Has this genjutsu affected you too? If so, this video will help you break out of it. 0:25 Frequent Maxing 3:38 RPE 10 Lie 4:22 Dangers 5:58 Ego Lifting 7:50 Troubleshooting 10:08 Conclusion PS: Not forcing/imposing ME method or concurrent/Bulgarian on anyone. You train how you want. I'm simply examining the topic from an objective point of view.
It is crazy that ALpha and Eric have not done some collabs yet. One of you guys needs to buy a ticket and do this! Could be a good time to get out of MTL Alpha, must be freeeezing now.
Remember: A newborn baby can´t even lift it´s own head, because the head is too heavy and the neck muscles are too weak. It fails. But over time it tries to lift it´s head on a reagular basis, it increases the range of motion, and one day it works (1st 1rep max on a neck extension). So if a baby can do a 1 rep max, you can too.
AlphaDestiny's channel is slowly becoming the most popular fitness youtube channel on the internet, from such humble beginnings! Keep it going bro, and keep the gains coming, you're looking preety jacked, especially neck and traps lol!!!
Max effort is like opening Kurama's seal and obtaining all that power. Like Naruto, if you don't do it properly and control the beast, of course you're gonna be screwed.
I swear to god, this is the best UA-cam channel ever, not just in the lifting scene, but overall. Top notch information, no BS and no annoying advertisements/product placements. You're a great guy, Alex. Your loved one's are blessed. Have a wonderful holiday and all the best in 2018 brother!
And from the gyms I have gone to, most guys who are lifting for the aesthetic aspect don't give a single shit about strength. I used to go to the gym thinking "I'll lift and get ripped" and I ended up just not working out. Being strength orientated has made me love the gym, and one of the biggest reasons is testing myself with 95% up.
But having aesthetics in itself needs you to be strong. Wtf is with all this Aesthetics shit. Get strong and add ya BB exercises after for looks, it’s that simple.
Nice to see you debunking these misconceptions! Personally I run NE and max out every Monday and rotate the lifts on a weekly basis. No pains just gains.
Concurrent has given me so many gains over the last 6 months. Powerlifter here, so it may not translate as well to recreational lifters, but having a heavy day and a volume day has blown all my lifts up. My heavy day consists of triples and frequent heavy singles. Thanks Alex for showing everybody such a great programming style.
C D volume days are 4x8 for compound lifts (main lifts) and 5x12 on muscle group specific gifts. I run antagonistic muscle group super sets, and a 4 day full body split. (Intensity/Rest/Volume/Rest repeat) 1 exercise per muscle group (except legs with a squat/deadlift variation or both everyday). I end with around 16 working sets per muscle group every week. Really enjoying it so far. Full body concurrent is the way to go.
I max out on every single lift on my Intensity Days (Excluding my accessory, lower back, and ab work) and I’ve never gained strength this fast! The increased strength also carries over to my Volume Days very well.
I had always been told that maxing out was not good. It meant that I almost never tried doing it. Now that I have begun maxing out I realize how afraid I were of max loads. How unfamiliar and unconfident i were with grinding out max attempts. It has really built my confidence, my ability to struggle under a heavy load and it has increased my strength to incorporate the ME method.
I 100% agree with you man. Fatigue / high rep training can def lead to injuries much easier than a 1 rep max that you know you're capable of getting. This happened to me about 2 years ago, i dislocated my left shoulder socket doing high rep / high set shoulder presses. A 1 rep max you know you're capable of performing is much more beneficial for overall strength gains, but for muscular growth isn't the greatest imho
Finally, someone is talking about this I always hear people in the gym saying you should not max out often because it will affect your gains, like what?? makes no sense, great vid as always Alex!
You are 100% right. There is no way to justify these myths, it appears to be a case of false correlation. Fact: People max out and some get hurt False -> conclusion: It was because they maxed out. How about breakdown in form, warmup, how you feel that day, spotter, state of your CNS, where you are in your training cycle and a milltion other factors. When I read about this I accepted this type of logic for 2 bad reasons 1) on the surface it makes sense and is observable. 2) It justifies less intense workouts/a degree of laziness. However when I did the same workout 5-6 days a week, and ended some movements with 3 sets of max effort singles, I was stronger the next session. My question regarding this phenonemon was always: If you can adapt over the course of several weeks to shorter rest intervals, higher reps, and higher weights then why is it not possible to adapt to handling maxing out? However I am still below novice standards, so I will see over the coming years how this works for me.
Just comparing your current videos to a couple of years back shows how much you've progressed Alex ! So much more mature and professional, not to mention all those gains. I love it, you inspire me to improve myself.
I mean, as Alex preachers, you want to incorporate a nice balance between intensity and volume. But personally, I hate the feel of lots of reps. I'd rather squat 315 for 3 that 135 for 20.
