As I’m sure you’re aware it’s allergy season. Any special recommendations those of us suffering should take in to consideration?
Related note, I believe I’ve heard any sort of allergic reaction will cause an increase in cortisol. If this is the case what should one do? Obviously can’t avoid going outside.
Thanks Christian
Coach, I am finding it challenging to get in all my meals during the 2-a-day portion of Part III of Get Jacked Fast. It’s becoming a compromise between staying up and eating once more or getting the sleep I need. Should I just not worry about the final feeding and take the pre-bed supps with the prior meal in favor of getting 7-8 hours sleep? this is what I have been doing, but just wanted to double check with you.
[quote]jstines wrote:
Coach, I am finding it challenging to get in all my meals during the 2-a-day portion of Part III of Get Jacked Fast. It’s becoming a compromise between staying up and eating once more or getting the sleep I need. Should I just not worry about the final feeding and take the pre-bed supps with the prior meal in favor of getting 7-8 hours sleep? this is what I have been doing, but just wanted to double check with you. [/quote]
If you are not hungry and have enough energy, better get the sleep/rest than the extra meal.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
jstines wrote:
Coach, I am finding it challenging to get in all my meals during the 2-a-day portion of Part III of Get Jacked Fast. It’s becoming a compromise between staying up and eating once more or getting the sleep I need. Should I just not worry about the final feeding and take the pre-bed supps with the prior meal in favor of getting 7-8 hours sleep? this is what I have been doing, but just wanted to double check with you.
If you are not hungry and have enough energy, better get the sleep/rest than the extra meal. [/quote]
Yeah, my strength hasn’t fallen off much at all at the start of week 10, so I’ll err on the side of more sleep. Looking forward to supercompensation and all those carbs!
Dear Coach Thibaudeau,
What protocol of Alpha-GPC would you suggest?
Also, is the Alpha-GPC from Bio-Synergy a good product?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
threewhitelights wrote:
the talk earlier in this thread about leucine pre and peri workout got me thinking…
I use TrueProtein’s creat your own mix blend, and was wondering what a good pre workout mix would be… I was thinking about 80% whey, 10% BCAA and 10% Leucine, and adding carbs like gatorade as my diet saw fit… A 50 gram serving would give me 5 grams luecine and 5 grams BCAA.
How does this seem? I know it’s not an exact science, but if you have suggestions I’d love to hear them.
Actually it’s really not good at all. At least, very far from being optimal.
The reason why leucine is being made in isolation and sold is that it was found that leucine by itself (it is one of the three BCAAs) is more effective that when the full BCAAs are used. The two other BCAAs (isoleucine and valine) actually compete with leucine for transport.
So right off the bat, the 5g of BCAAs in your formula is a relative waste.
Whey can be a good idea, but it depends on the type. Isolate is fast enough, but lacks in the immune-boosting microfactions. Whey concentrate has those elements but unless it’s a very high quality concentrate (80%), which is normally what is used by most companies, then it’s too slowly absorbed for pre-workout purposes.
Whey hydrolysate would be a very good choice, but the best one would actually be casein hydrolysate which is the fastest absorbed protein. Other types of casein wont do because they are too slowly absorbed.
BUT you can’t have too much protein otherwise you will have the same problem with leucine as when the other BCAAs compete with it.
To maximize the effect of the pre-workout drink, other products can be added such as beta-alanine.
The strategy that I’ve come to adopt now, and I tried EVERY THING a human being can think of, is this:
45 minutes before workout: 30g BCAAs
PRE-WORKOUT (15 min): Surge workout fuel 1 scoop, whey hydrolysate 1/2 scoop
DURING-WORKOUT: Anaconda 1 scoop (gotta have to wait a short time to get this one guys)
POST-WORKOUT: Anaconda 1 scoop, Surge Recovery 1 scoop[/quote]
Again, thanks for sharing. A lot of people in this industry are so secretive… it’s so nice what you do coach.
Coach,
On the HSS-100 program, would it be ok to do drop sets or contrast sets for the specail technique sets, or do you feel that too much for the CNS with this program?
Thanks
[quote]shoelessjones wrote:
Again, thanks for sharing. A lot of people in this industry are so secretive… it’s so nice what you do coach.[/quote]
Agreed. Thank you CT.
Thib,
I have two questions related to grip-elated work.
If working with someone just starting out in weight training, can regular moderate use of direct/dedicated grip training right from the start go a long way toward minimizing the extent to which grip would ever be a limiting factor and possibly even put that person ahead of the game by getting it stronger right out of the gate? Obviously the grip itself would not be the main priority per se coming out of the gate, but I’m curious as to the potential to make it strong from the get go as opposed to being implicated as the weak link that it can be for many.
While they would turn pull-ups and chin-ups into more grip-focused exercises, do you see executing these movements with specialized grips like hardball grips, towels, a bar suspended from a chain that has a rotating sleeve, etc. as possibly having a limited place for athletes and bodybuilders?
