451: Christian Thibaudeau on Mastering Isometrics, Bodyweight Strength, and Training Velocities

Today's podcast features Christian Thibaudeau. Christian is a renowned strength coach with over 25 years of experience. He has worked with athletes from 28 sports, including pros and Olympians, and was Head Strength Coach at the Central Institute for Human Performance. A former national-level weightlifter and bodybuilder, he has authored multiple books and has been a prolific writer for T-Nation. He has developed the Neurotyping and Omni-Rep systems, amongst many other contributions to human performance and athletic development. The majority of training programs, particularly for athletic performance are mostly gas, and very little brakes. They work mostly propulsion while minimizing early stance and reciprocal motion capabilities. They tend to hover on external outputs and bar velocities but do little to cultivate internal awareness of one’s own body. This podcast is all about the value and history of training at both isometric, lower training velocities, along with combined methods (reps + isometrics) for the sake of skilled movement performance and longevity. Christian digs into the history of the martial arts and bodyweight training methods, and goes into a variety of training techniques to round out one’s weak points, maximize body awareness and build more robust athletes. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 5:29 - Antagonist Muscle Engagement in ISO Holds 8:51 - Optimal Movement Performance through Muscle Control 14:49 - Tendon Strengthening for Older Athletes 16:38 - Age-Related Muscle and Tendon Conditioning Exercises 20:27 - Explosiveness Maintenance Through Isometric Training 26:19 - Optimizing Performance with Plyometrics and Strength Integration 27:33 - Optimal Balance: Combining Natural Movements with Isometric Training 41:54 - Enhancing Strength Through Muscle Activation Techniques Quotes (00:23) "When you are truly skilled at an exercise, at a movement, you should be able to do it at any velocity." (09:10) "Maxick. Yes. So that also fits the bill because you are actually, you're trying to contract your muscle by using your own body as resistance. So it's a form of isometric training. And I believe that it is very valuable, especially in the earlier stage of training because I strongly believe that especially when it comes to motor learning and maybe hypertrophy, the better you are at creating tension in the proper muscle, the better results you'll get." (18:35) "I think that again, long-duration isometrics is something that's going to be very, very positive to prevent the decrease in tendon performance with older athletes." (26:40) "I work with one of the top karate athletes in the world. Like super explosive, lightning fast. And we don't lift weights. Let me correct myself. The only exercise where we lift weight is a power clean from the hang. Every form of strength work is done with a flywheel and the rest is plyometric and absorption drills." (38:00) "Don't forget that martial arts, well, especially those of the, the karate, kung fu, and family, judo, it has evolved over two to three thousands of years. And it was not just a system of combat, it was a system of getting into combat shape" (41:20) "Skill is first shown in slow movement." (43:39) "The capacity to contract and. Or relax a muscle while contracting surrounding muscles." (48:52) "I don't honestly see a method that would be more effective for rapid muscle growth than doing let's say a set of say 6 to 10 reps to failure depending on your own personal preferences and then holding for one minute loaded stretch to me I, I don't see how you could make a set more effective than that for muscle growth." Show Notes Controlled movement training in the martial arts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7z-fYalpUk About Christian Thibaudeau Christian Thibaudeau is a highly respected strength and conditioning coach with over 25 years of experience. He has worked with athletes across 28 sports, including professional and Olympic competitors, and served as Head Strength Coach at the Central Institute for Human Performance, training the St. Louis Blues. A former national-level weightlifter and bodybuilder, Christian has also coached football for eight years. His training focuses on developing muscle mass, power, explosiveness, and coordination to enhance performance. He is a prolific author with multiple books, including The Black Book of Training Secrets and The Maximum Muscle Bible. As a senior writer for T-Nation, his articles reach over 400,000 readers weekly. Christian is the developer of the Neurotyping System, which personalizes training based on an individual’s neurological profile to optimize motivation, focus, and performance. His work continues to shape the strength and conditioning field worldwide.