FST-7, is anybody here ever use that program

[adilevy]

Overhead cable extensions
Skull crushers (for advanced trainers)
Calves: Standing and seated raises, calf raises using leg press
(alternate between these three)
When should I do my ‘7'?
The best time to do your ‘7' is as the final exercise for a muscle group. You don't want to do it
first, as this would take away from your performance on the heavy straight sets that are also a
critical factor in building muscle mass. Finishing off a bodypart with a great pump is something
many top bodybuilders have been doing instinctively for years, not knowing that they were
expanding their fascia and maximizing growth. It may be tempting to do your pumping sets
earlier on if you can't seem to get any kind of pump going, but I would urge you instead to do
something like a set or two of 21's to get the blood flowing and then proceed with your heavy
sets before capping it all off with your ‘7' set for that bodypart. Remember, ‘7's' are done at the
conclusion of each bodypart, so if you are working multiple bodyparts in a given workout, you
will be doing two or more of these extended pumping sets.
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[adilevy]

Pre-workout nutrition: Priming the pump
Hopefully most of you grasp the importance of solid pre-workout nutrition. This provides the
body with all the raw materials it will need to fuel an intense and productive weight training
session. I like to see my clients get in a minimum of two solid-food meals containing both lean
proteins and complex carbohydrates prior to training. The protein source can be chicken or
turkey breast, white fish, or even leaner cuts of red meat such as filet or top sirloin if one is
training later in the day. Good carbohydrate sources would be oatmeal, sweet potatoes, or
brown rice. These are all slow-burning carbs that will deliver time-released energy, as opposed
to fruits and other simple sugars that digest too quickly and can leave you with an insulin crash
while training. Equally important to the food intake is adequate hydration. This is particularly
applicable to anyone using thermogenic products. Most of these have a diuretic effect, which
means you need to take care to drink a bit more water to compensate for the fluid loss. Notice
that I said water and not diet soda. Carbonated drinks tend to be too filling and hence you don't
drink enough. A common question I get is, how soon before the workout should my last meal
be? Generally speaking, you want your last meal to end about one hour before your workout
begins. The exception would be legs. Since heavy leg training is so metabolically demanding,
the last meal should be a bit earlier - say ninety minutes. These are just guidelines. If you are
the type of person that is starving an hour and a half after a clean meal, you probably don't ever
want to let more than an hour go by from the end of the pre-workout meal to the workout. If you
seem to digest your food more slowly and get nauseous when you eat too close to the workout,
adjust your meal timing accordingly. Staying away from high-fat foods or sugary items should
help stave off feelings of nausea while training.
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[adilevy]

During the workout
While training, most people will only need plenty of water - roughly a liter. This also depends on
your size, how much you tend to sweat while training, and the season. Obviously you need
more water in the summer, particularly if you train at a place like MetroFlex Gym that doesn't
believe in air conditioning, or if you work outdoors. You can sip a carb drink or a thermogenic
drink if you tend to ‘run out of gas' while training, but neither takes the place of water. If you
choose to have one of these beverages during your workout, you should also have a water
bottle and alternate between the two to ensure proper hydration. I can't emphasize this strongly
enough - there is simply no way you can achieve a great pump if you aren't drinking enough
water before and during the workout. As you know, the human body and especially our blood
supply is comprised of over seventy percent water, so you need to have a steady supply to stay
hydrated.
Post-workout nutrition
Within 15-20 minutes of the end of your workout if not immediately, it's important to drink a
shake to start the re-compensation and recovery process that ultimately leads to muscle growth.
There are several different recovery powders I am currently testing with my clients, and I will
have the results soon. But in the meantime, you can't go wrong with a highly bio-available
protein source such as whey protein isolate along with a rapidly-assimilated carbohydrate
source like dextrose, waxy maize, or maltodextrin. If you are a hardgainer ectomorph type, don't
be afraid to mix two or more carb sources together. You can even add in something like fruit
juice for flavor and additional simple carbs. If you are trying to lean out or you are simply a
person that gains fat very easily, you will want to take it easy on the amount of carbs in this
shake. You still want to always include at least some carbs in this shake, except in the case of
the final stages of a pre-contest diet for those that are striving to lose the last vestiges of
bodyfat.
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[adilevy]

