Would it be a wise idea to do a Back and Legs specialization for a month if I’m having wrist/elbow pains with some pressing movements? I think my problem is I’m not keeping my wrists in line with the bar but I’m working on that. I deloaded for a week and it went away but i just started feeling it again today after a couple of pain free weeks. I was think of dropping pressing movements all together for a month or so, because I need to work on getting my squat up anyways (deadlift 323 X 3, squat 225 X 5 are my PRs). I was thinking something like
Day 1 - Squat + accessories
Day 2 - Rows (maybe DB presses, I can do these fine)
Day 3 - Off
Day 4 - Deadlift + accessories
Day 5 - Pullups
Day 6 - Off
REPEAT
Do you have any suggestions or tips? I was thinking of working the external rotator on back days
Is recovery from a certain loading dependant mostly on the absolute load, or relative factors play a major role?
For example, surely for a 90 kg guy a 180 kg bench places a lot of stress to recover from. But let’s say for a 70 kg guy, is 140 kg much lower of a stress eventhough relatively that’s a lot for him? Will he recover much quicker because he’s smaller and the absolute load is lower ? (individual recovery factors aside)
BTW, you probably don’t like relative strength questions. But it’s not that I’m trying to figure out if I’m “relatively strong”… I already know that I’m weak.
It’s just that Russian/Ukrainian big powerlifters hate the Sheiko system because they consider any type of volume to be devastating for their recovery, notwithstanding benching 3days/week is totally out of question for them. Even considering that the load is really submaximal… most of the work is 3-7 sets of 3 @ 80%, they think that this volume is dangerous for those that are strong and use heavy weights.
coach- quick question. ZMA and GABA around workouts for increased GH levels? I stumbled upon these supps when i was looking for natural sleep aids. Gaba, i still take when im having trouble sleeping and need to cycle off Z-12. ZMA on the other hand puts me out, and i wake up shortly later with only what i can describe as “restless leg syndrome” and i cannot go back to sleep. Recently ive read from the guys at elitefts that taking alpha gpc with gaba 60-90 mins before lifting will increase GH levels as well as other things. Also from DeFranco’s writtings, he says that taking ZMA before or after workouts will increase GH levels. the question is, i take Alpha-GPC 70 mins out from my workout and love it. I also take it before bed. I have been taking ZMA immediatly after lifting, and it puts me in a trance. Being a PT, I can imagine my clientele does not like the zombie they get instead of the trainer they paid for. What Im getting at, is that i will keep up with the ZMA post- workout to get the effects and live with the trance state… GABA helps me sleep like ive said before, so why would anyone do GABA or ZMA if they are supps that promote a “calm state”?
[quote]billyboi wrote:
coach- quick question. ZMA and GABA around workouts for increased GH levels? I stumbled upon these supps when i was looking for natural sleep aids. Gaba, i still take when im having trouble sleeping and need to cycle off Z-12. ZMA on the other hand puts me out, and i wake up shortly later with only what i can describe as “restless leg syndrome” and i cannot go back to sleep. Recently ive read from the guys at elitefts that taking alpha gpc with gaba 60-90 mins before lifting will increase GH levels as well as other things. Also from DeFranco’s writtings, he says that taking ZMA before or after workouts will increase GH levels. the question is, i take Alpha-GPC 70 mins out from my workout and love it. I also take it before bed. I have been taking ZMA immediatly after lifting, and it puts me in a trance. Being a PT, I can imagine my clientele does not like the zombie they get instead of the trainer they paid for. What Im getting at, is that i will keep up with the ZMA post- workout to get the effects and live with the trance state… GABA helps me sleep like ive said before, so why would anyone do GABA or ZMA if they are supps that promote a “calm state”? [/quote]
Any supplement that inhibits the nervous system (calms you down) can be effective after a workout where the CNS is intensely activated, especially if said workout it performed in the evening. Staying wired in the evening because of a workout can keep cortisol levels elevated, which will disrupt sleep and recovery.
Glycine is also effective at allowing the nervous system to ‘relax and recover’.
CT, I know you say you shouldn’t put too much concern into training split but I just wanted to ask a couple questions about what I plan on doin. I’m doing a push-pull-legs split. For the leg days should I deadlift and squat in the same workout on both leg days or should I devote one leg day to deadlift and similar movements and one to squat? Also if one day is devoted to each seperately, what do you think about doing back squats and front squats in the same workout?
thanks for the fast reply coach, i think i might have not emphasized the question properly. What i meant to say at the end, is why would someone suggest taking GABA or ZMA with aphla GPC before a workout? I generally like to be jacked up in the zone and focused before i hit weight, and considering GABA and ZMA promote a calm state, that sounds contradictory to where i want to be mentally prior to lifting . Sorry if i’m running circles coach.
