I got a question that I couldn’t really find an answer for you CT. What can I do against skin-streches and spots like skin-tears in the upper arm focused on the biceps-shoulder portion ? It also starts to appear on the triceps too. What can I do? and what do they mean?
Also, can you give me some exercises for the rhomboloids ?
[quote]Gaby 2700 wrote:
I got a question that I couldn’t really find an answer for you CT. What can I do against skin-streches and spots like skin-tears in the upper arm focused on the biceps-shoulder portion ? It also starts to appear on the triceps too. What can I do? and what do they mean?
Also, can you give me some exercises for the rhomboloids ?[/quote]
Stretch marks are a good sign as it is an indication that you are gaining muscle and getting bigger, hence the skin being stretched. What can yoi do about them? Not much… some people said rubbing vitamin E on it helps, but I personally never tried it or cared to try it. I’m not a skin care specialist.
As for your second question, “rhomboloids” don’t exist, it’s not a muscle.
[quote]JHollywood wrote:
Hey CT, do you supplement the big lifts with single-leg training for athletes?
When I’m pushing for pure strength gains, I tend to drop single-leg stuff, but I like them and feel healthier and more balanced using them. I’m wondering if additional Prowler work would have something of the same effect, since we drive with essentially one leg at a time…?[/quote]
I use a lot of single-leg exercise with individuals with proportionally long legs, but not as much with individuals with shorter legs.
Sorry, coach. I meant rhomboids but my native language is bugging me at times. I know that theres an exercise for them but I don’t recall any names though. Whould it be okay to use a staggert aproach for rhombs and traps and the 2 max reps circuits?
I was also thinking on your new aproach and I’m willing to try it but for a 4 day (only in the evenings too) schedule is it better to stick with that push/pull stuff?
And also (off the subject): How is it that on this week pressing day I did more volume and on my arms I did less? (I tought the biceps were suposed to be able to endure more volume) And how can I figure out if my arm strength sucks (I mean shouldn’t I be able to lift half my bw) ?
^ Chest Supported Rhomboid Rows? Either incline or flat bench with a long hold/squeeze at the top of the movement?
Hi CT, I currently have some Surge Workout Fuel, Surge Recovery and whey protein, and creatine monohydrate.
I currently take them like this:
45 mins before training: SWO Fuel
20 mins prior to workout: Surge Recovery with creatine
Immediately after workout: Whey protein.
Just wanted to know how you would take these in relation to a workout?
and would you use Surge recovery or whey protein throughout the rest of the day?
Thibs, when performing a workout on a fast day, what can be taken pre, peri or post-workout stay in a fasted state, but to help from becoming hypoglycemic? Would protein/glutamine/glycine work?
Hey CT, what do you suggest for trainees who have very poor mind muscle connection with their chest. I recently adopted your protocol of training my pressing muscles as performance muscles but cant seem to feel my chest when pressing. Thanks for your time.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]BiP wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
On my OWN upper body performance days I normally have a total of anywhere between 20 and 40 sets of heavy pressing (I once went up to 70 sets, no kidding!);[/quote]
What do your sets look like when you end up doing that many of them? Do you do multiple sets at given weight, ramp up to the top weight for the day, back of a bit and then do sets below that number, or maybe microramp everything? Do you usually know at the beginning of the workout that it’s going to be a good one and adjust it from the start, or do you tend to realize when you get close to what you were expecting to get done and still feel like you have a lot left in you?
B.[/quote]
I do it several ways… I’ll give you a real life example of a very high volume session I did while in Colorado…
MILITARY PRESS
135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 3
INCLINE PRESS
215 x 3
235 x 3
255 x 3
265 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x3
305 x 3
315 x 3
BENCH PRESS
315 x 3
325 x 3
335 x 3
345 x 3
355 x 3
365 x 3
375 x 3
385 x 3
395 x 3
MILITARY PRESS
175 x 2 perform 1 set every minute for 10 minutes (9-10 sets)
BENCH PRESS
330 x 2 perform 1 set every minute for 10 minutes (9-10 sets)
For reference, at this point my best overhead press (strict military press, no leg drive) was 235 and my best bench press was 425… oddly enough both ended up being ramped up to 92% without having any preconceived target. And i used 70-75% for the timed sets, but didn’t calculate anything… I knew that this weight would feel very strong for all the sets.
HAMMER STRENGTH CHEST PRESS
3 plates + 25 per side x 5
3 plates + 35 per side x 5
4 plates per side x 5
4 plates + 15 per side x 5
4 plates + 25 per side x 3
That was roughly 50 sets of pressing 35 of which I would consider heavy for me[/quote]
Thibs, you mentioned in the livespill that you do upper body performance training on your first fast day on Monday. Would it still have this much volume? How would it be different if not?
a quick one i’ve been meaning to post for a while:
if you have a lift that is close to each other, say miliray press to 80kgs then incline to 85 - 90kgs, would i then just do either 4 - 6 sml jumps in wt for the inclines or keep the increases the same wt and only get 1 - 2?
i haven’t done bb inclines in years so they might not be too far, or even, ahead of military…
[quote]swans05 wrote:
a quick one i’ve been meaning to post for a while:
if you have a lift that is close to each other, say miliray press to 80kgs then incline to 85 - 90kgs, would i then just do either 4 - 6 sml jumps in wt for the inclines or keep the increases the same wt and only get 1 - 2?
i haven’t done bb inclines in years so they might not be too far, or even, ahead of military…
[/quote]
Three solutions:
My personal favorite is option no.1 simple because I do not like to repeat the same weight twice, but option 1 and 2 are both equally good
[quote]panman99 wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]BiP wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
On my OWN upper body performance days I normally have a total of anywhere between 20 and 40 sets of heavy pressing (I once went up to 70 sets, no kidding!);[/quote]
What do your sets look like when you end up doing that many of them? Do you do multiple sets at given weight, ramp up to the top weight for the day, back of a bit and then do sets below that number, or maybe microramp everything? Do you usually know at the beginning of the workout that it’s going to be a good one and adjust it from the start, or do you tend to realize when you get close to what you were expecting to get done and still feel like you have a lot left in you?
