[quote]heckya911 wrote:
Coach: You mentioned serotonin earlier and I was wondering while on a low carb diet, would the low levels of serotonin cause depression? Is that why you recommended 5-htp? Thank you sir.[/quote]
It rarely goes to that point. In fact I do not remember seeing it happen.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
totti13 wrote:
Hi CT
one question about Beast Building
where to perform 6-9seconds isometric hold?
conventional DL-just below the knee?
back squat-between the parallel and standing?
bench press-before the lockout?
You have two choices:
many thanks
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
heckya911 wrote:
Coach: You mentioned serotonin earlier and I was wondering while on a low carb diet, would the low levels of serotonin cause depression? Is that why you recommended 5-htp? Thank you sir.
It rarely goes to that point. In fact I do not remember seeing it happen.[/quote]
Would you reccomend 5-htp or any other combination of supplements consistng of a certain formula to get the mood up? There are alot of products being marketed, I just dont want to take the wrong stuff. Thank you very much sir.
[quote]heckya911 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
heckya911 wrote:
Coach: You mentioned serotonin earlier and I was wondering while on a low carb diet, would the low levels of serotonin cause depression? Is that why you recommended 5-htp? Thank you sir.
It rarely goes to that point. In fact I do not remember seeing it happen.
Would you reccomend 5-htp or any other combination of supplements consistng of a certain formula to get the mood up? There are alot of products being marketed, I just dont want to take the wrong stuff. Thank you very much sir.[/quote]
Vitamin D 
Around 5,000 Iu a day of the oil based caps, NOT the powder.
Makes you all happy and nice with a warm fuzzy feeling inside
(er or not but it helps with the mood)
[quote]heckya911 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
heckya911 wrote:
Coach: You mentioned serotonin earlier and I was wondering while on a low carb diet, would the low levels of serotonin cause depression? Is that why you recommended 5-htp? Thank you sir.
It rarely goes to that point. In fact I do not remember seeing it happen.
Would you reccomend 5-htp or any other combination of supplements consistng of a certain formula to get the mood up? There are alot of products being marketed, I just dont want to take the wrong stuff. Thank you very much sir.[/quote]
Honestly, if you really have a depression problem or borderline depression problem, nothing will really help.
High doses of fish oil is good, Power Drive too, 5-HTP has its use. But for mood enhancement in a depressive person, it’s like going to war with a knife.
Question on Olive Oil: Everyone says if you’re taking tablespoons (or in my case shots) of it, use Extra Virgin. Is there any particular reason why, or advantage that it has over regular olive oil?
Hey coach thibaudeau,
i’m wondering about muscle maintenance for smaller muscle groups like calves and forearms-would i just need to make sure i had adequate protein intake while maintaining weight, or would some lower-intensity work be required as well?
i ask because time constraints would mean that i’d have to spend time focusing on either calves or forearms for a cycle, but not both.
Thib,
While for athletes at certain levels getting regular access to the ice might pose more of an issue than for a pro or minor league player, do you feel that off-season ESW for hockey players should be performed on the ice if at all possible? Or do you think that the athlete should actually get away from the ice and the pattern of skating?
Also, do you see slideboards as having any value in terms of ESW for a hockey player (or any athlete for that matter) or do you see their value as limited or even non-existent?
CT,
I was recently having a conversation with a trainer at my gym, and he said that when switching to a new exercise, the first few weeks are what he considers to be “learning” gains and are not what he would consider real strength gains, since he chalks a lot of those gains up to becoming better/more efficient at performing a previously unfamiliar movement or one that has not been used in some time. He said that neural and especially structural gains would take more time to develop and that someone switching exercises too often would never develop true strength because they’d essentially perceive becoming better at a new movement as genuine strength gains.
Would you tend to agree with any of this statement?
On a related note, I was reading a piece online that said that the body will recruit more muscle fibers up to about 80-85% of maximum and that above that point, there would be no further recruitment, and force output would be improved via rate coding. Given your vast knowledge, is this accurate?
Have a great day, Thib!
Any updates on when the new mass building plan will be hitting T-Nation?
[quote]jordmo22 wrote:
Any updates on when the new mass building plan will be hitting T-Nation?[/quote]
You guys can get extremely annoying with this.
Phase 1 has been sent to TC
Hi coach!
Question about progression. I’ve read your articles and know the principles how to progress from training to training. However, I find it hard to adjust it into my own training. Say I’m doing a program for 6 weeks. Should I concentrate on a single progression type only, like increasing volyme? How should I keep the progression simple yet effective?
Also, is there a rule of thumb of how many hours you should work to progress? I for instance work 3-4hours/week in the gym. Is that even enough? I’m trying to work really hard every time. Thx!
Hey Christian Thibaudeau I love reading your work and have spent hours reading not just your work but lots of other cool stuff and I think I have an Idea of what to do but I still have some questions. First of all lets start off by letting you know just how un fit I am. I am 6 foot 3 and just weighed in at 290 pounds and yes, its almost all fat. I was having the hardest time trying to make a program until I red both parts of your Articles How to Design a Damn Good Program - Part 1
How to Design a Damn Good Program - Part 2. Here it is
STRENGTH
9 sets of 3 reps with 3-4 min rest
No more that 6 exercises per training day
Day 1.) Lower Body
2.) Upper Body
3.) Recovery
4.) Lower Body
5.) Recovery
6.) Upper Body
7.) Recovery
DAY 1: Upper Body
Chest: BB Decline Bench
DB Flat Bench
Back: Chin Ups
Biceps: BB standing curl
Triceps: Dips
Shoulders: Standing Military Press
DAY 2: Lower Body
Quadriceps: Front Squat
Leg Press
Hamstrings: Romanian Dead Lift
Stiff Leg Dead Lift
ABS: Decline sit ups
Side crunches
OK that’s what I have got but here is the kicker. The Canadian Military will be calling me in 4 to 6 weeks and I NEED to be able to at least do 4-5 push ups with my hands under my shoulders or close to it. I need at least that. No in fact the military actually does not need to to meet the 19 push ups 19 sit ups and a few chi ups. Nut the killer for me is having to eventually run 2,4 Km run in at least 11.56 minutes.
