At this point I'm just watching to see how much more shredded you get in each video haha. I didn't think you were going to top your last cut but here we are... inspiring.
@@AlexLeonidas Hey Alex I was wondering if you could help me. So I am a 110 kg Man (That's 242 pounds I guess.). And come to think of it I used to be 80kg Slim and Muscular Guy exercising at the bars near my highschool. How should I proceed to get me in a shape that I am not going to regret and I am going to be feeling Energetic and Strong instead of REALLY SLUGGISH. Thanks for the help.
@@armando6829 Eat less man. Your weight will drop, you’ll get leaner of course, energy will rise, and the stress on your body will be relieved from all of the extra weight. So yeah, just eat less, and make sure you’re strength/hypertrophy training adequately. Once you get under 20% ish body fat, you’ll be feeling much less sluggish I bet. I’m on the tail end of a bulk right now, and I’m feeling the same way… and I’m only 180lbs. Probably gonna cut to 160, and I know I’ll feel more athletic.
Yes sir, training intensity is something I see absent in many lifters in the gym. I feel like some people give me strange looks when my eyeballs are popping out of my socket finishing my last rep on a db curl.
I know and some of these people are still reasonably big. But I go all out every workout and since starting only 5 months ago, I've made super progress. Doing high intensity made gym fun for me. High volume is boring and dreary.
@@Mks25932 You think you're hitting RPE 9-10 but it's really RPE 5-6. If your facial muscles aren't flexed you are not recruiting enough musclefibers. And yes, there are people making fake faces just like people are doing fake grunts.
For me, increasing frequency and doing only 1 exercise per muscle group per session has been key. Fullbody has allowed me to attack all muscle groups when they're fresh, thus not even making it possible to do junk volume. Training hard is simply too much fun
I do exactly the same thing. And I also have 1 emphasized compound each session and 1 secondary compound or priority isolation… so I might pair them Day 1: horiz push + lat/rear shoulders Day 2: vert pull + lunges Day 3: hinge/deadlift + horiz push Day 4: horiz pull + vert pull Day 5: vert push + hip thrust Day 6: squat + traps Beyond those 2 movements for 3 sets each… I’ll do biceps and triceps on alternating days. Then additional isolation just slides in wherever it feels most “fresh”. But it will be consistent on the same program day… unless I swap it with something on a different day and try the new feel of that
3:05 Man, showing what you looked like bulked up and then cutting back to how you look now really really shows how different it makes you look. I'm not gonna get nearly as shredded as you, but I'm gonna get lean, and this motivates me a bit. I wanna see myself looking defined and sharp.
A lot of us are way better looking than we realize, and after legitimately bulking you'll be SHOCKED at the muscular difference from the last time you were lean. Get ready for a fun ride :)
Alex, dude, your evolution over the years has been absolutely inspiring. You have built one of the absolute greatest physiques I can see around UA-cam. Keep it up, bro 💪
@@AlexLeonidas I have a bunch of hand grippers and I've heard from people they really help. And you have another grip video out there but I'm still excited for the new one
Man training like this is much more fun. I used to do it this way (or I tried) but then I switched to highter volume because of ''optimal'' training. Thanks for making it clear!
I knew you were strong, but truly appreciated it when I tried deficit handstand push-ups and only got 2 before I bailed out. One to work on and grow those delts!
The difference between junk volume and not going too intense and causing injury or bad form and technique is a fine line that is quite complex and nuanced.
Lol i literally just watched a video about Mike Mentzer, thinking to myself: i gotta remind myself to train harder, i scroll and i see this fresh upload
Hey Alex today I tried doing lateral raises with figure 8 straps like you did at 7:13 and I have NEVER felt lateral raises work my shoulders so hard and for the first time I didn't feel any joint discomfort. Thanks for showing the variation!
Totally agree about those studies claiming to show 20 sets to failure. It's simply not possible for 95% of natural lifters. For me personally 8-15 sets/week per body part is pretty much ideal. And not all of those are to failure either.
I benched 405 while doing WAY under that and not even to failure. With failure, even less is needed. Most lifters just don't know how to train hard, and these flawed studies are not helping the situation.
@@AlexLeonidas I think people just get too wrapped up in the nerd fitness tube side, and don't look at the tried and true basics like yknow working hard as fuck with big weight, with a decent program focusing on compounds, and eating + sleeping well
There are studies showing 4-6 HEAVY, EFFECTIVE sets to be enough for the majority of weekly gains. I'm doing 6-12 and have always done better with lower volumes.
I like that there many different paths to the same destination. I’ve had plenty of people tell me that they’ve had some sweet success with high volume approaches, and I’ve had people say to me that low volume with high intensity is the way. Multiple paths to the same destination is great because you can be confident in trying new things out and experimenting - and it doesn’t feel like a waste of your time in the long run. At the moment, I’m loving the high intensity, low volume approach. However, if I ever feel like I need a mental break, then dropping the RPE and doing more sets is always an option for similar hypertrophy outcomes!
Yes, I can't perform more than 6-8 sets per muscle group per workout without it becoming pure junk volume. With a frequency of 2x a week it would fall into the range you stated.
i agree for most bodyparts but my biceps and back especially biceps can take a lot of punishment and recover just fine so i do about 15 sets a week for chest triceps usw. but atleast 20 for biceps and back
Alex must in a crazy deficit. Crazy shredded and sitting down with minimal movement during videos. Content is still great! Can't wait to see final form.
