Questions About Training

Training
221

CT,

I’m not one to NOT do Squats or Deads…in fact, Deads are my favorite lift but my glutes are frickin BIG compared to the rest of my body.

I’m still wanting to Do squats and deads, but right now am currently working to increase UPPER body mass but still keep the lower.

If you’re wondering how this happened…Chinese kung fu classes years ago had up do isometric contractions of the glutes (to suck them in and bring the hips forward for stability and solid stance)…which made them not only large but dominantin most (if not all) exercises for my lower body.

This leads to my 2 questions:

  1. How can I focus on leg development without letting my glutes do all the work (as they are prone to do) and how to NOT let it (glutes) get bigger. Is there any exercises or ways to pretty much take the glutes out of it?

  2. How can I maintain what (little) power I have in the lower body while I focus on the
    upper?

Thanks for any input.

AD

222

CT,

What kind of weight/strength training would you recommend for law enforcement/military?

223

[quote]DH wrote:
Periodization per se is really ust cycling. And as such, the specialization approach allows the muscles being “maintained” to become resensitized. For example if you specialize on Back first then after the first phase you will move back to a holding pattern for your back by drastically reducing volume and frequency. This type of training has built in cycling as you only focus on 2 bodyparts per phase.

DH

[/quote]

Correct.

Originally periodization was designed for athletes who trained several different physical capacities durning a year, on top of their sport training. Since they had to develop several things but couldn’t do it all at once, they divided their training into “periods” where the focus was placed on 1-2 capacities.

224

[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib, are such movements as weighted chin-ups, t-rows, 1-arm rows suitable for performing multiple heavy singles or doubles at almost 1RM intensity like with traditional power and oly lifts? I’m asking because it feels like the nature of the back muscles is different from hips and pushing muscles.[/quote]

The reason why they do not feel as effective is because emphasizing the eccentric phase during upper body pulling movements isn’t effective (the arms take over) so when doing single reps of upper body pulls, you are basically only stimulating the muscles for 1-2 seconds.

To make single rep sets of pulling exercises effective, include a 5-9 sec. hold at the peak contraction position.

225

[quote]holguint123 wrote:
Coach, what is your opinion of taking naps during the day? School and doing research in the lab totally drain me and I usually need to take a nap before I lift. Usually I wake up 2 hours before I go workout…but am I still shooting myself in the foot when it comes to my workouts and energy in general?

Kind of going off of that question: I always wake up really warm, and sweaty, which causes me to be horribly dehydrated. Even when I have the fan on, and the window open (heck it’s been snowing outside and I still overheat) Is this indicative of something wrong metabolically? [/quote]

On your first question: yes naps are useful, even more so if you feel like your body is forcing you to take a nap (that means that it needs the rest to grow). However do no take it too close to your workout otherwise it will be hard to get the CNS in optimal form for your workout.

On your second question: I have the exact same problem, and while I do not know the exact reason why, I suspect that it is because the body does a lot of repair/rebuilding during sleep.

226

[quote]Mondy wrote:
Thibs,

What are your thoughts on old school hand strength exercises (ex. phone book ripping to pinching two 45s together) for overall body strength? Does grip strength really transfer to better lifts? I’ve heard rumors that say a better grip strength not only increases your bench press and curls, but also increases your deadlift (even if its not your sticking point).[/quote]

Here’s from one of my old articles:

  1. If your biceps have been stuck at the same size since the Reagan administration, doing an intensive forearm and hands specialization phase is probably the best way to get those suckers to Grow! Weak forearms lead to curl poundages that are way inferior to what your arm flexors (especially biceps and brachialis) should be able to handle. As a result they’re being under-stimulated. Drastically increasing forearm and hand strength is thus one of the fastest ways to significantly increase curling strength and upper arm size.

Increasing forearm strength is essential for upper arm development.

  1. Improving forearm and hand strength is one of the fastest ways to increase pulling strength.

  2. Having balanced forearm muscles (developing every function of the forearms) is one of the best ways to prevent elbow tendinitis, golf elbow, and tennis elbow. Most training enthusiasts are too weak in forearm pronation movements compared to their forearms supination motion. And both functions often pale in comparison to elbow flexion strength. This can open up the door to some elbow injuries, which can be prevented by making sure that all the functions of the forearms and elbow functions are relatively proportional. Furthermore, having strong forearms reduces the stress of repetitive actions at the elbow joint (e.g. golf swing, tennis swing).

  3. Many sports require a high level of forearm and hand strength. The obvious examples are baseball, golf, and tennis. However, the benefits of having strong forearms and hands transfer to practically every sport, such as football (especially defense and quarterback), judo, wrestling, mixed martial arts, powerlifting and Olympic lifting, arm wrestling, and rock climbing.