Hello Coach,
I was just re-reading the parameters of the “heavy” training from the refined physique transformation for fatloss; it says that intermediates should do 3 exercises of 4-8 reps x 4-5 sets.
And then it goes on to state (on the destroying fat article):
A1) chest Main exercise
A2) Chest secondary
B1) Back main
B2) back secondary
I have often made the mistake of adding extra volume; But the chest main and secondary constitute as 2 exercises right?
And so if we do 3 exercises, C1 and C2 would probably be a Chest and a Back exercise done in alternate/superset fashion?
Sorry if this is quite a stupid question. I like to get the little things down, because sometimes the results just don’t come quite as naturally as it sounds on programs, or maybe the results do come but i always think i’m doing something partially wrong.
Coach,
What do you think?
Workout:
Day 1: Chest/Back
Day 2: Shoulders/Forearms
Day 3: Upper Arms
Day 4: Lower body
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Cardio
Diet:
Breakfast:
malt-o-meal 2/3 cup
hard boiled egg
1 and a 1/2 cups 2% milk + protein
multi-vitamin
Omega 3 6 9 fatty acid capsule
Snack:
unsalted peanuts 1/2 cup
can of tuna
Lunch:
Peanut butter sandwich on rye bread (2 Tablespoons peanut butter)
light yogurt
PWO:
1 and a 1/2 cups 2% milk + protein
banana
1 cup strawberry halves
Dinner:
1/2 cup Brown Rice
two Potatoes
chicken breast
Snack:
malt-o-meal 1/3 cup
1 Tablespoon canola Oil
Total:
Fat: 124
Protein: 235
Carbs: 463
I’m 5’8 155lbs.
Also, I included a day of cardio because I’m going to pursue a career in the military.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
[quote]B. wrote:
Coach,
What do you think?
Workout:
Day 1: Chest/Back
Day 2: Shoulders/Forearms
Day 3: Upper Arms
Day 4: Lower body
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Cardio
[/quote]
I do not do program critiques online, it’s takes too much time to do a good job at it. But in your case I’ll make an exception because what I’m seeing is one of the most idiotic program I’ve read online.
There are so many BASIC mistakes that I could not, not answer you … out of pity.
So in no specific order…
This is is not a program, it’s a collection of exercises. I cannot give a good critique of a program without knowing the number of sets, reps as well as your precise goals.
The split itself (the way to body parts are divided during the week) is about the worst you could do, seriously. The following 3 points explain the mistakes, only in the way the workouts are split:
It’s fine to do a chest/back workout… I actually do that quite often. However you fail to understand that chest work WILL have an impact on shoulder and triceps fatigue because these two muscles are HEAVILY involved in all kind of pressing work (bench press, incline press,etc.) In your split you do your shoulder work on the day immediately after your chest work. The shoulders are likely to still be fatigued from the chest work and thus performance will not be optimal.
Shoulders work can also involve the triceps. This is the case for your main shoulders exercise (military press). So your triceps will basically work three days in a row (triceps work during the bench and incline bench on day 1, on the military press on day two and on triceps work on day 3). Shoulders are also involved in those three days (dips involve the shoulders). Muscles are stimulated when you train them, but grow when you recover.
You have the exact same problem with the biceps. They will be trained 3 days straight. They are heavily involved in back work (pulling movements) and will get fatigued from that. Then the movements you choose for your forearm work on day 2 also involve the biceps/brachialis (reverse preacher curl) THEN on day 3 you have your biceps day.
Then some random comments…
You put deadlifts at the end of a workout which already had big compound movements. YES 2 of those hit the chest and not the back, but they are still draining on the CNS and you will thus perform your deadlifts on a tired CNS, which is dumb.
You have no horizontal pulling movement only a vertical pull and a traps movement. If anything horizontal pulling is much more important than vertical pulling, especially if the bulk of your chest work is pressing.
The biceps work you are doing is redundant. It will basically hit the same portion of the muscle. It’s a waste of time and recovery capacity. You want to do more exercises for your guns, fine, but make choices that actually add something to the program.
There are actually several other flaws, and I’m sure that it would have looked even worse if you have given me your reps and sets. But these are the most important things to fix.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
MontisVerdes wrote:
Coach,
My brother is on the brink of chronic fatigue. I’m hoping you can offer some suggestions on how to pull out of it.
He works in the inner city public school, has gunfire regularly near where his kids go to school, etc. So, he carries a lot of stress with him. His work outs consist of a lot of bodyweight type exercises to keep in shape. The problem is, his system can’t take it when he starts working himself a little harder than normal. He ends up exhausted for days.
He probably drinks too much coffee to get a boost, but he also has his blood checked regularly to make sure he is not deficient in any one area, which he claims he is not. He’s health conscious but at a loss as to how to help himself. It sounds like a CNS issue to me. Any suggestions?
