Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Weekly Q & A

First one of the year!!!

Leave a question and a name friends......

20 comments:

  1. Hi Paul,

    My question is easy. You are training Squats and Deadlifts on alternate weeks. Same as Eric Lillibridge. However, I consider you both advance lifters with quite big numbers so you are taxing your CNS quite a bit in every session. My raw SQ and DL are 463lbs and 530lbs at 220lbs. Would this type of training benefit me or do I need more stimulus due to my lower numbers?
    Thanks

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  2. Paul,

    Looking for a good A/B split.

    Any suggestions?

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  3. Javier - I don't believe in the CNS thing, like burnout or whatever. I've written about this before.

    But regardless, your numbers aren't bad for 220. I would try it out to see how you feel. I generally feel more fresh this way and feel good overall. I do throw in some light squats/deads fairly often so you can try that as well in case you are worried about technique.

    So something like -

    week 1 - squat @ 60% x 5 / deadlift heavy
    week 2 - squat heavy / pull @ 60% x 5

    Lemme know how it goes if you switch.

    Ace -

    I wrote about my transition from DoggCrapp into powerlifting with that same split just a week or so ago and it's not quite A/B but it's close. I like it a little better than a pure A/B split.

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  4. But let me add for kicks and grins Ace.....

    Day 1 -
    Squats
    Deads
    Chins

    Day 2 -
    Bench
    Overhead
    Dips

    That covers about everything.

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  5. why dont you like the westside template

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  6. Because for the raw lifter it doesn't make much sense. IMO not very much in that whole template makes much sense and it's quite stupid, but to each his own.

    I also think the whole internet message board full of WSB fanboys is fairly funny.

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  7. I like that A/B split you mentioned in the transition from DC to powerlifting, heck I like the one you mentioned above as well...I have to intentions to ever compete in powerlifting or bodybuilding but I do enjoy trying to get thicker and stronger...I am going to give that a/b split a shot..thanks for the tip

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  8. I am constantly getting sick. And every time I do it takes me a good 2-3 weeks to get back to the working weights I was using before I got sick.

    Any advice for staying healthy? I already eat fairly clean, take my vitamins and do my best to get enough sleep but I still manage to catch something approximately every 3-4 months.

    Matt

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  9. If it's sinus related go see a good ENT. I had to have sinus surgery back in 2000 and that stopped a lot of my problems.

    If it's just common cold stuff, be more cognitive of washing your hands. Doesn't sound like much, but I use Germ-X hand sanitizer and wash my hands more than ever now, and I RARELY get sick. Remember that most germs are spread hand to eye/mouth. Pick up some hand sanitizer and don't touch bathroom door handles. Always use the paper to open it up. Seems simple but it made a big difference for me.

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  10. Paul,

    Love the A/B split idea. What kinds of ideas would you have for progressing in those lifts?

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  11. For progression you need to figure out what you want to hit, and what kind of time line you are going to give yourself.

    So if you want to add 50 pounds to your squat and you are an advanced guy, your timeline is going to be a lot longer than a novice. It might be a year for the novice, but it could be 3 years or longer for the advanced guy.

    Either way, progression to me is really all about having a plan. And a play = time + goal. That's really what progression is.

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  12. For the star rating system, is there a bodyweight range for that? Or is strong strong no matter your weight?

    Matt S.

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  13. For the guy who posted about an A/B split: Here is a two day a week routine I have used for size and strength...

    Workout 1.

    Squats
    BB or DB Row
    Bench
    Incline Bench
    Bicep Curl

    Workout 2.

    Deadlifts
    Pullups
    Dips
    OH Press
    Tricep Isolation

    Progression wise I always work up to a top set then do 3 back off sets at 90% of my top set. I cycle the top set (8,6,4,2). Normally workout MOnday and Friday and condition hard on wednesday. As a teacher and coach this has worked great for me.

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  14. Paul,

    Any thoughts about Hypertrophy Specific training? I have heard a lot about it for both size and strength.

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  15. I used it many years ago however I did not care for it.

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  16. Paul,

    Do you feel that you train using an abbreviated style of training?

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  17. yeah I would say that I do train in what I call a low volume/abbreviated style. I'm not a HIT guy but I do like training 2-3 times a week lifting generally limiting myself to the big movements with usually 1 top set and 1-2 back off sets. That's kind of been my staple for a long time now.

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  18. Paul,

    Do you use any foam rolling or in band stretching in your mobility work? If so any recommendations for bands and/or foam rollers?

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  19. Yes I do. I normally stretch after all of my lifting and I use a PVC pipe for the rolling. If you don't want to go that route just pick up a normal foam roller from Target. Then when you aren't hurting anymore pick up the PVC pipe.

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