I wanna be that old dude doing unilateral calisthenics/weighted calisthenics and using rings for my workouts Edit- and have cardio that puts the youngsters to shame
Alex when u do full body workouts, I notice you do ur pushes and pulls back to back. for ex OHP/Bench then chins/rows rather than a push/pull layout for ex OHP then chins then bench then rows etc. is there a specific reason for this?
Loved your questions, let's see more down below!! 0:05 Hey Alex, whilst doing an inverted row if I pull my face to the bar instead of chest, will that work the rear delts more? 0:45 Hey Alex, thoughts on doing presses and push up variations with reverse grip ? 1:48 Hey Alex, what do you think about doing shrugs (with straps) to failure, then rest without dropping the bar for 15-20 seconds and repeat for as many rounds as possible? 2:39 I would like to know if this method of training will work, so far I've done 3 weeks of an incline bench , 3 weeks of a close grip bench , then 3 weeks of a Swiss bar bench. Each week I am enduring linear progression and by week 3 everything is rpe 10. When I go back to the competition style bench press will I be stronger ? 4:32 Hey Alex i am experiencing pain in my shoulder when i bench because my gym doesnt have good take off points its either too little and i have to perform half a rep to lift it off or its too big and i lift off but lose too much tightness do u kno any way to get around this besides asking for a lift off? 6:03 Hey Alex would doing boxing/kickboxing for 20-30 minutes followed by a ten minute jog be sufficient for cardio and or fat lose? Or should I go harder (btw I’m 235lbs 5’9 and around 20-25% body fat) 6:52 Hey Alex, should you deadlifts on a leg or back day? 8:31 Can the neck grow just by stretching it with your hands? 9:18 Hey Alex, can a close grip bench press be a substitute for normal bench as it has better range of motion even though people consider this more of a tricep builder? 10:28 Had some bad leg cramps after 10 mile hike today. Never happened before. Any possible reasons and ways to stop happening in the future??? 11:48 Great video as always. My question is: I struggle with lockout on a Z-press without losing stability in my core and my lower body, is there any exercises or methods I can use to fix this? Thanks! 12:59 What do you think about doing lateral raises with bands every single day to get the aesthetics? 13:35 Could you integrate an arm day into concurrent periodisation for hypertrophy? 15:22 What are your thoughts of one arm pushups, a good exercise or better focusing on weighted push ups? 16:42 This high volume push ups and pull ups destroyed my elbows. Do you think using tempo which will drop reps by half will help reduce elbow pain? 17:55 Will high volume calisthenics with sets taken to failure have a significant impact on increasing strength and muscle mass? 19:02 Would you recommend a calorie surplus or maintenance when coming back to lifting after a long break to get the most out of muscle memory? 20:37 Do you think a workout that lasts around 1 and a half hours is too long I’m doing 7 workout 5x8-10 ad was wondering if I was taking too long 21:29 Do you only need protein supplements if you are a steroid user? That’s the conclusion I seem to be drawing upon.. 23:15 Hey Alex , if you could lose most your gains in exchange for adding 15 years to your life , would you do it ? (Your new physique would be a hollywood/male model look , late novice and lean )
Hey Alex, when on a lean bulk if my calories fluctuate from maintenance to surplus some days, is that okay as long as I'm a total 2000kcal or so surplus total by the end of the week
Hi alex, I've noticed that whenever i wear a necklace my neck looks really big. Did you ever consider jewellery or the type of clothes you wear to be part of the 'naturally enhanced' look/philosophy?
Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps? For example I do feet elevated close grip push ups twice a Week for multiple sets all to failure with 3-4minutes rest in between.I started off only being able to do 28 reps now I can do over a 100 in a row. This was over the past 8 months and I usually can do 1 or 2 more reps each workout than the previous. My chest , triceps and front delts have grown significantly and I have had zero pain. So is it possible that over use injuries only really occur while trying to lift heavier weights not more reps? I wasn’t a novice when I started training like this my max bench was 275. Love the channel thanks
The questions are very well selected Alex! But the answers are always even BETTER! My *question*..... How to increase grip strength, false grip strength especially!?
Hi Alex, I've trained for 3 months and I do Squat and zercher deadlift on Monday, Row and deadlift on Wed, Bench and Curl on Fri and Calisthenics and Cleans on Sun. I do Farmer walks all 4 days and on the off days I do some gpp like bag carry or boxing. Am I doing good?
Hey Alex, are plyometrics on volume day enough stimulation for your legs to develop? Other question, is it okay to switch up exercise order to focus more on powerlifting style of lifting? I'm talking about naturally enhanced ofc. I'd rather hit my squat movement first, then press, then hinge.
Great video Alex, so glad I found your channel, you're an inspiration to a novice like myself who barely got into lifting this year. Wishing you nothing but more success in the future man
I've always liked doing Full Body, Upper Lower, And Push, Pull, Legs workout routines. I feel lazy doing Bro splits🤷♂️. I'm glad us naturals got guys like you on UA-cam to actually give us legit advise. Always appreciating you brotha
Hey Alex, would you recommend doing pull ups with 4 variations (pull, chin, close grip, wide grip) till failure earlier in a day on top of the push/pull/leg split twice a week? Or would that impact my results when I do my main push/pull/leg workout? Thanks man love the channel
Hey Alex, I currently only have enough plates to do 225 lbs for my home gym. For Squats, do you think doing a 5x10 and eventually working up to 10x10 will still yield great results or would I be better off trying to get more out of less weight with exercises like Zercher Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats. Thanks bro.
Hey Alex, I’ve heard from people that doing lots of bodyweight squats won’t build the legs. Same for other basic calisthenics exercises. Do you think 30 down and higher volume workouts can be used to build muscle?
Hey Alex! Loving your novice program so far, reaching late novice in a few weeks. A few weeks ago I inflamed my piriformis muscle when doing the box squat. I did active recovery by doing high-rep good-girl bad-girl exercise using bands. It's less inflamed now and the pain is going away. Should I keep doing the good-girl bad-girl exercise now and what more can I do to minimize the risk of it happening again?
