hey coach
i have a couple questions regarding the study saying meal frequency only helps with appetite control.
would this be suggesting fat/protein and protein/carb meals are unnecessary? Obviously ignoring post workout nutrition, it seems it’d be ok to have meals with say 40/40/20 macro (or something) %s instead of all p/c or p/f, as long as the total macros add up to the same?
CT,
With your recommendation of 1.25 - 1.5g of protein per pound, EXCLUDING THE PERI-WORKOUT period, only green veggies for carbs and 80-90g of fat spread pretty much equally throughout the day I have a question. What if I don’t spread the fat equally throughout the day? My cravings come at night, what if I were to eat high fat meals at the end of the day and keep low fat/low carb for my earlier meals would that screw up my fat loss (assuming I stay under 90g of fat total)?
[quote]therajraj wrote:
CT,
With your recommendation of 1.25 - 1.5g of protein per pound, EXCLUDING THE PERI-WORKOUT period, only green veggies for carbs and 80-90g of fat spread pretty much equally throughout the day I have a question. What if I don’t spread the fat equally throughout the day? My cravings come at night, what if I were to eat high fat meals at the end of the day and keep low fat/low carb for my earlier meals would that screw up my fat loss (assuming I stay under 90g of fat total)?[/quote]
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter provided that nutrients intake is the same.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
CT,
With your recommendation of 1.25 - 1.5g of protein per pound, EXCLUDING THE PERI-WORKOUT period, only green veggies for carbs and 80-90g of fat spread pretty much equally throughout the day I have a question. What if I don’t spread the fat equally throughout the day? My cravings come at night, what if I were to eat high fat meals at the end of the day and keep low fat/low carb for my earlier meals would that screw up my fat loss (assuming I stay under 90g of fat total)?[/quote]
The only veggies for carbs part…that’s only for CT’s fat loss recommendation right? I know this is the fat loss section, just asking because I thought I remembered him starting carbs were around 100g or so “excluding the peri-workout period”, at least for muscle gain anyway.
Hey CT
I’ve always wanted to get lean, and nothing I’ve done has worked. It seems no matter what I do, I can’t get below 10% bf.
I’ve done the anabolic diet, PSMF, ketogenic, low cal. Hill sprints, twice a day workouts. I’ve even used AAS+DNP. I can get to 10% bf very fast, but the fat loss just stops dead in its track there. The only thing I’ve never tried is a high amount of steady state cardio, but I can’t imagine it being worth my time. I’ve put on about 40 lbs of lean mass since I began training, and that has made no difference in my fat loss capabilities. I don’t have a history of being fat. At the peak of my bulking I hit 15% bf. Currently maintaining 12%.
Cortisol is slightly low. T3 and T4 are in the middle although TSH is mysteriously high. T is high. I haven’t tested E, but my diet and environment are extremely clean, so I doubt it could be high.
Personally, I believe getting below this level of body fat is highly dependent on brain chemistry, but at the same time, I haven’t heard of someone who has done what I have done and still hasn’t become lean.
Have you encountered anyone in my situation before? Do you have any advice?
Thanks
Good evening Chris,
My goals are to gain muscle but keep fat loss in check if possible.
I eat half my calories in the eveing and I am wondering if this is a problem for fat gain. I remember you saying that because of your busy schedule you ate most of your calories in the evening and had seen good results.
TO give you an idea, the end of my day goes like this:
7h30-9h00pm: GYM
9:30: protein shake
10:30: big meal, for example last night 0.75 pound of filet mignon with veggies
1:00am: (if still awake): 1 cup of cottage cheese with 2 tbsp of PB
So yea is it a problem for fat gain to be eating half my calories in the evening/night?
Thanks for reading
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
therajraj wrote:
CT,
With your recommendation of 1.25 - 1.5g of protein per pound, EXCLUDING THE PERI-WORKOUT period, only green veggies for carbs and 80-90g of fat spread pretty much equally throughout the day I have a question. What if I don’t spread the fat equally throughout the day? My cravings come at night, what if I were to eat high fat meals at the end of the day and keep low fat/low carb for my earlier meals would that screw up my fat loss (assuming I stay under 90g of fat total)?
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter provided that nutrients intake is the same.[/quote]
Sorry I didnt read this before posting.
CT,
I am 195 at 5"10, don’t know my bf but it is low enough that I can see my abs. I recently started dieting to lose 15-20 lbs. However, I am having trouble with my nutrition. I have read that most people do not count green veggies but is there a point in which you do? I ask because I eat a lot of them and am wondering if at some point that may be working against me. When I eat something like green beans or brocolli I take in about 400 grams, that can be 20-30 grams of carbs a meal aside from the complex carbs. I take in about 100 grams on training days 50-70 grams on non training days. Should I be counting them? It would be easier but that would mean less food. I would like to lose the fat as fast as possible without much muscle loss. Thanks.
