. A little FYI dude, anything works when your on gear. If you would like to have Hany come on here and debate this, I'm all ears. FUCK, I'm tired of these "gurus" coming up with some new training method and pass it off like it's some miracle way to bring up a body part but don't tell you that you have to be on a ton of shit to get there.

coach, in your opinion, for a juiced bodybuilder looking to grow as big as possible from there training, what would be ideal? (you don seem to think this hany style is ideaL)

[webcake]

What about us naturals and this program.......yes or no?

[Swedish Viking]

i feel  your statement on reliance on research papers being crazy is crazy, its beliefs like this that have held back bodybuilding and strength research and development decades, only by proper scientific research can we truely know and understand how to build maximum mass and strength in the shortest time possible.

also there are some studies that back a pump/burn set to induce hypertrophy i.e. the occlusion studies.

IMO a pump/burn set is exactly what this system is.

the 7 is an arbitry number hany has obviously made up othe set number on spot, why not 4 sets or 6 or 8 ?

there is only so much blood you can force into a muscle at 1 time, and i believe 7 sets is overkill, and will add to systematic and local fatigue leading to overtraining  state before long.

   Hi, could you post these occlusion studies-I couldn't find them...

[Larsen]

What about us naturals and this program.......yes or no?

Yes

[Larsen]

It stands for Fascial Stretch Training and the seven refers to 7 sets performed usually as the final exercise of a target bodypart. Basically you train that bodypart on any given day heavy as you normally would keeping the rep range between 8-12, but the last exercise you perform the seven sets to finish off that particular muscle, with minimal rest in between to get the best pump possible. The example in the Pro Creator article in April 2008 issue is a workout for the biceps.

Alternate DB curls-3-4 Sets x 8-12 Reps
Machine preacher curls-3 Sets x 8-12 Reps
E-Z Bar curls-7 Sets x 8-12(30-45 seconds between sets while sipping water-more on this next month)*

Smaller muscles like Biceps, Triceps and Calves can and should be trained twice a week,while bigger muscles should be trained only once a week.Here is an example of a split:


1-Bi's,Tri's,and Calves
2-Legs
3-off
4-Chest and Tri's
5-Back and Calves
6-Shoulders and Bi's

7-off

* This is the FST-7 exercise. Keeping rest intervals between 30-45 seconds and making sure to stay hydrated to push that fluid into the muscle and stretch the fascia even further.

You should refrain from using  compound lifts as your "seven set," because they require balance and the use of ancillary muscles which takes focus off the target muscle. Machines and cables are a good idea and free wights like barbell curls and skull crushers also work well for this "seven set". Perform your "seven set" at the end of the workout for that muscle group.**


The goal is to bring as much vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oxygen etc. into the muscle, and also stretch the fascia surrounding it to help encourage maximal muscle growth.  The fascia is the limiting factor in acheiving muscle growth because the mucsle will grow only as much as there is room for it to do so.  This training system is targeted to stretch the fascia and allow more room, instead of limiting muscle growth.

** Restricting the "seven sets" as your last exercise is recommended for new users of this training principle. This will allow you to lift heavy for first few exercises before taking the muscle to failure.  There are many other variations for advanced users, including "front-loading the seven sets", that will be discussed in the forums and blogs to allow creativity in workouts and to shock and further stretch the fascia and enhance muscle growth.

[Fatpanda]

What about us naturals and this program.......yes or no?

no

   Hi, could you post these occlusion studies-I couldn't find them...

sure:

Low-intensity exercise, vascular occlusion, and muscular adaptations.Teramoto M, Golding LA.
Department of Kinesiology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Masaru.Teramoto@ou.edu

The study investigated the effects of low-intensity exercise on muscular fitness when combined with vascular occlusion. Nineteen college male and female students performed two sets of a 5-min step exercise using a 12-inch bench three times per week for 5 weeks. During the step exercise, blood flow to one leg was restricted (vascular occlusion) with a blood pressure cuff, while the other leg was not occluded. Muscular strength of the occluded leg was significantly increased over the nonoccluded leg (p < 0. 05). Muscular endurance and muscle mass were improved after 5 weeks of training (p < 0.05); however, the changes between the two legs were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Exercise with vascular occlusion has the potential to be an alternative form of training to promote muscular strength.



