CT,
Im thinkin big mass on my triceps. Ive been hitting them so hard with everything you can imagine. From dips to overhead extensions to kickbacks to closegrip bench but they just wont budge. Evertyhing else on the bod is doing great but the stupid triceps. PLEASE help lol.
BTW (by the way) The i, bodybuilder program looks incredible. Cant wait to start it.
[quote]spydaman227 wrote:
CT,
Im thinkin big mass on my triceps. Ive been hitting them so hard with everything you can imagine. From dips to overhead extensions to kickbacks to closegrip bench but they just wont budge. Evertyhing else on the bod is doing great but the stupid triceps. PLEASE help lol.
BTW (by the way) The i, bodybuilder program looks incredible. Cant wait to start it.[/quote]
Maybe youāve been doing too much. Donāt forget that the triceps are involved in every pressing movements: bench press, incline bench, decline bench, DB press, military press, seated shoulder press, etc.
So Iād need more info on your current program to give you a better answer. For example, what is your training split like? How many pressing movements do you use for chest, how many for shoulders, how many sets?
CT
Iāve been told I need to get as big and as heavy as possible by October (due to rugby), right now Iām training 4 days out of 6 (2 days on, 1 day off) with 1 bodypart being trained twice a week (a sort of āweakā specialisation). Firstly do you think this is optimal for my goals? I have about 1 1/2 years pure training behind me (I get injured a lot).
Secondly, I obviously need some conditioning work but was planning to leave this until 4 weeks before the season starts so I can focus on maximising muscle and strength gains. Is this a good idea in your opinion? Thanks.
[quote]jk270 wrote:
CT
Iāve been told I need to get as big and as heavy as possible by October (due to rugby), right now Iām training 4 days out of 6 (2 days on, 1 day off) with 1 bodypart being trained twice a week (a sort of āweakā specialisation). Firstly do you think this is optimal for my goals? I have about 1 1/2 years pure training behind me (I get injured a lot).
Secondly, I obviously need some conditioning work but was planning to leave this until 4 weeks before the season starts so I can focus on maximising muscle and strength gains. Is this a good idea in your opinion?[/quote]
The above information gives me ZERO idea of how you actually train. People put way too much emphasis on the training split and very little to what actually matters: HOW you trainā¦ exercise selection, training method, volume, intensity, density, etc.
Maybe youāve been doing too much. Donāt forget that the triceps are involved in every pressing movements: bench press, incline bench, decline bench, DB press, military press, seated shoulder press, etc.
So Iād need more info on your current program to give you a better answer. For example, what is your training split like? How many pressing movements do you use for chest, how many for shoulders, how many sets?
Mon: back and bis
doesnt really matter cuz it has nothing to do with what i asked
Tues:Chest and tris
for chest ill hit all three sections, upper middle and lower with a pressing movement, varying from dbells to bbell. usually 4 sets going 7/5/3/1. Ill do a chest lift then go to a tricep lift. Ive been focusing on the BIGGEST movements for triceps, close grips dips like i said. Going for size only. Intensity is super high. Wed:off
Thursday:Legs and forearms
once again . . . irrelevant but all squats. Im with you on the squat vs. leg press debate
Fri:Shoulds traps
last fri for shoulders i went 4 sets of military, 4 sets of behind the neck on the smith, 2 sets of laterals, 3 sets of snatching, 2 sets of push press and wide grip high pulls. my shoulders are weak so i hit them real hard.
Hope that helps.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
jk270 wrote:
CT
Iāve been told I need to get as big and as heavy as possible by October (due to rugby), right now Iām training 4 days out of 6 (2 days on, 1 day off) with 1 bodypart being trained twice a week (a sort of āweakā specialisation). Firstly do you think this is optimal for my goals? I have about 1 1/2 years pure training behind me (I get injured a lot).
Secondly, I obviously need some conditioning work but was planning to leave this until 4 weeks before the season starts so I can focus on maximising muscle and strength gains. Is this a good idea in your opinion?
