Oh yeah, I also use hyper gravity training so it’s quite evident that I’m completely out of my mind and that the almighty dollar is now my sole reason for living 
christian, do isometrics help with power and explosive strenth development, or simply max strength?
David, I do not really wish to start a fight, but understand my motivation …
It’s true that recently I’ve written more articles with the bodybuilder in mind. Hey, I even did my own physical transformation so that I could be more marketable, I’m not hiding that fact!
And do you know why I’m doing this? For the same reason that Poliquin did it: for the money … WAIT don’t call me a sellout just yet!
I’m not doing it for the money itself, I don’t care about that stuff. However having more money allows me to be a better strength coach. How?
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By allowing me to buy new training equipment for my athletes. For example, over the past 2 months I bought over 12 000USD worth of training equipment. This includes among other things: 2 eleiko training sets, a tendo fitrodyne unit (which can measure bar velocity, acceleration and power during a rep), weight releasers, 3 complete sets of elastic bands (a set comprising 2 strong bands, 2 average, 2 pink and 2 mini bands), a dragging sled, 2 weight vests, a neck harness, a compex EMS sport unit, an extra set of York training bumper plates and some other stuff. This way I can offer a much better service to my athletes.
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By allowing me to avoid charging some athletes who don’t have money to pay me. If I make money from T-mag and my book/seminars I don’t have to worry about cash flow. So if an athlete doesn’t have any money to pay me for training (which is often the case with young athletes who need supervision the most) we can work something out. I’m currently training over 160 athletes and only 30-40 are paying clients. So yeah, you could call me a sellout if you knew how much T-mag pays me, but that’s only half the story. Nowhere is it written how much I spend each year for the good of my athletes.
So you can think that I’m a sellout because I write a lot of stuff for the average Joe. But again, that’s only half the story. Understand that training athletes is what I do and what I love. Writing for bodybuilders allow me to have more liberty with my athletes.
Thanks for posting Chris - that outburst makes up for your absence here over the last few months!
I agree with Chris, if it works use it. I like to experiment a lot myself. I do a lot of strange things myself 
Did I touch a nerve?
David,
I have worked a bit with both Charles Poliquin and Ian King. They both KNOW what they are talking about. What´s wrong with making money? Chris T. is now starting to make money. Good for him. I hope to learn how to do this as well. The strength training business IS a business.
I am currently reading `Rich Dad Poor Dad´ by Robert Kiyosaki with Sharon Lechter. Why? Money. We ALL use and need it.
I quote from Kiyosaki:
When I ask the classes I teach, ‘‘How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?’’ almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, ‘‘So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?’’
The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is because they focus on building a better hamburger and know little to nothing about business systems. endquote.
I personally hate McDonald’s, probably because they are so successful, even here in Europe where there is a `dining culture´. But that´s another story. What can I learn?
Back in the early 90´s Poliquin was telling me to read books on how to sell. Selling is not selling out.
Charlie Francis is selling his knowledge and expertise on this website and I wish him success. Selling out? I don´t think so.
Originally posted by David W
[b]Did I touch a nerve?I guess I can save a bit of cash on the book now that I’ve read half of it. :o :o [/b]
Pffft, never have I seen such hidden antagonism … don’t buy it what do I care.
Did you touch a nerve YEAH because I’m trying my best to help and you have your mind set on not seing that I MIGHT be right and that you MIGHT be wrong … you know what, I don’t need this. I tried to come back and be helpful, but I guess you don’t want me here so I wont come back.
I just hope that in the future, if Charles Poliquin, Ian King or other coaches who, God forbid, are better, more respected and more admired and more succesfull than you, you wont turn them off by acting like you just did. You say that my methods are not effective … fine, but at least explain why. And explain why all my athletes are becoming faster and more powerfull than ever. Explain to me why I have 4 guys, now power cleaning over 130kg despite strength training ONLY 4 MONTHS out of the year (and these are guys weighting less than 90kg).
I don’t know what you have against me, as I remember you used to be quite fond of my work. Now you seem to be anti-Thibaudeau to the bone. Kinda sad because you might be loosing more than you believe.
Why are you so brash against those you succeed? Because we are doing what you’d like to do?
Did you hit a nerve? Once again, yes! Over the past few years I worked very hard to get where I am. I worked for free for more than 10 hours per day to gain field experience, I lost two girlfriends because I invested so much in my work, I spent more than 60 000$ in a two year just to make myself a better coach.
I’m not telling what you want me to hear anymore? You’re not aggreeing with my views and methods? FINE … who are you to judge? Ever heard of walking a mile in somebody’s shoes?
That having been said. I’m out of here. I’ll go hang out with more receptive peoples who are willing to leanr and share with an opened mind.
Sad thing is that there are a lot of fantastic peoples here. Guys like CoolColJ, Charlie, Clemson and several other guys are a true asset to the community. I wish them luck, and hopefully we’ll meet again.
