Waterbury PT 10/10 & 10/12

Training Bodybuilding
41

[quote]Jesper Jensen wrote:
Coach Waterbury,

First of all, I would like to thank you for all this great information I have learned from you here at T-Nation.

I have had a lot of progress on your programs, so lot in fact that my friend came to me for advice.

The situation is this: He is in the Police Academy and they have this physical test coming up mid December. The test is a time circuit. First they pull a log in a rope and drag it back (I do not know the distance) then they run ? mile. They have to do this three times, but before the time starts the have to bench press 110 lbs. Every rep above 26 cut 3 secs of the total time.

My friend is 6 feet and around 180 lbs. He has strong legs and can currently do 30 reps with the 110 lbs. He has never seriously lifted weights, but he has been an active soccer player for years.
In the Police Academy they do train three times per week, but this is mostly running and self defence classes.

How do you recommend that he trains for this test? His main concern is to add as many reps as possible on his 110 lbs bench press. I am sure we can find at least 5 reps just by correcting his technique. Since he is a beginner (all though in good shape) I have been thinking about ABBH, but I am not sure.

[/quote]

Your friend should follow my Outlaw Strength and Conditioning program. 3 weeks before the test, he should follow endurance-strength parameters for the bench press, alternated with maximal strength work. An example would be:

Monday: 5x5
Thursday: 2x25

42

[quote]Todd S. wrote:
Chad,

We are just finishing up Art of Waterbury, so Far this is our favorite followed by the Waterbury Method.

After reading your set/rep bible I think we would do ok to keep these same parameters and just change up the exercises. Do you agree? Also do you feel there is a benefit in doing all 10x3 on a day and 4x6 the next as opposed to doing 10x3 for one body part and 4x6 for the rest of the workout, like Waterbury method? [/quote]

I suggest you change the set/rep parameters. Use the “Bible” to devise combinations that are aimed at your goals. Reps are the fastest to adapt, while exercises are the slowest.

43

hi chad how are things going? I have a couple of questions tonight if you dont mind.

First, I was wondering what you though about a topic alwyn brought up in his recent article. He mentioned that in order to balance opposing muscle movements(horiztonal pulling/pushing) load was more important then just shear volume. I quess the basic idea is to row the equal amount of total volume(repsxsetsxload) as you do all other upper body vertical pulling/pushing and horizontal pushing. This would be the only way to offset the amount of internal rotation and scapula pronation that this other non rowing exercises create. Would this hold true for over all shoulder health and balance.

A second question I have tonight deals with training while going through mono and sleep apnea. I am battling both at the moment so needless to say my recovery abilities and overall energy are low. What advice could you give me so as not to lose to much during my break and also is there any way to continue to loss fat mass while in such a condition. My family doctor had said it is very hard to lose weight while experiencing apnea because my body chemistry will not allow it under such conditions.

A third question if i could. This is one i have been wondering about for a while. I know you advocate training volume(when appriopately implemented) over training load. Could you share some of your reasoning behind that. I know there are other coaches you agree with you and some who are the exact opposite. I am never sure which direction to go. My main goals are performance enhancement and some body composition(mostly just fat loss) so being a pile of hypertrophy is not really of that much interest to me but looking could and being strong and functional sounds like a good idea to me.

Of your programs would TTT SFM OSC and NB3 be my ideal choices out of your programs once i am back to full strength.

Well unfortuantely the ideas keep coming i know you probably wont be able to answer every question I have, I probably should sign up for a phone call, but one quick diet question. I have cut my calories back to about 2500 on non training days and around 3000 on training days with cardio days falling in the middle. My carbs are less then 100 on non train days while they reach just under 200 on my heavier training days. cardio again is in the middle. However the weight doesnt seem to budge much. Could the apnea be the main culbrit or might i just be eating to many calories. I am 260lbs 22% body fat(that number went down then up without a huge change in diet though i did battle anxiety disorder for awhile) I have broad wide shoulders but a short inseam 28" in though i am 6’3 and a 40" waist. My muscle mass is solid though hidden everywhere besides my upper arms and back/shoulders.