Hey Alex, I do full body 4 times a week, each workout is 5 supersets in this order: Pullups to Handstand pushups to Squats to Australian pullups "Horizontal pull" to Dips/Pushups to Lunges to Leg raises. Each exercise done to failure with no rest between exercises, then 1 minute rest between each set. Is this volume enough in your opinion? Thanks for the amazing content, excited for your calisthenics program next year. :)
Love your content man. 2 quick questions: 1. I always cramp up at the end of the leg day (especially hams and glutes). What could be the cause? (Yes, I eat optimally, hydrate enough and sleep enough 8+ hours). 2. If you have sore back/rear delts, can that affect the bench press? I'm doing pull/push in back to back days. (Cutting phase at the moment, helps with recovery PPL).
Hey alex, what would you recommend to do to improve the cardiovascular system&speed while minimize the recovery issue?. Im on upper/lower split(4 days, bulking) and want to improve at 1-2 km of runing without harm recovery(main goal hypertrophy)
You can have your typical diet, just make Everything plant based. Instead of rice and Chicken, make rice and tofu. Dont overcomplicate it. And if you want to gain weight/ hold your weight, have one Shake with oats, Proteinpowder, frozen berries, banana, seeds, oil and you are good to go!
Depends on the person. Someone is able to jump into it right away, someone needs to take it slowly. Just be educated before you do the switch, so you don't end up going back, when that could have been avoided.
if you are already eating lots of plant based foods, both in variety and frequency, you should be ok. if you are not, though, and need to include new foods, you need to take it slower for your microbiome to adapt little by little. otherwise you will have digestive problems. most likely a lot of farting and bloating.
Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps? For example I do feet elevated close grip push ups twice a Week for multiple sets all to failure with 3-4minutes rest in between.I started off only being able to do 28 reps now I can do over a 100 in a row. This was over the past 8 months and I usually can do 1 or 2 more reps each workout than the previous. My chest , triceps and front delts have grown significantly and I have had zero pain. So is it possible that over use injuries only really occur while trying to lift heavier weights not more reps? I wasn’t a novice when I started training like this my max bench was 275. Love the channel thanks
Hey Alex! I saw your 145 pound video. If someone had only 200 pounds to work with, is there anything different you would do to hit everything? Also, what split would you suggest for that?
Hey alex I do calisthenics & boxing I'd discovered lately that I have a really skinny wrists (6 inches) will that effect me ? And Can I get a bigger wrists by weight training ?
hi there Alex, i am debating trying out the smolov jr bench program, what are your thoughts on this program and would you recommend it to a beginner/ intermediate level lifter
Carbs for energy and recovery, so low carbs might mean a lack of energy/feeling of lethargy and worse recovery, I would split your macros at roughly 50% carbs 25% protein 25% fat.
in your home workouts you do intensity and volume on the same workout, is this fine or should i try to mix them? like .. doing handstand push ups one day, and then pike pushups high volume the next workout ?
Hi Alex. 1. What are better for carryover for flat bench? Incline db bench or barbell incline bench? 2. How heavy should your incline bench press be relative to flat bench?
Hey Alex, how high was your bench when you switched to OHP for a year? Made it to 250 but my sternum is really acting up, so I might do ohp exclusively for some time.
Hey alex what's the best way to get through an overhead press plateau? Ive been stuck at 145 for 5 reps for about half a year and ive tried multiple rep ranges. Im 170 lbs 5 ft 9. Should i just increase my pressing volume and frequency as i normally ohp once a week and bench once a week? I include other accessories such as weighted dips and incline presses. Thanks
What'up Alex. I always tune into your videos, they're so knowledgeable. I have a question, you might not want to talk about it though. I'm a big fan of Greg from Kinobody. I've followed his principles and programs for a few years now, and I like his idea of gaining strength and muscle. Low volume. However, I've been stuck for a long time now, at pretty low numbers. Would you discuss the pros and cons og his philosophy and how the heck he himself has been able to get to such a high strength level following his low-volume training routine?
Hi Alex, How woud you structure a prisoner style dip workout ? I reached the point when i am able to do 20 down dips, but i noticed that form breakdown occurs, because it's mentally hard for me to do 20 or more reps in a set. How would you change the set/rep scheme ?
hey alex! i have been doing bench specilization for the past 2 weeks,my bench max is 225 (2 weeks ago) i know 225x1 isnt intermediate for a grown up but im a teen so this is the int levell for me, in my specilization phase i talked with a couple super elite naturals,i know they are not roided this is 100% true knowledge and i talked about my idea for bench specilization witch are reverse wrist curls + weighted pushup planches as accesories,they said it was interesting and it would work,right now i feel like my stabilization is incredibly better and my wrist has went away not to mention my bench witch went from 200lbsx3 to 200lbsx5 in 1 week i just wanted you to know these!
Alex what would you think about three day conjugate system where you have one intensity day and two volume days(upper/lower for example) wouldn't more volume make the system better and also shorten the workouts as well?
Hey alex what do you think of the suitcase carry where you walk with one dumbell instead of 2. Is this better or worse then the normal farmer walks? I'm asking cuz I only have one dumbell and cant do farmer walks.
Greetings from Bahrain Alex. I'm in the military and am trying to go for special operations. I am 140 pounds, and want to get stronger but also want to increase push up repetitions and pull ups, hitting big numbers like 120 push ups in 2 minutes and 40 pull ups. I also need to get my run time faster for 1.5 miles. Would you recommend staying at 140 and getting as strong as possible at that weight, or is it possible to gain muscle mass while also achieving those high endurance scores? What type of workouts and frequency would you recommend? Thank you in advance. I've gotten mixed answers, and would like to hear your opinion.
Should you alternate between push and pull exercises in an upper body workout? Like push>pull>push>pull or push>push>pull>pull?On one side if you alternate,by the time you finish the one muscle group,the other will be ready and still strong,but if you do do them individually you maintain the pump but you are not as strong to go right to the next exercise for the same muscles,but maybe allowing for mechanical tension.Which way would be more effective?