Austin Novodvorsky Pure facts right there. You also feel like a complete beast after hitting a 1RM, because you psyched yourself up so much to complete it.
Alex, love your pull no punches approach, telling us what we need to hear and not necessarily what we want to hear. Nothing more instructive than honesty based on real experience. Thanks for your efforts.
This is by far my favorite video! Keep it up. I actually made most of my gains in strength/size through 10+ sets per exercise of near my max and maxed out several times a week for months. I've for the most part always followed the strongman/old time strongman training methods, strongman is where it's at for sure. Thanks for the content.
i start off by maxing and if i like the lift i do it again. sometimes i start off weak but lately I've started off strong. for example the first time i tried zercher squats from the floor yesterday i hit 515. but i don't do bulgarian cycles. i train back and legs max effort every day. the excercises vary day to day. 1-3 each day.
I have been doing concurrent for a month while doing nucleus overload and the concurrent system is so effective at building strength that my strength even goes up when I am overtraining.
Hi Alex I just wanted to tell that I tried training the way you advocate and it works for me. Some examples: - I focused on OHP for a while and it had big carry over on my bench, - I had wrist pain from bench, worked my extensors the pain went away, - A friend of mine told me I had genetic big traps I said no dude it's just some rack pulls... And the list goes on... I'm not here to suck anybodys balls but just sayin that this channel begins getting my thrust. Have a nice day, keep the good work. hm and by the way, maximum effort puts the best feeling ever from lifting experience imo... when you drop the bar you see the universe collapse around you lol the only problem is the impossibility to sleep the night after the PRs :/
Just as a test i applied your concurrent principles to my upper-lower split a couple of weeks ago.. I shit you not, my gains are so fast, its like i just started training. I do lower-upper intensity on Monday-Tuesday, and Thursday-Friday is volume. Every workout I'm adding like 5lbs for each exercise and it feels even lighter than last time.
I found Alex's channel around 8 months ago and began following his novice program, I had amazing gains for a few months then I switched back to naturally enhanced. I was no where near the strength standards for an intermediate lifter and I had little idea on how to actually run the program and include progressively overload. So, around 3 months ago I switched back to the novice program and ran it to a T, the gains and specially strength gains have been insane. Today I got a 177.5kg deadlift, for perspective I was on 140 3 months ago. hopefully I can carry on making linear gains until I hit these standards mostly then onto NE!
I totally agree here. I think what it comes down to is selecting the right attempts and being realistic! That's all it ever comes down to. People who overshoot all the time cant build strength and technique properly and end up getting hurt. By the way, did you see my Skype messages bro?
Nikolai Megdanov I had no facial hair until I turned like 21 or 22. Minox made a huge difference with me. If you see my channel, that's how much I have now. Still weak in some areas though. Used it about 4 months or so.
Nikolai Megdanov not really. After about two months, my skin started to get drier. If I used it twice a day, it was worse. I just stuck with once a day and used beard oil or lotion to keep it comfy. Other than that, na.
I have injured myself a lot more with high reps than lows. Even with DLs that people say that are one of the most dangerous on the back I do 1 90-95% couple of times a week. Yet I do high reps with GREAT FORM and get ciatica, fuck that haha.
also i would like to add in to your statement " i have been maxing out every week for several years, YES with odd lifts with quarter range of motion and bands and chains, most lifters do not train this way and you shouldnt put everyone in the same boat because most people do the squat bench dl and ohp, maxing out your dl from the floor once a week is a recepe for snap city.
rubenaunet that's wrong. Most of the lifts I do are full range of motion. I only use partials on heavy pulls or for PROM. 80% of my workout is full range. So dips are half reps? Ohp? Weighted chin? 655 off the floor? Nope
i wouldnt call a jefferson deadlift a full rom excersise even it kindof is, because 90% do a conventional deadlift wich is alot harder on the body with a different moment arm and shorter range of motion cause you change leverages with it, lifters can get away with ohp chins and dips lol, those lifts cant be compared to doing conventional dl, full squat. also your jefferson was done with chains and bands etc, you use this tools to make the lift less dangerous. compare a conventional deadlift with pure weights to a jefferson deadlift with chains and bands for someone 5,5 is very wrong lol.
yo alex, i was CHEATED/ ROBBED out of gains by my coach. Basically like 2 decades ago, when i started in competitive swimming, which i did for nearly 1 decade, my coach prioritized volume over intensity, and i grinded it out for all those years. But in my last year, when i was backing off, because i was making extremely slow progress and uni was starting, i switched to max method with a different coach. This guy had less seniority but he was a bodybuilder. My progress exploded like CRAZY. I did things in 1 week that took me 6 months. And things in 6 months that would have taken 2 years. But then it was too late and uni started so all ended.
