Cool, ill be looking forward to that vid/article. For the next week or so I’ll just use the ideas I found in the hss-100 shoulder spec, thanks
Hey Thibs,
1- I seem to lack explosiveness in both my pull-ups and my military press compared to my close grip bench or regular bench-press or my bent over row which is very explosive. May you suggest me exercices that could help me getting more explosive on those 2 lifts?
2- I also wanted to know what kind of grip width you use when doing your upright rows, it always seem to hurt my rotator cuff when I chose a narrower grip and when I use a larger grip, I only feel my medial delts working (which isn’t a bad thing maybe, but my weak link is my lower trapezius thickness)
3- How do you calculate the percentage of 1 RM with the pull-ups for exemple? I’m really confused about this exercice right now with the force ramping spectrum method. Do you also start on the assisted machine? I would say that my max force point would be my BW (around 180lbs) with +40lbs.
Thanks for your time! I also wanted to thank you for that article on the perfect rep, It seems I could read it again and again for the entire day. You seem to be so passionate about training like I am also, everything I read from you is such useful information. Thanks again.
Vince.
Coach,
Say an individual is stronger on deadstop exercises versus explosive, as was previously mentioned, it would be a good idea to spend more time working on the weaker of the two movements. But in terms of waking up the CNS at the beginning of the workout, would you recommend using a method that corresponds to a person’s strength?
CT
Am I right in thinking the idea of rarely working to MLP is that recovery time (compared to regularly working to MLP) is shorter allowing a greater training frequency and therefore quicker long term progress?
Provided this approach is used should a deload be rarely required? I.E would requiring regular (every 4/5 weeks) deloads be a sign that a person is not sticking to the method?
Thanks.
Coach, I’ve a quick question regarding exercise selection for individuals with long limbs - arms in this case.
Mine are stubborn as God knows what and I’m pretty strong at dips and pull-ups. For instance 140 pounds on the dips with belt with 1 second pause botton position for 5 good reps. My triceps look untrained. By close grip bench is strong too. But I fall pretty good in the category of guys who can do one chest movement and get away with it, but when it comes to something that is outside of my torso - then it’s hard to get it to grow - libms.
Did you find any exercise which were particullary effective for individuals like myself? I also find that I can progress in strength fairly quick on isolation exercises too, but meanwhile the entire body grows - arms stay the same. Legs grow slow…but they grow. If I don’t find a way to make them grow, I will look like a clown in few months with huge delts, chest and back, and a couple of pencils for arms.
Thank you for any feed back Coach!
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]sam21 wrote:
coach when the night after a heavy training session a lifter complicated to sleep is a signal to overtrainining or a signal for overload the cns?i have this signal after 2 heavy training sessions and i cant sleep over the night.how can i fight this symptom?also do you believe that sets with 4(or above up to 6) reps in snatch and c&j(or in squat exercise) with 80% intensity weights are waste of time or useful in weightlifters training?what is better 4 sets of 3s or 3 of 4s with the 80% intensity?(and less taxing for cns?).i am looking forward to hearing for you.[/quote]
The lack of sleep is not necessarily a sign of overtraining. Especially not after only two sessions. It most likely is an overactivation of the CNS. If anything it shows that you did a good job during your session: you were so efficient at ramping up the nervous system, and you stopped before you drained it, which led to an overactivated state at night.
Unless using baby weights, and doing it as a warm-up, high reps on the olympic lifts is not that smart. None of the elite olympic lifters train like that… heck NO olympic lifter at all (elite or beginner) train like that.
Data from the former Soviet Union (so with data from over 100 000 lifters) showed that, on the competition lifts:
Around 57.4 - 59.4% of the sets are done for 2 reps
19.3 - 19.4% of the sets are done for 1 rep
17.9 - 19.4% of the sets are done for 3 reps
So roughly 95% is done for 1-3 reps!!!
The highest rep scheme I’ve seen on the olympic lifts by good lifters was 5, but as a complex movement (for example 1 power snatch, 2 behind the neck press snatch grip, 2 overhead squat) but even then the technical component (lift) is done for 3 reps or less.
The reason? Not so much CNS burnout as form breakdown which increases the risk of injuries, decreases bar speed (which is critical for those lifts) and teaches bad motor habits.[/quote]
hello coach for the answer.do you recommend anything restorative method(or nutritional method) for the prevention of an overactivation of cns?