The above information gives me ZERO idea of how you actually train. People put way too much emphasis on the training split and very little to what actually matters: HOW you trainā¦ exercise selection, training method, volume, intensity, density, etc.[/quote]
Sorry. Weight training sessions are 60-75 minutes long excluding warm up. I never go above 6 reps except rarely with techniques such as rest pause or the occasional āfeederā set at the end of a session.
I am sticking mainly with heavy more compound exercises (pullup, bench, squat, deadlift variations using dumbbells and barbells, glute ham raises) with a few more necessary isolation exercises such as tricep work (french presses, dumbbell and cable extensions), bicep work. I rarely use any special techniques such as clusters.
15 sets per muscle group usually all of these are straight sets where I go to failure on each set. Manipulate rest times a lot, usually cycle every 4 weeks between shorter rests (2 minutes or less) and longer (3 minutes or more).
Appreciate this may be beyond the scope of the forum so understand if itās just not practical for you to give advice here. Thanks either way.
Hey CT, my gym is closing for a week at the start of August and I was wondering how I should train prior to the week off so that my body can make use of the recovery time. Iām currently doing 5/3/1 and fairly low volume so I donāt feel as though Iām in need of a deload anyways. I will be able to train my upper body at my apartment, so I was mostly wondering how to hit my lower body extra hard so that I can come back stronger rather than weaker after a break in training. Thanks!
Thib,
What would you consider to be the strength prerequisites for performing ājumpā pull-ups in a program? Iām guessing there must be a certain base established to prevent performing these with sloppy form/faulty recruitment patterns that rely too heavily on the elbow flexors and poor scapular mechanics.
CT,
Are there any ways to improve ādrop underā speed on cleans and snatches?
CT
A few years ago i switched to a wider squat stance after a Stu McGill seminar (mostly because i have long legs for my 5ā11 frame)
Although my upper thigh and glutes are well developed my lower thighs are terrible proportionately.
I thought about switching to a routine like this for abut 4 weeks what do you think.
A1 barbell hack (5x5)
A2 Snatch deadlift (5x5)
B1 bulgarian squat (8-10)
B2 Lying leg Curl (4-6 reps)
C1 Lunges (short and long varing each week) (10-12)
C2 Dumbbell RDl (8-10)
How does this look or any other suggestions for medial knee size
thanks
hey CT
I have a doubt of how specialization works
To gain inches on muscle you need to gain weight as this weight is the increase in muscle sizeā¦so When we switch to a specialization routine for a muscle group and we gain eg- an inch on our arm size and a few pounds of bodyweight so does that mean that all the gain in bodyweight is because our arms have become heavier(since the other muscles were at maintainence)?
as opposed to normal split routines where all the muscles are equally emphasized and the gain in bodyweight occurs due to gains in all of them and all of them becoming heavy?
Thanks
[quote]brmnstl wrote:
CT
A few years ago i switched to a wider squat stance after a Stu McGill seminar (mostly because i have long legs for my 5ā11 frame)
Although my upper thigh and glutes are well developed my lower thighs are terrible proportionately.
I thought about switching to a routine like this for abut 4 weeks what do you think.
A1 barbell hack (5x5)
A2 Snatch deadlift (5x5)
B1 bulgarian squat (8-10)
B2 Lying leg Curl (4-6 reps)
C1 Lunges (short and long varing each week) (10-12)
C2 Dumbbell RDl (8-10)
How does this look or any other suggestions for medial knee size
thanks[/quote]
Doesnāt look that good. Nothing against the exercise selection, but the pairings are not optimal.
For one thing pairing hack squats with snatch-grip deadlift is dumb because both are quads dominant exercises.
I like the bulgarian split squat and lunges as they both hit the vastus medialis well. However I wouldnāt use long step lunges as these are mostly a glutes and hamstrings movement.
