New Training Questions

Training
442

Ok, first post ever, here’s hoping you have the time to answer.

I’ve been reading your work very heavily for the last few months, and the more I apply the better results I’m getting. However, it seems that a lot of your new stuff seems to go against a lot of your older work.

Do you no longer think its best to practice “continuous tension” and “peak contraction” like in the Black Book of Training secrets? And what about going to failure? It seems like now you advocate stopping a set once the rep speed slows down significantly and i seem to remember you believing that going to failure wasn’t necessary but optimal in the past.

Any chance you intend to write a new book to describe the evolution of your ideas or will I, Bodybuilder answer enough questions about your new training ideas?

443

I’m glad you had the cajones to ask b/c I had been toying with that thought haha
CT, let us know.
You might need a few lines though!

444

If you do decide to do consultations I’d suggest offering both phone and email consultations. For me personally email would probably be better seeing as I’d like to formulate my thoughts and questions over the course of a few days rather than just having half an hour with you on the phone. I know right after we hung up I’d probably think of something else I wanted to ask you.

Just a thought CT. I know you have a lot on your plate but it’s definitely something to think about.

445

Hey CT,

What do you think about direct grip training in conjunction with using fat grips (for everything except back and trap training) for say 6 sets a week? Or would that tax my grip beyond recovery? Just a thought…

446

Dear Christian,

I hope you can offer a little bit of your time to answering these questions.

How do you suggest using “Nervous system activation” exercises in a full body workout?
If for example:
A1 Deadlift
A2 Acro Bench FG
Do you suggest using Balistic Pushups and DB-Swings as primers for the CNS?

Or whould it be “too much” to use primers in a full body session?

Why do you recommend using BCAAS (Caps) before training instead of while training?

How do you suggest using Beta Alanine? 3 times a day to meals?

What do you think about the undulating periodization (i.e. MO:5RM MI:12RM FR:8RM) for hypertrophy?
Should someone ramp with these protocol or just do maybe 3x4-6?

If I try twitch reps and am “slow” from the beginning.
Is the weight to much or is it just that I have to get in the groove with that?

Thank you very much.
Greetings

447

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
timmcbride00 wrote:
Coach,
I am hoping to grow my yoke (and some guns on the side).
I used two previous specs that you mentioned, back/bicep & deadlift, and combined them to create a trap/bicep spec phase while increasing my deadlift.

DAY 1 �¢?? Top End Deadlift, brachialis
DAY 2 - Chest
DAY 3 �¢?? Low End Deadlift, biceps volume
DAY 4 - Shoulder, Tricep
DAY 5 �¢?? Non-Deadlift Back Work (1 horizontal, 1 vertical, facepulls), biceps heavy

I didn’t include any direct quad work. The low end deadlift day seemed to hit quads pretty good with trap bar deadlift on platform and snatch grip deadlift.

Thoughts?

The split itself seems fine. Can you give me an idea of what your workout looks like.[/quote]

While you’re in the mood of commenting programs, possibly you could comment mine as well (which is short and won’t take much comments probably) :slight_smile:
Of course I’d understand if you don’t do it, because you have done it for me 3 times already!

Monday

A. Pin Press ramp to 2-3 cluster reps
B. Bench Press ramp to 2-4
C. 1-ARM Dumbell Row from floor (dead start) ramp to 2-3 (discovered this myself by following your philosophies, it hit my back so hard that I felt sore in the deep spinal muscles that I never felt existed before)
D. Cable Row ramp to 3-5

Wednesday

A. Power Clean ramp to 1-2
B. Deadlift variation ramp to 2-3 (more load, shorter ROM, 5-10 second reset between reps)
C. Deadlift variation ramp to 3-5 (less load, longer ROM without reset from the ground)
D. Bench Press: sets of 1 (85%) or 2 (80%) with 30 second rest until explosiveness is lost

(possibly squats instead of deadlifts, depending on how my scoliotic spine feels)

Friday

A. Bench Press ramp to 2-4
B. Pull-ups ramp to 2-4
C. Incline DB Press/ Shoulder press ramp to 3-5
D. Any Row ramp to 3-5

OPTIONAL AT EVERY WORKOUT : power snatch/clean practice with low load (70-75%) for many sets of 1-3 reps (10-20 mins). I just want to practice the technique at every workout, and I guess these would not lead to any CNS overstress regardless of what I’m about to do or have done at the rest of the workout.

