Could somebody please explain, why the High-Performance Mass schedule plans two successive workouts for the same bodyparts?
Monday: Upper Body Pressing
Tuesday: Upper Body Pressing
Wednesday: - -
Thursday: Lower Body Pressing
Friday: Lower Body Pressing
…
I really dont get it. Wouldnt it be much more logical to have a: ABABAB… schedule than AABBAA etc.?
[quote]Vejne wrote:
Coach, I would like to ask your opinion about piracetam. As I know, for instance, Charles Poliquin has his athletes to use this drug, so I’m curious about your take on it as well.[/quote]
I do not answer questions about prescription drugs. Using them without a prescription is illegal.
[quote]changeordie wrote:
Hi CT
Quick question, how did you approach your supplements when you were training twice a day whilst using Anaconda protocol?
I am a professional MMA fighter, and have been for 8 years.
I train roughly 5 hours per day with my strength and conditioning workout in the morning and my technical and sparring work in the morning.
Ive been using Anaconda Protocol 1 in the morning for my strength and conditioning workout and its giving nice results.
But for the evening mma session, I have been having a simple whey protein workout shape before and after the workout
How do you reccomend approaching this with supplements?
Would you do the same Anaconda protocol for BOTH workouts?
Pre, peri and post workout Anaconda protocol 1 for both morning and evening workouts?
Thanks for any advice
[/quote]
I would use a minimal protocol for the evening workout as there is less need for protein. I would use one scoop of anaconda and one scoop of workout fuel PRE then Surge RECOVERY 2-3 scoops 30-45 minutes post
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Hey coach, now that I have more time I definitely would like to do some more eccentric-less work for growth but I have a few questions:
Eccentric-less training has been brought up in other articles but will there be a main video about all aspects of it? For instance like the neural charge workout video.
Is eccentric-less training good for growth for all muscles? I’ve seen it talked about for the lats/biceps and also for legs but not as much for the upper pressing muscles. I was thinking a circuit of 3x20m or so of rows, curls, overhead extension performed with a sled/tire. What do you think?
Is it really better the more you do it? For instance if I did the above example 3 times per week after my strength workouts would that be better than just once a week after my back/bi workout?
Should the difficulty be about that of a MFP by the end of the 20m?
Thanks a lot[/quote]
possible… when I’m in Colorado we try to film as much stuff as possible to make videos out of it. I’ll be there 3rd week of January and will try to think about it.
we used it for pressing muscles also… the premise of eccentric-less training is simply to use this non-traumatic approach to help shuttle more nutrients to the muscles while increasing workload… so it will work with any muscle group
the more you do WITHOUT EXCEEDING YOUR CAPACITY TO RECOVER the more you’ll grow, period.
you can’t compare eccentric-less sled work with regular lifting as far as how the contractions feel. You should feel a huge pump… so much that the pump, not lack of strength or fatigue will make the execution harder.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Thanks a lot[/quote]
Interesting, so how do you judge when you should add weight?
CT, how different would be your approach on training an athlete that needs more strength on pulling exercises ( like a rock climber for example). Would you keep all the upper body pressing you recommend on the HP MASS workouts?
Thank you.
[quote]jormanders74 wrote:
[quote]swans05 wrote:
[quote]jormanders74 wrote:
[quote]swans05 wrote:
are you ramping both variations from scratch or starting one where the other finishes like mp/ip/bp?[/quote]
I start with deficit deadlifts and ramp up, then start my conventional deadlifts where I left off with the deficit deadlifts.[/quote]
with long legs those deficits deads might not the best for you, especially if your a "back’ deadlifter in which case you won’t spreading the stress of the lift around enough thus causing localised fatigue…maybe go sumo, conventional, mid shin ht as your 3[/quote]
Thanks, i was considering dropping the deficit deadlifts and replacing them with something else. I’m still interested in what CT thinks though, too.[/quote]
Kind of hard to argue with the results: http://www.T-Nation.com/strength-training-topics/36 Take note of the before picture underneath the video box.
Mr.Thibs thanks for writting the workout plan with the description. In july i went through a nose surgery and the surgeon said that i couldn’t work out for 1 year with heavy wheights due to the shape of my nose might change if it’s put under pressure.
After the surgury i lost alot of wheight since i couldn’t eat well and etc… and alot of strength and muscle with it too. So basically i got weaker. I used to do,45kg shoulder press,50kg db floor press, 20kg db biceps cirls , all for 12 reps x3 sets .
But due to this restriction were i can’t use as much weight as i want to lift i am now trying to find different ways to stimulate muscle growth. This is why i am trying to work out more then one time a day.
Right now i am doing 30kg floor db press,16kg db curls,16 kg db laterals,15 triceps overhead db extension and etc…
These weights are total, by which i mean by 16 kg is two 8 kg db’s.
