CT,
About the Thib System…Absolutely Perfect!! I printed it and passed it out to all of my interns. As a collegiate strength coach I really enjoy your articles and refer many of them to my athletes as well. Keep up the GREAT work.
Coach Bob
Coach,
I know that you’ve said that storing fat in the abdominals can be a sign of long periods of high cortisol. Are there any effective methods, outside of trying to reduce stress, to combat high cortisol levels? Thanks in advance.
Bonjour monsieur Thibaudeau,
I am a wrestler and in my off season, after a 6X6 program for a month I’ve decided to use your Beast Building, Part I program.
Monday: Motor skill acquisition (one workout)
Tuesday: Isometric/explosive contrast
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Motor skill acquisition
Friday: Off
Saturday: Overload
Sunday: Off
However, some questions have appeared: since CNS needs a high frequency of training to maximize results, I don’t get the principle of having two off days in wednesday and friday. I understand the sunday, since overload training creates a great amount of trauma of all kinds, but I would have added two Motor skill acquisition workouts on wednesday and friday…
I know that in your recent articles, you’ve spoken about the ideal number of repetitions in a week and I can understand that my idea would by far exceed the number that you recommend but using that, the high level powerlifters or olympic lifters would not workout that much… about 3 hours a day (I consider that the high level athletes in all sports can handle big loads of work to sum it up).
My second question is about the assistance exercises. I’ve seen that Waterbury advises things like leg curl, while Dave Tate talked about not using “lame ass crap” like isolation work, which made me think of your Reverse Squat exercise as a replacement for the isolation job in case of an ischio weakness. For a high level athlete, what do you think is the best?
Finally, my last question is about the focus on some exercises. For an athlete, since he needs to have a “systematic” kind of strength or power or speed strength… you said that the best results appear when different exercises are used, which seems perfectly logical. But did you mean different exercises during the same week or during the same training cycle (of about 4 weeks in my conception of a Beast Building phase I -kind of workout.)?
Your articles are always perfectly clear but these are the rare questions that went through my mind, but it is possible that I misread, or rather misunderstood your points, so I apologize in advance, and for the quality of my english too (mais ce n’est pas ma langue maternelle :-)).
Thanks for your time,
Nicolas
CT,
Is the single-arm “3-point” version of the Trap 3 raise the best version to use, since it allows for increased neural drive over the bi-lateral version while removing the limiting factor of torso stability seen in the “2-point” version?
[quote]ThorsHammer wrote:
CT,
Is the single-arm “3-point” version of the Trap 3 raise the best version to use, since it allows for increased neural drive over the bi-lateral version while removing the limiting factor of torso stability seen in the “2-point” version?[/quote]
Yes, I always use the single-arm, unsupported variation with my clients.
[quote]CoachBob wrote:
CT,
About the Thib System…Absolutely Perfect!! I printed it and passed it out to all of my interns. As a collegiate strength coach I really enjoy your articles and refer many of them to my athletes as well. Keep up the GREAT work.
Coach Bob[/quote]
Thanks for the good words Coach, best of luck with your athletes!
Thib,
Do you see an exercise such as the one-arm barbell curl or one-arm barbell Scott curl as a good biceps mass builder or would it require too much additional wrist, shoulder and torso stabilization to be useful as such?
[quote]ThetfordMiner wrote:
Thib,
Do you see an exercise such as the one-arm barbell curl or one-arm barbell Scott curl as a good biceps mass builder or would it require too much additional stabilization to be useful as such?[/quote]
I include these exercise among my ‘‘good’’ exercises in my latest book ‘‘High Threshold muscle building’’.
I don’t see them as good mass builders though. They are used to activate the nervous system prior to doing a regular biceps workout.
Thanks for the reply, coach. I will definitely have to buy a copy of your book.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
ThetfordMiner wrote:
Thib,
Do you see an exercise such as the one-arm barbell curl or one-arm barbell Scott curl as a good biceps mass builder or would it require too much additional stabilization to be useful as such?
I include these exercise among my ‘‘good’’ exercises in my latest book ‘‘High Threshold muscle building’’.
