Christian Thibaudeau - Built for Bad: Strength Circuits

From T-Nation, strength coach Christian Thibaudeau offers up a simple program based on percentages of one-rep-max (1RM) that combines low-rep/heavy weight with enough volume to stimulate muscle growth alongside increases in strength.

This is a five lift, five set, five days a week program - no variety other than reps and percentages of 1RM. But the volume is a bit high for most people, so be sure that you have at least five consistent years of weight training under your belt and some solid nutrition. Recovery is more about proper rest and proper nutrition than it is about supplements.

I did not include the final section of the article - it's little more than an advertorial for Biotest products, which are good products. You can see his supplement protocol at the link below.

Built for Bad: Strength Circuits

by Christian Thibaudeau | T-Nation   
11/20/13

Here's what you need to know . . .

• Coach Thibaudeau is always physically impressive, but he was at his all-time most muscular condition using strength circuits.
• Strength circuits provide the perfect balance of heavy loads, rep volume, and work density to produce the very best gain in strength, size, and leanness.
• The plan consists of 5 sets of 5 big lifts, performed 5 days per week as a circuit, using a progressive-intensity 5/4/3/2/1 rep scheme.

Using this program, I ended up weighing 232 pounds with veins on my abs. At five-foot eight, that's not bad. And it's definitely the biggest and most muscular I've ever been. The gains came so fast and consistently that every week, even every workout, I could feel myself growing and getting stronger.

I attribute a large amount of the gains I made from this program to Plazma.™ There's simply no way on earth that I could ever perform heavy whole-body workouts 5 days a week and recover without it. But beyond recovery, you still have to grow, and Plazma™ delivers gains like nothing I've ever experienced.

The Methods

The most important loading zone for building strength is sets of 1-3 reps using 88-100 percent of your max. The problem is, training in that zone lacks the rep volume required for making optimal size gains — but not by much. To achieve the added effect of maximum muscle growth, without limiting strength gains, simply add two sets of 4-5 reps using 80-82.5 percent of 1RM.

Performing strength circuits using a 5/4/3/2/1 rep scheme — each round decreasing the reps and increasing the weights on all exercises — provide the perfect mix of load, density, and volume for maximizing strength and hypertrophy, as well as shredding up.

With these strength circuits, you're going to finish strong every workout, which will lead to the greatest workout-to-workout progression. Your metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity, and recovery capacities will all be sky-high, while minimizing inflammation. This will put slabs of muscle on you while at the same time allowing you to perform at a high level on a daily basis.

Expect circuit number three (3 reps) to be the hardest. Get tough and power through it, because after that is when the magic happens. The last two sets will actually feel easier, so much so that you'll wonder if you forgot to add weight.

The set of 3 reps is where the activation of the nervous system surpasses the muscle fatigue. During the sets of 3, 2 and 1 there is partial muscle recovery occurring at the same time as neural activation. The result? At the end of the workout you are stronger than when you started.

Always chase performance, not fatigue.

Program Notes

1. This is a 6 week program designed to help you create maximal muscularity: a combination of size, strength and leanness.
2. You will train 5 days per week, Monday through Friday.
3. Each workout consists of 5 full-body strength circuits, using a 5/4/3/2/1 rep schedule, performed with minimal rest between sets and circuits.
4. A circuit consists of 5 exercises where you move through the circuit by performing one set of each exercise.
5. If your workout lasts over 40 to 45 minutes, you aren't trying hard enough.
6. Every week you will add weight to each exercise or die trying.
7. Move to another program after 6 weeks or when you stop progressing, whichever comes first.

The Program

Warm-up: Perform 3 sets of 3 reps on every movement, gradually increasing the weight on each set.

Monday / Wednesday / Friday

A1: Dead-Squat
A2; Bench Press
A3: High Pull
A4: Military Press
A5: Lat Pulldown

Circuit 1: 5 reps x 85%
Circuit 2: 4 reps x 87.5%
Circuit 3: 3 reps x 90%
Circuit 4: 2 reps x 95%
Circuit 5: 1 rep x 100%

• Perform 1 set of each exercise per circuit.
• Rest 30 to 60 seconds between exercises.
• Change weights between circuits in 2 minutes.
• Add 5 lb to exercises each new week.

Tuesday / Thursday

A1: Dead-Squat
A2: Bench Press
A3: High Pull
A4: Military Press
A5: Lat Pulldown

Circuit 1: 5 reps x 80%
Circuit 2: 4 reps x 82.5%
Circuit 3: 3 reps x 85%
Circuit 4: 2 reps x 90%
Circuit 5: 1 rep x 95%

• Perform 1 set of each exercise per circuit.
• Rest 30 to 60 seconds between exercises.
• Change weights between circuits in 2 minutes.
• Add 5 lb to exercises each new week.

