@CT: I’m curious, have you had to alter the programming of your main lifts any with your AM growth factor training due to recovery, or do you feel that the growth factor training is helping you recover more? With your growth factor training are you going to momentary failure with constant tension rep technique or leaving a few reps in the tank?
Hey CT,
i have the same question. Does Nick don’t perform any heavy lifting ? It’s so untypical for you hahah.
[quote]Akidara wrote:
Hey CT,
i have the same question. Does Nick don’t perform any heavy lifting ? It’s so untypical for you hahah.[/quote]
We do some heavy-ish lifting in the workouts. And from my experience with him he responds better to pump training than heavy lifting. He is naturally slow twitch dominant with a slight structure and doesn’t respond well to heavy lifting although he still perform some heavy lifts from time to time.
There are many ways to train that are effective, and finding the one that works best for you is important.
[quote]sput79 wrote:
@CT: I’m curious, have you had to alter the programming of your main lifts any with your AM growth factor training due to recovery, or do you feel that the growth factor training is helping you recover more? With your growth factor training are you going to momentary failure with constant tension rep technique or leaving a few reps in the tank? [/quote]
My growth factor training hurts my performance in the Olympic lifts. Kinda hard to be solid catching a jerk or snatch when you did growth factor shoulders in the AM!
Also my arms have gotten much bigger and it’s making it hard to catch my cleans and hold my front squats.
But that is something I’m willing to accept at the moment. When Nick is done with his competitions I will go back to my regular style of training. And I figure that at that point I’ll have a boost in performance from not doing the bodybuilding work first.
[quote]Evander wrote:
Interesting stuff as always, CT!
Am I correct that your friend Nick is in a pretty hefty calorie deficit now since he’s between bodybuilding shows? I find it interesting that he’s doing this growth factor stuff instead of the more typical heavy lifting you seem to recommend to people who are dieting. If you have time, could you elaborate on that? :)[/quote]
He isn’t on a huge caloric deficit. Right now he is between shows and is actually in a slight surplus. He is also using a pretty big dose of PLAZMA which works best with growth factor/pump training.
But honestly it’s because Nick doesn’t like heavy lifting, it doesn’t fit his psychological profile. He likes pump work. And truth be told, although I prefer heavy work, pump work can also be effective when used properly. I’d prefer to lift heavy, but that’s how he wants to train and I’m getting my heavy work in the PM anyways.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Evander wrote:
Interesting stuff as always, CT!
Am I correct that your friend Nick is in a pretty hefty calorie deficit now since he’s between bodybuilding shows? I find it interesting that he’s doing this growth factor stuff instead of the more typical heavy lifting you seem to recommend to people who are dieting. If you have time, could you elaborate on that? :)[/quote]
He isn’t on a huge caloric deficit. Right now he is between shows and is actually in a slight surplus. He is also using a pretty big dose of PLAZMA which works best with growth factor/pump training.
But honestly it’s because Nick doesn’t like heavy lifting, it doesn’t fit his psychological profile. He likes pump work. And truth be told, although I prefer heavy work, pump work can also be effective when used properly. I’d prefer to lift heavy, but that’s how he wants to train and I’m getting my heavy work in the PM anyways.[/quote]
CT I have a few questions if you don’t mind.
-
When doing growth factor workouts is the objective to get stronger on the exercises used?
-
Is growth factor type training only used to specialize on a particular body part or can I do it for more than body part? My focus is shoulders and arms but I would also like to focus on upper pecs if possible.
-
Even though I’m small boned and don’t have great genetics for strength and size I prefer do lift heavy and intense with shorter workouts. Whenever I do pump type workouts I look great at first but as time goes on my strength begins to decline and I also start to shrink.
I noticed you had someone do 1 heavy day and 2 growth factor days for shoulders.
Is it necessary to do 2 growth factor days because I believe I would burn out and regress with 1 heavy day and 2 growth factor days a week. Which goes back to question number 2 about specializing on more than one body part. I was thinking of doing 1 heavy day and 1 growth factor day for each body part.
Disregard coach, sorry i just saw your reply to Evander in your other thread.
But would throwing in arms be too much
[quote]as wrote:
CT I have a few questions if you don’t mind.
- When doing growth factor workouts is the objective to get stronger on the exercises used? [/quote]
No, it’s to get a maximum pump in the target muscle. You add weight only when the “lighter” weights are too light to get a good feel for the muscle contraction.
I find that with isolation work there is a “perfect weight”: too heavy you compensate and don’t feel the target muscle as well, too light and you don’t get a quality contraction either.