How do you know your true strength without maxing out? I max out every other week. I think it's insane that you have to make this video. Low volume is the way to go. I just strained my back on a volume day because I chose to do 10 reps instead of my usual 6-7. I am thinking about converting my volume work to 5 reps max, and doing mostly singles on intensity day, instead of adding in doubles and triples. Low volume is safer, as long as you are not ego lifting impossible weights.
Minewire Fitness Thanks man! I'm sure it's also cuz I'm short and kind of flexible for the lift. I'll put up some videos on our Strength heads channel.
Alex! I need your help. No one seems to know the answer. Basically, I can’t get bigger/stronger. Most noticeable on bench press, but I have gotten a bit stronger in my legs and back (probably because they were lacking in comparison). I eat 2750 cals on rest days, and 3,000 on lift days. 3x per week training. I’m about 5’10 and 145lbs. I am actively trying to reach progressive overload, but most of the time I’ll get one more rep, then the next week be weaker by a rep. Note: I used to be 165 lbs at about 1-2% more body fat. And MUCH stronger all around. My old diet was somewhat high protein and fat. New diet is high carb, and 15 & 20% protein and fat. I’ve seen many people with success on similar diets so I don’t think it is from the new macros (although there is a chance).
How's your sleep? You might have a mental virus telling you you need protein to get stronger so you're self fulfilling that prophecy. Try to eat more greens and fruit (living foods) so you're getting more nutrition(anti oxidants, vitamins, etc) which will help w/ recovery. You said next week you'll be weaker a rep? Is your program naturally enhanced or bro science shit?
WhoDatGuyJ my sleep is not consistent. I have a real hard time sleeping and I have weird sleep hours. This is what I think it could be but idk. I eat plant based, so I get a lot of nutrients. And I’m not afraid of low protein. I’m following a push pull legs split. In the past I did a one muscle per day split that worked.
Vegan Ice Cube could be you need more rest. You need alot of time to digest and assimilate 3k calories plus building muscle. If you aren't sleeping in a style that allows you to wake up without an alarm or when you body feels it's had adequate rest plateaus happen. Could you say what is keeping you up at night? I might be able to help you out there. If you adopted a full body program or naturally enhanced I think you could make more noticiable gains. I've only ran full body so I can't compare it to push pull legs or a 5 day split but the consensus is its more optimal for making strength and size gains. I mentioned the protein thing because some people will believe something, even if it's bogus that belief will hinder their abilities. It's a self induced genjutsu, to play off the anology Alex made. Good to see another plant based soul out there
WhoDatGuyJ yeah I just always feel kinda drained. Even after 2 sets of first exercise, which is why I shy away from full body. I’ll sleep 7-8 hours some nights, but it’ll be extremely late. Then other nights about 5-6 hours. My overactive mind keeps me awake. And then I’ll get itches when I’m trying to keep still and fall asleep as well. Our mind’s are super powerful, so I have no doubt that what you’re saying is legit. What’s weird is that I don’t even gain fat from eating all this food. I sustained this weight on 2400 calories, and the same on 2700-3000. Haha yes, plant based ftw.
Vegan Ice Cube here's what I do for over active mind when trying to sleep. Take 2 syllables, combine them into a word. I use sue and la. Make sure it's something random not anything that makes a real word. What I do with this word I've created is repeat it in my mind over and over until I fall asleep. Doing this will keep you from thinking about anything enough to keep you up. Be sure to pick something that sounds harmonious and pleasant. Wu-ak is an example for what not to use, As it sounds aggressive. You can also use this method as a means to meditate or whenever you're over thinking about something.
I think they mean maxing out should be done rarely because it's used as a last resort strength boost, such as Bulgarian. Not should be used by a novice, right??
Hey Alex I bought Naturally Enhanced a while ago and tried to redownload it on my new computer but it said my Download link has expired. I emailed you about this, can you help me out?
I find the ones that are so anti maxing out are the ones doing sets of 20. If you jump into maxing out, of course you're not used to it. It's a completely different way of training.
If you are going to max out frequently you have to make sure your CNS recovers between sessions. If you don't you won't make jack shit for gains. Good article on CNS recovery Frank Yang recommended on one of his old videos mindandmuscle.net/articles/recovery-and-the-nervous-system/ In NE from what I've seen your volume days are pretty low on the CNS fatigue. So maxing out once a week doing 1 session that taxes your CNS is perfectly fine. But trying to max out 3x a week, on 3 lifts all for 3-5 sets for weeks and months is over kill.
Soooooo a buddy and I did bench today.. 89%+ for 27 reps. It was 3 reps for 9 sets. Do you think there's a better challenge than this? Both of our 1rm is 285. This is a new workout. Didn't want to do 5x5 anymore. Should we have done 3 reps x 5 sets @ 95%? We we're training for strength.
