Coach, for a boxer who is trying to drop some weight/fat, what would you suggest for peri/post workout nutrition for a boxing training session.
Hi, CT, quick question about the “Control Day” part of your article today:
If we’re seeking muscle gain with a diet higher in carbs (say, 200 to 300g per day), should we still use 50grams on a control day?
In other words, is there a danger of spurring gluconeogenesis by going that low (50g is well-enough below the threshhold to prevent ultimate ketosis) ?
Hello:
I am now doing business as usual “culture pendulum”
and I’m doing the “week 5”. my question is as follows.
when finished the “week 5” , the complete cycle, I do the “week 1” or I do some routine transition between cycle and cycle …
thanks
CT,
Have you ever used a plate-loaded kneeling leg curl made by Cybex and if so, is the resistance curve on it “correct” or do you think the kneeling weight-stack version by Atlantis is far superior.
I ask this because I am putting together a training facility and can get a pre-owned Cybex unit in phenomenal condition and at a low price or pay full retail for the Atlantis. I have enough budget wiggle room to spring for the Atlantis model, but would probably opt to save some cash if the Cybex model would be just as productive and perform just as well.
I figured that I’d ask you since you are very knowledgeable about this type of stuff. Thanks, coach!
CT-
I have been putting carbs back into my diet. Pretty much all just from fruits besides one protein bar.
To keep lean, I was thinking of adding in 1 or 2 400m sprints once to twice a week. I read an article by you that talked about how this actually even made some athletes even more lean.
Do you still have faith in this approach or do you know of a better plan?
Hi Christian,
I read your latest article and was surprised to see the amount of cinnamon suggested to be added to meals/shakes. Copy and paste from your article.
“1. Use one or two tablespoon(s) of ground cinnamon prior to every meal (and mix it in your shakes). Cinnamon, on top of having a myriad of other health benefits, improves insulin sensitivity, insulin management, and glucose disposal. It doesn’t contain any calories, has a high level of several minerals, as well as fiber, and tastes great!”
I’ve always used more like one or two teaspoons worth, have I been using a useless dose?
Edit: I’m from the UK, I think our measurements and cinnamon are the same though.
[quote]thestudbeast wrote:
Hi Christian,
I read your latest article and was surprised to see the amount of cinnamon suggested to be added to meals/shakes. Copy and paste from your article.
“1. Use one or two tablespoon(s) of ground cinnamon prior to every meal (and mix it in your shakes). Cinnamon, on top of having a myriad of other health benefits, improves insulin sensitivity, insulin management, and glucose disposal. It doesn’t contain any calories, has a high level of several minerals, as well as fiber, and tastes great!”
I’ve always used more like one or two teaspoons worth, have I been using a useless dose?
Edit: I’m from the UK, I think our measurements and cinnamon are the same though. [/quote]
Actually I meant the smallest spoon (around 3g) sometimes I get mixed up with the english terms.
[quote]partymonster975 wrote:
CT-
I have been putting carbs back into my diet. Pretty much all just from fruits besides one protein bar.
To keep lean, I was thinking of adding in 1 or 2 400m sprints once to twice a week. I read an article by you that talked about how this actually even made some athletes even more lean.
Do you still have faith in this approach or do you know of a better plan?[/quote]
It’s a good approach if:
- Getting lean is your main goal and you have carbs in your diet
or
- You are an athlete requiring the capacity to perform maximally for 30-60 seconds
If your main goal is to gain muscle mass, I wouldn’t suggest it.
[quote]gaddismotivate wrote:
CT, I have been following your transformation diet plan for a month and a half and am finally seeing results (ironically, this comes a week after I added creatine.) I’m 6’2", 196lbs and approx 13%BF. Is there a certain period of time I should stay on the plan before resetting for a week? OR is that not necessary?[/quote]
- How in hell can you say that you are ‘‘approximately 13%’’ without having been measured? A lot of peoples make quick judgement as to where they are at, and they often make a very bad judgement at that. Heck, I’ve done over 10 000 body fat tests in my life, so I’ve seen my fare share of semi-naked bodies and then had the number to go along with ‘‘the look’’. So I pretty much know what 10%, 5%, 15% etc. looks like; but there is no way someone can approximate what a certain percentage looks like without having actually measured hundreds of subjects first.
Your 13% could actually be 16 or even 18%. See it this way, at 10% you have decent abdominal definition. If you are 196lbs at 13% it means that you are 6lbs away from having a solid six pack. Are you close to that?
Anyway, I don’t care either way, but please you guys should refrain from giving me ‘‘approximate’’ body fat levels if you haven’t been measured.
- Regarding your question, I normally recommend not dieting for more than 12 weeks in a row. For most people 8-10 weeks is best. You should then take a 1-2 weeks break from the diet (which DOESN’T MEAN eating like crap) then starting again if you have not yet reached your goal.
[quote]debraD wrote:
Are there any issues sprinting just prior to a workout including deadlifts and cleans? I rest about 10 minutes between sprinting and lifts. Would it be better to do them on different days?