Hi Alex! Much respect to you. I'm a huge fan of your work. I was wondering if you could help me with my strength training at home. Quarantine has been tough in the Philippines and I only have access to 5-90lbs dumbbells for weights. Upper body is good with calisthenics and weighted calisthenics via gymnast rings. What would be a good exercise selection for the legs? Esp for strength. I was squatting 300-305lbs before the quarantine hit. What would be good strength standards to aim for with the dumbbell based leg exercises? Thank you so much!
Hey Alex 1) What are your thoughts on creatine monohydrate? I’m a late novice and looking into buying some. 2) How the hell did you pulled off the double overhand Jefferson 605? Shit was impressive
Is the Pistol Squat where you sit on a box better or worse against the one where you are standing on top of it? I plan to do them weighted but i want to know if i have to work on my mobility more for the one standing. Sorry if bad english.
Hey Alex, as someone who is torso dominant and does calisthenics should I only do Chin Ups and Diamond while adding additional exercises for the arms( with the equipment being rings and light, medium, heavy and an extra heavy band ), and how do I prevent plateaus when doing weighted calisthenics, I could rep out chin ups with 15 lbs for a 4 x 8 and I feel like every week I could add 2.5, should I take a slow approach by going down in weight focus on tempo and technique to prevent imbalances and fix weaknesses, or go heavy each week to increase exercise intensity ???
Hey Alex, I had knee surgery and was told I won’t be able to do any squats/deads for a minimum of 4 months and then slowly work up from there, how would you recommend programming upper only to get maximum upper body gains in those 4 months without overtraining?
what doing you think about using candinto 6 week program for calisthenics? swapping out the bench for pullups and dips? also i tried to set up percentage of my 1rm but theyre way off, it estimates that i should be doing 6 reps at 95% 1rm, i tried all ways of calculating 1rm (including and excluding bodyweight)
Hey Alex, your thoughts on treating the weighted push ups as a competition lift? Would it be a good substitute to the bench press, if so, would it have a good carry over to it?
Greetings from Bahrain Alex. I'm in the military and am trying to go for special operations. I am 140 pounds, and want to get stronger but also want to increase push up repetitions and pull ups, hitting big numbers like 120 push ups in 2 minutes and 40 pull ups. I also need to get my run time faster for 1.5 miles. Would you recommend staying at 140 and getting as strong as possible at that weight, or is it possible to gain muscle mass while also achieving those high endurance scores? What type of workouts and frequency would you recommend? Thank you in advance. I've gotten mixed answers, and would like to hear your opinion.
Hey Alex currently running a high volume bro split (each group twice a week) with calisthenics at the end of each workout specific to the muscles worked that day. In your opinion is this is more or less effective than full body 2/3 times a week in regards to bulking/building muscle?
Do you think hex bar deadlifts and squats are a good leg builder? I'm limited to my bodyweight, a hex bar with 205, and dumbbells that range from 10s to 50s. I am afraid my legs will fall behind. Keep up the great content, man!
Hey Alex, what are common triggers for elbow tendonitis in your experience? I often have shooting pain in my triceps tendon as well as golfers and tennis elbow type pain, but this is only occasional and I don't know what triggers it or what is the best way to manage it or cure it.
Hey Alex, Whenever I'm doing box squats (i follow perfect form you showed with same details) my elbow position is uneven. what is most likely to be the cause and any tips to fix it? tnx, love from Iran
Hey Alex, thoughts on low frequency systems/training? I find it personally helps me stay motivated for the next session and really ensures my recovery is on point, along with other benefits.
Hey Alex, can I only do barbell hack squats and conventional deadlifts for my lower body? I really don't like the standard squat and wanted to know if I can cover all my bases with those two exercises.
How long did it take you to look like you lift, in a shirt. Like not under good lighting and with a pump, as a natural I think its a important point to talk about. Cheers man:)
If you have that bearmode physique you will look more jacked in a shirt vs a leaner more aesthetic look, but on average I would say if its a tight top and you have average genetics maybe 3 OPTIMAL years of lifting, otherwise it can take you an extra two years if you mess about.
Do you think 2 push and 2 pull bodyweight exercises with 3-5 sets to failiure 2x a week is enough? I killed it with the volume and got all kinds of elbow tendonitis
I've been doing neck curls for I think about 3 months now, about 3 times a week for a few sets, yet I see no difference in neck width. Should I up the volume? Should I try other methods for neck training? Is it a minor form of body dysmorphia, or lack of technique?
Hey Alex, since ive started training calisthenics (I think february), I havent trained my legs at all. They have gotten back to the size they were before I even started lifting. They naturaly arent tiny, but arent huge either. Is it possible for me to experience newbie gains again in them, even with caloric maintenance or a small deficit .
Alex im about 10lb off a 315lb, its been my dream goal since I started. I just cant progress any further. Do I keep pushing with the flat bench or come away for a little while and do paused or incline work. Currently benching 2x a week
I would highly suggest trying out paused work and dead bench and come back to flat bench in two or three months. Maybe try other exercises that carry over to a strong bench, like you say, incline work, perhaps weighted push ups, and in more general terms over and above everything else maybe more work on the secondary movers like a bit of extra work on the triceps and front delts, making sure you have strong stabilizers and rear delts decently matched back so there's no antagonistic imbalances. I would also take a week off before you begin trying these new things to get rid of any systemic fatigue you have build up so far.
Hey Alex, would you recommend that I do rack pulls as opposed to pulling from the floor if my leverages are so bad that my lower back rounds regardless of whether I pull conventional or sumo?
I would get your form perfect and pick the deadlift you feel most comfortable doing and do some lower back work and make your deadlifts lighter bro. Or stick a 45lbs plate under the plates when your lifting to make it a bit easier for you.
Hey Alex. In your how to fix APT video, you said to do reverse hypers, belt squats and lunges. How often should you do these exercises and how would you program it e.g. sets, reps, frequency etc? Thanks bro. Appreciate the content!
