Hi Coach,
I sent a few emails. I hope you got them.
Hope you’re doing well.
Thank you.
Anthony
Hey Coach,
Any exercises you would recommend to add lat width? I remember the first time I tried incline dumbbell rows, the pump in my lats were unreal, my elbows were so flared out from it! Unfortunately, I can’t seem to replicate this “lat pump” again.
[quote]Sakamonster wrote:
Hello Coach,
You mentioned in one of your articles that one should not include carbs from vegetables in their daily carb calculations. Given that the article was written two years ago, and that your knowledge base has obviously increased since then, do you still recommend leaving vegetable carbs out of the macronutrient count?
For the record, I eat about one pound of broccoli, a half pound of zucchini, and a half pound of bok choi (chinese broccoli) per day. I’m just beginning a clean bulk from 180lbs, 15%bf with a macro ratio of 50p/40f/10c at 2800 calories. The 10c includes vegetables.
Thank you for your time and effort! [/quote]
You don’t count the carbs only from GREEN veggies.
Hey Coach,
a few days ago you answered a question of mine about types of cardio for a short time for a mini fatloss during a longer slower bulk. you said if only for two weeks go crazy cuz muscle loss will be minimum. Something i forgot to ask you though; during the regular bulking period im eatin g afew hundred calories over maintenance, around 3600-3800, but for the fat loss period how much should i drop below (if any?) maintenance?
thanks a lot CT.
Hi Coach,
If I’ve been taking in low amounts of calories for over a year, but only recently started a low-carb diet (and eating very clean), would you recommend I continue with this for the full 12 weeks and then take a 7-14 day break, or start that break now and repair any damage done to my metabolism? I ask this because I haven’t been making much progress with fat loss these last two weeks, at 2500 kc a day.
Also, for that 7-14 day break, is it enough to bump up caloric intake by about 500 calories a day, or do I need to make sure that I’m just above maintenance?
[quote]pstruhar7786 wrote:
Hey Coach,
a few days ago you answered a question of mine about types of cardio for a short time for a mini fatloss during a longer slower bulk. you said if only for two weeks go crazy cuz muscle loss will be minimum. Something i forgot to ask you though; during the regular bulking period im eatin g afew hundred calories over maintenance, around 3600-3800, but for the fat loss period how much should i drop below (if any?) maintenance?
thanks a lot CT.[/quote]
During a fat loss period you HAVE TO consume a caloric deficit. The 2 weeks blitz should actually have a large caloric deficit. The goal of a blitz is to lose a lot of fat, fast. You can take means that you should normally not take during a regular, longer, fat loss phase (e.g. high caloric deficit, increased activity level, etc.)
[quote]McNulty wrote:
Hi Coach,
If I’ve been taking in low amounts of calories for over a year, but only recently started a low-carb diet (and eating very clean), would you recommend I continue with this for the full 12 weeks and then take a 7-14 day break, or start that break now and repair any damage done to my metabolism? I ask this because I haven’t been making much progress with fat loss these last two weeks, at 2500 kc a day.[/quote]
Oh yeah, you do have to take a dieting break and 2 weeks might not be enough. You may actually need some supplements to restart proper thyroid function and maybe even some adrenal repair.
[quote]McNulty wrote:
Also, for that 7-14 day break, is it enough to bump upcaloric intake by about 500 calories a day,[/quote]
That’s not even remotely close to being enough in your case. You put yourself in one helluva hole and you will have to:
-
Accept that you will need to take a step back (gain some fat because of the higher but needed food intake) and be able to resume your progress in the near future
-
Refuse to take a step back and will never be able to take a step forward and will be doomed to do all that you are doing just to maintain the status quo
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
ncruse wrote:
CT
I have been on a low carb diet for about 6 months …
I don’t even need to read the rest of your post. That is your problem right there. Your body has adapted to the diet. I always mention that no one should be on a severe diet for more than 12 weeks straight… and even during those 12 weeks I do recommend some variations in energy and carbs intake.
Every 10-12 weeks you should take a break from dieting of anywhere from 7 to 14 days (7-10 is the norm for most) where you eat ‘‘healthy’’ but differently than during your diet (e.g. more calories, more carbs, mainly from fruits and veggies) and less fat.
