[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
forbes wrote:
Hi Coach!
I actually wanted to ask you something about that…being a coach.
I wanted to know what kind of education a person has to go through to be one, especially a top level coach. I live in Canada, like you, so I’d presume the process would be the same?
Or could you point me in the right direction. I have a hard time finding information about this stuff! Im looking, but not finding much!
Thanks
I had this exact talk with one of my staff member yesterday. The thing is that in Canada you do not need a degree or even a certification to work as a trainer.
I’ll make a distinction… you can be a trainer as part of the staff of a gym or be a personal training working out of your office (or rent an office space in a gym).
Oddly the former often asks for a degree in kinesiology or physical education yet only pays something like 10-12$ / hour and the job includes very little routine design or personal training (mostly gym supervision). In other words it’s boring as hell.
If you rent an office you basically run your business by attracting clients. Since you are your own boss you do not ‘‘need’’ a certification or degree; however it is one of the things that will help your credibility with potential clients. Others include:
physical appearance
athletic accomplishments
professional accomplishments (having trained xyz champion for example)
[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
Hi Christian,
I bought your e-book and I am very happy with the purchase. A few questions:
For the Saturday workout in Weeks 1-2 most of the exercises can be done at home except for the B1 Back Squat. Could you recommend an alternative to this exercise so that I can do the whole Saturday routine at home? [/quote]
Goglet squats, DB squats or lunges
[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
2. Would you recommend at any time fasted cardio (like first thing in the morning on an empty stomach)? [/quote]
No. It can potentially be catabolic. At least have 5-10g of BCAAs prior to it. BUT do not be overenthusiastic and do too much too soon. Only add more work when progress stalls.
[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
3. Why didn’t you use more of the ideas you presented in your War on Fat Strategies? I know you have variations of it, but it didn’t immediately pop out at me. [/quote]
I wanted to use more traditional methods to maximise the chance of long term success for everybody. But trust me, it is a VERY effective program.
[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
4. Really how important are the supplements to success? Can I really get by with just OPTION 3 (minimum) supplementation? [/quote]
I would not have included option 3 if it would not be at least ‘‘effective’’. Obviously options 1 and 2 are more effective, but only slightly. Most of your progress will be due to training and dieting.
[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
5. Can I incorporate rope jumping in place of any of the intervals or low intensity treadmill work?
[/quote]
Once in a while, for variation, but not too often.
I’ve seen you recommend combos of vertical jumps and squats and broad jumps and deadlifts in the past, where the jumps were used to potentiate the CNS for sets of the compound movements or where a heavy rep of the compound movement was used before 3 reps of the jumps. Is it possible to do something similar with upper body movements? ex. OH med ball throws against a wall before a set of machine pullovers or another lat dominant movement or plyo push-ups followed by a barbell or DB bench press?
Just curious if there would be any value to this or if this would merely be improperly using the technique.
While OH squats would be considered an inferior stimulus for lower body mass gain, would OH lunges be of some value or would the same stabilization issues make them another less-than-ideal choice?
I’ve been trying to determine what types of choices would be of use for certain purposes and populations (e.g. bodybuilders looking for max growth, athletes requiring a blend of strength and stability, etc.) and which ones would just be overly complicating things for no reason or making them look fancy for the sake of being fancy.
Just using lunges for illustrative purposes, you could theoretically perform them OH-style, Zercher style, front squat style, with DB’s, or unilaterally loaded with 1 DB either overhead or at the side amongst other choices.
I know you are more of a strength coach and work more with athletic population but I feel this question still applies to all.
I have a newfound interest in the psychology of nutrition (emotional eating, compliance issues, etc.). I recently read Tom Venuto’s book on the subject and have read a lot of Chris Shugart’s articles as well. I saw Dr. Berardi in a seminar last week and he hit on a few broad points. With all of that I am still looking for more on the subject.
Do you have any recommened reading (books, aritlces, journals, etc.) on the subject?