Cooperative effects of exercise and occlusive stimuli on muscular function in low-intensity resistance exercise with moderate vascular occlusion.Takarada Y, Tsuruta T, Ishii N.
Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama 359-1192, Japan. y-takarada@waseda.jp

To obtain insight into the relative contributions of exercise and occlusive stimuli to these muscular adaptations, the present study investigated the short- and long-term effects of varied combinations of low-intensity exercise and vascular occlusion. The subjects were separated into 3 groups (n = 6 for each group): low-intensity with vascular occlusion (LIO), low-intensity without vascular occlusion (LI), and vascular occlusion without exercise (VO). LIO and LI groups performed bilateral knee extension exercises in seated positions with an isotonic extension machine. In the LIO group, both sides of the thigh were pressure-occluded at the proximal end by means of a tourniquet during the entire session of exercise (approximately 10 min), whereas only the occlusion with the same pressure and duration was given in the VO group. The mean occlusion pressure was 218 +/- 8.1 mmHg (mean +/- SE). The exercise session consisted of five sets of exercise at an intensity of 10-20% 1RM and was performed twice a week for 8 wk. After the period of exercise training, isometric and isokinetic strengths at all velocities examined increased significantly in the LIO group (p < 0.05), whereas no significant change in strength was seen in the LI and VO groups. The increase in muscular strength in LIO was associated with a significant increase in the cross-sectional area of knee extensor muscles by 10.3 +/- 1.6%. The plasma growth hormone concentration measured 15 min after the session of exercise showed a marked increase only in LIO. The results showed that the low-intensity exercise and occlusive stimuli have cooperative effects in the long-term adaptation of muscle and an acute response to growth hormone.



Effects of resistance exercise combined with moderate vascular occlusion on muscular function in humans

Acute and long-term effects of resistance exercise combined with vascular occlusion on muscular function were investigated. Changes in integrated electromyogram with respect to time (iEMG), vascular resistive index, and plasma lactate concentration were measured in five men either during or after elbow flexion exercises with the proximal end of the arm occluded at 0-100 mmHg. The mean iEMG, postexercise hyperemia, and plasma lactate concentration were all elevated with the increase in occlusion pressure at a low-intensity exercise, whereas they were unchanged with the increase in occlusion pressure at high-intensity exercise. To investigate the long-term effects of low-intensity exercise with occlusion, older women (n = 24) were subjected to a 16-wk exercise training for elbow flexor muscles, in which low-intensity [~50-30% one repetition maximum (1 RM)] exercise with occlusion at ~110 mmHg (LIO), low-intensity exercise without occlusion (LI), and high- to medium-intensity (~80-50% 1 RM) exercise without occlusion (HI) were performed. Percent increases in both cross-sectional area and isokinetic strength of elbow flexor muscles after LIO were larger than those after LI (P < 0.05) and similar to those after HI. The results suggest that resistance exercise at an intensity even lower than 50% 1 RM is effective in inducing muscular hypertrophy and concomitant increase in strength when combined with vascular occlusion.


there are more, but my files are jumbled up just now, as i've been moving files to an external hard drive, and not sorted them properly yet.

[SLOWKPLUS]

It is clear to me that you are nothing but a hater. You can say that this style does not work but the proof is on the IFBB stage. Phil Heath, Troy Brown, Guy Cistranino, Curtis Bryant and Jay Cutler. Are you a trainier of the pros? Do you have the nickname "The Pro Creator"? That is what I thought, Hany is a one of the top trainers in the buissnes.

Phil Heath, Troy Brown, Guy Cistranino, Curtis Bryant and Jay Cutler? These gents have been around for years. They all build their size already using their training routines. So letme get this proper and correct. Cutler has won two Olympia's and Heath zoomed up to his present state {before this very last contest} without Hany. Bryant has been HUGE for years as has Brown without Hany. How does Hany get credit for pro's who are already pro's Slarsen? Because they switched over to his routine 3 months ago? Let him actually build someone from scratch and make that gent a pro and I will read the shite.