New Training Questions

Training
242

[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib, I’m interested in your opinion on this…

If you’ve seen the famous powerlifter Konstantinov, the amazing thing about him is that he uses close grip even in competition on the bench even though having long arms.
(here’s a video if you don’t follow that kind of stuff : - YouTube)

In his interview he explained why uses close-grip. First, he’s extremely triceps-dominant. But not only that.

Primarily, he said that with regular grip he can’t engage his lats on the bottom. And secondary he claimed that close-grip is the most injury-proof way to bench. Because, in his words, regular grip places too much stress on ligaments of the shoulders and pecs, and they recover much longer than muscles and don’t allow to bench frequently and injury-less. By using close grip, he was able to bench at every session because as he said the stress was mostly on muscular system which is quick to recover.

What I found out long before learning about this lifter, is that I’m much more comfortable with shoulder-width grip too. I’ve found that I contract lats harder as well with this grip and overall I have more power, speed and control. Can this be connected with the fact that I have a narrow bone structure (shoulders) and that close-grip is somehow closer to the “center of power” ? In your experience, have you trained a lot of athletes that were stronger in close-grip ? Why in your opinion it’s more powerful for some ?

[/quote]

I personally bench press with a pretty narrow (by powerlifting standards) grip; Keven (one of the I,BB guy) actually uses a grip that is slightly narrower than shoulders.

I agree that benching this way puts much less stress on the shoulder joint. Actually the only advantage (for strength) that I see with a wider grip is the reduced range of motion. But in a medium grip bench, all the muscle groups involved are in a more favorable position.

A wide grip bench is great for those using a bench shirt, but for raw benching I find that a medium grip is best for most individuals (once they get used to it).

243

[quote]jrl41090 wrote:
I was really hoping for an answer to my post about Dietrich Buchenholz and Inno-Sport, don’t you think it has as much value as “how should I train” asked in a million different ways? It is still a new training question with a lot of thought and I hope you find it worthy enough to respond to.

On another note Thibs, thanks for all you do. I have designed my most recent program with help from your ideas!

Thanks,
Justin[/quote]

I like the Inno-Sport methods… well I tend to listen to everybody who has something new to bring to the table. In a sense DB’s methods and mine are fairly similar (my book Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods explain several techniques that could be mistaken for IS stuff) and I must admit that I have learned a lot from his work (once I was able to decrypt it!) and adapted it my own way.

My only problem with his methods is that he seems to overcomplicate some things. What good is it to have great ideas if you can’t make them available to those who want to learn from you?

244

[quote]kaoticz wrote:
Hey CT,

Do you recommend the style of training you’ve been advocating (atleast published on this site) like low reps, auto-reg etc. for beginners or novice lifters or should they train more “traditionally” with higher reps , set program etc. until at a certain level of strength or something?

I’m eager to try and auto-reg my training and use lower reps and all of that but from all I read these are all more advanced techniques…

Based on your recent training techniques is there anything you would recommend to a novice lifter like myself in terms of Split, reps/sets/volume etc. ?

if it helps here are my stats

age: 16
weight:155lb
bench: 165lb
Squat: around 225lb
Cable row : 50kg x 10… not sure of 1RM
Pullups: 15

Thanks in advance![/quote]

Well, there is really several facet to the style you are describing…

  1. Ramping the weight progressively until you reach the max for that day (for the selected rep number)
  2. Always trying to accelerate the weight as much as possible, the weight dictate the speed, but the intent to accelerate is always there
  3. Autoregulating your training
  4. Using techniques to activate the nervous system (explosive movements, twitch reps, blast isos, heavy partials, etc.)
  5. Using low reps

To me, no.1, 2, 3 and 4 can (and should) be applied to every level. They are the foundation of effective training. If you know how to use these 3 you can basically do any program and make it work.

As for no.5. I would recommend medium reps (6-8) for beginners who don’t have a lot of experience with low reps lifting. Once they are very at ease and efficient at that level, go down a notch.

245

hey coach

lets say one guy does Dips, Poliquin style, 320Xtempo 5 sets of 4-6 reps … and the other guy makes Dips with Twitch-Reps and step-ups (as u mentioned in one video) for also about 5 sets or so…

what is the (scientific) difference, physiologically in the body, i guess there is a different response if it comes to CNS, fiber activation an so forth.

could you explain this to me so i could totally grasp this concept and therefore better apply different techniques in my workout?

