Who is Christian Thibaudeau?
Canadian Olympian and strength coach Christian Thibaudeau hails from Montreal. As a contributor to the online bodybuilding magazine Iron Mag, he rose to renown in the late 1990s.
Short Career of Christian Thibaudeau
Christian Thibaudeau has a longstanding reputation as one of the industry’s most reputable teachers and writers. He has coached athletes in 26 different sports, written countless articles, and participated in Olympic competitions.
Christian transitioned into personal training and online fitness writing following a major injury that ended his professional lifting career. He also started training for the first time solely for aesthetic purposes.
Christian, who left the Olympic scene for the stage of competitive bodybuilding, has developed into a well-known personal trainer who has counseled a lot of athletes on their development. Here is his account:
Body Measurements of Christian Thibaudeau
| Full Name: Christian Thibaudeau |
| WEIGHT: 205 – 215lbs (88.5 – 93.0kg) |
| ERA: 2000, 2010 |
| PROFESSION: Bodybuilder, Olympic Athlete, and fitness writer |
| NATIONALITY: Canadian |
| HEIGHT: 5′ 9″ (175 cm) |
Accomplishments
- Professional Strength Coach
- A popular writer who has published articles in Iron Mag
- Olympic Athlete
Biography of Christian Thibaudeau
Starting Points
Christian was raised in Quebec, Canada, where he shared a home with two brothers and a sister. Christian’s brother’s 90-pound weight loss for his university golf team gave him his first introduction to the concept of physical transformation.
His entire family participated in sports in one way or another.
Christian got into athletics when he was quite young. He started playing baseball and ice hockey when he was very young, then football when he was in his early teens.
He claims that he had no athletic propensities at all at this time, so he knew from the start that he would need to find another activity.
Beginning Your Workout
Christian thinks he intuitively understood the benefits of strength training to improve his sportsmanship. As a result, when he was nine or ten years old, he used to exercise while watching TV by doing push-ups, sit-ups, and other bodyweight exercises.
He used the free school gym as soon as he started high school. He claims that although the gym only featured a few machines, dumbbells, and barbells, it was the ideal setting for learning the fundamentals.
Understanding His Mistakes
Christian claims that initially, since he played tight end for his football club, he simply worked out his legs. He thought they were the only muscles he would ever need, but he eventually became “sucked into” chest and bicep exercises in hopes of looking beautiful.
Christian claims that he didn’t start finishing effective full training sessions until he was 17 years old. Around this time, he also started looking into bodybuilding nutrition and lifting methods because he was determined to do it right.
Understanding Olympic Weightlifting
After many years of toil and struggle, Christian finally achieved a muscular and strong physique. Additionally, he picked up a few fresh skills that he subsequently incorporated into his practice.
These exercises included the deadlift. He was aware of the dead lift’s potential benefits for bodybuilding and that it was a well-liked exercise for Olympic lifts. This information set him on the route to competing in the Olympics.
Athlete in the Olympics
Christian was able to join the Canadian Olympic weightlifting team after a protracted period of strength training and preparation. He relished the pleasure of putting in the hard work necessary to master new lifts like the snatch high pull.
Experiencing Pain or Injury
Christian suffered an injury while participating, which was inevitable given the types of weights he was lifting. He ultimately tore his left bicep, which kept him from grabbing for three to four months.
Competitors in bodybuilding
Christian decided to focus on his appearance while he was healing from his accident. He started working out to build muscle tone and size in addition to strength.
As a result, Christian was able to develop an amazing body and start competing in amateur competitions.
He relished the chance to display his bulk and power to the public and gain admiration for his complete appearance rather than just his lifting prowess.
Choosing Journalism as Weight Lifting
Christian was also reading magazines for bodybuilders at this time. According to him, the outdated Muscle Media structure stuck with him, and he started writing about his favorite subjects, bodybuilding, and powerlifting.
Contributing to Iron Mag magazine was one of his most important jobs. He has contributed to numerous other periodicals, including T-Nation and a handful of smaller ones. Christian viewed this job as a means of helping others in need, including amateur athletes.
Training of Christian Thibaudeau
Understanding Mistakes
Christian thinks that the largest error most individuals make is to radically alter their training regimen in the weeks before a concert.
He claims that he has repeatedly fallen victim to the same error of thinking that increasing intensity and volume would provide better outcomes and greater muscular tone.
However, if the diet is low in calories and the training is rigorous, the body’s ability to recover from training is decreased.
Christian placed priority on preserving bulk and size while shedding fat, so he modified his exercise intensity and diet to meet his objectives.
Routine
A push/pull split is used in Christians’ exercise practice. He works out six days a week for 70 minutes each at a very high level of intensity. Christian considers this to be the best strategy for natural weightlifters.
