Thib's Q&A

Training
4861

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

It’s not likely to be a birth defect. I would be more tempted to say that it could be related to having one hip slightly higher than the other or one leg slightly longer. But the only way to know for sure would be a postural analysis.

Could also be due to a tendency to shift your weight more toward your left side.

Ripped Fury wrote:

  • Do you think that such an imbalance can hold me back in progressing on my 1 RM on the squat and dead-lift?

The size imbalance per se would not. However if there is a STRENGTH imbalance (try doing single calf raises and compare both legs) it could become problematic, but moreso in the squat than the deadlift where the calf plays a significant role in maintaining proper lifting posture.

If the imbalance comes from a postural problem (longer leg) then that problem will eventually hold you back, but not the muscle per se.

[/quote]

Thank you for you your reply Coach. A few follow-up questions regarding the calf imbalance:

  • Who would be the most qualified person to go for the postural analysis? Would you suggest a doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor etc?

  • When you mentioned doing single calf raises to compare both legs, do I do them without any external loading to failure on each leg and see if there is a difference in the number of reps? Or did you have something else in mind.

My next question is about the size and strength connection, Coach. While I understand the difference between training for size and training for strength, what I don’t understand is why training for strength with a caloric surplus won’t give you the same gains as compared to training for size with a caloric surplus.

To elaborate, if training for strength involves learning to use our muscles optimally, wouldn’t there come a threshold where we have 100% optimization (we’re using all the muscles we have) and therefore in order to lift more weight the muscle fibers have to get thicker to get stronger which would indirectly cause gains in size.

I ask because I am forever torn between the pursuit of aesthetics and strength. I do not care about body weight per se as an indicator of progress. I’m more interested in proportional (aesthetics) development i.e adding mass in areas which are not as developed as the rest of my physique.

But I also have goals in the strength area. Isn’t it possible to pursue aesthetic goals via strength training. My apologies if this sounds like a really basic and stupid question, but it’s always confounded me.

We’ve seen examples of how when powerlifters who have decent totals diet down, they look very aesthetic. Also, and please correct me if I am wrong, from what I have read about your training background on this site, didn’t you take a similar approach as a strength trainee?

Thank you for your time.

4862

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
Hey Coach,

When it comes to biosignature modulation, do YOU still recommend a energy nutrient deficit when getting a client lean?

I.e for someone insulin resistant, on a low carbs(keto) diet, would you still ensure their fat intake is reduced if they are not losing fat, even whilst on a insulin protocols?

It may seem like a stupid question, but as far as I’m aware that with biosig, there is no counting fats…just dropping carbs and increasing protein when insulin resistant.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
GJ

That’s actually the achilles heal of several Biosig practicioners.

Understand that to lose fat, regardless of the diet’s compostion, you do have to be in a deficit.

Thhe thing is that the keto diet is generally lower in calories because you cut out a lot of energy-dense food that people splurge on, so they do end up with a deficit.

However this is mostly true of the normal individual who tend to grossly overeat carbs. Dropping them naturally cut a ton of calories from their diet. In fact, with regular folks you actually have to remind them to keep their fat up otherwise their deficit is too high.

But this problem doesn’t present itself with individual who are used to a more precise way of eating, and controlling nutrients intake becomes important.
[/quote]

Problem solved…

Thanks once again coach,

Triv

4863

Hi Thibs,

You have mentioned previously you played rugby, was this at a competitive level and what postion did you play? Given your strength levels and physique Id say you would make an awesome front row. Also whilst playing did you alter your training programme to accomodate rugby training and games, rest etc?

Thanks

Scott

4864

Coach Thibaudeau!

I have a problem that has bothered me for the last two years and Your help would be more than appreciated!

My thigh bone on my left leg is 1,1 centimeters (0.4 inches) longer than my right leg, this was discovered by x-ray. This imbalance has caused serious imbalances in every muscle group between left and right sides, the biggest problems being the hip area, erector spinae and abdominal muscles.

The left side is recruited far more efficiently in normal life and in the gym, and it feels uncomfortable. The x-rays showed that my spine is in good shape and thus I think this is not an injury related question.

Questions:

  1. In my lifting shoes (adidas wrestling-shoes) and in my walking shoes I use a 0,5cm added insole on the right leg (shorter leg) to counter the imbalance, this hasn?t yet much affected the imbalances in my most problematic muscles and I can feel the left side of my lower body ?fire? much more efficiently than the right side.