  4. It’s obvious that stronger hands and forearms will improve performance in the deadlift, curls, pulls, and Olympic lifting movements. But did you know that it can also drastically improve your bench pressing strength? Stronger hands, thicker wrists and forearms provide a more solid base when holding the bar. That’s why powerlifters often wear wrist wraps when bench pressing.

Weak hands, wrists and forearms lead to more wrist strain and more energy loss when pressing. It also makes the bar feel heavier. Don’t believe me? Load the bar with close to your max and try to bench press it while keeping your hands and forearms as relaxed as possible: the bar will feel like it weighs a ton! Squeeze the bar as hard as possible and it’ll feel 50 pounds lighter. Having the bar feel lighter is a psychological advantage that you shouldn’t sneeze at when attempting a maximum lift.

  1. Big forearms make you look strong even in an extra baggy t-shirt.

In fact, forearms are at the top of my MI:3 list. These are the three areas I consider to be the most important, but also the most neglected when it comes to being functional and reducing the risk of injuries.

The MI:3 areas are:

â?¢ Forearms/hands: A high level of development helps reduce the risk of elbow tendonitis, and make every movement involving the hands more effective.

â?¢ Trunk (abdominals and lower back): Strong trunk muscles greatly reduce the risk of lower back injuries, improve posture and stability and make you stronger in every movement where you’re standing).

â?¢ Glutes: Weak glutes lead to hip instability, which can lead to knee, ankle and lower back strains, which can lead to injuries. With strong glutes, you can also run faster, jump higher, and change direction more easily.

Perhaps they aren’t glamorous muscles, but if you’re interested in being injury-free and increasing your performance level, they’re of prime importance.

227

Thib,

About that 1-2-3 ramp sets you’ve introduced earlier : besides the mentioned CNS stimulation function, are they effective to just lift a lot of heavy weight many times on any big movements?
If so, I suppose the weight should start from 4-5RM maybe? And then strive to increase weight in next ramp?

228

Hi coach, I am starting to do some mma, and am needing a little help on training. I want start emphasizing my explosive power and strength, but also need to work on my conditioning as well. I do not believe in doing cardio as a main system of conditioning as I will not be running in the middle of the ring.

So I was planning on doing some metabolic and plyometric stuff on 2-3 days out of the week (for conditioning). That leaves 2-3 days out of the week to focus on power and strength. What would be a good split that could incorporate all of this in a weeks time? Also should I be using para workout nutrition for mma practice? Thanks for any help.

229

[quote]matt_t2004 wrote:
Hi coach, I am starting to do some mma, and am needing a little help on training. I want start emphasizing my explosive power and strength, but also need to work on my conditioning as well. I do not believe in doing cardio as a main system of conditioning as I will not be running in the middle of the ring.

So I was planning on doing some metabolic and plyometric stuff on 2-3 days out of the week (for conditioning). That leaves 2-3 days out of the week to focus on power and strength. What would be a good split that could incorporate all of this in a weeks time? Also should I be using para workout nutrition for mma practice? Thanks for any help.[/quote]

Go easy on the plyo, while effective they can get very stressful on the CNS and joints. Also understand that metabolic days and power/strength workouts are both stressful on the nervous system, but for different reasons.

Metabolic work that increases lactate production disrupt the neuromuscular connection at the neuromuscular junction while power/strength training has more of a central impact. But the point is that both are hard on the CNS.

I do not like having more than 3-4 CNS-intensive sessions per week, therefore 3 metabolic days and 3 strength/power days would likely be excessive, especially if you perform MMA on top of that.

A better solution would be to do the metabolic work at the end of the strength/power workouts.

For example:

DAY 1. WHOLE BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end perform metabolic work involving the whole body

DAY 2. Low-intensity auxiliary work (abs, forearms, grip, lower back)

DAY 3. LOWER BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end of the workout perform metabolic work involving the lower body only

DAY 4. UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end of the workout perform metabolic work for the upper body

Monday: Day 1
Tuesday: Day2
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Day 3
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Day 4
Sunday: OFF

230

[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib,

About that 1-2-3 ramp sets you’ve introduced earlier : besides the mentioned CNS stimulation function, are they effective to just lift a lot of heavy weight many times on any big movements?
If so, I suppose the weight should start from 4-5RM maybe? And then strive to increase weight in next ramp?[/quote]

Exactly right!

231

Thak you CT that helps me a lot.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
matt_t2004 wrote:
Hi coach, I am starting to do some mma, and am needing a little help on training. I want start emphasizing my explosive power and strength, but also need to work on my conditioning as well. I do not believe in doing cardio as a main system of conditioning as I will not be running in the middle of the ring.

So I was planning on doing some metabolic and plyometric stuff on 2-3 days out of the week (for conditioning). That leaves 2-3 days out of the week to focus on power and strength. What would be a good split that could incorporate all of this in a weeks time? Also should I be using para workout nutrition for mma practice? Thanks for any help.

Go easy on the plyo, while effective they can get very stressful on the CNS and joints. Also understand that metabolic days and power/strength workouts are both stressful on the nervous system, but for different reasons.

