DFHT questions

[Shamus]

I want to try DFHT. I basically took this routine from the sticky and some other websites, but I made a few changes. I want to post it and make sure its set up right and I also have some questions about it. Questions are in bold.

Here is the routine I have set up.

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Upper Body Workout One: (Monday)
1. Barbell Bench Press (4x10 with the same weight for each set)
2. Dumbbell Press incline (3x8-12 same weight)
3. Heavy barbell rows (5x5)
4. Shrugs (2 sets 8-12 reps)
5. Side Laterial Raises (2 sets 8-12 reps)
6. Tricep Extension pushdowns (3x10-12 same weight)
7. Barbel curls, EZ bar curls(5 sets total 8-12 reps)

Why is there more chest work than back work? Can I add more back work here?

Lower Body Workout One: (Tuesday)
7. Heavy Squats (5x5 working up each set to a 5rm)
8. Good mornings (3x5 same weight or work up to 5rm)
9. Hamstring Curls (2x10)
10. Leg Presses (3 sets of 10-12)
11. weighted situps (5x10 total)
12. Calves (5 sets of 12-20, same weight)

Wednsday Off

Upper Body - Workout Two (Thursday)
1. Flat Barbell Bench Press (5x5, same weight)
2. Military press 5x5
3. Dips (2-3 sets)
4. Pull Ups 5 x 10
5. Tricep Extension pushdowns (3x10-12 same weight)
6. DB curls, EZ bar curls(5 sets total 8-12 reps)

Again why is there more chest than back here?

Lower Body Workout Two: (Friday)
13. Lighter Squats (4x10 with the same weight)
14. Deadlifts (3x5 same weight, )
15. Leg Press (3x10 with same weight)
16. Weighted Hyperextensions (3x10-12)
17. weighted situps (5x10 total)
18. Calves (5 sets of 12-20, same weight)


What do I do for the deloading phase? How many exercises do I do and at what rep range?

How long should I rest in between sets on this routine?

How long do I load and deload?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. If anybody has done DFHT and you have the routine set up differently please post.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by Shamus

B]

Here is the routine I have set up.

Loading
Upper Body Workout One: (Monday)
1. Barbell Bench Press (4x10 with the same weight for each set)
2. Dumbbell Press incline (3x8-12 same weight)
3. Heavy barbell rows (5x5)
4. Shrugs (2 sets 8-12 reps)
5. Side Laterial Raises (2 sets 8-12 reps)
6. Tricep Extension pushdowns (3x10-12 same weight)
7. Barbel curls, EZ bar curls(5 sets total 8-12 reps)

Why is there more chest work than back work? Can I add more back work here?

There should be more back. Facepulls are included in the program I did, they work your shoulders and back. Main reason for lower volume is because you're doing a heavy 5x5 with rows and lighter weight for higher reps with chest. This is more of a hypertrophy day for chest and a strength day for back.

Originally Posted by Shamus

B]
Lower Body Workout One: (Tuesday)
7. Heavy Squats (5x5 working up each set to a 5rm)
8. Good mornings (3x5 same weight or work up to 5rm)
9. Hamstring Curls (2x10)
10. Leg Presses (3 sets of 10-12)
11. weighted situps (5x10 total)
12. Calves (5 sets of 12-20, same weight)

This day should have pullthroughs or dumbbell swings for extra lower back work.

Originally Posted by Shamus

B]
Upper Body - Workout Two (Thursday)
1. Flat Barbell Bench Press (5x5, same weight)
2. Military press 5x5
3. Dips (2-3 sets)
4. Pull Ups 5 x 10
5. Tricep Extension pushdowns (3x10-12 same weight)
6. DB curls, EZ bar curls(5 sets total 8-12 reps)

Again why is there more chest than back here?

This day has pullups for a 5x10, and although they are a big bicep exercise they will still work your back. I would switch them to a pulldown or pullup with a similar rep and set range.

Originally Posted by Shamus

B]
Lower Body Workout Two: (Friday)
13. Lighter Squats (4x10 with the same weight)
14. Deadlifts (3x5 same weight, )
15. Leg Press (3x10 with same weight)
16. Weighted Hyperextensions (3x10-12)
17. weighted situps (5x10 total)
18. Calves (5 sets of 12-20, same weight)

This day is ok.

Originally Posted by Shamus

What do I do for the deloading phase? How many exercises do I do and at what rep range?

How long should I rest in between sets on this routine?

How long do I load and deload?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. If anybody has done DFHT and you have the routine set up differently please post.