The Get Ripped at Home Bodyweight 500

Great bodyweight based exercise circuit - perfect for burning fat and keeping muscle. Just because it's getting to be sweatshirt season does not mean we can stop working at our fitness until spring. This is a quick and brutal workout.

This comes from Craig Ballantine's Turbulence Training aproach.

Renegade Burpee Combo Workout

The Get Ripped At Home Bodyweight 500

Date Posted: October 9, 2013



WORKOUT DESCRIPTION

Perform the following circuit 3 times, resting 1 minute between each circuit. Rest as little as possible otherwise.

1. Push-ups – 40 reps
2. Bodyweight Squats – 40 reps
3. Mountain Climbers – 40 reps
4. Bodyweight Row – 40 reps

Rest for 1 minute. Repeat circuit 2 more times for a total of 3 circuits. After last circuit, rest 1 minute, then do the following bodyweight exercise 1 time.

1. Jumping Jacks – 20 reps

The Do-Anywhere, Zero-Excuse Metabolic Circuit (from Men's Health)

If you are short on time and need to rev up your metabolism and keep your hard-earned muscle from wasting away due to neglect, then this is the workout for you. It requires no equipment and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

There are 5 exercises: push-ups, mountain climbers, crunches, jumping jacks, and body weight squats. To add intensity you can place your hands behind your neck or add a jump to the squats, or add a clap to the push-ups, and so on. The goal is 50 reps for each exercise performed in order. You can break it down, for example, 20 push-ups, 20 mtn climbers, etc.

TheBodyFatBroiler

This is the ultimate do-anywhere, zero-excuse metabolic circuit

By Jill Yaworski

HOW TO DO IT

Perform 50 reps of each exercise in any order as quickly as you can without rest. You don't have to do all 50 reps in a row—you might do 20 pushups, move on to jumping jacks, do another 15 pushups, and so on. Once you complete the circuit, rest 1 to 2 minutes and repeat. Do up to 3 circuits total, starting with a different move each time.

Trainer: David Jack, performance coach and owner of Actv8 Phoenix
Time: 18 minutes
Equipment: None
Target: Total body
Calories burned: 248*
Best for: Fitting in a quick, metabolism-revving workout when you're on the road, pressed for time, or don't have access to fitness equipment or a gym

*As measured by a fit 5'11" 175-pound man using a Polar FT7 watch

PUSHUP

Drop down on all fours and place your hands on the floor so they're straight and slightly beyond shoulder width. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, and then push yourself back up as quickly as you can.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

Assume a pushup position with your arms straight. Lift your right foot off the floor and bring your knee as close to your chest as you can, touching the floor with your toes. Repeat with your left leg. Continue alternating back and forth.

CRUNCH

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips behind your ears. Now raise only your head and shoulders as you crunch your rib cage toward your pelvis. Return to the starting position and repeat quickly.

JUMPING JACK

Stand with your feet together and hands at your sides. Now simultaneously swing your arms above your head and jump just high enough to spread your feet wide. Without pausing, quickly reverse the movement and repeat.

BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT

Hold your arms straight out in front of you and stand as tall as you can with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Drive back up to the starting position and quickly repeat.

Craig Ballantyne - Why Cardio Sucks: Part 513

It's summer, which means time by the pool, the beach, or a lake . . . any place with cool water. If you want to feel comfortable taking your shirt off in front of other people, it's also time to get a little more lean and fit. Besides, good fitness is the gift that keeps giving - better immune system, longer life, better sex life, and a whole lot more.

From Craig Ballantyne, at his Turbulence Training site, offers this excellent rejection of cardio and offers an excellent DB circuit that will make your heart pound and build strength and muscle.

Why Cardio Sucks: Part 513

BY CBATHLETICS ON MAY 31, 2013

I think this headline from the Wall Street Journal says it all…

Cardio is over-rated.

And not only is too much of it probably dangerous for your heart, but cardio really doesn’t work for fat loss. Plus, it takes up too much time.

So what’s better?

Many forms of interval and metabolic training. The June 2013 issue of Men’s Health magazine reported that doing just three sessions of intervals was as good for increasing cardiovascular fitness as doing five long, boring cardio workouts.

But what if you find interval training boring?

Well, never fear, because Turbulence Training is here to save the day!

Try this three exercise circuit from Kate Vidulich, Certified Turbulence Trainer. It’ll help you get lean AND healthy. Check our her guest article…

STOP doing these workouts (do this instead)

By Kate Vidulich, CTT, New York City’s top metabolic personal trainer for advanced fat loss results Scientific research has exposed the dangers of excessive cardio, again.

