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Beast Ebook PDF
Beast Ebook PDF
Beast Ebook PDF
He's
coached every Mr. Olympia since 2009, and plenty of other champs along the way -
including reigning four-time Physique Olympia winner Jeremy Buendia.
The question isn't whether Rambod's FST-7 system is good enough for you. It's
whether you're good enough for his program.
Program Overview
FST-7 stands for Fascia Stretch Training done in 7 sets. The program is divided into
two parts. Phase One will get you big. Phase Two will get you ripped. Before doing
the workouts, read the Phase Overviews and watch the videos so you know what to
expect. Then check out the FST-7 Essentials sections for training tips to help you get
the most out of each workout.
Rambod also has the distinction of having trained two Mr. Olympia competitors, the
only trainer in history to do so. Rambod's roster of champions includes the seven of
the past eight Mr. Olympia winners in Phil Heath (2011-13) and Jay Cutler (2006-07,
09-10).
FST-7 stands for Fascia Stretch Training done with 7 sets. In this program, I target
the fascial layer beneath the skin and above the muscle by pumping as much
nutrient-rich blood as possible into the belly of the muscles being worked. This
increased blood flow ignites growth factors such as testosterone, insulin sensitivity,
and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels to promote rapid hypertrophy.
FST-7 has two sections: Phase 1 and Phase 2. The goal of Phase 1 is to get you
bigger, harder, and stronger using FST-7 in various intensity techniques. Phase 2 is
all about getting you ripped—shredding in a way that enables you to hold onto your
strength gains.
My goal is to get you both ripped and strong in eight weeks. Like everything else, if
you put in half the effort, you'll get half the results, so go all in!
Typical programs like this are usually 12-16 weeks long. Mine lasts for 4 weeks,
which doesn't leave your body with a lot of time to adapt to all the work you'll be
doing. You're facing a wall, and these four weeks is going to be all about taking that
wall down with your bare hands, one block at a time. You'll need strength, sleep,
smart dieting, and supplements to get it done.
Over the course of Phase One, you'll be following some basic FST-7 principles to
help you add mass and strength, and get past points of failure that normally cause
you to slow down or stop.
1. Forced Reps: After reaching failure, have a partner help you just enough that
you can get an additional 2-3 reps in during the last set of an exercise.
2. Negatives: After reaching positive failure, have a partner help you return the
weight to the starting position of the movement. Lower the weight slowly,
resisting the eccentric portion of the movement. Do an additional 3-4 reps like
this for the last set of an exercise.
3. Peak-Contraction Reps: Hold the contracted position of an exercise for 3-5
seconds. Do this for the last 3-4 reps of the last set of an exercise.
4. Partial Reps: After you've finished your rep count, do 3-5 more reps using
just a third of your normal range of motion to increase intensity during the final
stages of muscle fatigue.
You'll do up to 7 sets of this last exercise of the workout, with a 30-45 second rest
between sets, and using the same or greater weight to increase the pump and
stretch the fascia surrounding the muscle for greater growth. If you're a beginning or
intermediate lifter, it's fine if you aim for a smaller number, such as 4 sets, especially
early on.
You can see examples of how all of those intensity techniques work, and which ones
work best with certain movements and muscle groups, on the FST-7 Essentials:
Upper Body and Lower Body pages.
Cardio And Abs
Your initial experience with FST-7 will leave you sore and limping like nothing you've
ever done. But don't forget that you'll also be doing cardio to make sure that the
mass you gain is clean mass. And you'll be doing adequate ab work to help you
withstand the heavy lifting of this phase.
Cardio: Do the cardio workout of your choice at 65-percent intensity 3-4 times each
week after training to keep your metabolism high, increase your appetite, and keep
your heart healthy.
Abs: Twice a week, on any day you choose, do the following ab exercises:
Success in this program will largely depend on the foods you eat. You'll be
consuming nutrient-rich macros by eating meat, nutrient-dense carbohydrates, and
healthy fats. You'll be taking in lots of calories, but none of them should be by
accident or out of impulse. Eat well, eat big, and train hard, and you'll grow.