After your video about 2 sets per exercise that you uploaded a couple months ago I incorporated it into my routine I was able to decrease the time in the gym and increase the intensity whilst doing more exercises e.g. 3 push compounds + 2 push isolations reps were 5 - 10. My arms exploded in size and I was able to get muscle definition especially in my tris. 2 sets with more exercises is no joke as it will force you to train more intensely.
Watching you get leaner and leaner has made me realize how ridiculously lean I was trying to stay last year, I thought I was 11-13%, but I’ve come to realize I was more like 8-9% and much leaner than I thought at the time, currently Im thinking I’m 14% or so but I’m probably actually around 11 even now after gaining weight, body Dysmorphia is a mf, I’d love to see a vid on BD and your take on it. Tbh in 20/20 hindsight, it’s no wonder why progress was slow and injuries were frequent last year lol… year 4 and still learning, always learning!
@@AlexLeonidas yeah I’ve heard that a lot and it makes sense tbh, reverse applies to me lol, coming from obesity I’ve always overestimated my body fat levels, looking at photos I had veins in my face and striations in my jaw.. like that was NOT 12% haha. Can’t wait to see you on stage!!
@@NDPFitness Woah wtf. Yeah, don't go that lean. Embrace the food. I used to be obese too, and I'm completely comfortable with it, because I trust the process. It takes a long time to actually get overweight while bulking if you don't just eat whatever. Especially if you're as lean as you are. You'd have to put on quite a lot of kilos of fat, without gaining ANY muscle or water weight, in order to actually reach an excessive bodyfat percentage.
We would love for you to go through your full plan for getting shredded such as how you train, what you eat, and different strategies that work for you!
Speaking facts! Longest time I was stuck on pullups doing 5x5 weighted. Switched to 3 sets and did dynamic double progression and my progress skyrocketed! Definitely going to try 2 sets soon and see what happens.
I don't want to rob you of your time, when I could just look it up myself, but could you explain briefly what you did with that dynamic double progression?
@@Fedethedangerous95 Sure! I used a rep goal system where I got an idea of what weights I could tolerate after each set, aiming around, say, 5-7 reps after each. Could be another rep range like 8-10 for example, whatever works best for the exercise and your goals. Before moving up weights on any of the sets, I have to get to 7 reps in the previous workout. So if I get 7 reps on the first set, I can up the first on that first set for the next workout. I can probably use that same weight on the second set as well since I need to get at least 5 with that exact weight to stay within that range. This is doable, especially if I'm not doing an all out rpe 10 on the first set. If I'm on the low end after the second set (5 reps), I know I should probably lower the weight on the third set so that I can stay within the 5-7 range. 6 could go either way. So it's autoregulated and depends partly on how strong I am on a certain day. I track my workouts on my phone, and I copy and paste my previous week's numbers below my workout so I can refer to what I was doing in the previous week and gauge progression. As with anything, this progression's success is also dependent on doing everything else right. It was when I implemented this progression that I was also sleeping the most, had summer break, and was the most bulked up. But it definitely still made a difference because of its flexibility for progression! Bromley and Sean Nalewanyj have videos on dynamic double progression too.
I really like that you stress that training hard is a SKILL. I find that reminding myself of what I am reaching for when pushing through really hard reps(i.e the gains) and really visualising how I am achieving them with each rep makes me able to not give in and really push myself to my limit. Think about how your muscle is growing for each rep!
My strength absolutely blew up when I started doing one hard heavy set and one all out hypertrophy set followed by one or two assistance exercises for each movement. High frequency, high intensity, low volume seemed to work quite well for me
Phenomenal video, Alex. Most people just do not understand this concept even if it is hammered by some of us! So many people consistently will just keep all of the junk volume and junk exercises instead of just working their ass off for two or three sets on well selected exercises. I train hard for the mental health aspect, that’s what I really think is the most beneficial thing of training hard, but the hypertrophy is unmatched when training this way, especially with calisthenics, in my opinion. I am 32 and only getting bigger and stronger training this way. I think I’m going to try to lower my volume down to two sets on some exercises seeing that I do consistently train very hard, and could maybe benefit from going to two sets instead of three or four. It’s just a tough pill to swallow because training is so fun and I feel like I’m really into a movement at my 2nd or 3rd set, but I do not argue the fact of less volume being better when training hard! Loved this video. Congratulations on your sponsorship.
11:21 the leanness is getting absurd Alex! If I'm correct there are only 4 weeks left until you compete, right? I think you'll look absolutely amazing. Keep grinding man, you're breaking down the self imposed limits in the natural community. In a few years we'll look back, you'll be the guy who first "broke the 4 minute mile for running barrier" for lifting, and suddenly 100s will do it and it will be seen as achievable. Thanks for raising my standards man!