YES you may gain a little fat, but this is highly unlikely in 7-14 days, you will most likely gain some weight but mostly from enhanced glycogen storage and water retention.
After 6 months of hard dieting and super high activity levels you may even need more than a 14 days break. You might have caused some metabolic damage that will take some time to recover from.
I understand that stopping the diet will be psychologically hard because of the fear of weight gain. But trust me… if you don’t do this, you will not lose anymore fat regardless of what you do and you will be doomed to eating and training like this simply to maintain your current physique.[/quote]
CT
Thanks again for your time. I have a few more quick questions.
Would the addition of some whole grains, potatoes, and wild rice be enough or do I need to add breads as well? I still want to lose this last bit of fat around my waist, but I also want to take care of my body.
I workout first thing in the morning without eating, is this holding me back? Also, I was taking Surge Workout Fuel until I started my low carb system. My concern were the sugars in Surge. Are these sugars bad first thing in the morning?
And finally, I am lost on what supplements I should be taking for muscle growth. I have been researching Metabolic Drive, Grow!, Creatine and BCAA, do I need all 4 of these?
Thanks
NC
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Oh yeah, you do have to take a dieting break and 2 weeks might not be enough. You may actually need some supplements to restart proper thyroid function and maybe even some adrenal repair.
That’s not even remotely close to being enough in your case. You put yourself in one helluva hole and you will have to:
-
Accept that you will need to take a step back (gain some fat because of the higher but needed food intake) and be able to resume your progress in the near future
-
Refuse to take a step back and will never be able to take a step forward and will be doomed to do all that you are doing just to maintain the status quo
[/quote]
Wow, okay. Well I’m ready to do whatever it takes to dig myself out of this hole.
Could you recommend some supplements to restart thyroid function? And for adrenal repair, would you mind going into how I would do that, or recommend an article that might help me out?
I will try 3 weeks of dieting break then, and just over maintenance should be good, correct?
You mentioned in an earlier post, if I understood correctly, that when getting off a keto diet to go no higher than 150g of good carbs (low-GI fruits mainly). Should the entire three weeks be at that level, or if not how high can I go?
And if you don’t mind another question, can I still do LIW during this reset period?
Sorry for all of the questions, I’m just desperate to lose weight and am willing to do whatever it takes to do so. I’ve been going at this for a long time. Thanks for all of your help, I sincerely appreciate it.
Coach:
I read your recent “numbers” article and I had a question about the critical drop off point for strength being at 10%. I was wondering how you arrived at this number.
The reason I ask is because I recall reading from other strength coaches (Charlie Francis and Jay Schroeder come to mind) that they place the critical drop off point a little lower at roughly the 6-7% range.
I am curious if the difference has to do with training for maximal strength versus training for maximal power or whether 10% comes from your experience or (and it is more than possible) I am obsessing about a minor discrepancy between the figures.
Thanks in advance.
Regarding “The Regressive Ketogenic Cycle” diet you wrote ( http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/mondays_with_thibs_the_five_elements_of_program_dominance ) I know it hasn’t been too long but are there any changes you would make? I ask mainly because it is 4 weeks and you seem to recently be talking about no more than 2 weeks for this type of thing.
Also I thought cardio should be only low intensity due to the very low carbs/calories but above you said you can somewhat go “all out”, does this apply with this 4 weeks too?
Finally, what type of weight training is suggested during this time?
Thanks a lot, Coach
CT,
I am not sure if my anatomy is correct in that I only googled it to try and explain my question further, but I feel like exercises such as the lat pull down or pull-up do not hit my lats. Rather, they hit my back where the teres minor/major muscles are located.
It seems like my lat has a lower connection point under the scapular region of my back. I don’t have problems with any other “popular,” if you will, movement to hit other regions of my back.
I would like to specifically find exercises that cater to widening my back.I am not sure what exercises may help in place of the lat exercises I have mentioned and condition I described. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you.
