Thib,
What would you change about IBB for someone who is concerned more about strength compared to size (although size is a nice side-effect)? It seems that ramping on deads and overhead and occasionally doing a back-off set may be applicable to strongman compared to a westside template.
Thanks
Thib, you wrote about an upcoming article of yours where you talk about the illusion of progress when changing exercises too frequently because of the initial neural adaptations that the new exercise brings and how neural adaptation needs to stagnate for signifigant muscle growth to occur. Is changing exercises frequently then an effective means to gain strength compared to consistent use of the same exercise?
I know this is not a yes or no answer but do you believe doing a log press on week 1, axle press on week 2, and push-press on week 3 then go back to the log press on week 4 to be better for strength than doing one of the exercises for 3-4 weeks straight?
[quote]Mr_Magoo wrote:
Thib, you wrote about an upcoming article of yours where you talk about the illusion of progress when changing exercises too frequently because of the initial neural adaptations that the new exercise brings and how neural adaptation needs to stagnate for signifigant muscle growth to occur. Is changing exercises frequently then an effective means to gain strength compared to consistent use of the same exercise?
I know this is not a yes or no answer but do you believe doing a log press on week 1, axle press on week 2, and push-press on week 3 then go back to the log press on week 4 to be better for strength than doing one of the exercises for 3-4 weeks straight?[/quote]
Strength gains are a function of increased muscle mass and increased neural efficiency. Changing movement very often might be good to improve neural efficiency, but not so good to maximize hypertrophy. So you are only approaching the strength gain equation one way.
Furthermore, 1 week is too fast. The shortest I would go is 2 weeks, you want to be able to have at least some improvements on a lift before changing.
This approach would not be optimal for …
But it might work for someone who wants to gain strength without adding much size.
You could of course still gain size by only rotating one exercise every 2 weeks and keeping the other ones the same for 4-8 weeks.
[quote]Mr_Magoo wrote:
Thib,
What would you change about IBB for someone who is concerned more about strength compared to size (although size is a nice side-effect)? It seems that ramping on deads and overhead and occasionally doing a back-off set may be applicable to strongman compared to a westside template.
Thanks[/quote]
I wouldn’t use IBB for that purpose.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Mr_Magoo wrote:
Thib, you wrote about an upcoming article of yours where you talk about the illusion of progress when changing exercises too frequently because of the initial neural adaptations that the new exercise brings and how neural adaptation needs to stagnate for signifigant muscle growth to occur. Is changing exercises frequently then an effective means to gain strength compared to consistent use of the same exercise?
I know this is not a yes or no answer but do you believe doing a log press on week 1, axle press on week 2, and push-press on week 3 then go back to the log press on week 4 to be better for strength than doing one of the exercises for 3-4 weeks straight?[/quote]
Strength gains are a function of increased muscle mass and increased neural efficiency. Changing movement very often might be good to improve neural efficiency, but not so good to maximize hypertrophy. So you are only approaching the strength gain equation one way.
Furthermore, 1 week is too fast. The shortest I would go is 2 weeks, you want to be able to have at least some improvements on a lift before changing.
This approach would not be optimal for …
But it might work for someone who wants to gain strength without adding much size.
You could of course still gain size by only rotating one exercise every 2 weeks and keeping the other ones the same for 4-8 weeks.[/quote]
What approach is optimal to maximize strength ?
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach
Thibs,
If one were to use your ramping method to reach mfp for his main lift for that day (i.e. weight chins), would it still advisable to do some sort of circuit training using lighter but somewhat challenging loads for the whole body immediately after, assuming the whole workout last about 45 min including the circuit.
[quote]jhng wrote:
Thibs,
If one were to use your ramping method to reach mfp for his main lift for that day (i.e. weight chins), would it still advisable to do some sort of circuit training using lighter but somewhat challenging loads for the whole body immediately after, assuming the whole workout last about 45 min including the circuit. [/quote]
It would actually be a decent idea.
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach[/quote]
Care to give me a good physical description (length of arms, shoulder width, torso thickness, etc.) as well as where you get stuck on the bench.?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]jhng wrote:
Thibs,
If one were to use your ramping method to reach mfp for his main lift for that day (i.e. weight chins), would it still advisable to do some sort of circuit training using lighter but somewhat challenging loads for the whole body immediately after, assuming the whole workout last about 45 min including the circuit. [/quote]
It would actually be a decent idea.[/quote]
thks
I was thinking of doing it as I actually feel jacked up after ramping to mfp, so why not ride the wave of adrenaline rush and acomplish something else to increase the overall density fo the workout. I was thinking of allocating the last 15 or 20 min of my workout for some oly lifting with dumbbells at short intervals but sufficient time for me to recover betweenn sets
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach[/quote]
Care to give me a good physical description (length of arms, shoulder width, torso thickness, etc.) as well as where you get stuck on the bench.?[/quote]
Ummm at the moment I don’t have measurements…but heres a shitty “myspace” pic as ole Dave Tate would say. Maybe that can help you get an idea. I definitely get stuck at the bottom half of the lift. And when I ramp up, I seem to have good force and acceleration…than I get to a point where I raise the weight using micro ramping…so very little…and it just pins me. Even thinking on it now, it may be a good possiblity that during my push press I use too much leg drive…and thats why Im able to get past that point. I hope this gives you enough info???