While i have gotten weaker i know that if i was allowed i could go heavier on all the exercises,also i can’t find out what my 1 rep max is due to it being risky to lift that much wheight for my nose. So my questions is Coach,given my situation is it possible to stimulate growth by using the wheights i am using now?How should i do it? what’s the best approach when i am not allowed to inscrease wheight but other paramters, i can do it gradually over time when my body has gotten so strong that it doesn’t put my nose under pressure when using little heavier wheights.Sorry for the long post.
I’m 20 years old, 177cm,67.5kg
Thanks in advance
[quote]dekonation wrote:
CT, how different would be your approach on training an athlete that needs more strength on pulling exercises ( like a rock climber for example). Would you keep all the upper body pressing you recommend on the HP MASS workouts?
Thank you.[/quote]
I answered that a while ago in one of the HPmass article threads.
Basically I would add a lot of eccentric-less volume for pulling muscles and frequent, but non-fatiguing (not maximal) work on various types of chins (e.g. doing 2-3 sets, 2-3 reps short of failure several times per day, everyday).
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Thanks a lot[/quote]
Interesting, so how do you judge when you should add weight?[/quote]
Quality/difficulty of effort… eccentric-less training should not be regarded the same way as traditional lifting, where the goal is to add weight over time.
Eccentric-less work by increasing nutrients transport into the muscles via repeated and non-traumatic strong muscle contractions. As such, the weight is not that relevant. As long as it is not easy and that you feel a muscle pump at the end of the set, you will be fine.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
non-fatiguing (not maximal) work on various types of chins (e.g. doing 2-3 sets, 2-3 reps short of failure several times per day, everyday).[/quote]
If someone can already do 15 or more chins, would you expect this type of work lead to just getting better at bodyweight chins (and endurance), or overall pulling strength and mass are expected as well?
CT, I’m curious to know if the protein requirements in men increases or decreases over time? For example, I’m 48 years old and have been lifting weights for probably 30+ years. Would my protein requirements differ from someone that is 20 or 35 years old?
Also, what about building muscle mass at my age? I know back in the day, Albert Beckles built quite a physique for himself and competed against men half his age, but without the use of anabolics, is it still possible to build quality muscle mass at my age, or am all I’m doing now, just trying to keep what I have?
[quote]Thy. wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
non-fatiguing (not maximal) work on various types of chins (e.g. doing 2-3 sets, 2-3 reps short of failure several times per day, everyday).[/quote]
If someone can already do 15 or more chins, would you expect this type of work lead to just getting better at bodyweight chins (and endurance), or overall pulling strength and mass are expected as well?[/quote]
If there is to be an increase in muscle mass (which is not always desirable for individuals who need pulling strength-endurance like climbers) it will be dependent on doing a lot of overall volume (many many sets of the course of the day).
If you can do 15 chins for 2-3 sets several times per day (meaning that you can probably max out at 20-22) then strength gains will be minimal, but you will increase strength-endurance relative to your bodyweight, which is what climbers normally need.
You can still perform the same protocol (2-3 sets several times a day, 2-3 reps short of failure) with added weight if you can do 15-20 chins or more. In that case use a weight that would allow you to do a maximum of 10 quality chins and do several sets of 7-8 reps per day… add 5lbs or so every 2-3 weeks.
Or if you want a more precise protocol…
Using a weight you can get 10 quality chins with:
Week 1: many sets of 7 reps throughout the day
Week 2 many sets of 8 reps throughout the day
Week 3: many sets of 9 reps throughout the day
Week 4: add 5lbs and start the progression with 7 reps
CT, Hopefully I can word this in a way that is understandable…The HP Mass program is fantastic and I like the wave loading and progression model you outlined in the charts, however I still think and you probably agree that it is even more optimal to purely autoregulate training rather than following any type of written progression. I know the charts you created are basically an example to show a way to autoregulate so we can’t really mess it up but I’d like to get to a point where I can fully autoregulate and don’t need to follow a specific plan or hit a certain target # of sets but I’m not quite sure how to do that while incorporating wave loading. Before you published the HP Mass articles I was already performing a similar plan and autoregulating, working up to my MFP or slightly above and starting the following exercise at the weight I ended the previous one. This was working fairly well but I’m getting much better results on the HP Mass program working up to the MTW and wave loading for extra volume, but my problem with this is that I’m following the charts exactly how they were written while i’d rather have it become more natural.
My question is how do you autoregulate wave loading within the max training zone on a daily basis? I guess I’m just looking for some cues about how many wave sets you would do based on feel and when an exercise should be ended. I know there are other methods besides wave loading that can be used but this seems to work well for me right now.
