[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
For example you could do:
DAY 1 - Back / Biceps
DAY 2 - Shoulders heavier (presses) / Chest (minimal)/ Triceps
DAY 3 - OFF
DAY 4 - Shoulder pump work (Growth Factor Training)
DAY 5 - Legs
DAY 6 - Shoulders pump work (width exercises)
DAY 7 - OFF
[/quote]
I’ve been wanting to do a shoulder spec cycle for a long time and this split seems amazingly effective!
I remember you mentioning in the past that if someone wants the biggest visual difference in just a few weeks, he should spec delts AND also traps.
I was hoping you would have some tips on how to implement trap work in to this split?
[quote]Evander wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
For example you could do:
DAY 1 - Back / Biceps
DAY 2 - Shoulders heavier (presses) / Chest (minimal)/ Triceps
DAY 3 - OFF
DAY 4 - Shoulder pump work (Growth Factor Training)
DAY 5 - Legs
DAY 6 - Shoulders pump work (width exercises)
DAY 7 - OFF
[/quote]
I’ve been wanting to do a shoulder spec cycle for a long time and this split seems amazingly effective!
I remember you mentioning in the past that if someone wants the biggest visual difference in just a few weeks, he should spec delts AND also traps.
I was hoping you would have some tips on how to implement trap work in to this split?[/quote]
Actually simply by adding a small amount of traps work at the end of the delts workout it will work. Delts work do involve the traps, especially the isolation supersets. Here’s what I suggest.
DAY 1 (not day 2… do it with your back workout):
- Barbell shrugs with 2 seconds hold at top for 4 sets of 8-10 reps, then 1 set of 20
- DB shrugs torso leaning forward slightly, hold 3 sec at top 4 sets of 8-10 reps, then 1 set of 20
DAY 4
For 4 sets
DAY 6
For 4 sets
Thank you CT!
Thanks to you, I now know exactly what I will be doing for the next 5-6 weeks.
Hi CT, thanks so much for posting this. I have a couple of basic questions if you don’t mind (I don’t think you addressed them in the main article or this thread; my apologies if I missed it):
- How long would you recommend someone run this workout? I’m obsessed with improving shoulder width, so if you tell me I can run it forever I probably will. ;^)
- While running this workout, should one try to progress in an objective manner; eg, adding a rep every workout, increasing TUT by a few seconds every workout, etc? Or, rather than counting specific reps and/or TUT, is it more about simply chasing a pump and high-lactate ‘burn’?
Thanks in advance!
Hey again CT!
I’d also be interested to hear what would be a good template for the heavy shoulders day in the shoulder spec program we discussed above, if you happen to have time to answer.
Whether you do or don’t, thank you for answering all my other questions in an extremely detailed manner. You are the biggest single source of training knowledge I’ve had during my whole lifting career! And that knowledge has been very effective indeed.
Gave the width a whirl the other day and absolutely loved it.
CT, I train in a facility that doesn’t have a seated lateral machine for the final superset. What would you use in place of the machine lateral? This proved to be a very challenging and ferocious training session this morning. Really enjoyed both versions of the growth factor training, so far.
[quote]Evander wrote:
Hey again CT!
I’d also be interested to hear what would be a good template for the heavy shoulders day in the shoulder spec program we discussed above, if you happen to have time to answer.
Whether you do or don’t, thank you for answering all my other questions in an extremely detailed manner. You are the biggest single source of training knowledge I’ve had during my whole lifting career! And that knowledge has been very effective indeed.[/quote]
I’ll bne back with an answer gotta film a video for one of the exercises later today
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Evander wrote:
Hey again CT!
I’d also be interested to hear what would be a good template for the heavy shoulders day in the shoulder spec program we discussed above, if you happen to have time to answer.
Whether you do or don’t, thank you for answering all my other questions in an extremely detailed manner. You are the biggest single source of training knowledge I’ve had during my whole lifting career! And that knowledge has been very effective indeed.[/quote]
I’ll bne back with an answer gotta film a video for one of the exercises later today
[/quote]
Thanks, I appreciate the thought CT! But I posted that a while ago and I have already almost completed the whole 4 week specialisation block. 