any dietary guideance would be great. hopefully becoming one of your clients might do me good soon, but college(exercise science major) and a part time job dont leave me with much expendable income but it is something i would really like to do soon. thanks again chad hope to hear from your and i am really sorry for the length. alot on my mind

44

[quote]ACI wrote:
Chad Waterbury wrote:
leon79 wrote:
Chad,

Do you believe it is necessary to follow a specific fat-loss routine while on a hypocaloric diet, or is any sound strength program good enough so long as the volume is kept in check? Also, whatever routine one uses, is it detrimental to simply repeat that routine month after month, just changing the exercises or set/rep schemes, or should one still switch focus from program to program?

Thanks for your help.

Well, guess what, I just finished an article on this exact subject.

It’s detrimental to continuously repeat any routine for months at a time - regardless of the goal.

What about the standard template used by the lifters at Westside Barbell? That doesn’t seem to change very much over time.

The reason I’m asking is because I’m thinking of doing your TBT three times a week when I get busy with school and work.

I intend to change the exercises every two weeks, along with the order in which they’re performed. The program would be as follows:

Mon (10-12 reps)
Squats 4 sets
Deadlift 4 sets
Power Clean from hang 4 sets
Pullups 4 sets
Incline DB press 3 sets

Wed (6-8 reps)

Fri (3-5 reps)

I understand that the body will adapt if the same parameters are used, but I would be switching the exercises on a regular basis. Is this not a good idea?

Any suggestions on improving it?[/quote]

If you’re following TBT, there’s no need to worry since the alterations are already built in the program.

As for WS training, they don’t perform the same template all year long. What they do is train the same strength qualities, but their methods to increase each strength quality changes with the addition/subtraction of bands, chains, bars, etc.

45

[quote]blake b wrote:
Hi Chad,

I just read the post about the police academy and I am in almost the same predicament but my tests are max pushups, max situps in one minute, and a 1.5 mile run. They have guidelines they’d like you to beat and I am close on the pushups and situps and can easily beat the run time. I’d like to know how to maximize my gains on the pushups and situps. Our standard workout is running for a few minutes, then two minutes of pushups, two minutes of abs, more running or a variation, bear crawls, crab walks, more of any of the above, various bodyweight squats or squat thrusts. This is usually done nonstop for about 30-35 minutes. These workouts have also interfered with my lifting of course (or is it the other way around). I’d love to be able to do both but my shoulders will get very sore as will my hips. The academy workouts are anywhere from 1-4 days a week. any suggestions to help with the pushups and situps are greatly appreciated, as is any recommendations on a happy medium with the academy workouts and lifting on my own.

A second question: I love 10x3. I thought I had read somewhere about doing multiple sets of singles or doubles. Is there any benefit of possibly doing 10-14 sets of singles or 5-7 sets of doubles with approx. 90% if someone is looking just for strength over using 10x3?

Once again thanks for all you do
blake[/quote]

My Single’s Club program would work well.

As for the PT test, I suggest you perform the circuit you described at the end of your Single’s Club workouts.

46

[quote]matticus wrote:
Hey Chad. I’m currently working through the neanderthal no more program (Cressey and Mike) to improve scapular depression/retraction (AC joint seperation in January that I’m still having issues with) and develop some solid posterior chain strength.

After I finish that program and if needed additional shoulder support work, I plan on aiming for putting on some size and picking up some strength this winter. (Strength is a big big priority). Front Squats and pretty much anything that involves cross chest adduction cause a problem for ac joint.

Which one of your programs (or a series of a couple) published here do you think would best fit my goals (ABBH, TBT, etc…)? Training experience: 1.5 years of stupid training before hurting the shoulder. My current max lifts Deep high bar squat (almost ATG) 250, Bench (haven’t flat benched in a while because of the shoulder) Decline bench 205 during NNM part 1. Deadlift I have no idea as I haven’t trained with anywhere near a max for those. [/quote]

First and foremost, you MUST fix/address your shoulder issues. If you try to avoid the issue, it’ll never heal. Luckily, I’ve finished an article on the subject. Stay tuned since it will be the answer to your shoulder woes.