Thoughts on 5/2 fasting to leanbulk? Ex decent caloric surplus (approx 300-500cal) mon-fri, full body workouts on mon / weds, fast on sat / sun. You think it'll stall both fat loss and muscle gain or potentially work? Haven't seen this system talked about much. Think it may be a decent way to put on lean mass since you'll be in a surplus during recovery.
Hey Alex! Love these q&a videos. I’ve been lean bulking all year and over all it’s been going really well. I’ve been gaining a pound a month, and my strength and performance has steadily improved, except in my ab and core training. Is it normal for ab work to get more challenging at higher levels of body fat?
Hey Alex, what about the best way to bring up lagging rear delts that are not just cable rope facepulls and the rear delt fly machine, any inventive ways that you have found help a lot? Also optimal volume for rear delts per week?
Hey Alex, what are your thoughts on exclusively training with sandbags and gymnastic rings? This is all I literally have in my home gym and I'm wondering how far I can go in terms of strength and aesthetics.
Hey Alex, I’m doing PPL two times a week. The first time in the week I use heavy weight low reps (around 2-5) and then next time I do more volume. Would you consider that optimal?
what's optimal for another might not be optimal for you, everybody is different, so don't worry too much about being optimal. As long as you are making progress and you are enjoying it, then it works
I am doing barbell shrugs with 12 kgs everyday with 1 rep and 1 sec hold and so on for 15 to 20 rep /sec is it enough for big traps also what about banded facepulls everday and 10 rounds for sprinting with 20 sec full and 90 sec break Currently am overweight but has seen much progress after adding some things u told in the channel thanks brother
Bro following ur novice program but how to include deload week?I decreased my volume but kept my intensity and during the week the loads are static and after the deload should I get right back into linear progress?And do U hv any update on ur novice program?
Hey Alex, I'm forced to train at home like many others. I only have 135 lbs weights and some resistance bands now. How can I strenghten my posterior chain with what I got optimally?
absolutely you progress faster when you do it more often, but don't just bench heavy 3x a week, you might get overuse injuries. Bench 3x a week, but change the variations and percentages
Yes but I would bench with slight variations and would probably only run this very specific kind of "bench orientated split" for 8-10 weeks and the sessions would probably be maybe 3 or 4 sets but 80%-85% per session.
Hey Alex! Do you have any tips for those who work labor intensive jobs? I've been doing 4 days Upper/Lower + 2 days Accessories per week and 50 minutes of cardio everyday on top of working 6 days/week, 8 hours shifts on a fairly physically demanding job. Currently on 3000kcal, which is maintanace/Slight Déficit, weight and measures going down, numbers on the program going up. Wonder if you have any recovery/nutritional/general wisdom to share about balancing that kind of job with a healthy exercise routine! Have a good one!
Is it possible to build a big back without pull ups? I only have a barbell and some dumbells but I'm worried that I wont get wide without doing pullups.
Hey Alex, in my current routine Im doing the classic barbell lifts 3x8-12 increasing the weight each set and some weighted calisthenics 3x10 keeping the same weight on my body. Is this a bad or glaringly inefficient way to train? Thanks for the great content my man
one question. Are you making progress? If the answer is yes, then it works. you are doing classic bodybuilding set/rep scheme, so why would it be inefficient?
Thoughts on RPE vs going harder than last time? I see the 2 Jeffs and Greg the doc talking about this. Interested on your take.
Yea I'd definitely would like to see his take on that.
This has always bothered me as well
These aren’t mutually exclusive
Sounds like a great way to not hit reps or add plates imo.
Jeff Riggins RPE is effective tho
Alternative title: Canadian LumberJack answers questions about exercises to help with chopping wood
Alternative alternative title: Canadian lumberjack gives exercise advice so good the trees chop themselves
We're in this for life. I wanna be that old dude that has people surprised by how much weight I got on the bar
Hell yeahhh
exactly why we needa prioritize longevity
I wanna be that old dude doing unilateral calisthenics/weighted calisthenics and using rings for my workouts
Edit- and have cardio that puts the youngsters to shame
I just want to live a long and healthy life
Are you the real Marvelous Marvin Haggler from the City of Champions?
Training for life. That’s the passion and culture I respect about your channel. Right on man.
What a great way to end off the video. Let go of "when" & just enjoy the process.
Bro, mad respect. You followed through with your company. You and the company grew up to it’s name. 🙏🏼
Preciate that Gian
Alex when u do full body workouts, I notice you do ur pushes and pulls back to back. for ex OHP/Bench then chins/rows rather than a push/pull layout for ex OHP then chins then bench then rows etc. is there a specific reason for this?
Loved your questions, let's see more down below!!
0:05 Hey Alex, whilst doing an inverted row if I pull my face to the bar instead of chest, will that work the rear delts more?
0:45 Hey Alex, thoughts on doing presses and push up variations with reverse grip ?
1:48 Hey Alex, what do you think about doing shrugs (with straps) to failure, then rest without dropping the bar for 15-20 seconds and repeat for as many rounds as possible?
2:39 I would like to know if this method of training will work, so far I've done 3 weeks of an incline bench , 3 weeks of a close grip bench , then 3 weeks of a Swiss bar bench. Each week I am enduring linear progression and by week 3 everything is rpe 10. When I go back to the competition style bench press will I be stronger ?
4:32 Hey Alex i am experiencing pain in my shoulder when i bench because my gym doesnt have good take off points its either too little and i have to perform half a rep to lift it off or its too big and i lift off but lose too much tightness do u kno any way to get around this besides asking for a lift off?
6:03 Hey Alex would doing boxing/kickboxing for 20-30 minutes followed by a ten minute jog be sufficient for cardio and or fat lose? Or should I go harder (btw I’m 235lbs 5’9 and around 20-25% body fat)
6:52 Hey Alex, should you deadlifts on a leg or back day?
8:31 Can the neck grow just by stretching it with your hands?
9:18 Hey Alex, can a close grip bench press be a substitute for normal bench as it has better range of motion even though people consider this more of a tricep builder?
10:28 Had some bad leg cramps after 10 mile hike today. Never happened before. Any possible reasons and ways to stop happening in the future???
