New Training Questions

Training
582

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
bwells wrote:
Hey CT,

How do you decide what your target rep number for the day is going to be when ramping? If you get stuck at a certain max weight for a set number of reps do you switch reps or change something else?

Thanks

When ramping you rarely get stuck, at least not for long, because you are giving you body exactly what it needs and is capable of doing.

That having been said, I do not always add weight at every single session… I would be bench pressing 2000lbs by now! Generally out of 10 workouts I’ll improve/add weight 5 times, will repeat a weight I already achieved 3 times and will actually turn in a worse performance twice. But the goal is long term progress.

Anyway, regarding your question, I PERSONALLY respond better to sets of 2 to 5 reps, so most of the time I’m training in that zone. The way I vary the number of reps is arbitrary. As long as you know how to perform the perfect rep (it IS much harder than all of you think. It took Mighty_Stu, ACTrain, Nate Green and his partner Kyle who are all very experienced, 4 whole days to grasp exactly what I call a perfect rep) then you will be able to stimulate growth.

could you explain what makes a perfect bench rep? or is it too complex/must be coached[/quote]

First go read my post “Why I, BODYBUILDER is not that important”… it explains some important things about the perfect rep.

583

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Loui.s wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
bwells wrote:
Hey CT,

How do you decide what your target rep number for the day is going to be when ramping? If you get stuck at a certain max weight for a set number of reps do you switch reps or change something else?

Thanks

When ramping you rarely get stuck, at least not for long, because you are giving you body exactly what it needs and is capable of doing.

That having been said, I do not always add weight at every single session… I would be bench pressing 2000lbs by now! Generally out of 10 workouts I’ll improve/add weight 5 times, will repeat a weight I already achieved 3 times and will actually turn in a worse performance twice. But the goal is long term progress.

Anyway, regarding your question, I PERSONALLY respond better to sets of 2 to 5 reps, so most of the time I’m training in that zone. The way I vary the number of reps is arbitrary. As long as you know how to perform the perfect rep (it IS much harder than all of you think. It took Mighty_Stu, ACTrain, Nate Green and his partner Kyle who are all very experienced, 4 whole days to grasp exactly what I call a perfect rep) then you will be able to stimulate growth.

I know your thoughts on heavy weight and I agree, but at some time, it seems like high reps (8-15) are needed (or can be beneficial). What are your thoughts with transitioning from high reps to low and back again? I personally feel heavy weight is better, but bodybuilders all over have been building good bodies doing high reps.

Thank you.

The number of reps is not that relevant believe it or not. A set is simply an occasion to get a lot of perfect reps (read my post “Why I, BODYBUILDER is not that important” for more on that). The issue I have with higher reps is that each ‘perfect rep’ takes it out of ya because it maximizes fast-twitch involvement, so by rep no.5 or so, if you have been doing perfect reps like I mean you to do, then there is no way to continue targeting those fast-twitch fibers optimally. It’s basically a matter of fatigue preventing the performance of the perfect rep.

Now, if a bodybuilder naturally does a lot of things right regarding how they perform a rep (and most of the big guys instinctively do a lot of things right) then even if they are doing high reps, they still get some perfect reps on each set which will stimulate growth… it’s just that they are causing much more fatigue and doing a lot more work to basically get the same effect.

Obviously that means that it will be harder to recover from that workout. Which is why genetic freaks and individual using drugs might still be able to grow optimally, because they have enhanced capacities to recover.

[/quote]

It’s funny you mention that…

A few weeks ago, I hadn’t done dead lifts in a long time. I had it in my head to DESTROY by pulling as fast as possible. I pulled and hit a 2 rep personal best (I was doing sets of 3) and I am not even consistently training with the type of hours I work. I was sore for 5 days or so. I find that it is hard to harness that power because I have to be in a rested state and I have to be not only mentally pumped, but focused.

It’s a combination of a ton of physiological and psychological factors. I only get experiences like that once in a while, but my back felt like it actually grew and my pump was great. I felt like a beast.

Another story:

Last week, I was tired of doing low reps and just felt like doing high reps (6-15) for an arm workout. I did everything really fast and just blew through the reps because of the lighter weight. My pump was really good and everything seems more solid. I can’t report “an inch of arm growth” or anything, but it definitely felt like a great training session. I am slowly learning how to get into that state. Also, after that workout, I was sore for 4 days.

584

Hey Christian!

