[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
Coach, after a short cutting cycle I have reached and short term goal I had set. I am 5’10.5, 180 lbs at single digit body fat. However, like most I would love to gain another 10-15 lbs of muscle. Problem is I do not handle carbs (starches) that well. Once I start getting over 100g I start to have stomach issues.
My question is what would be a good way “diet wise” to put on muscle while keeping fat away on a low carb diet. Keeping carbs around training only? I know that it will most likely take longer but, I could really use some insight.
Training wise I am planning on training 4-5 times a week hitting each muscle 2x a week. I will be implementing your new views on perfect and low reps. After sticking to higher rep ranges I think this will be just what I need.
Thanks in advance[/quote]
Yes, keep carbs right before training. Start at around 75g and gradually work your way up over the weeks. Add something like 25g per day each week until you find the point where you are starting to add fat. When you find that point, back down slightly.
For example:
Week 1: 75g pre-training
Week 2: 100g pre-training
Week 3: 125g pre-training
Week 4: 150g pre-training (starting to have some bloat)
Week 5: 125-140g pre-training[/quote]
Thank You for the quick response. What about non-training days? Should I not consume any starches?
Hey CT I had a question about Fridays workout in the shoulder phase, I can’t do a power snatch properly yet. Is there something I can replace it with until I learn to do it correctly?
[quote]heavysession wrote:
Hey CT I had a question about Fridays workout in the shoulder phase, I can’t do a power snatch properly yet. Is there something I can replace it with until I learn to do it correctly?[/quote]
He answered that question in the IBB discussion thread. Do a two handed DB swing to eye level.
When doing pressing movements from pins, would it make sense to pull the bar down against the pins right before pressing to mimic the last bit of the eccentric in your perfect rep? The way I see it, this would take advantage of the “twitch turnaround” you mentioned in your perfect rep style, without relying on the elastic energy stored in the tendons.
[quote]bloodnsweat wrote:
When doing pressing movements from pins, would it make sense to pull the bar down against the pins right before pressing to mimic the last bit of the eccentric in your perfect rep? The way I see it, this would take advantage of the “twitch turnaround” you mentioned in your perfect rep style, without relying on the elastic energy stored in the tendons. [/quote]
Interesting idea. Seriously. I have never tried that, but it does make some sense. I’ll actually give this a try. Thanks for the idea!
[quote]bloodnsweat wrote:
When doing pressing movements from pins, would it make sense to pull the bar down against the pins right before pressing to mimic the last bit of the eccentric in your perfect rep? The way I see it, this would take advantage of the “twitch turnaround” you mentioned in your perfect rep style, without relying on the elastic energy stored in the tendons. [/quote]
Interesting idea. Seriously. I have never tried that, but it does make some sense. I’ll actually give this a try. Thanks for the idea![/quote]
To simulate a fast turnaround for floor presses, I did a cycle with a contraction of my chest and scapula at the bottom, so that my upper arms were pushing against the floor … My experience was that it didn’t slow acceleration at all but it felt more like a isometric hold than a fast turnaround.
…
CT,
I have a semi-related question about lifting from pins.
Do you think it’s advantageous to totally relax the muscle after the bar rests on the pins and then re-contract forcefully for the next rep? Or is it better to keep some tightness in the working muscles, even when the bar is being held up by the pins, not the person?
I understand that you might recommend different approaches in different circumstances. Thanks for your time.
[quote]bloodnsweat wrote:
When doing pressing movements from pins, would it make sense to pull the bar down against the pins right before pressing to mimic the last bit of the eccentric in your perfect rep? The way I see it, this would take advantage of the “twitch turnaround” you mentioned in your perfect rep style, without relying on the elastic energy stored in the tendons. [/quote]
Interesting idea. Seriously. I have never tried that, but it does make some sense. I’ll actually give this a try. Thanks for the idea![/quote]
No problem… thanks for inspiring the idea. Let me know how it goes.
I haven’t been doing it for very long; but from the few times I’ve done it, I seem to get a more powerful rep. The only problem I’ve found is that there is a limit on how hard you can pull without actually pulling your bodyweight up (unless you ground your feet somehow).
For those of us using some of your older Arm Specialization programs, Etc…Any tips incorporating the new training guidelines. For example, using the perfect rep on all sets and things like terminating the set when the acceleration slows. Would these guidelines and your other recommendations be beneficial in this case?
CT, Lately I have started working out first thing in the morning when i wake up. I have been taking Alpha-GPC right when my alarm clock goes off and then start eating the FINiBARs 50-60 minutes after I wake up. I foam roll and work on mobility a little after I wake up until I eat the bars.
Does this seem detrimental to wait around an hour to eat anything after I wake up? Not sure what else to do if this is a bad idea. I cannot fall back asleep after taking the Alpha-GPC and then wake up a little later so this seems like my only option.
[quote]jonmb11 wrote:
CT, Lately I have started working out first thing in the morning when i wake up. I have been taking Alpha-GPC right when my alarm clock goes off and then start eating the FINiBARs 50-60 minutes after I wake up. I foam roll and work on mobility a little after I wake up until I eat the bars.
Does this seem detrimental to wait around an hour to eat anything after I wake up? Not sure what else to do if this is a bad idea. I cannot fall back asleep after taking the Alpha-GPC and then wake up a little later so this seems like my only option.[/quote]
I don’t fully understand your question. You say that you workout IMMEDIATELY after you wake up, but have the bars 50-60 minutes after… are you training when you wake up or 60-90 minutes after?
Do you still advocate the use of mechanical drop-sets?
