New Training Questions

Training
382

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Mr.Martian wrote:
Coach,

I have been utilizing a total body approach/upper lower split, but would like to give split training a try.

I know you stated that split is probably the least important thing and that you have no specific split mainly because it depends on you’re focusing on.

However, say I didn’t “want” to specialize anything at the moment, as split training is new to me. How would you group muscles going with 4 day split?

How would you break down the day ? In other words,say you were doing Chest/Back; would you pick a compound movement followed by 1 or 2 secondary lifts for each muscle group?

Thanks,
MM

DAY 1. Horizontal push and pull
DAY 2. Legs quads dominant
DAY 3. Vertical push and pull
DAY 4. Legs hams dominant
[/quote]

Good Deal.

How many exercises would you recommend for each movement pattern?

MM

383

Would you recommand loaded stretching after such workouts?

384

[quote]Loui.s wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Loui.s wrote:
When doing dumbbell curls (or any curls, but mostly dumbbell), I notice in order to do more weight, my elbow moves (bringing in the front deltoid). Is this an okay way to curl or is keeping elbows pinned to the sides better for maximum bicep growth?

Thank you.

It’s okay when going super heavy, mostly allowing a small cheat in order to bypass the weak point (kinda like a push press bypassing the weak point in a shoulder press motion). But most of the time I would avoid that, which is why I personally rely mostly on the preacher/scott curl variations.

Are there any other acceptable cheats?

Thank you.[/quote]

Few, I don’t really like cheating, unless it is actually seen as a different exercise. Another such example is power shrugs (heavy shrug started with a slight lower back, legs and calves drive).

385

[quote]Addict3d wrote:
jolopez wrote:
Addict3d wrote:
CT,

Today im starting a 4 day split, was thinking of an upper/lower. Is there one you recommend, sorry if you posted this before.

Didn’t he just answer this a couple of hours ago? Maybe I am missing something.

Yea I dont know how I missed it, sorry CT. But can I still use his ramping system on the routine he posted earlier which was this…

DAY 1. Horizontal push and pull
DAY 2. Legs quads dominant
DAY 3. Vertical push and pull
DAY 4. Legs hams dominant
[/quote]

Ramping is not a ‘system’, it is only a way of organising how you progress from set to set. It can, and should be used with almost every type of workout.

386

Dear Christian,

Im starting a project today:
In the next 9 weeks I will add as much muscle as I can.

That means:
I train like a beast.
I eat like a beast.(6-7measl/day; depending on work)
I recover like a sloth bear. (at least 8 hrs of sleep /night; “Topical Mag” creme before Sleep; 2 sessions for active regeneration)

For that I came up with:
1.
Meal Plan for every Meal (Just solid foods, no shakes (PWO-Shake). Mostly Protein and Fat; Carbs in the morning and PWO in the PWO Shake)
2.
The first 3 weeks of strength training for my project. (Full body; 3x/week; mostly for the ervous system)
(Following weeks will follow; depending on my improvement etc.)
3.
A “Before & After” Sheet.

I have a few Questions:
1.
What whould you add to a before/after sheet?
I got like: Strength measure, Caliper Measure (done by a biosig coach),weight, BF, size measurements

What supplements do you recommend? (Good thing is i can easily get anything from Poliquins stuff.)

2.1
Question to creatine/BA: I never used Creatine or Beta Alanine before. I’m thinking about trying these 2 supps.
What about the Weight gain from creatine? Should I wait until after the 9 weeks and do another project.
Or should I use it, so I can train at my fullest?

2.2
Im already taking BCAAs since 1 week ago. Any thoughts about it?

I’m dedicated. I got myself the time for the next 9 weeks. And since I,Bodybuilder isnt out now.

What whould you recommend; in general for the 9-week project - training wise?
(you dont have to come up with details like exercise selection or stuff like that.
Its just that I want to hear “your plan”!)

I look forward to your answer and appreciate your opinion!

Thanks beforehand.