I’m planning on doing back/biceps specializaton and would like to get some feedback on this template. I wont bother you with details as you don’t comment on the program, here is just a basic template for back/biceps only. I’ll ramp up to 3-5 RM on every exercise plus some activation exercises.

I’m curious if I’m overdoing it for both back and biceps. I’ll try autoregulate depending on how I feel, if extra exercies are needed or something should be removed if I’m not recovered for instance.

Back/Biceps Workout 1 (Thickness / Short Head Biceps Emphasize)

3 Exercises for Back Thickness
2 Exercises for Biceps

Back/Biceps Workout 2: (Lower Back + Traps / Brachioradialis + Brachilis etc)

1 Exerise for Lower Back - double ramp. (deadlift in this case)
1 Exercise for Traps - regular ramp.
2 Exercises for Brachioradialis + Brachilis (Fat grip)

Reasoning behind this is that my grip will be pretty wasted after the deadlift and I will want to finish it off)

Back/Biceps WOrkout 3: (Back Width/ Long Head Biceps Emphasize)
3 Exercises for Back Width
2 Exercises for Biceps

585

Cancel my question. Having read some of your recent posts, I think I have my answer.

Hi Coach,
I’m a beginner. I’m trying to focus on maximizing frequency to practice my lifts. I was thinking about doing the following program 3 days a week.

Power Clean
Squat
Bench
Military Press
Deadlift

I’m wondering how it would be best to use auto-regulation with this set up. A couple options come to mind.

  1. Pick one lift a day to use high volume auto-regulation–like you explained in another post and do 5x5 ramping sets on the others

  2. Use auto-regulation on all the exercises but don’t lift the same weight for two sets. Obviously, this cuts the volume in half. High volume auto-regulation on all exercises is no doubt excessive.

  3. Whatever Thibs says.

It also seemed like a good idea to switch the exercise order around from time to time.

Any of these make sense? Are they all idiotic?

Thanks Thib!

586

Christian, i got a cardio question

If my glycogen store are low and i want to do HIIT cardio should i limit my cardio to 15-20 min of HIIT cardio or intervals after my wt training session and take maybe one scoop or Surge Recovery or Surge Workout Fuel with 20g CH to prevent muscle loss and still maximize fat loss?

587

Thib,

With ramping I notice that the top end you list is the 85-90 percent range. Is this because there would be too much grinding going upwards of 95 percent and that it would also take too much out of you without any real additional benefit? I also realize that the percent numbers aren’t exact, since different days would yield different outcomes. Is the main thing to keep in mind that you never want to go up to the point where a weight is grinding?

I also wanted to ask an overarching question relating to a lot of the stuff you’ve started to discuss more and more (and will be continuing to cover). A lot of this stuff seems to make a lot of intuitive sense after you present it, but it also seems like (at least to a reader with very modest experience) that for every bit of clarity there are a whole host of new questions that could only be clarified by working closely with a top coach like you. While all of what you write about seems like second nature to you, do you feel that much of this stuff is easy for people to butcher by taking some of the information they get here but not necessarily refining it by learning all of the finer points that someone training directly under your guidance would learn?

588

Thibs,

For the Beast Building part one,

A) how much weight or range of motion should be used for the partial bench press/deadlift?

B) is it alright to do alternate between bench/squat and bench/deadlift for the isometric workouts?

C) where do you recommend to place the pins for the isometric workouts? near the sticking point of near the top range of the exercise?

thank you.

589

Hey there C-Thib,

After recently competing at my first bodybuilding competition, I’m laying down the 12 month training/nutrition/supplementation plan to prepare for 2010.

There are a few symmetry issues with my physique that need to be addressed in the lead up to next year, one of which is a lack of symmetry in the ol’ latissumus dorsi’s, namely, my left lat fails to spread with the same width as my right. From a front/rear “relaxed” position, or a front/rear lat spread, it is becoming annoyingly obvious (at least from my perspective…and I understand we’re all hyper-critical of our own physiques, but still, I reckon it’s a genuine issue).

