Hey Christian, I am currently sitting at 215lbs with 23.5% bodyfat (via hand-held ormon i think) at 6’3. I know this is prolly not your area of expertice but I am trying to get to a 36" vertical and I am just over 33" now, what should I get my bodyfat down to for maximum jumping ability? Also what kind of diet do you reccomend for high school athletes (bball and baseb) to lose the extra fat?(I don’t seem to need much food to maintain muscle mass)
Hey CT. Got a question about the CNS for ya. You said during your I, BODYBUILDER video that “you see how most people only work the muscle and stimulating the muscle but not the CNS.” Then you go and said “yeah that’s great but the CNS, he the boss. That’s the future of bodybuilding right there.” Now I know the I, BODYBUILDER is not out yet but that got me think of want to try to stimulate the CNS for more growth for the while until the I, BODYBUILDER program comes out.
Now I read your other 4 part article about how over stimulating the CNS can be an overkill and can take more time to recover than it will take for the muscle might loose its gains from the previous session. SO my question is: in order to stimulate the CNS, how should I go about doing that so that I won’t overkill myself doing too much. I am planning to include squat, power cleans, deadlift and bench press and floor presses. I also plan to use cluster reps only for the bench press. Also what can the CNS do? You said it’s the boss right? If by stimulating it will it cause more growth and mass?
Hey CT, I play frisbee and do a lot of throwing as I’m handler. My right shoulder is significantly less stable than my left for that reason, and I do a decent amount of overhead pressing (2 times a week) without any problems. My question is, how could I even out my shoulders so that the right is less “loose” than the left? I’m taking a few months off from frisbee so I have time to do something about this, I hope.
Dear CT
Im not a complete beginner and I know real big boys do the high set workouts but im really at a loss to what training frequency i should do. For example, Once a week high set training for each muscle group or, twice a week at half the set range.
ie. for each muscle group - 15 sets once a week or, 8 sets twice a week.
Effectively both are reaching the some total weight lifted??
Im training for strength and size so im not sure if once a week at high sets is enough.
currently 183cm, 80kg, 12% bf @ last anthro tests.
Thib,
Would there be any benefit to using exercises that focus on rotary stability or preventing any other sort of unwanted motion around the spine but would not be considered “core” exercises, per se, perhaps as a “back off” after a main exercise or as part of ab training on an off day?
Is there a way to always keep in various asymmetrical movements that focus on stability as a preventative measure even without any present imbalances?
For example, a Pallof press or 1-arm Farmer’s walk hits stability without cutting into any p"rime movers" much, whereas something like a split squat with asymmetrical load also focuses on the need for stability, but with more contribution by the prime movers than the previous 2 examples.
Is there a specific volume and/or placement in a training session or the training week that allows you to use movements that hit prime movers along with increased focus on stability (ex’s 2-point 1-arm rows, push-ups with 1-leg elevated, 1-leg RDL with DB on side of working leg, etc.) without compromising work with movements that allow for greater loading (chest supported or cable rows, bench press or regular weighted push-ups, RDL’s, or anything along these lines)?
To illustrate, a chest supported row would clearly allow for greater overload of the upper back than the 2-point 1-arm row, but the latter obviously gives a great anti-rotation training effect. so is there a way to regularly program something like the 2-point 1-arm row as a “core” training movement as opposed to an upper back/pulling movement without impacting on what a typical pulling portion of your weekly training would look like?
A similar anti-rotation effect could be gained using an elevated 3-point plank with a dumbbell in the free-hanging arm trying to pull you into rotation without requiring much additional work from the upper back as with the 2-point 1-arm row. This is where part of my confusion comes when determining where a movement best fits.
I apologize for getting a bit wordy with this. Any ideas on this front would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, coach, and I hope all is well.
