[quote]theBird wrote:
What exactly did you eat yesterday?
tweet[/quote]
LOL
[quote]theBird wrote:
What exactly did you eat yesterday?
tweet[/quote]
^^
[quote]atg410 wrote:
Here’s another follow up question based on your over view - you’ve been through a few programs in the past year, and it sounds generally, like you are someone that likes to mix things up on a fairly frequent basis - how do you decide when to switch gears/change programs/alter variables and still stay on track in terms of larger goals?[/quote]
When the coach writes “Do this program for 6 weeks”, I find something new to do by week 7. 
(Only half-joking, actually.)
A lot of it is listening to (and actually understanding) your body and knowing the difference between wanting something different and needing something different. My gym has an awesome Hammer Strength DY row machine and I love it, but heavy 1-arm machine rows aren’t appropriate for every training program even though I want to use the machine as often as possible.
When I was doing a 20-rep squat routine and squatting 3 times a week, right around week 5 my ankle started acting up, so I learned that my 30+ year old body can only handle so much frequency. Something similar happened when I was overhead dumbbell pressing 3 days a week and my elbow started being problematic, again, right around week 5 funny enough. With both of those situations, I was clearly ready for something new/different by week 6.
It’s also a matter of not wanting to be away from a given method for an extended period of time. For example, after spending 12 weeks chasing a DB clean and press, where I was basically doing full body training 3 days a week, I did something like back-bis/chest-tris/legs/shoulders for a few months to “catch things up”. It’s been a while since I did a pure strength-focused routine, which is why I started Henriques’ strength program.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
For that matter Chris, what are your own larger goals? It didn’t seem to be a clear strength, size, or weight loss goal. I could have missed something when reading that.
From what I’ve seen it looks like it’s more “get familiar with various training methodologies in order to incorporate them into the way you train others”.[/quote]
That’s a big part of it - building experience with as many new ideas as I reasonably can and having some idea of what I’m talking about before telling someone else to ‘go do that.’
Long-term, I’m not shooting for anything too awe-inspiring. Staying in the lean 200-210-ish range, with abs or very near ab condition, is probably where I’ll finally “settle.” Like I said in the “Ideal Physique” thread a few months back, “As much as I might like to say Alistair Overeem or Gunter Schlierkamp, I have to say Steve Reeves is still where it’s at.” Not modern day ripped, but solid, muscular, and well-defined.
I can’t say I’m interested in really competing in the strength sports or physique contests. I play paintball every once in a while, so getting much bigger isn’t appealing. I do remember when I was closer to 230, even though there was a bit more fat, my knees were already getting stressed.
Strength goal-wise, I have a couple of benchmarks still floating around the back of my mind that I’ll attack eventually. Benching my bodyweight for my age in reps is something I dreamed up when I first started training. Totally arbitrary, but that could be fun to try. Also, I once wrote the goal, “Make 225 my bitch in every big exercise.” As in, getting a few good, easy reps with two plates on all the big basics. I’m there on some exercises, not quite there on others.
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
What supps are you taking? Does Biotest give you stuff like Plazma to try/give you a discount on their stuff?[/quote]
I keep asking, but I have yet to receive a custom-painted Prowler on my doorstep. Some stuff I get, some I buy. My regular rotation includes:
Rez-V, Vitamin D, Metabolic Drive, MAG-10, Anaconda, and Spike Shotguns (Orange Gold, always and forever). In the past, I’ve used Surge Workout Fuel, Surge Recovery, Plazma, HOT-ROX, Se7en, Spike Shooters, and some other “smaller” stuff when appropriate.
[quote]theBird wrote:
What exactly did you eat yesterday? [/quote]
I’m still waiting for you to address your comment in this thread:
But I have to admit this did get a chuckle out of me, so…
- Bigass organic coffee (full French press) with splenda.
- 6 eggs and about 1 cup of spinach scrambled in bacon fat (I keep a jar of it [nitrite/nitrate-free] in the fridge for just such occasions).
- Apple, half a carrot. (Carrot nubbin was a random leftover sitting in the fridge)
- Bigass roast beef sandwich, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber. Large Diet Coke.
- 2 scoops Metabolic Drive in water.