Even though they get a back rep, leg extensions can be useful for your specific objective. The VMO (the part of the quad next to the knee cap) is mostly involved in two types of movements:
So I would think that a leg extension, especially one emphasizing the last degrees of the movement (holding a peak contraction or performing the last portion of the movement twice per rep) would help you build this part of the quads.
[quote]Thunderstruck88 wrote:
CT,
Are there any ways to improve ādrop underā speed on cleans and snatches?[/quote]
Practice!
Speed under the bar is technique-dependant. It requires timing and the capacity to use the bar to pull yourself under.
As far as building muscles to help you do that; building the hamstrings will help, especially with a glute-ham raise type of movement since this pattern is very similar to the lower body action during the drop under.
But 90% of it is technique and practice.
I appreciate the prompt feedback
I understand the leg extension route I guess i was just trying to add some different variety.
What would you suggest along with the snatch deadlift as a pairing or just ā86ā the A1 and A2 set and perhaps do something like barbell hack with leg extensions as A1 and A2 holding the leg extension at peak contraction?
Although I really enjoy deads and respond well I guess I could add them some way to my back and chest day or just switch to a quad dominant day and ham dominant day
PS while in CO Springs have you tried to climb the āinclineā , its brutal.
Thib, do you think itās possible to do a deadlift variation on every session on a 3 day/week full body training?
E.g.
Day 1 - Deadlift from plates
Day 2 - RDL
Day 3 - Snatch-grip deadlift
For how many total reps a day at high intensity should I strive not to overtax the CNS ?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Addweight wrote:
Thib:
How should I train the calves for improving sprint and jump?.
I havenāt seen any athlete doing calf raises so I donāt know
even if itās necessary to train them.
I donāt like to do weighted calves work with athletes unless they are severely lacking strength, which is rarely the case with athletes. The thing is that calves SIZE can impair sprinting performance because big/heavy calves decrease stride frequency b making it harder to ābring backā the leg after the push off phase.
Why? Because you are bringing your leg back by pulling with your hip flexorsā¦ the heavier your lower leg is, the more work the hips flexors must do.
I prefer to train calves with various jumping drills.[/quote]
Thib, what are big calves good for other than looking good? I have big calves but also need speed in my sportā¦ I donāt necessarily want to reduce calve size either (and donāt think itās very feasible anyway).
Quick (and random) question:
I work in a research lab all day, where Iām running around 8 hours a day, under tremendous amounts of stress, breathing ridiculous amounts of chemical solvents, and running on minimal sleep. Yet, on these days I am able to train the hardest.
On the weekends however, I have no energy whatsoever, and my training sucks, even though I have all day to rest and get plenty of sleep. Why is this? You were saying something about cortisol helping with energy mobilization, but would prolonged exposure over a few hours still help with that in my case here? And the lack thereof would also be hurting me on the weekends, correct? If so, would there be any way around that? Iām tired of sucking in the gym on the weekends, haha. 
Thanks!
[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib, do you think itās possible to do a deadlift variation on every session on a 3 day/week full body training?
E.g.
Day 1 - Deadlift from plates
Day 2 - RDL
Day 3 - Snatch-grip deadlift
For how many total reps a day at high intensity should I strive not to overtax the CNS ?
[/quote]
Man, olympic lifters perform snatch, clean & jerk and a squat variation 4-6 days a week so yeah, itās possible.
How many reps at a high intensity? It doesnāt exactly work that way. First of all there is a distinct difference between 87-95% and 95-100% even though both are high intensity. There is also the issue of the number of reps per setā¦ 8 x 1 at 92% and 4 x 2 at 92% will not have the same impact on the CNS. Then there is also the training method issue as well as the āother stuff you are doingā issue.
You cannot prescribe the volume limit for a type of exercise without knowing what the rest of the workout look like.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib, do you think itās possible to do a deadlift variation on every session on a 3 day/week full body training?
E.g.