In your opinion, should I use an insole of 1,1 centimeters in my lifting and walking shoes to perfectly counter the length-difference of my legs to get my muscles in balance? I think I have to get custom made shoes if this is the case, since thicker than 0,5cm insoles can?t fit into my shoes.

  1. I?ve been training with single leg movements to get my body into balance. I?ve used exercises such as single leg deadlifts, single leg squats and lunges. Is this the right approach in your opinion?

I have also stretched the tightest muscles (left leg hip flexors, quads and hams, erector spinae and abs) many times a week and also prior to training (to weaken these muscles).

This is the kind of question I don?t think I can find an answer to from anywhere else than here. I?ve also read almost every article you?ve written and would like to thank you very much for the superb information!

4865

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
agent9041 wrote:
As I understand it, muscle loss may not be too big of a risk in only 4 weeks? I’ll still lift heavy and monitor my strength. Should I use the phosph. serine the whole time, or change up my plan after say 2 weeks? What about adding HOT-ROX for a couple weeks?

I’m currently sitting at 170 lbs and ~12%BF.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Muscle loss risk depends on the severity of your diet as well as your activity level.

If you cut calories/food intake too much you WILL risk losing muscle way before the 4 weeks mark.

However it is possible to do a short fat loss blitz, using a restrictive method and avoid much muscle loss for 2 weeks. 4 weeks would be a bit long to use a blitz approach approach, if you are concerned with muscle loss.

You should use PPS the whole time, especially if cortisol is one of your main problem. And I prefer the use of HOT-ROX EXTREME to going even deeper in food/caloric restriction.[/quote]

Thanks Coach! So with this in mind, would it make sense to cut carbs for a couple weeks (but avoid a large nutrient deficit) and then do a bit of a fat loss blitz with HOT-ROX Extreme for the remaining two weeks?

4866

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
Hey Coach,

When it comes to biosignature modulation, do YOU still recommend a energy nutrient deficit when getting a client lean?

I.e for someone insulin resistant, on a low carbs(keto) diet, would you still ensure their fat intake is reduced if they are not losing fat, even whilst on a insulin protocols?

It may seem like a stupid question, but as far as I’m aware that with biosig, there is no counting fats…just dropping carbs and increasing protein when insulin resistant.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
GJ

That’s actually the achilles heal of several Biosig practitioners.

Understand that to lose fat, regardless of the diet’s composition, you do have to be in a deficit.

The thing is that the keto diet is generally lower in calories because you cut out a lot of energy-dense food that people splurge on, so they do end up with a deficit.

However this is mostly true of the normal individual who tend to grossly overeat carbs. Dropping them naturally cut a ton of calories from their diet. In fact, with regular folks you actually have to remind them to keep their fat up otherwise their deficit is too high.

But this problem doesn’t present itself with individual who are used to a more precise way of eating, and controlling nutrients intake becomes important.
[/quote]

It is this very problem for me that has led to voracious cravings and hunger pains. I have tried adding in fiber through supplements and more fibrous vegetables but it hasn’t helped much. Its horrible.

4867

Hi Coach,

If I’m going for maximum fat loss and doing two Heavy Lifting sessions a week (each one about 20-30 minutes long), two Lactate Inducing workout days (right now I can only handle about 17 minutes for those, but I’m working my way up), and walking for about an hour on rest days, do I still need to change my workouts if fat loss is starting to stall? Or should I just increase volume and intensity of the workouts?

Thanks

4868

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

The first thing to do is to stop your diet for 7-10 days. Don’t eat like crap, but do increase food intake. In my experience, nobody should diet for more than 12 consecutive weeks.

[/quote]

Is this true even if having a weekly carb up?

Regarding your “Get Jacked Fast” program, I’ve never really thought about the “2-week blitz” for fat loss where you can do a lot more without worrying about muscle loss (as much), I figured it would still be a problem once you continued with fat loss after the 2 weeks but apparently not.

If someone who gains fat easily was trying to gain mass without much fat over a long time would it be a smart and effective idea to add in a 2 week fat-loss blitz where you go all out once every 2-3 months? The only concern I’ve thought of is that you probably lose about 4-6lb. in that 2 weeks and if your slowly gaining mass you probably shouldn’t gain more than 2-3lb. or so a month so it could constantly put you back at the same weight

Thanks a lot

4869

CT

I have been on a low carb diet for about 6 months, with great results. I eat 5 extremely clean meals a day and supplement with vitamins, Flameout, ect. I weight train hard, I add in 3 days of cardio and a crossfit workout every week. My problem is the last 20 lbs, I can’t seem to lose them. And of course the bulk of it is my love handles. Can you offer any advice?

