Biceps Peak? Worst Exercises? Dips Truth? (Q&A)
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- The last Q&A of 2023, post your questions down below!
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0:00 Introduction
0:18 Skipping front delts to improve biceps peak?
3:18 Only neck flexion, skip extensions?
6:21 Dips and sternum pain, will you adapt?
9:45 Better than one arm pullups?
11:38 315 OHP possible naturally?
13:24 Barbell Apparel free hoodie
14:03 Weekly lats and upper back volume differences?
15:43 Belt squat standards for big legs?
17:08 Less triceps volume if compounds are intense?
18:19 Best super wide pullup variations?
19:51 Behind the neck press worth it?
21:39 No more reverse hypers?
23:04 Will I master the planche? New goals
25:20 Conclusion
Disclaimer: Alex Leonidas is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before starting any exercise program. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Alex Leonidas will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or passing. - Навчання та стиль
Thank you for existing pal
Thank you for always supporting, Seya!
@@AlexLeonidas you’re very welcome. Hope to see you in Montreal one day
Fantastic content as always. I am always impressed with how informative and helpful you are as a content creator. Within 30 minutes of the video released, you’ve already answered so many people’s questions! UA-cam fitness GOAT
So happy for your success Alex!
I love these classic q&as
You are a legend Alex. I got back into the gym 4 months ago and you are one of my main no BS fitness sources along with Dr. Mike
Thanks for answering my question Alex!
Merry Christmas to all of you guys🎅. Thanks for answering my question, Alex.
Subscriber of 10 years here. Keep making content. You are my go to for fitness information and always be.
Thanks for the valuable contribution Alex, you truly saved me so much time and helped fix many issues. I watched a lot of your videos and learned so much throughout the journey
Thanks to you, I've been training my neck regularly, focusing on yolk development, introducing variations, focusing on the basics like pullups and dips, and it's been amazing so far as a natural late novice
I'm aiming for 3 plate bench (got 2 plates max) and 2 plates standing OHP (got 1 plate max), only cause you showed it's very achievable for most natties
Keep up the great work ♥
Absolutely amazing video. Love the Q&As! Truly excellent work. Super helpful and informative as always. Thanks! 🙏
I would thank you Alex for opening my eyes to doing less is more, I was doing a huge amount of sets with high frequency and huge intensity and wasn't progressing but now as I am working on the skills and 1-2 sets of weighted pull-ups/dips I feel a lot stronger than ever.
If you do ever stall out on more moderate volume high intensity training don’t be afraid to add volume after exhausting intensity, adding volume worked for GVS and Natural Hypertrophy once they crossed over into a certain point of lifting
Ian Barseagle also does that training skills first then do low volume weight training 2 sets weighted dips - pull ups + 2 sets of accessories.
Same man. I’ve progressed so much the past few months by doing pull ups everyday but at low reps
@@iangraham-white5717dude this is why it’s such a great nuanced topic. So GVS progresses with that but honestly is super nerfed for strength and that goes for even his big ass arms. But you have certain guys that you find who grow really well low volume high intensity. Even just different areas. Like for some trading like GVS in terms of his high volume/ high rpe training is good for my arms but for my chest and back it has always led me to being too sore and not being able to hit them on a frequent basis thus leading to less strength gains, most importantly hitting them about 1.5 times a week.
@iangraham-white5717 yeah you are right, I do low to moderate intensity with high volume on my skill work cuz that's my main goal and after that, I do less weighted stuff to let my body recover before the next session.
I would love to see a video (or a series of videos) talking about full ROM strength standards and how they are affected by different tempo controls on the negatives, the use of pauses, etc. For example: it is not the same to do 225Ib for 2×10-12 on touch and go bench than on a 3-4s negative and 2s pause one. The same applies to lowbar squats vs. highbar tempo paused squats.
Thank you for your content. You are so inspiring and knowledgeable!
Yes this needs to be a video. I've seen people who can rep 225 squats when they are divebombing it, but they struggle to do even 2-3 paused squats with a controlled negative and inevitably good morning the weight up. I would love to know if controlling the negative + adding pauses are superior for hypertrophy, mobility and joint health or not, when using full ROM of course.
I’ve been thinking about the same thing lately. The gap between execution can be anywhere from 10-30% drops and the carry over is either instant if not very quickly obtained which is why it’s weird when ppl speak as if someone who cares about strength needs to spam the easier variation
You could even go further and say it’s somewhat arbitrary to worry about peaking strength. If you can do OHP 160 for 12 you already know if you were to peak with that same execution you’d be able to reach 2 plates. So is it really worth it when warming up for a max effort takes more time and puts more stress on you?