246

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Loui.s wrote:
What do you do with bodybuilders to know that their building not just lean muscle, but their proportions are optimal?

Thank you.

I don’t really understand your question. But I can tell you that with bodybuilders, evaluations are very subjective… since the sport is judged by what they look like, you should evaluate them by how they look.

One of the role of the coach is to have an eye for the bodybuilding physique so that he can look at a physique and know which muscle is lagging and rubs the physique of its “magic”.

As for knowing if what he gains is mostly muscle, well that’s one of the reason why I think that bodybuilders should stay relatively lean, it is easier to evaluate a physique and muscle size when the athlete is not covered up by a coat of fat.[/quote]

I hear a lot of bodybuilders refer to their proportions and heard from Shawn Ray that if size is the only goal (even if lean), shape is lost. What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you.

247

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib, I’m interested in your opinion on this…

If you’ve seen the famous powerlifter Konstantinov, the amazing thing about him is that he uses close grip even in competition on the bench even though having long arms.
(here’s a video if you don’t follow that kind of stuff : - YouTube)

In his interview he explained why uses close-grip. First, he’s extremely triceps-dominant. But not only that.

Primarily, he said that with regular grip he can’t engage his lats on the bottom. And secondary he claimed that close-grip is the most injury-proof way to bench. Because, in his words, regular grip places too much stress on ligaments of the shoulders and pecs, and they recover much longer than muscles and don’t allow to bench frequently and injury-less. By using close grip, he was able to bench at every session because as he said the stress was mostly on muscular system which is quick to recover.

What I found out long before learning about this lifter, is that I’m much more comfortable with shoulder-width grip too. I’ve found that I contract lats harder as well with this grip and overall I have more power, speed and control. Can this be connected with the fact that I have a narrow bone structure (shoulders) and that close-grip is somehow closer to the “center of power” ? In your experience, have you trained a lot of athletes that were stronger in close-grip ? Why in your opinion it’s more powerful for some ?

I personally bench press with a pretty narrow (by powerlifting standards) grip; Keven (one of the I,BB guy) actually uses a grip that is slightly narrower than shoulders.

I agree that benching this way puts much less stress on the shoulder joint. Actually the only advantage (for strength) that I see with a wider grip is the reduced range of motion. But in a medium grip bench, all the muscle groups involved are in a more favorable position.

A wide grip bench is great for those using a bench shirt, but for raw benching I find that a medium grip is best for most individuals (once they get used to it).[/quote]

What do you consider a medium grip ? In my understanding it is just outside the shoulders (similar to how Konstantinov benches)
In the I, BB trailer however you bench with regular grip, right ?

248

Coach,

Do you recommend cycling the reps or sticking with a rep range until the gains stop coming as fast?

ex:
Week 1: ramped up to 3 reps
Week 2: ramped up to 4 reps
Week 3: ramped up to 5 reps
repeat

Or 3 reps until you get stuck then switch.

Also, what is the difference between training with a strength focus for 3 reps vs hypertrophy focus? Can hypertrophy be developed with 1 rep ramping as well. (I don’t mean at all i mean efficiently).

Thanks

249

Coach,

Do you recommend cycling the reps or sticking with a rep range until the gains stop coming as fast?

ex:
Week 1: ramped up to 3 reps
Week 2: ramped up to 4 reps
Week 3: ramped up to 5 reps
repeat

Or 3 reps until you get stuck then switch.

Also, what is the difference between training with a strength focus for 3 reps vs hypertrophy focus? Can hypertrophy be developed with 1 rep ramping as well. (I don’t mean at all i mean efficiently).

Thanks

250

Hello from Spain

We are talking about strength gains and muscle growth. But there are times when we don´t want to add more muscle mass, only for maximum strength and power in sports. Here should be more scrutiny. What would be your approach to this issue now? How many reps, sets?

I have been sprinter, actually I start as wing in rugby. I need strength, speed and power, but no more weight. What would be your recommendation? How would control training loads? Frequency of training that you recommend?

251

What’s a decent replacement for blast isos? The gym doesn’t have many power racks.