Sample Meal
BF 2 eggs, 4oz grilled chicken and Flameout
Snack - Cucumbers and Celery sticks
Lunch - Grilled Salmon with steam squash
Snack - roast turkey slices
Dinner - Grilled Chicken with Green Peppers

Workout
Mon- Chest
Flat bench - 135 10 Sets of 10
Dumb bell Incline Bench - 3 sets of 10 55lb
Cable Fly - 3 sets of 10 80lbs
Dips 3 sets of 10

Tues - Back/Shoulders
Overhand Pull-ups - 3 sets of 10
Seated Row - 3 sets of 10 180lb
Bent over row 3 sets of 10 135lb
Overhead Press 10 sets of 10 115lb
shoulder side extensions- 3 sets of 10 20lbs
Shoulder Shrugs- 3 sets of 10 80lbs

Weds- Legs
Squats - 10 sets of 10 205lb
Hip Sled- 3 sets of 10 360lb
Lunges
Calve Raises
Hamstring Extensions 3 sets of 10 60 lbs

Thursday starts chest over with a few variations and the same with friday. I also run 2 miles on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. My Crossfit workout is done on Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you for your time

NC

4870

Coach, I am sensitive to caffeine and stimulants. Do you know any products similar to HOT-ROX?

4871

[quote]ncruse wrote:
CT

I have been on a low carb diet for about 6 months …[/quote]

I don’t even need to read the rest of your post. That is your problem right there. Your body has adapted to the diet. I always mention that no one should be on a severe diet for more than 12 weeks straight… and even during those 12 weeks I do recommend some variations in energy and carbs intake.

Every 10-12 weeks you should take a break from dieting of anywhere from 7 to 14 days (7-10 is the norm for most) where you eat ‘‘healthy’’ but differently than during your diet (e.g. more calories, more carbs, mainly from fruits and veggies) and less fat.

YES you may gain a little fat, but this is highly unlikely in 7-14 days, you will most likely gain some weight but mostly from enhanced glycogen storage and water retention.

After 6 months of hard dieting and super high activity levels you may even need more than a 14 days break. You might have caused some metabolic damage that will take some time to recover from.

I understand that stopping the diet will be psychologically hard because of the fear of weight gain. But trust me… if you don’t do this, you will not lose anymore fat regardless of what you do and you will be doomed to eating and training like this simply to maintain your current physique.

4872

[quote]pumped340 wrote:

Is this true even if having a weekly carb up?[/quote]

Yes. While the carb up may slow down the process it doesn’t solve the situation.

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Regarding your “Get Jacked Fast” program, I’ve never really thought about the “2-week blitz” for fat loss where you can do a lot more without worrying about muscle loss (as much), I figured it would still be a problem once you continued with fat loss after the 2 weeks but apparently not. [/quote]

Actually after the 2 weeks blitz you will gain some muscle. While still in an absolute caloric deficit, you will be in a state of relative surplus (surplus compared to where you were right before) and this will create a short-lived (1-2 weeks) anabolic rebound.

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
If someone who gains fat easily was trying to gain mass without much fat over a long time would it be a smart and effective idea to add in a 2 week fat-loss blitz where you go all out once every 2-3 months? [/quote]

I wouldn’t go every 2 months. 3 months would be fine. So 10 weeks growth phase, 2 weeks fat loss blitz.

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
The only concern I’ve thought of is that you probably lose about 4-6lb. in that 2 weeks and if your slowly gaining mass you probably shouldn’t gain more than 2-3lb. or so a month so it could constantly put you back at the same weight

Thanks a lot
[/quote]

If you are the same weight every time, but 1-2% body fat leaner then you are progressing. Plus, a lot of that 6 weeks loss would be water. But these numbers are just hypothetical… the body doesn’t work in such a linear process.

4873

[quote]McNulty wrote:
Hi Coach,

If I’m going for maximum fat loss and doing two Heavy Lifting sessions a week (each one about 20-30 minutes long), two Lactate Inducing workout days (right now I can only handle about 17 minutes for those, but I’m working my way up), and walking for about an hour on rest days, do I still need to change my workouts if fat loss is starting to stall? Or should I just increase volume and intensity of the workouts?

