CT, is ramping up the weight on preacher culs or bb curls a bad thing for improving biceps strength? Do you put an accent on biceps stregth on your clients ?
Also I was wandering if you put reverse curls over standing bb curls or hammer curls?
Just one more question, but harder this time : Regarding your new style of training (wich is great) how whould you bring up the pull-ups or chin-ups on any given client?
[quote]Gaby 2700 wrote:
CT, is ramping up the weight on preacher culs or bb curls a bad thing for improving biceps strength? Do you put an accent on biceps stregth on your clients ?
Also I was wandering if you put reverse curls over standing bb curls or hammer curls?
Just one more question, but harder this time : Regarding your new style of training (wich is great) how whould you bring up the pull-ups or chin-ups on any given client? [/quote]
I do not recommend training biceps for strength anymore and ramping is not well suited for the higher reps (8-10) that I recommend for biceps.
If you want to bring up your chin-up numbers, doing sets of chin-ups throughout the day, performing 2 reps less than your maximum MANY times during the day (as often as you can)… never more than 2 sets in one occasion.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Gaby 2700 wrote:
CT, is ramping up the weight on preacher culs or bb curls a bad thing for improving biceps strength? Do you put an accent on biceps stregth on your clients ?
Also I was wandering if you put reverse curls over standing bb curls or hammer curls?
Just one more question, but harder this time : Regarding your new style of training (wich is great) how whould you bring up the pull-ups or chin-ups on any given client? [/quote]
I do not recommend training biceps for strength anymore and ramping is not well suited for the higher reps (8-10) that I recommend for biceps.
If you want to bring up your chin-up numbers, doing sets of chin-ups throughout the day, performing 2 reps less than your maximum MANY times during the day (as often as you can)… never more than 2 sets in one occasion.[/quote]
It was either in High-Threshold Muscle Building or in an article of CT’s where he showed incline DB curls with the arms turned out more. You can’t go as heavy. I have strong biceps, on incline alt DB curls I can use 65-70lb DB’s for sets of 10 very controlled reps. However, I did the following on Wednesday:
A. Incline double DB curl
3 sets of 8-10 reps
3 sets of high double contraction (lift completely, down 1/4, back up… this is one rep) 6-8 reps
3 sets of low double contraction (lift halfway up, back down, lift completely… this is one rep) 6-8 reps
3 sets of 5-5-5 (5 full reps, 5 top partials, 5 bottom partials
My arms are freaking sore… the whole bicep muscle! They have never felt like this before. Plus, I had to use A LOT lighter weight. I planned on doing part B of the workout as CT did in his own training, but couldn’t. I’ll have to work up to that volume.
CT, what would you recommend for a fast start/acceleration in hockey, my durability is fine I can go hard for the three periods but I definitely need an extra jump in my starts
thanks
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Gaby 2700 wrote:
CT, is ramping up the weight on preacher culs or bb curls a bad thing for improving biceps strength? Do you put an accent on biceps stregth on your clients ?
Also I was wandering if you put reverse curls over standing bb curls or hammer curls?
Just one more question, but harder this time : Regarding your new style of training (wich is great) how whould you bring up the pull-ups or chin-ups on any given client? [/quote]
I do not recommend training biceps for strength anymore and ramping is not well suited for the higher reps (8-10) that I recommend for biceps.
If you want to bring up your chin-up numbers, doing sets of chin-ups throughout the day, performing 2 reps less than your maximum MANY times during the day (as often as you can)… never more than 2 sets in one occasion.[/quote]
Thank you CT.
I have 3 new questions that I can’t figure out and I think you may hold some of the answers:
My training partners are being way more sore than I am, but does that mean that I’m taking more carbs then them or it’s just because I have a half a year more training experience then them?
From your point of view, when does a trainee advance to the intermidiate level or the advanced level?
You saied that biceps should be trained to fatigue with high volume. I managed to do the whole foundation day in 65 minutes and I’m very glad about it, but if I’ll be in a hurry twords the end of the workout (happened more than once), would it still work to add in 2-3 max reps supersets (or circuit for that matter)?
CT, I am on a bulking diet at this moment. Do you think bodyweight has a direct co-relation with arm size?
If I gain 10 lbs do you think my arms will grow ? Do you think performing some direct arm workouts every day will help me grow my arms faster ?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Gaby 2700 wrote:
CT, is ramping up the weight on preacher culs or bb curls a bad thing for improving biceps strength? Do you put an accent on biceps stregth on your clients ?