Build strength, not test it. True, but as I recall Louie Simmons saying, some exercises are builders and some are testers. If you figure out what they are, you can manage everything tremendously.
2 things that i didnt get very well, do you max every week, and if so do you max on all the lifts? or do you max at the end of the training cycle? good video like always
Hey Alex I think you should also mention that some exercise are not suitable for ME and some are particularly suitable for ME. This is not my opinion, I heard it from you in one of your Q&A. But it's an important point to missed out.
Yo alex I am novice and I want to start the Bulgarian Light I want to pick these 2 exercises to get stronger at: the OHP and rack pulls bellow the knee. And I am wondering if I should start bulgarian light first in the lower back and abs area with exercises such as: good mornings, stiff legged deadlift and some heavy crunches for 1-2 months (really focusing on strengthening my core) before I attempt on smashing the rack pull (so I dont get hurt)?
hey Alex in your opinion what is the best method for rehabing a injured muscle? Do you think people should use the Bill Starr rehab method where they work the muscle everyday to bring blood flow and stop scar tissue from building. Or should they just rest so it can heal. I've heard of people having success with both methods.
If it hurts while you are using it lightly trying to get blood and such then dont do it. Pain is your body telling you to stop doing something, and or that something is wrong. If it doesn't hurt when in use, use lightly.
Has this genjutsu affected you too? If so, this video will help you break out of it.
0:25 Frequent Maxing
3:38 RPE 10 Lie
4:22 Dangers
5:58 Ego Lifting
7:50 Troubleshooting
10:08 Conclusion
PS: Not forcing/imposing ME method or concurrent/Bulgarian on anyone. You train how you want. I'm simply examining the topic from an objective point of view.
I love the naruto quote haha
AlphaDestiny i agree...with all of it..collab w eric? Also Alex, what are your 5 rep max numbers on ohp, bench, shrug, strict curl?
Can you prove your a natty?
Jason Bloho brought me here
It is crazy that ALpha and Eric have not done some collabs yet. One of you guys needs to buy a ticket and do this! Could be a good time to get out of MTL Alpha, must be freeeezing now.
Remember: A newborn baby can´t even lift it´s own head, because the head is too heavy and the neck muscles are too weak. It fails.
But over time it tries to lift it´s head on a reagular basis, it increases the range of motion, and one day it works (1st 1rep max on a neck extension). So if a baby can do a 1 rep max, you can too.
Upgrade Iself That’s a very interesting perspective bro, I like it!
AlphaDestiny's channel is slowly becoming the most popular fitness youtube channel on the internet, from such humble beginnings! Keep it going bro, and keep the gains coming, you're looking preety jacked, especially neck and traps lol!!!
outsiders its more weeby than gokugains
Max effort is like opening Kurama's seal and obtaining all that power. Like Naruto, if you don't do it properly and control the beast, of course you're gonna be screwed.
I swear to god, this is the best UA-cam channel ever, not just in the lifting scene, but overall. Top notch information, no BS and no annoying advertisements/product placements.
You're a great guy, Alex. Your loved one's are blessed. Have a wonderful holiday and all the best in 2018 brother!
And from the gyms I have gone to, most guys who are lifting for the aesthetic aspect don't give a single shit about strength. I used to go to the gym thinking "I'll lift and get ripped" and I ended up just not working out. Being strength orientated has made me love the gym, and one of the biggest reasons is testing myself with 95% up.
Same. Started powerlifting now and im in love with the gym. Curls and tricep pushdowns only have always bored me.
Austin Novodvorsky I agree with you man. When you see a weak number on a lift increase over time, it feels amazing!
But having aesthetics in itself needs you to be strong. Wtf is with all this Aesthetics shit. Get strong and add ya BB exercises after for looks, it’s that simple.
This concept is barely relevant to me but i was sooo intrigued by the naruto reference😂😂
Nice to see you debunking these misconceptions! Personally I run NE and max out every Monday and rotate the lifts on a weekly basis. No pains just gains.
Jack Mellor so is buying the book worth it then?
@ohtebowah Honestly its the best program there is for natties (IMO)! I would recommend it to anyone!
Same! Freaking love it man
Jack Mellor Same here brother! That’s awesome.
Concurrent has given me so many gains over the last 6 months. Powerlifter here, so it may not translate as well to recreational lifters, but having a heavy day and a volume day has blown all my lifts up. My heavy day consists of triples and frequent heavy singles. Thanks Alex for showing everybody such a great programming style.
What repranges are you doing for your volume days since your powerlifting?
C D volume days are 4x8 for compound lifts (main lifts) and 5x12 on muscle group specific gifts. I run antagonistic muscle group super sets, and a 4 day full body split. (Intensity/Rest/Volume/Rest repeat) 1 exercise per muscle group (except legs with a squat/deadlift variation or both everyday). I end with around 16 working sets per muscle group every week. Really enjoying it so far. Full body concurrent is the way to go.