47

[quote]brotzfrog10 wrote:
hi chad how are things going? I have a couple of questions tonight if you dont mind.

First, I was wondering what you though about a topic alwyn brought up in his recent article. He mentioned that in order to balance opposing muscle movements(horiztonal pulling/pushing) load was more important then just shear volume. I quess the basic idea is to row the equal amount of total volume(repsxsetsxload) as you do all other upper body vertical pulling/pushing and horizontal pushing. This would be the only way to offset the amount of internal rotation and scapula pronation that this other non rowing exercises create. Would this hold true for over all shoulder health and balance.

A second question I have tonight deals with training while going through mono and sleep apnea. I am battling both at the moment so needless to say my recovery abilities and overall energy are low. What advice could you give me so as not to lose to much during my break and also is there any way to continue to loss fat mass while in such a condition. My family doctor had said it is very hard to lose weight while experiencing apnea because my body chemistry will not allow it under such conditions.

A third question if i could. This is one i have been wondering about for a while. I know you advocate training volume(when appriopately implemented) over training load. Could you share some of your reasoning behind that. I know there are other coaches you agree with you and some who are the exact opposite. I am never sure which direction to go. My main goals are performance enhancement and some body composition(mostly just fat loss) so being a pile of hypertrophy is not really of that much interest to me but looking could and being strong and functional sounds like a good idea to me.

Of your programs would TTT SFM OSC and NB3 be my ideal choices out of your programs once i am back to full strength.

Well unfortuantely the ideas keep coming i know you probably wont be able to answer every question I have, I probably should sign up for a phone call, but one quick diet question. I have cut my calories back to about 2500 on non training days and around 3000 on training days with cardio days falling in the middle. My carbs are less then 100 on non train days while they reach just under 200 on my heavier training days. cardio again is in the middle. However the weight doesnt seem to budge much. Could the apnea be the main culbrit or might i just be eating to many calories. I am 260lbs 22% body fat(that number went down then up without a huge change in diet though i did battle anxiety disorder for awhile) I have broad wide shoulders but a short inseam 28" in though i am 6’3 and a 40" waist. My muscle mass is solid though hidden everywhere besides my upper arms and back/shoulders.

any dietary guideance would be great. hopefully becoming one of your clients might do me good soon, but college(exercise science major) and a part time job dont leave me with much expendable income but it is something i would really like to do soon. thanks again chad hope to hear from your and i am really sorry for the length. alot on my mind[/quote]

Alwyn is correct: loading must be considered. Therefore, you should make all efforts to increase your pulling poundages if they’re lacking any more than 10% behind your pressing efforts (in the same plane). Your shoulder health concerns will be addressed in an article I just finished.

Sleep apnea is not my forte. Follow your doctors advice and be sure to add ZMA into your pre-bedtime regimen.

I’ve never said that volume is more important than loading - they work in concert. Both must be considered.

Yes, your sleep apnea is probably the reason why you’re having difficulty changing your physique - it needs to be addressed ASAP.

48

[quote]Raige wrote:
Chad

I have a question regarding all of the programs that you have contributed to our community via this web-site and forgive me if this is a stupid question or if I come off the wrong way by asking it??do you ever encounter anyone who feels as if they are not doing enough with the programs?

I personally have been training since I was eleven (I?m 29 now) and of course I still follow the old school type of split and this shit has been engraved in my head after all of these years.

I currently do a five day two off deal working one body part a day (Mon ? Chest, calves?Tue ? Back, abs?.Wed ? shoulders, Thu ? Arms, Fri ? Legs, Sat & Sun ? off). I know this is an old, outdated, probably stupid approach.

I guess I am trying to work past the psychology of not lifting iron every day during the work week (M-F) and reducing the amount of movements performed as well as multiple bodyparts in a single session.