Also I was wandering if you put reverse curls over standing bb curls or hammer curls?
Just one more question, but harder this time : Regarding your new style of training (wich is great) how whould you bring up the pull-ups or chin-ups on any given client? [/quote]
I do not recommend training biceps for strength anymore and ramping is not well suited for the higher reps (8-10) that I recommend for biceps.
If you want to bring up your chin-up numbers, doing sets of chin-ups throughout the day, performing 2 reps less than your maximum MANY times during the day (as often as you can)… never more than 2 sets in one occasion.[/quote]
Christian,
What are the main rules to improve movement 3 times a week or more?Like a bench,good morning or front squat…etc,
for not to stagnate or regress?
Just the main rules(si tu as un peu de temps) 
Merci
CT,
This is the split I am using:
Mon - Upper body performance (rear delts, traps ad rhomboids work with weights)
Wed - Lats and biceps
Fri - Upper body performance 2 (rear delts, traps ad rhomboids work with prowler)
Sat - Lower body / prowler work
Sun - Prowler work (total body and heavy pushes)
One of my goals right now is dead lift strength. Saturday currently looks like this: deads, front sq, bb squat and prowler work. I thought on weeks that I could train the extra day that I could do deads on Thursday and legs on Saturday.
How would you change this up if I wanted to lift on Thursday too? Would I be better off just adding in a prowler session on that day?
Thibs, for Upper Body performance days (say your doing 2 a week), would you do a OHP and a Flat Bench variation each day - or would Upper Body Perf 1 be focused on OHP + Trap Work, and Upper Body Performance Day 2 be focused Horizontal Pressing + Rear Delt/Rhomboid work?
[quote]never_got_ripped wrote:
CT, I am on a bulking diet at this moment. Do you think bodyweight has a direct co-relation with arm size?
If I gain 10 lbs do you think my arms will grow ? Do you think performing some direct arm workouts every day will help me grow my arms faster ?
[/quote]
While some coaches have claimed that it does; I don’t think that it’s a direct correlation. If an individual trains his whole body properly (which includes direct arm work) then it might be somewhat true as the body will gain mass overall.
However several facts prevent me from establishing a direct arm/body weight gain correlation:
Olympic lifters who do no direct biceps or triceps work have proportionally small arms (I competed in olympic lifting for 6 years and rarely have I seen a lifter with impressive arms)… YES some people will be quick to show pics of the 2 or 3 elite olympic lifters with decent arms as proof that it isn’t true (Tavakoli Hossein for example) but these are the genetic exceptions. As a rule olympic lifters have small arms compared to their legs, back and shoulders. I know that after I stopped competing in olympic lifting it took years for my arms to catch up.
Male gymnasts have big and muscular arms despite being very light in bodyweight. True, they do not do any direct arm work. But they do 20-40 hours of intense work, most of which involve chin-up and dips variations. Let me be clear… YOU CAN’T BUILD “GYMNASTIC ARMS” BY DOING A FEW SETS OF CHINS AND DIPS HERE AND THERE… THERE GUYS BUILT THEIR ARMS BY DOING TONS OF HOURS OF THOSE EXERCISES EVERY WEEK FOR YEARS.
Go to any gym in the world and you will see a ton of teenager (even adults) with big arms and not much else, mostly because that’s all they train seriously.
My opinion is that:
YES you can make your arms bigger without direct arm work if you push and pull a lot. BUT MAXIMUM arms growth cannot be achieve without so direct arm work.
The mere fact of adding weight to your frame is no guarantee that your MUSCULAR arm size will go up. In fact, gaining body weight is no guarantee that you are actually gaining muscle at all.
A lot of people bulk up by eating a lot of carbs and sodium-rich food and end up gaining fat and retaining a lot of water, which gives the illusion of more size. But once dieted down they see that the actual muscle gain is much less than they expected. When I ingest a high carbs/high sodium diet I can easily gain 10-12lbs in a matter of a week or two and 1/2" to 3/4" to my arms. But when I drop the water it goes back to normal.
