My Current Program

Bigger Stronger Leaner Christian Thibaudeau Coaching
1

Just to let you guys know what I’m doing training and diet wise. It is fairly unconventional but so far I’m getting rapid changes in body comp.

First, I’m training 5 days a week. Sunday and Wednesdays are off.

I’m using a cyclical fasting approach. Sunday and Wednesday I do a water/electrolytes fast (I don’t eat anything, I only drink water and electrolytes). So no training since I wouldn’t be able to rebuild the damaged muscle or benefit from the increase in protein synthesis anyway. On the other days I eat fairly normally; I often do one day of higher carbs then one day of lower carbs.

My schedule is normally (can change when I give a seminar):

Monday: Delts & Traps
Tuesday: Strength circuit
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Chest & Back
Friday: Strength circuit
Saturday: Biceps & Triceps
Sunday: OFF

I alternate between 3 weeks of accumulation, 3 weeks of intensification and 3 weeks of realization. The exercises stay the same for 2 phases (6 weeks).

Monday:
A1. Military press
A2. Snatch-grip high pull

B1. Behind the neck press
B2. Barbell shrugs

C1. Incline lateral raise
C2. Standing row

ACCUMULATION
A1/A2 = 4 x 6
B1/B2 = 4 x 10
C1/C2 = 3 x 12

INTENSIFICATION
A1/A2 = 8 x 3
B1/B2 = 5 x 5
C1/C2 = 3 x 8

REALIZATION
A1/A2 = 3/2/1 3/2/1 3/2/1
B1/B2 = 5/4/3 5/4/3
C1/C2 = none

Tuesday
A1. Back squat
A2. Close-grip bench press
A3. Romanian deadlift
A4. Military press from pins (eyes level)
A5. Pendlay row

ACCUMULATION
5 work circuits of 6 reps (using around 75%)

INTENSIFICATION
6 work circuits of 3 reps (using around 85%)

REALIZATION
8 work circuits of 1 rep (using around 92%)

Thursday:
A1. Bench press
A2. Chest-supported T-bar row

B1. Incline press
B2. Seated row (Neutral grip)

C1. Machine pec deck
C2. Face pull

ACCUMULATION
A1/A2 = 4 x 6
B1/B2 = 4 x 10
C1/C2 = 3 x 12

INTENSIFICATION
A1/A2 = 8 x 3
B1/B2 = 5 x 5
C1/C2 = 3 x 8

REALIZATION
A1/A2 = 3/2/1 3/2/1 3/2/1
B1/B2 = 5/4/3 5/4/3
C1/C2 = none

Friday (same as tuesday but 5% lighter)
A1. Back squat
A2. Close-grip bench press
A3. Romanian deadlift
A4. Military press from pins (eyes level)
A5. Pendlay row

ACCUMULATION
5 work circuits of 6 reps (using around 70%)

INTENSIFICATION
6 work circuits of 3 reps (using around 80%)

REALIZATION
8 work circuits of 1 rep (using around 87%)

Saturday:
A1. JM press
A2. Close-grip lat pulldown (focus on pulling with biceps)

B1. Standing barbell curl
B2. EZ bar lying triceps extension

C1. Preacher curl
C2. Rope triceps pressdown

ACCUMULATION
A1/A2 = 4 x 8
B1/B2 = 4 x 12
C1/C2 = 3 x 15

INTENSIFICATION
A1/A2 = 5 x 5
B1/B2 = 4 x 8
C1/C2 = 3 x 10

REALIZATION
A1/A2 = 5/4/3 5/4/3
B1/B2 = 8/6/4 8/6/4
C1/C2 = 2 x 10

6 Likes
2

wow awesome

jumping on this now. lol

3

Always great to see how you currently train, not so much to copy but to have a real life model of how you incorporate your training means and methods together which is super helpfull when designing ones own training, so thank you it is much appreciated!

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4

Hello CT - the set/rep scheme is a ramping up pattern right? I think you mentioned when you write something like 3x10 or 4x6 it means you start with a fairly challenging weight in that rep then ramp up until you hit the near rep max on the final set (ramping up) ?

Also an entire day for arms? Does that actually help build arms (not being facetious…i’ve never actually noticed much arm gains from prior specialization courses…my arms grew the most from heavy chinups and presses)

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Weren’t you going to do the BFB program?

I think arms days work, otherwise we wouldn’t see guys shaped like lightbulbs!

Anyway Coach I know your legs are your strength, but how come there’s so little of them? This is an upper body specialization?

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Sounds like Carter has converted you with the fasting! Although, I know you’ve done pulse fasts, etc, previously. Thanks for sharing.

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Actually it isn’t really. It is a bit of a mini ramp… for example when I do 8 x 3 I might take 3-4 sets to get to the work weights, but these are not included in the work sets. Then I often change the weight once or twice. For example it could look like:

Bar x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 3

315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
325 x 3
325 x 3
335 x 3
335 x 3

But I would only change the weight if the load feels “too easy” because of the activation.