Are there any suggestions to ween myself off of the old and get in with the new? Do you propose a totally different approach? I have been back for about a month after a long layoff, making good progress but I am increasingly interested as of late to make a change. If you need further info or anything please let me know. I gain fairly easy (ok really easy…I take 3-4 months off and I still walk in the gym and bench 315 for 8-10 and behind the neck press 245 for 6)

Any help is appreciated

Raige
[/quote]

You should definitely follow my TBT program. It will fix your concerns.

49

God bless Dubya! That article is just what I need. Thanks Chad, as you know my situation with my shoulder incident on the close grips. Looking forward to it.

Best,
DH

[quote]Chad Waterbury wrote:
matticus wrote:
Hey Chad. I’m currently working through the neanderthal no more program (Cressey and Mike) to improve scapular depression/retraction (AC joint seperation in January that I’m still having issues with) and develop some solid posterior chain strength.

After I finish that program and if needed additional shoulder support work, I plan on aiming for putting on some size and picking up some strength this winter. (Strength is a big big priority). Front Squats and pretty much anything that involves cross chest adduction cause a problem for ac joint.

Which one of your programs (or a series of a couple) published here do you think would best fit my goals (ABBH, TBT, etc…)? Training experience: 1.5 years of stupid training before hurting the shoulder. My current max lifts Deep high bar squat (almost ATG) 250, Bench (haven’t flat benched in a while because of the shoulder) Decline bench 205 during NNM part 1. Deadlift I have no idea as I haven’t trained with anywhere near a max for those.

First and foremost, you MUST fix/address your shoulder issues. If you try to avoid the issue, it’ll never heal. Luckily, I’ve finished an article on the subject. Stay tuned since it will be the answer to your shoulder woes. [/quote]

50

Coach Waterbury,

I have a question for you regarding the Primed For Muscle program. It’s only been my second workout on the program but I haven’t noticed any increased strength.

Day 1 I held for 5 seconds a 125% 1RM load a few inches below lockout for squat. Removed the weights back down to my 5RM which took approx. 60-90 seconds. Tried to lift as many reps as possible and only managed 3. Rested a bit, held 125% 1RM again, dropped back down to 5RM and managed 5 reps.

Day 2 I held for 5 seconds a 125% 1RM load for bench press. Unloaded the weights down to 5RM and only managed 4. Did a second 125% 1RM hold and this time I only managed a 1 rep with my 5RM weight.

Your program doesn’t prescribe a second maximal hold but I wanted to see if a second “priming” had any effect.

Am I waiting too long after the 125% 1RM hold?

Am I not waiting long enough?

Am I just expecting too much since this is only the 2nd day on the program?

Should I use weight greater than my 5RM?

Thank you for your time!

51

Hey Chad,

I read an older forum that listed the order you recommend your programs to be done in for maximum hypertrophy. Could you make another list with all of your programs to date? With so many excellent programs, decisions are difficult.

Thanks,
bmf

52

[quote]Kai Zen wrote:
Coach Waterbury,

I have a question for you regarding the Primed For Muscle program. It’s only been my second workout on the program but I haven’t noticed any increased strength.

Day 1 I held for 5 seconds a 125% 1RM load a few inches below lockout for squat. Removed the weights back down to my 5RM which took approx. 60-90 seconds. Tried to lift as many reps as possible and only managed 3. Rested a bit, held 125% 1RM again, dropped back down to 5RM and managed 5 reps.

Day 2 I held for 5 seconds a 125% 1RM load for bench press. Unloaded the weights down to 5RM and only managed 4. Did a second 125% 1RM hold and this time I only managed a 1 rep with my 5RM weight.

Your program doesn’t prescribe a second maximal hold but I wanted to see if a second “priming” had any effect.

Am I waiting too long after the 125% 1RM hold?

Am I not waiting long enough?

Am I just expecting too much since this is only the 2nd day on the program?

Should I use weight greater than my 5RM?

Thank you for your time![/quote]

The program works extremely well. Two things: don’t change any of the parameters, and don’t judge the program after performing two workouts. If you follow the parameters as prescribed, you’ll definitely get stronger. Just be sure you accurately calculated your supramaximal loading parameters. If they’re too light, you won’t reap the benefits. Keep at it.