[quote]monatu wrote:
Thibs, for Upper Body performance days (say your doing 2 a week), would you do a OHP and a Flat Bench variation each day - or would Upper Body Perf 1 be focused on OHP + Trap Work, and Upper Body Performance Day 2 be focused Horizontal Pressing + Rear Delt/Rhomboid work?[/quote]
OHP and flat work on all days… I have 3 main pressing exercises on each day and they cover vertical and horizontal pushing. HOWEVER you can:
Emphasize one pattern over the other… for example on DAY 1 you do 2 overhead and 1 flat movement; DAY 2 you do 1 overhead and 2 flat movements (or other angles like decline)
Sometimes focus on one pattern per day (but this is less frequent) for example DAY 1 could be military press, push press, top half shoulder press and DAY 2 Incline press, flat bench press, top half bench press
But I personally recommend starting all pressing workout with an overhead movement, this has drastically reduced shoulder problems in all who have used it.
Isn’t it conuterproductive for olympic lifters to have alot of muscle mass in the chest and shoulders?? I know it can negatively effect the snatch and the rack position for the clean and jerk.
For me I have found that I need more direct bicep work than tricep work because I do so much pressing
CT for legs I have decided on doing a performance type day heavy squatting and deadlifting and prowler work or single leg exercises, and the other leg day will consist of a lot of sets of less CNS draining exercises (leg press using different foot positions, hack squat, Glute ham raise or leg curls) anywhere from 20-30 in all. Is that in line with what you teach??
CT, is it detrimental to do more than 3 max reps circuit for biceps, and mybe even lats, (let us say 5 max rep circuits with rest periods just enought to ensure good quality on the next one) and then do a lot of sets on a eccentric-less exercise? If not is there any other way you’d recommend ? (this is the question I’m egger to know the answer on, so if you’re tiered don’t bother with the next questions)
You saied that biceps should be trained to fatigue (not failiure right?) but after the foundation day I’m always recovered the next day? What should I do?
When trying to copy (your foundation workout sample), because not many have that much volume capacity as you do, would it be better to reduce the number of sets and keep the contraction types, or keep the sets and turn down some cntraction tipes?
My overhead press has been making a lot of progress lately. I’m very strong out of the bottom because I always do my first rep from a dead start at my upper chest. Now I have a bad sticking point (slow down) at the middle.
I have pretty long arms. Should I train the pin press as a different exercise or just use it for activation. Should I set the pins just below where I slow down?
CT, eating carbs makes my lovehandles grow fast. Do you think its possible to gain a lot of muscle without eating carbs ?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]monatu wrote:
Thibs, for Upper Body performance days (say your doing 2 a week), would you do a OHP and a Flat Bench variation each day - or would Upper Body Perf 1 be focused on OHP + Trap Work, and Upper Body Performance Day 2 be focused Horizontal Pressing + Rear Delt/Rhomboid work?[/quote]
OHP and flat work on all days… I have 3 main pressing exercises on each day and they cover vertical and horizontal pushing. HOWEVER you can:
Emphasize one pattern over the other… for example on DAY 1 you do 2 overhead and 1 flat movement; DAY 2 you do 1 overhead and 2 flat movements (or other angles like decline)
Sometimes focus on one pattern per day (but this is less frequent) for example DAY 1 could be military press, push press, top half shoulder press and DAY 2 Incline press, flat bench press, top half bench press
But I personally recommend starting all pressing workout with an overhead movement, this has drastically reduced shoulder problems in all who have used it.[/quote]
Thibs:
Are you including a press from pins exercise in most WO’s?
So, examples presented above represent a way to keep on ramping to a higher weight. OK to do pin presses in different movements in most WO’s?
Are some more likely to respond better to pin press as an activation rather than a final ramping exercise?
[quote]Mutsanah wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]monatu wrote:
Thibs, for Upper Body performance days (say your doing 2 a week), would you do a OHP and a Flat Bench variation each day - or would Upper Body Perf 1 be focused on OHP + Trap Work, and Upper Body Performance Day 2 be focused Horizontal Pressing + Rear Delt/Rhomboid work?[/quote]
OHP and flat work on all days… I have 3 main pressing exercises on each day and they cover vertical and horizontal pushing. HOWEVER you can:
Emphasize one pattern over the other… for example on DAY 1 you do 2 overhead and 1 flat movement; DAY 2 you do 1 overhead and 2 flat movements (or other angles like decline)
Sometimes focus on one pattern per day (but this is less frequent) for example DAY 1 could be military press, push press, top half shoulder press and DAY 2 Incline press, flat bench press, top half bench press
But I personally recommend starting all pressing workout with an overhead movement, this has drastically reduced shoulder problems in all who have used it.[/quote]
Thibs:
Are you including a press from pins exercise in most WO’s?
So, examples presented above represent a way to keep on ramping to a higher weight. OK to do pin presses in different movements in most WO’s?