I’m sure I’ll develop more of a feel for this as I perform more workouts this way but any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Thy. wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
non-fatiguing (not maximal) work on various types of chins (e.g. doing 2-3 sets, 2-3 reps short of failure several times per day, everyday).[/quote]
If someone can already do 15 or more chins, would you expect this type of work lead to just getting better at bodyweight chins (and endurance), or overall pulling strength and mass are expected as well?[/quote]
If there is to be an increase in muscle mass (which is not always desirable for individuals who need pulling strength-endurance like climbers) it will be dependent on doing a lot of overall volume (many many sets of the course of the day).
If you can do 15 chins for 2-3 sets several times per day (meaning that you can probably max out at 20-22) then strength gains will be minimal, but you will increase strength-endurance relative to your bodyweight, which is what climbers normally need.
You can still perform the same protocol (2-3 sets several times a day, 2-3 reps short of failure) with added weight if you can do 15-20 chins or more. In that case use a weight that would allow you to do a maximum of 10 quality chins and do several sets of 7-8 reps per day… add 5lbs or so every 2-3 weeks.
Or if you want a more precise protocol…
Using a weight you can get 10 quality chins with:
Week 1: many sets of 7 reps throughout the day
Week 2 many sets of 8 reps throughout the day
Week 3: many sets of 9 reps throughout the day
Week 4: add 5lbs and start the progression with 7 reps[/quote]
Christian,
For bi and lat muscles as foundation (Chin up) you use the “old method” to add a rep each week,as it must be done with straight series and rep range from 6 to 12 reps.
But if it was a muscle performance (overhead), it would be better to add a series every week rather that reps?
Because it is better to stay white low reps for performance muscles?
I just want to know if i understand your principe 
Pour bi et lat (fondation)tu utilise la veille methode qui consiste a ajouter 1 rep chaques semaines,puisque cela doit etre fait avec des series directe et dans la ranger de 6 a 12 reps.
Mais si cela etait pour un muscle de performance,serait il mieux de ajouter des series plutot que des reps?Mieux de garder les reps basses pour ces muscles?
Merci
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Thy. wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
non-fatiguing (not maximal) work on various types of chins (e.g. doing 2-3 sets, 2-3 reps short of failure several times per day, everyday).[/quote]
If someone can already do 15 or more chins, would you expect this type of work lead to just getting better at bodyweight chins (and endurance), or overall pulling strength and mass are expected as well?[/quote]
If there is to be an increase in muscle mass (which is not always desirable for individuals who need pulling strength-endurance like climbers) it will be dependent on doing a lot of overall volume (many many sets of the course of the day).
If you can do 15 chins for 2-3 sets several times per day (meaning that you can probably max out at 20-22) then strength gains will be minimal, but you will increase strength-endurance relative to your bodyweight, which is what climbers normally need.
You can still perform the same protocol (2-3 sets several times a day, 2-3 reps short of failure) with added weight if you can do 15-20 chins or more. In that case use a weight that would allow you to do a maximum of 10 quality chins and do several sets of 7-8 reps per day… add 5lbs or so every 2-3 weeks.
Or if you want a more precise protocol…
Using a weight you can get 10 quality chins with:
Week 1: many sets of 7 reps throughout the day
Week 2 many sets of 8 reps throughout the day
Week 3: many sets of 9 reps throughout the day
Week 4: add 5lbs and start the progression with 7 reps[/quote]
Thanks, I’ll start doing it right away. One of my top goals is to chin double bodyweight, so I always like to specialize in weighted chin-ups.
Coach T,
Thanks for the great HP Mass program and all your contributions to the site.
I have a L4-L5 herniated disc and am working my way back to squatting and deadlifting. In the mean time to compensate and maintain growth I do eccentric-less lower body work upwards of 6 days a week to get the volume needed to grow.
Are there any exercises you’ve had success with when you’ve trained athletes with a similar injury?
CT, would the following split be an effective approach…
MON: Upper Body Performance
TUES: Neural Charge/Sled Work
WED: Upper Body Performance+ 1-2 Lower Body Movements
THURS: Neural Charge/Sled Work
FRI: Lower Body
SAT: Upper Body Performance AM/ Lats/Bicep Work(Mostly with sled and strap)PM
SUN: Sled Work/Neural Charge
i would imagine working within my MTW for the lifts would be adviced to handle the frequency, so maybe follow the same wave pattern that you have laid out in the HPMass program? Or is this an idiotic approach?
Merry Christmas Thibs!
coach Thibs, i can never get “into the zone” with incline and flat pressing, so is there any drawback to just doing overhead and decline pressing, but with more sets in the MTZ for each to make up for volume?
btw, merry Christmas!!!