If I cat meet these requirements I have to at least do 4 of there push ups and they will put me in personal training 3 times a day for up to 3 months so I can get into basic training. I have missed the last 40 days because there has been a bus strike and I had no way to get to my Gym.
Its now Saturday Feb 7th and I am going to start this program that I made on Monday. I need to know if this is right path to get ready for the Military? I am using protein powder and taking fish oil. I have gotten my self up to a 60 lb DB bench 6 reps for 3 sets. I have some experience in dead lifting and other good exercise. I just need your input Is 9 sets per exercise to much?
Thanks very much Kyle Potts
OK I have come to the realization that that program in not right at all for what I’m trying to do so really I need some bigger advice than I thought
Coach-
I am beginning the third week of your Get Jacked Program. The workouts are brutal. Have a couple of questions.
I workout first thing in the morning, how do I rearrange the eating?
I have not lost much weight/fat at all. I am eating more now after following your eating perameters. Is it normal to not loose right away? Maybe drop some of the food a little? Please let me know.
Thanks in advance…
I sent an email back to both your hotmail and beast account but you mentioned your hotmail account has been screwy. I hope that did not affect receiving the email. If you did not get it let me know. Thanks.
Hey Coach Thib, i was needing a little advice on mu cutting refiment. It seems that no matter what program I do while I am cutting I lose mass in my shoulder and trap area the worst. I usually don’t do a lot of isolation exercises during a diet. I mostly for big bang for your buck exercises.
The one’s I use for this area is clean and presses, powercleans, high pulls, and jump shrugs. Should I be using more isolation exercises or is there something else. Thanks.
[quote]matt_t2004 wrote:
Hey Coach Thib, i was needing a little advice on mu cutting refiment. It seems that no matter what program I do while I am cutting I lose mass in my shoulder and trap area the worst. I usually don’t do a lot of isolation exercises during a diet. I mostly for big bang for your buck exercises.
The one’s I use for this area is clean and presses, powercleans, high pulls, and jump shrugs. Should I be using more isolation exercises or is there something else. Thanks.[/quote]
Are you losing strength in the shoulders or are they just feeling/looking smaller? My rule of thumb is that if you are not losing strength, then you are not likely losing mass.
But to answer your question, yes I would do some isolation work. The movements you are listing are great exercises, but they lack time under tension (because the reps are fast) and time under active contraction (because at least half of the range of motion is completed because of momentum and not muscle contraction).
I’d add DB shoulder presses in the 6-8 range and some form of lateral work for sets of 8-10
[quote]matt_t2004 wrote:
Hey Coach Thib, i was needing a little advice on mu cutting refiment. It seems that no matter what program I do while I am cutting I lose mass in my shoulder and trap area the worst. I usually don’t do a lot of isolation exercises during a diet. I mostly for big bang for your buck exercises.
The one’s I use for this area is clean and presses, powercleans, high pulls, and jump shrugs. Should I be using more isolation exercises or is there something else. Thanks.[/quote]
Not sure if my answer went through. Anyway…
Are you losing strength? As a rule of thumb, if you are not losing strength then you should not be losing muscle mass. Your shoulders might feel small and look smaller because they are:
a) depleted of glycogen and water (like a deflated balloon)
b) covered by less fat which makes you feel looser in your clothes
c) actually smaller… in that case you should be weaker in the shoulder movements
I would still recommend some isolation movements. The exercises you are doing are excellent, but they might not be optimal to keep as much shoulder mass as possible because:
a) they lack time under tension (because the reps are very fast)
b) they lack time under muscle action (because momentum does the job for close to half the range of motion)
c) they involve other muscles groups which may not be as prone as your shoulders to lose size and strength and these might take over more and more
I’d still 4-5 sets of DB shoulder press in the 6-8 reps range and some form of laterals for sets of 8-10 reps.
[quote]Kal-El wrote:
Coach-
I am beginning the third week of your Get Jacked Program. The workouts are brutal. Have a couple of questions.
Replace breakfast by the post-workout shake and move the breakfast as a snack during the day.
[quote]Kal-El wrote:
2. I have not lost much weight/fat at all. I am eating more now after following your eating perameters. Is it normal to not loose right away? Maybe drop some of the food a little? Please let me know.
Thanks in advance… [/quote]
That’s because you were eating like a girl before. So far, all who reported their results to me lost at least 3lbs during the first week. Some lost as much as 10.
Remember that this first week is supposed to be a DRASTIC low-calories phase. If you were eating less than this before then God has mercy on your anorexic soul!
CT,
When using the 1 1/2 or double contraction method during a hypertrophy phase what are the best rep ranges to use for maximum growth? Ive noticed that using strict form on this technique requires a significant drop in the weight used for a given rep range.
Thanks!