Hey thibs,
I read one of your answers to a question about bringing up a lagging upper body - Where you stated that a good idea would be to specialize 1-2 muscle groups at a time for 3 weeks at a time, like this:
week 1-3: back/biceps
week 4-6: chest/triceps
week 7-9: shoulders/traps
week 10-12: normal training
I have a couple of questions about that if you wouldn’t mind answering,
Would it be of any benefit to specialize for bodyparts 1 week at a time and do it on a rotation instead? Something like this:
Week 1: back/biceps
Week 2: chest/triceps
Week 3: shoulders/traps
Week 4: normal training
Week 5: repeat
Also, if its not too much trouble, what would be a good split to hit a bodypart 3x in a week?
Thanks for the time you spend answering Q’s CT.
[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
Hey thibs,
I read one of your answers to a question about bringing up a lagging upper body - Where you stated that a good idea would be to specialize 1-2 muscle groups at a time for 3 weeks at a time, like this:
week 1-3: back/biceps
week 4-6: chest/triceps
week 7-9: shoulders/traps
week 10-12: normal training
I have a couple of questions about that if you wouldn’t mind answering,
Would it be of any benefit to specialize for bodyparts 1 week at a time and do it on a rotation instead? Something like this:
Week 1: back/biceps
Week 2: chest/triceps
Week 3: shoulders/traps
Week 4: normal training
Week 5: repeat
Also, if its not too much trouble, what would be a good split to hit a bodypart 3x in a week?
Thanks for the time you spend answering Q’s CT.
[/quote]
Not a good idea at all. You need a certain time specializing on a muscle group for the strategy to be worthwhile.
Plus, I REALLY don’t like when people talk about ‘specializing on the upper body’
[quote]krsoneeeee wrote:
Dear CT
Im not a complete beginner and I know real big boys do the high set workouts but im really at a loss to what training frequency i should do. For example, Once a week high set training for each muscle group or, twice a week at half the set range.
ie. for each muscle group - 15 sets once a week or, 8 sets twice a week.
Effectively both are reaching the some total weight lifted??
Im training for strength and size so im not sure if once a week at high sets is enough.
currently 183cm, 80kg, 12% bf @ last anthro tests.
[/quote]
It’s not as simple as comparing once a week 16 sets and twice a week 8 sets. Intensity (rep range, amount of weight lifted), exercise selection and training techniques are also key in making the decision.
For example, these workouts (not suggestions, just an example) would all have drastically different effect despite have the same frequency (once a week) and number of sets (15):
EXAMPLE A
Back squat 5 x 12
Deadlift 5 x 12
Leg extension 5 x 12
EXAMPLE B
Back squat 6 x 3
Deadlift 6 x 3
Leg extension 3 x 8
EXAMPLE C
Leg press 4 x 15
Leg extension 4 x 15
Leg curl 4 x 15
Seated calves 3 x 20
So try to be a bit more precise with your question
[quote]hulk963 wrote:
Hey Christian, I am currently sitting at 215lbs with 23.5% bodyfat (via hand-held ormon i think) at 6’3. I know this is prolly not your area of expertice but I am trying to get to a 36" vertical and I am just over 33" now, what should I get my bodyfat down to for maximum jumping ability? Also what kind of diet do you reccomend for high school athletes (bball and baseb) to lose the extra fat?(I don’t seem to need much food to maintain muscle mass)[/quote]
Why wouldn’t it be my area of expertise? I have trained athletes from 26 different sports, including basketball. I have trained pros (hockey and football) as well as top level/olympic athletes. My uncle was named University Basketball coach of the year and my sister has been coaching college basketball for over 20 years.
Anyway, strictly from a bodyweight perspective, provided that your strength and strength/power to weight ratio would stay the same, to gain 3’’ on your vertical you would have to drop around 20-25lbs of fat. NOW that doesn’t mean that you would be 195… normally with each 2-3lbs of fat that you drop, you drop around a pound of water. So if you maintain your current muscle mass you would probably need to drop down to around 185.
Now, IF your body fat reading was accurate (which it probably isn’t because those bioimpedense things are crap) you would need to drop down to around 12%.
Losing 20-25lbs of fat would require a pretty solid diet for around 8-10 weeks. You could lose the weight faster, but some of it would be muscle which would decrease your strength and power which would hurt you in your goal.