I’ve begun your HSS-100 protocol (regularly use this program as a training meso-cycle) with my back day (Monday) using your HSS-100 Back Width day (from your Back Specialisition Program). This is also a High Carb day for me (although the High Carb nature of the “Getting Unshredded” Diet isn’t nearly as high as I’d appreciate…looking forward to jumping into some genuine Carbohydrate Cycling numbers in a couple of weeks…), considering it as a weaker muscle group it needs the extra calories to get some hypertrophy happening. In order to specialise the left lat, on my Hamstrings Day (Friday) I’ve included a unilateral left-lat only specific superset to finish the workout:

A1. Cobra Pulldowns (left arm only) 3-4x8-12
A2. Straight Arm Pulldowns (left arm only) 3-4x12

I’ve tied the left lat into the Hamstrings workout for two reasons:

  1. Hamstrings workout is another High Carb day, meaning Left Lat gets two high carb days per week.

  2. The Hamstrings workout includes movements such as Romanian Deadlifts which, at least to some degree, activate and stimulate the lats, leading to a nice warming up and/or “tie-in” effect with the upcoming left lat superset.

I’m not sure if my logic is flawed, or wether the proposed plan is in fact going to be effective, or if in fact, detrimental.

I would be keen to get your feedback, and perhaps some insight into how you would go about fixing this specific symmetrical imbalance, or even symmetry issues in general.

As I begin what will hopefully be a journey into another 5 years or so of competitive bodybuilding, developing a knowledge of strategies to fix imbalances will certainly come in handy.

Thanks in advance.

590

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
MAF14 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
bwells wrote:
Hey CT,

How do you decide what your target rep number for the day is going to be when ramping? If you get stuck at a certain max weight for a set number of reps do you switch reps or change something else?

Thanks

When ramping you rarely get stuck, at least not for long, because you are giving you body exactly what it needs and is capable of doing.

That having been said, I do not always add weight at every single session… I would be bench pressing 2000lbs by now! Generally out of 10 workouts I’ll improve/add weight 5 times, will repeat a weight I already achieved 3 times and will actually turn in a worse performance twice. But the goal is long term progress.

Anyway, regarding your question, I PERSONALLY respond better to sets of 2 to 5 reps, so most of the time I’m training in that zone. The way I vary the number of reps is arbitrary. As long as you know how to perform the perfect rep (it IS much harder than all of you think. It took Mighty_Stu, ACTrain, Nate Green and his partner Kyle who are all very experienced, 4 whole days to grasp exactly what I call a perfect rep) then you will be able to stimulate growth.

could you explain what makes a perfect bench rep? or is it too complex/must be coached

First go read my post “Why I, BODYBUILDER is not that important”… it explains some important things about the perfect rep.[/quote]

yeah, sorry. i found that, just forgot to delete my post…

591

[quote]Mondy wrote:
Thibs,

For the Beast Building part one,

A) how much weight or range of motion should be used for the partial bench press/deadlift?

B) is it alright to do alternate between bench/squat and bench/deadlift for the isometric workouts?

C) where do you recommend to place the pins for the isometric workouts? near the sticking point of near the top range of the exercise?

thank you.[/quote]

A) Ramp up the weight progressively until you reach the max you can lift for the prescribed number of reps. In both lifts start just above your sticking point.

B) Yes

C) For isometrics either just above or just below the sticking point.

592

[quote]AtomicPunks wrote:
Thib,

With ramping I notice that the top end you list is the 85-90 percent range. Is this because there would be too much grinding going upwards of 95 percent and that it would also take too much out of you without any real additional benefit? I also realize that the percent numbers aren’t exact, since different days would yield different outcomes. Is the main thing to keep in mind that you never want to go up to the point where a weight is grinding?

I also wanted to ask an overarching question relating to a lot of the stuff you’ve started to discuss more and more (and will be continuing to cover). A lot of this stuff seems to make a lot of intuitive sense after you present it, but it also seems like (at least to a reader with very modest experience) that for every bit of clarity there are a whole host of new questions that could only be clarified by working closely with a top coach like you. While all of what you write about seems like second nature to you, do you feel that much of this stuff is easy for people to butcher by taking some of the information they get here but not necessarily refining it by learning all of the finer points that someone training directly under your guidance would learn?[/quote]

Well, I recommend 3-5 reps… I strongly doubt that you can do 3 reps, let alone 5 with 95% of your maximum.

I honestly believe that you are right, I sometimes take many training methods/approaches for granted as they come naturally to me. I will make an effort to cover this stuff more precisely. However experience is worth tens of thousands of words.

593

CT, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on an arm workout. I was planning on working up to a set of 6 reverse curls, then doing a mechanical advantage drop set. Then I’d decrease the weight by 10% and do it again, then decrease by another 10% and do it one more time.

