Questions?

Training Bodybuilding
121

[quote]Disc Hoss wrote:
C’Dub,
what is the best frequency/rep range(s) for some forearm growth?

DH[/quote]

Lotsa load and lotsa sets. How’s that? Just kiddin’ DH.

First and foremost, if you seek huge Popeye’s you MUST focus your efforts on your wrist extensors. These muscles probably represent the most undertrained musculature of any strength/size seeking individual. Although, it really doesn’t matter which extensor exercise you choose. You can perform them with dbs, EZ curl bar, or BBs. Perform them first in your workout. 10x5 works very well.

In addition, you should utilize exercises that allows your wrist joint to rotate through a full ROM. Grab a EZ Curl bar and hold one end in your hand. Lift the bar using radial flexion (flex your thumb towards your bicep). Then, grab the other end and perform ulnar flexion (flex your pinky toward your tricep). In addition, hold the fat end of a db in your hand with an open grip. In other words, don’t grab the handle, grab the fat, top portion of the dumbbell. With your arm hanging to your side, perform wrist rotation exercises.

Farmer’s walks, towel pull-ups, etc will do little for forearm girth. This is due to the fact that this same position is constantly stressed from virtually all db and bb exercises. If you want huge forearms, train them with movements that seem odd and unconventional. If you do, you’ll be way ahead of the game.

122

Sorry I forgot to throw in and ask if I should take a week off now or a week off once I start working.

123

Any thoughts on using single leg exercises with the low rep/high set routines in your ABBH I/II, QD, TBT, TTT … routines? It’s one thing to use lunges and bulgarian squats, but what about single leg versions of deadlifts, squats, or good mornings? Do these still qualify as core compound exercises even though the loading is significantly reduced?

Thanks

Lee

124

[quote]LarryJr wrote:
Are stiff-leg deadlifts a good sub for leg curls too?[/quote]

I’m not a fan of stiff-leg deads, but Romanian deads are outstanding. The reason why I didn’t initially recommend them was because it really depends on the program. If a program is based around Dead/Good Morning variations, then RDs could induce excessive low back fatigue.

But, if RDs are your only option, then do them.

125

[quote]Bearhawk wrote:
Chad; What is your view of doing say 6 sets of 4 varying degrees of bench say incline then do 2 sets of push ups with 45lb plate on the back. Also 6x4 of weighted chins with 2x8 1 arm rows and finishing with 4x5 Push Press for an Upper Body day?

Thanks
Bearhawk [/quote]

It’s always a good idea to change angles. Although, it’s not imperative that the angles change within the workout. As long as a program is sufficiently designed to hit all angles, complete development will follow.

6x4 are good basic parameters. Therefore, your example seems sufficient.

126

[quote]Proteinpowda wrote:
Chad Waterbury wrote:
Proteinpowda wrote:
Chad: I broke my record on the bench today.
I pushed 345 for 1 rep at a bodyweight of 203. The last max I did was on my injured wrist when I weighed 225lbs and that was only 340. The set was EASY and I’m quite confident I can do 350. Also please send me a new, improved, and larger dip belt b/c I’m having issues putting 75lbs on it :slight_smile: (Also did 280 for 10x3 on squats today which was quite easy since I tried a wider stance than normal)

I do have a question though.
I leave for NY next week and I’ll probably start the singles club either on Wednesday or 2 Mondays from no (probably 2 mondays from now and just Waterbury Method until then). Also I just finished up taking my bottle of 1-ad (three weeks at either 200 or 300mg/day) and I was wondering what I should do to maintain my gains?
Thanks
Jason

Excellent work!
I wouldn’t fret over losing your gains. If you were on a majorly illegal steroid stack, then it might be an issue. Trust me, the Single’s Club method will be sufficient provided you ingest 5g/day of micronized creatine, take Surge post-workout, and eat plenty of carbs in the AM.

Of course, keep protein intake up to par. You’ll be fine, in fact, your muscle mass might increase since you’ve been on an intense cycle. Indeed, periods of lower volume training - post high volume/intensity training - can often induce subsequent hypertrophy.

