He’s a fraud, but then being fair to him, so are most people in the health and fitness industry so maybe I should be fairer to him? Err, no maybe not - I don’t tend to listen too much to advice from people who write endless streams of contradictory articles with usually the sole purpose of promoting useless and very overpriced supplements (Tippytoe is THE Biotest whore). It’s the oldest trick in the book (copied from the master - Joe Weider) :-
Publish new routine or program with loads of totally unrealistic claims like ‘get big quick’ , ‘insane gainz in 12 weeks’ etc
New routine has to be waaaay too advanced for the mostly beginners and sprinkling of intermediates who make up the readership.
Show lots of pictures of guys and girls with fantastic physiques, imply that they are on this routine, how they got there(They’re not, they’re either genetically gifted, caning the juice, or more often both).
Reader enthusiastically follows routine that is well beyond their recovery capacity so that they either end up chronically sore/ over-trained ; or have to add in more recovery time/ reduce frequency; or fatigues so rapidly that their CNS just throws them out
Ah but, wise publisher (who’s main source of revenue is…) says - you needed to take these massively overpriced and clinically unproven supplements to do this routine properly (and guarantee your gainz)
Rinse and repeat
Tippytoe is a big boned ex juicer, who can’t keep juicing anymore, so now takes TRT to boost his own gains, whilst showing you younger juiced athletes progressing under his coaching, and all of course while banging down loads of Biotest nonsense.
Which says that you’re probably using too much intensity in one or both of those two day doses, over and above your recovery capacity (might need to build up slowly to go longer); and putting in that many rest days reduces frequency which is after all the main benefit ingredient of the routine you’ve chosen.
Since it is volume and consistency which are the main drivers of hypertrophy then its okay to back off and finish sets with reps in reserve, and come back better able to do the next workout on time and complete the weekly volume dose.
I’ve seen people squat/ do full body workouts 6-7 days a week for example - but you have to manage intensity and volume very carefully - the moment you exceed your maximum recoverable volume then you are on a fast track to breakdown/ giving up. Also your MRV goes up with training experience which is why as a newbie when you try to do the latest BBer star’s routine, you need to bear in mind that he has the MRV of someone with likely 10+ years training experience (and big boned genetics, and a boat load of juice) - whereas you do not.
No-one wants to hear the prescription of Stuart McRobert, and even fewer are prepared to do it! Which is a shame as it applies to more people than the ones trying to sell you stuff would have you believe. 12 weeks to a buff beach ready body sells more stuff than saying look being honest this is going to take 12-36 months…
I agree with the sales pitch. I ignored that bullshit and actually forgot about that part haha. I use a few supplements for various reasons but have no doubt none are necessary and I’m not on the lookout for any more.
Mainly this style workout appeals to me as I would often do this anyway with legs and it just resonated with me. I saw someone else I quite like mention it so looked it up and found that article.
Regarding intensity I do like to take some sets to failure and I know you don’t like this. The recovery suits my schedule though and four days per week is good for me right now. I’ve been feeling great and this last week was even more enjoyable so I’ll keep it up for a few months and see where I take it.
I’m in this for good (training) and not just to hit a goal or anything. If I do manage to add a few kg of muscle over a year or so that would be great.
So many ways to train and I’ve no doubt they all work to some degree but only if you keep the motivation for it. That’s also a big thing for me.
8 weeks into this cycle and still going well with weekly increases to load and reps. It’s going to get much tougher soon I think but there’s maybe another 3-4 weeks more progress before I might plateau and need a deload.
I can see the next cycle being a short 4 week mini diet to get 7-8 pounds off and then go again with a similar cycle to this one.
I’ll take a look. Been wanting to squat the last two days but I’ve pulled something in my back getting into the loft. The old between the shoulder blade and spine shit. I got under the bar but even with a little weight I couldn’t do it right so I’ve been trying to get things into the muscle to relax it, worked a bit.
The steady control. He doesn’t use full range on some but his control is great.
I like his current voice around training and steroid use as well. Telling young people to train, eat and sleep and calling out Tony Huge for basically trying to glorify the taking of vast amounts of drugs.
Lee Priest talked openly about what he used when others blanked their faces and it seems he didn’t use much in the way of drugs. Amazing genetics though.
I’d say that this should be standard but I’ve been in a lot of gyms and know like you do that it’s anything but.
If you’re not performing reps like that then you should make that your first aim - I like to see trainees move like a piston and have an identical groove to every rep in the set.
If you can’t control the weight then its too much, drop the load and learn control. This is also partly why gymnasts are jacked.
I always say with ROM is that you should use as much as your mobility allows, and if that’s not full ROM then you need to work on your mobility and flexibility (unless you’re working around injury etc).
“It’s simple – they don’t want you to think that they’ve accomplished their looks solely thanks to all the anabolics they’ve taken. While it’s true that some take way more than others, it’s also true that every bodybuilders lie about how much he is using. It’s not uncommon to claim one thing and to actually take five-time the dose. It happens more often than not.”
I do my best and feeling better than ever right now.
I know and it’s all relative. A small amount can do a lot so they say. I think he comes across as honest, nothing to hide. Who knows. Still think he had a decent shape compared to a lot these days but personally I’d rather be like Steve Reeves.
I’m sure I read somewhere that Grimek said his heart rate was in the 40s when he was doing 20 rep squats and he wishes he’d kept doing hem throughout his life. That just popped into my head, not sure why. Want to find that, maybe it was in the 20 reps squats book.
I’m afraid BBers are all the same - ‘its everyone else who is abusing steriods, personally I don’t need them’ etc etc. Sorry I don’t buy it. To look like that he was taking as much as anyone else - ie fucking loads (but not as much as the seriously insane levels the current freaks take).
I assume you don’t mean that his heart rate was in the 40s when he was actually doing the squats otherwise he wasn’t trying very hard
Not surprised though, 20 rep squats are the toughest, most intense cardio workout known to man. Not something I find I can stomach more than once every week.
A long time ago when I used to work out at much higher intensity I remember doing the ‘use your 10 rep max’ and rep it for 20 squats routine.
I think I had about 120 - 140kg of plates or so on the bar, and took about 6-7 mins (felt much longer!) . My heart was pounding and I could feel it like a drum in my head as I got to 18 or 19 reps when I couldn’t see straight and racked the bar. Woke up lying on the ground with the British heavyweight powerlifting champ standing over me laughing his head off
I tried it with 100kg when I had no right to be trying to squat 100kg. I had no form and little experience. Didn’t do my back any good and was a terrible experience which put me right off high reps lol.
I just wanted to fast forward but I’m doing things differently now.
Weighed myself today at 71.90kg which is the heaviest I’ve ever seen myself, so whatever weight I’d lost I’ve now got back on. I could tell I’d added some.
I know and it’s all relative. A small amount can do a lot so they say. I think he comes across as honest, nothing to hide. Who knows. Still think he had a decent shape compared to a lot these days but personally I’d rather be like Steve Reeves.