The problem is much more likely to be related to adrenal glands/cortisol issues rather than CNS ones.
Cortisol is a stress hormone and since he is under a lot of stress his cortisol must be constantly through the roof which would disturb his recovery.
Cortisol is also a low-grade stimulant, so when it is elevated it’s hard for the body to recover.
How are his sleeping patterns?
Does he fall asleep easily at night or does it takes him a while?
Does he wake up throughout the night or does he sleep like a baby?
In the morning does he wakes up at the right time by himself or does he need an alarm clock (or two)?
When awake, is he ready to go right off the bat or does he need his morning coffee and a little time to get started?
Give the answers to these questions and I’ll be more likely to be able to help him.
[/quote]
Coach,
Thanks for the reply. His problem with sleep seems directly related to stress. He said he sleeps well 5 out of 7 nights (unless his mind is racing with a specific issue). He said he wakes fairly easily but needs his morning coffee before he feels ready to accomplish anything.
He says on the days the stress is enough to keep him from sleeping well, the fatigue creeps in keeps him from being productive for 2-3 days until he “sleeps it off”. Training can’t happen on days he feels tired or he’ll really plunge into fatigue. Playing pick-up basketball the other day, knocked him out of commission for 24 hours.
Thanks again for the reply. He’s been to the Dr., acupunturist, massage therapist, you name it. He can’t seem to shake it and he’s not getting much useful advice.
Hi Thib,
Could you please list any supplements apart from Flameout that i can take with high carb meals to improve insulin sensitivity?
I only don’t use Flameout on my high carb days in an effort to keep fat as low as possible.
Thanks for reading.
Hey Coach,
I have been meaning to try the HSS-100 for a long time now and think I should take the plunge soon!
Anyway, My query is surrounding this possible split:
(Large muscle with small muscle in order to use HSS-100 for each):
Day 1: Chest/Biceps
Day 2: Quads/Calves(reg work)
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back/Triceps
Day 5: Shoulders/Hamstrings
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Repeat
I would LIKE to hit each muscle once every 6 days using this method for each, if possible.
I have written it up, so that it is done in alternating fashion, so CNS is not totally drained before hitting the next muscle.
OR
Day 1: Shoulders/Hamstrings
Day 2: Back/Traps
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Chest/Rotators
Day 5: Quads/Calves
Day 6: Arms/forearms
Day 7: Off
ALSO, post Super Accumulation Program results = gained 5lbs of lean muscle after the recovery week AND lost SOME fat.
Thanks alot boss!!
GJ
Is soy protein truly as bad as some people make it out to be on the forums? I remember something in your contest prep reguarding a soy pudding that was bloating you near the end, but if taken in small amounts each day, will it raise estrogen and lower testosterone?
Hope the question isn’t redundant, I just trust you over random members. Thanks
Oh, and I’m not prepping for a contest, but I am trying to get much leaner than I have ever been and then maintaining that level for a long time in hopes of lowering my body fat percentage set point.
CT
I am starting a regiment of ReceptorMax. The recommended use says 1 before each meal and 3 before you workout. I workout first thing in the morning and before my workout I have about 30 grams of protien from GROW!. Will the pre-workout protein effect the way ReceptorMax performs. Also, I am on a low carb diet will this improve the effects of ReceptorMax?
Thanks
NC
[quote]xsquatx wrote:
Hi Thib,
Could you please list any supplements apart from Flameout that i can take with high carb meals to improve insulin sensitivity?
I only don’t use Flameout on my high carb days in an effort to keep fat as low as possible.
Thanks for reading.[/quote]
Understand that Flameout, as an highly concentrated source of omege-3 fatty acids, will impove insulin sensitivity OVER THE LONG RUN.
It’s not like you take it before a meal and BAM improve insulin sensitivity!!!
Receptormax would be my first choice to improve acute insulin sensitivity.
[quote]WannabeBigBoy wrote:
Is soy protein truly as bad as some people make it out to be on the forums? I remember something in your contest prep reguarding a soy pudding that was bloating you near the end, but if taken in small amounts each day, will it raise estrogen and lower testosterone?
Hope the question isn’t redundant, I just trust you over random members. Thanks
Oh, and I’m not prepping for a contest, but I am trying to get much leaner than I have ever been and then maintaining that level for a long time in hopes of lowering my body fat percentage set point.[/quote]
Soy IS bad. Not only that, but it is actually an inferior source of protein. For that reason alone, even if it didn’t have any negative side effect I wouldn’t use it. But the fact is that it DOES have negative effects in men.
Would a small dose hurt you? Maybe not, but I personally would not chance it.
Hi Coach, I just read before you recommend 30 grams of BCAA 45 mins before a workout. Would you recommend a lower dose for someone who is 170 pounds or is 30 grams a universal recommendation.
Thanks for everything