• Protein: 276-370 g
• Carbs: 462-555 g
• Fats: 74-92 g
Here's a sample meal plan, plus my favourite foods for growth in Phase 1:
Meal 2
Meal 3
Meal 4
Meal 5
Meal 6
Meal 7
• Whole Eggs: Egg whites have their place—and you'll eat them, too—but
whole eggs can't be beat. They provide extra calories, and if you use omega-3
eggs (eggs with omega-3 fatty acids), you get healthy fats.
• Blueberries: These contain loads of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. And the
fructose increases glycogen in the liver, which helps fuel workouts as well as
improve thyroid function to promote optimum hormone levels.
• Pasta: You get more carbs per serving from pasta than you would in the
same amount of rice or potatoes, so you can eat less and still get enough
nutrients and calories without feeling too full to eat your next meal.
• Low-Fat Fig Newtons or Similar Cookies: They provide an additional insulin
spike to get amino acids into your muscles.
• Salmon: Fatty fish, such as salmon, provides healthy fats for extra calories,
heart health, and the enhancement of joint repair, which is important when
you train heavy.
• White Rice: White rice digests quickly, further spiking insulin to get nutrients
into the muscles.
• Sirloin Steak: In addition to the protein content, the saturated fat from red
meat like steak keeps testosterone levels up where they should be.
• Lean Ground Beef Patty: Red meat is a slow-digesting protein that releases
a steady stream of amino acids into the muscles, making it ideal for the
evening, since you won't be eating for up to eight hours after bed.
• All-Natural Peanut Butter: Adding peanut butter to your protein shake will
slow down the absorption of whey protein to provide a time-release effect
throughout the night.
Phase 1: Supplements Overview
The FST-7 supplement stack has one major role: to increase blood flow. The amount
of nutrient-rich blood flowing to target muscles is a huge factor in hypertrophy,
enhancing the roundness and fullness of your muscle bellies during and after your
workouts. Of course, the supplements will also be providing crucial nutrients and
boosting your performance during gruelling workouts.
Phase 2 Overview
Since we're shifting our emphasis from building to shredding, Phase 2 will be
different from Phase 1 in a number of crucial ways. In Phase 1 you ended your
workouts with FST-7 sets. In Phase 2, you'll start most workouts with them. The
concentration needed to accomplish these special sets will help you focus on
developing the mind-muscle connection. We'll also be increasing from 3 sets to 4
sets on other exercises, and boosting the reps per set up to 8-12. And we'll be using
machines more, so you can get through some new techniques like dropsets more
efficiently.
That's not all that changes, though. You'll also do more cardio and ab work, while
eating fewer calories. Nothing will be easy from here on out, but the goal is a noble
one: to reveal your best-possible physique.
In Phase 2 you'll increase your workout pace with less rest between sets, greater
volume, and more time in the gym. In the end, you'll be leaner, stronger, and have a
lot more muscle definition than you may have thought possible. You have four more
weeks to create the physique you're after, so take a deep breath, set your schedule
around this split, and start working.
You'll still be utilizing plenty of free weights and compound movements in Phase 2,
but the emphasis will shift in some cases to machines so you can quickly add or
remove weights to make use of intensity techniques such as dropsets. You'll also be
doing more isolation movements to enhance the shape of key muscles.
You should continue to start each workout with two warm-up sets for your first
exercise. You'll still pyramid up in volume, too, only now you'll do one extra set to
increase your volume. And by increasing your reps, you'll be able to work additional
muscle fibres and pump more blood into your muscles, which will help stretch the
fascia from the inside out.
It's up to you (and perhaps your training partner) to incorporate intensity techniques
wherever possible, and to get the most out of every set. In addition to the techniques
you used in Phase 1, such as partials, forced reps, slow negatives, and paused peak
contractions, I recommend you try these techniques in Phase 2:
• Dropsets: After you reach failure on an exercise, reduce the weight by 20-30
percent and crank out as many reps as possible. Do 2-3 drops on the last set
of an exercise, lowering the weight again each time you reach fatigue.