594

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
AtomicPunks wrote:
Thib,

With ramping I notice that the top end you list is the 85-90 percent range. Is this because there would be too much grinding going upwards of 95 percent and that it would also take too much out of you without any real additional benefit? I also realize that the percent numbers aren’t exact, since different days would yield different outcomes. Is the main thing to keep in mind that you never want to go up to the point where a weight is grinding?

I also wanted to ask an overarching question relating to a lot of the stuff you’ve started to discuss more and more (and will be continuing to cover). A lot of this stuff seems to make a lot of intuitive sense after you present it, but it also seems like (at least to a reader with very modest experience) that for every bit of clarity there are a whole host of new questions that could only be clarified by working closely with a top coach like you. While all of what you write about seems like second nature to you, do you feel that much of this stuff is easy for people to butcher by taking some of the information they get here but not necessarily refining it by learning all of the finer points that someone training directly under your guidance would learn?

Well, I recommend 3-5 reps… I strongly doubt that you can do 3 reps, let alone 5 with 95% of your maximum.

I honestly believe that you are right, I sometimes take many training methods/approaches for granted as they come naturally to me. I will make an effort to cover this stuff more precisely. However experience is worth tens of thousands of words.
[/quote]

Coach Thibaudeau,

I meant no disrespect at all, and perhaps I poorly articulated my thoughts. When you explain concepts that are rather complex, you tend to do a masterful job. And since there’s no way to tell a person’s tone through print on a screen, perhaps I have occasionally read in a feeling that isn’t always there. Case in point, you strike me as a 100-percent class act and stand up guy, come across as a great guy in the bit of video I have seen (and I am sure those who know you truly well will vouch for you being a great guy), and you obviously spend countless hours helping us all out on forums like this.

So when you mention that what someone might be doing is inferior or idiotic or seem to act as if something you are doing would be obvious to anyone with a clue about training, then it is likely just you expressing your guy feelings and not meant to make anyone feel foolish, stupid, or uninformed. If that were the case, then you would devote as much time as you do to graciously answering questions and sharing your knowledge.

So perhaps I owe you an apology if my comments were at all perceived as a knock on your “teaching” methods…as noted, you prove over and over that you have a knack for making concepts rather clear. That is also the likely reason why every bit of information you provide often leads to so many other questions, namely that you actually get us thinking about what we are doing instead of blindly accepting dogma and proceeding like robots.

Sorry for dumping this rather lengthy post in what is a Q and A about training.

595

Thib,

I walked into my gym the other day and noticed that the owner had added a 3" thick barbell to the gym floor. Now a lot of times when people talk about thick grip work, they are specifically referring to 2" diameter implements. Do you think it is still beneficial to do certain exercise with the 3" bar? If so, what type of things would you suggest using it for and what stuff might you stay away from given that diameter?

596

Thib, 1) is there any reason to strive for doing 1-arm dumbbell rows with torso as close to the parallel as possible, or 45 degrees is optimal ? What actually changes if the torso is more parallel ?

and 2) I’ve recently been loving to do heavy dead-stop reps with 1-arm rows - this leaves my back sore as never. Also good CNS activation before other exercises. What do you think of this idea ?

597

Thib,

I was at my local ice rink, and I overheard a figure skating coach telling one of her athletes that she needed to do plyometric exercises not just moving forward (as might be commonly seen) but also moving backwards.

Have you worked with many figure skaters over the years, and if so, do you think the point this coach was making is something to keep in mind when training athletes in that sport?

Also, do you have any general tips/things to keep in mind for restoring and maintaining balance between legs (since taking off and landing each often occur on one leg more so than the other).

598

[quote]BoSoxFever wrote:
Thib,

I was at my local ice rink, and I overheard a figure skating coach telling one of her athletes that she needed to do plyometric exercises not just moving forward (as might be commonly seen) but also moving backwards.

Have you worked with many figure skaters over the years, and if so, do you think the point this coach was making is something to keep in mind when training athletes in that sport?

Also, do you have any general tips/things to keep in mind for restoring and maintaining balance between legs (since taking off and landing each often occur on one leg more so than the other).[/quote]

Figure skaters were among the first athletes that I trained, seriously. In fact, in my first book the girls pictured are some of those skaters which included 2 National Canadian champs (including the current one).

Plyometrics jumping back are indeed effective and important, maybe even more so than regular plyo because of they more closely duplicate the jump motion on the ice.