[/quote]
- It’s better to regroup CNS-intensive work on the same day (e.g. sprints and explosive lifting) than to split then up. The reason is that CNS-intensive work has a general effect. This means that if even if you do two different types of sessions, if they are CNS-intensive they will both lead to CNS fatigue and slow down CNS recovery.
In that regard I prefer to put a greater stress on the CNS on one day BUT to give it ample time to recover instead of putting it under a slightly lesser daily stress but not giving it enough time to recover.
So regarding your question, it’s best to do both on the same day.
But…
- Ideally you would have 3-6 hours between both session, especially if any one of those sessions lasts more than 75 minutes.
[quote]GoDawgs wrote:
Coach, for a boxer who is trying to drop some weight/fat, what would you suggest for peri/post workout nutrition for a boxing training session.[/quote]
0.3g of protein per pound of bodyweight
0.2g* of glutamine per pound of bodyweight
0.1g* of glycine per pound of bodyweight
*NOTE: these two supplements can be hard on the digestive system of some individuals, so start with a lower dose and gradually increase it to find what your tolerance is.
CT,
Why on a low-carb intake (<30g) do I not sleep as well as on a high(er) carb intake? I’ve experimented with this by controlling caloric intake (both diets set at 3500 so that I could ensure I was not in a caloric deficit which in and of itself could cause a problem with sleep) and I’ve noticed that I don’t stay asleep as long nor do I fall asleep as quickly as when carb intake is high(er) around 40% of total nutrients. As such, what is a good strategy to assist in this situation. Thanks for the help.
[quote]cpcloud wrote:
CT,
Why on a low-carb intake (<30g) do I not sleep as well as on a high(er) carb intake? I’ve experimented with this by controlling caloric intake (both diets set at 3500 so that I could ensure I was not in a caloric deficit which in and of itself could cause a problem with sleep) and I’ve noticed that I don’t stay asleep as long nor do I fall asleep as quickly as when carb intake is high(er) around 40% of total nutrients. As such, what is a good strategy to assist in this situation. Thanks for the help.[/quote]
Low carbs = more catecholamine produced (activation hormone/neurotransmitter)
High carbs = more serotonin produced (pleasure/relaxation neurotransmitter)
Hi
Am following your guidelines for fat loss using 3 day heavy split with lactate work / cardio. Quesiton is I find deadlift is awesome for my back but do it on Chest/Back day and I feel it affects my squating when it comes to legs on following day. Should I just throw into my leg day?
Great article series Christian thank you for sharing them with us. I have a question relating to the idea of antagonist pairings for great strength increases. What kind of pairings would work for lower body strength exercises? Push/Pull pairings for the upper body seem much more obvious, however for the lower body, at least in my head, it doesn’t seem like any two moves are total antagonists of each other (leaving out legs curls and leg extensions anyway).
To me pairing any sort of hip dominant move and quad dominant move, would cause fatigue in similar muscles during every set of both moves. Say you pair front squats and good mornings. the hip still has to extend in both and while the trunk is extending in the good mornings and not the front squat the lower back is still used to stabilize the trunk from falling forward.
Really I wonder then would doing a stretnch antagonist pairing for lower body STRENGTH moves be for effective? Say after a heavy set of rack pulls might you want to stretch the hip flexors during your rest periods?
Thanks in advance for any and all help with my question I really appreciate you talking the time to answer our inquiries.
what nutrition would you recommend coach before and after an early morning swim of 80-90mins of breaststroke at a moderate intensity upon waking on an empty stomach?
I really enjoy this and like the long duration and the intensity.
i am having a break from training bodybuilding competing and just swimming daily.
currently i take 6BCAA caps and 20g of whey protein in water upon waking 20mins before the swim, as soon as i finish (80-90 mins) i take 6 BCAA and 10g of whey in water, then 30mins later at home i have a full whey shake and cereal.
In my post swim breakfast whats the maximum amount of carbs i can consume, and also to maintain as much muscle as possible whilst not bodybuilding how many grams of protein should i consume a day??
Thank you.
CT, I still workout in the early AM…I think it might give me more energy if I drank my Surge DURING the workout rather than after…but is this worse? Why? I did know when I was cutting I still had Surge after but never during or before…that seemed the best. BUT, a more energetic workout = better…so I’m not sure.
Also, would you recommend having some fruit with my whey when I wake up, or just whey and then off to the gym and save the fruit for the 1 meal PWO (after Surge)?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Actually I meant the smallest spoon (around 3g) sometimes I get mixed up with the english terms.[/quote]
OK you meant a teaspoon (tsp), a table spoon is the biggest one so about 10-15g. Might be worth telling T-Nation to edit the article 
[quote]thestudbeast wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Actually I meant the smallest spoon (around 3g) sometimes I get mixed up with the english terms.
OK you meant a teaspoon (tsp), a table spoon is the biggest one so about 10-15g. Might be worth telling T-Nation to edit the article
[/quote]
True because that’s a crap ton of cinnamon if you’re eating 6x/day!
Thibs,
Was wondering what, in your opinion, are the most and least ideal nuts for body recomposition.
Thank you for your time