Coach,
Given your new outlook on training (low reps). Is HSS-100 outdated? would you recommend specializing bodyparts for 4 weeks with ramping and low reps instead?
If HSS-100 is still worth doing, would you ramp during the superset portion?
Thanks
[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
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? [/quote]
90% of the time… in exercises like unweighted dips/chins I shoot for a max number of reps and stop after I get a 10% decrease in reps. BTW, there is MUCH MORE to autoregulation that just ramping.
Also, you don’t seem to grasp the concept properly. EVERY set at 60% or above is a work set PROVIDED THAT YOU ARE DOING THE CONCENTRIC PORTION AS FAST AS YOU CAN. This way every rep produces maximum force and is thus contributing to your progress.
[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
Once you set the weight, would you ever decrease it based on a performance drop? [/quote]
No, the whole concept is to gradually ramp up to the max amount of weight you can lift for the selected number of reps, once you reach your max then you stop… THAT is the autoregulation part.
[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
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? [/quote]
I don’t use higher reps sets. The most I personally go to is 6 and I go up to 8 with some clients. The exception being max rep sets: after you have reached the max weight you can do on an exercise for the selected number of reps you do once more set, with 85% of the top weight you reached and do as many reps as you can.
[quote]Capjuniper wrote:
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
[/quote]
If the crotch can take it, it will be fine. Would not be my first choice, but it will work.
[quote]Kerley wrote:
hey thibs,
how would i fit in activation sets in to say my normal bench routine.
E.g my first lift is incline barbell press usually i do a 2-3 warm up sets and then 3-5 heavy sets of 3-5.
so would i just do 2 sets of speed pressing in before i do my heavy sets
something like, 50% of 1rm for 1x3 as fast as possible then 55% 1x3, or am i completely wrong?
thanks
[/quote]
That’s fine… but ALWAYS try to press as fast as you can… weight will dictate the actual speed of movement.
NEVER see a set as a warm-up. It puts you in the wrong mindset. See the lightest sets as ‘practice sets’, you are practicing the movement pattern and the capacity to accelerate.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
The exception being max rep sets: after you have reached the max weight you can do on an exercise for the selected number of reps you do once more set, with 85% of the top weight you reached and do as many reps as you can.[/quote]
Could this be done every workout?
Also, if someone always ramps up and gets stuck at the same weight each time, what would be a good way of breaking through that sticking point? I’m having a real big problem with this one in my own workouts.
[quote]Thy. wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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:
Would you go for partials as an activation tool on both bench press sessions ? (Monday and Friday)
If what you are saying is true then I would choose another hobby.
Why so?
The fact that you don’t want to do plyo push-up because they are hard on your wrists, that you are unwilling to do twitch reps because they do not feel comfortable tells me that your work ethic, desire or capacity to withstand pain are not high enough to lead to any kind of success.
Drop and catch are not done on the smith machine, they are done with a free weight.
Please read this…
You took me for a complaining pussy because I won’t do some twitch reps (which are not critical to anything anyway), and because I have reasonable limitations on the other stuff ?
This is very painful and unexpected to hear from you of all people.
I’m as much the opposite as it can be. I have a prominent scoliosis and I’m not even supposed to lift at all, especially on vertical axis movement. Yet, I power clean, snatch, squat, deadlift more than the majority of healthy people. I’m aware that with my condition I might worsen my situation, that I’m very injury-prone because of this, that I might face serious problems later.
Yet I lift NOW with all my heart, despite having stability problems (asymmetrical loading and muscular activity) and uncomfort in many movements. Hell, even the bench press sometimes causes trouble due to asymmetrical shoulder levels!!!
I’m never afraid of hard lifting, on the opposite: that’s what I’m looking for with great anticipation. Gym days are sacred. I see no point stepping into the gym without an eagerness to work the hardest, that is unnatural to me. Many times I burn out my CNS because I train too hard…
Withstand pain… I have small and weak wrists and I had chronic pain for years because I “withstood pain”. Why would I do something that would return that chronic pain and hold me from doing other movements successfully ?
I have very small hands… Especially very weak and small, short fingers, that give me massive disadvantage on grip, yet I never used straps and my hands are always messed up… And I use hook or double overhand grip only.
Damn it, one of my collar bones is not where it should be (higher because of scoliosis), and I smash the freaking barbell on it when I clean… Yes I can withstand some pain!
