I can’t quote him directly, but Christian said something along the lines of
“you can’t design your own workouts, someone else has to do it for you. If you design your own, you’ll never work on your weak points”
So many questions lately about “I want to try x program but change y and z in it.”
I can understand if an injury prevents certain exercises, but otherwise, I say bite it and do the program as prescribed. Anyone else noticing this?
I agree. Typically a program is prescribed for certain reasons. Whoever gives you the program will tell you what’s flexible and what’s not, and with any luck, why.
I don’t know about having someone else lead you all the time, but input from others can be priceless. Others can view your training from an objective standpoint and see things that your perspective will not allow you to.
So who did CT say designed his workouts? 
See, I don’t know about that completely. Depending on your level of training, I think people can access their own weaknesses. I do this all the time when I train westside plus the new ability for myself to tape my sessions so I can see if I’m dropping too soon on the box when squatting, my knees are coming out, barbell is drifting over my head when I bench, etc.
I do agree partially though if it deals with a uneducated training person.
Another problem with that is that you don’t completely know whats going on inside them unless you are asking the right questions.
I don’t know … I just think there needs to be a lot of communication between the coach and the client/athlete to have a effective training program. And not communication like “how does that feel? wanna put on some more weight?” that only goes so far.
I agree that a well trained athlete or lifter is able to assess their own weaknesses and likely has the intelligence, drive, and motivation to attack their weakpoints.
But.
Many people, like myself, are at a level where it is easier (and a copout) to replace exercises like squats with leg press, dumbell presses with bench, etc. and so on and so on.
I think a lot of people would agree - if most beginner to middle of the road lifters would pick a program from t-mag, stick with it to a T, and hit the metal hard, the program will likely work.
In the sense that you always see a few guys who have big upper bodies and skinny legs doing upper body training, I agree.
Most of us, though, self-select our programs rather receiving them from a coach. As such, we have to be fairly honest and self-critical about our weaknesses and choose programs to address them. With so many great programs available, I don’t know why anyone would want to design their own from scratch. Newbies, in particular, should avoid designing their own programs.
On the other hand, there are days that I’d never get out of the gym if I didn’t do some substitution. I feel like I have a good enough understanding of the goal of a particular lift that I can choose a suitable substitute. Furthermore, I feel pretty comfortable switching out a lift for the length of an entire program if something about it makes it unworkable at that point in time. The problem comes if you end up sacrificing variety or the comprehensive nature of lift for the sake of convenience.
So yeah Rumbach, if you always substitute leg presses for squats you’re not going to get the same results. That’s not a good idea.
I’ve designed programs for myself before, and looking back on them, they were chest and arms based. I can’t believe I just admitted that.
Anyways…
I want to try CT’s Big Back Stack or something similar, but I can’t do snatches. Instead of substituting exercises per my own discretion, I asked CT what he thought. He gave me a straightforward answer and it was much appreciated.
Now that I’ve been learning tons of stuff from this site, I do believe I can make my own workouts, as this is what I have to do now anyways, due to a shoulder injury. It sucks, I know, but I have to do it.
I train for my own personal goals which always place fun and personal satisfaction at the top of my list of goals. If I can find a routine prepared by someone that allows me to maintain these goals, then I’ll do it. Otherwise, I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction out of trying to build my own routines for the most part and see what I accomplish, always learning, always having fun. If I had more of a physique goal, I’d pick a routine and stick to it, for sure.
It seems like many of the workouts I see always have some exercize that I’m not familiar with or requires some weird piece of eqiupment that my gym doesn’t have. It seems that there have been many workouts in T-Mag lately that involve Olympic lifts. As much as I’d like to do them, I’m leary about trying them w/o someone showing me proper form. And I know of no one who can show me.
So, I always end up making modifications to the workouts.
I think I take the “hybrid” approach. For the most part, I do indeed follow the workouts here on T-mag to a “T”, but I also will take the programs here and tweak them to fit my goals. I dont know. There is a part of me which likes following programs offered here on T-mag cause it brings a sense of excitement to my routines. And then there is the other side of me which takes some great satisfaction in taking info I get here and designing my own, well-organized, and logical routines. It can go both ways.