Maybe psychologically going I can do x lower number for 10 on a slow tempo long pause larsen press isn’t as appealing as saying I can bench 4 plates and most people aren’t gonna comprehend that it’s basically the same thing but it is
Christmas Q&A whaaaa thank you Alex!!!!!!!
Been watching you since 2015 and all I wanna say is you keep me going bro 🔥
Great as always. Your content has helped me become a more well-rounded and impressive athlete that suffers less from injuries, so I greatly appreciate what you do. Much love, Merry Christmas and have a great 2024.
It would be super cool to see you do a full planche! I'm 6'1, 160lbs, nowhere near your strength level, but I can still hold a clean full planche for 5 seconds. If I can do it, then you'll be absolutely killing it in no time.
6'1 doing a full planche. Mate congrats you are a freaking beast!
he trains leg
I call cap!
No hate but 160 lbs is kinda small for 6'1
But hey bro you are still a beast
@@heheha47338Thanks man. You're right, it is kinda small. That's why I recently started a clean bulk. Hopefully I can get to 175-180 in a year or so. I might lose the planche in the process but idc.
Good day when Alex uploads, Have a Merry Christmas Alex!!!
Have a Merry Christmas, set6965!!
Merry Christmas, Alex, God bless you!
I love to see what you have say about skills, and see your journey on that 🤝
Great Q&A Alex !Very motivating 💪🏽a lot of great questions and Answers!Happy Holidays!
You inspired me with your weighted calisthenics video years ago to get better at statics I’ve achieved a 225x5 weighted dip and a 180 chin up now Im really close to full planche I can’t wait to see you do a full planche
Great video. Lots of good info. Will you make more videos in the future about chest expander exercises(form, workouts and more)? You already have made 2 very informative videos about them but it can probably be explored even more.
Hey Alex, I would love to see an in depth burpee video in the new year! Looking to definitely add some more conditioning to my training! Keep it up brother
exactly, im someone who had extreme sternum pain. learning to have absolute control over the movement makes the pain go away. Multiple pauses, high reps will do wonders on probably all exercises
and on top of that 30 reps is a very good standard o aim for before going weighted, even for heavier guys like me at 220, IT IS achievable
Rings before weight
incredible video, agree with the one arm pull up part..
I think the big differentiator between regular and wide pullups is that the wide grip lines you up in the scapular plane where the teres minor becomes much more exposed. Close grips and wide grips have the potential to hit all the same muscles but wide grips hit that better while extension lines up with the lower lats better.
Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Alex
Happy New Year nate...💪💪🌈❤️🥂🍾🎆🙂
Could you make a video on your 3-5 best (or favorite) exercises for hypertrophy for each muscle group?
Speaking more facts than some physio’s Alex! Tissue capacity and load management explained beautifully.
Bro still going strong!!
Merry Christmas Alex
8:23 we learned something new everyday. Only you rewatch and listen again to relatable message again and again from the same video
Cool! Thanks Alix!
I’ve got to be careful my shoulder since I’ve added shoulder workouts and I’ve gotta lower that incline for my upper chest barbell workouts. I had a close call! I should be good hopefully on Christmas but I’m gonna wait until the next day and enjoy life for a minute.
Merry Christmas/Happy Hannoka/Happy Holidays!
……and’a happy new year 🍾🎉
You look stacked as hell😎💪
First question was an interesting one. I for one am trying to get everything as big as possible before I worry about muscle size ratios for aesthetic purposes.
Thankyou bro for featuring me bro. I reallt appreciate u
WOW, that last line was fire
Great q and a as always Alex.
Always learning from you.
I love how you seem to both experiment, observe, research and analyze any subject before you speak on it.
Like your try to understand the whole subject inside and out.
My favorite part of this q and a was what you had to say about behind the neck pressing.
I think you mentioned them some months back and I started thinking about incorporating them.
Now I am definitely going to incorporate them.
I did a 400 lb bench as a natty before I graduated high school back in 1985.
A few years later in 1987 I did a 445 pause raw in a Lakeland Florida powerlifting meet.
However after high school I never did any direct shoulder training and when I began training more seriously in my 50s my shoulders were constantly tweaking and would hurt.
I was listening to your interview with Bald Omni Man and you guys said something like you will find guys whose shoulders hurt do so because they are weak and when they start training them they stop hurting.
That was when I began training my shoulders again even though I was now about 55.
