Do you suggest using straps on deadlift in this program or hook grip?
Ideally the hook grip on any deadlift variations MOST of the time, at least for the main movement. They are okay to use on the assistance work or on a day where you feel tired you can even use them on the main lift. But not all the time. Grip strength is very important to displaying maximal strength so you do need some work to make it stronger.
Would you recommend this program or the 4 day power building workout that youāve posted using double progressionā¦ If the goal is to be big.
Hey coach,
Two questions!
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If Iāve been doing high bar back squat instead of front squat for the peogram, what substitute exercise would you recommend in weeks 8 and 9 for the narrow stance high bar back squat?
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Im leaving for a 2 vacation right after I finish week 10 of the program. Iāll have access to some dumbells and machines,. What kind of work would you recommend that I do in this time span? I was thinking of doing 4 weeks of hypertrophy stuff when I got back home, then jumping into six weeks to superhero
Both work. If you want to be big itās more a matter of nutrition and possibly supplementation. Thatās the thing that people understand. There are no magic program. Yes some might work a bit better than others but if you want to put on a lot of size itās mostly a matter of training hard on the program you select and eating to fuel growth.
Low bar squats would be my choice, or safety bar squats if you have that bar
Yeah I agree with the 2 weeks of hypertrophy work. It will give your body and nervous system a break. As for doing 6 weeks to Superhero after that. itās a bit early to chose. I would use the 2 weeks vacation to reflect on where you want to take your body next and then making your decision.
The purpose is not to complete a list of pre-selected programs. It is to use the proper programs to develop your body the way you want to.
I like that, very real and honest - use the proper programs to develop your body the way you want.
CT just being pragmatic, Iāve tried lots of things and have enough experience/wisdom (I think) in the game.
If I want the body of a golden age bodybuilder (natural), or any of these āaestheticā mens physique types, what program would you recommend.
Assuming diet good, and lots of plazma.
Not bulky powerlifter or bloated strongman or roided pro bodybuilder. Want to look chiselled, like out of marble with great full powerful muscles. Pretty close to you/george st pierre hybridā¦a IFBB mens physique (not classic physique, seems like hard to reach without steroids).
What would you recommend
It depends on what you consider to be āgolden ageāā¦ you talk about golden age bodybuilding then you mention ālike menās physique prosāā¦ these are two different animals.
For starters physique guys are pretty darn big. They donāt look that way because when you compare them of the IFBB bodybuilders they are smaller. But a high level physique guy will be (assuming a height of 5ā9") about 180lbs RIPPED and with fairly small legsā¦ so the upper body mass of a guy that would be about 190 on 5ā9".
Now, a contest lean 190lbs physique on 5ā9" is really big and muscular. Weāre talking about something like 205-210lbs lean and about 230 in non-fat but non lean condition.
These guys would be the among the most muscular guys in prettu much all the gyms.
So when people tell me āI want to get lean and muscular but not too big, like those physique guysā I laugh because most people will not be able to achieve that size even if they wanted to.
Stillā¦ golden age bodybuilders and physique guys do not (did not) train the same at all. First because physique guys use plenty of drugs. some as much as bodybuilders they just dont have their genetics for size.
If by golden age you talk about guys like Steeve Reeves, John Grimek, etc. itās one thing. These guys lifted heavy 3x per week, often on a full body program.
If by golden age you mean guys from the 60s or 70s we once again have very different methods. Just like today none of these guys trained the same.
Larry Scott would do a lot less volume and frequency than Arnold. Mentzer would do a lot less volume and frequency than Scott, and Nubret made Arnoldās workouts look low volume!!!
Arnold was all about doing 20-30 sets for maximum pump while Mentzer was about lifting super heavy with very low volume. Scott was all about training density and isolating.
Zane didnāt train like Arnold, who didn;'t train like Mentzer, who didnāt train like Robby Robinson. There was not ONE old-school way of training.
There were trends however.
In the 40s and 50s the name of the game was heavy lifting. In fact many bodybuilding champions were also Olympic lifting champions. And others like Steve Reeves was amazingly strong (doing sets of 5 with more than 315lbs on the behind the beck press and 500lbs for reps on the bench press).
In the 60s specialisists emergedā¦ now guys were either bodybuilders or lifters. Thatās when volume began to take over heavy lifting. There were still guys going heavier while others were all about isolating and pumping.