You might think that you don’t know me, you don’t see me train, that I’m hyperbolyzing my efforts. Everyone can make things up on the internet and claim heroic deeds, that’s true, but whatever…
I just thought that someone who is so much passionate about training as yourself would respect another dedicated person who trains very hard despite serious LEGITIMATE obstacles. (yes , training is my PASSION too, not “hobby”)
[/quote]
Fair enough, but twitch reps ARE very effective. The more I play with them the more I realize how powerful they can be.
[quote]Lunarisx718 wrote:
Coach,
Given your new outlook on training (low reps). Is HSS-100 outdated? would you recommend specializing bodyparts for 4 weeks with ramping and low reps instead?
If HSS-100 is still worth doing, would you ramp during the superset portion?
Thanks[/quote]
It’s not my new outlook on training. It has always been my training philosophy. But in the past I made the mistake of including some ‘mainstream bodybuilding stuff’ in my programs so that the readers would more easily apply the methods I which I really believed in.
Is HSS worth doing? It is a good program, I stand by that. It is not 100% in-line with my beliefs and personal preferences, but it still is effective. Just make sure to ramp up the heavy exercise.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Fair enough, but twitch reps ARE very effective. The more I play with them the more I realize how powerful they can be.[/quote]
Thanks for your understanding and time. I don’t do them because of stability issues also.
On the side note, where would you ramp in the bench press? Off the chest to a few inches or before the lockout ?
And as for heavy partials - are they too much if done twice a week instead of once ?
Thibs I’m afraid!
I started ramping ( and I like it ) and most importantly, I am moving pretty big weights …especially on that final work set
My concern is two things
I don’t get any pump at all <~~~~ this is where you yell at me that its just lactic acid build up
I don’t feel very sore the next day…I lifted heavy and understood how to autoregulate when I missed the 3rd rep of the final workset…I just don’t feel sore.
Bald
[quote]baldadonis2002 wrote:
Thibs I’m afraid!
I started ramping ( and I like it ) and most importantly, I am moving pretty big weights …especially on that final work set
My concern is two things
I don’t get any pump at all <~~~~ this is where you yell at me that its just lactic acid build up
I don’t feel very sore the next day…I lifted heavy and understood how to autoregulate when I missed the 3rd rep of the final workset…I just don’t feel sore.
Bald[/quote]
Obviously I’m not CT, but:
Also, I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to try to not miss reps. Rather, “we’re ending with the most weight we can use for the amount of reps we need.” (from the article)
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Fair enough, but twitch reps ARE very effective. The more I play with them the more I realize how powerful they can be.[/quote]
Coach,
Talking about twitch reps, I have tried them with lat pulldowns, but I haven’t really noticed any difference in my performance. I did them contrasted to my ramped worksets (6 reps). I did about five twitches at the bottom position and immediately about five twitches at the top without feeling pretty much anything. Are twitch reps something your body has to adapt to first or am I just performing them plain wrong?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
nz6stringaxe wrote:
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?
90% of the time… in exercises like unweighted dips/chins I shoot for a max number of reps and stop after I get a 10% decrease in reps. BTW, there is MUCH MORE to autoregulation that just ramping.
Also, you don’t seem to grasp the concept properly. EVERY set at 60% or above is a work set PROVIDED THAT YOU ARE DOING THE CONCENTRIC PORTION AS FAST AS YOU CAN. This way every rep produces maximum force and is thus contributing to your progress.
nz6stringaxe wrote:
Once you set the weight, would you ever decrease it based on a performance drop?
No, the whole concept is to gradually ramp up to the max amount of weight you can lift for the selected number of reps, once you reach your max then you stop… THAT is the autoregulation part.
nz6stringaxe wrote:
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?
I don’t use higher reps sets. The most I personally go to is 6 and I go up to 8 with some clients. The exception being max rep sets: after you have reached the max weight you can do on an exercise for the selected number of reps you do once more set, with 85% of the top weight you reached and do as many reps as you can.[/quote]
Alright, I’m getting a better understanding. What you’re saying is that even though the weight isn’t (ex:) beyond 60%, the effort to push through it as hard as possible would recruit what the heavier weights would have, rendering the lighter sets useful while still providing a safe and gradual way to test how you feel that day.