About 4.5 weeks, thank you OG. I'm not the first to do this but I'm happy that many people are motivated by this journey. We're all capable of so much more, keep training for higher highs 💯
It’s fascinating to see that epiphanies in my own approach very very often get backed by you shortly before or shortly after. After watching a lot of AJ Morris and Jordan Peters, I am not wondering why you adopt these principles to a large degree yourself. I remember that you mentioned Jordan Peters yourself a couple of month ago, I love it that you stay humble and learn from all the available masters yourself. Looking sick bro, keep going 💪🏻
For me I had to accept the initial drop in performance from doing supersets and no longer doing 7 minutes of rest for almost every compound exercise. It's funny because inside the workout itself, now that I've embraced supersets (and for isolations even Giant sets), my performance is ~10% lower on everything, but whenever I test my strength in a fresh state, the progress is much faster than when I was resting longer (because longer rest, limited my volume and I didn't do nearly enough isolation for lack of time). Case in point, I've been doing Pushup variations, Pullup variations and a bunch of arm work all at home. Haven't been regularly in a gym since September 2021. I only go when a friend invites me once every ~3-6 months, last time was September 2022. My Paused Bench back then was 100Kg for 5 reps. This time, after 7 months no gym just home workouts, I did 100Kg for 10 reps Paused. Literally doubled my reps. I'm literally going to acquire a 3 plate Bench (give me another 6-12 months) by doing Pushup variations hahaha. The simplicity of Calisthenics is literally a cheatcode. I don't have programming, I don't have periodization, I don't obsess over 1000 different variations. It's just oonga boonga beat the books. Add reps, change the angle slightly, add weight to a backpack, all the progressions are simple and come naturally.
my man uploads a 'how to train harder' video when SHREDDED? my fat ass is already burning at and some what leaving reps in the tank in some excersies but you inspire me by showing its about mindest and focus. and I agree I am already doing whats considered to be 'low volume' (10 working sets per week for each muscle) and I dropped my accesory work on one of my upper days by 1 sets each just to push all of them closer and to failure!
I love the way you talk and spread your very important message. Super confidently and effectively, prob due to how right you know you are about a lot. You have def helped me get bigger and have more fun. Ty!
Hearing you talking about lower volume and effective reps reminds me why I love rest pause training so much! I'd be very interested to hear you on that subject, and see if you ever used these kinds of techniques! Et bravo pour ta cut, vraiment impressionnant!
1000% agree with this. Look at other natural bodybuilders, they train 2-3 sets per exercise, a lot of them do 2 sets only, 1 top in lower rep range and 1 back in higher. Effort is what matters, not volume. Volume is not the primary driver of hypertrophy. Also, looking absolutely phenomenal, bro!
Martin Berkhan trained in this reverse pyramid style, usually two sets, one heavy, then drop 10% for the second set; both to failure. He is a minimalist, however.
I always had the same feeling that i am doing too much volume. Years ago, i did very low volume training, and i had my best results. Now, experimenting with only 1 set per exercise, slow reps to complete failure, and it seems to work for me the best. High volume just made me overtrain all the time. 2 super intense 30-40m workout a week is all i need.
Lol the black and white bearmode pics symbolizing the bygone era 3:09 😂😂😂 nice touch Alex, this training arc has been insane, continually pushing the limits of what we think is possible for nattys.
A few videos back when you mentioned only 2 sets instead of 3. I gave it try, I left the gym better and noticed I left nothing in the tank. I know I could do 1 more sent but decided not and assted I could have added extra rep on my heavy set and back of set. Wow what game changer. Made my changing my progressive overload more flexible. Great advice and content I'm always learning something new and rethinking how I train Keep up the great content 😊 💪
Hey Alex! First of all huge fan of yours. I completely agree with your point about volume. For a longtime I've built my own weighed calisthenics routine (including squats and good mornings for leg work) and I do full body 3x per week/frequency. It would be crazy to do my workout with 5 sets and 3-4 compounds per movement/muscle group so I stick to 1 compound of push, pull and legs and then I do one assistance for each, usually 3 sets. The lower amount of sets allows me to leave some in the tank and progress next session and I don't have to worry about conserving energy to do a huge amount of volume Truth is if you're making progress and growing there's no way your number of sets won't be optimal. When gymbros asked me how I can do fullbody or only 3 sets per exercise, I always what how much they lift and it's usually not much. Cheers mate
💯. I dropped from 4 sets to 3 and sometimes began new waves with only 2 sets (when I added more weight I would restart a wave 2 sets and low range of my rep range), and I broke through so many plaetues. I was having recovery issues. It took me about 6 weeks to identify and adjust my volume. And once i did, DOUBLE PROGRESSION indicated me that I was on the correct path again.
@Charles Johnson I'm somewhere between 8 and 16 sets per muscle. It's all based on what muscles I'm prioritizing at the time. I work out full body 4 times per week 6 to 7 Excercisies per session. Max 3 compounds and the rest isolations to avoid fatigue. I'll do 3 sets of a chest variation every day for 4 days. Total 12 Sets per week. Sometimes I'm at 4 Sets every day for 4 days making it 16sets per week, and I'll cycle back to 3 sets per day only cause you will start bumping into recovery issues. At 12 per week I feel strong.
@@TheStrugglingLifter Oh dang that's still a good amount of volume. It makes sense and I like the approach you've taken there. Great info and thanks for sharing!
I've been training off and on for 10 years. I never programmed failure on purpose into my training. 3 weeks ago I've only been doing sets to failure. I feel like I'm getting noob gains again. Once I can't do 6 reps I drop the weight by 10%
I think this is especially true for lower body/leg exercises. You cannot convince me that training even close to failure on barbell squats for example followed by 3 sets on 5 other leg exercises is feasible or effective. Cutting down on lower body accessories to 2 or even 1 per session has had amazing effects on my gains and recovery. Great vid as always boss ❤❤
I love HIT and intesity techniques, but I believe that if one has enough work capacity volume may be used in conjunction with HIT. 20 sets per session is definitely overkill, but 10 sets all the way to 15 (maybe the lats and and upperback could be hit some more) is reasonable to me. Though this is NOT at 0 RIR or to failure, that's be bollocks and overkill. Maybe 2-3 RIR tops. I'm adding one set per accessory exercise per week this meso, so far seems reaally working.
