Hey coach,
what do you think of this post?
I donāt think asking the in-house T Nation coaches (CT, Wendler, and Paul Carter) to critique articles written by their colleagues is the best way to use this forum. I would ask Paul Carter if you have any questions on this article, since he wrote it.
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Ok thatās fair,
How could it be utilized in the Best Damn Protocols?
just use it instead of another method.
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I know why youāre asking this. You want an expert to weigh in on the matter because you seek validation.
The perfect program or method doesnāt exist. The sooner you realize this, the more youāll progress. All the methods you read about here will work if you buy into them and are having a blast using them in the gym.
Soā¦
Try using 6-10-6 in the āBest damnā¦ā to switch things up. See what happens.
Review/evaluate after 1 month. Did it produce results? Did it burn you out? Do you even need it at this stage?
Oh, and try not to get caught up in the mindset that every time an article introduces a new method or routine, you have to incorporate it somehow. You donāt. Itās simply excitement about something new. Itāll pass.
Write down the method / bookmark the article for future reference.
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Excellent point. People have been building muscle with many technique. But I know CT really likes eccentrics and isometrics (well these more for strength) and that he has a very high estime of Carter.
Excellent post Barguist
And to the original poster, Paul is one of my good friends. We give seminars together, wrote a book together and talk on a weekly basis and exchange training ideas. What we find funny is that we often invent the same exercises and training methods each on our side, so anything written by Paul is golden in my book.
I guess youād call me a type 1 neurotype.
Iāve really only just began trying out these special methods for lifting, before it was just straight sets.
So Iām really interested in the new, but youāre completely correct that I need to sit down and keep one method.
@Christian_Thibaudeau
Iām glad you guys are friends, now itās much easier to trust these people, as I know you are smart and if you agree with them, that means theyāre smart!
That would not be my guess. Types 1 donāt ask annoying questions all the time. While 1B and 2A both need variation I would put you more in the 2A category, 1B prefer changes in exercises, 2A in methods and 2A have less confidence so they constantly need others to validate their choices.
Iām a 2A too, so itās not all bad
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Haha, that actually sounds exactly like me.
I was having trouble with which neurotype i am, but this really makes sense now
Thanks again.
Iām a 2A as well. Very indecisive.
By the way, I was not saying the above to discourage or bash you. On the contrary, I hope youāll stress less about the details (which rep scheme or method to use) and look at the big picture.
Let us know what you come up with and how it worked for you - AFTER TRYING IT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IN A ROW! I know youāll be successful.
Iām saying this because I was the guy obsessing over details in search of the āperfect methodā until recently.
Donāt make my mistakes!
Totally understand you.
Iām currently doing the Best Damn Protocol 2 with slight modifications.
So Iām report back in a few weeks.
Oh yeah, typical 2Aā¦ 2A canāt take decisionsā¦ Iāve been married for 12 years and I donāt remember picking one movie!
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Oh, manā¦ Iām trying to force myself to make quick (albeit not stupid) decisions, being aware of my āneurotype patternsā.
Me trying to figure out my NT was an ironic process.
āHm, Iām pretty sure Iām 2B. No wait, Iām type 3. No waitā¦ Iām 2A. Yup. Or maaaybe 2B as I originally thought? Screw it, Iām gonna follow this routine anyway. Although this other method looks fun as well.ā
And around we goā¦
Itās like by the time Iām doing a routine, Iām āintellectuallyā bored with it after 1 week.
Carterās principle about focusing on rep PRs before adding other fancy methods is whatās keeping meaning grounded, forcing me to stick to basics.
That is a typical 2A trait because 2A are mimickers and can ābecomeā almost any neurotype for a short period depending on the situation of people they are interacting with. They tend to have the most adaptability but can also be seen as soft because of that.
1A and 3 are those with the rigid personalities. They stay the same regardless of the situation even if that means not being well adapted to the situation (they can learn to modulate it a bit, but it takes time). The 1A being the elephant in the porcelain store (always wanting to take up too much space which can cause damage), e.g. Trump. The 3 is the opposite: the introvert; he doesnāt change because he doesnāt want to create that many social connections.
1Bs and 2As are the most adaptable, 2A being more adaptable than 1Bs. They both have the neurological āmakeupā to adopt different personalities BUT the 2A has lower self-esteem and NEEDS others to like him, so he will modulate his personality to be liked by them. The 2B will just tone up or down his personality to better fit the situation.
The 2B has more mood swings than personality changes.
100% like me. Itās impossible for me to follow a āroutineā. I can follow a ātemplateā and I can program the main lift of the workout BUT the rest of the session will vary greatly.
As a 2A I love experimenting with methods. And when I feel like I fully understood what that method does, I get bored by it.
Itās truly intriguing.
Instead of seeing it as a curse, Iāve changed my perspective to just accepting that my āchameleonā mind works like that. Although I sometimes envy those who can have more focus.
At the same time, changing focus and exploring different things is the exact thing that has given you tons of experience and keeps you from resting on laurels, so to speak.
By the way (sorry for the hijack, OP!), Iām into martial arts, and Iām seeing strong similarities between your neurotype framework and the concepts of natural elements (earth, water, fire, air) as they pertain to personality archetypes.
Not that I expect you to go into that. Just found it amusing and damn interesting.
I believe 2a is water?
1A = fire
1B = Wood
2A = Water
2B = Earth
3 = Metal
Funny because a friend of mine from France helped me design the system, he is an expert in Chinese medicine and we found the correlation to be perfect.
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Really interesting paul carter noted the āpiston likeā reps that most bodybuilder types like to use shave off some ROM each side, pump up and quicklyā¦not optimal for growth.
The slow eccentric and even isometric i think have huge merit. But I think CT also wrote an article showing how eccentrics can reduce insulin sensitivity? At what point does eccentrics become overdone and cause insulin sensitivity issues / no or reverting gains.
I think coach had recommended only one heavy eccentric - like lift with two armss lower with one sort of thing. While keeping all other eccentrics āfast but controlledā.
Then you got things like eccentric isometrics joel seedman and also coachās blog post on the perfect rep for bodybuilding - thibarmy - where we lower the first three quarters in a slow, three to five second eccentric then rapidly dip the last quarter and use stretch reflex to ecplode up.
Used for big compound movements.
I really like this style. Can it be used for all sets - ramping or straight work sets etc??
Thanks and happy belated new years CT/folks