seeing as everyones talking about twitch reps, i gave them a go in my last gym sesh…i did them more as a main exercise than an activation tool, and my joints are pretty sore(more than usual after trying a new type of exercise) …just curious if they are too strenuous to be used all the time ie too hard on the tendons etc…or im just soft.
Im going to keep trying them for a few weeks anyway cos im sure they must produce more force than normal exercises… but just seeing what your thoughts are, and how to use them as a main exercise rather than just “activation”.
Performed from a position that is a few inches away from the start of the concentric phase
Extremely fast, both concentrically and eccentrically. During the eccentric you actually try to return the bar to the starting position as fast as humanly possible
Have a lightning fast turnaround speed. Meaning that the switch from eccentric to concentric and then from the end of the concentric to eccentric is sharp and rapid
So with barbell rows the twitch would be performed from around the end of the first 1/3 of the pulling phase and would be 6-8 inches long. Start with around 30% of your maximum for as many twitches as possible in around 9 seconds. Shoot for a rate of around 1.5 rep per second. If you can’t get at least 1 rep per second you are too slow.
Gradually increase the weight until you can’t be fast enough. At that point stop the twitches and move on to full reps.
seeing as everyones talking about twitch reps, i gave them a go in my last gym sesh…i did them more as a main exercise than an activation tool, and my joints are pretty sore(more than usual after trying a new type of exercise) …just curious if they are too strenuous to be used all the time ie too hard on the tendons etc…or im just soft.
Im going to keep trying them for a few weeks anyway cos im sure they must produce more force than normal exercises… but just seeing what your thoughts are, and how to use them as a main exercise rather than just “activation”.
cheers,
Matt[/quote]
Twitches put a tremendous stress on the muscles because the amount of force put on the muscles in the stretch position is immense. The reason is that the super fast eccentric phase followed by a sharp turnaround to the concentric action creates a whipping effect on the muscle. This is one of the reason why twitches are so powerful.
You can use them often, but don’t overdo them in any one session. For example I had a very good chest session in which I used a lot of twitched with added bands. That was LAST sunday and I’m still sore… and I rarely get sore.
Performed from a position that is a few inches away from the start of the concentric phase
Extremely fast, both concentrically and eccentrically. During the eccentric you actually try to return the bar to the starting position as fast as humanly possible
Have a lightning fast turnaround speed. Meaning that the switch from eccentric to concentric and then from the end of the concentric to eccentric is sharp and rapid
So with barbell rows the twitch would be performed from around the end of the first 1/3 of the pulling phase and would be 6-8 inches long. Start with around 30% of your maximum for as many twitches as possible in around 9 seconds. Shoot for a rate of around 1.5 rep per second. If you can’t get at least 1 rep per second you are too slow.
Gradually increase the weight until you can’t be fast enough. At that point stop the twitches and move on to full reps.[/quote]
Funny thing is that I used something similar with just the bar to warm-up before I knew about twitch reps.
You say start with 30%, which is not a lot more than empty bar for me (if we’re talking about strict rows) and I think I can accelerate enough only like 35-45 kg total. Would this even be effective at that weight ?
Also you say move to full reps. That means that you first do all twitch sets, then all full sets ? This is good for me because the crowded gym rarely allows to alternate!
I have a question regarding a template we can use for powerlifting, I understand if you can’t give anything specific…here’s what I’ve been considering:
I’ve tried to adapt the overhead pressing specialization routine you outlined earlier in this thread to the bench, squat, and deadlift but I’m having a hard time. Any help you can give me would be really appreciated.
Thanks,
tyler
You can’t use the overhead pressing template if you are specializing on 3 lifts, the volume would be much much too important during a session.
Well, you can IF you see squats and deadlifts as ONE lift, since they basically target the same muscle groups.
For example:
DAYS 1, 3, 5 = bench spec
DAY 2 = squat maintenance
DAY 4 or 6 = deadlift maintenance
OR
DAYS 1, 3, 5 = squat and deadlift spec (focus only on one per workout)
DAYS 2 and 4 (or 6) = bench maintance
That’s very helpful, thank you. How would you adapt the overhead pressing template to the bench, for example?