My shoulders don’t hurt much anymore ( I am almost 57 with years of heavy lifting under my belt) and although my overhead press is still relatively weak I am always making progress and my shoulders feeling better.
What are your goals for 2024 and the next years? Thank you for all your knowledge, loving your videos
Santa Alex, thanks for your tips 😊
Doped calvo man
Hey Alex! I'd love if you gave us a breakdown of a full week of Conjugate training based off of your classic 4 day volume/intensity style split.
Please make a behind the neck press tutorial/guide (technique, programming etc)
Love your insightful content, Alex.
Question: Do you/will you still do Muscle-ups? If not, why not?
Your MU video was phenomenal.
Out there Copin
Hey Alex, thanks for all good valuable information you put out consistently.
My question is how do you rate your bone structure for bodybuilding? Is it elite in your case?
My second question is what is your hips measurement (around the widest part of the glutes)?
This video came as a blessing. Yesterday I was researching optimal rest times between sets, and everyone on UA-cam only ever discusses too short rest times. But in my case, the opposite is true; my rest times are always up to 15-20 minutes between sets. People on UA-cam always say that long rest times are bad, because they lead to long sessions (which I don't mind as I exercise at home), so I thought there's no real downside to resting for half an hour watching Coach Greg for me. But at the same time I've been on a plateau for no less than 3 months now, and only now I've realised that excessively long rest times might've contribubed to it.
nice trolling bruv
@@liftingwizard3431?
Hi Alex, I've been watching your videos since 2017. I wanted to know how has your approach to exercise variation/rotation (when, why, and how) has changed since then especially with the recent gains you've gotten the past couple of years.
another way to reduce front delt activation in pressing is to not lock out at the very top, reduce the range of motion a tiny bit
I haven’t watched your channel in a long time. Still great content and you are pulling off the shaved head look nicely brother.
QUESTION:
Do you track your calories bulking? Do you have any useful tips for bulking overall?
Thanks for the video and the massive help youve brought to the community Alex!
Santa Leonidas!
Hey Alex, is it a good idea to do strength and hypertrophy in the same week (e.g. hypertrophy Mon-Wed, strength Thu-Sat) and if so, which would be best to do first (if Sunday is a rest day)? Loving the information you're sharing, you're a big inspiration to me!
W as always
Hey Alex I've been watching your videos for a few months now (especially the older stuff on bulking) and you've convinced me to bulk. I was 250 pounds a year ago, and I managed to cut down to a low of 148. I have bulked back up to 175 over the last months, and I just wanted to ask:
what are some signs that you've noticed of a good bulk?
Thanks for the great content over the years dawg. Hope your holidays are wonderful. My question, how much weight should someone lose if obese? Been lifting for a while, and need to cut. I’m a late stage intermediate. Thanks in advance 🤙🏽
Really nice video as always. What do you think is the best way to fix forward posture caused by excessive sitting on the computer? I know some physical therapists recommend some sort of stretches but what about strengthening certain muscles with actual weights?
Hey Alex, what's your approach to straight arm training? For calisthenics skills like planche, front lever etc.
Every single damn time I listen to alex talk about calisthenics telling that doing very high reps is great, I get even more and more excited over the idea of just doing dips and pull ups. Right now I can do 17 regular pull ups and want to get to at least 30 before "gaining" the right of going weighted. Sadly I don't know my ring dip max right now because my setup is kinda shit and I only do decline rto push ups.
Thanks, Alex. Your videos are the ones that actually make me love more and more my first approach to exercise, which is calisthenics.
Hi Alex, quick question: could you give us your view on how to implement the "forgotten muscles" (Neck/Forearms/Calves/Abs) in a session, especially full-body without the session being too long.
Thank you very much for the work you do 👍
For the dips 2.0 video please talk about Pullovers, they helped me alot and took out all the sternum pain
I started doing btn presses after e
Watching alec enkiri went from 135 x 7 to 14 reps in a month and my shoulder feels amazing
Thank you Alex! Dips were progressing fast into 3x13x45lb @ 190 body weight. Then the sternum pain crept in…going to go back and build up high rep body weight and add pullovers back in.
Question:
When aesthetics is the absolute main goal, would you still recommend your novice routine for beginners and or full body in general or is there anything wrong with „specializing“ on certain body parts right away?
Appreciate you and happy holidays my man👊🏻
You excited about the rollon chest expander and accessories coming from robbert I’d love to see a full body when everything is out
My new favorite chest exercise is assisted dips with a maximum lean. I put -26kg on it and achieve the same reps as bodyweight by just slowing down extremely at the bottom and getting a stretch, I couldn't reach bodyweight. The linear motion given by the foot pad adds to help in achieving it besides the less weight signaling the body that it's safer to reach that far. This exercise got me, a person who struggles greatly to bias chest in most movements, sore.
