Thib's Q&A

Training
4301

[quote]Lift76 wrote:
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![/quote]

Shoot for 2/3 of the number of reps you would normally do.

If you are generally using sets of 8-10 reps when building mass, go for sets of 5-6 reps.

Using less weight is normal, it’s not a heavy lifting technique but a constant tension one. This is why for optimal results you should have at least one relatively heavy ‘‘normal’’ exercise for the same muscle group.

4302

Coach, you mentioned about having experimented with Intermittent Fasting not too long ago, in part due to time constrains.

Can you expand a little bit on how it worked for you and whether there really is some value to it?

Thanks.

4303

[quote]Bachovas wrote:
Coach, you mentioned about having experimented with Intermittent Fasting not too long ago, in part due to time constrains.
Can you expand a little bit on how it worked for you and whether there really is some value to it?

Thanks.[/quote]

Here is what I believe…

  1. If intermittent fasting (e.g. fasting 16 hours while being active and having a short period of ‘‘feast’’ at the end of the day) certainly is not detrimental to health provided that the necessary nutrients are ingested. If that were the case, mankind would not have survived the stone age! Think about it… men spent their day walking, hunting their food.

They did not eat during the day as they were actively looking for food to feed their whole tribe. At night, they would have a large meal from the food they collected or hunted.

The same pattern was fairly common among ancient civilisations.

I’m not saying that it makes this form of eating optimal, but simply that it is not detrimental to survival and physical performance.

  1. There has recently been a few studies refuting the effect of eating several small meals per day when it comes to ‘‘boosting’’ metabolism. In fact, contrary to what we often preach, there isn’t much (if any) difference in metabolic rate between various frequencies of eating.

  2. Studies have also shown that fasting as long as 3 days had no effect on muscle mass. I’m not recommending that approach, but it certainly indicate that if you go a few hours without food you will not start to canibalize yourself.

  3. When you are adapted to this form of eating, you are actually more energetic during the fasting period. This is because catecholamines are more elevated and less energy is spent digesting food.

  4. I do believe that this type of eating could be effective IF the individual in question can do his workout immediately before his eating period.

I would think that after 16 hours of fasting plus a tough workout, the muscle cells would be extra sensitive to insulin which would lead to more nutrients being sent to the muscles and less stored as fat.

HOWEVER I also think that individuals with a fast metabolism would crash on such a diet.

I also think that those with a small appetite would no do well on it since you have to ingest the equivalent of a whole day of eating in a 3-4 hours period.

Finally, those who are compulsive eaters or lack self-discipline will also fail on such a diet because they are likely to indulge in a lot of crappy food after the daily fast.

My verdict is that I would not recommend this diet to any of my clients. However it could work for some individuals.

4304

Hi Mr Thibs,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on some claimed gains on the, with yup the guns and a little bit of sibling rivalry.

Case A - I’ve been training about a year lost around 10%BF now 185 lbs have always found it hard to gain mass on my upper arm compared to the back or legs, more to do with feel not getting the pump over complicating my program, better now making moderate gains starting off with standing EZ curls upto 100 lbs with iso hold, seating DB curls 45 lbs, hammer curls 50 lbs

Case B My brother bit older than me around 25% bf in calorie deficit losing currently getting his fitness back, circuit training steadily losing around 2 pounds a week all he is doing for his arms is db curls 25 lbs 3 sets 20 reps hammercurls same weight, sets once a week and gained a more than a centimetre in each arm in under 3 weeks around 37cm… bigger than mine, bigger than his before he started with less fat!?

How is this possible? I know i am not taking the trics into consideration but his arms have become visibly leaner although his biceps aren’t well defined they have become notably bigger more square. Admitedly he has always had big biceps including brachialis’

Shouldn’t he be losing a lot of size while he is losing weight with lower calorie intake? Is he somehow getting better hypertrophy with this low weight high rep approach? is he just better at getting continuous tension? I’m confused! If you could explain this effect i’d be greatful, at least i’m still stronger :slight_smile:

4305

[quote]tronics wrote:
Hi Mr Thibs,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on some claimed gains on the, with yup the guns and a little bit of sibling rivalry.