Force spectrum ramping, max force sets and rachets are three different methods you are using in IBB. I understand the benefits of each in principle but what I don’t get is if there is a best time/place to put them in your training. i.e. would there be any benefit to use force spectrum ramping or max force sets or rachets solely in a workout for all exercises. Alternatively is there be any benefit to be gained doing 1 force spectrum exercise, 1 rachet exercise and 1 max force exercise for instance? I get that this is an irrelevant question if your progressing, but a curious mind and all…
Hi Coach, just a quick question: if following an abbreviated program, is it more efficient or effective to combine metabolic type sets as a giant set like you mentioned in HTH, with ramping the strength exercises, or is it better to just add a block of gpp type drills, i.e. Sledge hammer, heavy bag, sandbags, etc. By the way your HTH book is a phenomenal reference. Thanks
CT I have a question about an observation i made the other day about jumps. lets take vertical jumps for example. If your doing the reps in a repeated fashion without resetting after each landing and just jumping back up soon as your feet hit the ground, wouldn’t the 2nd,3rd,4th,5th reps etc. be the same as depth jumps because your coming down from an elevated height and immediatley jumping back up?
[quote]workhorse34 wrote:
CT I have a question about an observation i made the other day about jumps. lets take vertical jumps for example. If your doing the reps in a repeated fashion without resetting after each landing and just jumping back up soon as your feet hit the ground, wouldn’t the 2nd,3rd,4th,5th reps etc. be the same as depth jumps because your coming down from an elevated height and immediatley jumping back up?[/quote]
Yes and no. YES you do have the same accumulation of kinetic energy on the way down (maybe even more so than with depth jumps) but there is one difference: in a vertical jump series each landing shortly fallows a dynamic contraction (called pre-activation) whereas in the depth jump the absorption phase is preceded by a relatively relaxed state (you should actually strive to be as relaxed as possible prior to the jump).
But both are indeed very similar, good observation. This is why I normally have my athletes reset between reps of vertical jumping and jump squats. When I don’t want them to reset I add the term ‘‘series’’ to the exercise name… for example: vertical jump series or jump squat series. If I only write down ‘‘vertical jumps’’ or ‘‘jump squats’’ you should reset between each rep.
My 3RM is about 85% of my 1RM on bench and squat. What does this say about me?[/quote]
You are either:
a) Very fast twitch
b) Have a dismal work capacity and probably get winded walking up a flight of stairs
c) Have always trained with low reps all your life and this suck at higher reps
d) A mix of several of those (I’m a and b myself)
If you are very explosive by nature it is likely to be a)
My 3RM is about 85% of my 1RM on bench and squat. What does this say about me?[/quote]
You are either:
a) Very fast twitch
b) Have a dismal work capacity and probably get winded walking up a flight of stairs
c) Have always trained with low reps all your life and this suck at higher reps
d) A mix of several of those (I’m a and b myself)
If you are very explosive by nature it is likely to be a)
If you are out of shape it’s probably b)
C) is pretty easy to figure out!
[/quote]
Ok interesting. I read your book and wasn’t sure if it was a strength deficit, neural (in)efficiency or fast twitch muscle fiber makeup. For me it’s mostly A with a little bit of B (I think they would be related?) I remember when I played soccer as a kid, I was one of the fastest but I never had the endurance the other kids had so I’d always be goalie. Thanks for the response!
What would you recommend for someone who’s tried everything under the sun and can’t get his damn biceps bigger? low reps, heavy weight, and high reps, low weight, those crazy supersets, and using the straight end for preacher curls, all I’ve tried. What’s your advice? Actually what I should’ve asked is IBB allow good bicep growth for someone who’s tried everything for biceps including H.I.T. for biceps? Holy shit, they are right, you haven’t done a good arm workout until you feel like you’re throwing up.
Don’t know how familiar you are with Pat Mendes ( World's Strongest Teenager - YouTube ) but his coach has a Q and A on another site. He is adamant that anyone who is training for strength should be looking at working up to multiple daily sessions 7 days a week. He also says that this is appropriate for less genetically gifted lifters as well. Another statement that caught my eye was the need to push though overtraining symptoms as eventually the athlete will stop regressing and start progressing again.
Is this simply because he is working with gifted (and ‘supplemented’) lifters who can recover from this type of training? Thanks.
[quote]Kamikaze outcast wrote:
CT, What are your thoughts on D-Aspartic Acid?
Have you ever tried it? [/quote]
Funny you should ask. I just reviewed some literature about it (about 2 months ago) and about some other testosterone booster and sent the info to Tim Patterson and Dr. Ziegenfuss. They are currently studying that compound to see if it is worth making into a supplement.