Starting TBT, Is This Solid?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

What’s up guys, I’ve been training for about 2 years but have really only had a clue for a couple of months, since I found this site. I started a new program of my own design at the beginning of summer, which looked like this:

Day 1: Chest & Triceps
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Day 3: Shoulders & Legs
Day 4: off
Repeat

And I liked it a lot, but it’s time to really get serious. Since I’m not very massive at all I decided on Chad Waterbury’s Total Body Training. Here’s what my preliminary workout schedule for the next 2 weeks looks like:

Day 1:
Dumbbell Bench Press 3x5
Seated Row 3x5
Pull-ups 3x5
Dips 3x5
Military press 3x5
Front Squats 3x5

Day 2:
Off

Day 3:
Incline Bench Press 3x8
Bent Over Dumbbell Row 3x8
Barbell Curls 3x8
Triceps Pull-Downs 3x8
Barbell Shrugs 3x8
Calf Press 3x8
Use antagonistic pairing

Day 4:
Off

Day 5:
Dumbbell Bench Press 2x15
Seated Rows 2x15
Preacher Curls 2x15
French Press 2x15
Lateral Raises 2x15
Front Squats 2x15

Day 6:
Off

Day 7:
Flyes 2x15
Raised Cable Curls 3x10
Triceps Pull-Downs 3x10
Leg Extensions 2x15
Close Grip Pull-Downs 3x10
Weighted Decline Sit-ups 3x15
Weighted Decline Sit-ups w/ obliques 3x10

Day 8:
Off

Day 9:
Dumbbell Bench Press 3x5
Seated Row 3x5
Pull-ups 3x5
Dips 3x5
Military press 3x5
Front Squats 3x5

Day 10:
Off

Day 11:
Incline Bench Press 3x8
Bent Over Dumbbell Row 3x8
Barbell Curls 3x8
Triceps Pull-Downs 3x8
Barbell Shrugs 3x8
Calf Press 3x8
Use antagonistic pairing

Day 12:
Off

Day 13:
Dumbbell Bench Press 2x15
Seated Rows 2x15
Preacher Curls 2x15
French Press 2x15
Lateral Raises 2x15
Front Squats 2x15

Day 14:
Off

Day 7 is a workout that I added in on my own incorporating exercises I still really wanted to fit in. I want to make sure I start out this program on the right foot, so if there are any glaring errors please let me know.

2

i forget how it is set up but i would assume you would want something like squats to be one of the first things in your list of exercises. that way you can actually do them.

3

You can pretty much take Waterbury’s programs to the bank. Do what he says, as he says, and there is no need to double check anything.

4

Not nearly enough leg work. Nothing for the posterior chain. When I do a total body program, I base every session around 4 major movements:

Lower Body Squat (back/front squat, lunges, split squats, leg press, etc)

Lower Body Pull (deadlift, RDL, SLDL, any olympic clean/snatch/pull, etc)

Upper Body Push (bench, military press, push press, etc)

Upper Body Pull (rows, chins, etc)

Then, throw in two or three accessory movements. I like one day bi’s/tri’s, one day lat raise/shrugs, one day leg curls/leg extensions/calves. You can really do accessory for any body part you want to bring up, but definetely the first four movements should be compound lifts covering the 4 areas I touched on.

5

So glad someone posted about TBT. I’m looking at starting it once I head back to school in a couple weeks. Would love to know how you progress on it.

6

TBT is really sound in its principles. It makes a lot of sense and CW has a great track record. Get at it!

7

Can someone point me to the TBT program, or provide a link…having trouble finding it (other than what was posted at the top of this thread). Much appreciated.

8

nevermind…I found it.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=508031

9

TBT = Total Body Training. So, you need to have upper and lower on every day. At least one big lower body lift, each day. Personally, I’d do one big one and one easier lower body lift, on each training day.

Front Squat
Good Morning

RDL
Split Squat

Back Squat
Reverse Lunges

Make sure you’ve got some quad and some hip dominant across the week, too.

Then, one compound push and one compound pull each day. The other two can either be additional compound lifts of your choice, or some of the accessory lifts that you like (shrugs, calf, lat raises, curls, etc.).

The second week, keep the same lifts, but switch from straight sets to antogonist paired supersets. On day 3 you say you’re using antagonistic sets, but that doesn’t happen until week 2, but it’s one every day, not just one day.

10

[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Not nearly enough leg work. Nothing for the posterior chain. When I do a total body program, I base every session around 4 major movements:

Lower Body Squat (back/front squat, lunges, split squats, leg press, etc)

Lower Body Pull (deadlift, RDL, SLDL, any olympic clean/snatch/pull, etc)

Upper Body Push (bench, military press, push press, etc)

Upper Body Pull (rows, chins, etc)

Then, throw in two or three accessory movements. I like one day bi’s/tri’s, one day lat raise/shrugs, one day leg curls/leg extensions/calves. You can really do accessory for any body part you want to bring up, but definetely the first four movements should be compound lifts covering the 4 areas I touched on.[/quote]

This is exactly how I structure it also, especially with the accessory movements at the end.

I ran through TBT once and loved it, so now I’m doing it again. Generally I’m still following the guideline CW laid out, although I throw a few more heavy days in there, simply because I dig that.

Anyway, it’s an excellent program and I benefitted quite a bit from it.

11

[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
i forget how it is set up but i would assume you would want something like squats to be one of the first things in your list of exercises. that way you can actually do them.[/quote]

Doing squats first is more consistent with the program principles. The program is set up with four compound movements (ex: front squat) each day, then 2 single joint movements (ex: bicep curl). It seems that your workouts violate this on a few days.

Check this thread out. It contains a spreadsheet of Waterbury programs, including TBT.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=615935