I max out on every single lift on my Intensity Days (Excluding my accessory, lower back, and ab work) and I’ve never gained strength this fast! The increased strength also carries over to my Volume Days very well.
Ive made all kinds of gains listening to you bro. I maxed on deads last week twice and got 405 and 415. Hoping to hit 425 this week.
AlphaDestiny is the man. I knew this channel would blow up
When I look in the mirror my gains are a genjustu
I had always been told that maxing out was not good. It meant that I almost never tried doing it. Now that I have begun maxing out I realize how afraid I were of max loads. How unfamiliar and unconfident i were with grinding out max attempts. It has really built my confidence, my ability to struggle under a heavy load and it has increased my strength to incorporate the ME method.
Legend has it that if alpha destiny responds you'll gain 100 pounds on your rack pull above the knee
I hereby grant permission to add +100lbs to your rack pull!
AlphaDestiny THANK YOU BASED RACKPULLER
*Still fails the Rack Pull because of the Biological Law of Accommodation*
Alpha your getting more calm and calculated Nii sama.
I 100% agree with you man. Fatigue / high rep training can def lead to injuries much easier than a 1 rep max that you know you're capable of getting. This happened to me about 2 years ago, i dislocated my left shoulder socket doing high rep / high set shoulder presses. A 1 rep max you know you're capable of performing is much more beneficial for overall strength gains, but for muscular growth isn't the greatest imho
Finally, someone is talking about this I always hear people in the gym saying you should not max out often because it will affect your gains, like what?? makes no sense, great vid as always Alex!
You are 100% right. There is no way to justify these myths, it appears to be a case of false correlation. Fact: People max out and some get hurt False -> conclusion: It was because they maxed out. How about breakdown in form, warmup, how you feel that day, spotter, state of your CNS, where you are in your training cycle and a milltion other factors. When I read about this I accepted this type of logic for 2 bad reasons 1) on the surface it makes sense and is observable. 2) It justifies less intense workouts/a degree of laziness. However when I did the same workout 5-6 days a week, and ended some movements with 3 sets of max effort singles, I was stronger the next session. My question regarding this phenonemon was always: If you can adapt over the course of several weeks to shorter rest intervals, higher reps, and higher weights then why is it not possible to adapt to handling maxing out? However I am still below novice standards, so I will see over the coming years how this works for me.
Great in depth technical talk on the topic. Your on your own level.
Response to muscle metrix's video about you?
Just comparing your current videos to a couple of years back shows how much you've progressed Alex ! So much more mature and professional, not to mention all those gains. I love it, you inspire me to improve myself.
I work out 3 times a week and like maxing out once a week. I know a lot of people don't like the "grinder" feel, but I personally love it.
Austin Novodvorsky lifting heavy for 1-3 reps is soooooo much better than volume 12-20 rep pump bull shit.
I mean, as Alex preachers, you want to incorporate a nice balance between intensity and volume. But personally, I hate the feel of lots of reps. I'd rather squat 315 for 3 that 135 for 20.
Austin Novodvorsky Pure facts right there. You also feel like a complete beast after hitting a 1RM, because you psyched yourself up so much to complete it.
Alex, love your pull no punches approach, telling us what we need to hear and not necessarily what we want to hear. Nothing more instructive than honesty based on real experience. Thanks for your efforts.
Been maxing out every Monday for 6 months, volume on Thursdays. Stronger every workout. Simple as that.
You are getting good with speaking. You used to speak too fast at times . Good job . Keep it up
Thanks Marko
This is by far my favorite video! Keep it up. I actually made most of my gains in strength/size through 10+ sets per exercise of near my max and maxed out several times a week for months. I've for the most part always followed the strongman/old time strongman training methods, strongman is where it's at for sure. Thanks for the content.
I fucking love that Naruto reference. You know me so well
I max out EVERY DAY. I've added hundreds of pounds to my deadlifts and rows this way. Try it and you won't wanna stop.
Yeah man, I check out all your PRs. You are strong AF bro!!
What weight did you start off with, did you only stick to maxing out one exercise everyday?
i start off by maxing and if i like the lift i do it again. sometimes i start off weak but lately I've started off strong. for example the first time i tried zercher squats from the floor yesterday i hit 515. but i don't do bulgarian cycles. i train back and legs max effort every day. the excercises vary day to day. 1-3 each day.
thanks bro it means a lot. i just wanna assert my dominance over these weights and youtube as well.
Yeah man I'm incorporating squats because I feel that they are extremely important in building leg strength.
I have the Rinnegan so I was never affected by the genjutsu casted by the infinite tsukiyomi
your hair looks sooooo good don’t change it
I have been doing concurrent for a month while doing nucleus overload and the concurrent system is so effective at building strength that my strength even goes up when I am overtraining.