In the 70s and 80s steroid use became chemical warfare. Steroid use was just as high, if not higher than today (they were not really illegal and people didnāt know the danger). The big difference with today was that GH and insulin use was much more rare. But I would say that the top guys from the 70s and 80s were serious steroid abusersā¦ look up Pete Grymkowski who took it to extremes with dosages in the10g+ per week. People like to talk about Arnoldā¦ well Arnold began using steroids at 16.
So really if when you say āgolden ageā you mean the 70s and 80s, understand that these guys were on tons of steroids so I doubt that their results were only due to their training methods.
In the 60s steroids were used, but at lower dosesā¦ 5-25mg of dianabol per day for example.
Even in the late 50s some lifters/vbodybuilders were experimenting with testosterone injections.
You must understand this when you evaluate what you consider your ideal physique and how to get there.
Nolw, in my original post when I mentioned ātraining to get the body you want toā I was referring more to what weaknesses you need to work on or if you are after more of a harder/denser look for example.
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Even a competitive āphysiqueā body is pretty hard to reach without drugs.
These are highly derogatory. The bloated or bulky is more a matter of diet. If you take what you define as a bulky powerlifter and shred him up with the proper diet he will look a ton harder and more muscular than you.
My friend Paul Carter was that bulky powerlifter. He is doing a bodybuilding show in a few weeks and he looks HARD AS NAIL. Super vascular and hard like concrete.
He trained for decades looking like a ābloated powerlifterāā¦ itās not 5 months of training that reprogrammed his genetic code and undid decades of training. He just got leaner.
Same thing with Dave Tateā¦ he looked like a big blob at 300lbs+, but then dieted down to a shredded 240 and looks like he was made of metal.
What did these guys have that you donāt have? Muscle.
It is much harder to build 20lbs of muscle than to lose 20lbs of fat. At one point you must define exactly what is the body you want. Not just a certain look but what numbers you need to get there. Letās say that you are 5ā6" with a small structure. Chances are that at 170-175lbs and 6% body fat you will have the body you like.
Now if you are 150lbs at 9% body fat, what do you need most? To get lean or to build muscle? You probably need to build 30lbs of muscle and lose 10lbs of fat. You can lose 10lbs of fat in 5-8 weeks. But building 30lbs of muscle naturally might take you 3-6 years. In that case which one should you be focusing on???
Of course you will want to do both at the same time. Aināt gonna happen. You can build a small amount of muscle while losing a small amount of fat if you do everything right. So if you lacked 5lbs of muscle and had 5lbs of fat to lose, sure, do both at the same time. But if you want to gain 30lbs of muscle while losing fat or not gaining any at all it will take you 10-15 yearsā¦ if you get there at all.
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What about gaining 5 lbs of muscle and lose 30lbs of fat?
Hi Christian,
This brings up an important question for me. Forgive me if this should go in a different thread; I wasnāt sure where was best to post it.
I am 5ā7, 195-200, and 19% body fat. Iām not near the level of muscular development Iād like (arms are only 15 inches, I carry most of my muscle in my chest/shoulders/thighs/upper back), but I feel that I need to get my body fat in check before I continue putting on muscle. Iāve been following your complete power look program and before that the layers system. My back squat is 400, my bench is 250, my push press is 200, and my deadlift is 440.
Judging by these numbers, do you think Iām at a point where I should consider leaning up after the power look cycle? If so, Iām interested in making the change slowly while keeping or improving strength to whatever extent is feasible. Iām concerned that if I continue eating a surplus my body fat set point will get stuck at a higher percentage than Iād like. Iām already eating relatively low carb (I never go over 300 grams/day), as well as carb cycling (less than 100 grams on non-lifting days, and all clean carb sources: sweet potatoes, oats, blueberries in the morning, rice, beans, and gluten free pasta).
After your advice in the peri-workout nutrition thread Iām ordering Surge Workout Fuel to replace the dextrose/maltodextrin Iāve been taking peri-workout. Im eating 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and getting anywhere from 60-100 grams of healthy fats, (higher on low carb days obviously). I avoid fats and carbs at the same meal as well.
Thanks CT, as always appreciate the insights, especially when they hit home (your #'s for my current height/body comp + goal is dead on).
Obviously not trying to be derogatory, just have a goal in mind (physique/strength/performance), tried many things, and will take advice now only from folks who can take us where we want to go.