11:48 Great video as always. My question is: I struggle with lockout on a Z-press without losing stability in my core and my lower body, is there any exercises or methods I can use to fix this? Thanks!
12:59 What do you think about doing lateral raises with bands every single day to get the aesthetics?
13:35 Could you integrate an arm day into concurrent periodisation for hypertrophy?
15:22 What are your thoughts of one arm pushups, a good exercise or better focusing on weighted push ups?
16:42 This high volume push ups and pull ups destroyed my elbows. Do you think using tempo which will drop reps by half will help reduce elbow pain?
17:55 Will high volume calisthenics with sets taken to failure have a significant impact on increasing strength and muscle mass?
19:02 Would you recommend a calorie surplus or maintenance when coming back to lifting after a long break to get the most out of muscle memory?
20:37 Do you think a workout that lasts around 1 and a half hours is too long I’m doing 7 workout 5x8-10 ad was wondering if I was taking too long
21:29 Do you only need protein supplements if you are a steroid user? That’s the conclusion I seem to be drawing upon..
23:15 Hey Alex , if you could lose most your gains in exchange for adding 15 years to your life , would you do it ? (Your new physique would be a hollywood/male model look , late novice and lean )
Hey Alex, when on a lean bulk if my calories fluctuate from maintenance to surplus some days, is that okay as long as I'm a total 2000kcal or so surplus total by the end of the week
Hey Alex when doing weighted pushups with a rucksack at home, you won't be able to retract your shoulders properly, is that okay?
Hi alex, I've noticed that whenever i wear a necklace my neck looks really big. Did you ever consider jewellery or the type of clothes you wear to be part of the 'naturally enhanced' look/philosophy?
can you make a make significant changes in your physique using only a bar with a pair of 10 kg????
Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps? For example I do feet elevated close grip push ups twice a Week for multiple sets all to failure with 3-4minutes rest in between.I started off only being able to do 28 reps now I can do over a 100 in a row. This was over the past 8 months and I usually can do 1 or 2 more reps each workout than the previous. My chest , triceps and front delts have grown significantly and I have had zero pain. So is it possible that over use injuries only really occur while trying to lift heavier weights not more reps? I wasn’t a novice when I started training like this my max bench was 275. Love the channel thanks
The questions are very well selected Alex! But the answers are always even BETTER!
My *question*..... How to increase grip strength, false grip strength especially!?
Thanks for always making these high quality videos, your saving us beginners years
Hi Alex, I've trained for 3 months and I do Squat and zercher deadlift on Monday, Row and deadlift on Wed, Bench and Curl on Fri and Calisthenics and Cleans on Sun. I do Farmer walks all 4 days and on the off days I do some gpp like bag carry or boxing. Am I doing good?
Hey Alex, have gotten hemorrhoids from I think squatting too heavy. Any tips on dealing with it and how this could be prevented in the future?
Hey Alex, are plyometrics on volume day enough stimulation for your legs to develop? Other question, is it okay to switch up exercise order to focus more on powerlifting style of lifting? I'm talking about naturally enhanced ofc. I'd rather hit my squat movement first, then press, then hinge.
Great video Alex, so glad I found your channel, you're an inspiration to a novice like myself who barely got into lifting this year. Wishing you nothing but more success in the future man
I've always liked doing Full Body, Upper Lower, And Push, Pull, Legs workout routines. I feel lazy doing Bro splits🤷♂️. I'm glad us naturals got guys like you on UA-cam to actually give us legit advise. Always appreciating you brotha
Hey Alex, would you recommend doing pull ups with 4 variations (pull, chin, close grip, wide grip) till failure earlier in a day on top of the push/pull/leg split twice a week? Or would that impact my results when I do my main push/pull/leg workout? Thanks man love the channel
Hey Alex, I currently only have enough plates to do 225 lbs for my home gym. For Squats, do you think doing a 5x10 and eventually working up to 10x10 will still yield great results or would I be better off trying to get more out of less weight with exercises like Zercher Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats. Thanks bro.
Hey Alex, I’ve heard from people that doing lots of bodyweight squats won’t build the legs. Same for other basic calisthenics exercises. Do you think 30 down and higher volume workouts can be used to build muscle?
Hey Alex! Loving your novice program so far, reaching late novice in a few weeks. A few weeks ago I inflamed my piriformis muscle when doing the box squat. I did active recovery by doing high-rep good-girl bad-girl exercise using bands. It's less inflamed now and the pain is going away. Should I keep doing the good-girl bad-girl exercise now and what more can I do to minimize the risk of it happening again?
Could you make a vid about the negative effects of smoking both for health and maybe even muscle/strenght gaining standpoint? Maybe it’l make me quit.
Wow Alex great answers! Thank you man, so much information.
Hey Alex, I do full body 4 times a week, each workout is 5 supersets in this order: Pullups to Handstand pushups to Squats to Australian pullups "Horizontal pull" to Dips/Pushups to Lunges to Leg raises. Each exercise done to failure with no rest between exercises, then 1 minute rest between each set. Is this volume enough in your opinion? Thanks for the amazing content, excited for your calisthenics program next year. :)
Very great advice man! You are doing good job at helping people
Love your content man. 2 quick questions:
1. I always cramp up at the end of the leg day (especially hams and glutes). What could be the cause? (Yes, I eat optimally, hydrate enough and sleep enough 8+ hours).
2. If you have sore back/rear delts, can that affect the bench press? I'm doing pull/push in back to back days. (Cutting phase at the moment, helps with recovery PPL).
Hey alex, what would you recommend to do to improve the cardiovascular system&speed while minimize the recovery issue?. Im on upper/lower split(4 days, bulking) and want to improve at 1-2 km of runing without harm recovery(main goal hypertrophy)
Alpha, how would you recommend someone make the switch to “plant based” diet? All in switch immediately? Or is there a better way to make the switch?
You can have your typical diet, just make Everything plant based.