Like wtf how does that happen
Dixon V Music Lol
dude I swear to god. Ive been doing 100 pushups a day for the past like two weeks and my bench has gone up from 145 to 150 for 5 reps.
Hi Alex
I just wanted to tell that I tried training the way you advocate and it works for me.
Some examples:
- I focused on OHP for a while and it had big carry over on my bench,
- I had wrist pain from bench, worked my extensors the pain went away,
- A friend of mine told me I had genetic big traps I said no dude it's just some rack pulls...
And the list goes on...
I'm not here to suck anybodys balls but just sayin that this channel begins getting my thrust.
Have a nice day, keep the good work.
hm and by the way, maximum effort puts the best feeling ever from lifting experience imo... when you drop the bar you see the universe collapse around you lol the only problem is the impossibility to sleep the night after the PRs :/
Just as a test i applied your concurrent principles to my upper-lower split a couple of weeks ago.. I shit you not, my gains are so fast, its like i just started training. I do lower-upper intensity on Monday-Tuesday, and Thursday-Friday is volume. Every workout I'm adding like 5lbs for each exercise and it feels even lighter than last time.
I found Alex's channel around 8 months ago and began following his novice program, I had amazing gains for a few months then I switched back to naturally enhanced. I was no where near the strength standards for an intermediate lifter and I had little idea on how to actually run the program and include progressively overload. So, around 3 months ago I switched back to the novice program and ran it to a T, the gains and specially strength gains have been insane. Today I got a 177.5kg deadlift, for perspective I was on 140 3 months ago. hopefully I can carry on making linear gains until I hit these standards mostly then onto NE!
Rip madara uchiha and The Infinite tsukuyomi the second father of shinobi
yeah i max every workout, it definitely helps you get comfortable with lifting heavy percentages
looking jacked in this outfit!
I totally agree here. I think what it comes down to is selecting the right attempts and being realistic! That's all it ever comes down to. People who overshoot all the time cant build strength and technique properly and end up getting hurt. By the way, did you see my Skype messages bro?
Epic. Great explanations and great motivation!
The beard is looking fucking awesome Alex, I'm considering Minox also, because I just turned 20 and still I have only a mustache and chin hair !
Nikolai Megdanov I had no facial hair until I turned like 21 or 22. Minox made a huge difference with me. If you see my channel, that's how much I have now. Still weak in some areas though. Used it about 4 months or so.
CUFFitness nice bro, but did you get any side effects?
Nikolai Megdanov not really. After about two months, my skin started to get drier. If I used it twice a day, it was worse. I just stuck with once a day and used beard oil or lotion to keep it comfy. Other than that, na.
This is very helpful, dude. Thanks for posting this. Happy Holidays, bro!🎄👍🙌
Your channel has been more and more growing Alex. Always good information not bulls.
Love the time stamps bro !!
I stopped watching Shippuden a few months ago but ironically I restarted it yesterday! Then the reference today... Awesome stuff
Alpha destiny the tupe of guy to name his newborn baby rack pulls above the knees😂
I personally like the 5/3/1 style where you max out on reps on your top set, kinda like a max effort day but working with a lower % of 1rm
collab with muscle metrix
I have injured myself a lot more with high reps than lows. Even with DLs that people say that are one of the most dangerous on the back I do 1 90-95% couple of times a week. Yet I do high reps with GREAT FORM and get ciatica, fuck that haha.
also i would like to add in to your statement " i have been maxing out every week for several years, YES with odd lifts with quarter range of motion and bands and chains, most lifters do not train this way and you shouldnt put everyone in the same boat because most people do the squat bench dl and ohp, maxing out your dl from the floor once a week is a recepe for snap city.
rubenaunet that's wrong. Most of the lifts I do are full range of motion. I only use partials on heavy pulls or for PROM. 80% of my workout is full range. So dips are half reps? Ohp? Weighted chin? 655 off the floor? Nope
i wouldnt call a jefferson deadlift a full rom excersise even it kindof is, because 90% do a conventional deadlift wich is alot harder on the body with a different moment arm and shorter range of motion cause you change leverages with it, lifters can get away with ohp chins and dips lol, those lifts cant be compared to doing conventional dl, full squat. also your jefferson was done with chains and bands etc, you use this tools to make the lift less dangerous. compare a conventional deadlift with pure weights to a jefferson deadlift with chains and bands for someone 5,5 is very wrong lol.
yo alex, i was CHEATED/ ROBBED out of gains by my coach. Basically like 2 decades ago, when i started in competitive swimming, which i did for nearly 1 decade, my coach prioritized volume over intensity, and i grinded it out for all those years. But in my last year, when i was backing off, because i was making extremely slow progress and uni was starting, i switched to max method with a different coach. This guy had less seniority but he was a bodybuilder. My progress exploded like CRAZY. I did things in 1 week that took me 6 months. And things in 6 months that would have taken 2 years. But then it was too late and uni started so all ended.
meocats Dang. That sucks bro
Bro this is a much better look than Bald Destiny :D
HammerBlow500 agree!
finally another video!!!