I suggest not eating any carbs (only eating, meat, fish, chicken and green veggies) EXCEPT for prior workouts.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
hulk963 wrote:
Hey Christian, I am currently sitting at 215lbs with 23.5% bodyfat (via hand-held ormon i think) at 6’3. I know this is prolly not your area of expertice but I am trying to get to a 36" vertical and I am just over 33" now, what should I get my bodyfat down to for maximum jumping ability? Also what kind of diet do you reccomend for high school athletes (bball and baseb) to lose the extra fat?(I don’t seem to need much food to maintain muscle mass)
Why wouldn’t it be my area of expertise? I have trained athletes from 26 different sports, including basketball. I have trained pros (hockey and football) as well as top level/olympic athletes. My uncle was named University Basketball coach of the year and my sister has been coaching college basketball for over 20 years.
Anyway, strictly from a bodyweight perspective, provided that your strength and strength/power to weight ratio would stay the same, to gain 3’’ on your vertical you would have to drop around 20-25lbs of fat. NOW that doesn’t mean that you would be 195… normally with each 2-3lbs of fat that you drop, you drop around a pound of water. So if you maintain your current muscle mass you would probably need to drop down to around 185.
Now, IF your body fat reading was accurate (which it probably isn’t because those bioimpedense things are crap) you would need to drop down to around 12%.
Losing 20-25lbs of fat would require a pretty solid diet for around 8-10 weeks. You could lose the weight faster, but some of it would be muscle which would decrease your strength and power which would hurt you in your goal.
I suggest not eating any carbs (only eating, meat, fish, chicken and green veggies) EXCEPT for prior workouts.
[/quote]
alright thanks, I thought you were more into bodybuilding, that’s all.
Thib, what is the closest Deadlift variation to Oly Squat and to Front Squat, in terms of quad recruitment ?
(besides trap bar)
Hello Mr. Thibaudeau,
in the 2nd installment of your quick tips series you point out how important direct and complete forearm stimulation is for performance, looks and injury prevention. I have identified my forearms as my weak link, holding me back. The lever bar aka Thor´s hammer is prominently featured in the article.
I recently bought one. How do you properly perform the supination / pronation movement.
All I can come up with is using the lever bar like a hammer with my wrists neutral and stationary.
How do you go about the pronation / supination?
Thanks so much!
Hi Coach Thibaudeau,
- I have a training/nutrition question… I have musculation workouts monday, wesnesday and friday, while tuesday, thursday, and saturday I have cardio workouts (in fact, interval wrestling).
Do you think that an use of the full protocol (I like the “cup of rice” idea that you’ve given to the strongman, so I’d probably add it too) only on the days where I lift weights would be good, while I would be using L-Carnitine before my cardio and CH+leucine during my cardio… the idea is to gain lean muscle mass, and with all this new CH thing I’m a bit lost with these old “bulking/cutting” ideas, so it would be nice if you could give me some indications.
- During my new 4 week training cycle, I’ll train whole body three times a week, the objective being of gaining size and increasing work capacity while building a strong squat (Upper body will be trained for maintenance). Do you think that squatting every time would be optimal, since I’ve read that westside guys like to incorporate changes in the lifts they use to prevent them from stagnation? Maybe replacing once in a week squat by front squat, or deadlifting from a deficit?
Thanks!
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
krsoneeeee wrote:
Dear CT
Im not a complete beginner and I know real big boys do the high set workouts but im really at a loss to what training frequency i should do. For example, Once a week high set training for each muscle group or, twice a week at half the set range.
ie. for each muscle group - 15 sets once a week or, 8 sets twice a week.
Effectively both are reaching the some total weight lifted??
Im training for strength and size so im not sure if once a week at high sets is enough.
currently 183cm, 80kg, 12% bf @ last anthro tests.
It’s not as simple as comparing once a week 16 sets and twice a week 8 sets. Intensity (rep range, amount of weight lifted), exercise selection and training techniques are also key in making the decision.