I don’t see them as good mass builders though. They are used to activate the nervous system prior to doing a regular biceps workout.[/quote]
CT,
I definitely do not want to repost a question, but I was wondering if your answer to this curl question above actually would give me some insight into what the answer would be to the question about those single-point suspension bar pull-ups…that they’d be good as an activation exercise prior to a lat workout but not as a good lat mass builder?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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
Never heard of it or tried it. So I can’t help you there.[/quote]
one of the local butchers in cork is selling a load of wild meat. venison,ostrich,kangaroo,wild rabbit and crocodile.
i was thinking cos of water pollution it would be like eating fresh tuna in terms of mercury and the like . thanks anyway
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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.[/quote]
oh yea trust me i do not need to see tons of research to believe/try something, it’s just that since the research was presented to me i questioned both sides and also i have never seen an approach in bodybuilding/training before that did not include carbs at any point. not that i need to worry about that since im gaining weight currently and will at least keep carbs around workouts but i like to know things for future use too.
about that section from an upcoming article wasn’t that in a recent article? i’ve defintely read it before but maybe you just posted it another time
[quote]David1991 wrote:
i have never seen an approach in bodybuilding/training before that did not include carbs at any point. not that i need to worry about that since im gaining weight currently and will at least keep carbs around workouts but i like to know things for future use too.[/quote]
That just shows how little you actually know. As I mentioned in the past, all the guys who use Dave Palumbo for their contest prep (several pros and many national level amateurs) use a low-carbs diet.
Back in the 80s and early 90s when there was a second pro bodybuilding organization (WBF) most of these guys used a low-carbs diet which was specifically designed by Mauro DiPasquale who was hired by the federation.
In the 60s and 70s low-carbs dieting was the most commonly used pre-contest diet. Heck, some of the craziest guys went on a fish and water diet (eating only fish and drinking only water) for their contest prep.
In the 80s still, Dan Duchaine, one of the first bodybuilding gurus (both diet and drugwise) used a cyclical low-carbs diet with his clients.
Really, the low-carbs diet approach started to lose popularity with pro bodybuilders when they started to rely more on pharmaceutical products than hard dieting to get ready for shows.
Let’s face it, most bodybuilders love to eat. And they love their carbs! Plus, a low-carbs diet can be really hard for some peoples. So if they have the choice of keeping the carbs in and increasing the dose of thyroid hormone, clenbuterol and hGH or cutting their carbs and not relying on the pharmaceutical approach, most will chose the first option.
For that reason it is not realistic to look at the way bodybuilders diet for shows if you are not using the same ‘‘supplemental’’ approach.
Heck, I know several top level bodybuilders who actually eat junk food during their pre-contest diet… and no just on a planned cheat day, on a semi-regular basis. They just iron it out by increasing their thyroid hormone intake for a few days.
Heck, one guy who won his pro card and who trained at the same gym as I did a few years ago actually ate a full ice cream cake (family size) EVERY NIGHT of his prep and came in with striated glutes.
[quote]David1991 wrote:
about that section from an upcoming article wasn’t that in a recent article? i’ve defintely read it before but maybe you just posted it another time [/quote]
No it wasn’t on a recent article. The article is actually not completed so the chance of it already being published are kinda nil!
Coach, are you aware of any link between forskolin supplementation and estrogen or fat storage in the pec area? Or are there any times when forskolin supplementation is not recommended?
Hello Christian,
I just recently found out this site exists even though i have 3 of your books well me and my brother have your books!
The Black Book of Training Secrets is an excellant book,we learned how to do olympic lifts from it it put ALOT of muscle on me 
After my good time enjoying that book i then bought:
High-Threshold Muscle Building
It is one of the best books i have read (and i read ALOT i want to do what you do when i grow up)
Besides that if i can ask 1 question is my brother is doing the 400m sprints for fat loss from the high threshold book… from the years after would you make any changes to it ?
Or is it still a fat loss choice for you.
You cover everything in the books, and now i see so many articles… i have ALOT of reading to do.