For sternum pain, increasing thoracic rotation ROM helped me the most
Hey Alex. No idea when your next q&a is but, I’ll ask anyway. 3 weeks ago I sustained a severe neck strain during bjj. Have you ever had any neck injuries and what are your recommendations for recovering and building back stronger. Thanks for your time my g
The sternum pain from dips disappeared when i started doing them more often and started "locking in" my shoulders. I thought moving my scapulas was good for better ROM, but in the end it would just hurt my sternum. Other than that, i also get sternum pain from standing chest flies, when i push forward tooo much and get a contraction.
*Alex, merry Christmas!*
My question: how to start doing Reverse Bench? Unracking the weight is extremely difficult IMO. How to fix that? Also, does a closer grip/shoulder width using Reverse grip hit the triceps even more _instead of wider grip?_
I also stopped behind the neck presses after watching AX.......even though I always felt they really worked the entire delt....been doing AD presses ever since and growing stronger on them....Will try them again though
i used to be someone who got really bad sternum pain from dips. i used to be overweight and was weak. terrible bench as well. after doing a regressed version with bands and training in rep/set and RPE ranges that didnt cause high levels of pain and loosing weight i can do it pain free and since having the strength to do dips to where im using weight i have noticed i dont get anywhere near the amount of shoulder problems i used to which is great considering i do a lot of grappling.
i have completely dropped bench pressing except for DB pressing for the weighted dips. and my shoulders have never been stronger.
I know this is several days after you posted, but I would love to see you and fitness FAQ do another interview together just talking calisthenics for a couple hours. We need more of that calisthenics talk bro 🙏
Hey alex, can you do a video on programing 3 days a week for bodybuilding aesthetics? please look forward to your take on it. love your physique!
Savior Of The Last Living Natties👑
There’s many many natties out there with great physiques u just gotta have faith cuz it’s hard to tell.
@@supertrollfaxnoprinter3329 I am all for it, natty status all the way😁
Hes a saucey little biscuit covered with natural manuka honey!😤
@@kane6529 Damn, that was weirdly specific😂
Alex is one of the few I genuinely believe is natty purely through how consistent his documented journey has been and how much he’s willing to try stuff and push the envelope. I’m a little skeptical of some of the others but Alex is one I’m confident about being natty.
I used to get AC joint and deep upper chest/neck pain from doing dips, even body weight. I think it was stress on some of the deep upper rib cage and lower neck muscles like scalenes that caused the discomfort.
There are a few ways I alleviated these issues and have been able to do weighted dips again in my late 30s after not doing them for close to 20 years.
First, I do all my non-barbell chest exercises with a deep ass stretch. On incline bench, I take the dumbells as far past my torso as I can. I also did a lot of fly presses which really improved the ROM tolerance of my shoulders and soft tissue quality. After a year of RP style technique like this, I tried dips again and they felt good.
Others cues: I have the handles as narrow as the equipment allows, I lean forward as far as possible to bias the chest, and I control the negative as much as possible with a slight pause at the bottom. Do not rely on the stretch reflex if they cause you discomfort! The amortization phase where you're changing directions is the most potentially injurious, especially on stretch biased movements, and that quick recoil is initiated by your tendons, not your muscles, with end range dictated by your joints. Control the movement!
I think dips are a highly underrated exercise for UPPER chest. I hardly ever get sore in my lower pecs from them, but often get sore in the clavicular fibers. It's because of the narrower grip and travel of the humerus with a lot of controlled elbow tuck, it's like doing a really deep neutral grip incline press.
Hope this helps!
Hey Alex, thoughts on isometrics (zercher holds, static holds on bench, etc) and how would you implement them into your training?
7 Springs on rear delt pull apart is beasty! I can do a few sets of 12-15 on 4 springs so maybe I should try 5.
Hey alex. My question is regarding your current split: Why did you opt for an upper lower push pull instead of a pplpp? is it for joint health or are there other advantages?
and would you recommend it for a (late) intermediate lifter?
btw love your
videos! you've been a huge influence on my training style and I have to thank you for a lot of gains.