For sets of 5-10+ reps I might take 1-2 sets to pick the right weight, then do all my work sets with the same weight (I might decrease it if it gets too hard because of fatigue).

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9

Actually Paul and I came up with the 5/2 fasting together since it’s a book project we’ve been having. And my friend Joachim Bartoll (former editor of the Swedish version of Ironman Magazine) with whom I used to have a website 20 years ago has been a greater influence on that topic.

10

For ME it does. As much as I don’t really like doing an arm day, for me that’s the only real way to get my arm to grow. And as I mentioned this is MY program. That how I want to train. I didn’t design this program for you or anybody else. There is also no dedicated leg day. That’s because my legs get plenty of stimulus from doing the squat and RDL on the strength circuit days, but that’s not the case for most people.

Also, while it’s an “arm” day, the first two exercises are actually multi-joint exercises (the close-grip pull-down could be a close-grip chin-up) so it doesn’t exactly like an isolation fest.

And it’s not a specialization approach. In a spec program you hit the focus muscle(s) several times a week directly, which is not the case here. Bodybuilders have done direct arm work for what? 60 years? And the use of an “arm day” has been popular for at least 30. If it didn’t do anything people would have stopped doing it.

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Everytime someone says something like that, there is always a smugness or negative tone to it… “I don’t want to offend you”, “I don’t want to be a dick”, etc.

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Yes, I did it for 8 week (2 cycles). When I write an article on a program based on a program I did myself assume that I did it at least 4 weeks before the article was published. First because I don’t write about something that I didn’t complete yet (in this case at least a full 4 weeks cycle) and second, from the moment I send the article in, it normally takes 2 weeks to be published on the site.

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As I mentioned, it’s my program. It is not designed for any body else. I just did 8 weeks where I squatted (front squatted actually) 5 days a week and my legs are where I want them to be. I don’t want huge legs like when I was competing in olympic lifting (29 inches) or bodybuilding. I’m satisfied with lean and athletic legs that are strong.

I have the size that I want (my goal is not to make every muscle as big as possible, but to have he body I personally like). But I still want to get stronger which is why I keep up with the squatting on the strength circuit days.

Furthermore I wrote an article about a theory that I have: I believe that we all have a limit of overall muscle mass we can carry. And when we get close to that (or to that) it becomes amazingly difficult to keep adding muscle. I personally noticed that since my early 30s my “in shape/lean” body weight is pretty much always 215-218lbs (and 200lbs shredded). When I focused on olympic lifting I was 215-218 with big legs and smaller chest/arms/lats. Then I would switch to bodybuilding and my arms/chest/lats would get bigger, but my legs and glutes would get smaller and I would be … 215-218lbs. Then I would switch to a more powerlifting approach and my glutes and hams would grow, upper back would get thicker but delts would get a bit smaller, biceps too, and I would be 215-218.

It is my belief that my maximum “lean” muscular body weight is likely 220 (in the past I got up to 228 when I was in my late 20s) in lean condition and as high as 250 but carrying a lot more fat. So I’m not likely to add a lot of muscle mass. BUT it has been my experience that I can change the way my body look by emphasizing certain muscle groups more than others.

This program reflects what I want to look like.

BTW I think I’m going to stop posting my own training. The last thing I wanted was for people to question me about it. Feels like an inquisition!

14

Don’t yield to the usual suspects. The vast majority greatly appreciate what you are doing!

6 Likes
15

Just been reading some of his stuff. Very interesting, particularly given his health issues. I think the idea of a water/electrolyte, even MCT, fast 1-2 times a week has huge potential and seems to be gaining more and more momentum.

As I’ve said before, my challenge with these protocols has always been managing the days around the fast - namely, not over-compensating or triggering a binge.

16

How has all that structural balance work you’ve been doing transferred to a program like this? Would you conzider the strength circuit to have a hypoxia training element to it?

17

Is the goal conditioning and bodybuilding with this program? Ty I am trying to understand the structure and method.

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Its mostly size and strength, not really any conditioning elements to it

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No problemo Coach, i was actually asking Sigil if he was going to do the BFB ahah.

Yes I remember that theory… It’s very logical, I believe the body can’t handle naturally anyway the stress and recovery that is necessary to be really big everywhere…

Anyway this program looks you’re having fun and training really hard

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When I did intermittent fasting I always had the tendency to binge in the evening because I spent most of the thinking about what I was going to eat. But with cyclical fasting it doesnt happen because the post fast eating day is just a new day: doesnt feel like I deprived myself prior to eating

1 Like
21

I totally get it. I’m working at Mc Donalds for the summer and the days when I’m really hungry and I see all these burgers and the insidious thoughts of their taste harass me it’s very hard to resist eating some