again thanks for your help…and any info would be appreciated
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach[/quote]
Care to give me a good physical description (length of arms, shoulder width, torso thickness, etc.) as well as where you get stuck on the bench.?[/quote]
Ummm at the moment I don’t have measurements…but heres a shitty “myspace” pic as ole Dave Tate would say. Maybe that can help you get an idea. I definitely get stuck at the bottom half of the lift. And when I ramp up, I seem to have good force and acceleration…than I get to a point where I raise the weight using micro ramping…so very little…and it just pins me. Even thinking on it now, it may be a good possiblity that during my push press I use too much leg drive…and thats why Im able to get past that point. I hope this gives you enough info???
again thanks for your help…and any info would be appreciated
[/quote]
Those are some long arms, which will make benching a bitch. Posting a vid of you benching will be good for evaluation purposes. There are tons of bench setup articles and vids on this site, but I bet you’ve seen them.
Coach,
How do you feel about the drop snatch/“snatch balance” as an exercise outside of OL training?
…I thought it might be a good activation drill, or maybe even a good leg exercise for days when we want to minimize the eccentric.
Thanks,
Brian
Hi CT,
A few random questions for you:
I work pretty long hours (8am - 7pm), meaning I don’t usually get to the gym until about 7:30pm. I have my post-workout shake afterwards, but by the time I get home afterwards it’s usually nearing 10pm (which is my bedtime). Is it a good idea to have a meal with slow-digesting carbs then since I’m going to sleep half an hour later or would you recommend just sticking to protein? (I’m on a lean mass gain at the moment.)
Multi-vitamins: what’s your take on them? Some people seem to recommend them “just in case”, others say they just make expensive pee.
What do you think about barefoot-style footwear for wearing down the gym? (Something like Vibram FiveFingers or similar.)
Thanks,
Mike
[quote]Brian Smith wrote:
Coach,
How do you feel about the drop snatch/“snatch balance” as an exercise outside of OL training?
…I thought it might be a good activation drill, or maybe even a good leg exercise for days when we want to minimize the eccentric.
Thanks,
Brian[/quote]
Never liked this movement myself… probably because I sucked at it and my coach always made me do it because of that 
It serves a purpose for the competing lifter (learning how to drop under and catch a snatch) but I don’t see it as useful for non OL individuals.
The weight you can use is too light to be of value as a leg exercise.
[quote]kakno wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach[/quote]
Care to give me a good physical description (length of arms, shoulder width, torso thickness, etc.) as well as where you get stuck on the bench.?[/quote]
Ummm at the moment I don’t have measurements…but heres a shitty “myspace” pic as ole Dave Tate would say. Maybe that can help you get an idea. I definitely get stuck at the bottom half of the lift. And when I ramp up, I seem to have good force and acceleration…than I get to a point where I raise the weight using micro ramping…so very little…and it just pins me. Even thinking on it now, it may be a good possiblity that during my push press I use too much leg drive…and thats why Im able to get past that point. I hope this gives you enough info???
again thanks for your help…and any info would be appreciated
[/quote]
Those are some long arms, which will make benching a bitch. Posting a vid of you benching will be good for evaluation purposes. There are tons of bench setup articles and vids on this site, but I bet you’ve seen them.[/quote]
Correct on the arms. Long-armed individuals are generally weaker on the bench press, especially during the first half of the movement because of the shoulder angle due to the arm length. The same individuals do not have the same problem on a push press because the leg drive (especially if you overdo it) basically unload the first half of the pressing movement, which you obviously can’t do on the bench.
My recommendation is to work on starting strength and explosive strength so that you can build up a lot of speed of the chest, which will kinda act like the leg drive in the push press: if you can create enough bar speed from the chest, the momentum you build will allow you to blast through the sticking point.
A combination of floor pressing, low pin press (2-4" from the chest) and heavy decline press with a 2 seconds pause on the chest to work on starting strength; and speed bench press (with 1 workout out of 3 with bands if possible) and blast isometrics should do the trick.