Ok thanks Chad! I read over the Single’s Club and it seems excellent; I just think I might have to subsitute barbells for some of the dumbell exercises (the wirst is almost healed and I can do chin ups and hold dumbells again but I can’t do dumbell curls or go as heavy as normal on regular curls).

So would you reccomend sticking to the Single’s Club for the full 14 weeks (with a break every 4 weeks and a slight modification to the program) or changing over to something else after the prescribed 4 weeks (Big Three Maybe…I think that’s the name).

I’ll keep the protein intake high as you suggest but any suggestions on the # of kcals I should ingest? My metabolic rate without working out is in the range or 3200-3500 daily. When I’ve caddied before though I’ve eatend 1 or 2lbs of cookie dough daily (2000kcals/lb) on top of normal food intake and lost weight. Also (being I’m vegetarian) any ideas for foods I can slip in my pocket or take with me when I’m on the golf course?
Thanks
Jason

P.S. Thank you SO much for your advice on how to possibly make some gains this summer. I’m finally starting to become happy with how I look and I don’t want to give that feeling up. Plus putting up a lot of weight feels pretty good :slight_smile: [/quote]

Alternate between the modified Single’s Club and NB3 for the summer. A good food to carry with you? Apples, dried prunes and Grow! bars.

127

[quote]Chad Waterbury wrote:
Disc Hoss wrote:
C’Dub,
what is the best frequency/rep range(s) for some forearm growth?

DH

Lotsa load and lotsa sets. How’s that? Just kiddin’ DH.

First and foremost, if you seek huge Popeye’s you MUST focus your efforts on your wrist extensors. These muscles probably represent the most undertrained musculature of any strength/size seeking individual. Although, it really doesn’t matter which extensor exercise you choose. You can perform them with dbs, EZ curl bar, or BBs. Perform them first in your workout. 10x5 works very well.

In addition, you should utilize exercises that allows your wrist joint to rotate through a full ROM. Grab a EZ Curl bar and hold one end in your hand. Lift the bar using radial flexion (flex your thumb towards your bicep). Then, grab the other end and perform ulnar flexion (flex your pinky toward your tricep). In addition, hold the fat end of a db in your hand with an open grip. In other words, don’t grab the handle, grab the fat, top portion of the dumbbell. With your arm hanging to your side, perform wrist rotation exercises.

Farmer’s walks, towel pull-ups, etc will do little for forearm girth. This is due to the fact that this same position is constantly stressed from virtually all db and bb exercises. If you want huge forearms, train them with movements that seem odd and unconventional. If you do, you’ll be way ahead of the game. [/quote]

CW, thanks, since the forearms are so comparatively small, can this volume (10x5) be added without a reduction to say TBT? Also would it be a good idea to use the 100 reps on the forearms on the other 4 days?

I’m just a glutton for volume. ;0

DH

128

[quote]Proteinpowda wrote:
Sorry I forgot to throw in and ask if I should take a week off now or a week off once I start working. [/quote]

Take a week off once you start working. In other words, it’s probably best to “push” the overtraining envelope while you can still perform full training routines. Therefore, the break will cause an overshoot of recovery mechanisms.

129

[quote]obiwanheifner wrote:
Any thoughts on using single leg exercises with the low rep/high set routines in your ABBH I/II, QD, TBT, TTT … routines? It’s one thing to use lunges and bulgarian squats, but what about single leg versions of deadlifts, squats, or good mornings? Do these still qualify as core compound exercises even though the loading is significantly reduced?

Thanks

Lee [/quote]

Good question. Yes, single-leg variations are an excellent choice. They’re definitely still considered compound exercises by nature. Depending on your strength levels, you could use certain variations as either endurance (eg 20+ reps) or maximal strength (<5 reps). But, don’t neglect traditional DB and BB variations or else your maximal strength levels will plummet in the major lifts.

130

[quote]Disc Hoss wrote:
Chad Waterbury wrote:
Disc Hoss wrote:
C’Dub,
what is the best frequency/rep range(s) for some forearm growth?