I find your ‘autoregulation’ fascinating. Is there any reading material you could recommend on this subject?
You have mentioned that you stick within the rep range 1-5. although the autoregulation effectively takes care of how many sets you do on a given day. Would the proposed amount of sets on an excercise increase as the reps get lower i.e closer to 1-2 reps. If so, could you give a brief explanation of this.
[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
mstorm wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
mstorm wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
Question on blast isometrics…
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.
When you’re done with it, if you wouldn’t mind drop me a PM and let me know how it went
. I’ve got legs next, so I won’t be starting shoulder spec for another 3 weeks, but I’d be interested to see what you got out of it and what you learned.
[/quote]
Sure I will try and remember to do that. It’ll be more than 3 weeks from now, though. I’m going on vacation and will have to pick up where I left off in late October…
Twitches put a tremendous stress on the muscles because the amount of force put on the muscles in the stretch position is immense. The reason is that the super fast eccentric phase followed by a sharp turnaround to the concentric action creates a whipping effect on the muscle. This is one of the reason why twitches are so powerful.
You can use them often, but don’t overdo them in any one session. For example I had a very good chest session in which I used a lot of twitched with added bands. That was LAST sunday and I’m still sore… and I rarely get sore.[/quote]
Would you advocate doing a 100 rep set at the of the workout to facilitate recovery from this as you did in the HSS-100 articles? Would that be overkill?
Performed from a position that is a few inches away from the start of the concentric phase
Extremely fast, both concentrically and eccentrically. During the eccentric you actually try to return the bar to the starting position as fast as humanly possible
Have a lightning fast turnaround speed. Meaning that the switch from eccentric to concentric and then from the end of the concentric to eccentric is sharp and rapid
So with barbell rows the twitch would be performed from around the end of the first 1/3 of the pulling phase and would be 6-8 inches long. Start with around 30% of your maximum for as many twitches as possible in around 9 seconds. Shoot for a rate of around 1.5 rep per second. If you can’t get at least 1 rep per second you are too slow.
Gradually increase the weight until you can’t be fast enough. At that point stop the twitches and move on to full reps.[/quote]
Coach,
Thank you for your insightful and detailed response.
I have recently applied the entire system (activation, warm up, ramp sets, blowout set) to a traditional 5x5 scheme (M,W,F Squat, Bench, Row) with modifications in the 3, 5, 7 rep ranges, with exceptional results.
I cant wait to see the culmination of your work work in its entirety with the release of I, Bodybuilder.
If you happened to read the “Dispelling The Glute Myth” article that was published on here a short time ago, I’d b e interested in hearing your general take on it.
And if you like any or all of it, I’d also be interested in hearing which particular movements you have or might be giving a try with your clients and in your own training, as well as details such as where you’d place these movements in sessions, etc.
You’ve mentioned “active” negatives/co-contraction as something that can be of significant benefit when used properly. How does this fit relative to methods that overload the negative/ where you are attempting to resist the weight as it is lowered?
If “speeding” the weight down can actually lead to increased recruitment, would using methods that were accentuating the negative/overloading it/requiring you to control a load greater than you could lift concentrically hurt what you were trying t accomplish when using active negatives? Or can both methods be used in programs if placed correctly?
Hopefully I have articulated this well enough for you to see what I am driving at, but if I butchered it, then I apologize in advance!
A question was asked which had V02 mentioned in the first sentence. You replied telling them that you stopped reading after you read V02. I assume it’s because you don’t consider V02 to be relevant when training your athletes?
Could you briefly explain why?
My Sports Science lecturers tell me how important V02 considerations are when training, along with why no-one should take protein shakes!
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
toots27mkc wrote:
I don’t usually like to drink SURGE Recovery right before a workout, I like it after. I prefer to drink a fruit and hempseed smoothie about 60-90 minutes before with my A-GPC. The simple EFA’s in the hempseeds and the carbs in the fruit seem to provide nicer energy than the Recovery. I drink SURGE Workout Fuel during my workouts. I just think that the fats and protein in the smoothie would reduce the insulin spike from the fruit. Either way, this seems to be working well. I just want to improve it.
