Thibs New Training Questions #3

Training
761

[quote]Clypher wrote:

[quote]thrasher_09 wrote:
Thibs,

I find it difficult to accelerate the bar as fast as possible when doing deadlifts. If I think “Fast” my hips raise high and my knees lockout first turning it into a half deadlift half stiff legged deadlift. The only way I can get my hips and knees to lock out at the same time is if I go slower. Do you have any coaching cues that you use for the deadlift to help?[/quote]
only accelerate after the bar passes the knees[/quote]

thanks mate, sounds so simple but I didn’t think of that…

762

If you were limited to only one lift of each pattern at the push-pull-legs split (limited equipment + want to maximally improvet that lift), how would you set it up in terms of sets/reps ?

763

coach can you give a sample example for the wave volume for back squat?will you think to write a new book with all these new training methods that you use in your training?

764

hi
i have a question about stutter reps.
where should i do stutter reps on squats?
in the strech position or in the contracted position?

765

Hi CT,

I sent you a PM. Appreciate it if you could shoot me quick reply. Thanks for your time.

766

Coach,

I had a quick question about training for teenagers. I train football players age 13-15. I wanted to incorporate perfect rep ideas into their weight training. Would it be more appropriate for this age group to cut back on volume, intensity, or neither?

767

Thibs, I was putting together a program to focus on strength, and i came up with this:

A - main lift
Ramping sets of 3 starting from ~60%-100%. I will implement the above stated “wave volume” ramping adjustments per 3 workouts.

B1 - assistance
B2 - antagonistic to assistance
Ramping sets of 5 starting from ~75-95%

i was going to keep the same lifts for A on 4 different days (Deadlift, Squat, Military or Push Press, Bench), and vary the assistance work.I plan to do 2 days on 1 off. All of this seems simple, very simple in comparison to say I, BB and this other workout in your latest interview, I am still enjoying the simple lifts the most but like to try a few new things (and definitely have from I, BB).

Question 1: Is there a pattern to varying the assistance work that serves a purpose (as in, alternate back and forth every time you do main lift A) or is just picking the exercise I feel like doing the most that day appropriate?

Question 2: Although the main lift backbone of the program is easy enough to figure out, the supplementary exercises after are a bit trickier to assemble as part of a program when in all honesty I can’t tell myself what I want to do with them other than build the surrounding muscles, so I’m not 100% if I could be spending my energy more wisely after my main lifts. I wouldn’t be surprised if the type of supplementary work is very person specific. I thoroughly enjoy dynamic lifting, can it find a good place in my program? I have thought of either that or circuits with 3 or 4 exercises (don’t know what loading pattern/rep range) as alternatives but i’m sort of going by instinct or what i’ve read over experience/knowledge.

Question 3: I have previously experienced an increase in my deadlift when I did a few sets of cleans beforehand as a means of activation. Before each main lift I was planning to do 2-3 sets of something similar. (plyo push for bench, jump squat for squat, and push press for military press). Is this redundant if I already intend to start at a low weight in the force spectrum?

Question 4: I believe you did say push press is superior to military press as a shoulder builder, did you mean this in terms of size AND strength? Say someone’s bench is lacking due to the infamous neglect of overhead pressing, do you tell them (in most cases) that military pressing or push pressing will help their bench the most?

768

Hey Thib,

I just tried the CNS recoup workout that you were talking about earlier. And HOLY SH%T!!! what an awesome experience!!!

Seriously I don’t think I have ever experienced anything like it.

Now my question is…I was going to try to do two in a row before I do leg training (I was feeling really run down) but after just one…I think I am ready to crush it. Should I just get in there and do it if I feel good?! And did I read correctly that you can basically just throw these in when needed, and you don’t really need off days? Because I HATE off days…I sure hope that this is the case. Either way thank you for this information. Definitely going into the tool box

769

Hey CT, what do you think about high impact cardio (i.e. sprinting on a treadmill) affecting recovery, especially during a cut? I noticed some of my main exercises were going down while others were still maintaining or even slightly gaining strength and other than maybe just having a higher work capacity with my legs/back/biceps the only thing I notice with my training is that I have sprints the day before my push workouts and those workouts seem to be where I am losing strength. What do you think, coincidence or would something like complexes/bike HIIT be better since it’s low/no impact?