For your first response, you said that you must be able to accelerate concentrically as fast as possible. I’ve been thinking this way for some time now, but to clarify your words, do you mean you must be able to accelerate it at the same speed as the first (fresh) set so you avoid that drop off of force output? Or, are you saying as fast as you can, even fatigued, which may incidentally be a little less rapid?
And to the last thing you mentioned, what is your actual goal in performing that final singular 85% working weight set for max reps?
For hypertrophy in mind, would you say that performing working sets beyond that 6-8 range is typically not the ideal choice? If so, why? Is it that your ultimate goal is to always recruit the highest-threshold MUs and the fibers connected to them?
As always, your help is greatly appreciated.
CT,
Here are the facts:
1.) Time-demanding profession (City Manager); M-F 8-?pm and a 45-minute commute each way
2.) Married w/ 2 small children under the age of 3
3.) Literally only have 1 hour 5 days a week MAX to train
4.) Fatloss is #1 goal (and not lose too much LMB along th way, obviously)
5.) Lower back issues which preclude me from performing several “money” lifts (i.e. back squats, heavy shoulder presses, non-supported rows, etc.)
6.) 210-215 lbs. w/ approx. 16% bodyfat
I’m at a loss on how to structure my weekly training routine in context of these facts. How many days should I train with weights? ESW? (I’m following your nutritional recommendations from your Refined Physique Transformation article.)
Any ideas? (stupid question, I know)
Thank you.
[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
For your first response, you said that you must be able to accelerate concentrically as fast as possible. I’ve been thinking this way for some time now, but to clarify your words, do you mean you must be able to accelerate it at the same speed as the first (fresh) set so you avoid that drop off of force output? Or, are you saying as fast as you can, even fatigued, which may incidentally be a little less rapid?[/quote]
Man, you really have poor reading comprehension, or I don’t know how to explain a concept.
I’m not saying that you must BE ABLE to accelerate concentrically, but rather that acceleration can COMPENSATE for a lighter weight provided that it is at least 60% of your max.
What I am talking about is always TRYING to lift a bar as fast as you can. If the weight is heavy it will not move very fast, but your intent, regardless of the load, should always to push as hard as you can.
If you push as hard as you can and are holding a lighter load the bar will go up faster (less mass, greater acceleration); if you push as hard as you can and are holding a heavy weight the bar will go up slower (a lot of mass to lift, lower acceleration).
[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
And to the last thing you mentioned, what is your actual goal in performing that final singular 85% working weight set for max reps?
For hypertrophy in mind, would you say that performing working sets beyond that 6-8 range is typically not the ideal choice? If so, why? Is it that your ultimate goal is to always recruit the highest-threshold MUs and the fibers connected to them?
As always, your help is greatly appreciated. [/quote]
My belief is that MAXIMUM FORCE and the capacity to recruit the high threshold motor units supercede time under tension as a way to stimulate growth.
So the goal should be able to produce as much force as you can, while still having a decent time under tension. To me sets above 8 reps don’t fit that bill well as the force output tends to be lower.
A second reason why I don’t like high reps is that they cause more fatigue than potentiation, so they do not allow you to reach a higher performance ceiling like lower reps do.
[quote]Evander wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Fair enough, but twitch reps ARE very effective. The more I play with them the more I realize how powerful they can be.
Coach,
Talking about twitch reps, I have tried them with lat pulldowns, but I haven’t really noticed any difference in my performance. I did them contrasted to my ramped worksets (6 reps). I did about five twitches at the bottom position and immediately about five twitches at the top without feeling pretty much anything. Are twitch reps something your body has to adapt to first or am I just performing them plain wrong?[/quote]
Lat pulldowns, or any form of cable movement don’t work well with twitch reps. A twitch rep is NOT simply a fast partial rep. Twitch reps must be really EXPLOSIVE both on the concentric and eccentric portion. In the bench press for example, during the eccentric part of the twitch rep you actively pull with the back and biceps to pull the bar down faster than gravity.
So with cables it doesn’t work because the cable would slack off and not follow during the eccentric portion.
Plus, I would wait until I explain twitch reps in depth before using them, each exercise has a specific range of motion where they work. And that range actually changes from one individual to the next.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Evander wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Fair enough, but twitch reps ARE very effective. The more I play with them the more I realize how powerful they can be.