Metabolic work that increases lactate production disrupt the neuromuscular connection at the neuromuscular junction while power/strength training has more of a central impact. But the point is that both are hard on the CNS.

I do not like having more than 3-4 CNS-intensive sessions per week, therefore 3 metabolic days and 3 strength/power days would likely be excessive, especially if you perform MMA on top of that.

A better solution would be to do the metabolic work at the end of the strength/power workouts.

For example:

DAY 1. WHOLE BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end perform metabolic work involving the whole body

DAY 2. Low-intensity auxiliary work (abs, forearms, grip, lower back)

DAY 3. LOWER BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end of the workout perform metabolic work involving the lower body only

DAY 4. UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND POWER
At the end of the workout perform metabolic work for the upper body

Monday: Day 1
Tuesday: Day2
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Day 3
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Day 4
Sunday: OFF[/quote]

232

Coach,

In your opinion for maximal fatloss while keeping the most muscle, what do you think is better? 3 strength sessions with metabolic work after or 2 strength sessions and 2 days dedicated to metabolic pairings? Steady state cardio performed after or on off days?

233

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
holguint123 wrote:
Coach, what is your opinion of taking naps during the day? School and doing research in the lab totally drain me and I usually need to take a nap before I lift. Usually I wake up 2 hours before I go workout…but am I still shooting myself in the foot when it comes to my workouts and energy in general?

Kind of going off of that question: I always wake up really warm, and sweaty, which causes me to be horribly dehydrated. Even when I have the fan on, and the window open (heck it’s been snowing outside and I still overheat) Is this indicative of something wrong metabolically?

On your first question: yes naps are useful, even more so if you feel like your body is forcing you to take a nap (that means that it needs the rest to grow). However do no take it too close to your workout otherwise it will be hard to get the CNS in optimal form for your workout.

On your second question: I have the exact same problem, and while I do not know the exact reason why, I suspect that it is because the body does a lot of repair/rebuilding during sleep.[/quote]

Yeah, it always makes me feel like crap after waking up from a nap. I have the same heat problem when I sleep at night too, and I can’t fall asleep. Weird thing is that I wake up horribly cold in the morning…maybe I should get that checked out one of these days.

234

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib,

About that 1-2-3 ramp sets you’ve introduced earlier : besides the mentioned CNS stimulation function, are they effective to just lift a lot of heavy weight many times on any big movements?
If so, I suppose the weight should start from 4-5RM maybe? And then strive to increase weight in next ramp?

Exactly right![/quote]

Thanks!
Is the effect it produces on the body is somewhat similar to cluster sets of 5-6 ? What would you chose for max strength between those two methods? Or cycle them?

235

CT,
In your program Get Jacked why did you choose the elliptical for intervals? What could be substituted if there is none available?
Thanks

236

Hi Chris,

Marko has finished spec. workout for shoulders (one you posted I copied for him and he loved). Now he wants to move to back/bic for 3-4 weeks.
What would you recommend this workout consist of?

Thank you

237

Coach Thib,

I noticed you gave someone a three day schedule for strength and size and one three day for size and strengh.

What would you recommend for a four day? Size and strength.

238

hey coach im trying hard to bring up my back width its horrible especially lower lats, any advice?

239

Hey Coach,
I have a couple of questions for you… Firstly a quick questions about this new program you will be releasing, it wouldnt be for the novice/intermediate lifter by any chance? You say it will include specialization which sounds abit too advanced for a newbie lol.

Second question, you say that weak/inhibited glutes can make you more prone to injury aswell as limit your potential in jumping higher and running faster. One of my main interestes from training , especially lower body is to jump higher, however on squats I never feel the stress on my glutes, its always the quads, sometimes the lower back. I squat low bar, to parallel stance being shoulder width or a little wider. I sit back into my squat yet I still dont feel it in my glutes, which is where i should idealy feel it as an athlete. I’m in an anterior pelvic tilt if that tell you anything.

Ofcourse feeling squats all in the quads may be good for a bodybuilder as i often hear them complain about not being able to isolate their quads in the squat and use different movements,stances, etc to get the quads heavily involved, but i dont think the same holds true for training for athletics/sport.

Anyway having said all that, do you have any techniques to get the squat to be a glute dominant movement without having an extra wide stance, or any reasons to why my low bar squats are so quad dominant, even though the low bar squat is said to be more p-chain dominant.

Thanks alot!

240

Chris,
I’m interested in your response to seraphim post. additionally, i’ve recently switched from strength and metabolic workouts on separate days to combining them into one workout but halving the volume. It’s kicking my butt. not physically, but mentally. i seem to be losing mental acuity 2-3 hours after my workout. increasing my caffeine intake prior seems to help a little, but do i need to bump up my carb intake pre or post? i’m a little reluctant because i’m trying to drop some bodyfat.
any suggestions?
art