770

Coach,

What has your experience on how trainees’ recovery response to the push-pull system using micro-ramping that you described?

Have you seen people have a more difficult time recovering considering the 12 sets for the main exercise and going to failure on 5-6 assistance exercises or have they been able to handle and adjust accordingly?

771

Coach Thibadeau,

I am about to embark on the I BODYBUILDER and perfect rep method/routine. I know which bodypart(s) need the help, esp. my back. When I dieted down my back was the most lagging with the arms a close 2nd. I see a specilaiztion for all bodyparts but arms. If that is a problem does the back specialization help the biceps and the chest/shoulders help the triceps or do you make an arm specilaiztion just for that?

Thanks in advance

sriz

772

[quote]arzoo wrote:
Coach,

What has your experience on how trainees’ recovery response to the push-pull system using micro-ramping that you described?

Have you seen people have a more difficult time recovering considering the 12 sets for the main exercise and going to failure on 5-6 assistance exercises or have they been able to handle and adjust accordingly? [/quote]

I don’t go to failure on the 5-6 assistance exercises. We normally stop the set when you hit the “grinding” point.

773

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Hey CT, what do you think about high impact cardio (i.e. sprinting on a treadmill) affecting recovery, especially during a cut? I noticed some of my main exercises were going down while others were still maintaining or even slightly gaining strength and other than maybe just having a higher work capacity with my legs/back/biceps the only thing I notice with my training is that I have sprints the day before my push workouts and those workouts seem to be where I am losing strength. What do you think, coincidence or would something like complexes/bike HIIT be better since it’s low/no impact?[/quote]

I actually really like sprinting but hate treadmill sprints.

With sprinting the biggest problem is doing too much. Most sprinters might do 2 or 3 all out sprints during a session. When I was sprinting seriously (with a guy who was on the bobsleigh team and doing indoor track) we would do something like this…

2-3 form running (70-75% intensity) on the distance for the day (let’s say 60m)
2 x 30-30 (first 30m form running then 30m top-speed)
2 x acceleration 30 (30m top speed then ease into 30m form running)
2 x 60m sprint

The second problem is too much density. When doing sprint work you have to let both the nervous system and muscles recover fully betwen runs. Sometimes we might have up to 5 minutes between runs.

When used intelligently, sprints are very effective and don’t really hurt your performance. But if done in excess they really trash the nervous system.

774

[quote]lllDUTCHlll wrote:
Hey Thib,

I just tried the CNS recoup workout that you were talking about earlier. And HOLY SH%T!!! what an awesome experience!!!

Seriously I don’t think I have ever experienced anything like it.

Now my question is…I was going to try to do two in a row before I do leg training (I was feeling really run down) but after just one…I think I am ready to crush it. Should I just get in there and do it if I feel good?! And did I read correctly that you can basically just throw these in when needed, and you don’t really need off days? Because I HATE off days…I sure hope that this is the case. Either way thank you for this information. Definitely going into the tool box[/quote]

You can do two in a row, or even three. Sometimes I do a whole week like this (this is actually my favorite form of deloading). But to get ready for a good workout you do not get a lot more benefit from an added session, unless you were in a state of neural fatigue to start with.

775

[quote]Mr. 47 wrote:
hi
i have a question about stutter reps.
where should i do stutter reps on squats?
in the strech position or in the contracted position?[/quote]

It depends on what you want to work on the most. I personally prefer to do the stutter at the mid point of the squat, but someone who is glutes-dominant could do it at the top and someone wanting to work on the glutes more could do it at the bottom.

