Hi Thib,
I am about to start Poliquin’s super accumulation program.
I have a question regarding supplementation for the recovery phase :
Poliquin prescribes a test booster for this phase. Since, its too expensive to buy Alpha Male from here (Canada) do you think that a tribulus terrestris only supplement and ZMA would do the job?
Thanks for help.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Hm, 8 intervals of 60 seconds is basically exactly how I would set up my intervals when I used to do them so I guess my way isn’t traditional intervals because it’s close to your description of sprints. My “intervals” only had 60sec. of rest between sprints as opposed to 5min. though so that’s a big difference[/quote]
Don’t forget that intervals of 60 seconds high intensity will also have around 60 seconds of low intensity work per interval.
[quote]heavyset wrote:
Hi coach,
just a few questions that’ve been bugging my mind lately:
It’s a bit overrated. It will be effective mostly if you are deficient in zinc and/or magnesium. If you do not have a deficiency, it will not help much.
[quote]heavyset wrote:
2) What are your thoughts on consuming large amounts of BCAAs during workout when trying to gain mass? (instead of carb/whey type formula)[/quote]
It’s a strategy that I have used and recommended in the past. However recent data would suggest that leucine by itself would be even more effective than the whole BCAAs. And it would require a much lower dosage, 5g.
[quote]heavyset wrote:
3) Should lunges be done on quads or hamstring day? [/quote]
It depends on the type of lunges. Short step lunges are quads dominant, medium-step lunges are balanced and long-step lunges are more glutes/hamstrings dominant.
[quote]David1991 wrote:
Regarding the lactate workouts mentioned above, how close to failure should these be? I know they should not be to failure but if you were to give an estimate, about how many reps do you think one should have left in the tank at the end of a (15 rep average) set of a certain exercise?
Secondly, should you try to progress by 5lb. or so each workout or should the weight stay constant as long as you are doing them?
Thanks coach[/quote]
I’m glad you brought that up, I thought about those when first reading about the LIS’s but forgot to ask.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
Hm, 8 intervals of 60 seconds is basically exactly how I would set up my intervals when I used to do them so I guess my way isn’t traditional intervals because it’s close to your description of sprints. My “intervals” only had 60sec. of rest between sprints as opposed to 5min. though so that’s a big difference
Don’t forget that intervals of 60 seconds high intensity will also have around 60 seconds of low intensity work per interval.[/quote]
Yea it seems that’s the biggest difference between your description for sprints and traditional intervals
Hey Coach,
I know I posted this before, but you always get swamped on here, so here’s hoping you have a moment or two 
I’m presently two weeks out of my first BBing show, and plan on following your “shredded in 6 days” article for my last week. It makes amazing sense, and this is probably the simplest way I have ever seen anyone lay out a guided plan to manipulate water and carbs to get the full, yet dry look on stage. I do have several concerns, and questions that I’m hoping you can clear up, or just clarify for me.
-Mon through Thursday are pretty self explanatory, <50g carbs, and 3 gallons of water. My question is in regards to overall cals ingested. I’ve been on a rotating approach, very similar to your carb cycling codex (intake based on what will be done in the gym that day). So far, I have been scheduling my ‘low’ intake days for when I rest from the weights, and do my interval work. They have involved <50g carbs, and my lowest overall cals throughout the week (usually no more than 2000 - 2100 cals). Should I keep my numbers this low all through the last week, or can I get away with a more moderate intake (2300?) because of the low carbs?
-On the Friday before the show (Sat), you say to cut water at 4pm, when you have the fourth carb meal for the day. The article then advises to have either 1, or 2 more carb meals to be consumed during the remaining portion of the day. My question is this: Will those two meals be all that I will be eating for the remainder of the day, or is it only two P+C meals but I can have a 3rd so long as it is P+F and contains no more than maintenance cals?
-Also on Friday, you recommend taking a hot bath in Epsom salts before bed. My concern is the Pro-Tan. I know some folks apply it, let it ‘dye’ the skin for a few hours, then wash it off and repeat. Others, however, will allow the coats of dye to build up from Thursday night through Sat morning, and achieve a nice dark ‘tan’. What are your thoughts on how necessary the salt bath is vs the darker tan?
-Saturday before the prejudging, you mention ingesting a sugar soda 45 mins prior. I was wondering if it is simply the sugar I would be after, or if the carbonation will have some extra positive effect. I typically get very gasy from carbonated beverages, and the last thing I imagine I would want on stage, is a bloated gassy stomach. (I read of guys taking rice cakes and jam, jelly beans, chocolate bars, even wine.)
-Also on Saturday, I am curious what your thoughts are as far as eating between the prejudging and actual evening show. My prejudging is scheduled for 11am, and the evening show for 5pm. I hear about a lot of competitors going out and downing a burger and fries, thinking that the contest is already decided. A lot of my friends, and folks from my gym are coming out to see me in my first show, and the last thing I want is to look like some fat bastard in the evening show. What would you suggest?