What does an insulin spike feel like anyways?
Does SURGE Workout Fuel deliver a major insulin spike?
What do you think of hempseeds? Check out this link http://nutiva.com/...ts/7_chart.php. I’ve been eating them for a long time and they seem to be extremely healthy.
just to clarify my current peri-workout nutrition:
-75 min- smoothie 1/2 cup hempseed with about 300 calories of fruit(seems heavy at 700+ cal but feels light)
-75 min- Alpha GPC
-10 min thru end of workout- 3 scoops SURGE Workout Fuel
end of workout to 30 minutes after- 37g protein from SURGE Recovery
Not a good overall approach. Better than nothing but certainly far from optimal.
Some problems:
Fat will reduce insulin spike pre-workout
Lack of protein in the blood stream during the workout (you have to use protein pre and during for best results)
Bad timing of SURGE recovery. Post-workout you can only produce around 30% of the insulin you normally would when consuming carbs because the catecholamines released during training will drastically reduce the insulinemic response.
Your mix might give you better energy, but the anabolic response will be DRASTICALLYA inferior.[/quote]
Hey Coach -
Currently experimenting with your prescribed protocol - loving Surge Workout Fuel. Can you shed some light on why the 18g of fat in 2 FINiBARs doesn’t screw up the insulin response?
thx
(1) What are your thoughts on dumbbell powercleans and dumbbell snatches from a safety concern; considering that some people believe that they are fine and others believe that they are too dangerous for the shoulders)?
(2) Which metabolic pairings would be the most effective when only using dumbbells?
seeing as everyones talking about twitch reps, i gave them a go in my last gym sesh…i did them more as a main exercise than an activation tool, and my joints are pretty sore(more than usual after trying a new type of exercise) …just curious if they are too strenuous to be used all the time ie too hard on the tendons etc…or im just soft.
Im going to keep trying them for a few weeks anyway cos im sure they must produce more force than normal exercises… but just seeing what your thoughts are, and how to use them as a main exercise rather than just “activation”.
cheers,
Matt
Twitches put a tremendous stress on the muscles because the amount of force put on the muscles in the stretch position is immense. The reason is that the super fast eccentric phase followed by a sharp turnaround to the concentric action creates a whipping effect on the muscle. This is one of the reason why twitches are so powerful.
You can use them often, but don’t overdo them in any one session. For example I had a very good chest session in which I used a lot of twitched with added bands. That was LAST sunday and I’m still sore… and I rarely get sore.[/quote]
Thibs, at what position should the twitches be performed for chest/ bench press? And should they be performed in both the low and top position? Thanks
When in a carb-restricted state, is it recommended to hit a muscle twice more than once a week (with lower volume and higher weight) or just once a week (with more volume and the utilization of more angles and exercises) or some sort of middle ground?
I dont have a question coach but I would like to thank you for your recent muscle twitch video and article. It has given me noticable gains very noticably with dips. I appreciate it mate.
[quote]Italiano wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
krsoneeeee wrote:
CT
seeing as everyones talking about twitch reps, i gave them a go in my last gym sesh…i did them more as a main exercise than an activation tool, and my joints are pretty sore(more than usual after trying a new type of exercise) …just curious if they are too strenuous to be used all the time ie too hard on the tendons etc…or im just soft.
Im going to keep trying them for a few weeks anyway cos im sure they must produce more force than normal exercises… but just seeing what your thoughts are, and how to use them as a main exercise rather than just “activation”.
cheers,
Matt
Twitches put a tremendous stress on the muscles because the amount of force put on the muscles in the stretch position is immense. The reason is that the super fast eccentric phase followed by a sharp turnaround to the concentric action creates a whipping effect on the muscle. This is one of the reason why twitches are so powerful.
You can use them often, but don’t overdo them in any one session. For example I had a very good chest session in which I used a lot of twitched with added bands. That was LAST sunday and I’m still sore… and I rarely get sore.
Thibs, at what position should the twitches be performed for chest/ bench press? And should they be performed in both the low and top position? Thanks[/quote]
Starting about 4" from the chest, pressing around 6 inches.
Don’t perform them in the top position, I found that to be ineffective.