Hey Alex can novices do good mornings or should they stick to RDLs and SLDL Love your content bro
Yo Alex I love your videos man. Your style of training really has inspired me. . I wanted to ask what to do about my knee pain. Whenever I squat deep, even non weighted, my knee pain flares up. I’ve Been trying to do sissy squats to combat it, but idk if it’s enough. Many thanks
I'm not an expert but I tried the knee workouts from "kneeovertoesguy" and it did in fact work out. Try it out, it's simple, fast and make a huge difference for leg workouts.
I learned so much from you this year. Thank you for sharing your expierience Alex.
Behind the back is the way to go if your shoulders can handle it if they cant they probably just aren't strong enough. Feet out in smith sitting on floor and pressing with one arm is another nice variation core work and lats on stability.
Merry christmas and happy new year alex! Just one quick question for the next Q&A, if i can not do more than 12 body weight pull ups, should i be on lat pulldowns (i've heard tons of times the pull up vs lat pulldown debate but i cant really seem to get the "best option") OR should i stick with body weight pull ups until i hit 12 OR should i start adding weight, say in the 6-8 rep range. (considering im mostly aiming for hypertrophy, so not much singles or doubles). Thanks for everything, i definitely see you reaching 500k this 2024!!
- how many questions are asking for advice VS permission on whether xyz is good?
- how long does it take for you/others to hit all time PR’s on de-trained movement variations?
- your favourite way to teach atg squatting and bracing?
- your rate of rep drop-off set to set informing volume decisions?
Hey Alex, thanks for another useful q and a. I would like to ask how can we get heavy and be lean? I always see people bragging about being 200 pounds while beeping lean and I wonder how they do this? Thanks!!
Hey Alex! Thank you for the awesome content as always! I'm currenly doing one of the natural enhanced classic programs and one of them has 10 sets of close grip bench press which usually leaves my shoulders and triceps fried after doing them and that causes me to underperform in the following exercises. What is your on advice on improving on that?
What are your thoughts on running/ modifying Starting Strength for hypertrophy?
Hi Alex how would u Combining your new low volume approach with naturally enhanced / conjucate
- thoughts on the pullovers for lats/pecs/triceps biomechanics debate?
- how much SBD specificity would you retain in a long (1 year) off-season (primarily meant to grow) for PL?
- if gun to your head you had to coach enhanced pros, how/would you change any fundamental training principles or variables (for either lightly enhanced or open mass monster status)?
How would you program powerlifting and calistenics at the same time? Would you do the bodyweight exercises first or the compound Lift first?
hey Alex i am a 15 year old wrestler and i got concussed the day before thanksgiving (4 weeks as of wednesday) and haven’t been able to lift since then. i am currently in the low 170s and i wonder if i should still continue to cut (1-2 pounds per week). i have been lifting for 2 years (started in 8th grade) and have been watching your channel for a little over a year and you have been a huge inspiration for me and wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. much love from North Carolina
my advice for people who wanna progress to weighted dips while doing 10 bw dips is to try the ring dips
when I was able to do like 14 bw dips I got myself rings and started doing dips on them
some time later I was surprised how easy "normal" dips became
and I didn't have any problems although I used to do have sternum pain (I have also done dips in very stretched position with hands placed on the table and legs on the chair which I believe conditioned my sternum)
I get sternum pain from bodyweight dips no matter the form I use. I never feel it for the first few dip sessions. But over time the pain gets stronger and stronger.
Hey Alex love them Q&As!, how necessary is maxing out? while I like lifting, I'm interested in the general strength aspect for my sport specific drills. I'd also like to know what's my strength level compared with other lifters and i find that calculators are not as accurate. What other ways do you find are accurate to guess the strength level of people besides maxing out? Would also love to know your opinion on the matter
What do you think about a low volume and high frecuency aproach
If you do 2 sets of biceps in workout but you have a 5x frecuency when you train full body 5 days a week, at the end of the week you did 10 sets of biceps that is not a low weekly volume
And you can combine it with some kind of Mike Mentzer style of training
You train full body with a low daily volume and with high intensity
But you can train 5 or even 6 days per week
And in the end, the weekly volume is high but the low daily volume allows you to train harder every sesion
And you can even combine it with dup
You can train one day with a intensity aproach and the next day with a volume aproach and then again an intensity day, etc
What do you think about this kind of aproach? Is not a minimalistic style of training, cause the higher frecuency gives you space for doing more work
Hey alex, out of the natties I know, you are the only one with impressive lower traps, a muscle that gets neglected while the upper traps get all the love, do you have any tips/advanced tips/exercise selection to share?
Thank you for your work!
cuz hes the only one that can do proper form heavy pull ups
What is your opinion on using weighted levers, maces etc. in a context of general hypertrophy training?