Man Im so glad a few years ago I took your advice and trained neck. Now I'm neck curling 50lbs easy. It transformed my physique. Looks great and feels great. Thanks pal!
I needed to hear this video. Been doing way too many sets, and I’ve paid for it. My elbows and wrists have been acting up a bit. I’ve been doing those rapid tricep extensions with bands like you’ve mentioned many times before, and they definitely work for healing elbow pain / strengthening the joint.
DUDE!!! I AM MIND BLOWN RIGHT NOW!!!! YOU KEEP GETTING MORE VASCULAR!!! ITS AMAZINC😂😂😂😂…. I still try and do my workouts and I wish I loved a lot more foods. Because I don’t have very many favorite foods
Id like to see you talk to Alex Bromley as he recently released a video called "volume is king". I thought your criticism of the studies made a great point there
I’ve just been spamming rest pause for 6-7 months now, I changed most of my movements to more stable variations, but it’s such an easy way to ensure I’m getting into those close to failure or even true failure reps. Every time I up the weight I keep some reps in reserve, but in subsequent workouts where I try to beat the numbers, it becomes very brutal
Actually I DID Enjoy that Video ON Effort lol….You FREAKIN NAILED it Man (it HAS to be THE Best HIT Video out there) I’m 59yrs Old and I’v Just (2month Ago) dropped my Days from a 4day Split to a 3day PPL coz i found it Hard to Recover BUT now BOOM I’m Back…… Chris from Manchester England
Great video Alex and absolutely agree with everything you say. I’ve been doing 2 hard sets per exercise lately and it’s been working well. I also perform high rep calisthenics and the mindset that creates merges well with weight training
I did a college powerlifting competition and it was actually fun. I mean it was like doing a 30 to a minute rest hypo/ muscles endurance training. But with our maxes instead.
I had pains in my left elbow when doing body weight dips yesterday. I’ve been doing quarter reps with a pause and doing them a lot lately, maybe less frequency, more recovery more weight and less sets. My anthropometry is the type where I have shorter range of motion I believe, so I’ll monitor the elbow pain.
HOLY F*** you are lean now!! Looking extremely good. Iv started leaning down myself. But only cuz i like looking good in the summer and want to try hitting 10% again where i look the best.
I know this is happening because Alex is low energy right now, on this crazy cut, but to be totally honest, i think i like the way he speaks now more. it's more calm, slower, and kinda leaving some space between his key statements, which gives you a moment to digest what he just said before moving on.
I will say however that there is a big advantage to adding a light day with higher reps. This type of programming is also implemented in Westside barbell and his a really good balance to lifting heavy. One day I will stay in the 6 to 10 rep range with a muscle group and later that week will hit the same muscle group but stay in the 15 to 20 Rep range. It’s a different type of intensity. Trust me, trying to hit failure at 20 reps on a muscle creates a different level of pain and mental toughness
I only do 2 sets per exercise per workout and I’ve been getting good results. I work in the 8-15 rep range and aim for an rir of 1-0. I make my 2 sets count. Sometimes I’ll do drop a set finisher.
I recently added more exercises into my routine, but my progress basiclly stopped because my volume was way too high (about 20 sets/muscle a week while training with 0-1 RIR) for my recovery. I also felt super tired and got achy joints despite being on a bulk and sleepin 8+ hours a day. Even a deload didn't help that much. I decreased my volume down to 2 sets per exercise and progress is back on the menu! I also feel more energetic.
The bast gains I have seen in my life has been when I started training 7d/week fullbody, doing minimum amount of sets & exercises per muscle group, but doing them with strict form all the way to failure. Just chose the exercises that have weighted stretch and that feel comfortable and safe at pushing them.
I agree with cutting the volume. Started using the RP template programs and I was surprised how low the volume were, tried it anyway and trained hard (RP style) and realized how much junk volume I was doing before. Going into every session fresh and ready now which means every session I get to train really hard without building too much fatigue, and every movement is fucking quality so pumps are crazy
Another great one! I definitely had a lot of success cutting back the sets when I was in a deficit, mentally able to push for more on a bulk but yeah just a few sets did the trick and I kept most of my strength after dropping 15 pounds
Great vid, can you make a video on how to have more energy throughout the week? I work 60 hours a week but work out 4-5 times a week how should I manage fatigue better?
If you can, go to bed at 9pm and take 200g of magnesium bisglycinate. Mouthtape to ensure nasal breathing (+ earplugs if needed). You'll sleep like a baby.
At this point I'm just watching to see how much more shredded you get in each video haha. I didn't think you were going to top your last cut but here we are... inspiring.
Same haha. I’m towards the last few weeks of a cut myself and it’s so motivating to see him sticking to it.
Haha I love it, stopping by to see the shredz regardless of the topic! Oh yeah I'm going way beyond, and there's still some weeks left 🙌
@@AlexLeonidas Hey Alex I was wondering if you could help me. So I am a 110 kg Man (That's 242 pounds I guess.). And come to think of it I used to be 80kg Slim and Muscular Guy exercising at the bars near my highschool. How should I proceed to get me in a shape that I am not going to regret and I am going to be feeling Energetic and Strong instead of REALLY SLUGGISH. Thanks for the help.