I have tried ramping to MFP on CGBP then continuing using a standard grip bench. Means I have to slightly lower where I stop ramping than I would normally(tricep fatique on lockout making it less explosive on standard bench) but as triceps are a weakpoint I found it to be pretty effective. Going to try it with front squats then onto backsquats.
[quote]toomuchcep wrote:
Do you still advocate the use of mechanical drop-sets?
I have tried ramping to MFP on CGBP then continuing using a standard grip bench. Means I have to slightly lower where I stop ramping than I would normally(tricep fatique on lockout making it less explosive on standard bench) but as triceps are a weakpoint I found it to be pretty effective. Going to try it with front squats then onto backsquats. [/quote]
Rarely. I find that they kill the nervous system if abused. I might recommend one such set at the end of a workout.
However I do use a similar approach but using ramping sets.
Once you reach the MFP on an exercise, you switch to a ‘mechanically advantaged’ variation and continue ramping up.
For example:
Set 1 close grip bench press 220lbs x 3
Set 2 close grip bench press 240lbs x 3
Set 3 close grip bench press 260lbs x 3
Set 4 close grip bench press 280lbs x 3
Set 5 close grip bench press 300lbs x 3 (MFP)
Set 6 regular bench press 320lbs x 3
Set 7 regular bench press 340lbs x 3
Set 8 regular bench press 360lbs x 3
Set 9 regular bench press 380lbs x 3 (MFP … the end)
hi coach , even after searching i didn’t know where to post my question so excuse me if it’s not the right place
1-i know many french speaking people who follow your works , do you have any french version or something like a data base of yoour latest works ( the perfect rep) for those who have an average english and this in order to fully undrestand all the details of your training concepts
2-where can we find you? do you have your own gym?
[quote]amn wrote:
hi coach , even after searching i didn’t know where to post my question so excuse me if it’s not the right place
1-i know many french speaking people who follow your works , do you have any french version or something like a data base of yoour latest works ( the perfect rep) for those who have an average english and this in order to fully undrestand all the details of your training concepts
2-where can we find you? do you have your own gym?
thank you in advance
respect
amn.[/quote]
My earlier work has been translated. It doesn’t include my most recent stuff, but two of my early books (Musculation a haut seuil d’activation; Theorie et Application des Methodes Modernes de Force et Puissance) provide most of the material that led to the perfect rep and autoregulation. They can be bought at: http://www.muscledrivethru.com/index.php?lang=FR
i had a layoff of a month after beeing skiing over holidays and then ended up having swine flu,
yesterday i did a decent leg workout the way i mostly did it over last 2 months
started out doing some sets of jump squats for 2 to 3 reps
squats for 3 reps, donno how many sets, about 8 or 9 to get to my max for dominating 3 reps
squats again 4x5 (speed went down at the 4th set so i finished)
leg press 6x4
as u can imagine, i’m sore as i havent been for about 2 to 3 years or longer, i can’t even sit down in the bathroom
Question: Is there any active recovery technique to counter that in a way or do i have to live with it for the next 6 days or so ? (never had that much of a soreness so i didn bother til now)
nutritional wise i drink 6litres instead of 4literes of water and pop some magnesium pills, thats it.
I have a friend who can do 10 reps with 170kg on the bench press, yet his 1RP max is 180kg. We were very curious what would this indicate? does it mean he is mostly slow twitch dominate? very efficient CNS? too sensitive golgi tendon reflex and potentially a lot of capacity for more strength?
We would appreciate if you can elaborate on this phenomenon.
I have a friend who can do 10 reps with 170kg on the bench press, yet his 1RP max is 180kg. We were very curious what would this indicate? does it mean he is mostly slow twitch dominate? very efficient CNS? too sensitive golgi tendon reflex and potentially a lot of capacity for more strength?
We would appreciate if you can elaborate on this phenomenon.
Thank you [/quote]
That is honestly odd. What is his training experience? By that I mean has he ever trained with low reps or only with higher and medium reps? If he has never training with low reps, it is quite possible that he is simply inefficient at them.
[quote]toomuchcep wrote:
Do you still advocate the use of mechanical drop-sets?
I have tried ramping to MFP on CGBP then continuing using a standard grip bench. Means I have to slightly lower where I stop ramping than I would normally(tricep fatique on lockout making it less explosive on standard bench) but as triceps are a weakpoint I found it to be pretty effective. Going to try it with front squats then onto backsquats. [/quote]
Rarely. I find that they kill the nervous system if abused. I might recommend one such set at the end of a workout.
However I do use a similar approach but using ramping sets.
Once you reach the MFP on an exercise, you switch to a ‘mechanically advantaged’ variation and continue ramping up.
For example:
Set 1 close grip bench press 220lbs x 3
Set 2 close grip bench press 240lbs x 3
Set 3 close grip bench press 260lbs x 3
Set 4 close grip bench press 280lbs x 3
Set 5 close grip bench press 300lbs x 3 (MFP)
Set 6 regular bench press 320lbs x 3
Set 7 regular bench press 340lbs x 3
Set 8 regular bench press 360lbs x 3
Set 9 regular bench press 380lbs x 3 (MFP … the end)[/quote]
Yes I didnt express myself very well. But the way you detailed it is exactly the way I carried it out and was meaning. Were you referring to that method as killing the nervous system or what you believed I was describing? Thanks for your reply.
Tonight I just tried ramping up with 1/4 squats and then going to full squats. I was very surprised that what I intended doing my max force set with went up 20 pounds. Is this usual? I guess it makes sense with CNS activation on heavier weights first.