Thib's Q&A

Training
661

Hi Christian

I had some questions about your “Fat-Loss War Room” article. I’ve been on the program for about a month and have lost a tremendous amount of BF while maintaining my strength. Suffice it to say that I’m very satisfied.

Questions are as follows. (My apologies if they’ve been answered elsewhere)

1.) Immediately following a LA-inducing workout, what (if anything) should be eaten? It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to spike insulin here…the lactate has presumably sent GH skyrocketing, shifting your body towards FFA usage. I do the LA workout followed by 20 minutes of steady state cardio.

2.) Right after my circuits are complete, would it be beneficial to do some high rep squats/leg presses to churn out more lactate (and GH) and then jump immediately onto the cardio machine for more FFA mobilization? Or would it be counterproductive/redundant/etc?

3.) Can you recommend some more good exercises to use on a LA-inducing day? Squats are the cornerstone of my program, and bent over rows work really well too. I usually throw in some push-ups and ab-raises to complete a circuit. I’d like to throw in something different though. I’ve tried deadlifts but they seem to tax my cardio without releasing a noticable amount of lactate.

Thank you

662

Hi Coach,

Is it possible for someone to be in such a state of overstress/adrenal fatigue from their life that you would recommend against adopting a training program?

I am starting to conclude that my wife is at that point. She is storing lots of fat around her belly. She can barely get out of bed in the morning, but has energy at night until she crashes. She is hungry all the time and has no sex drive. When we have gone to the gym she is tired after he workout. Not just worn out from training, she actually wants to curl up and take a nap after working out.

I assume you recommend phosphytidlserine (sp?), fish oil, the usual stuff?

Thanks.

663

maxwell you have a creepy homer avatar

664

Thib,
For an advanced individual who doesn’t have much more road to ride out as far as loads go, do you think that simply changing exercise selections/order is enough of a stimulus to compensate? To clarify, I’ve had a very difficult time gaining any appreciable strength for awhile. I’ve trained for over a dozen years and my focus is bodybuilding so I don’t want to chase down a 2-3% strength increase over an entire year like an elite powerlifter.

So, if I use volume and density progressions with a particular exercise scheme for 6 weeks or so, can I simply switch exercise variations and/or order and continue without bumping weight.

I’m at an impass and would like your input on this specialized issue for an advanced trainee. I want more mass (never enough, ya know, but my loads are at a ceiling overall)

Thanks,
DH

665

CT-

What kinda actual foods (no shakes) do you suggest to take before bed? I’m currently taking some cottage cheese but it ends up having 22 grams of carbs and I need a lower amount then that.

666

Thib-

Which of these is a better situation?

  1. The same one or two protein sources all day, then it isn’t resumed until five days later (Monday-Chicken and Shrimp, Tuesday-Bison, Wednesday-Eggs and Pork, Thursday-Beef and Tuna, Friday-Salmon, Saturday-Chicken and Shrimp again)

or

  1. Rotating protein sources throughout the day, but eating the same sources day after day (Breakfast- Eggs, Snack-Bison, Lunch-Beef, Snack-Turkey, Dinner-Chicken)

Thanks in advance!

John

667

Christian,

As a reasonably big user/ recommend-er of Power Drive, would you think it would blunt/ negate the effects of it at all by mixing it with a morning shake? (Metabolic Drive, blueberries and Superfood not that I imagine that matters)

Cheers

668

Why bother with Superfood?

Isn’t a multi much more practical? Or do they both serve a totally different purpose?

669

Thib a new question.

crocodile meat.
should i be worried… is it toxic? mercury or anything? thanks dear master of the barbell.
got the new book today aswell cant wait to dig in

670

[quote]NiallC wrote:
Thib a new question.

crocodile meat.
should i be worried… is it toxic? mercury or anything? thanks dear master of the barbell.
got the new book today aswell cant wait to dig in[/quote]

Never heard of it or tried it. So I can’t help you there.

671

[quote]RitesOfSpring wrote:
Why bother with Superfood?

Isn’t a multi much more practical? Or do they both serve a totally different purpose?[/quote]

Superfood has phytonutrients, enzymes, and other good stuff that you wont find in a multi.