For example, these workouts (not suggestions, just an example) would all have drastically different effect despite have the same frequency (once a week) and number of sets (15):
EXAMPLE A
Back squat 5 x 12
Deadlift 5 x 12
Leg extension 5 x 12
EXAMPLE B
Back squat 6 x 3
Deadlift 6 x 3
Leg extension 3 x 8
EXAMPLE C
Leg press 4 x 15
Leg extension 4 x 15
Leg curl 4 x 15
Seated calves 3 x 20
So try to be a bit more precise with your question
[/quote]
Sorry I wasn’t sure how precise i needed to be - I’m training for size, but also wanting to increase strength. So my workouts have been cycling rep ranges,
ie.
LEG PRESS:
set 1 - 10 reps
set 2 - 8 reps
set 3 - 6 reps
X 2 (therefore 6 sets per muscle group, twice a week)
In your opinion is this going to effective?
The exercise’s below are my thoughts if i was to go once a week per muscle group. (exercises are basic but I do half my gym at home so i dont have the expensive cable machines.)
CHEST
INCLINE BENCH (dumbbell) 4 x 10
FLAT BENCH 5 x 8
PEC DEC 4 x 6
SHOULDERS
MILITARY PRESS 5 x 8
LATERAL RAISE (bent arm) 5 x 10
REVERSE CABLE FLY 5 x 8
BACK
T-BAR ROWS 5 x 6
LAT PULLDOWN 5 x 8
BARBELL BENT OVER ROW 5 x 8
LEGS
CALF RAISES(seated* and standing*) 3* x 15
SQUATS 5 x 8
LEG EXTENSION 5 x 8
LEG CURLS 5 x 10
ARMS Bi’s -
BENT-OVER CONCENTRATION CURLS
PRONE INCLINE CURLS
Tri’s -
CLOSE GRIP B-PRESS
LYING SKULL CRUSH
If you can help at all Ill be very grateful.
thanks,
Matt.
[quote]Thy. wrote:
Thib, what is the closest Deadlift variation to Oly Squat and to Front Squat, in terms of quad recruitment ?
(besides trap bar)[/quote]
Barbell hack squats
[quote]krsoneeeee wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
krsoneeeee wrote:
Dear CT
Im not a complete beginner and I know real big boys do the high set workouts but im really at a loss to what training frequency i should do. For example, Once a week high set training for each muscle group or, twice a week at half the set range.
ie. for each muscle group - 15 sets once a week or, 8 sets twice a week.
Effectively both are reaching the some total weight lifted??
Im training for strength and size so im not sure if once a week at high sets is enough.
currently 183cm, 80kg, 12% bf @ last anthro tests.
It’s not as simple as comparing once a week 16 sets and twice a week 8 sets. Intensity (rep range, amount of weight lifted), exercise selection and training techniques are also key in making the decision.
For example, these workouts (not suggestions, just an example) would all have drastically different effect despite have the same frequency (once a week) and number of sets (15):
EXAMPLE A
Back squat 5 x 12
Deadlift 5 x 12
Leg extension 5 x 12
EXAMPLE B
Back squat 6 x 3
Deadlift 6 x 3
Leg extension 3 x 8
EXAMPLE C
Leg press 4 x 15
Leg extension 4 x 15
Leg curl 4 x 15
Seated calves 3 x 20
So try to be a bit more precise with your question
Sorry I wasn’t sure how precise i needed to be - I’m training for size, but also wanting to increase strength. So my workouts have been cycling rep ranges,
ie.
LEG PRESS:
set 1 - 10 reps
set 2 - 8 reps
set 3 - 6 reps
X 2 (therefore 6 sets per muscle group, twice a week)
In your opinion is this going to effective?
The exercise’s below are my thoughts if i was to go once a week per muscle group. (exercises are basic but I do half my gym at home so i dont have the expensive cable machines.)
