Hey T-creatures… i started a gaining phase last week and if you guys think back to JB’s creation of a T-Man article…he spells out his programs…well I’m currently on his first phase with some modifications made in BP splits and some exercises. The thing is that i’m doing 12 sets per bodypart 8-12 reps per set…my weights are really low but volume as you can tell is very high…I’m going to take the week off after week 4 and then when I come back i’m not sure what I should do…i think this volume for 9 weeks might be too much(i’m treating it as a GVT2k right now)but JB stresses its important. I can keep it the same…or should i cut the sets down to about 3 per exercise(or less) instead of 4(like they are now) or should i lower reps to 6-8 range…or both…I’m trying this because i remember before i was terrified of volume and I was actually making steady gains…I’ve got overtraining paranoia now…just wondering what some of you experienced t men would do…thanks, Mike
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One thing to remember is that JMB has genetics and superior nutrition when compred to some of us. For me 9 weeks of a single training method is too long and I get stale around week 5 or 6. That program he outlined was a fierce one. I would speculate you’d have to be on Surge and either Tribex or Androsol in order to recover properly.
Bottom line, it works the way John designed it. Either do it, or don’t. Tinkering with it too much will defeat the purpose and lessen the effectiveness.
The thing you need to remember is that this program is what works for him, not necessarily you. This works for him because his recovery ability will keep him from overtraining and he’s also used to this volume. So look at your lifestyle/diet/supplementation and determine if this jump in volume can be tolerated. If you were making gains on lower volume, then maybe that’s what you need to keep doing. Also, don’t make too big of a jump, if you were doing 2 sets/exercise, going to 4 sets is doubling your total. Make sure the other stuff is in place, such as PW shake, the rest of your diet, sleep, stress levels, etc. and make a logical decision.
Thanks for the responses guys…I just came off of 3 months of Staley’s CPT which is basically circuit training…and i was hypocaloric and then low carb for a month. I had een doing pretty low vlume before taht and my gains were pretty much stalled. I’m set post workout and am also using advance protein…I ordered some glutacene and will be using taht pre and during workouts …Anything else you guys think I should be using?. i’m gettin8-10 hours of sleep per night(college student…commuter 
…I have also started to shift calories back to hypercaloric. Any other suggestions …thanks , Mike
In hind sight, Nathan is on the right track. My original post was a little short sighted.
I unerstand where you guys are coming from …The other recover facors are just as, if not more important than training …but I’m wondering what you guys think I should do for the next phases. I’m looking to put on a good deal of weight (15-25lbs) an with all my ducks in a row, recovery and diet wise I think its prime time to do thi…I am looking to minimize fat gain though. i’ll accept some but I don’t wanna baloon up…I figure I’m going to have to drop some volume at some point just not sure how to go about it yet…thanks foryour help…any more opinions suggestions and such are greatly appreciated…thanks…Mike
Keep a food log, read “Missing Ingredient”, that’s very important. Instead of saying “I eat all the time”(which I used to do), you can look at your log. Saying “Fuck! I’m a grand under!” will become common. Plan your meals Massive Eating style(ie. P+C and P+F). As far as training; periodize, as in write everything out before hand; periodize intensity Ian King style as well; what you might try is two phases of Ian King’s programs mixed with Jerry Telle’s or Poliquin’s. I’ve always wanted to try Telle, but now that I’m doing Davies’s stuff I don’t know if I ever will. Ask if you need to.
Mike,
Maybe I can be a little more help with the low volume aspect. I’m toying with a 5X5/8X3/1-6 type periodization. It’s a little different than Poliquin’s Training with Maximal Weights, but the idea is the same. Take the max weight you can lift for your given target and increase it when you can hit 5 sets of 5 or 8 sets of 3. Then after you’re maximal strength is increased use 1-6 to “finish” yourself off. I figure 6 weeks of each followed by GVT will be where I head. As it stands now, I’m 235 @ approx.10-12% Bf. I started the 5X5 at the end of June @220 @ 8%. Using Tribex right now and It’s making a big difference. I’m just coming to the end of the 8X3 and amazed at the strength and size gains. What do you think? I know it’s a little gimmicky compared to Ian King, but I put it together in order to try a bunch of the T-Mag training protocols.
To Nate…I do keep a food log every day and am eating w massive eating meal combos…where could I find more info on a Telle periodization program?
To Big Rob…cool info…so are you saying you did six weeks of 5x5…then six of 8 x3…then 6 of1-6? What did your split look like and were you doing one exercise per BP? What I was planning on doing was dropping my reps from the 12-8 rang to 8 to 6 for four more weeks and then work into his “bridge” type program of 6 x4 for two days and higher rep work on the other days…but did you see the split…for that one he works bodyparts on consecutive days dunno if I could handle that…thanks for the help so far guys…its good discussion…Keep it coming…Mike
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