T Nation

Triple Total Training and Westside for SB

Bodybuilding
#1

Hi, I’ve got a couple of questions on CW’s TTT and Joe Defranco’s Westside for Skinny Bastards.

TTT

  1. Should the reverse lunges on day 2 of TT be done:

(a) alternating left and right legs with every rep; or

(b) doing 24 reps for one leg before switching to the other

2.Are DB side raises on day 2 similar to lateral raises and if so, would cable lateral raises be a good substitute?

WSB

What should the rest periods for:

  1. ME lifts

  2. Supplemental lifts of between 6-10 reps

  3. Supplemental lifts of between 10-15 reps

be like?

Thanks!

#2

Although, I am not CW, I did begin the TTT. Let me first say that my legs have been screaming bloody murder all 2 weeks I have been doing this. I have been upping the weights each time and quite frankly am sick of walking like a geriatric bastard for the 2 days after. I have to admit, the endurance work out has me sweating like a hooker in church. CW you sick bastard…you punish…

Anyways down to the questions. I take the reverse lunges as alternating just as you are to alternate the standing shoulder presses. I think that if you were to do 24 reps on one leg at a time you might just fall over from lactic acid build up. These are painful! Especially when your legs are hurting. The light cardio does help alot though.

So to answer your question, I would have to say do each alternating.

As for the shoulder exercise…why not keep the raises? Why substitute. I am assuming if you can do lunges you can also use dumbells for the raises…? Just wondering why you’d want to substitute for this exercise.

I don’t understand why CW suggests doing decline bench, but I do the program as is. He wouldn’t write a program without thinking about the exercise choices…there must be a specific idea in mind. He might be giving and easier exercise superset with a hard one so that the program is doable. Although…squats and pull ups is no easy combo…especially when going for strength…bah!

Just my two cents on the program.

BTW…for anyone reading this thread, this is an insanely fun program to do. I especially like the last day of training when you do alot of bodyweight stuff. Its fun to jump from boxes! Also to push up from the ground…and even though it looks easy to do…you’ll sweat and the next day will be pretty soar. This is my first time trying conjugate and I have to say, its very fun and keeps things interesting. Each day you go into the gym its like starting a new program…that is one of the best things.

Hope that answers your questions…

T

#3

TOTrev,

Hey dude, thanks for the feedback - I’m glad you like the program.

As for the decline bench presses, I chose them for three reasons:

  1. They’re easier on the shoulders than traditional bench presses.

  2. They effectively manipulate your upper body so the line of resistance is directly in line with the major fiber arrangement of the pectorals.

  3. They’re a nice variation from traditional bench presses.

#4

thy,

  1. The correct answer is “a”

  2. Yes, they are the same as lateral raises; yes, you can substitute cable lateral raises. In fact, I prefer cable lateral raises, but many trainees don’t have access to a low pulley.

#5

I just got done with WSSB and i found it to be a good program,and i gained alot of strength from it (20 lbs on my 1RM pullup and 20 lbs on my 3RM snatch grip deadlift) i kept it simple and used 3 minutes between different exercises and 2 min between sets of the same exerciese, except on the repetition upper body day where i used 60 seconds as joe defranco says to do

hope it helps

TT

#6

Guys,

Thanks for quick the responses.

TOTrev,

I’m not too partial to lateral raises of any kind and generally avoid them in the interests of training economy. However, I prefer cable lateral raises if and when I do them.

Chad,

Speaking of the decline bench presses, what would be a good substitute as my gym doesn’t have a decline bench press. In fact, gyms here in sunny Malaysia generally don’t have decline bench presses (even the international chains like Golds and Fitness First).

I’m looking forward to starting my first cycle of TTT next week.

Timmy,

I have actually been resting:

(a) between 2-3 mins for the ME exercises

(b) 60 s for the 6-10 rep supplemental lifts; and

© 90s for the 10-15 supplemental lifts.

I’m in my last week of WSB now before going on to TTT and was just wondering if I’ve been observing the proper protocols in preparation for my next cycle of WSB.

#7

thy,

You don’t need an actual decline bench. All you have to do is prop up the front end (where your feet are) of a flat bench with two 25 or 45 lb plates. This will initiate enough of a “decline” effect to reap the benefits.

#8

Chad,

Thanks a bunch.

Btw, what difference would it make if one were to do the decline benches (or DB benches in general) with a semi-supinated as opposed to a pronated grip. It’s just something I’ve been wondering about for awhile.

#9

I believe Joe DeFranco said in the guest forum he hosted that you could rest whatever was comfortable to you, the max effort exercises i usually just rest enough to catch my breath in warm up sets and as it gets harder i rest longer, and i found that the supplemental lifts were much more taxing than the max effort movement really (split squats are killer!!!) so i used 2 minutes, but if what you have been doing has been working and if ur getting PR’s every week than keep on truckin’

hope it helps

TT

#10

thy,

A semi-supinated grip allows you to keep your elbows closer to your sides. This minimizes shoulder stress, but in turn, it reduces the hypertrophy effect to the pectorals. But the SS grip is a good variation.