Instead of rice and Chicken, make rice and tofu. Dont overcomplicate it. And if you want to gain weight/ hold your weight, have one Shake with oats, Proteinpowder, frozen berries, banana, seeds, oil and you are good to go!
Depends on the person. Someone is able to jump into it right away, someone needs to take it slowly. Just be educated before you do the switch, so you don't end up going back, when that could have been avoided.
if you are already eating lots of plant based foods, both in variety and frequency, you should be ok. if you are not, though, and need to include new foods, you need to take it slower for your microbiome to adapt little by little. otherwise you will have digestive problems. most likely a lot of farting and bloating.
Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps? For example I do feet elevated close grip push ups twice a Week for multiple sets all to failure with 3-4minutes rest in between.I started off only being able to do 28 reps now I can do over a 100 in a row. This was over the past 8 months and I usually can do 1 or 2 more reps each workout than the previous. My chest , triceps and front delts have grown significantly and I have had zero pain. So is it possible that over use injuries only really occur while trying to lift heavier weights not more reps? I wasn’t a novice when I started training like this my max bench was 275. Love the channel thanks
Hey Alex! I saw your 145 pound video. If someone had only 200 pounds to work with, is there anything different you would do to hit everything? Also, what split would you suggest for that?
Hey alex
I do calisthenics & boxing I'd discovered lately that I have a really skinny wrists (6 inches) will that effect me ? And Can I get a bigger wrists by weight training ?
Hey Alex 💪
What are your thoughts about 10 down superset RTO DIPS / PULL UPS, face pulls to finish. 3x / week ?
Love your channel from France
hi there Alex, i am debating trying out the smolov jr bench program, what are your thoughts on this program and would you recommend it to a beginner/ intermediate level lifter
Hey Alex, how do you suggest implementing cardio on your novice program?
Hey Alex, what is the role of carbs in training? How much do I need and can I just eat fruits and vegetables instead?
I wanna see what he says about that
very important and efficient source of energy. obviously you want all your macronutrients but some fruits and vegetables are more fast acting.
Carbs for energy and recovery, so low carbs might mean a lack of energy/feeling of lethargy and worse recovery, I would split your macros at roughly 50% carbs 25% protein 25% fat.
in your home workouts you do intensity and volume on the same workout, is this fine or should i try to mix them? like .. doing handstand push ups one day, and then pike pushups high volume the next workout ?
Hi Alex.
1. What are better for carryover for flat bench? Incline db bench or barbell incline bench?
2. How heavy should your incline bench press be relative to flat bench?
Hey Alex, how high was your bench when you switched to OHP for a year? Made it to 250 but my sternum is really acting up, so I might do ohp exclusively for some time.
Hey alex what's the best way to get through an overhead press plateau? Ive been stuck at 145 for 5 reps for about half a year and ive tried multiple rep ranges. Im 170 lbs 5 ft 9. Should i just increase my pressing volume and frequency as i normally ohp once a week and bench once a week? I include other accessories such as weighted dips and incline presses. Thanks
What'up Alex. I always tune into your videos, they're so knowledgeable. I have a question, you might not want to talk about it though. I'm a big fan of Greg from Kinobody. I've followed his principles and programs for a few years now, and I like his idea of gaining strength and muscle. Low volume. However, I've been stuck for a long time now, at pretty low numbers. Would you discuss the pros and cons og his philosophy and how the heck he himself has been able to get to such a high strength level following his low-volume training routine?
Yo Alex thank you for the motivation bro, It’s really keeping me going during these tough times with my gym being closed💯
Hi Alex,
How woud you structure a prisoner style dip workout ? I reached the point when i am able to do 20 down dips, but i noticed that form breakdown occurs, because it's mentally hard for me to do 20 or more reps in a set. How would you change the set/rep scheme ?
hey alex! i have been doing bench specilization for the past 2 weeks,my bench max is 225 (2 weeks ago) i know 225x1 isnt intermediate for a grown up but im a teen so this is the int levell for me,
in my specilization phase i talked with a couple super elite naturals,i know they are not roided this is 100% true knowledge and i talked about my idea for bench specilization witch are reverse wrist curls + weighted pushup planches as accesories,they said it was interesting and it would work,right now i feel like my stabilization is incredibly better and my wrist has went away not to mention my bench witch went from 200lbsx3 to 200lbsx5 in 1 week i just wanted you to know these!
Hey Alex, first of all how are you these days :)? And second, why are Pendlay rows good accessory movement for deads?
Alex what would you think about three day conjugate system where you have one intensity day and two volume days(upper/lower for example) wouldn't more volume make the system better and also shorten the workouts as well?
Great info as always
Where i noticed the most change is, actualy, your beard, huge development through the years
Hey alex what do you think of the suitcase carry where you walk with one dumbell instead of 2. Is this better or worse then the normal farmer walks? I'm asking cuz I only have one dumbell and cant do farmer walks.
Greetings from Bahrain Alex. I'm in the military and am trying to go for special operations. I am 140 pounds, and want to get stronger but also want to increase push up repetitions and pull ups, hitting big numbers like 120 push ups in 2 minutes and 40 pull ups. I also need to get my run time faster for 1.5 miles. Would you recommend staying at 140 and getting as strong as possible at that weight, or is it possible to gain muscle mass while also achieving those high endurance scores? What type of workouts and frequency would you recommend? Thank you in advance. I've gotten mixed answers, and would like to hear your opinion.
Should you alternate between push and pull exercises in an upper body workout? Like push>pull>push>pull or push>push>pull>pull?On one side if you alternate,by the time you finish the one muscle group,the other will be ready and still strong,but if you do do them individually you maintain the pump but you are not as strong to go right to the next exercise for the same muscles,but maybe allowing for mechanical tension.Which way would be more effective?
Hi Alex! Much respect to you. I'm a huge fan of your work. I was wondering if you could help me with my strength training at home. Quarantine has been tough in the Philippines and I only have access to 5-90lbs dumbbells for weights.
Upper body is good with calisthenics and weighted calisthenics via gymnast rings.
What would be a good exercise selection for the legs? Esp for strength. I was squatting 300-305lbs before the quarantine hit.
