FST-7: bodybuilding program

Last week, in the comments to the article, how much rest time should you take between each set? , there was a controversy over whether or not the short rest time between episodes was innovative.

The point is that several authors have popularized short rest approaches such as Charles Poliquin with the German tome, Chad Waterbury with his muscle revolution; and even very short rest times like Vince Gironde and his 8 × 8 or even Serge Nubret.

This also applies to FST-7 Hani Ramboda, at least for part of the workout.

What is FST-7?

Honey Rambod is the physical trainer of several professional bodybuilders including Ray Arde, Bill Wilmore, Troy Brown and especially Phil Heath and Jay Cutler. He detailed the FST-7 on his website and on his FST-7 DVD.

The basic principle of his FST-7 (Fascia Stretch Training) is to simply “finish” each muscle group with 7 sets of 8-12 repetitions of isolation exercise with 30-45 seconds rest between sets. The basic idea is that the strong congestion caused by its close proximity will stretch the fibrous membrane that surrounds the muscles (called fascia) and promote muscle development.

In addition to Series 7, stretching is performed before, during and after the session, always to soften the muscle fascia.

This emphasis on stretching muscle fascia to stimulate muscle growth also recalls the recommendations of Dante Trudell (Doggcrapp), Tom Platz (Big Beyond Belief), or John Parrillo (Parrillo FX Stretch System).

To support this “intuitive” statement, hyperplasia (an increase in the number of muscle fibers) can occur after very significant contractions AND / OR muscle sprains, but this remains controversial for scientists.

Who is this bodybuilding program for?

The FST-7 Principles can be applied to anyone: beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

The program presented by Hani Rambod as an example is more geared towards the advanced because the amount of study is important.

General FST-7 Principles

• Stretching (light stretching) before, during and after training
• Do heavy multi-joint movements first (in other words: always do fatigue, not fatigue)
• On the last exercise in each muscle group, increase volume and decrease rest time: 7 sets of 8-12 repetitions are recommended with 30-45 seconds rest, but not absolute
• In addition to the previous point, use the rest time between classic episodes from 1 to 2 minutes 30
• Except for short bursts, always to increase the elasticity of the fascia, use Weider’s iso-tension principle and contract muscles isometrically between each burst (as if you were doing competition poses), start with ten seconds of contraction and aim for thirty seconds continuously. Also stretching the muscles worked between each “posing”
• Drink plenty of water throughout the session, between episodes and especially between close episodes.

Sample FST-7 Strength Training Program

• Monday (biceps, triceps, calves)

Curl with dumbbells: 3-4 × 8-12
Curl on the machine table: 3 × 8- 12 Curl in the bar (Ez bar): 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30- 45 seconds)

Rigid Bench Grip: 3-4 × 8-12
Tight Grip (Weighted) or Machine Dips: 3 × 8-12
Beginners and Intermediates: Neck Extension to Pulley: 7 × 8-12 ( intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds) Additionally: forehead strip: 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

Calves standing next to the car: 4 × 10-12
Sitting calves: 4 × 15-20
Calves with thigh press or camel press: 7 × 10-12

Seated Leg Extension: 3-4 × 8-15
Squats 4 × 8-12
Hack Squats or Incline Leg Press: 3 × 8-15
Seated Leg Extension or Incline Hip Press: 7 × 8-15 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

Leg curl is lengthened: 3-4 × 10-15. Deadlifts, extended legs: 3-4 × 10-12. Bending the legs with one leg: 3-4 × 10-15 each. Seated Leg Curl: 7 × 10-15 (Intermediate Rest: 30-45 seconds)

• Thursday (chest, triceps)

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3-4 × 8-12
Incline: 3 × 8-12
Designed Reclining with Converging Machine or Dumbbell Press Bench Press: 3 × 8– 12. Machine spread or pulley spread oppositely high: 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

Rigid Bench Press Handle: 3-4 × 8-12
Rigid Dive Grip (Weighted) or Machine Dips: 3 × 8-12
Beginners & Intermediate: Neck Extension to Pulley: 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)
Additionally: forehead strip: 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

Back pull: 3 * max.
High pulley pull at front: 3 × 8-12. Rowing bar with pronation: 3 × 8-12. Seated row with machine: 3 × 8. -12
Rollover while sitting behind the machine or lowering with low pulley: 7 × 8-15 (rest between sets: 30-45 seconds)

Shrugging with dumbbells: 3-4 × 8-12
Shrugging machines: 7 × 8-12

Calves standing next to the car: 4 × 10-12
Sitting calves: 4 × 15-20
Calves with thigh press or camel press: 7 × 10-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

• Saturday (shoulders, biceps)

Bench Press (Seated): 4 × 8-12
Barbell Front Lift or Dumbbell Front Lift: 3 x 8-12
Side Dumbbell Height: 3 × 8-12
Height at the side of the car: 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest: 30-45 seconds)

Dumbbell Bird: 3-4 × 12-15
Machine Bird or Low Pulley Bird: 7 × 12-15

Dumbbell Curl: 3-4 × 8-12
Curl at the desk: 3 × 8-12
Curl at the bar (Ez bar): 7 × 8-12 (intermediate rest) sets: 30-45 seconds)

SuperPhysique’s opinion on the FST-7 bodybuilding program

Even if we particularly like the theory, it goes without saying that we find applications for stretching fasciae more than dubious.

If that were enough to stretch a little and take a very short recovery time to stretch the fascia that surrounds the muscles, each would quickly become huge. However, we must understand that this is far from the case.

In general, in terms of the training program, the exercises are rather poorly chosen and do not follow any logic. For biceps, for example, it seems rather counterintuitive to do FST-7 on an Ez barbell, while this exercise does not stretch the biceps on the shoulder at all.

The volume of training, both the number of sets and the number of exercises, is unusual for a natural athlete and can lead to 99% of cases of overtraining

If we were to maintain the positive point of this training method, it is to insist on the fact of stretching (which is a factor in hyperplasia), even if we are rather dubious about stretching during the session