Case A - I’ve been training about a year lost around 10%BF now 185 lbs have always found it hard to gain mass on my upper arm compared to the back or legs, more to do with feel not getting the pump over complicating my program, better now making moderate gains starting off with standing EZ curls upto 100 lbs with iso hold, seating DB curls 45 lbs, hammer curls 50 lbs

Case B My brother bit older than me around 25% bf in calorie deficit losing currently getting his fitness back, circuit training steadily losing around 2 pounds a week all he is doing for his arms is db curls 25 lbs 3 sets 20 reps hammercurls same weight, sets once a week and gained a more than a centimetre in each arm in under 3 weeks around 37cm… bigger than mine, bigger than his before he started with less fat!?

How is this possible? I know i am not taking the trics into consideration but his arms have become visibly leaner although his biceps aren’t well defined they have become notably bigger more square. Admitedly he has always had big biceps including brachialis’

Shouldn’t he be losing a lot of size while he is losing weight with lower calorie intake? Is he somehow getting better hypertrophy with this low weight high rep approach? is he just better at getting continuous tension? I’m confused! If you could explain this effect i’d be greatful, at least i’m still stronger :)[/quote]

It is possible, to some extent, to gain some muscle while losing fat. This is especially true of out of shape individuals who finally stop being sloppy with their diet and training habits.

Everybody is different… we all have strength and weaknesses. We all have stubborn body parts that are much harder to build.

As a rule of thumb, I’d say that if you can’t feel the muscle working when you train and that it’s hard to get a good pump, then you are not optimally recruiting that muscle and as a result it will not grow optimally.

4306

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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.

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]

Thank you coach. I will definately add in the isolation work.

4307

Thib,

For post-workout nutrition, I’ve noticed some people now advising against a whey-only + glucose + maltodextrin mixture and suggesting that a whey/casein blend + a glucose/fructose blend is a better option and that people should strive for more nutrient-dense choices for their PW carb sources instead of pure glucose and maltodextrin.

What are your thoughts on the whey/casein + glucose/fructose recommendation as well as the advice to steer away from nutritionally void carbohydrate powders and toward more nutrient dense choices like fruit PW?

4308

CT,

I know that you and Coach Poliquin have been big proponents of BCAA pulsing around training sessions under certain circumstances. And Biotest obviously believes in their benefit as they offer a BCAA product for sale.

And yet I still see literature claiming that within the context of an already very high daily protein intake that mega-dosing BCAA’s won’t have much of an impact and that there is a lack of research supporting mega-dosing.

Given the list of benefits associated with BCAA usage, I find it difficult to believe that mega-dosing them during training would not have a positive impact, so do you think those downplaying the benefit of mega-dosing them (around 0.2g/lb) are placing too much emphasis on the lack of research specifically dedicated to intra-workout BCAA pulsing?

4309

[quote]BoSoxFever wrote:
CT,

I know that you and Coach Poliquin have been big proponents of BCAA pulsing around training sessions under certain circumstances. And Biotest obviously believes in their benefit as they offer a BCAA product for sale. And yet I still see literature claiming that within the context of an already very high daily protein intake that mega-dosing BCAA’s won’t have much of an impact and that there is a lack of research supporting mega-dosing.

Given the list of benefits associated with BCAA usage, I find it difficult to believe that mega-dosing them during training would not have a positive impact, so do you think those downplaying the benefit of mega-dosing them (around 0.2g/lb) are placing too much emphasis on the lack of research specifically dedicated to intra-workout BCAA pulsing?[/quote]

There is no research done on BCAA pulse… all the studies uses low doses. This is a lot like the first studies that were done on anabolic steroids… they used super low doses and found that ‘‘steroids do not increase muscle mass or strength’’. It took years to research doses that were effective.

I’m not comparing BCAAs to steroids, far from it. However if a study utilise a protocol that is not effective, obviously they will not find results.

4310

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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…

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!
[/quote]

Coach I seem to have this same problem. I’m thinking that perhaps I should take a couple of weeks and just focus on eating enough food from good sources, so that the first phase of “Get Jacked” will indeed be a deficit like it’s supposed to be. Would this be a smart approach? Thank you.