Day 1 - Deadlift from plates
Day 2 - RDL
Day 3 - Snatch-grip deadlift
For how many total reps a day at high intensity should I strive not to overtax the CNS ?
Man, olympic lifters perform snatch, clean & jerk and a squat variation 4-6 days a week so yeah, itās possible.
How many reps at a high intensity? It doesnāt exactly work that way. First of all there is a distinct difference between 87-95% and 95-100% even though both are high intensity. There is also the issue of the number of reps per setā¦ 8 x 1 at 92% and 4 x 2 at 92% will not have the same impact on the CNS. Then there is also the training method issue as well as the āother stuff you are doingā issue.
You cannot prescribe the volume limit for a type of exercise without knowing what the rest of the workout look like.[/quote]
Here is how Iām going to organize it. For bench press, I use the template you have recently recommended to me. For deadlift, I want to use 2 variations that focus more on quads (due to the fact that I canāt squat right now) and RDL for hamstrings.
Mon:
Bench press : work up to 2RM (typically around 95%)
Deadlift from plates clean-grip style
One arm dumbell row : 5x3-5
Wed:
Bench press : 80% of Monday for 5x2 explosive
Romanian deadlift
One-leg press with feet high
Weighted chin-ups 5x3-5
Friday:
Bench press : explosive contrast with push press, 5-4-3 wave.
Snatch-grip deadlift
Incline DB press or Shoulder press : 5x3-5
As you can see, itās really simple and Iām focusing on heavy movements.
If you have time to give a feedback on this, I would really like to have some ideas on set/rep/load programming on the deadlifts. (I always prefer to go as heavy as possible and have good recovery capabilities)
[quote]Thy. wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib, do you think itās possible to do a deadlift variation on every session on a 3 day/week full body training?
E.g.
Day 1 - Deadlift from plates
Day 2 - RDL
Day 3 - Snatch-grip deadlift
For how many total reps a day at high intensity should I strive not to overtax the CNS ?
Man, olympic lifters perform snatch, clean & jerk and a squat variation 4-6 days a week so yeah, itās possible.
How many reps at a high intensity? It doesnāt exactly work that way. First of all there is a distinct difference between 87-95% and 95-100% even though both are high intensity. There is also the issue of the number of reps per setā¦ 8 x 1 at 92% and 4 x 2 at 92% will not have the same impact on the CNS. Then there is also the training method issue as well as the āother stuff you are doingā issue.
You cannot prescribe the volume limit for a type of exercise without knowing what the rest of the workout look like.
Here is how Iām going to organize it. For bench press, I use the template you have recently recommended to me. For deadlift, I want to use 2 variations that focus more on quads (due to the fact that I canāt squat right now) and RDL for hamstrings.
Mon:
Bench press : work up to 2RM (typically around 95%)
Deadlift from plates clean-grip style
One arm dumbell row : 5x3-5
Wed:
Bench press : 80% of Monday for 5x2 explosive
Romanian deadlift
One-leg press with feet high
Weighted chin-ups 5x3-5
Friday:
Bench press : explosive contrast with push press, 5-4-3 wave.
Snatch-grip deadlift
Incline DB press or Shoulder press : 5x3-5
As you can see, itās really simple and Iām focusing on heavy movements.
If you have time to give a feedback on this, I would really like to have some ideas on set/rep/load programming on the deadlifts. (I always prefer to go as heavy as possible and have good recovery capabilities)
[/quote]
Monday: clusters of 3 reps for the clean-grip deadlift (1 rep, rest 10 sec, 1 rep, rest 10 sec, 1 rep) start at around 75% of your max and gradually work up to one set with the most weight you can handle for the cluster.
Wednesday: 5 x 3 contrast reps (super slow eccentricā¦ 5-8 seconds, explosive concentric) using 70-75% of your max
Friday: Low double contraction (lift up to knees, lower back down, stand up completelyā¦ this is ONE rep) 5 x 3 with 80-85% of your max