-Thoughts on Creatine also seem to be all over the spectrum. I know that creatine supposedly forces more water into the muscle, but just want to make sure it won’t interfere with the flushing effect we’re going after.
and Lastly…
-I picked up an herbal, OTC diuretic like you suggest, and it instructs to take twice a day. Your article says to use it Friday, however a few competitors say that I should be taking it every day for the last week so it will start to take effect. Will this approach be helpful, or work against the flushing of water by the body?
Thanks Thibs, I know I just threw a lot at you!
S
Thanks for your reply coach. Really cleared things up for me!
coach Thib i have front squating problem that i beleive carries over to back squatting as well.
The Problem is when i descend into the squat i can feel my body not going down evenly, it seems to shift to the left side slightly, then when i come out the hole its also a problem as the weight does not come up evenly(this happened tonight when a bar of 135lbs)…also my right knee occasionaly dips in, but that’s not as common and i need to put a lot more weight on the bar for that happen.
What do you make of this? is it a set up problem or perhaps a muscle imbalance?(if so which muscles specifically)
thanks for your time
Coach, What would be the best route to do after a bad bulk for a still skinny Trainee (muscle wise im skinny)? I just got done with a bulk at the end of the year and i got up to about 200lbs from 150lbs at the beginning of the year.
And i got to about 25% body fat(maybe more) from being pretty lean, I probably shoulda taken into account my family history of weight gain etc(used to be a fatty). So i did a slow cut now im down to 185 at 21% bodyfat. All the fat is situated around my gut :/.
It was a bad bulk i realize that and now im ready to move on but Should i try to more lose weight? I started to bulk again but am keeping the carbs low(really sensitive to them). Is this the right choice? Im kinda at stuck on what to do ATM. Im Young so im not afraid of heart attacks or anything like that lol.
Another thing i seem to have a real hard time gaining strength on my lifts. I can’t seem to have constant gains each week or even months like most other people have. I make my workouts intense but still the strength has always been lacking.
And yeah sorry for the long post, looking foreward to your reply.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’m presently two weeks out of my first BBing show, and plan on following your “shredded in 6 days” article for my last week. It makes amazing sense, and this is probably the simplest way I have ever seen anyone lay out a guided plan to manipulate water and carbs to get the full, yet dry look on stage. I do have several concerns, and questions that I’m hoping you can clear up, or just clarify for me. [/quote]
Stu, let me first tell you this, and this is very important:
“If your recent pictures represent how you are looking on a day-to-day basis IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO SCREW YOUR CONDITIONING”
In other words, keep things as simple as possible, you look great RIGHT NOW, don’t try to pull off any magic trick in the last week and even more important DON’T STRESS ABOUT PEAKING PROPERLY… you can’t go wrong.
Cortisol is the enemy of proper peaking: it prevents proper carb-up and also increases water retention (which is why a lot of pros screw up their condition despite all their gurus and diuretics).
Keep it cool, treat yourself during that last week: go to the movies, get a massage, whatever… just relax. You are in great shape, don’t stress over coming in shape. Don’t stress over minute details either. Stay the course, follow the plan and you’ll have a great time.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-Mon through Thursday are pretty self explanatory, <50g carbs, and 3 gallons of water. My question is in regards to overall cals ingested. I’ve been on a rotating approach, very similar to your carb cycling codex (intake based on what will be done in the gym that day). So far, I have been scheduling my ‘low’ intake days for when I rest from the weights, and do my interval work. They have involved <50g carbs, and my lowest overall cals throughout the week (usually no more than 2000 - 2100 cals). Should I keep my numbers this low all through the last week, or can I get away with a more moderate intake (2300?) because of the low carbs? [/quote]
It doesn’t matter! As long as the carbs are low and protein NOT TOO HIGH (to avoid excessive neoglucogenesis which would partially restore glycogen stores) you’ll be fine. Shoot for less than 50g of carbs and 175g of protein. You WILL NOT lose muscle mass in 4 days even if protein is slightly lower than usual. We want to deplete glycogen stores as much as possible and we want to avoid using excess protein to restore muscle glycogen. Besides that, fat can be fairly high without any problem.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-On the Friday before the show (Sat), you say to cut water at 4pm, when you have the fourth carb meal for the day. The article then advises to have either 1, or 2 more carb meals to be consumed during the remaining portion of the day. My question is this: Will those two meals be all that I will be eating for the remainder of the day, or is it only two P+C meals but I can have a 3rd so long as it is P+F and contains no more than maintenance cals? [/quote]
This is where the mirror will tell you what to do.
After those 2 meals, spaced 2 hours (so it should be around 8pm after those) you go by the way you look.
if you are looking flat, have 1-2 more carbs meals (around 50g per meal)
if you are looking great you can have 1 protein + fat meal (I find that a big juicy steak once you are carbed up will make you look super full and vascular)
if you are holding water don’t have another meal
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-Also on Friday, you recommend taking a hot bath in Epsom salts before bed. My concern is the Pro-Tan. I know some folks apply it, let it ‘dye’ the skin for a few hours, then wash it off and repeat. Others, however, will allow the coats of dye to build up from Thursday night through Sat morning, and achieve a nice dark ‘tan’. What are your thoughts on how necessary the salt bath is vs the darker tan? [/quote]
The bath will obviously remove some of the color. So if you want to take the bath I recommend starting to apply pro tan on wednesday evening to build up a deep base.