B.[/quote]
I do it several ways… I’ll give you a real life example of a very high volume session I did while in Colorado…
MILITARY PRESS
135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 3
INCLINE PRESS
215 x 3
235 x 3
255 x 3
265 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x3
305 x 3
315 x 3
BENCH PRESS
315 x 3
325 x 3
335 x 3
345 x 3
355 x 3
365 x 3
375 x 3
385 x 3
395 x 3
MILITARY PRESS
175 x 2 perform 1 set every minute for 10 minutes (9-10 sets)
BENCH PRESS
330 x 2 perform 1 set every minute for 10 minutes (9-10 sets)
For reference, at this point my best overhead press (strict military press, no leg drive) was 235 and my best bench press was 425… oddly enough both ended up being ramped up to 92% without having any preconceived target. And i used 70-75% for the timed sets, but didn’t calculate anything… I knew that this weight would feel very strong for all the sets.
HAMMER STRENGTH CHEST PRESS
3 plates + 25 per side x 5
3 plates + 35 per side x 5
4 plates per side x 5
4 plates + 15 per side x 5
4 plates + 25 per side x 3
That was roughly 50 sets of pressing 35 of which I would consider heavy for me[/quote]
Thibs, you mentioned in the livespill that you do upper body performance training on your first fast day on Monday. Would it still have this much volume? How would it be different if not?
[/quote]
This was an example of a very high volume session I did. I do not always train like that, fast or not.
Salut Christian
To change a movement pattern is much more tiring on the CNS,that to stay whit the same movement pattern?
I ask this question,because a man asked “why not change max reps circuits for drop set”
But white max reps circuits you stay whith the same movement pattern?
Changer de modele de mouvement et plus fatiguant pour le CNS,que de rester avec le meme modele?
Je demande cette question,parceque pour lui les drops sets etait similaire au max reps circuits.
Mais avec le max reps circuits tu reste avec le meme modele de mouvement?(french version)
Merci de ton temps
Hey thib,
I currently train twice a day. In the AM my lifts are heavy in the 3-5 rep range, in the PM my lifts are in the 6-12 rep range. How many sets would u recommend in the AM and PM sessions, and lets say that i’m an experienced lifter who can handle a descent amount of volume. I just don’t want to do too much in one session to affect my other session.
Currently, my split is upper body pushing day 1, upper body pulling day 2, and hip/ham/quad dominant on day 3
Thanks
Ok, coach, I got an ideea on what you recommend on a high-performance upper body session but how about the high-performance lower body session (what whould it look like) ?
And I was thinking if I’ll have to go for a 3 days/week schedule would you say it’s ok to do:
Day 1 - High-Performance Upper Body
Day 2 - High-peformance Lower Body
Day 3 - Foundation
Or is there any other way you’d recommend?
CT,
Do you ever use weighted pushups on performance day or are these too hard to ramp?
This is a repost and not intended to be answered by CT but can any of the posters point me in the right direction of CT’s recommendations?
“Hey CT, what do you suggest for trainees who have very poor mind muscle connection with their chest. I recently adopted your protocol of training my pressing muscles as performance muscles but cant seem to feel my chest when pressing. Thanks for your time.”
[quote]thrasher_09 wrote:
CT,
Do you ever use weighted pushups on performance day or are these too hard to ramp?[/quote]
No, never used them. Well, I sometimes use weighted push-ups (X-vest) when training firefighters, but it’s always part of a max rep set or max rep circuit, never for performance.
CT, I was wondering if your “paradigm” has changed somewhat regarding the number of exercises for a particular muscle group as opposed to doing more sets for a couple of movements? Or is the volume divided between multiple movements just temporary?
[quote]Loh-fyve wrote:
CT, I was wondering if your “paradigm” has changed somewhat regarding the number of exercises for a particular muscle group as opposed to doing more sets for a couple of movements? Or is the volume divided between multiple movements just temporary?[/quote]
No, I always believe in doing more sets of fewer movements. This is especially true for “performance” training. As you might have read in recent posts, I train the following muscles more for performance:
Chest, delts, triceps, “legs” (all the body pushing muscles or actions)
Lats, biceps and abs are trained for structure (higher reps, more volume, less frequency)
And rhomboids, traps, rear delts are trained “in-between”.
So I will always use a “few exercises” approach to pressing actions and lower body.
If you look at a typical upper body performance workout it might look like this:
A. Military press - Ramping sets of 3 reps
B. Incline press - Ramping sets of 3 reps where the military press ended
C. Bench press - Ramping sets of 3 reps where the incline press ended
D. Top half bench press - Ramping sets of 3 reps where the bench press ended\
*In between sets of these I would throw in traps, rear delts and rhomboid work.
While in theory that is 4 pressing exercises… if you look at it from a “traditional training perspective” there is 1 shoulder exercise and 3 chest exercises… which is low
BUT if you think about it, the top half bench press is basically the same exercise as the bench press. It IS a bench press, but we just shorten the range of motion to be able to continue doing more set. So really the program has one shoulder exercise and two chest exercises… not a lot of exercises.