hi coach,
do you have or know of any 2 day splits i could follow for the next 6 weeks? i have a new contract at work which will not allow me any more time than that. i looked at alot of your routines and think they are great.
cheers
Hey Chad, I always look forward to reading your new stuff! keep em coming 
I just wanted to get your professional opinion. The next 5 weeks I have my final school exams (im from Australia). I’m not the kind of person to get overly stressed but i usually get sleep deprived some nights. Is following a heavy, 5x5 style routine three times a week with three cardio sessions overkill? I want to drop a few lbs for the start of summer but i dont want to affect my exam performance due to fatigue
Otherwise can you recomend a program i could do during the high-stress period?
CW, what do you think of using chains in training big compound lifts? Hows you experience been with them or other accomodating resistance methods?
How high do you rate the overhead squat in regards overall hypertrophy?
What are some of the first symptoms you take notice of when assessing whether overtraining or excess fatigue accumulation (neural or peripheral) is occuring?
Thanks in advance coach!
Amir
Hey Chad,
Question on wide-grip pull-ups (pronated grip) - I start doing weighted pull-ups as wide as I can, and gradually move my grip inward as the sets become more difficult. I have never had shoulders issues, but have heard some mention that using too wide a grip can strain the shoulder/rotator cuff(?) area. Any thoughts?
thanks
Hey Chad,
I am just coming off of an injury to my left knee that left me unable to do any kind of training for my legs for the past 6 months. Throughout this time, I have continued to train my upper body, but, as you can imagine, my legs are pretty out of shape.
I was wondering what would be the best way to continue the progression for my upper body while being able to work my legs back into shape, as I can only guess that I would be expecting too much of my muscle recovery if I were to jump right back into training my legs 3x a week. Could you give me any tips, or perhaps just point me in the direction of the right most beneficial program for my situation?
Thanks for any help!
G’day Chad,
I asked this question on PT last week but I think it must have been posted too late for you to get it.
My brother has just finished playing rugby for the year and wants to go on a general size and strength program to regain the muscel he has lost through playing, as he wasn’t going to the gym in the later half of the season.
He hasn’t decided if he is going to play again next year, but we have until about January before worrying too much about sport specific training.
He is no stranger to the gym having worked out for a few years, although I will have to teach him a few exercises that he hasn’t done before.
What would you recommend as a program progression for him to start on? Should he do the usual ABBH1 and 2 etc progression that is mentioned all the time in your articles, or would you suggest something else?
He is also an avid surfer and tries to surf 7 days/week as he lives about 100m from the beach. Would this adversely affect the training or should he cut back at all?
Thanks for your help,
Ben
[quote]jackdaniels wrote:
Is adding resistance bands to TBT a good idea or would it create too much fatigue?
[/quote]
During TBT, I suggest you limit band work to the specific body parts that need the most work (no more than two, however).
[quote]kaleel86 wrote:
hi coach,
do you have or know of any 2 day splits i could follow for the next 6 weeks? i have a new contract at work which will not allow me any more time than that. i looked at alot of your routines and think they are great.
cheers[/quote]
Are you referring to any routine that consists of 2 sessions per week? If so, my Next Big 3 program fits the bill. Or, you could follow any of my 3 day/week programs and merely increase the rest days between workouts.
[quote]ando88 wrote:
Hey Chad, I always look forward to reading your new stuff! keep em coming
I just wanted to get your professional opinion. The next 5 weeks I have my final school exams (im from Australia). I’m not the kind of person to get overly stressed but i usually get sleep deprived some nights. Is following a heavy, 5x5 style routine three times a week with three cardio sessions overkill? I want to drop a few lbs for the start of summer but i dont want to affect my exam performance due to fatigue
Otherwise can you recomend a program i could do during the high-stress period?[/quote]
Stick to my Next Big 3 program during stressful/dieting periods.
[quote]AMIRisSQUAT wrote:
CW, what do you think of using chains in training big compound lifts? Hows you experience been with them or other accomodating resistance methods?
How high do you rate the overhead squat in regards overall hypertrophy?
What are some of the first symptoms you take notice of when assessing whether overtraining or excess fatigue accumulation (neural or peripheral) is occuring?