How do you know your true strength without maxing out? I max out every other week. I think it's insane that you have to make this video. Low volume is the way to go. I just strained my back on a volume day because I chose to do 10 reps instead of my usual 6-7. I am thinking about converting my volume work to 5 reps max, and doing mostly singles on intensity day, instead of adding in doubles and triples. Low volume is safer, as long as you are not ego lifting impossible weights.
You have caught me in a gengutsu and im subscribing
you should max out if you feel good and not overthink it in my opinion
PsychoVid Good point
The Infinite Tsukuyomi is what's making those lifters believe maxing is stupid.
Alex with all the anime refrences! I like it!
We all been caught in infinite tsukiyomi about maxing out.
When doing farmer walks on off day for GPP, is it going to be heavy farmer walks or light? Same question for bear hugs etc
having a week of high volume is more productive than maxing out and taking a few days to recover though
Damn, why didn't I know about your channel!?
Your content is so good!
You helped me a lot with your neck informations!
I've only been doing Cube Predator by Brandon Lily's bench only program and it works!!!
Still wishing I got my NE. That shit is long gone in time Q.Q
The new hair and beard combination is alpha af Alex.
The book you mentioned writes that the Bulgarian system involves real 100% max lifts.
Matias Andersen most ppl who use Bulgarian light go at 90%. That said I'm not against 100
Maxing out is superb!!! I'm almost at 285lbs to 300lbs on the zercher Deadlift for 1 rep!!!
Peter M Dang man, you’ve probably got spinal erectors of steel.
Minewire Fitness Thanks man! I'm sure it's also cuz I'm short and kind of flexible for the lift. I'll put up some videos on our Strength heads channel.
Alex lookin' like he's praying to the sun of gains in the thumbnail
coming to the end of your novice program and just bought NE, ready to get yoked as fookkkk
Thanks for your support! I wish you the best of gains brother.
Hey alex are you still on that plant based diet?
Which grip exercise(s) would give the best hypertrophy gains? Including pinching, crushing, fingerlifting, isometrics etc
Wrist flexion with isometrics IMO
youve been tapped in my genjustu since the first second of this video
Damn alex im at work you trynna get me fired?
Alex! I need your help. No one seems to know the answer.
Basically, I can’t get bigger/stronger. Most noticeable on bench press, but I have gotten a bit stronger in my legs and back (probably because they were lacking in comparison).
I eat 2750 cals on rest days, and 3,000 on lift days. 3x per week training. I’m about 5’10 and 145lbs. I am actively trying to reach progressive overload, but most of the time I’ll get one more rep, then the next week be weaker by a rep.
Note: I used to be 165 lbs at about 1-2% more body fat. And MUCH stronger all around. My old diet was somewhat high protein and fat. New diet is high carb, and 15 & 20% protein and fat. I’ve seen many people with success on similar diets so I don’t think it is from the new macros (although there is a chance).
How's your sleep? You might have a mental virus telling you you need protein to get stronger so you're self fulfilling that prophecy. Try to eat more greens and fruit (living foods) so you're getting more nutrition(anti oxidants, vitamins, etc) which will help w/ recovery. You said next week you'll be weaker a rep? Is your program naturally enhanced or bro science shit?
WhoDatGuyJ my sleep is not consistent. I have a real hard time sleeping and I have weird sleep hours. This is what I think it could be but idk.
I eat plant based, so I get a lot of nutrients. And I’m not afraid of low protein.
I’m following a push pull legs split.
In the past I did a one muscle per day split that worked.
Vegan Ice Cube could be you need more rest. You need alot of time to digest and assimilate 3k calories plus building muscle. If you aren't sleeping in a style that allows you to wake up without an alarm or when you body feels it's had adequate rest plateaus happen. Could you say what is keeping you up at night? I might be able to help you out there. If you adopted a full body program or naturally enhanced I think you could make more noticiable gains. I've only ran full body so I can't compare it to push pull legs or a 5 day split but the consensus is its more optimal for making strength and size gains. I mentioned the protein thing because some people will believe something, even if it's bogus that belief will hinder their abilities. It's a self induced genjutsu, to play off the anology Alex made. Good to see another plant based soul out there
WhoDatGuyJ yeah I just always feel kinda drained. Even after 2 sets of first exercise, which is why I shy away from full body. I’ll sleep 7-8 hours some nights, but it’ll be extremely late. Then other nights about 5-6 hours. My overactive mind keeps me awake. And then I’ll get itches when I’m trying to keep still and fall asleep as well.