Hey CT
I got a question recently I started doing the snatchgrip deadlift from a deficit and I was thinking this exercise is more suited for the perfect rep than the traditional deadlift. Do you agree?
Hi CT,
I’m in the process of implementing the perfect rep and auto-regulation in my training. I was thinking of setting my training up as following:
MON: Barbell bench-press, standing overhead press, dips
TUE: Squat, deadlift, bicep curls
WED: OFF
THU: Barbell bench-press, barbell rows, pull-ups
FRI: Squat, deadlift, bicep curls
SAT: OFF
SUN: OFF
All exercises are done in sets of 3, ramping up to MFP as outlined in your Perfect Rep article.
Does this seem like a sensible training split, or is there something you would change?
NB: the logistics of life and work schedule compels me to keep Saturday and Sunday as off-days.
All responses are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
[quote]nickj_777 wrote:
Hey CT
I got a question recently I started doing the snatchgrip deadlift from a deficit and I was thinking this exercise is more suited for the perfect rep than the traditional deadlift. Do you agree?[/quote]
No, why would it be? On the deadlift the explosion actually occurs once you pass the knees. The length of the first pull (from floor to knees) is thus of little relevance.
i wouldn’t double up on movements during the week
options are:
cut to 3/week…maybe you could add arms to the wed as the exercises used won’t have as many ramps as the other days
mon - back squat, rack pull,military
wed - pull up, loaded push up, bent row
fri - front squat, deads, bench
keep at 4/week but don’t double on movements maybe with a push/pull split
mon - hang clean, pull ups, bent rows
tue - back squat, bench, tri’s
thu - deads, chest supported bb rows, curls
fri - front squat, military, loaded push up
i wouldn’t go with more then 3 exercises/day for starters i think CT has said
Coach,
This isn’t a question so to speak. I just wanted to say that the perfect rep program has totally changed my training in a matter of two weeks. I had been dealing with naggin injuries over the past year and half and as a result I had lost considerable strength. Thanks to perfect rep I’ve managed to increase my 85% max in:
Front squat 185 to 235
Back Squat 245 to 300
Deadlift 315 to 350
Bench 185 to 240
Incline Bench 165 to 195
Barbell Rows 165 to 235
All this while working completely pain free for the first time in probably 2 years. It’s made training fun and effective again. I should have known to take advice from a fellow French-Canadian.
Mr. Thibaudeau, in your Training Log you use the Contrast Method based on your MFP for that day, would you suggest using the contrast method after Ramping on several consecutive weeks for one exercise or is this something best to be done on some days but not several ? I was trying to find more on contrast sets and the method behind it but only found these articles, one of you where you use very different percentages and one where Joel Marion refers to you Sir.
The Best Reps (by Christian Thibaudeau)
Plateau Busters (by Joel Marion)
Could you give an up to date example of percentages and how to best implement them.
Thank you very much.
PS: I noticed that I wrote your last name wrong in a previous post, I corrected that, please excuse my mistake.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
hey ct, what kind of training split would your recommend using the hth method. I know you have stated that the training split is of least importance but i find it somewhat difficult to implement a training split that would have me training once a day but hitting bodyparts two times a week as you suggested. sorry for reposting but you ignored my last question which was about a half a page long lol. thanks for all the info you contribute to the site.
[quote]swans05 wrote:
i wouldn’t double up on movements during the week
options are:
cut to 3/week…maybe you could add arms to the wed as the exercises used won’t have as many ramps as the other days
mon - back squat, rack pull,military
wed - pull up, loaded push up, bent row
fri - front squat, deads, bench
keep at 4/week but don’t double on movements maybe with a push/pull split
mon - hang clean, pull ups, bent rows
tue - back squat, bench, tri’s
thu - deads, chest supported bb rows, curls
fri - front squat, military, loaded push up
i wouldn’t go with more then 3 exercises/day for starters i think CT has said
[/quote]
Thanks for the reply, man.
I was initially wary of doubling up on the movements too. But as CT has stated earlier, when he was training OL he squatted six times a week. So I’m not quite sure what to do. I did, however, like your 3 day split - I might give that one a go.
BTW, direct arm training isn’t really a big concern of me.