Ok chill, I’m playing devil’s advocate. We need some spice on the board. I have many of your articles from Ironmag, Dr Squat and T-mag and have used them to develop/clarify my own ideas. I have even quoted you in forum discussions. However with the exception of Westside few new ideas have appeared in the last 30 years. The challenge is perhaps not to be revolutionary but to distill the information and articulate it in a way that will turn people on. Additionally articles that relate to practical situations and experiences are both entertaining and useful. You have a powerful and influential position so I feel it’s very important to maintain high moral values
For example if a young lifter reads T-mag and sees that the great CT advocates Tribex or Powerdrive then they’re gonna get their ass straight down to GNC. If however you talked up the product beyond its’ effectiveness just because Biotest is a sponsor then you’ve prostituted yourself and long term maybe reduced your influence.
Regarding isometrics/eccentrics. I have actually utilised the latter during certain periods with some success. In practice due to mechanics certain exercises lend themselves better to isometrics/eccentrics than others - ever seen an 800 pound deadlift lowered to the floor?
Isometrics are a strange one I have had absolutely no success with this training mode with any of my athletes. I just do not see it as time efficient. In my experience the most important training variable is intensity. In most cases gains can be most easily achieved by reducing average training percentages. Only when intelligent long term programs fail to yield results would I consider ‘alternative’ training methods. For 99% of athletes out there the relevent article was entertaining, educational but not, in my very humble opinion, very practical.
I just hope I won’t see you writing articles like ‘Single arm snatches on a swiss ball… Revolution’.
Funny thing is that this is the type of exercises that I found in the team program of a football player I coach… that and single leg clean and snatches and the like … trust me, I’ll never go there!
If you look a my latest post I put the power snatch on trial…I have some similar beliefs as Chris T, but, I don’t agree with all of his items but at the last set of guidelines I show how I use one of his protocols and give him a title of expert. Selling out would be doing things you don’t believe in in order to increase sales…I don’t think he has done that. One important factor that we must understand is that many elite minds have lived well below their means for years to get ahead…I am tired now of living my life behind a computer between training sessions, but I have no choice. I would like to go to to Toronto and party with Rupert, but in order to do that I must create a business…hence REGENERATION LAB.COM
hey chris can you please repost those 2 posts you removed i didnt get a chance to read them before they were removed and they were answers to my question, id appreciate it. thanks
What do you do with your “hyper-gravity training” Chris?
It refers to wearing a vest loaded with approximately 10% of your bodyweight. Youy wear the vest morning up to bedtime (even during training sessions). This method is to be used for 2-4 weeks. Here are some abstracts:
Acta Physiol Scand. 1985 Aug;124(4):507-13. Related Articles, Links
Adaptive response of human skeletal muscle to simulated hypergravity condition.
Bosco C.
The mechanical behaviour of leg extensor muscles of five international-level athletes was evaluated during 13 months training period. Drop jumps, average mechanical power during 15 S continuous jump, and vertical jumps performed with and without extra weights were used to measure explosive power characteristics. The data recorded in vertical jumps was utilized for construction of force-velocity relationship (F-V curve). The athletes did not show improvement in any of the variables studied after 12 months of intensive systematic training programme. It was assumed that the subjects already had reached their upper limit of performance. However, after that the athletes underwent a simulated 3 weeks high-gravity period. The hypergravitational condition was created by wearing a special vest filled with extra loads (11% of BW). The vest was used from morning to evening. No changes in the ordinary training programme were allowed. After the simulated high-gravity conditioning period significant improvement in almost all the variables studied was observed (P less than 0.05-0.001). Vertical jump performance was enhanced from 44.3 to 54.9 cm. The F-V curve remained stable all year but after hypergravity period shifted markedly to the right. The drastic improvement was attributed to be caused by a fast adaptation to the new functional requirements (I.I g). Therefore, once the biological adaptation occurred the mechanical behaviour of the athlete’s leg extensor muscle was similar to that which could be experienced in a field at low gravity condition (0.9 g). Adaptive response to the hypergravity conditioning was speculated to occur mainly at neurogenic level and less in myogenic component.
Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1984;53(2):149-54. Related Articles, Links
The influence of extra load on the mechanical behavior of skeletal muscle.
Bosco C, Zanon S, Rusko H, Dal Monte A, Bellotti P, Latteri F, Candeloro N, Locatelli E, Azzaro E, Pozzo R, et al.
Eleven international jumpers and throwers engaged in year round training were divided into experimental (n = 6) and control (n = 5) groups. The experimental group was tested before and after a 3 weeks simulated hypergravity period, and again 4 weeks after the hypergravity period. The high gravity condition was created by wearing a vest weighing about 13% of the subjects body weight. The vest was worn from morning to evening including the training sessions, and only removed during sleep. The daily training of all subjects consisted of classical weight training and jumping drills. No changes in the ordinary training program were allowed in the experimental group, except for the use of the vest. Vertical jumps, drop jumps and a 15 s continuous jumping test were used to measure the explosive power characteristics of the subjects. After the hypergravity period the experimental subjects demonstrated significant (5-10%, P less than 0.05-0.01) improvements in most of the variables studied: however, 4 weeks after cessation of the high gravity period they tended to return towards the starting values. No changes were observed in the results of the control group. The improvement observed in the experimental subjects was explained as fast adaptation to the simulated high gravity field. It is suggested that adaptation had occurred both in neuromuscular functions and in metabolic processes.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1986 Aug;18(4):415-9. Related Articles, Links
The effect of extra-load conditioning on muscle performance in athletes.