• Supersets: This approach to training pairs exercises for the same or
antagonist muscle groups, such as biceps and triceps. Perform a set for each
muscle group back-to-back, with no scheduled rest between exercises.
• Giant Sets: This intensity technique uses four exercises for the same muscle
group done back-to-back with no rest between sets.
• Pre-Exhaust: Perform an isolation exercise to failure, then follow immediately
with a compound movement.
Wondering how to use these? Just watch videos of me training Men's Physique
Olympia champ Jeremy Buendia on the FST-7 Essentials: Upper Body and Lower
Body pages to see how it works for every muscle group.
More is better, right? In Phase 2 you're going to be doing more cardio, more
intensely—as you simultaneously up your ab workouts. All of that will be on top of an
increase in your overall workouts. This is the kind of work it takes to sculpt all that
great mass you've built up into a chiselled statue.
Cardio: Ramp it up to 5-6 times each week—and do it first thing in the morning on
an empty stomach to really burn some serious fat. I recommend sessions lasting 40-
45 minutes, and at least 15 beats per minute faster that you did during Phase 1. If
you're still not seeing the kind of fat loss you're hoping for, add another cardio
session after you finish your daily training.
Abs
Three times a week.
We're all different. Some people can do two sets of push-ups a day and have rippling
abs. Others can do crunches all day long and end up with a nice, flat torso—but no
six-pack. This plan, along with your epic workouts and a sound nutritional approach,
will have you working toward a trimmer, tighter waistline and serious abdominal
definition.
Phase 2 Nutrition Overview
To build size, you consume a lot of calories. To shred, you consume fewer of them,
and you get them from different sources. During Phase 2, you'll cut back on carbs to
tighten up your midsection, and up your proteins and dial back your healthy fats
slightly so you can maintain your strength and energy level.
• Protein: 276-462 g
• Carbs: 185-277 g
• Fats: 55-74 g
Yes, that's a big range, but bear in mind that this is an advanced training protocol. If
you want to use it to really dial in your physique, you should be adept at dialling in
your macros.
This ratio of protein, carbs, and fats is designed to give you the energy you need to
keep training, while still allowing you to drop weight. Feel free to use a fitness
calculator to help you zero in on your calories and macros.
Here's a sample Phase 2 meal plan, plus my favourite foods for shredding.
Meal 1
Meal 2
Meal 3
Meal 4
Meal 5
Meal 6
Meal 7
Since the goal during Phase 2 is to lean out, your supplement stack will focus on fat
burners, while giving you the energy you need to finish these more challenging
workouts. The stack will also include anti-catabolic agents such as branched-chain
amino acids to help you maintain muscle mass, along with vitamins and greens to
help you maintain your health.
All That's Left Is The Work
You've got your split, your cardio and abs protocols, and your meal plan. Now all that
separates the old you from the new you is a lot of hard work. Show the world what you're
capable of!
Lower-Body Essentials
Looking for a one-stop shop to tell you everything you need to know about FST-7
training for the lower body? This is it. If you're following the FST-7: Big and Ripped
program, bookmark this page to use it as a reference for training techniques to use
during both four-week phases of training.
In Phase 1, use FST-7 at the end of the workout to increase blood flow and
maximize muscle growth factors. For Phase 2, preload your muscles by using FST-7
at the beginning of the workout to enhance your intra-workout pump. Hany Rambod,
the creator of the system, doesn't recommend using supersets until Phase 2, since it
pushes intensity and recovery demands through the roof. As with the upper body,
intermediate lifters should aim for 4-5 sets of FST-style work, and advanced lifters
should aim for all 7 sets.
Machines, free weights, barbells, and bodyweight are interchangeable when utilizing
these training tips, so take the concepts you learn in each workout and apply them to
whatever phase of training you are currently in to get big and ripped!