Although I will admit that since I have been here on T-mag, I have definetely put more focus on compound movements such as squats and deadlifts. I LOVE me some deadlifts. I’m sure I am making Ike proud…haha
I guess there is really more than one issue. One is the ability to recognize and address your own weakness. Another is having the knowledge to either modify an existing routine or build one from scratch. Yet another is the ability to stick to a plan you designed yourself without continuing to tinker with it along the way or falling out of it altogether.
I didn’t mean to imply that I’d never put together my own programs in the past, but I had trouble with that third issue. It’s easier for me to stick to someone else’s program. With so many specific plans available now, I can imagine myself starting from scratch again. The point about being able to ask folks like CT about variations is a good one.
I also agree with Jeff about the Olympic lifts. Some periodic coaching and instruction would probably help some of us out.
If you can be objective and disciplined then stick to your own stuff. I stick to a Renegade/CT hybrid and tweak to suit.
I see a number of people here put off doing programs because they haven’t done O lifts or are form concerned. DON’T BE! I do 99.9% of mine from the hang and apart from a few tips here and there have never had a coaching session. Best thing I ever started doing. Read articles like money exercises and do a bit of searching on some of the CT threads and you will be set to go.
So who puts CT’s workouts together for him? I want to meet that person.
Hyphnz is right on. Jeff and Jim, I hate to think that you might be foregoing Oly lifts because you don’t feel you have the expertice. I’d venture to say that the majority of people here have learned them from nohting more than CT’s instructions, reading the forums, asking questions etc. You need to start doing these. Pick something like a clean and jerk. Learn the consituent parts of the lift. Break it down, learn to do one part at a time. Try to do a clean pull. Then learn to get under the bar and rack it etc etc. You start small and pretty soon you’re having fun and building confidence.
I agree with those who say that whether or not you can design your own workout depends on how honest you’re willing to be with yourself. If you’re able to honestly assess yourself, figure out what your weak points are, and bring them up intelligently, you can design your own workouts as well as a strength coach. Of course, if you can do all that, you’re pretty close to ready to be a strength coach, anyway.
I know I’ve had good results with programs from people like Coach Davies, C-dub, Charles Staley, Dave Tate, and CT, but I’ve also had good results with programs I designed myself.
If you can be honest with yourself then you can design your own workouts. If you are really serious about making gains you will be able to do that.
I can see the truth in what CT said but i’ve been doing my own workouts since …forever. I know my weaknesses and i’m conciously trying to destroy them…yes i said destroy.
But for a guy who’s tryin to show off in the gym, designing his own workouts would not be very smart. For if Bench-pressing were to be that guy’s strengh he would always be trying to show-off while on the bench. Thaus he’d not be working on his weak-points but rather on his strong assets, which is hella stupid.
I don’t fully agree with CT, for a couple reasons…he wrote an article in this weeks issue regarding a program HE designed himself, because of lack of equipment. My point is that it can be done…provided you know what you’re doing and are honest with yourself.
I’ve designed programs for myself to target lagging muscles. As an example, I put on a fair amount of mass on my posterior shoulders, by recognizing they were starting to lag, and working them with an honest commitment to improvement.
I don’t think the editors of T-mag put the magazine together to dictate to you what to do verbatum. Instead it’s to increase your knowledge, improve your motivation, and allow you to piece it all together.
I don’t think any of the programs written by CT, King, Romaniello, Marion, etc. are done with them sitting at a desk trying to figure out optimal workouts. My bet is that it was something they tried, had success with, and passed it on. So what’s wrong with doing the same?
Okay, let me ammend this post once again.
Veterans of the gym that can recognize their own weaknesses and address them properly need not apply.
Newbies who say “I’m replacing the clean with push presses and the deadlifts with one legged swiss ball wide grip squats” do.
I’ve seen a lot of the latter, or maybe I’m just an angry and bitter old man.
Rumbach, you may be old and bitter (and apparently have really bad manners at the dinner table) but you are pretty bang on. I just think it’s a great thread and so yeah, your original point might be lost, but we’re still getting a good discussion out of it.
I do drool a bit and snap my fingers at the waiters, but since I can only afford to eat at Truck Stops, doesn’t bother too many people.
CT didn’t say these words as if they were scripture - he was making the basic point that it is easy to:
a. be blind to your own weaknesses
b. pick exercises that support your ego rather than your desire to get stronger
I agreed, and still do.
However, the vets have come in here and made the very real point that people who are driven, educated, and flexible with their training are capable of attacking their flaws.
You may all now beat me with a kettleball, preferably a fuckin’ heavy one.
Dude.