Thanks[/quote]

Always do the smallest amount of change to get the job done.

For example if you stall in your progress you can start by keeping volume and intensity the same while changing the exercises. This will spark a small amount of progress.

As you stall again you can increase the volume slightly, this will again spark some new progress.

Then you might increase exercise frequency a bit. Etc.

4874

[quote]scotthenry525 wrote:
Hi Thibs,

You have mentioned previously you played rugby, was this at a competitive level and what postion did you play? Given your strength levels and physique Id say you would make an awesome front row. Also whilst playing did you alter your training programme to accomodate rugby training and games, rest etc?

Thanks

Scott[/quote]

I played only 3 years competitively after my football career and right before starting to compete as an Olympic lifter. I played front row and first center.

I was still training pretty much like I did when I played football. I was 19-21 years old, and not the ‘‘expert’’ that I am right now.

4875

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

I wouldn’t go every 2 months. 3 months would be fine. So 10 weeks growth phase, 2 weeks fat loss blitz.

If you are the same weight every time, but 1-2% body fat leaner then you are progressing. Plus, a lot of that 6 weeks loss would be water. But these numbers are just hypothetical… the body doesn’t work in such a linear process.
[/quote]

ok great I’ve had a lot of trouble with staying even reasonably lean when gaining so I’ll give this a shot next mass phase.

4876

Sir, I am 6’0 feet tall and weigh 215lbs with about 10% body fat. I would like to ramp up muscle growth. i currently keep carbs below 50 grams, 250 grams of protein and 120 grams of fats. Would only including carbs peri and post workout allow muscle growth, because when i really think about it why would I need carbs at any other times. Thank you sir.

4877

[quote]heckya911 wrote:
Sir, I am 6’0 feet tall and weigh 215lbs with about 10% body fat. I would like to ramp up muscle growth. i currently keep carbs below 50 grams, 250 grams of protein and 120 grams of fats. Would only including carbs peri and post workout allow muscle growth, because when i really think about it why would I need carbs at any other times. Thank you sir.[/quote]

You can indeed stimulate muscle growth this way. Heck, my friend Hugo Girard (Canadian Strongman who is 320lbs with 11% body fat) eat a low carbs diet and can gain muscle and strength.

It’s a matter of:

  1. Getting in enough building nutrients (shoot for 1.5g of protein per pound)

  2. Being in an energetic/caloric surplus. Since you can’t increase carbs too much, if you find yourself not adding size, you might have to increase your fat and protein intake until you are gaining

  3. Stimulating the proper hormonal response post-training to get an optimal anabolic response

In that regard a targeted carbs approach is the easiest method of achieving all 3.

Eat a high protein, moderate fat diet most of the day.

Get a small amount of carbs pre and during workout (the ideal would be one serving of SURGE WORKOUT FUEL). Post workout I would suggest 0.25 to 0.5g of carbs per pound of bodyweight, 0.2-0.3g of protein per pound and 15-20g BCAAs.

4878

CT-

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate your time. I visited your site for information about your personal training and coaching services, but I could not find any numbers. I did send an email to ct@christianthibaudeau.com about similar issues that you just advised on. Do you still use the website associated with that email address?

Thanks again

NC

4879

[quote]ncruse wrote:
CT-

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate your time. I visited your site for information about your personal training and coaching services, but I could not find any numbers. I did send an email to ct@christianthibaudeau.com about similar issues that you just advised on. Do you still use the website associated with that email address?

Thanks again

NC[/quote]

I do not offer online coaching services

4880

Hey CT, had this question in my mind and im curious of your opinion.

I wanted to purchase Receptormax for my next mass phase. I tend to eat alot of carbs (700-800grams) daily and figured Receptormax would definitly help with my insulin sensitivity (along with all the other benefits). Not that I have a problem with insulin sensitivity, but at that type of carb intake I wouldn’t mind being more sensitive.

Now, I’ve been doing some reading on glucose disposal agents (GDA’s) and have been reading good reviews from those who have tried them. A popular GDA I keep coming across is Slin-Trol (which is Vanadyl Sulfate and Chromium Polynicotinate). My question is, would pairing these two (Receptormax and Slin-Trol) together before a carby meal be beneficial or actually hindering in some way?

Basically in this case, is MORE a good thing or is it useless/harmful?