Are some more likely to respond better to pin press as an activation rather than a final ramping exercise?[/quote]
Actually I don’t use the pin press often in my own workouts… in fact I haven’t used them in at least a year. I feel that once you are of a certain strength level (315lbs+ on the full bench press) the pin press is not only suboptimal, it can actually be dangerous.
To overload the top portion of the lift I personally prefer reverse band bench press. (bands attached at the top of the power rack).
[quote]JosephT123 wrote:
Isn’t it conuterproductive for olympic lifters to have alot of muscle mass in the chest and shoulders?? I know it can negatively effect the snatch and the rack position for the clean and jerk.
For me I have found that I need more direct bicep work than tricep work because I do so much pressing
CT for legs I have decided on doing a performance type day heavy squatting and deadlifting and prowler work or single leg exercises, and the other leg day will consist of a lot of sets of less CNS draining exercises (leg press using different foot positions, hack squat, Glute ham raise or leg curls) anywhere from 20-30 in all. Is that in line with what you teach??[/quote]
It’s not the muscle mass that can be detrimental, but a lack in range of motion at the shoulder joint. If a lifter has a big chest and big delts but great shoulder mobility then it’s not a problem.
I am the same as you… my triceps need next to zero direct work because pressing is the cornerstone of my training. I do need direct biceps work though.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Mutsanah wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]monatu wrote:
Thibs, for Upper Body performance days (say your doing 2 a week), would you do a OHP and a Flat Bench variation each day - or would Upper Body Perf 1 be focused on OHP + Trap Work, and Upper Body Performance Day 2 be focused Horizontal Pressing + Rear Delt/Rhomboid work?[/quote]
OHP and flat work on all days… I have 3 main pressing exercises on each day and they cover vertical and horizontal pushing. HOWEVER you can:
Emphasize one pattern over the other… for example on DAY 1 you do 2 overhead and 1 flat movement; DAY 2 you do 1 overhead and 2 flat movements (or other angles like decline)
Sometimes focus on one pattern per day (but this is less frequent) for example DAY 1 could be military press, push press, top half shoulder press and DAY 2 Incline press, flat bench press, top half bench press
But I personally recommend starting all pressing workout with an overhead movement, this has drastically reduced shoulder problems in all who have used it.[/quote]
Thibs:
Are you including a press from pins exercise in most WO’s?
So, examples presented above represent a way to keep on ramping to a higher weight. OK to do pin presses in different movements in most WO’s?
Are some more likely to respond better to pin press as an activation rather than a final ramping exercise?[/quote]
Actually I don’t use the pin press often in my own workouts… in fact I haven’t used them in at least a year. I feel that once you are of a certain strength level (315lbs+ on the full bench press) the pin press is not only suboptimal, it can actually be dangerous.
To overload the top portion of the lift I personally prefer reverse band bench press. (bands attached at the top of the power rack).[/quote]
OH! Got it - had to see a video to visualize what you were saying…How much help are you getting at bottom? I’ve seen some videos showing about 150lbs. floating at chest level for help. So, I guess it would depend on band stiffness.
So, if my current close grip bench is 350 then which bands would you recommend for me? What frequency for band work?
Currently I am training press 2 or 3x / week. Usually something like Standing Military press ramping to Incline press. Then another day Push press ramping to speed close Bench Press and then a high vol day with Milt, then Push Press ramping to wave loading Bench. (Rear delts, rhomboids, external rotators are super setted in with all pressing).
Thanks!
M
Hello coach!
Needless to say that your current writings on Eccentric less training and neural charge workouts have really impacted my thoughts on training! I used a combo eccentric less/neural charge workout(I hadnt quite grasped the whole concept completely) on Friday and I was in for a surprise! I thought that after the workout I would try deadlifting our kitchen(Thank God I didnt :P)
However I have not seen you saying anything about how much is too much. Can we continue doing the Neural Charge workouts indefinitely? You say that 95% of the times you prefer them than an off day but is it for real? I am not questioning you,its just that its so revolutionary(not taking actual days off) that I am finding it hard to digest…
One other topic that you touched and really caught my eye was work capacity. This is something that both you and Ido Portal have talked about. Do you have any guidelines on increasing work capacity? Ross Enamait in one of his books said that you can increase it by doing more in less time but I was wondering if there are other ways around. From your and Ido’s workouts I can see that simply extending the workout to more than 60 minutes is one of the ways as well. Do you have any guidelines?
Thanks a lot!