[quote]as wrote:
2. Is growth factor type training only used to specialize on a particular body part or can I do it for more than body part? My focus is shoulders and arms but I would also like to focus on upper pecs if possible.
[/quote]
Growth-Factor training is my version of “bodybuilding” training. It’s not unlike Meadows’ methods. The purpose is to get a maximum pump, we just use slightly different means. So yeah, a whole program could be done like that but in that case I’d like to see one heavier lift per muscle group.
[quote]as wrote:
3. Even though I’m small boned and don’t have great genetics for strength and size I prefer do lift heavy and intense with shorter workouts. Whenever I do pump type workouts I look great at first but as time goes on my strength begins to decline and I also start to shrink.
I noticed you had someone do 1 heavy day and 2 growth factor days for shoulders
Is it necessary to do 2 growth factor days because I believe I would burn out and regress with 1 heavy day and 2 growth factor days a week. Which goes back to question number 2 about specializing on more than one body part. I was thinking of doing 1 heavy day and 1 growth factor day for each body part.
[/quote]
That’s for a specialisation phase. But there is more than one way to skin a cat. My main approach with a specialization block is to train the target muscle 3x a week. But depending on the individual the methods used can vary.
For example…
APPROACH 1
DAY 1 - Heavy
DAY 2 - Growth factor
DAY 3 - Growth factor (different section of muscle)
APPROACH 2
DAY 1 - Very heavy
DAY 2 - Heavy (4-6 zone)
DAY 3 - Growth factor
APPROACH 3
DAY 1 - Heavy
DAY 2 - Heavy (different section of muscle)
DAY 3 - Growth factor
APPROACH 4
DAY 1 - Heavy
DAY 2 - Typical bodybuilding (8-12 reps)
DAY 3 - Growth factor
APPROACH 5
DAY 1 - Heavy
DAY 2 - Eccentric emphasis (slow eccentrics, accentuated eccentrics,overload)
DAY 3 - Growth factor
etc.
[quote]as wrote:
Disregard coach, sorry i just saw your reply to Evander in your other thread.
But would throwing in arms be too much [/quote]
You can specialize on 2 muscles at the most (in which case both are done on the same days). With shoulders you can also specialize on triceps.
I would also have a question. Should I be sore the next day when using growth factor training?
The purpose of growth factor training is also solely the pump in our goal muscle?
[quote]Immunion wrote:
I would also have a question. Should I be sore the next day when using growth factor training?
The purpose of growth factor training is also solely the pump in our goal muscle?[/quote]
My experience is that the muscle should feel tight and a bit harder than usual. It might be sore but that’s not the goal and since this method is more about shuttling nutrients to the muscles rather than creating muscle damage, you will rarely have a soreness from it.
Ok coach thanks for all the replies
Since the double Stimulation article came out i train almost every muscle two days in a row.
Now i read here to train each muscle group three days in a row. Or i get it wrong?
S.f.m.b.e 
[quote]Germanguy wrote:
Since the double Stimulation article came out i train almost every muscle two days in a row.
Now i read here to train each muscle group three days in a row. Or i get it wrong?
S.f.m.b.e :)[/quote]
You get it wrong. CT just described it unclear. He meaned it like this:
Day 1 shoulder 1
Day 2
Day 3shoulder 2
Day 4
Day 5shoulder 3
Day 6
Day 7
And he was referring to a specialization phase where you train the muslce 3 days per week.
[quote]Germanguy wrote:
Since the double Stimulation article came out i train almost every muscle two days in a row.
Now i read here to train each muscle group three days in a row. Or i get it wrong?
S.f.m.b.e :)[/quote]
Double stimulation and specialisation are two different approaches.
Double stimulation = training a muscle two days in a row, the second day is a quick pump workout at the beginning of your session.
Specialisation = you focus on 1-2 muscle groups during a 4 weeks period where you train this/these muscles 3x per week. The other muscles are trained at maintenance level. There is no double stimulation in this approach.
Okay thanks. Now i understand
Beautiful!
Hi CT,
Would you recommend to do one heavy season and one growth factor session per week for each muscle group for someone looking to keep the strenght at their current level and build some muscle, for example:
DAY 1
Legs - heavy
Shoulders-growth factor
DAY 2
Chest - heavy
Back - growth factor
DAY 3
Legs - growth factor
DAY 4
Chest - growth factor
DAY 5
Back - heavy
DAY 6
Shoulders - heavy
Or would you structure it differently?
Also, since you are aware that Biotest products are not vailable in every country, what would you recommed for the peri workoit nutriton?
What is your opinion on the following peri workout mix:
20g whey
60g maltodextrin
8g citruline malate
2g AAKG
15g BCAA
Your answer would be much appreciated.
Ivan