What would be good strength standards to aim for with the dumbbell based leg exercises?
Thank you so much!
Hey Alex
1) What are your thoughts on creatine monohydrate? I’m a late novice and looking into buying some.
2) How the hell did you pulled off the double overhand Jefferson 605? Shit was impressive
Yes def buy creatine my guy.
@@blairmonkman7507 thanks Blair! Have a good day man
Is the Pistol Squat where you sit on a box better or worse against the one where you are standing on top of it? I plan to do them weighted but i want to know if i have to work on my mobility more for the one standing.
Sorry if bad english.
Hey Alex, as someone who is torso dominant and does calisthenics should I only do Chin Ups and Diamond while adding additional exercises for the arms( with the equipment being rings and light, medium, heavy and an extra heavy band ), and how do I prevent plateaus when doing weighted calisthenics, I could rep out chin ups with 15 lbs for a 4 x 8 and I feel like every week I could add 2.5, should I take a slow approach by going down in weight focus on tempo and technique to prevent imbalances and fix weaknesses, or go heavy each week to increase exercise intensity ???
Hey Alex, I had knee surgery and was told I won’t be able to do any squats/deads for a minimum of 4 months and then slowly work up from there, how would you recommend programming upper only to get maximum upper body gains in those 4 months without overtraining?
what doing you think about using candinto 6 week program for calisthenics? swapping out the bench for pullups and dips? also i tried to set up percentage of my 1rm but theyre way off, it estimates that i should be doing 6 reps at 95% 1rm, i tried all ways of calculating 1rm (including and excluding bodyweight)
I can hear the Goggins inspiration in that last answer :D
How so...
S T A Y
H A R D
Hey Alex, your thoughts on treating the weighted push ups as a competition lift? Would it be a good substitute to the bench press, if so, would it have a good carry over to it?
Yes, but your core can be a limiting factor when going super heavy. Dips? definitely, as you're not in a plank like motion as in a push up.
Greetings from Bahrain Alex. I'm in the military and am trying to go for special operations. I am 140 pounds, and want to get stronger but also want to increase push up repetitions and pull ups, hitting big numbers like 120 push ups in 2 minutes and 40 pull ups. I also need to get my run time faster for 1.5 miles. Would you recommend staying at 140 and getting as strong as possible at that weight, or is it possible to gain muscle mass while also achieving those high endurance scores? What type of workouts and frequency would you recommend? Thank you in advance. I've gotten mixed answers, and would like to hear your opinion.
Hey Alex currently running a high volume bro split (each group twice a week) with calisthenics at the end of each workout specific to the muscles worked that day. In your opinion is this is more or less effective than full body 2/3 times a week in regards to bulking/building muscle?
Do you think hex bar deadlifts and squats are a good leg builder? I'm limited to my bodyweight, a hex bar with 205, and dumbbells that range from 10s to 50s. I am afraid my legs will fall behind. Keep up the great content, man!
u could do lunges with ur dumbells or do high volume every day body weight squats like 30 down
Hey Alex, what are common triggers for elbow tendonitis in your experience? I often have shooting pain in my triceps tendon as well as golfers and tennis elbow type pain, but this is only occasional and I don't know what triggers it or what is the best way to manage it or cure it.
Hi Alex, What do you suggest for Protein supplements? Any particular brand of powder you recommend?
Whey protein (isolate) and creatine is all u need bro. All the best.
Hey Alex, Whenever I'm doing box squats (i follow perfect form you showed with same details) my elbow position is uneven. what is most likely to be the cause and any tips to fix it? tnx, love from Iran
Hey Alex, thoughts on low frequency systems/training? I find it personally helps me stay motivated for the next session and really ensures my recovery is on point, along with other benefits.
I'm trying to make one right now myself I think it seems like a good idea if your okay with a lack of focus on specific body parts.
Hey Alex, is a couple of bands enough to increase my neck size at home?
Thanks, love from Serbia 💪
How do you set it up with bands
@@rampagesmackssons508 only place i have is a pullup bar
Do you know about headbangers?
Tons of repetition, enough rest, make progress, you cound build a thick neck
Hey Alex, can I only do barbell hack squats and conventional deadlifts for my lower body? I really don't like the standard squat and wanted to know if I can cover all my bases with those two exercises.
How long did it take you to look like you lift, in a shirt. Like not under good lighting and with a pump, as a natural I think its a important point to talk about. Cheers man:)
Get past the novice phase
when ur lean and ur bmi is 25+ that usually does it
If you have that bearmode physique you will look more jacked in a shirt vs a leaner more aesthetic look, but on average I would say if its a tight top and you have average genetics maybe 3 OPTIMAL years of lifting, otherwise it can take you an extra two years if you mess about.
Several years. That shit does not come over night.. consistency
Hey Alex, what would you say has more hypertrophy benefits, dipping 135 for reps, or benching 225 for reps? (I’m 155 around 9-10% bf)
I'm not alex but your BW would matter on the difficulty of the dips
Depends how much you weigh for the dips
I'd say dipping due to the total weight being more,as well as a deeper stretch
Do you think 2 push and 2 pull bodyweight exercises with 3-5 sets to failiure 2x a week is enough? I killed it with the volume and got all kinds of elbow tendonitis
@lilsma 333 why so, if you don't mind answering
@@magikarp1666 Probably overuse injury if its every day.
I've been doing neck curls for I think about 3 months now, about 3 times a week for a few sets, yet I see no difference in neck width. Should I up the volume? Should I try other methods for neck training? Is it a minor form of body dysmorphia, or lack of technique?
Hey Alex, since ive started training calisthenics (I think february), I havent trained my legs at all. They have gotten back to the size they were before I even started lifting. They naturaly arent tiny, but arent huge either. Is it possible for me to experience newbie gains again in them, even with caloric maintenance or a small deficit .