Thanks in advance coach!
Amir[/quote]
Chains are an effective tool. But limit their use to a few weeks at a time, or to 1-2 exercises/week that you seek to improve most.
Resistance bands are more stressful on the joints, compared to chains.
OH squats are good for quad hypertrophy. But they’re better for postural issues.
Motivation is the first quality I assess. If the trainee is losing motivation, he/she probably needs a little more rest.
[quote]Pats Fan wrote:
Hey Chad,
Question on wide-grip pull-ups (pronated grip) - I start doing weighted pull-ups as wide as I can, and gradually move my grip inward as the sets become more difficult. I have never had shoulders issues, but have heard some mention that using too wide a grip can strain the shoulder/rotator cuff(?) area. Any thoughts?
thanks[/quote]
I’ve found no correlation between wide grip pull-ups (or pulldowns) and rotator cuff problems. I like the exercise.
[quote]galsia wrote:
Hey Chad,
I am just coming off of an injury to my left knee that left me unable to do any kind of training for my legs for the past 6 months. Throughout this time, I have continued to train my upper body, but, as you can imagine, my legs are pretty out of shape.
I was wondering what would be the best way to continue the progression for my upper body while being able to work my legs back into shape, as I can only guess that I would be expecting too much of my muscle recovery if I were to jump right back into training my legs 3x a week. Could you give me any tips, or perhaps just point me in the direction of the right most beneficial program for my situation?
Thanks for any help![/quote]
Start training your legs 2x/week with the lower end of the parameters given in the Set/Rep Bible. After 4 weeks, add a third workout for the legs - if you feel it’s necessary.
[quote]bg100 wrote:
G’day Chad,
I asked this question on PT last week but I think it must have been posted too late for you to get it.
My brother has just finished playing rugby for the year and wants to go on a general size and strength program to regain the muscel he has lost through playing, as he wasn’t going to the gym in the later half of the season.
He hasn’t decided if he is going to play again next year, but we have until about January before worrying too much about sport specific training.
He is no stranger to the gym having worked out for a few years, although I will have to teach him a few exercises that he hasn’t done before.
What would you recommend as a program progression for him to start on? Should he do the usual ABBH1 and 2 etc progression that is mentioned all the time in your articles, or would you suggest something else?
He is also an avid surfer and tries to surf 7 days/week as he lives about 100m from the beach. Would this adversely affect the training or should he cut back at all?
Thanks for your help,
Ben [/quote]
ABBH
TBT
WM
AofW
That’ll work.
Coach Waterbury,
First of all, I would like to thank you for all this great information I have learned from you here at T-Nation.
I have had a lot of progress on your programs, so lot in fact that my friend came to me for advice.
The situation is this: He is in the Police Academy and they have this physical test coming up mid December. The test is a time circuit. First they pull a log in a rope and drag it back (I do not know the distance) then they run ? mile. They have to do this three times, but before the time starts the have to bench press 110 lbs. Every rep above 26 cut 3 secs of the total time.
My friend is 6 feet and around 180 lbs. He has strong legs and can currently do 30 reps with the 110 lbs. He has never seriously lifted weights, but he has been an active soccer player for years.
In the Police Academy they do train three times per week, but this is mostly running and self defence classes.
How do you recommend that he trains for this test? His main concern is to add as many reps as possible on his 110 lbs bench press. I am sure we can find at least 5 reps just by correcting his technique. Since he is a beginner (all though in good shape) I have been thinking about ABBH, but I am not sure.
Chad,
We are just finishing up Art of Waterbury, so Far this is our favorite followed by the Waterbury Method.
After reading your set/rep bible I think we would do ok to keep these same parameters and just change up the exercises. Do you agree? Also do you feel there is a benefit in doing all 10x3 on a day and 4x6 the next as opposed to doing 10x3 for one body part and 4x6 for the rest of the workout, like Waterbury method?
yes chad, i meant 2 days a week, is there anything i could follow as of now, or have u only got 1 to be issued?
cheers coach, appreciate the help
[quote]Chad Waterbury wrote:
leon79 wrote:
Chad,
Do you believe it is necessary to follow a specific fat-loss routine while on a hypocaloric diet, or is any sound strength program good enough so long as the volume is kept in check? Also, whatever routine one uses, is it detrimental to simply repeat that routine month after month, just changing the exercises or set/rep schemes, or should one still switch focus from program to program?