672

[quote]moofs wrote:
CT-

What kinda actual foods (no shakes) do you suggest to take before bed? I’m currently taking some cottage cheese but it ends up having 22 grams of carbs and I need a lower amount then that.[/quote]

Plus, it’s dairy, which I rarely recommend. White meat is good, eggs too.

673

[quote]David1991 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
daffyduck wrote:
hey thib, for an individual trying to get ripped on a targeted carbs diet would u still recommend a high carb meal every 5th day or is this just for low carb diets? thanks again for everything you’ve done.

No need for a carb-up day since you are never depleting your glycogen stores.

could you explain your reasoning behind this? i have looked at a 5-10 studies and read in a book that performance seriously suffers during high intensity training if no carbs are taken in.
and to the OP of the question if you arent taking in the carb meals thats not really a TCD anymore. [/quote]

Those studies are often short term, not long enough for the body to adapt to using fat/ketones for fuel.

In fact most long term studies using a low carbs/moderate to high fat diet find quite the opposite.

674

CT,

I know you like Poliquin’s Multi-Intense vitamin a lot, but how would the following product compare? I ask this since it’s the one my father uses

http://catalog.designsforhealth.com/s.nl/it.A/id.765/.f

That vitamin is copper and iron free while Poliquin’s version comes iron-free with copper. What are your thoughts on men’s vitamins and copper?

675

Thib,

Plain Vitargo powder is touted for its high molecular weight, ability to spike insulin, replenish glycogen quickly, and be easy on the stomach, but if mixed with hydrolyzed whey, whey isolate, or whey concentrate; would it end up being any more effective than a 50/50 blend of dextrose and maltodextrin with some type of whey protein?

676

[quote]AtomicPunks wrote:
CT,

Do you know of any reliable sources for finding the approximate breakdown of nutrients, calories, soluble and insoluble fiber, etc. in various types of foods. It seems like depending upon where you look, there can be large discrepancies in this type of information.[/quote]

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

677

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
moofs wrote:
CT-

What kinda actual foods (no shakes) do you suggest to take before bed? I’m currently taking some cottage cheese but it ends up having 22 grams of carbs and I need a lower amount then that.

Plus, it’s dairy, which I rarely recommend. White meat is good, eggs too.[/quote]

http://www.friendshipdairies.com/products/dh-nutfacts.php

that whole 16oz cup of cottage cheese has 8g of carbs total and 56g of protein. you need to search better for your cottage cheese.

678

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
David1991 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
daffyduck wrote:
hey thib, for an individual trying to get ripped on a targeted carbs diet would u still recommend a high carb meal every 5th day or is this just for low carb diets? thanks again for everything you’ve done.

No need for a carb-up day since you are never depleting your glycogen stores.

could you explain your reasoning behind this? i have looked at a 5-10 studies and read in a book that performance seriously suffers during high intensity training if no carbs are taken in.
and to the OP of the question if you arent taking in the carb meals thats not really a TCD anymore.

Those studies are often short term, not long enough for the body to adapt to using fat/ketones for fuel.

In fact most long term studies using a low carbs/moderate to high fat diet find quite the opposite.[/quote]

your right in that most of them were short term, for long term keto (upto 6 weeks) i could only find 1 study which showed a maintenance/increase in low intensity exercise but still a decrease in higher intensity exercise with total keto. it concluded that carbs must be ingested at some point (CKD/TKD) to maintain high intensities. Im in no way looking for an argument, i just havent seen any study supporting high intensities being maintained long term with no real carbs at any point.

679

Not sure where to turn, but I am looking for help. I am not sure if this is the right place or not.

I am a fairly advanced lifter. I have been lifting hard for the past 2.5 years after taking about 5 years off – trained like a real wuss for those 5 years :(, I was content at 190 lbs and rather weak. Anyway, I am 30 years old, 5’9" tall and weigh 235-238 lbs. My dilemma is that my bench is completely stuck.