448

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
3. Go with DB split squats, well actually I would recommend DB bulgarian split squats. They are a better quads exercise and you want to unload the spine on one exercise to avoid excessive CNS stress (when a barbell compresses the spine the CNS stress is always greater).[/quote]
Do you use only dumbells for Bulgarian Split Squats?

If yes, what are the reasons? (more stable = greater power prodution?)

Is there a difference when holding the barbell in a clean grip or high bar position while doing BSS? (like in the front and back squat)

449

[quote]Jbrew wrote:
Hey CT,

What do you think about direct grip training in conjunction with using fat grips (for everything except back and trap training) for say 6 sets a week? Or would that tax my grip beyond recovery? Just a thought…[/quote]

The grip is one thing that can be trained on a daily basis without any problem. You’ll be fine.

450

[quote]Fathermithras wrote:
Ok, first post ever, here’s hoping you have the time to answer.

I’ve been reading your work very heavily for the last few months, and the more I apply the better results I’m getting. However, it seems that a lot of your new stuff seems to go against a lot of your older work.

Do you no longer think its best to practice “continuous tension” and “peak contraction” like in the Black Book of Training secrets? And what about going to failure? It seems like now you advocate stopping a set once the rep speed slows down significantly and i seem to remember you believing that going to failure wasn’t necessary but optimal in the past.

Any chance you intend to write a new book to describe the evolution of your ideas or will I, Bodybuilder answer enough questions about your new training ideas?[/quote]

I recommend going up to the maximum weight you can do for a prescribed number of reps. Sometimes you will reach failure, sometimes you wont, but don’t shoot for it.

I still use peak contraction from time to time, but not that often.

451

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
timmcbride00 wrote:
Coach,
I am hoping to grow my yoke (and some guns on the side).
I used two previous specs that you mentioned, back/bicep & deadlift, and combined them to create a trap/bicep spec phase while increasing my deadlift.

DAY 1 �??�??�??�??�?�¢?? Top End Deadlift, brachialis
DAY 2 - Chest
DAY 3 �??�??�??�??�?�¢?? Low End Deadlift, biceps volume
DAY 4 - Shoulder, Tricep
DAY 5 �??�??�??�??�?�¢?? Non-Deadlift Back Work (1 horizontal, 1 vertical, facepulls), biceps heavy

I didn’t include any direct quad work. The low end deadlift day seemed to hit quads pretty good with trap bar deadlift on platform and snatch grip deadlift.

Thoughts?

The split itself seems fine. Can you give me an idea of what your workout looks like.[/quote]

DAY 1 Top end Deadlift - brachialis

A1. Partial deadlifts in the power rack (pin pulls), start the bar just above the knees and after 3 weeks lower the starting position
Work up to a 3RM then work up to a 1RM
A2. Power clean from high hang (mid-thigh)
3-5 reps

B1. Functional isometric top half deadlift (from just above the knees)
4 x 9 seconds
B2. Power clean from high hang
4 x 1-3 reps

C1. Depth jumps
3 x 10
C2. Leg extension
3 x 6-8
C3. Hammer Curl
3x6-8

Day 2 Chest

A. Bench press from pins (about 5 inches above chest)
Sets of 3 reps, start 60% and ramp
Finish with 85% of max set, AMRAP

B. Close Grip Bench Press
Sets of 3 reps, start 70% and ramp
Finish with 85% of max set, AMRAP

C. Ab Wheel rollouts

DAY 3 Low End Deadlift - biceps volume

A1. Trap bar deadlift standing on a platform
Work up to a 5RM
A2. Power clean from rack (1’’ above knees)
5 reps

B1. Snatch-grip deadlift
Work up to a 3RM
B2. Power clean from rack
3 reps

C1. Eccentric-only deadlift
Work up to the heaviest weight I can lower to the ground under control
C2. Power clean from rack
1 rep

D1. Goodmorning
Work up to 5rm
D2. Preacher Curl; may not work as an exact superset, I will likely do more preacher curl sets than good mornings.
Work up to 5rm (I will likely make small jumps while ramping, to get the volume up)
I may throw in an 85% of max set, AMRAP to get volume up.