• When creating supersets or giant sets, look to pair isolation movements such
as leg extensions with compound movements such as lunges, squats, and
presses. Hany's choice for Jeremy Buendia is a brutal triset of leg presses
and leg extensions, with walking lunges between each move.
• When training large muscle groups, the goal is muscle failure, not global
fatigue. Manage your heart rate, and you'll be able to do more work. Use a
lighter weight than you normally would because you'll perform all three
exercises back-to-back.
• When you lunge, keep the weights close to your hips if you're using dumbbells
or keep the weight above your hips if you're using a barbell. Do not allow your
knee to go in front of your foot, and push with your heel on walking lunges to
activate the glute muscle.
• Maintain continuous tension during the leg extension. Do not let the weight
drop at the bottom. Pause right at the point before the weight touches. Turn
your toes out to target your inner thighs, and turn your toes in to target your
outer sweep.
• Switch up the order of the exercises to keep your body off guard and create a
bigger and better pump. If you can't do all three exercises, take out the
walking lunges and add them back in as you improve.
• Include extra posing at the end of the workout to make up for the extra rest.
There's no need to pose during the trisets, as they will dramatically impact
your heart rate. Use what little rest you have!
• When creating supersets, pair isolation moves like leg curls with hip extension
moves such as deadlift variations. Hany's choice in the video is straight-
legged deadlifts paired with leg curls.
• For the straight-legged deadlifts, bend slightly in the knees and focus on a 2-3
second tempo as you lower the weight on each rep. Change the dumbbell and
foot position on each set to create variation and target different areas of the
hamstring.
• During the leg curls, go through the entire range of motion. Pause at the top
for peak contraction, then control the weight all the way down, pausing before
the weight touches to maintain tension. Point your toes to target the lower
portion of the hamstrings.
• Once you hit failure, finish off the lying leg curls with 3-5 partial reps or
"pumps" at the end of the set.
• Do not pose in between sets. The legs are the largest muscle groups and they
require extra rest, so to avoid fatigue give your muscles extra rest.
• Don't bother with supersets for calves. Just pick a single move and hit it hard.
For FST-7 work, Hany says you can't beat the standing calf raise.
• Calves can handle a boatload of both reps and weight, which is why you
should use both heavy weight and high reps if you really want to grow your
calves.
• To increase intensity, use pauses at the top and partials from the bottom up.
Complete 20 reps with full range of motion, then complete about 5 partial reps
off the bottom of the step. For the partials, come up halfway for each rep,
pumping blood into the calves.
• For the final 2-3 reps, pause at the top before stretching down to the bottom
and rising up to peak contraction to pause again. Use this to finish the set and
increase the pump.
• The biggest mistakes when working calves are not using full range of motion,
bouncing, bending the knees, or using momentum. Any of these common
mistakes will rob you of the full benefits of this exercise.
• Extreme muscle soreness is the most difficult part of working calves. During
the rest in between sets, stretch your calves, either one leg at a time or
together. Soreness usually peaks about 48 hours post-workout. In severe
cases Rambod recommends using ice or Epsom salt to alleviate the pain.
Upper-Body Essentials
Hany "The Pro Creator" Rambod, legendary bodybuilding coach and mastermind of
Olympia-caliber physiques, is known best for three letters: FST. They stand for
"fascia stretch training," a lifting protocol which incorporates facial stretching into
your workouts to increase blood flow, giving you a 3-D look with rounder, fuller
muscle bellies.
In Phase 1 of Rambod's FST-7: Big and Ripped program, he uses FST-7 sets at the
end of the workout to increase blood flow and maximize muscle growth factors. For
Phase 2, you'll preload your muscles by using FST-7 at the beginning of the workout
to enhance your intra-workout pump. Intermediate lifters can get all they can handle
from just 4-5 FST-style sets. Advanced lifters can chase all 7.
Machines, free weights, barbells, and bodyweight are interchangeable when utilizing
these training tips, so take the concepts you learn from each muscle group and apply
them to whatever phase of training you are currently in to get big and ripped!
You'll find one of these workouts on each week of the program, but bookmark this
page to watch Rambod's videos with four-time Physique Olympia champion Jeremy
Buendia, or to review his best tips for each body part.