@@armando6829 Eat less man. Your weight will drop, you’ll get leaner of course, energy will rise, and the stress on your body will be relieved from all of the extra weight. So yeah, just eat less, and make sure you’re strength/hypertrophy training adequately. Once you get under 20% ish body fat, you’ll be feeling much less sluggish I bet. I’m on the tail end of a bulk right now, and I’m feeling the same way… and I’m only 180lbs. Probably gonna cut to 160, and I know I’ll feel more athletic.
Same. I always think on your lessons when I'm training and my session gets really hard and effective 💪🏼
Yes sir, training intensity is something I see absent in many lifters in the gym.
I feel like some people give me strange looks when my eyeballs are popping out of my socket finishing my last rep on a db curl.
Same😂
I know and some of these people are still reasonably big. But I go all out every workout and since starting only 5 months ago, I've made super progress. Doing high intensity made gym fun for me. High volume is boring and dreary.
@@phantomflame0658 This is crucial. Treating every exercise like a boss fight is so much fun.
@aj aj Who are you to say?
@@Mks25932 You think you're hitting RPE 9-10 but it's really RPE 5-6.
If your facial muscles aren't flexed you are not recruiting enough musclefibers.
And yes, there are people making fake faces just like people are doing fake grunts.
For me, increasing frequency and doing only 1 exercise per muscle group per session has been key. Fullbody has allowed me to attack all muscle groups when they're fresh, thus not even making it possible to do junk volume. Training hard is simply too much fun
I do exactly the same thing. And I also have 1 emphasized compound each session and 1 secondary compound or priority isolation… so I might pair them
Day 1: horiz push + lat/rear shoulders
Day 2: vert pull + lunges
Day 3: hinge/deadlift + horiz push
Day 4: horiz pull + vert pull
Day 5: vert push + hip thrust
Day 6: squat + traps
Beyond those 2 movements for 3 sets each… I’ll do biceps and triceps on alternating days. Then additional isolation just slides in wherever it feels most “fresh”. But it will be consistent on the same program day… unless I swap it with something on a different day and try the new feel of that
I hate fullbody. I have the feeling of not having fully attack a Muscle by just doing 1-2 exercises per bodypart
@@nominox1158 you don't need to "fully attack" a muscle. That just hinders recovery
@@Shvabicu this is just your opinion.
@@nominox1158 no. It's science
3:05 Man, showing what you looked like bulked up and then cutting back to how you look now really really shows how different it makes you look. I'm not gonna get nearly as shredded as you, but I'm gonna get lean, and this motivates me a bit. I wanna see myself looking defined and sharp.
A lot of us are way better looking than we realize, and after legitimately bulking you'll be SHOCKED at the muscular difference from the last time you were lean. Get ready for a fun ride :)
Alex, dude, your evolution over the years has been absolutely inspiring. You have built one of the absolute greatest physiques I can see around UA-cam. Keep it up, bro 💪
You know Alex is deep into a cut when he's sitting down
You get it brother, that's actually the only reason.
You’re looking huge recently! Looking forward to include your knowledge into my workouts, just waiting to get better after a health issue.
2:52 that arm lighting is INsane the cut is def paying off forearms looking W I D E keep up the work bro
Looking forward to the forearm/grip video
That's the next stubborn muscle, stay tuned
@@AlexLeonidas I have a bunch of hand grippers and I've heard from people they really help. And you have another grip video out there but I'm still excited for the new one
@@AlexLeonidas man that muscle stubborn, I’ve grown it a bit but not as much as i would be happy about
You’re content has went up in quality a good bit lately, not that it was bad before. Just letting you know as a long time subscriber
Thank you Matt, got more quality changes incoming!
Thanks!
Thank you for the support, Lajos!!!
Man training like this is much more fun. I used to do it this way (or I tried) but then I switched to highter volume because of ''optimal'' training. Thanks for making it clear!
I have already incorporated some of these and I have gotten better results but I'm gonna incorporate more. You never stop learning and it's awesome!
I knew you were strong, but truly appreciated it when I tried deficit handstand push-ups and only got 2 before I bailed out. One to work on and grow those delts!
The difference between junk volume and not going too intense and causing injury or bad form and technique is a fine line that is quite complex and nuanced.
Lol i literally just watched a video about Mike Mentzer, thinking to myself: i gotta remind myself to train harder, i scroll and i see this fresh upload
Alex I took the neck pill yesterday thanks to you & NH’s videos. Thank you for the guidance, looking forward to the gains!
neck gang
@@burritodog3634
Haha
YES‼️
Nice, man! I'll be cheering on for you to get neck!
This is my new favorite lifting channel.
Hey Alex today I tried doing lateral raises with figure 8 straps like you did at 7:13 and I have NEVER felt lateral raises work my shoulders so hard and for the first time I didn't feel any joint discomfort. Thanks for showing the variation!
Totally agree about those studies claiming to show 20 sets to failure. It's simply not possible for 95% of natural lifters. For me personally 8-15 sets/week per body part is pretty much ideal. And not all of those are to failure either.
I benched 405 while doing WAY under that and not even to failure. With failure, even less is needed.
Most lifters just don't know how to train hard, and these flawed studies are not helping the situation.
@@AlexLeonidas I think people just get too wrapped up in the nerd fitness tube side, and don't look at the tried and true basics like yknow working hard as fuck with big weight, with a decent program focusing on compounds, and eating + sleeping well
There are studies showing 4-6 HEAVY, EFFECTIVE sets to be enough for the majority of weekly gains. I'm doing 6-12 and have always done better with lower volumes.