Does deficit HSPU somewhat equals to BW OHP? Also what do you think about ironwolf?(high rep burpees and calisthenics)
Alex im about 10lb off a 315lb, its been my dream goal since I started. I just cant progress any further. Do I keep pushing with the flat bench or come away for a little while and do paused or incline work. Currently benching 2x a week
I would highly suggest trying out paused work and dead bench and come back to flat bench in two or three months. Maybe try other exercises that carry over to a strong bench, like you say, incline work, perhaps weighted push ups, and in more general terms over and above everything else maybe more work on the secondary movers like a bit of extra work on the triceps and front delts, making sure you have strong stabilizers and rear delts decently matched back so there's no antagonistic imbalances. I would also take a week off before you begin trying these new things to get rid of any systemic fatigue you have build up so far.
Hey Alex, would you recommend that I do rack pulls as opposed to pulling from the floor if my leverages are so bad that my lower back rounds regardless of whether I pull conventional or sumo?
I would get your form perfect and pick the deadlift you feel most comfortable doing and do some lower back work and make your deadlifts lighter bro. Or stick a 45lbs plate under the plates when your lifting to make it a bit easier for you.
I love this guy
How often should i train for one arm chin up,i can do negative for 4-5 seconds already,and how would you structure the routine
If you really want to on back day do underhand grip lat pull down for double your body weight, work up to it
Alex, Do you see any benefit in using the Machine leg press?
Hey Alex. In your how to fix APT video, you said to do reverse hypers, belt squats and lunges. How often should you do these exercises and how would you program it e.g. sets, reps, frequency etc? Thanks bro. Appreciate the content!
Hi Alex, what are your thoughts on reverde pyramid training? Say 2x5, 2x8, 2x12 reps?
Hey Alex, can you talk about tendinitis in the shoulder? Like how to do push motions with tendinitis ? Or does tendinitis go away?
Thank you for all such information
Thoughts on 5/2 fasting to leanbulk? Ex decent caloric surplus (approx 300-500cal) mon-fri, full body workouts on mon / weds, fast on sat / sun. You think it'll stall both fat loss and muscle gain or potentially work? Haven't seen this system talked about much. Think it may be a decent way to put on lean mass since you'll be in a surplus during recovery.
Hey Alex! Love these q&a videos.
I’ve been lean bulking all year and over all it’s been going really well. I’ve been gaining a pound a month, and my strength and performance has steadily improved, except in my ab and core training. Is it normal for ab work to get more challenging at higher levels of body fat?
15:22 THANK YOU for answering my question. Love your channel!!
Hey Alex, what about the best way to bring up lagging rear delts that are not just cable rope facepulls and the rear delt fly machine, any inventive ways that you have found help a lot? Also optimal volume for rear delts per week?
heavy barbell row gives you the most amount of mass on your rear delts
@@ollvi Even though its not an isolation?
Hey Alex, what are your thoughts on exclusively training with sandbags and gymnastic rings? This is all I literally have in my home gym and I'm wondering how far I can go in terms of strength and aesthetics.
Alex are there any differences in programming pulling and pushing exercises due to the different strength curves (eg programming for chins/dips?
Hey Alex, are weighted scapular pull ups a good upper back/trap builder?
Hey Alex! I'm unable to train anything overhead or any delt isolations due to injury, what is the best way for me to still build my delts?
Hey Alex, I’m doing PPL two times a week. The first time in the week I use heavy weight low reps (around 2-5) and then next time I do more volume. Would you consider that optimal?
what's optimal for another might not be optimal for you, everybody is different, so don't worry too much about being optimal. As long as you are making progress and you are enjoying it, then it works
I am doing barbell shrugs with 12 kgs everyday with 1 rep and 1 sec hold and so on for 15 to 20 rep /sec is it enough for big traps also what about banded facepulls everday and 10 rounds for sprinting with 20 sec full and 90 sec break
Currently am overweight but has seen much progress after adding some things u told in the channel thanks brother
Bro following ur novice program but how to include deload week?I decreased my volume but kept my intensity and during the week the loads are static and after the deload should I get right back into linear progress?And do U hv any update on ur novice program?
Hey Alex, I'm forced to train at home like many others. I only have 135 lbs weights and some resistance bands now. How can I strenghten my posterior chain with what I got optimally?
Coming back from an injury, thoughts on doing 6 months of favoring calisthenics for the upper body? Calisthenics less likely to cause an injury?
Would weighted inverted rows on rings be a better substitute to the barbell row?
Hey Alex,
Will benching 3x week increase your bench faster than 2x? And how do you like to incorporate 3 sets of 3 at 90%?
If you want to increase your bench, do military,,incline, deadlifts etc.
absolutely you progress faster when you do it more often, but don't just bench heavy 3x a week, you might get overuse injuries. Bench 3x a week, but change the variations and percentages
Yes but I would bench with slight variations and would probably only run this very specific kind of "bench orientated split" for 8-10 weeks and the sessions would probably be maybe 3 or 4 sets but 80%-85% per session.
Hey Alex i have been skilling legs mist of 2020 except the last couple weeks and i am wondering if I can make noob gains on Them?
AD, when writing up full body programs how many exercises per body part would you add in? Cheers!
Hey Alex! Do you have any tips for those who work labor intensive jobs? I've been doing 4 days Upper/Lower + 2 days Accessories per week and 50 minutes of cardio everyday on top of working 6 days/week, 8 hours shifts on a fairly physically demanding job. Currently on 3000kcal, which is maintanace/Slight Déficit, weight and measures going down, numbers on the program going up. Wonder if you have any recovery/nutritional/general wisdom to share about balancing that kind of job with a healthy exercise routine! Have a good one!
Is it possible to build a big back without pull ups? I only have a barbell and some dumbells but I'm worried that I wont get wide without doing pullups.
yes its enough just try to isolate your lats as much as you can with the dumbbells.
Hey Alex, in my current routine Im doing the classic barbell lifts 3x8-12 increasing the weight each set and some weighted calisthenics 3x10 keeping the same weight on my body. Is this a bad or glaringly inefficient way to train? Thanks for the great content my man
one question. Are you making progress? If the answer is yes, then it works. you are doing classic bodybuilding set/rep scheme, so why would it be inefficient?