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I just finishing up week 3 of THT 2.0 and I love it. I can already see the gains, both physically and on paper. I have a few questions though. First, should I be wearing any type of weight lifting belt or back brace when I am doing things like squats, deadlifts, etc.? My next question is about the abs. On ab day it seems like I am primarily working the main section of the abs. Are my obliques getting worked on ab day, or any other of the week? If not should I add in a couple sets to work the obliques? If so, what exercises and on what day?

lv2snwbrd wrote:I just finishing up week 3 of THT 2.0 and I love it. I can already see the gains, both physically and on paper. I have a few questions though. First, should I be wearing any type of weight lifting belt or back brace when I am doing things like squats, deadlifts, etc.?

Required, no. Recommended, yes. As Mark has pointed out many times, your comfort will determine your strength - kind of why I won't leave home without my Harbinger gloves. And of course some accessories - like hooks - will help you work the muscle to failure instead of just the wrist joint. My wrists are badly spurred from repetitive stress injuries, so for me, hooks are a life saver on deads, rows, and bicep curls. Flip side, I find belts generally feel weird and unnatural, and back braces never fit me right, so rather than use them and screw up my form and actually increase my likelihood of injury, I skip them. I know guys that feel the exact opposite on all these points. The decision is ultimately yours, just listen to your body - if something hurts or feels weird, or if your squats you're worried about your lumbar, or your deads your hands let go before you reach true failure, invest in some quality accessories.

lv2snwbrd wrote:My next question is about the abs. On ab day it seems like I am primarily working the main section of the abs. Are my obliques getting worked on ab day, or any other of the week? If not should I add in a couple sets to work the obliques? If so, what exercises and on what day?

No, it is not necessary to specifically target obliques. They will dynamically contract if you use the right weight and motion doing exercises that target the rectus abdominus because of how the biomechanics that drive the motion work. Like on declines, you should feel your sides tighten up towards the top of the rep if your cadence, form, and resistance levels are correct. It's not harmful to throw on a set or two to specifically target your obliques on abs day, if you want to do them do them, it's just extra work that may or may not be necessary or helpful, and Mark's on record as never having performed any oblique exercise ever - and he looks to be doing fine without.

Thanks for the reply! I actually went ahead and tried a belt on my workout yesterday and I feel like it helps out. Funny you should mention hooks, cause I picked up a set this week and man do they make a difference! As far as the obliques go, think I'll just leave them alone for 3 or 4 months and reassess then. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions, it is greatly appreciated!