Hi Coach
I’m one week into a short fat loss phase (4 weeks). I’ve based the training aspect (low rep ramping) on a split idea from the Refined Physique Transformation article, e.g:
Day 1 - Lower body + 20mins steady state
Day 2 - Upper body
Day 3 - Off (walking 30-60mins)
Day 4 - Lactate circuits + 20mins steady state
Day 5 - Off (walking 30-60mins)
Repeat cycle
Regarding diet, instead of CKD I’m using a targeted carb approach, i.e. 150g carbs (100g para-workout on heavy days/50g on lactate days); with less than 50g CHO on non-training days. I’m also protein pulsing.
Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.
JB
CT: Thanks for all the wonderfull information you have posted on ths great site for the past couple of years. I cant wait till the I:Bodybuilding article is finished
My question is. Im 5’10 207lbs. My BF% is unknown but Im not happy with it, I just dropped 30lbs since March. What for me is a perfect day of eating. What marcos or if you could what is a great meal plan. Im sure you get this alot but Im very curious. I noticed the weight I lost but Im not seeing my muscles grow or in the mirror. I have been training for the past year and I just read your artice Training with Thibaudeau, and maybe Im not training right but my lifts are going up. So I just think its my cardio.
here is my routine:
Monday:Lower day: (quads, hammys)
Tuesday:GPP(sled pulls)
Weds:Upper day: Chest Shoulders Tris
Thurs: off (flag football)
Friday:Upper day: Back and GPP: Farmers walk
Saturday: off (touch football)
Thanks again CT and any help from any of you would be greatly appricated
When reading the first post that you made here (Forums - T Nation - The World's Trusted Community for Elite Fitness), it got me thinking: Are there some people that “need” to be at higher levels of bodyfat? If so, can you explain why?
Thank you.
[quote]dphillips wrote:
Coach Thib,
Two quick questions:
(1) I know that you had success w/ a body comp. client before using two strength days (chest & back and Shoulders and traps) and two metabolic pairing days. Do you still recommend this set up for body comp. purposes? If not, how you would the program differ?
&
(2) I know that you have separated your metabolic pairing workouts into different levels depending upon their difficulty. Could you list what your difficult metabolic pairings would consist of when using only dumbbells (I workout at home w/ powerblock dbs)?
THANKS IN ADVANCE, IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!!![/quote]
This was from 5 Reasons for Failed Body Transformations, article discussion, January 2009
DAY 1
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - CHEST & BICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER METABOLIC)
20-30 min
DAY 2
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - LOWER BODY
3 exercises for quads and hams; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - INTERVALS
15 sec intense - 45 sec relax x 10-12
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER INTERVALS)
20-30 min
DAY 3
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - BACK & TRICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER METABOLIC)
20-30 min
30-45 minutes of cardio on non-workout days
I’m sure he has tweaked it since January, but this basic set-up worked well for me when I did it for 2 months.
I’m curious about fat loss in spurts. I can lose fat for about 6 weeks and then I plateau. Would I be better off to purpose a 6 week break where I train less intensely and increase my caloric intake gradually without gaining weight? Then after 6 weeks of a maintenance phase start another fat loss protocol for another 6 weeks?
DAY 1
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - CHEST & BICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER METABOLIC)
20-30 min
DAY 2
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - LOWER BODY
3 exercises for quads and hams; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - INTERVALS
15 sec intense - 45 sec relax x 10-12
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER INTERVALS)
20-30 min
DAY 3
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - BACK & TRICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
Hey Coach,
I have begun using the above template for fat loss, as apposed to the seperate Heavy Days and Metabolic Days. My question is:
Do/Can you drop the last exercise for higher reps, due to the addition of ballistic CNS wrk at the beginning of the workout?
I do my ballistic work first then autoregulate the number of sets for heavy portion. Today was 6 sets for A pairing and 4 sets for B pairing before moving onto Metablic pairing work.
Thanks,
GJ
[quote]Gymjunkie wrote:
DAY 1
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - CHEST & BICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER METABOLIC)
20-30 min
DAY 2
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - LOWER BODY
3 exercises for quads and hams; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - INTERVALS
15 sec intense - 45 sec relax x 10-12
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER INTERVALS)
20-30 min
DAY 3
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - BACK & TRICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
[/quote]
sorry for my ignorance but why would you do that??, why is it better than doing the workouts on different days??.
i think intensity will suffer in all the session, why not just focus on a heavy session one day (or several days)and the other days on complexes???, you could handle a lot more volume.
just a question.