Coach,
Talking about twitch reps, I have tried them with lat pulldowns, but I haven’t really noticed any difference in my performance. I did them contrasted to my ramped worksets (6 reps). I did about five twitches at the bottom position and immediately about five twitches at the top without feeling pretty much anything. Are twitch reps something your body has to adapt to first or am I just performing them plain wrong?
Lat pulldowns, or any form of cable movement don’t work well with twitch reps. A twitch rep is NOT simply a fast partial rep. Twitch reps must be really EXPLOSIVE both on the concentric and eccentric portion. In the bench press for example, during the eccentric part of the twitch rep you actively pull with the back and biceps to pull the bar down faster than gravity.
So with cables it doesn’t work because the cable would slack off and not follow during the eccentric portion.
Plus, I would wait until I explain twitch reps in depth before using them, each exercise has a specific range of motion where they work. And that range actually changes from one individual to the next.[/quote]
Thanks for the reply. The cable did indeed slack off a bit during the attempted explosive eccentric portion, so I can see now why it didn’t work. And now when I think of it, I don’t know why I didn’t try twitch reps with pullups instead.
Btw, this CNS activation stuff is extremely interesting. I’m definitely looking forward to future articles.
Thib, why do you think Eastern Bloc powerlifters are so obsessed with GPP and high rep work ?
I personally talked to a few world class Ukrainian powerlifters. One of them benchpressed 320 kg equipped and his training was basically 1 day of huge volume bodybuilding work, hitting chest and triceps from all possible angles for 8-10 reps, and another more traditional low rep day (although he preferred not ramped sets, but planned in advance 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 straight sets)
Many of them seem to think that anything lower than 8 reps on assistance would consume the precious energy needed for main lifts.
They also have weeks or even months of “deload” exclusively high rep powerlifting.
I don’t understand how high rep sets can be of any benefit to the max force production needed for powerlifts.
Another Russian powerlifter, Dmitry Kasatov benches around 300 kg raw. And he wrote an article where he said that slow-switch fibers were very important for powerlifting! He basically uses low speed sets for 30 second sets and incomplete lockout to cause hypoxia in the muscles all the time in his training !
It’s interesting that these guys might not know all the theory and train by traditional way, yet have tremendous results.
CT-
When using the ratcheting concept, what determines the amount of weight you add from set to set providing that you successfully completed the prior ratchet?
ie. For squats if i successfully did a ratchet at 365 for 1 and then for 3, would I go up to 370 for the next ratchet or could I make a direct jump to 380 if i feel confident?
By jumping directly to 380 from 365 am I losing the potentiating benefits of doing ratcheting sets at 370 or 375?
Thanks,
Darian
Coach Thib,
Got a few questions I hope you have some time to answer…
I was sprinting earlier today and I am as sure as I can be that I pulled my hamstring (back of my leg, 6inches above my knee), I sprint only once per week in the summer so I can maintain some kind of functionality in my legs. Anyway I am finding it particularly sore when I bend over and when I have to use my hamstrings to pull anything. Furthermore squating down with just bodyweight is also causing some pain. So all major lifts such as good mornings, deadlifts, squats are off the radar for the moment.
So to the actual questions…
-I was thinking about working my uninjuried leg as normal, so maybe do single legged machine presses, hamstring curls and leg extensions as I would normally would for that leg. Is it a good idea to continue working the good leg, I have heard of strenght carry over between legs even if only one worked, any truth to this?
-As for the injured leg could I continue to use an exercise like the leg extension. It would probably be the only exercise I could use that would not directly stress the hamstring muscle. Is it wise to work this leg at all?
-Is stretching of the injured hamstring a good idea, how do I ensure that it heals correctly and are there any exercises I should be looking at for pro active rehabilitation? Someone mentioned swimming but I am a terrible swimmer.
-Finally how much time is normally needed for a hamsting injury, I see three weeks is a period of time often quoted.
I realise that this is a long question but as always I appreciate any response.
Thanks, NIguy
CT, would time under tension techniques ever supersede maximal force techniques? I know that you are always looking for both, but, I mean, it seems to me that most people always use high reps on certain movements like chest flyes, bicep curls, tri extensions, and other more isolated movements like that.
Also, if someone were to never go over 4 reps in any exercise, do you think optimal growth could occur?