DH

Lotsa load and lotsa sets. How’s that? Just kiddin’ DH.

First and foremost, if you seek huge Popeye’s you MUST focus your efforts on your wrist extensors. These muscles probably represent the most undertrained musculature of any strength/size seeking individual. Although, it really doesn’t matter which extensor exercise you choose. You can perform them with dbs, EZ curl bar, or BBs. Perform them first in your workout. 10x5 works very well.

In addition, you should utilize exercises that allows your wrist joint to rotate through a full ROM. Grab a EZ Curl bar and hold one end in your hand. Lift the bar using radial flexion (flex your thumb towards your bicep). Then, grab the other end and perform ulnar flexion (flex your pinky toward your tricep). In addition, hold the fat end of a db in your hand with an open grip. In other words, don’t grab the handle, grab the fat, top portion of the dumbbell. With your arm hanging to your side, perform wrist rotation exercises.

Farmer’s walks, towel pull-ups, etc will do little for forearm girth. This is due to the fact that this same position is constantly stressed from virtually all db and bb exercises. If you want huge forearms, train them with movements that seem odd and unconventional. If you do, you’ll be way ahead of the game.

CW, thanks, since the forearms are so comparatively small, can this volume (10x5) be added without a reduction to say TBT? Also would it be a good idea to use the 100 reps on the forearms on the other 4 days?

I’m just a glutton for volume. ;0

DH[/quote]

No need to alter TBT. Yes, the 100 Rep method will create a huge hypertrophy advantage for you.

131

Ok Chad. Excellent suggestion on the Prunes. I was already going to order some Grow! bars. Raisins should probably work too (and I can buy them in bulk at Costco along with the prunes) and hi GI carbs are not as bad when I’m burning them off.

So further questions:

  1. Any advice on caloric reccomendations since my activity factor changes daily?
  2. You need to come party up here in Tempe sometime.
    Jason
132

[quote]Chad Waterbury wrote:
Uscumla Beograd wrote:
Chad I have a wrist injury can you give me some advice how to train with wrist injury . I can perform only squat,good mornings,pec-dec=normal; row(but I can only lift 60% of 1RM); and other exercises with light weights(40% of 1RM).
Please , I’m desperate I didn’t train 1 month ?

Choose any upper body exercise that doesn’t cause wrist pain. Use high rep sets (22-25/set) and go to failure. Normally, I don’t recommend failure training, but in your case it’s sufficient.

Focus your lower body training on heavy load parameters such as 10x3 and 5x5 in order to keep your “total” body strong. [/quote]

Chad how many sets should I use for high rep sets,maybe to use some SOB principe for high rep sets (3x20 set/rep),and should I workout entire body in one workout ?

133

[quote]Uscumla Beograd wrote:
Chad Waterbury wrote:
Uscumla Beograd wrote:
Chad I have a wrist injury can you give me some advice how to train with wrist injury . I can perform only squat,good mornings,pec-dec=normal; row(but I can only lift 60% of 1RM); and other exercises with light weights(40% of 1RM).
Please , I’m desperate I didn’t train 1 month ?

Choose any upper body exercise that doesn’t cause wrist pain. Use high rep sets (22-25/set) and go to failure. Normally, I don’t recommend failure training, but in your case it’s sufficient.

Focus your lower body training on heavy load parameters such as 10x3 and 5x5 in order to keep your “total” body strong.

Chad how many sets should I use for high rep sets,maybe to use some SOB principe for high rep sets (3x20 set/rep),and should I workout entire body in one workout ?[/quote]

I broke the Scaphoid bone in my wrist 3 months ago and it still hasn’t healed!!..I have tried to use it as a positive and a time to focus on legs.

I have been using Chad’s QD program for legs. For upper body I have been doing one-arm versions of the exercises listed on the strength day and then upper body exercises on machines that do not involve any gripping on hypertrophy day - I have been varying sets and reps and intensity techniques.