4311

[quote]mabbott29 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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…

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!

Coach I seem to have this same problem. I’m thinking that perhaps I should take a couple of weeks and just focus on eating enough food from good sources, so that the first phase of “Get Jacked” will indeed be a deficit like it’s supposed to be. Would this be a smart approach? Thank you.

[/quote]

Yes… go back to what you were eating before, then gradually ease into the Get Jacked eating plan.

SIDENOTE: I can’t believe that there are some guys who actually eat less than what is recommended in phase IA… no wonder people complain about not gaining muscle!

4312

Coach,

What’s your recommendation for breakfast on a low carb diet when weight training in the early AM? i usually train an hour after waking.

4313

Hey Coach,
In your “Get Jacked” program, where would 400 meter runs fit in, if at all?

Secondly, what do you say about the Berardi’s comments and Dave Barr’s article that glutamine supplementation is of little benefit?

4314

[quote]reubmar69 wrote:
Hey Coach,
In your “Get Jacked” program, where would 400 meter runs fit in, if at all?

Secondly, what do you say about the Berardi’s comments and Dave Barr’s article that glutamine supplementation is of little benefit?[/quote]

If I wanted to include 400m in the program I would have.

Glutamine has benefits but only under certain limited circumstances. To alkalinize the blood and to restore glycogen post-workout when you are on a low-carbs diet.

4315

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

SIDENOTE: I can’t believe that there are some guys who actually eat less than what is recommended in phase IA… no wonder people complain about not gaining muscle![/quote]

haha, are you really that suprised? God forbid the 140lb lifter might lose his 6 pack or gain 0.4173% body fat.

4316

In general, how far does one have to move their hands in or out on a bar to affect the way a muscle in a different way?

My gym has limited equipment. so if I get tired or go stale on incline presses with a shoulder width grip,would I get a different effect if I go 1-2 inches wider or closer? Would I have to move my hands more then the 1-2 inches.

Same with wide grip pullups. Thanks again for your help.

4317

Hi Thib,

Do I still want to go the 50/50 route for protein/fat if I’m 220 lbs heavy? On the heavy lifting days that would put me at 372g of protein at 3100 kc, which seems really high. Should I keep the protein at 1.5g per pound at all times and get the rest from fats, while keeping the carbs under 30g?

Thanks!

4318

[quote]McNulty wrote:
Hi Thib,

Do I still want to go the 50/50 route for protein/fat if I’m 220 lbs heavy? On the heavy lifting days that would put me at 372g of protein at 3100 kc, which seems really high. Should I keep the protein at 1.5g per pound at all times and get the rest from fats, while keeping the carbs under 30g?

Thanks![/quote]

Actually if you are dieting you can go as high as 1.75g/pound on the protein.

However if you are fat, above 18%, I’d lower the intake of food by 15% (if you are trying to lose fat).

For example, instead of shooting for 3100 calories, shoot for 2635kcals.

Around 330g of protein, 130g of fat and 30-50g of carbs.

4319

Terrific, thanks for the help!

Should that 2635 number be the highest I go, for the HL days? If that’s the case then how low would you recommend I go for the three rest days?

4320

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

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!

SIDENOTE: I can’t believe that there are some guys who actually eat less than what is recommended in phase IA… no wonder people complain about not gaining muscle![/quote]

I didn’t eat less than this before I started Get Jacked, but I certainly didn’t eat a lot more. Following the guidelines in Precision Nutrition, I got 6 meals a day of protein, veggies and fruit. I’d say my caloric intake has been dropped maybe 30%, and you slightly bumped my protein intake while dropping carbs.

The biggest change for me was to drop all fruit and non-green veggies. I lost 3,5 lbs in my first week.

I must admit I’m a little puzzled. Week 1-2 is a drastic low calorie phase? I’m 177 lbs, and get 21 portions of protein, 3 portions fat and 1 dairy. (Week 1 & 2). Week 3-4 I get 17-2-2, prot-fat-dairy. + 2 portions of fruit.

I feel like a jackass for asking this, but is that an increase in calories? I’ll follow the program, no problem. It looks great. Just wondering. On a side note, stutter reps absolutely kills me. I can’t wait for weeks 5-8.