I think that range 8-14 sets per muscle per week is the sweetspot for us who train really hard (really close or to failure on every set)
With 2x frequency, I'd say you're right about that
I like that there many different paths to the same destination. I’ve had plenty of people tell me that they’ve had some sweet success with high volume approaches, and I’ve had people say to me that low volume with high intensity is the way. Multiple paths to the same destination is great because you can be confident in trying new things out and experimenting - and it doesn’t feel like a waste of your time in the long run. At the moment, I’m loving the high intensity, low volume approach. However, if I ever feel like I need a mental break, then dropping the RPE and doing more sets is always an option for similar hypertrophy outcomes!
Yup, my whole training pretty much resides between 6-13 rep range, training to 0-2 reps in reserve every single set. Seeing the best gains of my life.
Yes, I can't perform more than 6-8 sets per muscle group per workout without it becoming pure junk volume. With a frequency of 2x a week it would fall into the range you stated.
i agree for most bodyparts but my biceps and back especially biceps can take a lot of punishment and recover just fine so i do about 15 sets a week for chest triceps usw. but atleast 20 for biceps and back
Alex must in a crazy deficit. Crazy shredded and sitting down with minimal movement during videos. Content is still great! Can't wait to see final form.
You know what's going on Josh!!!
And thank you :)
2:40 Main point of the video. 3 compounds (2 sets each), 2 isolations (2 sets each). Twice per week.
Doesn't that account to 20 sets per week though?
@@agentperry8347 It's 20 sets but not 20 sets per muscle group
After your video about 2 sets per exercise that you uploaded a couple months ago I incorporated it into my routine I was able to decrease the time in the gym and increase the intensity whilst doing more exercises e.g. 3 push compounds + 2 push isolations reps were 5 - 10. My arms exploded in size and I was able to get muscle definition especially in my tris. 2 sets with more exercises is no joke as it will force you to train more intensely.
NOW THAT'S WHAT'S UP!
moon man???
Could you please link the video? I can't find it
which video is this???
@@Mersoh ua-cam.com/video/j2SHvG1sOMo/v-deo.html&t
Watching you get leaner and leaner has made me realize how ridiculously lean I was trying to stay last year, I thought I was 11-13%, but I’ve come to realize I was more like 8-9% and much leaner than I thought at the time, currently Im thinking I’m 14% or so but I’m probably actually around 11 even now after gaining weight, body Dysmorphia is a mf, I’d love to see a vid on BD and your take on it.
Tbh in 20/20 hindsight, it’s no wonder why progress was slow and injuries were frequent last year lol… year 4 and still learning, always learning!
As many competitors will say, you probably have another 10lbs to lose when you think you're lean enough!
@@AlexLeonidas yeah I’ve heard that a lot and it makes sense tbh, reverse applies to me lol, coming from obesity I’ve always overestimated my body fat levels, looking at photos I had veins in my face and striations in my jaw.. like that was NOT 12% haha.
Can’t wait to see you on stage!!
@@NDPFitness Woah wtf. Yeah, don't go that lean. Embrace the food. I used to be obese too, and I'm completely comfortable with it, because I trust the process. It takes a long time to actually get overweight while bulking if you don't just eat whatever. Especially if you're as lean as you are. You'd have to put on quite a lot of kilos of fat, without gaining ANY muscle or water weight, in order to actually reach an excessive bodyfat percentage.
We would love for you to go through your full plan for getting shredded such as how you train, what you eat, and different strategies that work for you!
Speaking facts! Longest time I was stuck on pullups doing 5x5 weighted. Switched to 3 sets and did dynamic double progression and my progress skyrocketed! Definitely going to try 2 sets soon and see what happens.
I don't want to rob you of your time, when I could just look it up myself, but could you explain briefly what you did with that dynamic double progression?
@@Fedethedangerous95 Sure! I used a rep goal system where I got an idea of what weights I could tolerate after each set, aiming around, say, 5-7 reps after each. Could be another rep range like 8-10 for example, whatever works best for the exercise and your goals. Before moving up weights on any of the sets, I have to get to 7 reps in the previous workout. So if I get 7 reps on the first set, I can up the first on that first set for the next workout. I can probably use that same weight on the second set as well since I need to get at least 5 with that exact weight to stay within that range. This is doable, especially if I'm not doing an all out rpe 10 on the first set. If I'm on the low end after the second set (5 reps), I know I should probably lower the weight on the third set so that I can stay within the 5-7 range. 6 could go either way. So it's autoregulated and depends partly on how strong I am on a certain day. I track my workouts on my phone, and I copy and paste my previous week's numbers below my workout so I can refer to what I was doing in the previous week and gauge progression. As with anything, this progression's success is also dependent on doing everything else right. It was when I implemented this progression that I was also sleeping the most, had summer break, and was the most bulked up. But it definitely still made a difference because of its flexibility for progression! Bromley and Sean Nalewanyj have videos on dynamic double progression too.
@@gutierrezgainz thank you, it's very clear! so, as I understand, it heavily depends on being able to vary and manage your load by small increments
@@Fedethedangerous95 yep 👍
I really like that you stress that training hard is a SKILL.
I find that reminding myself of what I am reaching for when pushing through really hard reps(i.e the gains) and really visualising how I am achieving them with each rep makes me able to not give in and really push myself to my limit. Think about how your muscle is growing for each rep!