CT,
You’re the man. nuff said.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
heckya911 wrote:
Sir, I am 6’0 feet tall and weigh 215lbs with about 10% body fat. I would like to ramp up muscle growth. i currently keep carbs below 50 grams, 250 grams of protein and 120 grams of fats. Would only including carbs peri and post workout allow muscle growth, because when i really think about it why would I need carbs at any other times. Thank you sir.
You can indeed stimulate muscle growth this way. Heck, my friend Hugo Girard (Canadian Strongman who is 320lbs with 11% body fat) eat a low carbs diet and can gain muscle and strength.
It’s a matter of:
-
Getting in enough building nutrients (shoot for 1.5g of protein per pound)
-
Being in an energetic/caloric surplus. Since you can’t increase carbs too much, if you find yourself not adding size, you might have to increase your fat and protein intake until you are gaining
-
Stimulating the proper hormonal response post-training to get an optimal anabolic response
In that regard a targeted carbs approach is the easiest method of achieving all 3.
Eat a high protein, moderate fat diet most of the day.
Get a small amount of carbs pre and during workout (the ideal would be one serving of SURGE WORKOUT FUEL). Post workout I would suggest 0.25 to 0.5g of carbs per pound of bodyweight, 0.2-0.3g of protein per pound and 15-20g BCAAs.[/quote]
Thank you very much sir!! What would your interpretation of moderate fats be in a situation like this? I know you mentioned that you no longer take any new clients, is there anyone you could reccomend in the Los Angeles area? I’ve looked around, however, cannot really trust anyone. Thanks again sir.
[quote]Patha wrote:
CT,
I am not sure if my anatomy is correct in that I only googled it to try and explain my question further, but I feel like exercises such as the lat pull down or pull-up do not hit my lats. Rather, they hit my back where the teres minor/major muscles are located.
It seems like my lat has a lower connection point under the scapular region of my back. I don’t have problems with any other “popular,” if you will, movement to hit other regions of my back.
I would like to specifically find exercises that cater to widening my back.I am not sure what exercises may help in place of the lat exercises I have mentioned and condition I described. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you.[/quote]
Straight-arms pulldowns, decline cable cross-over, rope lat pulldown, bike rowing.
I wrote about them all so they should come up easily if you do a site search.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
wutan wrote:
CT,
Do you do any direct oblique work? Or is it not advisable as it may lead to growth? If you do, what do you recommend and how often?
Thanks
I PERSONALLY don’t do it. Because of my olympic lifting background my obliques are already overpowering and give my waist a slightly blocky appearance which I do not want to make worse.
However with some clients I will train obliques once a week or so, mostly for trunk stability and rotational strength.[/quote]
Thib,
Are there ever times when you incorporate various types of rotary stability/anti-rotation exercises into your own routine? i.e. things like chops, lifts, an anti-rotation version of full contact twists
In your estimation, has the pendulum swung too far towards the side of stability exercises at the expense of dynamic ab movements? I know that Dr. McGill talks about the spine having a finite number of bending cycles and that you should make judicious use of those, but I’ve often wondered if the complete avoidance (or near complete) of dynamic work for the abs as espoused by some coaches would be a mistake.
And, just curious, but what are your thoughts relative to turning compound movements into anti-rotation movements, such as an unsupported 1-arm DB row or push-ups with one-leg elevated, for example? Can these be used in low volume at the end of a session for the back or chest (in these cases), as standalone movements during an ab-focused session, or would you tend to leave them out entirely in favor of a more stable movement…say a 1-arm DB row using the non-working arm for support and then getting your core/anti-rotation work elsewhere?
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Regarding “The Regressive Ketogenic Cycle” diet you wrote ( http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/mondays_with_thibs_the_five_elements_of_program_dominance ) I know it hasn’t been too long but are there any changes you would make? I ask mainly because it is 4 weeks and you seem to recently be talking about no more than 2 weeks for this type of thing. [/quote]
No no no no… I’m talking about 2-4 weeks fat loss blitz being the longer you can go on a super severe approach. The RKC only has 2 super restrictive weeks as carbs are added back in gradually.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Also I thought cardio should be only low intensity due to the very low carbs/calories but above you said you can somewhat go “all out”, does this apply with this 4 weeks too?[/quote]
4 weeks is the maximum limit for a blitz. Most shouldn’t do it for more than 3 and 2 is safe for all.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Finally, what type of weight training is suggested during this time?