So no need to answer on my behalf.
I have to say that I’m loving the newfound roundness in my delts! Am I correct in believing that the most gains are achieved during the first week or two after switching back to regular training? I remember you mentioning something along those lines a few years ago.
[quote]Evander wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Evander wrote:
Hey again CT!
I’d also be interested to hear what would be a good template for the heavy shoulders day in the shoulder spec program we discussed above, if you happen to have time to answer.
Whether you do or don’t, thank you for answering all my other questions in an extremely detailed manner. You are the biggest single source of training knowledge I’ve had during my whole lifting career! And that knowledge has been very effective indeed.[/quote]
I’ll bne back with an answer gotta film a video for one of the exercises later today
[/quote]
Thanks, I appreciate the thought CT! But I posted that a while ago and I have already almost completed the whole 4 week specialisation block. So no need to answer on my behalf.
I have to say that I’m loving the newfound roundness in my delts! Am I correct in believing that the most gains are achieved during the first week or two after switching back to regular training? I remember you mentioning something along those lines a few years ago.[/quote]
What I find is that you have a rapid change in the first 2 weeks, 3rd and 4th week you don’t see anything different and 1-2 weeks after you have another sudden improvement
Still…
A heavy workout for a delts spec phase (in which the original growth factor workout is the 2nd day, the one posted in the thread is the 3rd day… this would be the 1st day).
A. Push press 6 x 3 @ 85%
B. Military press with added bands
4 x 4-6 reps
C. Military press
3 x max reps with same weight (but no bands)
Thank you, coach! That routine is actually surprisingly similar to what I did for my heavy workouts. I’ll keep that heavy day routine in mind when I’ll eventually redo the spec cycle, perhaps in a few months time.
Incorporated a super set today, oh my. That was epic on the pump.
Thanks so much for sharing this info CT.
Is it okay when the last reps of a superset in a exercise (e.g. front raises) don’t really look like front raises anymore because you use everything you have to get your arms up? Or should I change the dumbbells and use 1kg dumbells ? …
[quote]Akidara wrote:
Is it okay when the last reps of a superset in a exercise (e.g. front raises) don’t really look like front raises anymore because you use everything you have to get your arms up? Or should I change the dumbbells and use 1kg dumbells ? … [/quote]
Use whatever DBs you need to do the exercise properly.
With isolation work the goal is to target a specific muscle, if you compensate by using other muscles and body movement, you are defeating the purpose.
@CT. thanks CT for your answer, it looks like I will use the 1-2kg dumbells a lot… 
hahah
[quote]Akidara wrote:
@CT. thanks CT for your answer, it looks like I will use the 1-2kg dumbells a lot… hahah[/quote]
Doesn’t matter. I use 2.5kg on some exercises myself.
Okay thank you CT, it’s mentally really hard when you used in the past mainly big lifts, low reps and heavy weight. To think that 2 kg dumbells could kill you …
With the layer system the pump just comes but now the pump is the goal and not the heavy weight or to get a certain amount of reps. You maybe have the same problem I could imagine
[quote]Akidara wrote:
Okay thank you CT, it’s mentally really hard when you used in the past mainly big lifts, low reps and heavy weight. To think that 2 kg dumbells could kill you …
With the layer system the pump just comes but now the pump is the goal and not the heavy weight or to get a certain amount of reps. You maybe have the same problem I could imagine [/quote]
I don’t have the same problem, no.
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I still focus on heavy lifting, I just do it on a separate workout during the day. If you only train once I recommend doing one heavy lift at the beginning of the workout.
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I understand why pump work is effective. If your goal is to build muscle with it, it doesn’t matter how much weight you use.
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I’ve been training for so long that I reached a point where I don’t care what others think of me when I train 
1 Like
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
t I reached a point where I don’t care what others think of me when I train ;)[/quote]
so true!