Marcel

387

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
Question on blast isometrics…

So I’m planning my next shoulder/tri/chest specialization phase, with the goal being to bring my push press max up for competition (strongman). I start slowing down around nose level and fail right above my forehead, so I was thinking about doing some iso holds (pushing against pins) after my DE Military Press for assistance.

After seeing the video, I’m considering doing blast iso’s instead, as it seems like that would better stimulate the CNS without destroying it for my max effort day. You used them mostly as an activation exercise, but would it make sense to do 3-4 sets of 3 at different heights (nose to forehead) right after some speed reps?

Also, I’ve based a lot of my training around what you write here and in your books, but I was wondering with the way all your views on training have changed and advanced, will you be writing another book at some point?

I might, right now I have a lot on my plate, but never say never.

As for your vertical pressing work you could do:

DAY 1 HEAVY ACTIVATION

A. Top half shoulder press from pins (from just above the top of your head)

  • Ramp up to one maximal set of 3 reps (ramping means that you always use the same number of reps but gradually increase the weight ntil you reach your max for that number of reps)

B. Standing military press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

C. Push press
Sets of 3 reps… start with 20lbs less than you ended up on the military and ramp up to the max you can do for 3 reps

DAY 2 DYNAMIC ACTIVATON

A. Military press blast iso (from shin to eye level)
Sets of 3 reps starting with 60% of your max, work up to the max weight that you can SLAM and HOLD for 1-2 seconds on the pins

B. Military press 75-80% of your max for sets of 2 explosive reps. Rest for around 30 seconds and stop the sets when you lose speed

C. High incline bench press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

DAY 3 CONTRAST ACTIVATION

A1. Miitary press twitch reps (high speed partial reps from mouth level to eyes level)
Sets of 5-9 seconds, ramp up the weight until you stop to lose speed

A2. Push press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps

B1. Blast iso military press
same as Day 2

B2. Military press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps[/quote]

For the day 1 partial press from pins would you suggest using something like a 2 second pause to eliminate any bounce, while pulling down on the pins?

388

[quote]mstorm wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
Question on blast isometrics…

So I’m planning my next shoulder/tri/chest specialization phase, with the goal being to bring my push press max up for competition (strongman). I start slowing down around nose level and fail right above my forehead, so I was thinking about doing some iso holds (pushing against pins) after my DE Military Press for assistance.

After seeing the video, I’m considering doing blast iso’s instead, as it seems like that would better stimulate the CNS without destroying it for my max effort day. You used them mostly as an activation exercise, but would it make sense to do 3-4 sets of 3 at different heights (nose to forehead) right after some speed reps?

Also, I’ve based a lot of my training around what you write here and in your books, but I was wondering with the way all your views on training have changed and advanced, will you be writing another book at some point?

I might, right now I have a lot on my plate, but never say never.

As for your vertical pressing work you could do:

DAY 1 HEAVY ACTIVATION

A. Top half shoulder press from pins (from just above the top of your head)

  • Ramp up to one maximal set of 3 reps (ramping means that you always use the same number of reps but gradually increase the weight ntil you reach your max for that number of reps)

B. Standing military press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

C. Push press
Sets of 3 reps… start with 20lbs less than you ended up on the military and ramp up to the max you can do for 3 reps

DAY 2 DYNAMIC ACTIVATON

A. Military press blast iso (from shin to eye level)
Sets of 3 reps starting with 60% of your max, work up to the max weight that you can SLAM and HOLD for 1-2 seconds on the pins

B. Military press 75-80% of your max for sets of 2 explosive reps. Rest for around 30 seconds and stop the sets when you lose speed

C. High incline bench press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

DAY 3 CONTRAST ACTIVATION

A1. Miitary press twitch reps (high speed partial reps from mouth level to eyes level)
Sets of 5-9 seconds, ramp up the weight until you stop to lose speed

A2. Push press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps

B1. Blast iso military press
same as Day 2

B2. Military press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps

For the day 1 partial press from pins would you suggest using something like a 2 second pause to eliminate any bounce, while pulling down on the pins?[/quote]

Yes, you start every rep from a dead start from the pins.

389

Coach,

if following your ramping method, is 5 different exercises on one day too much?

