Resistance periodization and FST-7 coaching are rooted in basic coaching rules.
Final up to date on April ninth, 2025
Resistance Periodization (RP) and FST-7 signify two distinct bodybuilding coaching strategies designed to optimize muscle development. Not too long ago, famend bodybuilding coach Hany Rambod, the creator of FST-7, joined forces with Jared Feather, a Basic Physique competitor and the top physique and bodybuilding specialist at RP, to debate their coaching approaches and the way they’ve utilized them to raise their shoppers’ efficiency.
Rambod, now retired, used his FST-7 coaching system to safe a number of Olympia titles. He’s educated four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, six-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead, 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford, 2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan, and four-time Males’s Physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia, amongst others.
Feather actively coaches elite abilities like Males’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker and collaborates with train scientist Dr. Mike Israetel. Beneath, discover how RP and FST-7 coaching examine, distinction, and contribute to shaping world-class physiques.
[Related: Hany Rambod Rates Chris Bumstead’s Open Division Debut Physique]
Jared Feather
Feather usually works with a shopper via an annual plan. His method includes structuring coaching applications into distinct phases tailor-made to shoppers’ wants, together with their vitamin and coaching type.
A cornerstone of Feather’s technique is conducting a radical wants evaluation for potential shoppers. By understanding their objectives and priorities, he crafts a complete annual plan. He adjusts it via auto-regulation, making certain this system evolves consistent with the shopper’s progress and necessities.
“It’s not identical to, okay, let’s begin coaching and weight-reduction plan tomorrow. I need you to do a full deload. I need you to remove the fatigue you’re already carrying,” Feather defined. “We’ll undergo this course of over that week. We do wants evaluation, and I’ll develop your annual plan. We’ll agree on it, after which from there, we go into the section that we selected and autoregulate based mostly on the way you’re trying and for those who change your thoughts.”
[Related: 3 Uncommon Must-Try Chest Exercises]
Hany Rambod
Rambod attributes a lot of his success with shoppers to efficient communication. His teaching philosophy revolves round figuring out whether or not a person is really coachable. To evaluate this, he introduces difficult checks early of their journey, equivalent to intensifying their diet, to organize them for harder moments forward. This helps establish athletes with the resilience and dedication to endure the extra demanding phases of their bodybuilding journies.
It’s my model of Navy’s Seals coaching. I really feel like it’s a must to have psychological power to deal with doing this.
— Hany Rambod
Resistance Periodization vs. FST-7
RP and the FST-7 coaching technique are rooted in basic coaching rules. In response to Feather, Rambod focuses on educating these rules and incorporating particular suggestions into coaching to boost effectiveness.
“Rambod teaches coaching rules. Minus the FST-7, he places somebody via a session based mostly on a bunch of rules he is aware of as a coach,” Feather stated. “Whether or not specializing in the stretch, leaving one or two reps within the tank, or taking it to failure and going to again off units since you possibly can’t do as a lot quantity when all the time going to failure.”
Rambod developed the FST-7 coaching type to assist his shoppers obtain extra intense exercises, even when coaching remotely. Whereas teaching Mr. Olympias or amateurs pursuing their professional playing cards, Rambod observed their coaching depth usually declined when he wasn’t bodily current.
To deal with this, Rambod mixed rules of high-intensity coaching, German volume training, and posing techniques. For over 30 years, Rambod has relied on this method, which he claims has persistently delivered outcomes. FST-7 stretch coaching focuses explicitly on elongating muscle groups, attaining a full range of motion, and enhancing blood flow.
RP is grounded in scientific analysis and literature — evidence-based finest practices assist people obtain higher outcomes. At RP, the coaching method teaches the core rules of sports activities science as they apply to hypertrophy coaching. The aim is to equip people with the correct information and terminology to know and focus on optimum coaching strategies successfully.
Reflecting on his earlier profession, Rambod remembers the dearth of assets out there. A lot of the information was anecdotal or experimental approaches. He experimented with varied coaching rules, together with high-volume reps and high-intensity interval coaching (HIIT). Nonetheless, the draw back of HIIT is that athletes are susceptible to harm regardless of gaining muscle. He put Dorian Yates on a program that led to a handful of muscle tears.
Each coaching methodologies require coaching shoppers to the perfect of their skills. Nonetheless, a lot of Feather and Rambod’s shoppers and athletes don’t know easy methods to prepare correctly.
Method is important for efficient coaching. Beginners should deal with mastering correct type. Poor type will increase the danger of accidents and might hinder progress and development in the long term.
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Featured picture: @jared_feather on Instagram