Roughly an hour or two later, you want to have another solid-food meal that should be similar in
composition to the pre-workout meal. For the purpose of better absorption, you want to keep the
fat content low, particularly saturated fats. The timing of this meal will depend on the size of
your shake as well as your appetite. Obviously you can't eat until you are hungry again. If you
are drinking a large shake that is very filling for you, it might take two hours for your appetite to
return substantially enough to allow you to eat a solid meal. Conversely, a lighter shake should
digest faster and you should theoretically be ready to eat just an hour later. Also note that there
tends to be more bloating and gas associated with lower-quality grades of protein powder. They
tend to taste good, but contain large amounts of lactose. Do yourself and your loved ones a
favor and spring for the good stuff.
A note on sodium
Many bodybuilders have it in their heads that sodium is bad for them and should be avoided.
They intentionally remain on very low-sodium diets year-round when the fact of the matter is,
you only need to be concerned about sodium intake in the final few days before a contest when
you are attempting to shed subcutaneous water. Without proper amounts of dietary sodium, you
simply won't be able to get a pump. Some of you may have experienced this when competing. If
you are trying to pump up and haven't had more than trace amounts of sodium for a couple
days, your muscles will be totally flat and unresponsive, even if you are eating carbs and
drinking some water. Then, if you go out and have a burger and fries after the judging, your
muscles seem to magically inflate, and you are able to generate an excellent pump for the night
show! Sodium helps transport carbs into the muscles, so by all means don't be afraid to put a bit
of salt on your food. I actually encourage my clients to get their sodium from condiments like
ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce in the off-season. It should be noted that for any of you
with medical conditions such as hypertension or diabetes that require you to adhere to strict
low-sodium diets, always observe the guidelines set forth by your physician or your dietician.
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[adilevy]

Additional research
If it seems odd that this discussion of nutrition as it applies to the FST-7 training system isn't
discussing supplements, that's because I am currently in the process of experimenting with
various types of products to see which ones enhance the pump, reduce soreness, speed up
recovery, and other effects that would be beneficial. One of the major side effects of this type of
training is extreme muscle soreness, so this in particular needs to be addressed. All I can say at
this point is that even though all the results aren't in and there is still more research to be done;
we have already witnessed some intriguing and exciting effects. Stay tuned here in the coming
months for my findings in this area.
Success stories - in progress!
Although I have been developing the FST-7 system for several years and have been
recommending it to my clients, only recently have I insisted that they consistently incorporate it
into their own training. In the near future, I will have some impressive success stories to report.
In the meantime, you will be seeing some of the results of FST-7 on the pro stages this year.
Phil Heath has used it to improve his shoulder and back width, his chest, and even his legs.
Larger bodyparts like back and legs typically need more time to show changes, of course.
Charles Ray Arde has used FST-7 over this past off-season to bring up his chest, delts, and
back for his rookie pro season this spring. And Bill Wilmore has just started using FST-7 for his
arms, and will soon be showing the results of his hard work. I also encourage those of you that
experience success with FST-7 to send me before and after photos and tell me how you used it
to improve stubborn bodyparts.
Figure workshop
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[adilevy]

Sample Basic FST-7 bodypart routines
Triceps
Close-grip bench press 3-4 x 8-12
Weighted or machine dip 3 x 8-12
Overhead cable extension 7 x 8-12
(beginner and intermediate)
Skull crushers 7 x 8-12
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[adilevy]

Quads
Leg extensions 3-4 x 8-15
Squats 4 x 8-12
Hack squat or leg press 3 x 8-15
Leg extension or leg press 7 x 8-15
Chest
Incline dumbbell press 3-4 x 8-12
Incline dumbbell flye 3 x 8-12
Flat Hammer or dumbbell press 3 x 8-12
Pec deck or cable crossover 7 x 8-12
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