Total Body Training

Alpha trains like a fucking beast no doubt and is one of the most impressive guys round here, but even he recognises that his training methods probably aren’t optimal. I’m sure he has said that he looks to get in and out of the gym as quickly as possible or do supersets just so less time is spent around douchebags. Hardly someone I’d use in an argument to defend a training method!

It depends on your goals, if it’s bodybuilding (I’d fucking hope so considering what forum this is!) it would make a tonne of sense to train like one.

[quote]Zillah wrote:

It depends on your goals, if it’s bodybuilding (I’d fucking hope so considering what forum this is!) it would make a tonne of sense to train like one.[/quote]

Unfortunately, there’s not a TBT forum. Obviously there can’t be a forum for EVERY training method, but TBT seems to be THE training method that doesn’t mesh with this forum very well.

Not to mention that those who come here asking “what do you think about TBT?” obviously haven’t done a simple search and READ what most here think about it. There are plenty of “opinions” regarding TBT in the countless threads asking the same question.

Maybe we could get a sticky at the top of this forum where any and all discussion about TBT can take place, along with a few links to previous TBT threads with various opinions.

[quote]dan.desroches wrote:
I don’t do squats anymore because I don’t believe that they are great UNLESS you have great form[/quote]

I think your solution to this problem was the wrong one.

[quote]dan.desroches wrote:
I don’t do squats anymore because I don’t believe that they are great UNLESS you have great
[/quote]

So um…fix form?

Buy CW’s “Huge in a Hurry” if you’re really interested in TBT.

Dan: “Destroying single muscles seemed great to me at first, but i’m THINKING this type of training will demand more from my body in terms of recovery & rehabilitation.”

You can think and theorize all you want. Regardless of what you think, the most muscular bodies in the world were created with bodypart splits.

[quote]roybot wrote:
Cocaine stimulates the CNS pretty effectively. It’s not very effective at building muscle. Maybe worrying about the CNS should be put on the back burner for a while. Maybe, just maybe, there are other factors in play here…
[/quote]

Bro,

Haven’t you heard? It’s ALL about the CNS.

OP,

How are your adrenals?

[quote]dan.desroches wrote:
Guys i’m curious to hear what you think about full body training.[/quote]

It doesnt work.

Yes it does work. It is very effective for bulking as you stimulate more muscle mass in every workout, produce more testosterone and also makes you hungry all the time so leads to greater weight gain.

[quote]Boycedog wrote:
Yes it does work. It is very effective for bulking as you stimulate more muscle mass in every workout, produce more testosterone and also makes you hungry all the time so leads to greater weight gain. [/quote]

And your 6’ 150 lb body is perfect evidence of such. Thank you for setting us all straight.

[quote]cueball wrote:

[quote]Boycedog wrote:
Yes it does work. It is very effective for bulking as you stimulate more muscle mass in every workout, produce more testosterone and also makes you hungry all the time so leads to greater weight gain. [/quote]

And your 6’ 150 lb body is perfect evidence of such. Thank you for setting us all straight. [/quote]

Years Training:
5 months

Article-induced “knowledge” ftw…

Well, since this thing is still alive, I’ll share my experience:

I was once a very devout TBT/functional bro. I mean, it seemed to make sense, train more often; make more gains. And in the sense of what I like with training philosophy, I am similar to MODOK in that I like frequency.

Anyways, I trained TBT 3 days a week, bumped it up to four days a week, and, aside from some 20 lb of newbie gains (which, I think most people can get by just looking at weights for the first time…), I didn’t grow (eating was a factor, but we can ignore that for the time being).

Then I saw great lord MODOK’s thread on frequency, and saw that he had similar thoughts, and did a 3-way, 2x week thing. Thinking that he seemed like a pretty cool guy, I gave it a try.

Long story short, I gained 10 lb in 4 weeks by switching to a split. I also fully believe that you can’t really give any other big movements on the same day the attention they deserve (in TBT), as, once you start moving “heavy” weights (assuming the typical legs, upper push, upper pull template), you simply can’t bench or row with nearly the same intensity as one a JUST bench day or anything.

I do, however, believe that TBT-type stuff has merit in terms of like pure strength or what-not, but this isn’t the pure strength forum, and what I believe doesn’t matter a whole lot.

And as C_C mentioned in another thread, even assuming TBT could pack on mass at an unprecedented rate (he himself didn’t mention TBT specifically, he was talking about programs that favor “as much mass as possible in as little time”, unless BBB is considered TBT), you wouldn’t be packing on “quality bodybuilding mass”, that is, you wouldn’t be building a nice, symmetrical, aesthetic physique with just compound legs, compound upper body push, and compound upper body pull every day.

TL;DR: At the very least, not good for the purposes of bodybuilding.

[quote]Boycedog wrote:
Yes it does work. It is very effective for bulking as you stimulate more muscle mass in every workout, produce more testosterone and also makes you hungry all the time so leads to greater weight gain. [/quote]

Any testosterone increase when training has been shown to NOT help with adding muscle mass. It is too transitory. Your test levels drop after training as well. Stimulating more muscles at a given time does NOT equal “gaining muscle mass at the greatest rate”. Not focusing on any specific muscle can actually DECREASE direct force on a given muscle.

You are a newb who has very little personal experience telling guys over 100lbs more than you that they are doing it wrong.

Yeah…that makes sense.

I’m still really small (5’7" 164lbs.) but I did add about 15 pounds to my frame with TBT and training BJJ 5-10 times a week. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have done better on a split.

[quote]killer_kicks88 wrote:
I’m still really small … [/quote]

So are most of the people telling us about how they simply EXPLODED using TBT.

[quote]dan.desroches wrote:
Guys i’m curious to hear what you think about full body training. I’ve been using various splits over the years, but nothing more than say Back + rear delts…I’m trying full body training now, as I’ve heard some good things about it. TBH, it seems somewhat logical to train this way when you consider that muscle growth is mostly systemic in nature.

Destroying single muscles seemed great to me at first, but i’m thinking this type of training will demand more from my body in terms of recovery & rehabilitation (ie, growth). I tried it on Sunday, and ran supersets on antagonistic muscles for the entire workout. It was damn near better than intervals.

From what I understand, the CNS triggers muscle growth and this type of workout should be pretty taxing on the CNS. What do you guys think of TBT?[/quote]

Sounds like you’re not doing to bad for yourself as it is right now. I don’t get why you would try to “fix” something that really isn’t broken. Maybe type out your routine . Exercises/reps/set and I’m sure the local bodybuilders will gladly help to see if anything needs to be “tweaked”

EDIT: Quick hijack
Cueball, your back is looking fuckin’ ridiculous!! TBT lifer?

Let me just add that listening to inexperienced lay people talk this much about the CNS when they really don’t understand the concept is actually painful to me. It hurts. I think I’m bleeding now.

[quote]Carlitosway wrote:

EDIT: Quick hijack
Cueball, your back is looking fuckin’ ridiculous!! TBT lifer?

[/quote]

Naw, bro, Crossfit! ; )

Thanks for the compliment.

The use of empty concepts…

edit…