CHEST
INCLINE BENCH (dumbbell) 4 x 10
FLAT BENCH 5 x 8
PEC DEC 4 x 6
SHOULDERS
MILITARY PRESS 5 x 8
LATERAL RAISE (bent arm) 5 x 10
REVERSE CABLE FLY 5 x 8
BACK
T-BAR ROWS 5 x 6
LAT PULLDOWN 5 x 8
BARBELL BENT OVER ROW 5 x 8
LEGS
CALF RAISES(seated* and standing*) 3* x 15
SQUATS 5 x 8
LEG EXTENSION 5 x 8
LEG CURLS 5 x 10
ARMS Bi’s -
BENT-OVER CONCENTRATION CURLS
PRONE INCLINE CURLS
Tri’s -
CLOSE GRIP B-PRESS
LYING SKULL CRUSH
If you can help at all Ill be very grateful.
thanks,
Matt.
[/quote]
I can’t do full program critique since when I do, I’m thorough about it and it actually takes me more time than writing a new program.
I will say that your program while not groundbreaking, doesn’t really suck. So if you work hard at it you should be able to progress fairly well.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Goodfellow wrote:
Hey thibs,
I read one of your answers to a question about bringing up a lagging upper body - Where you stated that a good idea would be to specialize 1-2 muscle groups at a time for 3 weeks at a time, like this:
week 1-3: back/biceps
week 4-6: chest/triceps
week 7-9: shoulders/traps
week 10-12: normal training
I have a couple of questions about that if you wouldn’t mind answering,
Would it be of any benefit to specialize for bodyparts 1 week at a time and do it on a rotation instead? Something like this:
Week 1: back/biceps
Week 2: chest/triceps
Week 3: shoulders/traps
Week 4: normal training
Week 5: repeat
Also, if its not too much trouble, what would be a good split to hit a bodypart 3x in a week?
Thanks for the time you spend answering Q’s CT.
Not a good idea at all. You need a certain time specializing on a muscle group for the strategy to be worthwhile.
Plus, I REALLY don’t like when people talk about ‘specializing on the upper body’
[/quote]
Thanks for the reply. I have been hitting legs hard with a quads one day and hamstrings the other, they are my best bodypart!
I was wondering if focusing on each muscle group for 3 weeks at a time would be beneficial for most trainees? Or just those who have a very decent base to begin with?
I’m debating on doing something like this, opposed to my traditional split hitting a body-part every 5-6 days. I’m just not sure if it would do more bad than good. Considering i’ve only got 1 year of solid training under my belt.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib, what is the closest Deadlift variation to Oly Squat and to Front Squat, in terms of quad recruitment ?
(besides trap bar)
Barbell hack squats[/quote]
Those don’t suit me well because of my build.
Which variation would be number 2 ?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib,
I’ve been bench pressing for 3 weeks like this:
Do you think it’s too much volume and frequency? What should I change?
Do you feel more aggressive or less patient? These two are signs of neural overload. From experience you need to go lighter (but more explosive) at least once a week.
For example, the following would be better:
Mon: 87-92% work up to 3-4 sets of 2
Wed: 80% OF WHAT YOU USED ON MONDAY 5 sets of 2 or 10 sets of 1
Friday: Contrast (1 explosive movement alternated with one heavier lift) …3 reps for the explosive movement, 3 to 5 reps for the heavier one
Wednesday is a top-end speed day because you’ll end up using around 70% of your max… make sure to lift as explosively as possible on that day, the goal should be to dominate the weight.
[/quote]
Coach, would this be a good approach to a whole body routine? Using 4-6 compound exercises per the parameters you’ve outlined above? Lastly, on the contrast movement, are you upping the weight during the set, or do you perform the explosive reps, rack the bar then load the heavy weight and perform the required reps?
[quote]Thy. wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Thy. wrote:
Thib, what is the closest Deadlift variation to Oly Squat and to Front Squat, in terms of quad recruitment ?
(besides trap bar)
Barbell hack squats
Those don’t suit me well because of my build.
Which variation would be number 2 ?
[/quote]
A distant second would be snatch-grip deadlift.