[/quote]
Heavy lifting
[quote]Checkmate wrote:
Coach:
I read your recent “numbers” article and I had a question about the critical drop off point for strength being at 10%. I was wondering how you arrived at this number.
The reason I ask is because I recall reading from other strength coaches (Charlie Francis and Jay Schroeder come to mind) that they place the critical drop off point a little lower at roughly the 6-7% range.
I am curious if the difference has to do with training for maximal strength versus training for maximal power or whether 10% comes from your experience or (and it is more than possible) I am obsessing about a minor discrepancy between the figures.
Thanks in advance.[/quote]
Yes, you are obsessing about a minute detail. The 3% difference is actually not a difference. The 10% is not a precise exact, set in stone number. 7-10% is fine. It’s just that 6% is not really applicable to most strength movements, although it is for speed work and this is where this figure comes from.
[quote]McNulty wrote:
Could you recommend some supplements to restart thyroid function? And for adrenal repair, would you mind going into how I would do that, or recommend an article that might help me out? [/quote]
Thyroid synergy by Poliquin, HOT-ROX Extreme, iodine, selenium, tyrosine all will help restore proper thyroid function.
[quote]McNulty wrote:
I will try 3 weeks of dieting break then, and just over maintenance should be good, correct? [/quote]
It depends on what you mean by ‘‘just above’’. If you mean 250 calories or so, no, far from it.
Listen, eat exactly what you’ve been eating those past 2-3 weeks, but add 150-200g of carbs to that. That should be enough.
[quote]McNulty wrote:
You mentioned in an earlier post, if I understood correctly, that when getting off a keto diet to go no higher than 150g of good carbs (low-GI fruits mainly). Should the entire three weeks be at that level, or if not how high can I go?[/quote]
This isn’t the same situation at all. The post talked about going off a low-carbs diet after a cut is done and how to slowly trnasition to a regular diet without blowing up.
In your situation the goal is not the transition, it’s fixing your body.
[quote]McNulty wrote:
And if you don’t mind another question, can I still do LIW during this reset period?[/quote]
I wouldn’t, it’s a bad idea. You want as little stress on your body as possible to restore proper adrenal function. But you probably will do it anyway because after 5 days on the ‘‘repair’’ diet you will freak out and feel fat. Hopefully you’ll be tough enough to handle it and not screw yourself up even more.
[quote]ncruse wrote:
Would the addition of some whole grains, potatoes, and wild rice be enough or do I need to add breads as well? I still want to lose this last bit of fat around my waist, but I also want to take care of my body. [/quote]
Breads are not and never will be a necessary food to eat in any diet regardless of what the lobby-driven RDA recommendation tells you.
[quote]ncruse wrote:
I workout first thing in the morning without eating, is this holding me back?
[/quote]
Yes it is VERY dumb… steep in dumbbness. This will elevate cortisol way too much and create a catabolic situation which will increase the risk of muscle loss and make fat loss harder both directly and indirectly.
You should at least get in something like 25g of protein (even a powder is fine) with some BCAAs.
[quote]ncruse wrote:
Also, I was taking Surge Workout Fuel until I started my low carb system. My concern were the sugars in Surge. Are these sugars bad first thing in the morning? [/quote]
Sugars are always bad except peri-workout. And frankly, there is only 20g of carbs in Workout Fuel, and these will be burned during your workout. Heck, Bartl and Gus Pacho from the Physique Clinic used Workout fuel and lost a ton of fat.
[quote]ncruse wrote:
And finally, I am lost on what supplements I should be taking for muscle growth. I have been researching Metabolic Drive, Grow!, Creatine and BCAA, do I need all 4 of these?
[/quote]
If you are trying to lose fat and are on a severe diet, forget about gaining a lot of muscle. All you can hope for in this situation is a small amount of growth, but maintenance is what happens in most cases.
Still, Metabolic Drive (low carbs), creatine and BCAAs are all good additions since they will help you preserve your muscle and even gain some.