Biceps
• Look for supersets that balance different grips or arm positions. In the video,
Hany has Jeremy alternate high cable curls with barbell spider curls.
• Don't lift too heavy! The biggest mistake Rambod sees in the gym is curling so
heavy the shoulders do the work, not the biceps.
• Build better peaks by supinating your wrists, turning your pinkies toward
yourself. This motion gives you a better contraction during the exercise and
builds a better biceps peak.
• Pause at the top of the contraction for 1-2 seconds, especially on the last few
reps. This increases muscle soreness to encourage greater growth.
• After hitting failure, add 4-5 partial reps at the end of the set to pump even
more blood into the muscle bellies.
• Use ladders on the spider curl. Take the weight to the low, mid, and high point
on every rep. Ladders fatigue the biceps in every range of motion—and the
partial reps pump more blood into the muscles.
• Pose in between supersets for 5-10 seconds. Recommended poses include
front double biceps and back double biceps. Don't forget to supinate your
wrists for better peaks!
Triceps
Chest
• Pair pressing movements with fly movements. Hany's choice with Jeremy is
chest flyes with bodyweight dips.
• Slow down and control the negative. Don't go too fast, and don't swing the
weight. "The most difficult thing in these movements is to not use
momentum," says Rambod. This is especially important during dips.
• Watch your posture. Keep your chest and your chin up. "When you want to
focus on triceps, you drop your chest down," says Rambod. "Because we're
trying to focus on the lower pec, you'll want to keep your chest slightly higher."
• As with biceps, use height ladders. By bringing your arms together at different
elevations, starting low at knee height and ending at eye level, ladder sets
target every part of the chest. This is where a training partner is a no-brainer.
• Open hands during flyes to get a better contraction, which leads to more
muscle soreness and better growth.
• Flex in between sets, using side chest pose and crab most muscular. Hold for
5-10 seconds to increase blood flow and get a more 3-D pump.
Delts
Back
• When creating supersets, pair horizontal rowing moves with vertical pulls.
Hany's choice with Jeremy is low cable rows paired with straight-arm rope
pull-downs.
• Know your hand position. To focus on lower lats, use a reverse grip—pulling
with your ring finger and pinky all the way back to your waist. For the upper
back, turn your hands and pull with your index finger.
• Keep your arms out of the movement. When you pull with your arms, you tend
to not contract any portion of the lat. Focus on the muscle you wish to work,
and squeeze the scapula together to create extra flexion and more detail in
the mid back.
• To create more intensity, hold the peak-contraction position for 1-2 seconds
on the last 2-3 reps of the set.
• Once you hit failure, partials work great with both moves.
• Control the negative. Letting the weight snap back without controlling the
momentum increases the likelihood of injury and lets your arms do the work
instead of your lats.
• Flex between supersets for 5-10 seconds, pulling the lats out wide to increase
blood flow. Practicing the front-lat spread and rear-lat spread help prepare
you to naturally bring out your lats on stage.
Traps
• Supersets aren't necessary with traps. Just get on a machine or grab a pair of
dumbbells and go to town.
• If you're trying to build your lower traps, tilt slightly forward. Lower traps give
you more depth right above the rhomboid to bring out those back details in 3-
D.
• Do not roll your shoulders forward, as this puts more strain on your rotator cuff
and your AC joint. Go straight up and straight down, squeezing for up to 5
seconds at the top on the last few reps.
• Traps can grow with both weight and repetition, so there's no need to
overload this muscle group. Try not to go too heavy—Rambod recommends
keeping it in the 10-15 rep range. Rather than adding weight, increase
intensity by pausing 1-2 seconds at the top on the last 3 reps.
• On your final set, complete 5 partial reps at the end to pump every bit of blood
into the muscles before the final flex.
• To pose the traps, hit the crab most muscular. This pose flexes the upper
traps as it stretches the lower traps. Holding it for 5-10 seconds increases the
already massive pump in your traps.