- About 3 liters of water throughout the day. (I have a 1.5 liter Sigg bottle that I use for convenience.)
Not meaning to turn this into an on-going log, but I had the first complex workout yesterday. I just tossed this up in the June Check-in thread, figured it’d make some kind of sense here too.
I didn’t realize until afterwards how boring complexes look on video. Whoops. And pardon the stupidly loud fire siren as soon as you hit play. Barbell row, hang clean, front squat/push press (thruster), jump squat, good morning. 70 pounds, 4x5, 90 seconds between sets, next week a set is added and rest time is reduced. Heavy-ish deadlifts (4x2-4) and military presses (4x3-5) were done first.
By the third set, I realized I should stop being a spaz and do the jump squats on the dirt instead of on the pavement. The rest of the work felt fine enough, legs and back are pretty sore already today. I might bump the weight up a bit next week too, depends on how the rest of this week’s sessions feel.
What do you think of them, now that you’ve done it a few times?
The weights themselves looked light (for you, based on how easily you seemed to be moving them around), but there was definitely plenty of movement from a cardio standpoint.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
What do you think of them, now that you’ve done it a few times?
The weights themselves looked light (for you, based on how easily you seemed to be moving them around), but there was definitely plenty of movement from a cardio standpoint.[/quote]
Complexes are brutal if you push yourself. Believe me, as soon as the last sets are done, I’m panting like an asthmatic nympho. I think the key is trying to stick to the pace by performing reps fast and keeping the rest time strict. Slacking off on either of those two will make the workout much easier and less effective for fat loss.
The weight was relatively-light, but part of that was really to address both issues I just mentioned - rep speed and minimal rest time. The way this plan progresses is by increasing the volume (add a set next week [5x5], then add a rep per set the week after [5x6], then add a set the final week [6x6]) and decrease the rest between sets (shaving off 15 seconds each week).
So by week four, the total volume done per session is up 75% while the rest time is cut in half. I don’t think I’d want to go too much heavier even if I could. This style of training really makes the most out of a light-ish weight, which is why I’m starting two of the training days with some basic, fairly low volume, heavier work, to minimize any strength loss.
With all due respect, you look kind of skinny to be worried about fat loss. I wish I could say the same 
I never quite understood the rationale on rest for complexes. I understand you want to keep the heart rate up, and even increase it a bit, but if your can get 12 minutes with a high rate and a little heavier weight/more rest, isn’t that better than 10 minutes w/ a lighter weight/less rest? Or does it eventually transition to steady state at some point?
Hey, Chris, I just wanted to say that I really like your posts and articles.
It’s always a pleasure to read, and full of informations.
Thanks for that, man.
And ho…pleased to read that an author here (read : someone with credit) does not dislike Waterbury’s work.
Mat’
[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
With all due respect, you look kind of skinny to be worried about fat loss. I wish I could say the same :([/quote]
Not sure if that’s a backhanded compliment or a passive-aggressive insult. Just kidding, man.
Truth be told, I store most of my fat in my love handles (spaghetti tastes good, bagels taste good) and I haven’t done a fully-focused fat loss plan for a while, so I want to get rid of them. Call it “recomp” or whatever term is hip right now, but fat burning is the current desired goal. As always, muscle preservation is critical to maintaining some semblance of looking “built” at the end.
Funny timing that Wil Fleming’s article just the other day talked about heavier complexes.
That said, think of it kinda like running sprints. You could head out into the field and run full speed for 50 yards. Or you could put on a 20-pound weight vest and run “full speed” for 50 yards. Or you could put on a 50-pound weight vest and “run” for 50 yards. Each one would result in a different combination of fat loss, cardio conditioning, and strength/muscle building. You’re just manipulating variables to reach a given goal.
[quote]mat_angus wrote:
Hey, Chris, I just wanted to say that I really like your posts and articles.
It’s always a pleasure to read, and full of informations.
Thanks for that, man.[/quote]
No prob, man. Thanks. Always glad to help when I can.
A professional keeps an open mind and realizes that he can learn something from everyone. An ignorant knucklehead says, “That guy who’s been doing his job successfully for years is wrong.”