I.e. A day- biceps, forearms, calves, hams, quads

b day- chest, shoulders, triceps, back width, back thickness.

3 times a week, rotate a and b days and one exercise for each.

i am thinking this may be too much for the nervous system to handle if ramping for each.

i am thinking of trying this split and just wanted to know what you think

monday - Chest/ back ( 2 exercises for each)
tuesday- Legs/abs ( 2 ex. for each, with quad emphasis
wednesday- off
thursday- Triceps/ Biceps ( 2 ex. for each) - on this should i do 3 exercises since they are smaller?
friday- legs/abs ( 2 ex for each with hamstring and glute emphasis)

i was also thinking of rotating the exercise each week, so week 1 i would do front squat for quads, then week 2 i would leg press, week 3 back to front squat etc.

any pointers would be much appreciated. should i add more exercises to particular body parts? different split combination?

thanks again.

390

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
mstorm wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
Question on blast isometrics…

So I’m planning my next shoulder/tri/chest specialization phase, with the goal being to bring my push press max up for competition (strongman). I start slowing down around nose level and fail right above my forehead, so I was thinking about doing some iso holds (pushing against pins) after my DE Military Press for assistance.

After seeing the video, I’m considering doing blast iso’s instead, as it seems like that would better stimulate the CNS without destroying it for my max effort day. You used them mostly as an activation exercise, but would it make sense to do 3-4 sets of 3 at different heights (nose to forehead) right after some speed reps?

Also, I’ve based a lot of my training around what you write here and in your books, but I was wondering with the way all your views on training have changed and advanced, will you be writing another book at some point?

I might, right now I have a lot on my plate, but never say never.

As for your vertical pressing work you could do:

DAY 1 HEAVY ACTIVATION

A. Top half shoulder press from pins (from just above the top of your head)

  • Ramp up to one maximal set of 3 reps (ramping means that you always use the same number of reps but gradually increase the weight ntil you reach your max for that number of reps)

B. Standing military press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

C. Push press
Sets of 3 reps… start with 20lbs less than you ended up on the military and ramp up to the max you can do for 3 reps

DAY 2 DYNAMIC ACTIVATON

A. Military press blast iso (from shin to eye level)
Sets of 3 reps starting with 60% of your max, work up to the max weight that you can SLAM and HOLD for 1-2 seconds on the pins

B. Military press 75-80% of your max for sets of 2 explosive reps. Rest for around 30 seconds and stop the sets when you lose speed

C. High incline bench press
Sets of 3 reps starting at 70%, ramp up to the max you can lift for 3 reps

DAY 3 CONTRAST ACTIVATION

A1. Miitary press twitch reps (high speed partial reps from mouth level to eyes level)
Sets of 5-9 seconds, ramp up the weight until you stop to lose speed

A2. Push press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps

B1. Blast iso military press
same as Day 2

B2. Military press
Sets of 3 reps, start at 70% of your max and ramp up until you reach your max for 3 reps

For the day 1 partial press from pins would you suggest using something like a 2 second pause to eliminate any bounce, while pulling down on the pins?

Yes, you start every rep from a dead start from the pins.[/quote]

Could you explain a bit more about this program ?

  1. Is it it supposed to be done within 1 week ? (Mon-Wed-Fri or similar)

  2. Why potential 87-92% (3RM of the day can’t be less than 85% in the worst case scenario) sets on each day, with 2 of the days having 2 exercises this way ? According to what you have said to me earlier it’s too much for the CNS.

Forgive me if asked something similar before (you didn’t answer and you hate those that repeat) But I really like your solutions, I’m just trying to understand it all, and try a similar approach. So far, I’m totally confused about this!

391

Christian. I’m coming off of a layoff, my first substantial one in 11 years of training. At the moment I’m feeling a little beat up. In addition to the the supplement/nutrition protocol you currently recommend, I’m wondering if you still advocate the use of epsom salt baths, contrast showers & cryotherapy for recovery.

Anything new under the sun? Thanks.