For the deload you will reduce the volume. So for day 1 you would do , say, the first 3 exercises at the same reps and sets as usual and that's it. Something similar for the other days as well. During the deload you will do the same weight that you did on your last week of loading. So the deload is lower volume but the same intensity. This is an important aspect of the deload IMO.

Rest depends on what day your doing. For example, rest periods for the 4x10 bench would probably be shorter than the rest period for your heavy bench working upto a 5RM. It depends on how your feeling before the set. If you feel you can hit your 5RM set after 2 min of rest or after 5min of rest, then thats what you rest for. Just don't get carried away and rest for 10 minutes. Rest until you feel you can hit the set and then hit it. I typically rest for 60 seconds on the lighter exercises and anywhere from 2-4 minutes on the heavy ones.

I would load for 4 weeks because the first week will be your introduction to the high volume and won't be as effective as weeks to come. Don't do pussy weights, but keep the sets manageable. So your basically doing 1 week of feeling the program out and then 3 weeks of smashing the iron. It is a pretty aggressive laoding phase so keep that in mind. After the 4 week loading do 1 week of deloading and at that time you can repeat the program if you want.


Here is the link to the DFHT routine that I did:
http://www.bodybuilding.net/personal...html#post20493

[Shamus]

Can I replace face pulls, floor press, and pull throughs? For one I don't know what these exercises are and are there other exercises similar to these?

[Kane]

Facepulls work your traps and delt, so replace it with something appropriate

Floor press is bench press with about half the range of motion. Basically bench but stop going down when your upper arm is parallel with the floor.

Pull throughs are lower back and a bit of hamstring. Stick a rope on a cable machine and between your legs, bend down grab the rope and stand up.

As long as you substitute those for something that works the same muscle groups, you're fine. You can find better descriptions and videos all over the web for those exercise too.

[Darkhorse]

^^ Kane's the man!

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. If anybody has done DFHT and you have the routine set up differently please post.

My program would be different than Kane's program which will be different than yours. See where I'm going with this? That's the reason why Matt made this program with a hundred exercises in parenthesis to choose from. Know your strengths vs. weaknesses.

I wouldn't really stray away from the generalized template. He structured it in an accomodating way. For back, you do your thickness exercises (rowing) on upper day one, and width (vertical pulling) on upper day two. That aside, you're ALSO doing deadlifting on lower #2, which is a day after all your lat width exercises. So BACK is covered 3 out of 4 days, so don't monkey-fuck it thinking 12 sets of back per day is acceptable.

I'm quite sure if you ran the program as you've cut and pasted it, you'll figure out that it's A LOT of volume. Just don't pussy-foot with your weight selection and you'll be in great shape.

[TALO]

Originally Posted by Kane

Pull throughs are lower back and a bit of hamstring. Stick a rope on a cable machine and between your legs, bend down grab the rope and stand up.

Shit, I was doing these wrong.

[hrdgain81]

Pull throughs are lower back and a bit of hamstring. Stick a rope on a cable machine and between your legs, bend down grab the rope and stand up.

That sounds like it could crush my nuts

[Darkhorse]

Originally Posted by Kane

Pull throughs are lower back and a bit of hamstring. Stick a rope on a cable machine and between your legs, bend down grab the rope and stand up.

It's a glute/ham developer first and foremost. You use the low pulley, and you allow your arms to get pulled underneath and behind your legs until you get a good deep stretch, then pull your body back upright while executing a hard contraction of your glutes.. The key is to keep your arms stretched fully out the entire time, keep your legs wide, and knees bent throughout the movement.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by hrdgain81

That sounds like it could crush my nuts

There are a couple ways around that:

1) When you raise up keep your arms as far forward as possible, its a heavy weight so you cant put them that far, bout an inch or so. That keeps your hands and the knuckle on the rope out of ball city.

2) Don't go completely erect (hahahahaha), stop short of standing upright.

3) Tuck your package to one side so the rope slides adjacent to your family jewels.


I haven't crushed a nut yet, but my buddy got a little over zealous the first time he did em and pinched a nut. If you do them slow to start you'll find what stance works for you and shouldn't run into that problem lol.

[Eric3237]

On these pullthroughs, like 0311 says, they are primarily glute/ham. You have to make sure to keep your legs bent but if you want maximum involement of the hams you need to bend the legs a little more on the way down. Just keeping your legs in a bent but static position will primarily call on the hip flexing role of the hams but to get them best you want hip/knee action.

This is similar to what makes glute/ham raises so effective.