The problem is that you can’t do a lot of plyo with figure skaters, only dumb coaches do so. Why? Because they are already taxing their joints, tendons, and CNS by landing hundreds of times every week.

To accomplish the same goal, I liked to use variations of the Olympic lifts. In fact, one of my skaters clean and jerked 180lbs and snatched 135lbs and she was 135lbs and 15 years old! She actually did this in an Olympic lifting contest that she did for the fun of it.

599

[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib, 1) is there any reason to strive for doing 1-arm dumbbell rows with torso as close to the parallel as possible, or 45 degrees is optimal ? What actually changes if the torso is more parallel ?

and 2) I’ve recently been loving to do heavy dead-stop reps with 1-arm rows - this leaves my back sore as never. Also good CNS activation before other exercises. What do you think of this idea ?

[/quote]

  1. I personally prefer 90 degrees row because my traps are very strong and thend to overtake the movement when I’m at 45 degrees. A 90 degrees (parallel to the floor) angle, pulling to the hip favors a better recruitment of the lats.

  2. Very good idea. But then again, since you felt it pretty good and it made your back sore then you didn’t have to ask if it was effective or not.

600

[quote]ThorsHammer wrote:
Thib,

I walked into my gym the other day and noticed that the owner had added a 3" thick barbell to the gym floor. Now a lot of times when people talk about thick grip work, they are specifically referring to 2" diameter implements. Do you think it is still beneficial to do certain exercise with the 3" bar? If so, what type of things would you suggest using it for and what stuff might you stay away from given that diameter?[/quote]

For specific hand strength work they are useful (e.g. static holds for time). I also like them for bench pressing. But I honestly prefer the 2’’ bar on most movements.

601

[quote]AtomicPunks wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
AtomicPunks wrote:
Thib,

With ramping I notice that the top end you list is the 85-90 percent range. Is this because there would be too much grinding going upwards of 95 percent and that it would also take too much out of you without any real additional benefit? I also realize that the percent numbers aren’t exact, since different days would yield different outcomes. Is the main thing to keep in mind that you never want to go up to the point where a weight is grinding?

I also wanted to ask an overarching question relating to a lot of the stuff you’ve started to discuss more and more (and will be continuing to cover). A lot of this stuff seems to make a lot of intuitive sense after you present it, but it also seems like (at least to a reader with very modest experience) that for every bit of clarity there are a whole host of new questions that could only be clarified by working closely with a top coach like you. While all of what you write about seems like second nature to you, do you feel that much of this stuff is easy for people to butcher by taking some of the information they get here but not necessarily refining it by learning all of the finer points that someone training directly under your guidance would learn?

Well, I recommend 3-5 reps… I strongly doubt that you can do 3 reps, let alone 5 with 95% of your maximum.

I honestly believe that you are right, I sometimes take many training methods/approaches for granted as they come naturally to me. I will make an effort to cover this stuff more precisely. However experience is worth tens of thousands of words.

Coach Thibaudeau,

I meant no disrespect at all, and perhaps I poorly articulated my thoughts. When you explain concepts that are rather complex, you tend to do a masterful job. And since there’s no way to tell a person’s tone through print on a screen, perhaps I have occasionally read in a feeling that isn’t always there. Case in point, you strike me as a 100-percent class act and stand up guy, come across as a great guy in the bit of video I have seen (and I am sure those who know you truly well will vouch for you being a great guy), and you obviously spend countless hours helping us all out on forums like this.

So when you mention that what someone might be doing is inferior or idiotic or seem to act as if something you are doing would be obvious to anyone with a clue about training, then it is likely just you expressing your guy feelings and not meant to make anyone feel foolish, stupid, or uninformed. If that were the case, then you would devote as much time as you do to graciously answering questions and sharing your knowledge.

So perhaps I owe you an apology if my comments were at all perceived as a knock on your “teaching” methods…as noted, you prove over and over that you have a knack for making concepts rather clear. That is also the likely reason why every bit of information you provide often leads to so many other questions, namely that you actually get us thinking about what we are doing instead of blindly accepting dogma and proceeding like robots.

Sorry for dumping this rather lengthy post in what is a Q and A about training.

[/quote]

Common man, if I took it personally every time seemed somewhat harsh when posting something my way I would probably be in an mental institution by now!

I honestly never get mad at people and I get along with almost everybody. Anybody who has a passion about training is my friend, whether they like it or not!