Youāve implied I may not be training as āhardā/focused as I let out to be but assure you my focus is dialed in. Iām not a planet fitness newb and for years went through excessive (stimulant adided) training intensity/volume.
So weāre all looking for that lifestyle/long term training style that gets us closer to physique goal, and enjoying the journey of course. Itās an emotional/ego thing tied to our identiy as youād mentioned earlier as well.
So what i take away is that most physique guys (and obviously the big bodybuilders) have UNREALISTIC bodies, achievable only with anabolic support.
To think proper diet, supplementation, and hard training will get you there is unrealistic for a natural (barring genetic beasts).
But naturally, at 5ā6, I can hit 170-180 lbs at single digit body fat %? That would be amazing, another 20 lbs of lean muscle and some fat loss from my current state indeed.
Iām not emaciated now anyways, my abs are blurred I donāt look that good. Iām actually bulkier/gorilla like in a shirt vs. shredded. So of course focusing on muscle gains, but no need to look sloppy while dong it anywaysā¦
i[quote=āSigil, post:154, topic:207955ā]
So what i take away is that most physique guys (and obviously the big bodybuilders) have UNREALISTIC bodies, achievable only with anabolic support.
To think proper diet, supplementation, and hard training will get you there is unrealistic for a natural (barring genetic beasts).
[/quote]
Well yes and no. I personally know a few physique guys. And honestly most of them have no clue how to train properly. YES these guys need anabolic support to achieve anything, especially since they tend not to want to gain any fat during their off-season so they go low carbs/caloric deficit pretty much all the time.
Many of them would be able to achieve the same physique naturally but it would take longer, smarter training and accepting to gain some fat at some point during the year.
I have a friend who is an IFBB pro in the 212 class (finished 3rd his second pro show, beating Meadows). This guy is an example.
He started out competing as a lightweight (154lbs) on 5ā7" about 12 years ago. It took him 7 years to go up to the 187lbs class then 4 more years to reach 202-205.
Ok he is a bodybuilder so he needs to use anabolic support. BUT he only use it for the 4 months he is preparing for a show. Most of the year he is natural. The guy is smart with his training, dead on with his nutrition and takes his time to build muscle.
In the off-season he accept gaining fat to be able to build muscle. This year he went up to 240. OK, you will tell me ābut what about your truth about bulking article?āā¦ well he didnāt get fat in the processā¦ at 240 he still had abs. He did gain plenty of water weight, some fat, some glycogen, etc. But more importantly he made sure that he is in a caloric surplus to build muscle.
That guy is an example because he didnāt take the shortcuts that the more recent guys take. It took him 12 years to go from a lightweight competitor to a heavy weight. And he had been training for some years before that.
Anyway, what /I mean is that YES even the physique guys have a lot of muscle and it is NOT easy to reach that level. And YES they pretty much all use drugs. BUT that is not to say that their physique would not be achievable without drugs. But that it would be a longer process during which you would have to make sacrifices and be super smart about everything.
Hi coach. I completed 6th week on 4 days ago , great results so far in terms of strength and muscle definition. However I got sick and canāt go to the gym, tried working out today but I still have a headache and feel weak. Iām going to resume on Monday. Now the question is - should I continue with week 7 or redo week 6? Iām afraid I might have lost some strength from this week off. Thanks
Hola coach,
Where would you incorporate Atlas Stones in the plp? I was thinking maybe on dl day in place of deficit & sumo in phases 1&2, but training say stones over bar for time in one phase and a stone series in the other. What do you think?
Iām preparing for my first strongman competition and was looking at the plp afterward as it tied with my goals so nicely. I figured I could easily fit in the yoke on squat day, farmers walk on deadlift day, & Conanās wheel on bench day, but I want/need to keep improving at stones.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the field of questions.
Actually no. We decided to release it in September as summer is not good for training book sales
Iām on week 8 right now, just finished the push press workout. 3x2x190 was a lifetime PR for me, but I couldnāt figure out how to do the push jerks. I got one set with 190 and one rep with 195, but I couldnāt get any more than that. Obviously this is a technique thing, I watched tutorials but I still struggled. Iām wondering if I should use a different exercise next week so I can actually overload the movement, or just repeat the push jerk?
Do half push presses. Basically put 10-20lbns more on the bar and try to push press it. Since itās too heavy it will only go up a few inches above your head but still try to push it as hard as you can