Bosco C, Rusko H, Hirvonen J.
Fourteen sprinters were assigned to an experimental group (N = 7) and a control group (N = 7) in order to study the effects of 3 wk of extra-load conditioning. The extra-load conditioning was achieved by the athletes wearing special vests containing weights (7-8% body mass). The vests were used from morning to evening and during 3-5 training sessions/wk for 3 wk. No changes in the ordinary training regime were allowed, except the use of the vest by the experimental group. A jumping test battery and short running test on a treadmill were utilized to measure explosive power characteristics and the anaerobic performance of the subjects. While the control group showed no changes in any of the variables studied, the experimental subjects significantly improved their jumping heights in squat jumps with and without extra loads; their jumping heights in drop jumps and mechanical power output in 15 s of jumps. No changes in lactate levels or in running times to exhaustion were observed in response to the extra-load conditioning. The improvement of jumping performances could be due to a fast neurogenic adaptation to the new requirements.
Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1987;56(4):412-8. Related Articles, Links
Metabolic response of endurance athletes to training with added load.
Rusko H, Bosco CC.
Endurance athletes were divided into experimental (n = 12) and control (n = 12) groups to investigate the effects of extra-load training on energy metabolism during exercise. A vest weighing 9%-10% body weight was worn every day from morning to evening for 4 weeks including every (n = 6) or every other (n = 6) training session. After 4 weeks the control group had a lower blood lactate concentration during submaximal running, whereas the experimental group had significantly higher blood lactate and oxygen uptake (p less than 0.01–p less than 0.05), and a lower 2 mmol lactate threshold (p less than 0.05) and an increased blood lactate concentration after a short running test to exhaustion (p less than 0.05). Those experimental subjects (n = 6) who used the added load during every training session had a lower 2 mmol lactate threshold, improved running time to exhaustion, improved vertical velocity when running up stairs and an increased VO2 during submaximal running after the added load increased anaerobic metabolism in the leg muscle during submaximal and maximal exercise. An increased recruitment and adaptation of the fast twitch muscle fibres is suggested as the principal explanation for the observed changes.
Any protocols? Just hard to have an athlete wear an xvest for 2-4 weeks.
Originally posted by CoolColJ
From personal experience, most people try to upright row power snatches up, especially self taught people, which is not what you do in a proper snatch. This can hurt the shoulders, just as upright rows do.
what is a good replacement for the upright row? i tend to find standing or seated shoulder press has just as much ability to hurt the shoulders and all the tendons contained therein
Clemson, I must confess that I just started using HG training as I just received my vest. Furthermore I’m not willing to test it on any of my athletes right now … most of them are 3-6 weeks from their camp and the last thing I want to do is to screw up their motor control.
So I’m experimenting it myself since I don’t really compete in anything anymore. Plus, since I spend most of the day in the gym I don’t look too weird walking around wearing with what looks like a safety vest.
I’m planning on testing various protocols over the next few months, varying daily wearing times. I feel that using the vest during active bouts multiple times per day could work. For example wearing it during training sessions and duing 1-2 hours periods during the day (2-3 such periods).
I have the Fitrodyne unit and will test the results. But at the present time I cannot make any recommendations.
Why do upright rows in the first place?
a) To increase traps and shoulder strength?
b) To increase pulling power?
c) To improve in the olympic lifts?
Let’s look at these points individually:
a) There are much better ways of improving shoulder and traps strength … I like seated rowing to the face/neck using jumpstretch bands. It works the rear deltoids, rhomboids, upper and middle trapezius. Muscles which are proportionaly underdevelopped in most athletes (especially those relying on a lot of pressing movements).
I also like power shrugs, which are basically a shrug with a barbell using both the traps and calves to lift the load.
Furthermore I do believe that some attention should be spent on increasing lower traps strength (which is way out of whack with the upper traps in most athletes). Lat shrugs and strict pull-ups are good exercises.
b) Once again, there are much more effective exercises than upright rowing to increase pulling power. Including power cleans from the hang, power clean from the blocks, power cleans, targeted high pulls, barbell rowing, power shrugs, dumbbell rowing, seated rowing, etc.
c) The upright row has nothing to do technically with the olympic lifts.
I have used various vests for different connective strength exercises over a long period of time but each bout lasted less then an hour. I have seen some nice things with the group that did use a vest (afford) and the ones who did not. I like doing many of the Mach exercises and elastic power work with lighter athletes…
no luck on the reposts?
re: hypergravity training. I’m glad a respected coach like CT is advocating hypergravity training. I’ve been trying to give advice to anyone who asks how to improve vertical jump about the benefits of weighted plyos but no one buys it. How do I know weighted plyos work? because I increased my standing vertical jump from 27 inches to 38 inches doing weighted plyos two days a week, that’s why. In addition, I found that increasing vertical jump through weighted plyos also dramatically increased my clean and snatch poundages, another reminder of how hip dominant those lifts truly are…