My squat, deadlift and clean and jerk all continue to go up simply by training each 2-3 times per week with medium reps (4-6 sets of 3-5 reps) and high intensity. But, my bench is rather stuck. I have only gained about 10 pounds in the last 6 months. My typically sticking point is about half way up.

my lifts, all raw, are:

Bench: 420
Squat: 585
Deadlift: 610
Clean and Jerk: 325

I bench twice per week. Once for speed – 8x3 or 12x2 reps at about 45% of max – and once with heavy weight 5-7 sets of 2-3 reps at 80%+ of max.

I do a lot of tricep and shoulder assistance work with high reps. Typically delt front/side/rear raises with sets of 12-15 reps and 2 or 3 of the follwoing: lying dumbell tricep extensions with palms down and elbows out, close grip bench, dumbell bench with palms facing each other and dips (either very high reps or weighted).

I do 30-50 chins and pullups with bodyweight during every work out.

I would really like to add some real weight to my bench without putting on any bodyweight (I still need to be able to cut to 230 occasionally).

I’ve tried a lot of different methods and none of them have shown a huge difference for me. I seem to be showing some small gains the last few months with this speed once per week and weight once per week program, but the gains are small.

I do not know anybody who can assist me. None of the people at my gym or in my new town seem capable of helping me. I need to get some real advise from someone that really knows how to train.

Thanks.

680

[quote]David1991 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
David1991 wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
daffyduck wrote:
hey thib, for an individual trying to get ripped on a targeted carbs diet would u still recommend a high carb meal every 5th day or is this just for low carb diets? thanks again for everything you’ve done.

No need for a carb-up day since you are never depleting your glycogen stores.

could you explain your reasoning behind this? i have looked at a 5-10 studies and read in a book that performance seriously suffers during high intensity training if no carbs are taken in.
and to the OP of the question if you arent taking in the carb meals thats not really a TCD anymore.

Those studies are often short term, not long enough for the body to adapt to using fat/ketones for fuel.

In fact most long term studies using a low carbs/moderate to high fat diet find quite the opposite.

your right in that most of them were short term, for long term keto (upto 6 weeks) i could only find 1 study which showed a maintenance/increase in low intensity exercise but still a decrease in higher intensity exercise with total keto. it concluded that carbs must be ingested at some point (CKD/TKD) to maintain high intensities. Im in no way looking for an argument, i just havent seen any study supporting high intensities being maintained long term with no real carbs at any point.
[/quote]

Not true… I do have several papers showing no decrease in high intensity performance from LONG TERM (not 4-6 weeks, I’m talking lifestyle changes here) low-carbs eating. They are in my office so I’ll have to dig them out next week.

But more importantly, I really do wish that individual would stop being so stuck up on quoting studies. IMHO this is one of the main reason why individual with little real life knowledge and experience actually never get results. They are so afraid of actually trying something if they don’t have a zillion studies backing the theory that they end up never attempting anything that has actually a chance of being effective.

F**K I have never seen a study showing that being kicked in the balls hurts… does it means that it doesn’t??? Heck no!

Think by yourself for a few seconds. Several ethnic groups have lived on a low-carbs diet for hundred of years. Eskimos and Inuits for example. They had to perform high intensity work, consumed 0g of carbs per day and still survived and thrived!

Here is a quote from one of my upcoming articles. While it is specifically about training, it also applies to dieting…

''Back in the old days men of iron would try something out, if it worked they kept it, if it didn’t they threw it away. They were not interested in conducting 2219 peer-reviewed studies to confirm that what they did actually worked (the fact that they actually gained strength and size was proof enough for them) they went ahead and did it. While they often had a broad idea of why it worked, it wasn’t always accurate (sometimes they were downright wrong), but truthfully did it matter? After all, to them, the bottom line was the important thing. Not being able to argue the validity of their methods with 2000 peoples online!

However proper understanding on why something works is still useful. Yes, even those pesky studies are a good tool (although they are not the be-all end-all of training knowledge) to help us properly apply a training method into a program. ‘’

While I do value studies… I trust my experience with over 1000 clients and that of other top coaches above studies conducting in controlled lab settings that have nothing to do with real life for periods of 2-6 weeks.