In 2012, research published in the British journal “Heart” stated:

Running 20-25 miles or more per week eliminates the benefit of the exercise as you grow older and causes excessive wear and tear on the heart.

Wow. Could it be any more obvious?

In fact, even Dr Kenneth Cooper agrees. The father of ‘aerobics’ has said, “If you are running more than 15 miles a week, you are doing it for some reason other than health.”

Please stop doing this immediately for your safety.

The truth about cardio is this:

1. You can get more effective fat burning workout in less time
2. Spending less time exercising means less wear and tear on your heart, joints and muscles
3. You can free up a TON of time, at least 200-250 minutes/week (if you’re running a 10 minute mile), and do more important things

But listen, with the right exercises, you can do amazing fat burning workouts to boost your metabolism while protecting your heart.

Fat Loss Accelerators are the perfect metabolic conditioning complexes to add to your program and replace harmful cardio or even traditional interval training.

All you need is a pair of dumbbells.

Choose a weight you can lift overhead for 10-12 reps. I recommend 20-25lb dumbbells for fit guys and 10-15lb for fit women. Start conservatively. You can always go heavier in the next set.

Do each exercise in order with no rest, and without putting the weight down. Aim for a fast, controlled pace with a smooth transition between exercises.

At the end of the circuit, rest for 90 seconds. Repeat for 4-5 rounds:

A) DB Thruster x 8
B) DB Bent over rows x 8
C) DB Alternating reverse lunges x 8

Here are some tips when doing DB thrusters:

(i) Hold the dumbbells in front of your shoulders, with elbows bent.
(ii) Take 2 seconds to lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
(iii) Push back up, press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight.
(iv) Lower the dumbbells shoulder height as you immediately descend into the squat for the next rep.

And a quick note on DB bent over rows: Keep your torso parallel to the floor and abdominal muscles engaged. Think to hinge at your hips, tuck your elbows in when you row and never EVER let your back round. If you get fatigued and your form gets sloppy, take a timeout. Always stay safe!

* * *

Get more of Kate’s metabolic conditioning workouts here

Kate will be speaking at our 3rd Turbulence Training Summit in San Diego later this month (it’s SOLD OUT, sorry!).

If you can’t train with her in NYC or San Diego, don’t worry. Just go to her web page at the below link and find out more about her Fat Loss

Accelerators. These workouts are TT-approved and she’s one of our top up-and-coming Certified Turbulence Trainers!

Use Kate’s Fat Loss Accelerators to replace intervals and cardio

Kick cardio to the curb for faster results,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

John Paul Catanzaro - The New Old-School Circuit Training

This is a great article on making circuit training more effective by John Paul Catanzaro, from the always interesting T-Nation website. Catanzaro has just released his new book The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional. The book features 55 programs, dozens of training methods and cutting-edge techniques, and over 100 exercise illustrations. Pick up your copy today at TheEliteTrainer.com.

Summer is here (at least it is in Arizona), so this is the time of year to be a little more lean and go swimming to beat the heat. Why not look as fit as you can? This kind of arse-kicking circuit work will get you very lean . . . but only if you eat well, too.

The New Old-School Circuit Training

by John Paul Catanzaro – 5/07/2012

 

I love books written by the iron-game pioneers. For every newly-released book I read, I read at least one or two that are decades old. It's fascinating to discover where many of today's training concepts originated and reaffirm that there truly is nothing new under the sun.

As an example, consider the apparently novel one-day arm routines that you see periodically in muscle magazines. Iron legend Harry Barton Paschall wrote about this "unique form of rest-pause training" that was practiced by Peary Rader, the founder of Iron Man magazine, ages ago. It's not a new method by any means.

Paschall exposed many of these original concepts. A professional cartoonist by trade, he served as a longtime contributor to Bob Hoffman's Strength and Health magazine and authored several classic training books.

Case in point, Paschall's first book, Muscle Moulding, was published in 1950 and is considered one of the best bodybuilding books ever written. In fact, this book inspired one of the most effective training programs that I've ever designed.

Below is the first weight-gaining routine from that book, and the one that stimulated some creative thinking on my part. See if it has the same effect on you:

1. Seated curl: 10 reps
2. Seated press: 10 reps
3. Squat: 20 reps
4. Bent-arm pullover: 15 reps
5. Squat: 20 reps
6. Bench press: 10 reps
7. Squat: 20 reps
8. Straight-arm pullover: 15 reps

Notice the frequency and sequencing of squats – they appear three times in the workout, while every other exercise appears only once or twice. There's good reason for that. Besides the deadlift, no other "non-Olympic" weight lifting movement stimulates as much muscle mass as the squat, and no other movement gives you as much in return for your training effort.