The goat of natural bodybuilding you are on the road brother
Right on time. It’s funny because for the past few days, I’ve been thinking of doing more sets and less exercises to save time.
It's worth considering, the gains equal out and you save time. When I go back to bulking, I'm sticking to 2 hard sets per exercise.
Applying this and resting more than 2 minutes for isolation exercises has allowed me to grow much more mass, specially on my shoulders
My strength absolutely blew up when I started doing one hard heavy set and one all out hypertrophy set followed by one or two assistance exercises for each movement. High frequency, high intensity, low volume seemed to work quite well for me
Phenomenal video, Alex. Most people just do not understand this concept even if it is hammered by some of us! So many people consistently will just keep all of the junk volume and junk exercises instead of just working their ass off for two or three sets on well selected exercises. I train hard for the mental health aspect, that’s what I really think is the most beneficial thing of training hard, but the hypertrophy is unmatched when training this way, especially with calisthenics, in my opinion. I am 32 and only getting bigger and stronger training this way. I think I’m going to try to lower my volume down to two sets on some exercises seeing that I do consistently train very hard, and could maybe benefit from going to two sets instead of three or four. It’s just a tough pill to swallow because training is so fun and I feel like I’m really into a movement at my 2nd or 3rd set, but I do not argue the fact of less volume being better when training hard! Loved this video. Congratulations on your sponsorship.
thank god we have guys like Alex
11:21 the leanness is getting absurd Alex!
If I'm correct there are only 4 weeks left until you compete, right?
I think you'll look absolutely amazing.
Keep grinding man, you're breaking down the self imposed limits in the natural community. In a few years we'll look back, you'll be the guy who first "broke the 4 minute mile for running barrier" for lifting, and suddenly 100s will do it and it will be seen as achievable.
Thanks for raising my standards man!
About 4.5 weeks, thank you OG. I'm not the first to do this but I'm happy that many people are motivated by this journey. We're all capable of so much more, keep training for higher highs 💯
It’s fascinating to see that epiphanies in my own approach very very often get backed by you shortly before or shortly after. After watching a lot of AJ Morris and Jordan Peters, I am not wondering why you adopt these principles to a large degree yourself. I remember that you mentioned Jordan Peters yourself a couple of month ago, I love it that you stay humble and learn from all the available masters yourself. Looking sick bro, keep going 💪🏻
the gold standard of UA-cam fitness advice. Thanks for the years of free advice.
My favorite fitness channel. Thanks for all your content Alex, I'm getting bigger thanks to you lol
For me I had to accept the initial drop in performance from doing supersets and no longer doing 7 minutes of rest for almost every compound exercise.
It's funny because inside the workout itself, now that I've embraced supersets (and for isolations even Giant sets), my performance is ~10% lower on everything, but whenever I test my strength in a fresh state, the progress is much faster than when I was resting longer (because longer rest, limited my volume and I didn't do nearly enough isolation for lack of time).
Case in point, I've been doing Pushup variations, Pullup variations and a bunch of arm work all at home.
Haven't been regularly in a gym since September 2021. I only go when a friend invites me once every ~3-6 months, last time was September 2022.
My Paused Bench back then was 100Kg for 5 reps.
This time, after 7 months no gym just home workouts, I did 100Kg for 10 reps Paused.
Literally doubled my reps.
I'm literally going to acquire a 3 plate Bench (give me another 6-12 months) by doing Pushup variations hahaha.
The simplicity of Calisthenics is literally a cheatcode. I don't have programming, I don't have periodization, I don't obsess over 1000 different variations.
It's just oonga boonga beat the books. Add reps, change the angle slightly, add weight to a backpack, all the progressions are simple and come naturally.
Can't express how much I love this video. Every point is valid and true
This is a very very high value video that I personally will be referring to over and over.
my man uploads a 'how to train harder' video when SHREDDED? my fat ass is already burning at and some what leaving reps in the tank in some excersies but you inspire me by showing its about mindest and focus. and I agree I am already doing whats considered to be 'low volume' (10 working sets per week for each muscle) and I dropped my accesory work on one of my upper days by 1 sets each just to push all of them closer and to failure!
I love the way you talk and spread your very important message. Super confidently and effectively, prob due to how right you know you are about a lot. You have def helped me get bigger and have more fun. Ty!
The sensation of trying to maintain as perfect form as possible as you grind out the last couple reps before failure feels amazing!
Hearing you talking about lower volume and effective reps reminds me why I love rest pause training so much! I'd be very interested to hear you on that subject, and see if you ever used these kinds of techniques! Et bravo pour ta cut, vraiment impressionnant!
1000% agree with this. Look at other natural bodybuilders, they train 2-3 sets per exercise, a lot of them do 2 sets only, 1 top in lower rep range and 1 back in higher. Effort is what matters, not volume. Volume is not the primary driver of hypertrophy.
Also, looking absolutely phenomenal, bro!
Oh yeah at the elite level (WNBF), many pros are training in this exact way! I think that speaks volumes. You're spot on here and thank you brother.
Martin Berkhan trained in this reverse pyramid style, usually two sets, one heavy, then drop 10% for the second set; both to failure. He is a minimalist, however.
I always had the same feeling that i am doing too much volume. Years ago, i did very low volume training, and i had my best results. Now, experimenting with only 1 set per exercise, slow reps to complete failure, and it seems to work for me the best. High volume just made me overtrain all the time. 2 super intense 30-40m workout a week is all i need.