392

[quote]NumbInfinity wrote:

For that I came up with:
1.
Meal Plan for every Meal (Just solid foods, no shakes (PWO-Shake). Mostly Protein and Fat; Carbs in the morning and PWO in the PWO Shake) [/quote]

Two bad things right off the bat.

a) read my peri-workout thread about when to ingest carbs around your workouts. Contrary to tradition and popular beliefs ingesting carbs post-workout is only about 30% as effective as ingesting them PRE workout. The main reason is that the catecholamines released during your training session prevent insulin release. So basically if your carbs are high post-workout you do not get the main benefits of the carbs which should be the insulin spike

b) I think that although you should follow a dietary program, it should be general and allow for some leeway. Know what type of food you need to eat but adjust your intake depending on what your body requires.

[quote]NumbInfinity wrote:
I have a few Questions:
1.
What whould you add to a before/after sheet?
I got like: Strength measure, Caliper Measure (done by a biosig coach),weight, BF, size measurements [/quote]

IDEALLY blood tests, hormonal panel, cholesterol, lipid profile, blood pressure, etc.

I learned first hand that while being big is cool, gaining a lot of size fast can sometimes lead to health problems. It happened to me when I went from 215 to 242 with the I, BODYBUILDER project. I actually had to force myself to go back down to 215 because of health reasons. Now I was smarter about it and have reached 230 and still feel very good. Be smart about it, it’s one thing to be big, but your body needs to be able to support that added mass.

[quote]NumbInfinity wrote:
2.
What supplements do you recommend? (Good thing is i can easily get anything from Poliquins stuff.) [/quote]

First thing is the peri-workout protocol. Get that straight and that’s more than half the battle.

At least, get:

Surge Workout Fuel
2 scoops 45 minutes prior to the workout

Surge Recovery
2 scoops 15 minutes prior to the workout

Anaconda (when it’s out)
2 scoops during the workout

MAG-10 Protein (when it’s out) or whey in the meantime
1-2 scoops post-workout

Then go with around 15g of fish oil and 6g of essential fatty acids (mostly GLA)

Alpha-GPC 1200mg 90 minutes prior to your workout.

[quote]NumbInfinity wrote:
Question to creatine/BA: I never used Creatine or Beta Alanine before. I’m thinking about trying these 2 supps.
What about the Weight gain from creatine? Should I wait until after the 9 weeks and do another project.
Or should I use it, so I can train at my fullest?[/quote]

Might as well use it right now and make the most out of this experience.

10g 45 minutes pre-workout
10g post-workout

On your off days have 10g with breakfast.

[quote]NumbInfinity wrote:
Im already taking BCAAs since 1 week ago. Any thoughts about it? [/quote]

Good product, but you need at least 20g 30 minutes pre-workout to make it work and the more the better.

393

CT: posted this over the weekend. Looking for some help if you have a spare minute:

Hoping for some input on Jekyll and Hyde program.

Long story short: Used to weigh 360lbs. Got down to 185 lb. Happened pretty quick about 10 years ago. Decided to add some lean mass about 18 months ago. Using this forum and Berardis forum, added about 30lb lean mass.

Had surgery six weeks ago. Got rid of a bunch of loose skin on stomach and chest. Per Drs. orders, not able to workout for 8 weeks. I am down to 2 weeks to go.

I want to take body to next level and leave all signs behind of fat.

First read of J&H program, I am thinking of starting with a leaning out phase.

Questions:

Good idea?
Get Jacked work better?
Which phase to start on?
Since I am coming off a long rest period (have about 2 years experience), should I start with something else?
Since trying to lean out and firm up for max definition, do half of the current recommended protocol? (-45 fini, -30 1 scoop Surge Workout Fuel, Spike, Alpha-GPC, -15 1 scoop Surge Recovery, during 1 scoop SR+CH).

Any response appreciated.

394

What exercises would you reccomend for a Horiztonal push and pull day? Any certain number of reps/sets, or anything advice I should know before? Going to do this in about an hour…

395

Coach, what is your view on 20 rep breathing squats for leg strength and hypertrophy?