Thank you for all the info, you are a very good writer explain stuff VERY WELL especially for me as some books i have tried to read i get headaches from !
One more question and this may seem weird but you know when you started did you know you were going to be good ? Like i love this stuff i dont mind reading hard stuff and i really try understand it and i want to try do what you do.
But my mother says there is not alot of money in it and i should do something else is it true ? Like my brother knows a guy who did a Poliquin course buts its like 2500 !
My mother thinks id be better off going to college when im finished school instead of these “silly” things.
do you have any advice for me or that i can say to my mother ???
we are not really rich but we are ok she just wants to make sure im not throwing money away i finish school in 5 years.
sorry for the really long essay if its that, i will now start clicking on your articles.
thanks.
hey thib I was wondering what warm up do you do before lifting and also do you do any foam rolling, if so when?
hey thib, I have two questions involving ingredients. i am going to get my friend to order Surge for me, and i noticed that the ingredients and even nutrition facts are a little different for each flavor, which of these flavors would u consider best for pwo? My goal is to get ripped using a targeted carbs diet.
My second question involves a salad dressing that is claimed to be zero calorie from walden farms.I copied and pasted the ingredients below. Is this something I should avoid?
Ingredients: Purified triple filtered water, white vinegar, tomato paste, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, natural flavors, natural spices, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), sucralose.
Hi coach,
this time a short question:
What duration of the yielding part do you recommend for near-maximal and maximal eccentric training?
Again 3-6 seconds?
Thanks.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
David1991 wrote:
i have never seen an approach in bodybuilding/training before that did not include carbs at any point. not that i need to worry about that since im gaining weight currently and will at least keep carbs around workouts but i like to know things for future use too.
That just shows how little you actually know. As I mentioned in the past, all the guys who use Dave Palumbo for their contest prep (several pros and many national level amateurs) use a low-carbs diet.
Back in the 80s and early 90s when there was a second pro bodybuilding organization (WBF) most of these guys used a low-carbs diet which was specifically designed by Mauro DiPasquale who was hired by the federation.
In the 60s and 70s low-carbs dieting was the most commonly used pre-contest diet. Heck, some of the craziest guys went on a fish and water diet (eating only fish and drinking only water) for their contest prep.
In the 80s still, Dan Duchaine, one of the first bodybuilding gurus (both diet and drugwise) used a cyclical low-carbs diet with his clients.
Really, the low-carbs diet approach started to lose popularity with pro bodybuilders when they started to rely more on pharmaceutical products than hard dieting to get ready for shows.
Let’s face it, most bodybuilders love to eat. And they love their carbs! Plus, a low-carbs diet can be really hard for some peoples. So if they have the choice of keeping the carbs in and increasing the dose of thyroid hormone, clenbuterol and hGH or cutting their carbs and not relying on the pharmaceutical approach, most will chose the first option.
For that reason it is not realistic to look at the way bodybuilders diet for shows if you are not using the same ‘‘supplemental’’ approach.
Heck, I know several top level bodybuilders who actually eat junk food during their pre-contest diet… and no just on a planned cheat day, on a semi-regular basis. They just iron it out by increasing their thyroid hormone intake for a few days.
Heck, one guy who won his pro card and who trained at the same gym as I did a few years ago actually ate a full ice cream cake (family size) EVERY NIGHT of his prep and came in with striated glutes.
[/quote]
haha a full ice cream cake? thats crazy.
i’ve heard of some of the diets like “tuna and water” and things like that but i cant see that being effective for retaining muscle. your approach makes sense, i just hadn’t heard of it with bodybuilders but now i have
i dont think i’ll have to use it because i dont plan on ever really getting over 15%bf in which case i’ll use the moderate carb up every 5-7 days to get cut but still it’s good to know.
the CCC is actually going well for me now eating upto 300+ carbs on high carb days but unfortunately thats going to be hard for me to figure out the right proportions when i leave for a month with just university food
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
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.[/quote]
I just wanted to say that I also would be interested in reading these studies so if you get a chance to post the references, I would greatly appreciate it.