776

[quote]BBriere wrote:
Coach,

I had a quick question about training for teenagers. I train football players age 13-15. I wanted to incorporate perfect rep ideas into their weight training. Would it be more appropriate for this age group to cut back on volume, intensity, or neither?[/quote]

I posted a sample football program in an earlier thread (called CT football program or something) and the first phase is probably and adequate template to work from.

The key is to work on building the capacity to explode. As such, you should never allow a rep to be slow. When it does, stop the exercise or stop adding weight. So the volume and intensity should actually be regulated depending on workout performance.

777

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]BBriere wrote:
Coach,

I had a quick question about training for teenagers. I train football players age 13-15. I wanted to incorporate perfect rep ideas into their weight training. Would it be more appropriate for this age group to cut back on volume, intensity, or neither?[/quote]

I posted a sample football program in an earlier thread (called CT football program or something) and the first phase is probably and adequate template to work from.

The key is to work on building the capacity to explode. As such, you should never allow a rep to be slow. When it does, stop the exercise or stop adding weight. So the volume and intensity should actually be regulated depending on workout performance.[/quote]

Ok, thanks for the information.

778

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]BBriere wrote:
Coach,

I had a quick question about training for teenagers. I train football players age 13-15. I wanted to incorporate perfect rep ideas into their weight training. Would it be more appropriate for this age group to cut back on volume, intensity, or neither?[/quote]

I posted a sample football program in an earlier thread (called CT football program or something) and the first phase is probably and adequate template to work from.

The key is to work on building the capacity to explode. As such, you should never allow a rep to be slow. When it does, stop the exercise or stop adding weight. So the volume and intensity should actually be regulated depending on workout performance.[/quote]

Here’s phase I

Assuming a 20 weeks off-season…

Obviously this is just a blueprint. I DO NOT like to plan a program so far in advance because we can’t predict exactly how the body will progress. For example if we decide to spend on phase of 4 weeks to improve a specific capacity and after those 4 weeks the problem is not solved, then we have to change the plan and continue on with the phase.

A smart coach is the one who can make the best adjustments, not the one who can write down the best program.

This is only the lifting program, track work and GPP is not included.

PHASE 1 - ‘‘NEURAL REWIRING’’ TOWARD A MORE EXPLOSIVE PROFILE
Duration: 4 to 6 weeks

Split:
Monday: Lower body
Tuesday: Upper body
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Whole body
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Whole body
Sunday: OFF

MONDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max)
A. Jumping onto a box in front 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
B. Jumping onto a box to your left 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
C. Jumping onto a box to your right 3-4 sets of 5 jumps
D. Jumping onto a box behind you 3-4 sets of 5 jumps

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER
A1. Broad jumping - 5 jumps per set
A2. Romanian deadlift - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.

B1. Vertical jumping - 5 jumps per set
B2. Front squat - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.

C1. Lunge jump (switch legs in the air) - 3 jumps per leg per set
C2. Lunges (alternate leg on every rep) - sets of 4 reps per leg. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.

D1. Ankle jumps - 10 reps per set
D2. Standing calves raise - 6 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.

TUESDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION (15 minutes max)
A. Plyo push-ups hands on bench 3-4 sets of 5 projections
B. Medicine ball throwdown 3-4 sets of 5 throws
C. Medicine ball throw from chest 3-4 sets of 5 throws

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER
A1. Speed DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 40-50% of your max with as much speed as possible
A2. Bench press - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between A1. and A2. and between A2 and A1.

B1. Speed bent over DB rowing (alternate arm on each rep) - 5 reps per arm per set
B2. Bent over barbell row - sets of 5 reps. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between B1. and B2. and between B2 and B1.

C1. Medicine ball throw from chest on incline bench - 5 throws per set
C2. Incline bench press - sets of 5. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between C1. and C2. and between C2 and C1.