TC
Hello CT,
I had started the thread on the forum about Doggrapp the other day, and the advice you gave me helped a great deal and i wanted to thank you.
i also wanted to get your opinion on my current nutrition plan. I plan to start your peri-workout nutrition tomorrow, and i have already been following something similar but your program is very enticing and i am anxious to see the results. my goal is to stay lean or even get leaner, while also gaining muscle.
i know that it can be done but can also been very difficult, meaning slower results, which doesnt bother me. my meal plan is centered around John Berardi’s Massive eating article, eating 8 times a day with 4 P+f and 4 P+C meals, and the p+C being centered around my workout (i train 3 times a week).
i was wondering if you could give any advice or corrections to what i am doing to better my results.
i am 5’9 and weigh 152 with about 10 percent Body Fat
example week
Monday: High Carb day (weight training + 45 min low intensity cardio in the morning)
Tuesday: low carb day (45 minutes cardio in morning)
Wednesday: Medium Carb day (weight Training + 45 min cardio in morning)
Thursday: Low Carb(45 min cardio in morning)
Friday: Medium Carb Day( Weights + 45 min cardio in morning)
Saturday: Low Carb (OFF)
Sunday: Low carb (OFF)
i have 1 high carb day a week and will mix up which day that falls on depending on my workout. on high and medium days i consume about 2800 calories, as opposed to 2200 on low days with cardio, and 1600 on off days.
on high days its: 45%carbs, 45% protein, 10 %fat- on medium its: 30%carbs,50% protein and 20% fat, on Low days with cardio its 55% protein, 33% fat, and 12% carbs. and then on off days its 60%fat,30% protein, 10%carbs.
I understand that this concept of carb and calorie cycling has proven effective for me so far and for others, but i was wondering if you could recommend what percent. my main question is that would this ( while following the peri workout protocol) be effective in trying to stay as lean as possible while still gaining muscle?
i have also started to try different methods like you said for CNS activation within my Doggcrapp training and have found it very effective. i know i am asking alot for you to review all this, but as my aspirations to become a athletic coach/ certified dietician, i would really appreciate your critique as to what i am doing wrong or right. more calories? less calories? etc.
thanks alot as always.
… my mind is warped…
thanks CT!
[quote]tuchavito wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
DAY 1
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - CHEST & BICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER METABOLIC)
20-30 min
DAY 2
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - LOWER BODY
3 exercises for quads and hams; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - INTERVALS
15 sec intense - 45 sec relax x 10-12
SECTION C - LOW INTENSITY CARDIO (AFTER INTERVALS)
20-30 min
DAY 3
SECTION A - STRENGTH PORTION - BACK & TRICEPS
3 exercises for each; one in the 2-5 reps range, one in the 6-8 reps range and one for higher reps or a special technique.
Combine one exercise for each muscle and go back and forth between them…
SECTION B - METABOLIC PORTION (AFTER STRENGTH PORTION)
1 metabolic pairing of 3 exercises, 3-4 sets
sorry for my ignorance but why would you do that??, why is it better than doing the workouts on different days??.
i think intensity will suffer in all the session, why not just focus on a heavy session one day (or several days)and the other days on complexes???, you could handle a lot more volume.
just a question.
TC[/quote]
CT wrote this workout out in another tread for a different approach. He will be better qualified to answer.
GJ
Hey Coach, been a long time. I have a question about IBUR (interval build-up running). Do you always recommend starting people off with 5 minute sets or is there a set (run/jog) scheme that you have found to work better? Also, do you factor in the person’s aerobic state already or does it not matter?
Thanks for your help.
Bartl
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Post away.[/quote]
Thibaudeau:
I’m a 60-year-old male. I have lived a relatively active life but was not working out or doing any purposeful exercise. My diet has been high-startch and fat most of my adult life so at 5’ 7" I found myself at 212 pounds 40+% BF and dealing with high blood pressure about five years ago.
I decided to change. I started eating more healthful foods, engaged in high-rep cardio exercise and was able to drop much of the excess body fat and got my BP in the “normal” range without durgs. That is good.
No one in my gym offered me much guidance in getting to the next level of fitness. I have only been training for about 10 months on a real program designed to achieve a real goal.
Currently I am at 160 pounds and about 12 to 13 percent BF. I want to get into single-digit body fat numbers by the summer of 2010 (quicker if possible). I also want to get straonger and more muscular. The most dissapointing area is the flab around my waist line. I have a 32-inch waist and look good in slacks, but horrible without a shirt. This would be my number one desire: Get rid of the belly flab (mostly lose skin) and be able to see abs that have been hiding for 40+ years.
My program design has me on a weight-gain quarter for the next thirteen weeks. I have been reading some of your articles and I am modifying my diet to use the insulin to unlock the muscle locks by ingesting an oatmeal with berry meal about an hour before the workout. Insertion of Surge throughout the workout and ending with a whey protein drink following the workout. The other four meals are pretty close to the template that you offer (not perfect since I eat my wife’s cooking some). I am starting my recovery week prior the final quarter and intend to use this time to design the next program inclusive of diet.
Where do you suggest tht I start?
Wayne