EDIT: I think weighted push ups may prove difficult in combination with the perfect rep method (weight moving when you explode up). Also, benching after front squats and deadlifts will be quite hard.
How about something like this:
MON Back squat, rack pull, pull up
WED Bench, military press, bent-over BB row
FRI Front squat, deadlift, dips
My only concern with this is that back will get hit 3 times per week, which may be a little much.
Hi Christian,
I recently began bench pressing again after nearly a year off most pressing from a rotator injury. My strength is relatively low right now and not increasing quickly (205 currently x 3 reps). I bench press powerlifting style and alternate with barbell rows, 3 rep ramping sets (usually ~10 sets) focusing on the perfect rep.
My question is: if I want to improve my bench, should I do more sets in the lower percentages to work on my acceleration, or focus on more sets in the higher perecentages?
I haven’t progessed for the last few weeks and I’m starting to get frustrated.
Thanks for any help!
Hey Thibs-
I recently began lifting again after about a year off due to shoulder issues. My first day back I did a full body workout and found that my squat is way too low. It seems my bench strength didn’t suffer too too much, but I lifted significantly lower weight when squatting…I squatted less weight than my bench actually. I was thinking of doing 3-4 lifting days per week, looking something like this:
Day 1:
Squat
Horizontal push/horizontal pull
Day 2:
Deadlift
Vert push/vert pull
Day 3:
Rest
Day 4:
Repeat Day 1
Day 5:
Bench
Isolation exercises
My question: Do you think this is a good split to stick with for a while until my lower body strength is back up? Or should I cut out benching all together for a while?
It is strange that my upper body strength didn’t suffer that much even though I stopped lifting for a while due to pinching pain in my right shoulder blade and right side and back of neck from either benching or doing rows.
To CT or anyone else:
Could you explain the difference in how the weight feels at the Max Force Point (weight you can still dominate) vs. at the Max Load Point (no sticking points)?
I know CT has gone over this quite a bit, but after reading “The Three Important Loading Points” I still feel a bit fuzzy on how they are actually different.
Thanks.
coach what intensity is ideal to use for iso-dynamic type exercises?do you recommend to use dobules technique for iso-dynamic exercises for the same muscle group or exercise?i am looking forward to hearing for you.
[quote]lavi wrote:
To CT or anyone else:
Could you explain the difference in how the weight feels at the Max Force Point (weight you can still dominate) vs. at the Max Load Point (no sticking points)?
I know CT has gone over this quite a bit, but after reading “The Three Important Loading Points” I still feel a bit fuzzy on how they are actually different.
Thanks.[/quote]
At the MFP the bar doesn’t begin to decelerate. Meaning that it’s one smooth powerful motion. At the MLP there might be a slight deceleration as you pass through where your sticking point would be; you’re not grinding, but bar speed does begin to slow down at one point during a repetition.
[quote]agent9041 wrote:
Hi Christian,
I recently began bench pressing again after nearly a year off most pressing from a rotator injury. My strength is relatively low right now and not increasing quickly (205 currently x 3 reps). I bench press powerlifting style and alternate with barbell rows, 3 rep ramping sets (usually ~10 sets) focusing on the perfect rep.
My question is: if I want to improve my bench, should I do more sets in the lower percentages to work on my acceleration, or focus on more sets in the higher perecentages?
I haven’t progessed for the last few weeks and I’m starting to get frustrated.
Thanks for any help![/quote]
The thing is that with the info you provided I really can’t help you.
Lack of strength gains on a lift can come from …
-
A week muscle group that is holding you back. Simply doing the main exercise will not correct that problem
-
A lack of explosiveness at the beginning of the movement (can be solved by doing more sets in the earlier portion of a force spectrum)
-
Bad technique (often underestimated… heck I thought that I knew how to bench… and I did bench over 400. But when I went to see Tate I changed my bench technique completely, and benched 440)
-
Protective mechanisms… your body is still being overprotective because of the injury, preventing any strength gains. In that case you have to ‘convince’ your body that it is ready to push some big weights. Partial bench press from pins starting above the weak point is a possible solution if that is the problem
-
CNS fatigue
-
Or maybe you have run out of the early CNS adaptations and now you have to cause muscular adaptations to further strength gains, this generally means a higher volume of work with weights in the 75-80% range (more sets, not more reps).