Thanks for your help.
Well, guess what, I just finished an article on this exact subject.
It’s detrimental to continuously repeat any routine for months at a time - regardless of the goal.
[/quote]
What about the standard template used by the lifters at Westside Barbell? That doesn’t seem to change very much over time.
The reason I’m asking is because I’m thinking of doing your TBT three times a week when I get busy with school and work.
I intend to change the exercises every two weeks, along with the order in which they’re performed. The program would be as follows:
Mon (10-12 reps)
Squats 4 sets
Deadlift 4 sets
Power Clean from hang 4 sets
Pullups 4 sets
Incline DB press 3 sets
Wed (6-8 reps)
Fri (3-5 reps)
I understand that the body will adapt if the same parameters are used, but I would be switching the exercises on a regular basis. Is this not a good idea?
Any suggestions on improving it?
Hi Chad,
I just read the post about the police academy and I am in almost the same predicament but my tests are max pushups, max situps in one minute, and a 1.5 mile run. They have guidelines they’d like you to beat and I am close on the pushups and situps and can easily beat the run time. I’d like to know how to maximize my gains on the pushups and situps. Our standard workout is running for a few minutes, then two minutes of pushups, two minutes of abs, more running or a variation, bear crawls, crab walks, more of any of the above, various bodyweight squats or squat thrusts. This is usually done nonstop for about 30-35 minutes. These workouts have also interfered with my lifting of course (or is it the other way around). I’d love to be able to do both but my shoulders will get very sore as will my hips. The academy workouts are anywhere from 1-4 days a week. any suggestions to help with the pushups and situps are greatly appreciated, as is any recommendations on a happy medium with the academy workouts and lifting on my own.
A second question: I love 10x3. I thought I had read somewhere about doing multiple sets of singles or doubles. Is there any benefit of possibly doing 10-14 sets of singles or 5-7 sets of doubles with approx. 90% if someone is looking just for strength over using 10x3?
Once again thanks for all you do
blake
Hey Chad. I’m currently working through the neanderthal no more program (Cressey and Mike) to improve scapular depression/retraction (AC joint seperation in January that I’m still having issues with) and develop some solid posterior chain strength.
After I finish that program and if needed additional shoulder support work, I plan on aiming for putting on some size and picking up some strength this winter. (Strength is a big big priority). Front Squats and pretty much anything that involves cross chest adduction cause a problem for ac joint.
Which one of your programs (or a series of a couple) published here do you think would best fit my goals (ABBH, TBT, etc…)? Training experience: 1.5 years of stupid training before hurting the shoulder. My current max lifts Deep high bar squat (almost ATG) 250, Bench (haven’t flat benched in a while because of the shoulder) Decline bench 205 during NNM part 1. Deadlift I have no idea as I haven’t trained with anywhere near a max for those.
Chad
I have a question regarding all of the programs that you have contributed to our community via this web-site and forgive me if this is a stupid question or if I come off the wrong way by asking it??do you ever encounter anyone who feels as if they are not doing enough with the programs?
I personally have been training since I was eleven (I?m 29 now) and of course I still follow the old school type of split and this shit has been engraved in my head after all of these years.
I currently do a five day two off deal working one body part a day (Mon ? Chest, calves?Tue ? Back, abs?.Wed ? shoulders, Thu ? Arms, Fri ? Legs, Sat & Sun ? off). I know this is an old, outdated, probably stupid approach.
I guess I am trying to work past the psychology of not lifting iron every day during the work week (M-F) and reducing the amount of movements performed as well as multiple bodyparts in a single session.
Are there any suggestions to ween myself off of the old and get in with the new? Do you propose a totally different approach? I have been back for about a month after a long layoff, making good progress but I am increasingly interested as of late to make a change. If you need further info or anything please let me know. I gain fairly easy (ok really easy…I take 3-4 months off and I still walk in the gym and bench 315 for 8-10 and behind the neck press 245 for 6)
Any help is appreciated
Raige