This is why old time bodybuilders like three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva said squats made the whole body grow. "If you want big arms, start squatting," was a favorite Oliva quote, and when "The Myth" talked about big arms, people listened.

The emphasis on squats wasn't just for building size. "You're only as strong as your legs," was Paschall's motto, who also felt that "Most people do not give their legs enough work to do."

Performing multiple sets of squats will give your legs plenty of attention, but certainly performance will suffer if each set is taken to the limit, especially if straight sets are conducted.

But what if you sequenced squats after an upper body movement, or better yet after two upper body movements, in a circuit fashion similar to the weight-gaining routine above? In theory, that should help improve recovery and performance – and I can tell you from experience that it works!

The New Old-School Circuit

Most people associate circuit training with muscular endurance and fat loss, but it can also be a powerful hypertrophy protocol if performed correctly. And with the size comes some serious strength.

All right, let's get to it. Here are some effective programs that use the concepts discussed above. Pick the program that suits your training level and give it an honest shot. I think you'll be quite impressed with the results.

Beginners

This is a three-program beginner progression. Each program lasts four weeks and workouts are conducted three times a week on nonconsecutive days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

Go read the whole article for his workout programs - designed for beginners and also for intermediate/advanced lifters.

John Paul Catanzaro - The New Old-School Circuit Training

Circuit training, if done correctly, can build muscle, increase strength, and reduce body fat - but most people don't do it correctly. In this article from T-Nation, John Paul Catanzaro offers up some modern variations on "old school" circuit training that will definitely get you fit and lean (if that is your goal).

Catanzaro has just released his new book The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional. The book features 55 programs, dozens of training methods and cutting-edge techniques, and over 100 exercise illustrations. Pick up your copy today at TheEliteTrainer.com.

The New Old-School Circuit Training

by John Paul Catanzaro – 5/07/2012

 

I love books written by the iron-game pioneers. For every newly-released book I read, I read at least one or two that are decades old. It's fascinating to discover where many of today's training concepts originated and reaffirm that there truly is nothing new under the sun.

As an example, consider the apparently novel one-day arm routines that you see periodically in muscle magazines. Iron legend Harry Barton Paschall wrote about this "unique form of rest-pause training" that was practiced by Peary Rader, the founder of Iron Man magazine, ages ago. It's not a new method by any means.

Paschall exposed many of these original concepts. A professional cartoonist by trade, he served as a longtime contributor to Bob Hoffman's Strength and Health magazine and authored several classic training books.

Case in point, Paschall's first book, Muscle Moulding, was published in 1950 and is considered one of the best bodybuilding books ever written. In fact, this book inspired one of the most effective training programs that I've ever designed.

Below is the first weight-gaining routine from that book, and the one that stimulated some creative thinking on my part. See if it has the same effect on you:

1. Seated curl: 10 reps
2. Seated press: 10 reps
3. Squat: 20 reps
4. Bent-arm pullover: 15 reps
5. Squat: 20 reps
6. Bench press: 10 reps
7. Squat: 20 reps
8. Straight-arm pullover: 15 reps

Notice the frequency and sequencing of squats – they appear three times in the workout, while every other exercise appears only once or twice. There's good reason for that. Besides the deadlift, no other "non-Olympic" weight lifting movement stimulates as much muscle mass as the squat, and no other movement gives you as much in return for your training effort.

This is why old time bodybuilders like three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva said squats made the whole body grow. "If you want big arms, start squatting," was a favorite Oliva quote, and when "The Myth" talked about big arms, people listened.

The emphasis on squats wasn't just for building size. "You're only as strong as your legs," was Paschall's motto, who also felt that "Most people do not give their legs enough work to do."

Performing multiple sets of squats will give your legs plenty of attention, but certainly performance will suffer if each set is taken to the limit, especially if straight sets are conducted.

But what if you sequenced squats after an upper body movement, or better yet after two upper body movements, in a circuit fashion similar to the weight-gaining routine above? In theory, that should help improve recovery and performance – and I can tell you from experience that it works!

The New Old-School Circuit

Most people associate circuit training with muscular endurance and fat loss, but it can also be a powerful hypertrophy protocol if performed correctly. And with the size comes some serious strength.

All right, let's get to it. Here are some effective programs that use the concepts discussed above. Pick the program that suits your training level and give it an honest shot. I think you'll be quite impressed with the results.

Go read the article - there are variations for beginners through advanced trainees.