Question about exercise selection on Matt Reynolds DFHT

Hey bros,

I was doing some research on the DFHT and it led me here so I thought I would post this up.

I have just a few questions to as why some of the exercises in the program are used. and also I have some questions on the loading and unloading weeks.

-In the fist workout why do we do dumbbell press right after we do barbell press? isnt that hitting the same thing?

-On the second upper body workout why do we do board press? is there any other alternative for this?

-Can each day be done within an hour?

-Does each exercise need to be done in the order that I have seen on this site?

-Is there any place for power cleans in this program?

-Im looking at the program to first produce Hypertrophy, and second strength. Should I start with 4 wks loading and 1 week unloading, and continue with that? How do we fine-tune the loading and unloading parts? How do we know that we have unloaded enough?

-And last but not least, is this program good for people who use AAS, im assuming yes. but would there be any modifications to the program if you were using AAS?

Thanks for all the help and info.

bump

I can't help you. You should go to bodybuilding .net and ask 0311. he's a mod there w/ a lot of experience w/ DFHT and he's doing personal training (online) w/ Matt. Or you could ask Matt directly. He's online on several places and has his email posted. Rumor has it, his online training is great and inexpensive. Good guy.

Protobuilder said:

I can't help you. You should go to bodybuilding .net and ask 0311. he's a mod there w/ a lot of experience w/ DFHT and he's doing personal training (online) w/ Matt. Or you could ask Matt directly. He's online on several places and has his email posted. Rumor has it, his online training is great and inexpensive. Good guy.

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Thanks for the info bro

SDHW said:

Hey bros,

I was doing some research on the DFHT and it led me here so I thought I would post this up.

I have just a few questions to as why some of the exercises in the program are used. and also I have some questions on the loading and unloading weeks.

-In the fist workout why do we do dumbbell press right after we do barbell press? isnt that hitting the same thing?

-On the second upper body workout why do we do board press? is there any other alternative for this?

-Can each day be done within an hour?

-Does each exercise need to be done in the order that I have seen on this site?

-Is there any place for power cleans in this program?

-Im looking at the program to first produce Hypertrophy, and second strength. Should I start with 4 wks loading and 1 week unloading, and continue with that? How do we fine-tune the loading and unloading parts? How do we know that we have unloaded enough?

-And last but not least, is this program good for people who use AAS, im assuming yes. but would there be any modifications to the program if you were using AAS?

Thanks for all the help and info.

Click to expand...

I started the program a while ago. I have a hard time finishing anything in under an hour. Do incline press after the flat BB. I change up my order as it doesn't matter. I do back/chest/shoulders. Cleans I would do on upper body but they have it on lower. I may go back to a bodybuilding split bc I don't feel I'm doing enough.

Neo22 said:

I may go back to a bodybuilding split bc I don't feel I'm doing enough.

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Holy crap. I know enough about the program to know that, unless you're someone who's unusually adapted to huge amounts of volume, running DFHT for a while will provide more than enough "work." And it's better than a Flex BB'ing split. Do yourself a favor and trust the program, run it for awhile (if you're even at the level where you need a dual factor approach, which you're probably not), eat, and see if you like what you see.

If you're not getting enough work in then concentrate a shade more on increasing the weights you're using. If that's not possible due to approaching failure then try to add one more set to the prime movers such as squats, deads, bench, OHP, rows. Your stamina will be eaten into eventually.

Gear will aid recovery. It will allow you to work harder and reduce the time between sets should you wish to. It will also reduce the time you require to deload.

You'll be able to estimate when you've deloaded by a restored vigour in the gym and a feeling that you are again able to make progress on your lifts. If you misjudge it, then your next loading phase will simply get shortened as you run out of steam sooner than expected. Everyone is different and so you just have to experiment until you find your own tolerances to high workload.

I should be able to answer some of your questions...

If you're referring to the military then dumbell overhead press then yes, they are very similar. Barbell vs. dumbell alters the effect of course due to differences in stability and plane of travel. You're only doing a total of 5 sets for both presses which is a normal amount of pressing. My suggestion would be to try it their way so you get an idea what happens. If one seems more effective than the other, you may want to just go with that one. Or, you could do one this first cycle, and the other your next cycle. This may be the better idea as it's good to have a familiarity with both. And you can switch up seating and standing versions as well.

Board press is a partial range of motion exercise designed to make your overall bench stronger. It goes anywhere from 1 board to 5 board. If you have a sticking point, touching the bar to that point and then reversing the weight back up will help make that range stronger. All of them, esp. 4&5 will help with lockout-being able to totally extend your arms with the weight under control. This is necessary for the lift to be judged a good one.
No, it's not mandatory that you do this exercise. As with all the exercises, including those presses, nothing is written in stone. The recommended exercises cover the basics of what you should be doing. If you understand why they are recommended but have an alternative you find more effective, you can feel free to substitute. Alternatives might be floor press, rack lockout, seated press off pins, etc.

How long it takes depends on the individual. Also, some days you just don't have as much energy as others.

As for progression,again it's not mandatory, but with any well constructed program there's been alot of thought given to this aspect. Major bodyparts first using compound movements because they are the major mass builders and require the most energy. Then other movements which synergize with the first ones. Finally, the isolation exercises which aren't as dependant on the first ones. I strongly recommend you stick with the order at least the first couple cycles until you gain an intuitive understanding of what is happening as you exercise. If you still feel it's wrong for you, it doesn't hurt to try a different order. You can always change back.

Cleans are listed on lower body days because they involve pulling from the floor, which involves a good deal of overlap in terms of muscle recruitment with your leg work, esp. regarding your posterior chain and lower back.

Fine- tuning the length of your cycle and deloading comes with experience and may have different values for growth and strength cycles. The given times are norms so it's a good place to start.

Gear doesn't do the lifting for you, that's still your job. The basics of your program will be the same. It may help with recovery, but gear + half-a$$ed program (or half-a$$ed effort) will equal waste of time.

Protobuilder said:

Holy crap. I know enough about the program to know that, unless you're someone who's unusually adapted to huge amounts of volume, running DFHT for a while will provide more than enough "work." And it's better than a Flex BB'ing split. Do yourself a favor and trust the program, run it for awhile (if you're even at the level where you need a dual factor approach, which you're probably not), eat, and see if you like what you see.

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Who are you to say what level I'm at LOL. I've been doing BB splits with insanely high volume and intensity for the last 3 years.

blut wump said:

If you're not getting enough work in then concentrate a shade more on increasing the weights you're using. If that's not possible due to approaching failure then try to add one more set to the prime movers such as squats, deads, bench, OHP, rows. Your stamina will be eaten into eventually.

Gear will aid recovery. It will allow you to work harder and reduce the time between sets should you wish to. It will also reduce the time you require to deload.

You'll be able to estimate when you've deloaded by a restored vigour in the gym and a feeling that you are again able to make progress on your lifts. If you misjudge it, then your next loading phase will simply get shortened as you run out of steam sooner than expected. Everyone is different and so you just have to experiment until you find your own tolerances to high workload.

Click to expand...

What I meant was after only doing 2 pressing movements for chest and only doing 2 pulling movements for back I don't feel like I've accomplished a damn thing. As with a BB split I was fatiguing the living shit out of the muscle with usually 4-5 diff movements per bodypart. I'm not using gear and don't plan on it.