53

[quote]bmf_inc wrote:
Hey Chad,

I read an older forum that listed the order you recommend your programs to be done in for maximum hypertrophy. Could you make another list with all of your programs to date? With so many excellent programs, decisions are difficult.

Thanks,
bmf
[/quote]

There are many lists out there. Here’s a good one:

BBB
ABBH
TTT
ABBH II
TBT
Primed for Muscle
SOB
WM
AofW
QD

54

Coach Waterbury,

Thank you for answering my knucklehead questions!

55

CW,

Just curious what your stance was on the conditioning/running of athletes, specifically football players in the off-season. Some coaches run them year round, others choose to focus more on preparatory work (Max strength, Flexibility, Weight loss/gain, etc.) and than start the running training 6-8 weeks before camp will start. Just wondering your thoughts?

Pat Battaglia

P.S. By running I mean both conditioning and sprint training

56

Chad,

In an attempt to lighten things up a bit…

What’s in your cd player right now?

What are the last three books you read (training or non-)?

What movie could you watch over and over and never get tired of it?

Thanks for everything, man.

-Nate

57

Thanks for the advice Chad.

  1. Can I sub in GHR raises for the leg curls and reverse hypers for the back extensions?

[quote]Chad Waterbury wrote:
blake b wrote:
Hi Chad,

I just read the post about the police academy and I am in almost the same predicament but my tests are max pushups, max situps in one minute, and a 1.5 mile run. They have guidelines they’d like you to beat and I am close on the pushups and situps and can easily beat the run time. I’d like to know how to maximize my gains on the pushups and situps. Our standard workout is running for a few minutes, then two minutes of pushups, two minutes of abs, more running or a variation, bear crawls, crab walks, more of any of the above, various bodyweight squats or squat thrusts. This is usually done nonstop for about 30-35 minutes. These workouts have also interfered with my lifting of course (or is it the other way around). I’d love to be able to do both but my shoulders will get very sore as will my hips. The academy workouts are anywhere from 1-4 days a week. any suggestions to help with the pushups and situps are greatly appreciated, as is any recommendations on a happy medium with the academy workouts and lifting on my own.

A second question: I love 10x3. I thought I had read somewhere about doing multiple sets of singles or doubles. Is there any benefit of possibly doing 10-14 sets of singles or 5-7 sets of doubles with approx. 90% if someone is looking just for strength over using 10x3?

Once again thanks for all you do
blake

My Single’s Club program would work well.

As for the PT test, I suggest you perform the circuit you described at the end of your Single’s Club workouts. [/quote]

58

Chad,

Nothing to ask tonight, just wanted to say I love your routines and as a thank you, I wanted to send you this:

Marissa Miller. High resolution. Enjoy, big guy.

Kuz

59

If the player needs to gain substantial amounts of maximal strength and/or muscle, I limit running in the off-season. However, if they need to focus on endurance and sprinting speed, running in the off-season is recommended.

CW

[quote]Tags wrote:
CW,

Just curious what your stance was on the conditioning/running of athletes, specifically football players in the off-season. Some coaches run them year round, others choose to focus more on preparatory work (Max strength, Flexibility, Weight loss/gain, etc.) and than start the running training 6-8 weeks before camp will start. Just wondering your thoughts?

Pat Battaglia

P.S. By running I mean both conditioning and sprint training [/quote]

60

Hey Nate, I appreciate it!

  1. Drive By Truckers “Decoration Day.” It’s awesome! I’ve also been listening to the new Fiona Apple CD, but I won’t mention that since people might think I’m kinda “weird.”

  2. I’m taking some more grad classes, so my reading, over the last few months, has been limited to research and neurophysiology texts. However, a few months ago I read, “War Trash” and “1776.” Both were interesting.

  3. The Spanish Prisoner

[quote]Nate Green wrote:
Chad,

In an attempt to lighten things up a bit…

What’s in your cd player right now?

What are the last three books you read (training or non-)?

What movie could you watch over and over and never get tired of it?

Thanks for everything, man.

-Nate[/quote]