I’d do 2 bench workouts a week… one focusing on starting strength and the other on explosion.
Use a push-pull-leg split with 2 push sessions per week.
Use mostly strength movements for assistance work on the starting strength day (e.g. close grip bench, dips, military press, etc.) and explosive ones + isolation for the explosive day (push press, plyo push ups, isolation work).
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Brian Smith wrote:
Coach,
How do you feel about the drop snatch/“snatch balance” as an exercise outside of OL training?
…I thought it might be a good activation drill, or maybe even a good leg exercise for days when we want to minimize the eccentric.
Thanks,
Brian[/quote]
Never liked this movement myself… probably because I sucked at it and my coach always made me do it because of that
It serves a purpose for the competing lifter (learning how to drop under and catch a snatch) but I don’t see it as useful for non OL individuals.
The weight you can use is too light to be of value as a leg exercise.[/quote]
Got it. Thanks, CT.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]kakno wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib quick question. I have a terrible bench press. My other main lifts are decent enough I think. (for my body weight/size) but my bench is just awful. Like I have ramped up to a PR single of 225 on standing push press. But the most I have ever done in my life benching is 275. And if I went to try and do that today it would probably pin me. I know you would have to actually watch me bench to correct any problems…but I was wondering if you could give me any general hints or “cues” to be thinking of while setting up for benching. Any insight would be appreciated at this point. Thanks Coach[/quote]
Care to give me a good physical description (length of arms, shoulder width, torso thickness, etc.) as well as where you get stuck on the bench.?[/quote]
Ummm at the moment I don’t have measurements…but heres a shitty “myspace” pic as ole Dave Tate would say. Maybe that can help you get an idea. I definitely get stuck at the bottom half of the lift. And when I ramp up, I seem to have good force and acceleration…than I get to a point where I raise the weight using micro ramping…so very little…and it just pins me. Even thinking on it now, it may be a good possiblity that during my push press I use too much leg drive…and thats why Im able to get past that point. I hope this gives you enough info???
again thanks for your help…and any info would be appreciated
[/quote]
Those are some long arms, which will make benching a bitch. Posting a vid of you benching will be good for evaluation purposes. There are tons of bench setup articles and vids on this site, but I bet you’ve seen them.[/quote]
Correct on the arms. Long-armed individuals are generally weaker on the bench press, especially during the first half of the movement because of the shoulder angle due to the arm length. The same individuals do not have the same problem on a push press because the leg drive (especially if you overdo it) basically unload the first half of the pressing movement, which you obviously can’t do on the bench.
My recommendation is to work on starting strength and explosive strength so that you can build up a lot of speed of the chest, which will kinda act like the leg drive in the push press: if you can create enough bar speed from the chest, the momentum you build will allow you to blast through the sticking point.
A combination of floor pressing, low pin press (2-4" from the chest) and heavy decline press with a 2 seconds pause on the chest to work on starting strength; and speed bench press (with 1 workout out of 3 with bands if possible) and blast isometrics should do the trick.
I’d do 2 bench workouts a week… one focusing on starting strength and the other on explosion.
Use a push-pull-leg split with 2 push sessions per week.
Use mostly strength movements for assistance work on the starting strength day (e.g. close grip bench, dips, military press, etc.) and explosive ones + isolation for the explosive day (push press, plyo push ups, isolation work).[/quote]
Wow coach that is one hell of an awesome answer!!! I will apply this immediately. Thank you kindly sir. your info is worth its weight in gold.
Hey CT
Are full squats better for one’s long term knee health than half squats. I am so confused on squatting depth it drives me nuts :S. Poliquin argues that full squats help establish healthy knees while Robertson and Cressey argue the ligaments are exposed to shearing forces coming out of the hole. I respect Your approach which is to not lose lower back arch but I would like to know what you thing on full squat vs half squat for argument sake in terms of knee health.
Thank you.
[quote]nickj_777 wrote:
Hey CT
Are full squats better for one’s long term knee health than half squats. I am so confused on squatting depth it drives me nuts :S. Poliquin argues that full squats help establish healthy knees while Robertson and Cressey argue the ligaments are exposed to shearing forces coming out of the hole. I respect Your approach which is to not lose lower back arch but I would like to know what you thing on full squat vs half squat for argument sake in terms of knee health.
Thank you.[/quote]
Half squats can be used here and there (as they are in I, BB), but relying on just half squats is not a good idea IMO (besides the fact that by itself, it won’t develop great legs due to the lack of ROM and stretch of the muscles). The knee joint needs to be stabilized by both the tension of the quads and hamstrings, and a half-squat does not activate the hamstrings effectively. Long-term, this can result in knee problems.