Wednesday evening: 1 coat … slight shower before bed
Thursday morning: 1 coat
Thursday after workout: shower + 1 coat
Thursday evening: 1 coat
Friday morning: shower then 1 coat
Friday afternoon: 1 coat
Friday night: epsom salt bath, the 1 coat 30 minutes after (right before bed)
Saturday morning: 1 coat, mostly for touch ups
If you can’t do all that, skip the bath.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-Saturday before the prejudging, you mention ingesting a sugar soda 45 mins prior. I was wondering if it is simply the sugar I would be after, or if the carbonation will have some extra positive effect. I typically get very gasy from carbonated beverages, and the last thing I imagine I would want on stage, is a bloated gassy stomach. (I read of guys taking rice cakes and jam, jelly beans, chocolate bars, even wine.) [/quote]
The carbonation is beneficial, but if it makes you bloated, avoid the soft drink. In the grand scheme of things it will not make a huge difference.
You can have 2 shots of 40% alcohol (vodka, tequila, etc.) with 2 aspirin and get much of the same effect. Contrary to popular belief, red wine is actually too low in alcohol to have a visually significant vasodilatory effect.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-Also on Saturday, I am curious what your thoughts are as far as eating between the prejudging and actual evening show. My prejudging is scheduled for 11am, and the evening show for 5pm. I hear about a lot of competitors going out and downing a burger and fries, thinking that the contest is already decided. A lot of my friends, and folks from my gym are coming out to see me in my first show, and the last thing I want is to look like some fat bastard in the evening show. What would you suggest? [/quote]
Eat like you normally eat during your medium carb day during your prep.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
-Thoughts on Creatine also seem to be all over the spectrum. I know that creatine supposedly forces more water into the muscle, but just want to make sure it won’t interfere with the flushing effect we’re going after.[/quote]
It’s a double edged sword. Don’t chance it. You are in top shape right now. Better to be 1% less full than 10% more watery.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
and Lastly…
-I picked up an herbal, OTC diuretic like you suggest, and it instructs to take twice a day. Your article says to use it Friday, however a few competitors say that I should be taking it every day for the last week so it will start to take effect. Will this approach be helpful, or work against the flushing of water by the body?
Thanks Thibs, I know I just threw a lot at you!
S [/quote]
It will lose its “bang” after 2 days. You can take it starting thursday night, but more than that is superfluous and might make you come in flat.
Additional for MIGHTY STU:
I forgot to reiterate that you have NOTHING to worry about. You’ve done your homework, you’re in great shape you WILL NOT screw this up.
In fact, looking like you do right now, I would have to problem standing with you at the weigh-in and bring you to the stage AS YOU ARE.
You can be proud of yourself, no stress, enjoy these next 2 weeks.
Thanks for the reply coach.
HI COACH
did you get my mails?
amit
Hey Coach,
Been looking to start the HSS 100 program for awhile now and I read upon the back and chest specialization programs.I really don’t mean to bastardize your program but I was wondering if it is possible to make a leg specialization program with the HSS 100 since I couldn’t find one using your “Pillars of Strength” program for legs. Look something like this:
Monday: Pillars of Strength (A)
Tuesday: Back/Traps
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Pillars of Strength (B)
Friday: Chest/Shoulders
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: Biceps/Triceps
Also I was wondering about the Biceps/Triceps, do you do the HSS pattern for both biceps and triceps?
Thanks Coach, it would be greatly appreciated.
What exercises do you feel are most benefical for the specific heads of the tricep muscles? Thanks in advance.
Bonjour coach.
I have a question regarding deadlifts. I have a problem with my grip, especially on short sets with a heavy load : most of the time I have to stop my set because my forearms are fried, while the rest of my body could very well squeeze one or two more reps.
I have two questions :
how can I solve that problem ? I use a fat-grip bar when I do exercices such as high pulls or shrugs. Should I also use it temporarily on the deadlift and then get back to a regular bar ? I also do finger extensions with thick rubber-bands at home. Any ideas or tips ?
I use a regular grip and it seems to me you (and other coaches on T-Nation) don’t recommend using an asymmetrical grip. I’m just curious why it’s something you advise not to do. I have to admit I used it once or twice just to see what it feels like and it really made a difference.
Merci d’avance pour ton aide et bonne continuation !
Hey Coach,
I’m starting your HSS-100 programs this summer for Chest, Back, and Shoulders.
Is there any recommendations as to which order they should be done in?
Thanks,
LR
[quote]London Runner wrote:
Hey Coach,
I’m starting your HSS-100 programs this summer for Chest, Back, and Shoulders.
Is there any recommendations as to which order they should be done in?
Thanks,
LR[/quote]
The order you presented them in would be fine (no phase to phase carryover).
Thanks.
LR
hey coach, can u possibly take a quick look at this link, my whole question is there and your definatly the best to awnser it!
apparently ive already posted on here but i cant see it, so just to make sure u get it…
can you please check this link and answer my diet question, your defiantly the most qualified to answer my question