I have not lost any significant size in my upper body at all, even my arms which i have not trained directly since the end of Jan!!

You might find this link useful:

http://www.houstontexans.com/fitness/news_detail.php?PRKey=1361

Good luck
Dan

134

Thanks Dan E !!

135

Chad,

I’ve been lifting for about 7-8 months seriously now, and I was pretty stunned when I read that the real source of upper arm gains is compound exercises in your ABBH 1 article (probably shouldn’t have shocked me because what i’ve been doing isn’t working so well). I was wondering if I should be doing ABBH or another one of your programs. I’m 19, 5’ 8", 165lbs, 15.5" arms. If you need more information before you can suggest something, let me know. Sorry if this is redundant.

136

Chad: For some reason today I went to the gym and didn’t feel like lifting. So I instead just decided I’m going to throw up some 1RMs. What would you make of these:
Bench - I hit 345 earlier in the week (while on 1-ad) but could not hit 350 today.
Squat - I put up 365 easily and I feel I could’ve done quite a bit more
Deadlift - I tried for 365…lets just say I sounded like a Kung-Fu movie as I tried to lift it. I lifted 335…barely and I almost dopped it.
Pullups without weight I can still only do 9 of; but I’m using 25 or 30lbs for the 10x3 on them.
I had no idea what my max on Seated Military would be so I threw up 185 far too easily; it felt like a 3 or 5RM to me.

So I’m guessing I need to work on my deadlifts a lot more :slight_smile:

Jason

137

Chad

I know the body is made up of different fiber types.

I know that some people are dominated by one or the other.

Is it possible to be heavy slow or fast in your chest and heavy slow or fast in your legs?

Let me try to explain. Starting Waterbury Method this week. Monday was gruesome. Very hard to finish the bi/tri combo at the end. Today was 10*3 bench and it just didn’t seem as hard. Without the obvious differenc of squats to chest how could this be explained except for muscle type.

Should I drop to 70% max on squat day and go to 85% max on bench day?

Help.

By the way–just coming off TBT and then took one week off completely. Hope this is clear enough for you to understand

138

[quote]Proteinpowda wrote:
Ok Chad. Excellent suggestion on the Prunes. I was already going to order some Grow! bars. Raisins should probably work too (and I can buy them in bulk at Costco along with the prunes) and hi GI carbs are not as bad when I’m burning them off.

So further questions:

  1. Any advice on caloric reccomendations since my activity factor changes daily?
  2. You need to come party up here in Tempe sometime.
    Jason[/quote]

No further advice. Just keep your calories as high as possible since you’ll be expending copious amounts of calories on a daily basis.

139

[quote]Uscumla Beograd wrote:
Chad Waterbury wrote:
Uscumla Beograd wrote:
Chad I have a wrist injury can you give me some advice how to train with wrist injury . I can perform only squat,good mornings,pec-dec=normal; row(but I can only lift 60% of 1RM); and other exercises with light weights(40% of 1RM).
Please , I’m desperate I didn’t train 1 month ?

Choose any upper body exercise that doesn’t cause wrist pain. Use high rep sets (22-25/set) and go to failure. Normally, I don’t recommend failure training, but in your case it’s sufficient.

Focus your lower body training on heavy load parameters such as 10x3 and 5x5 in order to keep your “total” body strong.

Chad how many sets should I use for high rep sets,maybe to use some SOB principe for high rep sets (3x20 set/rep),and should I workout entire body in one workout ?[/quote]

2-3 sets should suffice.

140

[quote]tricky85 wrote:
Chad,

I’ve been lifting for about 7-8 months seriously now, and I was pretty stunned when I read that the real source of upper arm gains is compound exercises in your ABBH 1 article (probably shouldn’t have shocked me because what i’ve been doing isn’t working so well). I was wondering if I should be doing ABBH or another one of your programs. I’m 19, 5’ 8", 165lbs, 15.5" arms. If you need more information before you can suggest something, let me know. Sorry if this is redundant.[/quote]

Since you’re new to training, ABBH is a perfect choice.