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
A professional keeps an open mind and realizes that he can learn something from everyone
[/quote]
maybe offtopic, but did you try this type of training ? (time-based sets instead of reps) :
I falled in love for this approach and decided to test it for my assistance work while on 5/3/1 program (since I falled in love for this program too !)
Mat’
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
A professional keeps an open mind and realizes that he can learn something from everyone. An ignorant knucklehead says, “That guy who’s been doing his job successfully for years is wrong.”[/quote]
^One of the reasons why I like this guy so much. A quote I can still remember from the old days of T-mag’s actual paper magazine: “Once you think you know it all, you’re done”
Great to hear you elaborating on your own past and current approaches to training Chris.
S
Big fan Chris, you always post great info in the forums (in someone ONLY read your posts they would have more knowledge than they knew what to do with) and your articles here are some of my favorite reads.
Care to share you experience/results on Waterburys ABBH routines? I’ve been realllllly interested in trying them for a while but I never manage to pull the trigger. Obviously the arms blew up (you bastard…) but how did the strength gains look?
PS - Can I have your e-autograph?
What a boss video, Chris. Is it OK to share it ?
[quote]mat_angus wrote:
maybe offtopic, but did you try this type of training ? (time-based sets instead of reps) :
I falled in love for this approach and decided to test it for my assistance work while on 5/3/1 program (since I falled in love for this program too !)[/quote]
I think I might’ve tried a handful of workouts like that when the article came out, but in general, I don’t really dig watching the clock or counting strict slow-ish tempos during a set or, worse, during a rep. It’s simply a distraction. If I had a training partner do the counting for me? Then maybe I’d play around with that technique a bit more.
Now, something like Charles Staley’s EDT, where you have a larger time frame (10-20 minutes) and basically shoot for max total reps broken down however you can, that’s some good stuff.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
A professional keeps an open mind and realizes that he can learn something from everyone. An ignorant knucklehead says, “That guy who’s been doing his job successfully for years is wrong.”[/quote]
^One of the reasons why I like this guy so much. A quote I can still remember from the old days of T-mag’s actual paper magazine: “Once you think you know it all, you’re done”
Great to hear you elaborating on your own past and current approaches to training Chris.
S[/quote]
Many thanks, man. I definitely appreciate that. And I do like that quote. It’s a good reminder that nobody’s ever “done” learning, in lifting, life, anything topic really. (I never saw the paper mag though. It was before my time. Barely, but still. Ha.)
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Big fan Chris, you always post great info in the forums (in someone ONLY read your posts they would have more knowledge than they knew what to do with) and your articles here are some of my favorite reads. [/quote]
Hey man, thanks. You’re another one of the guys with a ton of knowledge to share, between your health background, competition experience, and plain old having built a shit-ton of muscle.
Ha, to be fair, I did include the (limited) arm work that CW laid out as an option - a few sets on each upper body day, but nothing major. But thanks. Strength-wise, it’s tough to tell because of the way the program progressed. In ABBH1, the 10x3 stuff worked up to 10x5 with the same weight, so you really get a chance to “own” whatever weight you’re moving on a given exercise. That felt pretty good getting solid control over a given weight.
The 5x10 stuff increased in weight slow and steady, but that’s kinda standard “accessory work” and I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily outstanding, but progress is progress. ABBH2 had pretty similar results since the layout (days of 12-rep work alternated with days of 5-rep work) is essentially run the same way.
If anything, the only thing I kept second-guessing (even though I still followed it as-written) is the lower body work. Especially in ABBH1, the lower body days were basically: A compound leg exercise, an ab move, a calf exercise. Finished. One day done as tri-sets (so you’re in and out of the gym stupid-fast), the other day as straight sets. It just didn’t feel like much. Of course, during the session, it felt like plenty. Afterwards, meh, not so much.
I’m pretty sure the dudes with the guts and ability to compete should be giving the autographs, not getting them. But anyway…
To Lonnie,
Wishing you empty racks when you want them, cheat days when you need them, and ab veins whenever you check for them.
Bro-hugs and fist-bumps,
- Chris.
[quote]Claudan wrote:
What a boss video, Chris. Is it OK to share it ? [/quote]
Ha, um, I guess?!? It’s on Youtube, so of course. But curiosity has me wondering, to whom am I being displayed?