First off, I want to say that I love your program. I’m into my second week and still come away from most workouts decimated. Legs are easily the toughest day followed by Chest/Back then Arms and Shoulders being the easiest (I have monster shoulders, its genetic or something). Anyways, my issue is this. I have gotten to my second leg day now, and I try and try and TRY and still gas out near the end of the third set of sumo/romanians. Usually after set two I am staring at the clock trying to relax my heartrate a bit, with a two liter of water next to the rack so I’m not running for water wasting my rest period.
My day today went something like 235x5/115x5, 235x5/115x5, 205x5/115x5, 185x5/115x5 – thats where I couldn’t continue. I was on the ground for about five minutes and my form fell apart. I KNOW my first set has to go up in weight, but its soo damned hard when I am worried about being gassed after my first set. Any ideas, or is this typical of this workout? If it means anything, I did think I was going to puke today haha.
NOTE: I’m 6’1" 215, probably 13-15% BF, havent tested in awhile. Nutritionally, I am cutting my calories on days when I’m not lifting through whey blend/flax seed shakes and alot of chicken and baby spinach. On workout days calories go up about 800 cals and more carbs immediately post workout, otherwise not many carbs in general.
What type of Upper Body training do you suggest to help increase you vertical jump?
I am currently training for a very high vertical jump…but would also like a muscular upper body (though i’m not soley bothered about proportions and wot not like a bodybuilder)
I was wondering if there are any direct upper body exercises which would help or if I should focus on the muscles that will help improve those used on lower body days (eg. shoudlers, tricep and core for the olympic lifts etc)
For your get jacked program, would you say its best to avoid high caffeine energy drinks? I don’t see them mentioned in the plan and I know when I am having an off day they can really help me get going.
Hey Coach,
I’m finishing up the second week of your regressive ketogenic diet plan and so far am loving the results. I’ve lost 7 pounds since I started. I’m 5’6 at 167 starting, 13%bf (caliper measured).
I have kept all my lifts up, and have even increased on a few, so I’m definitely not burning muscle. I have noticed at the end of this week that I’m starting to struggle more energy wise to maintain my intensity though.
I do a 4 day lower/upper split routine and train in mma twice a week.
My question is, can I use Surge Workout Fuel, and if so should I count the calories/carbs in with my diet plan?
For your get jacked program, would you say its best to avoid high caffeine energy drinks? I don’t see them mentioned in the plan and I know when I am having an off day they can really help me get going.[/quote]
They are fine as long as they are sugar/carbs-free. I do not like caffeine abuse as it can be hard on the adrenal gland; but once in a while as s pick me up it’s okay to use some.
My hang cleans have plateaued at a relatively low weight. What accessory exercises can I do to help me get through this plateau?
Thanks[/quote]
It depends on WHY you hit a plateau. I would need to assess your technique as well as know your strength on several other exercises (deadlift, Romanian deadlift, back squat, front squat, bench press, barbell rowing, chin-ups).
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
MEYMZ wrote:
Hello CT, just some cheesy questions:
How detrimental would be adding cheese (cheese with fat) to a dieting period? Considering a P+F diet.
What would be the perfect substitute for cottage cheese on the meal before sleep? Me and many on this forum know that you don’t suggest cottage anymore.
A little bit of dairy is fine, but don’t overdo it. 1 daily portion of 30g of fatty cheese is ok, but not much more.
I like a green veggies salad with olive oil, a protein shake and fish oil 1 hour before going to bed.[/quote]
Thanks as always.
It’s because I really like cheese, so I think it can help my cravings for other stuff while dieting.
When training women for maximum growth, do you find that they need altered frequency and volume when compared to male trainees due to the differences in hormonal milieu?
I am also curious as to your view on whether a figure competitor can gain strength up until the last few weeks before a show. A trainer at my gym recently told my sister that only a chemically-assisted woman or one who was either de-trained or previously undernourished could gain strength during contest prep. This struck me as suspicious, so I wanted to ask a true expert like you about this very thing.