Day 4 Delts/Triceps

A1. Military press twitch reps
Sets of 5-9 seconds, ramp up the weight until I lose speed
A2. Push press
Sets of 3 reps, start 60% and ramp

B. Lying Extensions Blast Iso contrasted with Lying Extension (deloaded)
Sets of 3 reps, start 70% and ramp
Finish with 85% of max set, AMRAP

**I am leaving the possibility open to do some Bulgarian Split Squats for a few sets with bodyweight if my legs need it.

DAY 5 Non-Deadlift Back - biceps heavy

A1. Bent Row twitch reps
A2. Pendlay Row
Sets of 3 reps, start 70% and ramp

B1. Reverse Grip Row twitch reps
B2. Chin-up
Sets of 3 reps, start 70% and ramp

C1. Face Pulls; Sets of 6-8 reps
C2. Barbell Curl; Sets of 3 reps, ramp up to max for 3 reps

I cobbled this together from several of your previous posts to others.

I list specific reps on most exercises, but I will change them as needed depending on how I feel that day, (i.e. 1,3, or 5 reps). If I go with the single rep, I may try implementing the TMax concept that you mention Dave Tate using.

I may use different activation techniques as well. I just wanted to give you the basic template I plan on following. I am going to run this for 6 weeks and see what happens to my yoke. Rest days will vary depending on schedule.

Coach,
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it.

452

Hi CT,
I noticed that you never specify the rest time between sets when you say that you start with 60% of your 1 RM with a prescribed number of reps and that you end when you’ve reached the maximal weight you can handle with that particular number of reps. Is it a 1 to 2 min rest time between sets or it is average when you feel you’re ready for the next set ?

Thanks!

453

[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.

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!

[/quote]

I’m not CT, but this is how I plan to set this up when I do it:

Day 1 Heavy Activation OH Press
Day 2 Deadlift/Upper Back work
Day 3 Dynamic Activation OH Press
Day 4 Front Squat/Calves/Abs
Day 5 Contrast Activation OH Press

Obviously nothing spectacular on day 2 or day 4, as the point is that it’s a specialization routine.

As for question 2, it goes back to it being a spec routine. I’m not gunna fry my CNS going heavy 3x a week, even if it’s the same bodypart twice a week, unless I do too much for my other body parts. Since everything else will be reduced to maintenance (low volume 1x per week each), I shouldn’t have too much of a problem recovering. Besides that, I’m only planning on doing this for 3 weeks at a time.

My recommendation is to read Thib’s articles on specialization training and follow his Q&A more. He talks about spec training a lot. I’m starting to do it because I’m finding that as I get stronger, it becomes tougher to bring up all my lifts at once because of limited recovery, but it’s easy to bring up 1 lift at a time. Squatting, Pulling, and Pressing heavy every week led to gains here and there, but I can make significant, guaranteed gains on any one of those at a time.

454

Hey C.T., I have been trying out your Reality Mass Circuit and it is a butt kicker. My problem is that after two cycles of this, especially after push presses, I begin to get light headed and I am gassed out afterwards and cannot contine. Any thoughts? I love the program as it gives me the extra strenght and endurance I need as a construction worker who lifts things all day long. Thanks.

455

Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

A high rep set causes a lot of fatigue (which leads to a drop in performance) and doesn’t really activate the nervous system, so the end result is that performance potential drops drastically after a hard set of high(er) reps.

If high rep sets are to be performed, they should be done as the last set of an exercise with 85% of the max weight achieved during that workout.

For example.

On the bench press you might do

135lbs x 5 (feel set)
185 x 5 (feel set)
205 x 5
225 x 5
235 x 5
245 x 5
255 x 5 (grinding set, end there)

Then use 85% of that 255 (215lbs) and do as many reps as you can. That’s the end of the exercise.

Coach, Can this be done with every workout or could that lead to overtraining?

456

[quote]nycsfinest wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

A high rep set causes a lot of fatigue (which leads to a drop in performance) and doesn’t really activate the nervous system, so the end result is that performance potential drops drastically after a hard set of high(er) reps.

If high rep sets are to be performed, they should be done as the last set of an exercise with 85% of the max weight achieved during that workout.

For example.

On the bench press you might do

135lbs x 5 (feel set)
185 x 5 (feel set)
205 x 5
225 x 5
235 x 5
245 x 5
255 x 5 (grinding set, end there)

Then use 85% of that 255 (215lbs) and do as many reps as you can. That’s the end of the exercise.