Our mind’s are super powerful, so I have no doubt that what you’re saying is legit. What’s weird is that I don’t even gain fat from eating all this food. I sustained this weight on 2400 calories, and the same on 2700-3000.
Haha yes, plant based ftw.
Vegan Ice Cube here's what I do for over active mind when trying to sleep. Take 2 syllables, combine them into a word. I use sue and la. Make sure it's something random not anything that makes a real word. What I do with this word I've created is repeat it in my mind over and over until I fall asleep. Doing this will keep you from thinking about anything enough to keep you up. Be sure to pick something that sounds harmonious and pleasant. Wu-ak is an example for what not to use, As it sounds aggressive. You can also use this method as a means to meditate or whenever you're over thinking about something.
I think they mean maxing out should be done rarely because it's used as a last resort strength boost, such as Bulgarian. Not should be used by a novice, right??
Hey Alex I bought Naturally Enhanced a while ago and tried to redownload it on my new computer but it said my Download link has expired. I emailed you about this, can you help me out?
Going to take care of it right now.
My boi really fuckin out here putting the infinite tsukoyomi in his thumbnail lmao
I find the ones that are so anti maxing out are the ones doing sets of 20. If you jump into maxing out, of course you're not used to it. It's a completely different way of training.
I like to max out my misconceptions daily.
If you are going to max out frequently you have to make sure your CNS recovers between sessions. If you don't you won't make jack shit for gains.
Good article on CNS recovery Frank Yang recommended on one of his old videos mindandmuscle.net/articles/recovery-and-the-nervous-system/
In NE from what I've seen your volume days are pretty low on the CNS fatigue. So maxing out once a week doing 1 session that taxes your CNS is perfectly fine. But trying to max out 3x a week, on 3 lifts all for 3-5 sets for weeks and months is over kill.
alex how would i do the texas method but like as a bodybuilding way because there is not much back work
Q&A Are there benefits to loading up a bar more than you can lift, getting into a deadlift position, and then doing all out isometrics.
Puta Kunta Sounds like a Rack Pull to me... so that’s an absolute yes.
Soooooo a buddy and I did bench today.. 89%+ for 27 reps. It was 3 reps for 9 sets. Do you think there's a better challenge than this? Both of our 1rm is 285. This is a new workout. Didn't want to do 5x5 anymore. Should we have done 3 reps x 5 sets @ 95%? We we're training for strength.
Great video
Alex Sama whenever I try to do weighted crunches, the movement feels so awkward and the plate hurts my neck. Any technique cues? Arigato gazaimishta
Clean fucking cut you got there man!
Build strength, not test it. True, but as I recall Louie Simmons saying, some exercises are builders and some are testers. If you figure out what they are, you can manage everything tremendously.
Indeed
Test deadlift, build box squat
Starting a bulgarian cycle this winter
Looking hella swole man.
i did your novice programm for 8 month and it was amazing but i now want a change,any other recommended programms for the late novice?
2 things that i didnt get very well,
do you max every week, and if so do you max on all the lifts?
or do you max at the end of the training cycle?
good video like always
what's with the "Infinite Tsukuyomi", u under Madara's genjutsu?
Hey Alex I think you should also mention that some exercise are not suitable for ME and some are particularly suitable for ME. This is not my opinion, I heard it from you in one of your Q&A. But it's an important point to missed out.
Hai Kuan Cheoh 1RM Wrist Curl lol
lol yea something like that
Alex, sometimes you talk about some topics you already made whole videos on it, you should add the UA-cam cards. Like ego lifting in this video
Hmm good idea
Yo alex I am novice and I want to start the Bulgarian Light I want to pick these 2 exercises to get stronger at: the OHP and rack pulls bellow the knee. And I am wondering if I should start bulgarian light first in the lower back and abs area with exercises such as: good mornings, stiff legged deadlift and some heavy crunches for 1-2 months (really focusing on strengthening my core) before I attempt on smashing the rack pull (so I dont get hurt)?
What you got in all those safes behind you
getting my license tomorrow. wish me luck boys
- Kilo- good luck , write here if u get it
good luck my boy. What license? Driving? Gun? Weed?
Joel Parkour driving.
Baris Goker got it first try mad hyped
Can you address German volume training and how to use it on a weekly basis
hey Alex in your opinion what is the best method for rehabing a injured muscle?
Do you think people should use the Bill Starr rehab method where they work the muscle everyday to bring blood flow and stop scar tissue from building.
Or should they just rest so it can heal.
I've heard of people having success with both methods.
If it hurts while you are using it lightly trying to get blood and such then dont do it. Pain is your body telling you to stop doing something, and or that something is wrong. If it doesn't hurt when in use, use lightly.
How many sets do you do for a single, double and triple?