252

Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

“2. That having been said, I PERSONALLY rarely go above 5 reps, except for max reps sets which are sometimes added at the end of the ramps. However I sometimes go up to 8 with some clients.”

CT, as a generalization, you feel that 5 reps and less for the most part are more effective at building size? At what point will you go as high as 8 reps with clients and why do you do this? You do max sets at the end of ramps i.e. after you’ve completed your work sets? Is this to completely exhaust the muscle?

253

[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

“2. That having been said, I PERSONALLY rarely go above 5 reps, except for max reps sets which are sometimes added at the end of the ramps. However I sometimes go up to 8 with some clients.”

CT, as a generalization, you feel that 5 reps and less for the most part are more effective at building size? At what point will you go as high as 8 reps with clients and why do you do this? You do max sets at the end of ramps i.e. after you’ve completed your work sets? Is this to completely exhaust the muscle?[/quote]

I do believe that low reps, heavy weights (or high acceleration) exercices are superior to recruit and develop the capacity to recruit high threshold motor units. These MU have a much greater growth potential than the other muscle fibers.

I also believe that if you gain a lot of strength, you will also gain a lot of muscle. If you add 100lbs to your bench, military press, squat or deadlift you will have added a lot of muscle too. I’m not saying that the strongest guys will be the biggest… some guys are just genetically gifted for strength without having to put on a lot of size. But for most of the gym population, gaining a lot of strength will translate into building a lot of muscle.

I like max reps sets (using 85% of the heaviest set of the ramp) to build work capacity, strength-endurance and yes, to totally fry a muscle without risking overtraining.

254

[quote]drewh wrote:
What’s a decent replacement for blast isos? The gym doesn’t have many power racks.[/quote]

Blast isos are an activation tool. So any other activation method can be used instead. For example twitch reps, ballistic exercises, jumps, throws, explosive lifts, heavy partials, drop and catch, etc.

255

why should you not use blast isometrics on squats?

thanks.

256

Thanks CT.

257

CT, I’m very interested in chipping away at the finer details regarding your opinions of autoregulation.

Do you always ramp up to your working weight?

Once you set the weight, would you ever decrease it based on a performance drop?

Finally, for a higher rep set (8-12+) how would you go about finding the weight? For example, my biceps fatigue very quickly, and if I were to do 3x10 of curls, the weight I choose would have to feel a little ‘too easy’ on the first set to allow for 8-10 reps on the final 2 sets. Do you take that sort of performance drop into account?

258

Ole J. wrote:
1.Do you think, that holding your body warm under training. By using wool long shirts (not the itchy ones). Can have a positivly effect on training?
2. What do you prefer hole body workouts (3 days) or splitt training?
3. Do you belive the theory about Squeeze the “weights” and forcing the feets down to the ground, will activated the CNS?

Sorry for the wrong posting.

259

Hey, CT

i found a “new” biceps exercise today, incline barbell curls

Should work well for activation of the biceps, seens it starts from a relaxed position.

what du you think?

P.S thanks for all the information so far

260

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
drewh wrote:
What’s a decent replacement for blast isos? The gym doesn’t have many power racks.

Blast isos are an activation tool. So any other activation method can be used instead. For example twitch reps, ballistic exercises, jumps, throws, explosive lifts, heavy partials, drop and catch, etc.[/quote]

Thib, for the bench press if:

  • explosive push-ups are hard on the wrists
  • twitch reps are uncomfortable
  • 50% explosive bench press don’t activate me much
  • drop and catch is impossible (no smith machine)
  • no blast isos (no 2nd set of pins in the gym)

Would you go for partials as an activation tool on both bench press sessions ? (Monday and Friday)

261

[quote]Thy. wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
drewh wrote:
What’s a decent replacement for blast isos? The gym doesn’t have many power racks.

Blast isos are an activation tool. So any other activation method can be used instead. For example twitch reps, ballistic exercises, jumps, throws, explosive lifts, heavy partials, drop and catch, etc.

Thib, for the bench press if:

  • explosive push-ups are hard on the wrists
  • twitch reps are uncomfortable
  • 50% explosive bench press don’t activate me much
  • drop and catch is impossible (no smith machine)
  • no blast isos (no 2nd set of pins in the gym)

Would you go for partials as an activation tool on both bench press sessions ? (Monday and Friday)
[/quote]

If what you are saying is true then I would choose another hobby.