Pulling Muscles
- Hamstrings
- Back
- Biceps
Pushing Muscles
- Quads
- Pecs
- Delts
- Triceps
There will be four movements in each push or pull session (one muscle per group)
Monday – Workout ‘A1’
- Romanian Deadlift: 2 sets x 6 reps than one all-out heavy set
- Pronated Lat Pulldown or Pull-Up: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy set
- Bent-Over Lateral: 2 sets x 8 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Standing Barbell Curl: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy double rest/pause set
Tuesday – Workout ‘B1’
- Front Squat: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy double rest/pause set
- Bench Press: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy double rest/pause set
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 2 sets x 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension: 2 sets x 6 reps
Wednesday – Workout ‘A2’
- Lying Leg Curl: 2 sets x 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Straight-Arm Pulldown or Dumbbell Pullover: 2 sets x 6 reps
- Pronated Chest-Supported Row: 2 sets x 8 reps and one all-out heavy double rest/pause set
- Preacher Curl: 2 sets x 6 reps
Thursday – Workout ‘B2’
- Leg Extension: 2 sets x 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Pec Deck or Cable Crossover: 2 sets x 6 and one maximum weight set
- Military Press or Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy set
- Close-Grip Decline Bench Press or Dip: 2 sets x 6 reps and one all-out heavy set
Friday – Workout ‘A3’
- Glute Ham Raise or Reverse Hyper: 2 sets x 6 reps and one maximum rep set
- Supinated Lat Pulldown: 2 sets x 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Neutral-Grip Cable Seated Row: 2 sets x 6 reps and one maximum rep set
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 2 sets x 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
Saturday – Workout ‘B3’
- Hack Squat Machine or Leg Press: 2 sets of 6 reps and one maximum rep set
- Incline Bench Press or Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
- Dumbbell Front Raise on Incline Bench: 2 sets of 6 reps and one maximum rep set
- Rope Triceps Extension: 2 sets of 6 reps and one 6-8-10 reps drop set
“Bodybuilding Is 80% Nutrition.”
Nutrition of Christian Thibaudeau
Feasting
Christian Thibaudeau thinks that his natural eating pattern is a fast followed by a feast. Because of this, he plans a few hours each day to binge on nutritious foods. He spends the majority of his off-season days either consuming amino acid beverages or going without food.
However, he makes sure that this feast is just one meal. Additionally, he begins each meal with animal-derived meat and veggies, getting most of his daily protein from this source.
Season of Competition Diet
Christian alters his diet when he wants to lose weight for contests. He increases his supplement use and introduces regular, little meals. The list below shows his daily food intake during the competition period.
Diet Plan
Breakfast
- 150ml 3cream (60g fat, 0g protein, 0g carbs)
- 3-6 whole eggs – raw – (15-30g fat, 18-36g protein, 2-4g carbs)
- Low-carb metabolic drive powder – 1 scoop (2g fat, 20g protein, 3g carbs)
TOTAL: 77-107g fat, 38-58g protein, 5-7g carbs
Lunch
- Lean turkey 175g (1g fat, 30g protein, 0g carbs)
- Fat Burner 6 caps (6g fat, 0g protein, 0g carbs)
TOTAL: 7g fat, 30g protein, 0g carbs
Supper
- Chicken 175g (6g fat, 25g protein, 0g carbs)
- Fat Burner 6 caps (6g fat, 0g protein, 0g carbs)
TOTAL: 12g fat, 25g protein, 0g carbs
Drinks throughout The Day
- 4 scoops of whey isolate (0g fat, 108g protein, 0g carbs)
- 30g BCAA powder (0g fat, 30g protein, 0g carbs)
TOTAL: 0g fat, 138g protein, 0g carbs
Before Bed
- GLA 6 caps (6g fat, 0g protein, 0g carbs)
- Whey isolate – 1 scoop (0g fat, 27g protein, 0g carbs)
TOTAL: 6g fat, 27g protein, 0g carbs
Daily calorie intake: 2041kcal
Snacks (optional)
- 14 rice cakes post-workout (3g fat, 14g protein, 114g carbs)
- Oatmeal 2 cups during breakfast (2g fat, 4g protein, 50g carbs)
Total Calories Including Snacks – 2800kcal
How can Christian Thibaudeau teach us something?
Christian Thibaudeau had aspirations of winning the Olympic gold medal, but an injury put an end to his plans. He found a new method to work in fitness injury and reach out to people every day as a result of this setback.
Christian entered the realm of online bodybuilding writing and personal training due to this desire. He also honed his skills as a weight lifter who emphasized both strength and appearance.
It may be helpful to have a backup fitness plan that you can put just as much effort into if your primary one experiences a setback.