Coach, Can this be done with every workout or could that lead to overtraining?[/quote]

If it’s only done for ONE set, the last set for a muscle group, then there shouldn’t be any problem. And if there is, you’ll feel it right off the bat BEFORE that 85% set (you’ll feel drained at the conclusion of the heavy sets).

457

[quote]TANIFE wrote:
Hey C.T., I have been trying out your Reality Mass Circuit and it is a butt kicker. My problem is that after two cycles of this, especially after push presses, I begin to get light headed and I am gassed out afterwards and cannot contine. Any thoughts? I love the program as it gives me the extra strenght and endurance I need as a construction worker who lifts things all day long. Thanks.
[/quote]

I would suggest increasing the rest intervals and work on your breathing technique between exercises.

458

CT, I have some lagging body parts that I wish to improve - namely, back and arms. What are your thoughts on training frequency for these? Can I hit arms 3 times per week considering they are a smaller muscle group and back 2 times? Should I implement heavy/compound movements for one training session and lighter/isolation type exercises for subsequent training sessions for the same body part later in the week? I appreciate your input.

459

Christian, which exercises would you suggest for dynamic and contrast activation for quads? The main exercise is Front Squats, I’m particullary interested in how would you suggest to perform twitch reps for those.

Thanks!

460

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
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.

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!

I’m not CT, but this is how I plan to set this up when I do it:

Day 1 Heavy Activation OH Press
Day 2 Deadlift/Upper Back work
Day 3 Dynamic Activation OH Press
Day 4 Front Squat/Calves/Abs
Day 5 Contrast Activation OH Press

Obviously nothing spectacular on day 2 or day 4, as the point is that it’s a specialization routine.

As for question 2, it goes back to it being a spec routine. I’m not gunna fry my CNS going heavy 3x a week, even if it’s the same bodypart twice a week, unless I do too much for my other body parts. Since everything else will be reduced to maintenance (low volume 1x per week each), I shouldn’t have too much of a problem recovering. Besides that, I’m only planning on doing this for 3 weeks at a time.

My recommendation is to read Thib’s articles on specialization training and follow his Q&A more. He talks about spec training a lot. I’m starting to do it because I’m finding that as I get stronger, it becomes tougher to bring up all my lifts at once because of limited recovery, but it’s easy to bring up 1 lift at a time. Squatting, Pulling, and Pressing heavy every week led to gains here and there, but I can make significant, guaranteed gains on any one of those at a time. [/quote]

For what it’s worth, I’ve been trying this shoulder press spec routine for a week and don’t feel burnt out one bit. On the non-target days, if you don’t go overkill on the other bodypart exercises you’ll feel good and energized all week.

461

CT,

I tried my first workout today using your peri-workout nutrition guidelines and also incorporated some of your techniques from the Experimental Arm Workout. Was working arms today by the way.

Here is the peri-workout protocol I followed:

W-45 2 FINiBAR
W-30 2 scoop Surge Workout Fuel
W-15 1 serving Surge Recovery +5g creatine
W Sip on 20g casein hydrolysate
W+60 12g casein hydrolysate

As for my workout:

I supersetted all my bicep/tricep movements and then finished with some forearm work.

I warmed up using blast isometrics as well as a few “feel” sets.

My workout went as follows:

Weighted Close Neutral Grip Pull Ups 6x3
Close Grip Bench Press with Pins (only did the upper portion of the half of the concentric portion of the lift) 6x3

Vertical Side of Preacher Curl stand w/barbell 6x5
Skullcrushers 6x5

Cable Pressdowns (rope attachment) 6x8
Cable Hammer Curls (rope attachment) 6x8

Focused on really making the muscle I was working generate all the force as well as accelerating the bar as fast as possible. Oddly enough even with the peri-workout nutrition protocol at the end of my workout my muscles were not as pumped as they usually are. In fact they were barely pumped up at all. I felt good throughout the workout. I was focused, had energy, and only rested abut 20-30sec between sets. When I was done it felt like I had a good workout I just found it odd that I wasn’t pumped up more.

Before reading your material I typically did higher volume for my arms with sets ranging from 10-15 reps so maybe my body just needs to adjust? Some of the activation drills I was doing felt a bit awkward so hopefully as the weeks go by I’ll get better at those.

Just curious about your thoughts on this. I know getting a pump doesn’t mean you got a good workout I just found it odd that I didn’t get much of a pump at all.