First, in terms of cardio-respiratory fitness, do you feel that there is a minimum number of ESW sessions and a specific type that should be kept in during max growth phases? Or would the weight training be more than sufficient for that purpose with ESW sessions being added only if needed to keep bodyfat levels in check during the phase?
Secondly, would using only HIIT during any given phase of training still result in some improvement in aerobic capacity despite the fact that HIIT is anaerobic in nature? Obviously doing HIIT alone would not make someone into an elite endurance athlete, but is it at all possible to maintain a certain level of aerobic conditioning simply from using HIIT sessions?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
ds888 wrote:
Hi Coach,
My hang cleans have plateaued at a relatively low weight. What accessory exercises can I do to help me get through this plateau?
Thanks
It depends on WHY you hit a plateau. I would need to assess your technique as well as know your strength on several other exercises (deadlift, Romanian deadlift, back squat, front squat, bench press, barbell rowing, chin-ups).[/quote]
Right now my hang clean is at 160. Some days I can hit it easily, but some days I miss. I consider it plateau since I can’t hit it consistently. My goal by the end of the year is to get to 225.
Here are my stats/numbers on some of the other exercises:
Height - 6’
BW - 190, ~15-18% bf if I had to guess
DL - 335
Bench - 210
Squat - 255x3
Chins - BW is my max
[quote]ds888 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
ds888 wrote:
Hi Coach,
My hang cleans have plateaued at a relatively low weight. What accessory exercises can I do to help me get through this plateau?
Thanks
It depends on WHY you hit a plateau. I would need to assess your technique as well as know your strength on several other exercises (deadlift, Romanian deadlift, back squat, front squat, bench press, barbell rowing, chin-ups).
Right now my hang clean is at 160. Some days I can hit it easily, but some days I miss. I consider it plateau since I can’t hit it consistently. My goal by the end of the year is to get to 225.
Here are my stats/numbers on some of the other exercises:
Height - 6’
BW - 190, ~15-18% bf if I had to guess
DL - 335
Bench - 210
Squat - 255x3
Chins - BW is my max
[/quote]
You might be attempting to max out too often. From your own words ‘‘Right now my hang clean is at 160. Some days I can hit it easily, but some days I miss.’’, this tells me that you try for your max almost everytime you do the hang clean, which is a big mistake.
Without seeing you lift I cannot say what the problem really is. it could be a technical problem, a speed-strength problem, a muscle imbalance problem or an overall strength problem.
From your numbers your leg AND back strength seems to be lacking for you to be able to clean 225.
I’d also need to know what kind of training you do for your hang clean.
First, in terms of cardio-respiratory fitness, do you feel that there is a minimum number of ESW sessions and a specific type that should be kept in during max growth phases? Or would the weight training be more than sufficient for that purpose with ESW sessions being added only if needed to keep bodyfat levels in check during the phase?[/quote]
Weight training can have a positive impact in CR fitness IF the rest intervals are kept short. But from experience, if one want to improve cardio-respiratory capacities, some ESW will be required. Obviously, too much of it could interfere with strength gains. So I’d limit it to 2-3 times per week.
[quote]Reg Dunlop wrote:
Secondly, would using only HIIT during any given phase of training still result in some improvement in aerobic capacity despite the fact that HIIT is anaerobic in nature? Obviously doing HIIT alone would not make someone into an elite endurance athlete, but is it at all possible to maintain a certain level of aerobic conditioning simply from using HIIT sessions? [/quote]
Who said that HIIT is anaerobic in nature. That is totally erroneous. YES the intense portion of the intervals relies IN PART on the anaerobic system (around 60-70% of the energy production during that phase); but the relax portion of the intervals is more aerobic in nature.
Furthermore ‘‘aerobic’’ and ‘‘anaerobic’’ refer to the energy system used, it’s NOT like the heart and lungs are not playing a role during anaerobic work!!!