D1. Medicine ball throw overhead (push press style) - 5 throws per set
D2. Standing DB press - 5 reps per set. Use 60-75% of your maximum, lift explosively, never use the same load for two sets in a row (wave up and down) perform 4 to 6 sets. 30-45 seconds between D1. and D2. and between D2 and D1.

THURSDAY

SECTION A - ACTIVATION
A. Hold a pair of light DB in the starting position of a shoulder press; jump onto a box, when you land do an explosive DB shoulder press - 3-4 sets of 5 reps

B. 1-arm DB snatch - 3-4 sets of 3 reps per arm

SECTION B - STRENGTH & POWER TRAINING
A1. Top-half back squat from pins - ramp up to a max force set of 3 reps
A2. Vertical jump - 5 jumps per set. 30-45 seconds between exercises.

B1. Top-half deadlift (just above knees) from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps
B2. Broad jump - 5 jumps per set

C1. Top-half incline bench press from pins - ramp up tp a max force set of 3 reps
C2. Plyo push-ups hand on bench - 5 projections per set

D. Chin-ups (or fatman pull-ups if not strong enough) - 3-4 sets pf max reps

SATURDAY

SECTION A - POWER CIRCUIT
A1. Jump onto a box in front - 5 reps
A2. Plyo-push up hands on bench - 5 reps
A3. Speed back squat - 3 reps at 40-50%
A4. Push press - 3 reps at 60-70%
A5. Fatman pull-up - 5 reps with max speed

  • Rest a maximum of 25 seconds between stations.
  • Perform anywhere from 6 to 12 circuit… stop when speed and explosiveness starts to degrade
  • If one exercise becomes slower but the others are fine, drop the exercise that is slowing down and keep performing the others.
779

Coach,

What kind of stretching do you recommend to fix lower back rounding when hitting the hole in squats?

Also, do you think implementing sprints, like you suggested above, would help bring up the squat at all?

Thanks!

780

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Hey CT, what do you think about high impact cardio (i.e. sprinting on a treadmill) affecting recovery, especially during a cut? I noticed some of my main exercises were going down while others were still maintaining or even slightly gaining strength and other than maybe just having a higher work capacity with my legs/back/biceps the only thing I notice with my training is that I have sprints the day before my push workouts and those workouts seem to be where I am losing strength. What do you think, coincidence or would something like complexes/bike HIIT be better since it’s low/no impact?[/quote]

I actually really like sprinting but hate treadmill sprints.

With sprinting the biggest problem is doing too much. Most sprinters might do 2 or 3 all out sprints during a session. When I was sprinting seriously (with a guy who was on the bobsleigh team and doing indoor track) we would do something like this…

2-3 form running (70-75% intensity) on the distance for the day (let’s say 60m)
2 x 30-30 (first 30m form running then 30m top-speed)
2 x acceleration 30 (30m top speed then ease into 30m form running)
2 x 60m sprint

The second problem is too much density. When doing sprint work you have to let both the nervous system and muscles recover fully betwen runs. Sometimes we might have up to 5 minutes between runs.

When used intelligently, sprints are very effective and don’t really hurt your performance. But if done in excess they really trash the nervous system.[/quote]

Hm wow yea that’s definitely different than what I’ve been doing and have always heard to do for HIIT.

This is what I’ve been doing
5min warm up: 5mph, 3incline
20sec: 10mph, 9incline (comes out to 90m)
40sec: jog/walk/gasp until I catch breath :slight_smile:
repeat for a total of 12x
5min cool down: 5mph, 3incline

So I guess that would be considered way too much? each sprint is 90m and there’s 12 (admittedly I could go a little faster considering I keep the same speed the whole time for sprints, but I’m gasping near the end). I’ve just always heard to do HIIT like this. Would such a low volume/long rest period plan like yours really have noticeable results in terms of fat loss? (I’m sure for actually increasing sprints it’s great)