It seems to contrary to what you are advocating. I have done 20 rep breathing squats quite often in the past and noticed that after a period of multiple sets with higher weight (eg 5x5) my 20 rep breathing squat had suffered. This might be more linked to the conditioning effect you get from a 20 rep set than a loss of strength I guess ??? Would like to have your take and learn something in the process. Thanks a lot!

396

With all of this talk about “ramping,” let me ask, what did people do before? I never heard of “ramping” but I’ve been doing it all along. I don’t get what alternative there is. You start off small and then go to heavier weights. The only difference I see is accelerating the weight, but that seems like a different subject.

Thank you.

397

Hey CT!

If I’m weight training twice a week for strength, is it better to do two full-body sessions or split it into an upper and lower day? I’ll do all lifts explosively! I’m trying to get a handle on the ramping technique too.

During the course of the week I also train in MMA (feels like a total body workout) & Track (sprinting). It’s possible to add another weight training session (making 3x week) but I’d like to avoid it IF I can. Any advice?

(And if anyone knows a good program for this I’d appreciate the input)

Thanks in advance!

398

[quote]Loui.s wrote:
With all of this talk about “ramping,” let me ask, what did people do before? I never heard of “ramping” but I’ve been doing it all along. I don’t get what alternative there is. You start off small and then go to heavier weights. The only difference I see is accelerating the weight, but that seems like a different subject.

Thank you. [/quote]

I honestly have been ramping all of my training life, did it instinctively and all the powerlifters, Olympic lifters, and athletes that I trained with did it this way. I never mentioned it before because I too, thought that everybody was training this way. Turns out that a lot of people screwed up my program by doing all the sets all-out instead of ramping.

399

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
kaoticz wrote:
Hey coach,
ive got a couple of questions,
firstly, if i go to the gym and am feeling weak ( e.g a weight i can usually do 5 times i only manage twice)
Should i call it a day or lower the weight or use more volume, what should my approach be?
It really gets me down when a weight i lifted last week for like 5-6 reps feels 10lb heavier and i can barely move it twice…

Secondly, im weak and small you could say, but my chest is REALLY lagging… If i was to compare myself to people from my school, my arms/legs/shoulders/back are average or above of people who workout, but my chest is about as big or SMALLER than people who have NEVER touched a weight before.

How can i fix this… i know this sounds stupid me asking at such a small size, and most people would just say GO BUILD SOME MUSCLE then talk about lagging bodyparts… but id really like to hear your opinion on this

Thanks alot!

I can give you zero advice in this regard if you don’t give me at least a general idea of how you train.

[/quote]
right, sorry about that

I train 3 times a week fairly low volume,
Got basicly 2 workouts, call them A and B
A)
Chest/triceps/shoulders
Bench - using your ramp technique, ramp upto a top weight (5-8reps)
Db bench 3x10-12
Db shoulder press 3x8-10 (most of the time i skip this or go light because im too tired to press anything after bench and db bench.
Db lateral raises 3x10-15 (try more reps every time)
Tricep cable pushdowns 3x10-15

B) back/biceps/legs
Squat- ramp to a top set (5-8 rep set)
P-chain assistance 3x10
Cable rows - ramp top set of 5-8
Lat pulldown/pullups- with latpulldown i ramp to a top weight, pullups i just do 3x max reps
Barbell or DB curl 3x8-12

And i alternate the workouts like
monday- A
Tues-rest
wed-b
thurs- rest
friday- A
sat/sunday rest

monday- B
tues-rest
wed-A
thursday-rest
friday-B
sat/sunday rest

Repeat this “cycle” again, starting from A on monday, im sure theres a name for this type of training style but i dont know it so i had to type it all out sorry.

On my main exercises (bench, rows etc) i try to increase weight or reps every workout so there is some progression. It usually works but some workouts i just feel weak, and then it goes all downhill and back to square one.

Thanks!

400

Somewhere earlier in this thread you posted ways to activate your nervous system, and one of them was twitch reps. What exactly are they, video?

401

If your genetically gifted with good abs do you feel there is a real need to work them in the off-season other than the indirect activation they get from things such as squats and deads…