Lol the black and white bearmode pics symbolizing the bygone era 3:09 😂😂😂 nice touch Alex, this training arc has been insane, continually pushing the limits of what we think is possible for nattys.
A few videos back when you mentioned only 2 sets instead of 3.
I gave it try, I left the gym better and noticed I left nothing in the tank. I know I could do 1 more sent but decided not and assted I could have added extra rep on my heavy set and back of set. Wow what game changer. Made my changing my progressive overload more flexible.
Great advice and content I'm always learning something new and rethinking how I train
Keep up the great content 😊 💪
Physique is absolutely insane! Great work…each bulk/cut is noticeable! 💪🏋️🤩❤️
Always worth it!
Alex Leonidas, I've been following your profile for quite some time and it's crazy how informative they are.
Hey Alex! First of all huge fan of yours.
I completely agree with your point about volume.
For a longtime I've built my own weighed calisthenics routine (including squats and good mornings for leg work) and I do full body 3x per week/frequency.
It would be crazy to do my workout with 5 sets and 3-4 compounds per movement/muscle group so I stick to 1 compound of push, pull and legs and then I do one assistance for each, usually 3 sets.
The lower amount of sets allows me to leave some in the tank and progress next session and I don't have to worry about conserving energy to do a huge amount of volume
Truth is if you're making progress and growing there's no way your number of sets won't be optimal.
When gymbros asked me how I can do fullbody or only 3 sets per exercise, I always what how much they lift and it's usually not much.
Cheers mate
bro ur so fkn ripped it's ridiculous, good shit man
💯. I dropped from 4 sets to 3 and sometimes began new waves with only 2 sets (when I added more weight I would restart a wave 2 sets and low range of my rep range), and I broke through so many plaetues. I was having recovery issues. It took me about 6 weeks to identify and adjust my volume. And once i did, DOUBLE PROGRESSION indicated me that I was on the correct path again.
That's awesome to hear Osvaldo! Do you still aim for at least 10 weekly sets per muscle group?
@Charles Johnson I'm somewhere between 8 and 16 sets per muscle. It's all based on what muscles I'm prioritizing at the time. I work out full body 4 times per week 6 to 7 Excercisies per session. Max 3 compounds and the rest isolations to avoid fatigue. I'll do 3 sets of a chest variation every day for 4 days. Total 12 Sets per week. Sometimes I'm at 4 Sets every day for 4 days making it 16sets per week, and I'll cycle back to 3 sets per day only cause you will start bumping into recovery issues. At 12 per week I feel strong.
@@TheStrugglingLifter Oh dang that's still a good amount of volume. It makes sense and I like the approach you've taken there. Great info and thanks for sharing!
I've been training off and on for 10 years. I never programmed failure on purpose into my training. 3 weeks ago I've only been doing sets to failure. I feel like I'm getting noob gains again. Once I can't do 6 reps I drop the weight by 10%
I think this is especially true for lower body/leg exercises. You cannot convince me that training even close to failure on barbell squats for example followed by 3 sets on 5 other leg exercises is feasible or effective. Cutting down on lower body accessories to 2 or even 1 per session has had amazing effects on my gains and recovery. Great vid as always boss ❤❤
Very inspiring and motivational. Great content!!!
I love HIT and intesity techniques, but I believe that if one has enough work capacity volume may be used in conjunction with HIT. 20 sets per session is definitely overkill, but 10 sets all the way to 15 (maybe the lats and and upperback could be hit some more) is reasonable to me. Though this is NOT at 0 RIR or to failure, that's be bollocks and overkill. Maybe 2-3 RIR tops. I'm adding one set per accessory exercise per week this meso, so far seems reaally working.
Looking great bro, thx for sharing the knowledge
Man Im so glad a few years ago I took your advice and trained neck. Now I'm neck curling 50lbs easy. It transformed my physique. Looks great and feels great. Thanks pal!
I needed to hear this video. Been doing way too many sets, and I’ve paid for it. My elbows and wrists have been acting up a bit. I’ve been doing those rapid tricep extensions with bands like you’ve mentioned many times before, and they definitely work for healing elbow pain / strengthening the joint.
DUDE!!! I AM MIND BLOWN RIGHT NOW!!!! YOU KEEP GETTING MORE VASCULAR!!! ITS AMAZINC😂😂😂😂…. I still try and do my workouts and I wish I loved a lot more foods. Because I don’t have very many favorite foods
Really nice video. I also really like the music in the background
Good luck with ur competition bro
Id like to see you talk to Alex Bromley as he recently released a video called "volume is king". I thought your criticism of the studies made a great point there
Triceps looking feathered AF!!!!
Personally I love HIT training so excited to watch what your opinions are
I think you'll agree with much of what I have to say! Enjoy Jan
agreeing with you a lot, saying you do multiple drop sets per set you can get away with 2-3 sets per muscle per week imo
what do you think about val salva maneuver and blood pressure/ are there risks of doing it on every exercise every rep?
Every video of yours i watch , i get more inspired. MINDSET!
3:50 - saving for myself!
"Honest Progression is What Guarantees Honest Effort"
Dude's like the Marcus Aurelius of the iron game. 🙌
I’ve just been spamming rest pause for 6-7 months now, I changed most of my movements to more stable variations, but it’s such an easy way to ensure I’m getting into those close to failure or even true failure reps. Every time I up the weight I keep some reps in reserve, but in subsequent workouts where I try to beat the numbers, it becomes very brutal
Actually I DID Enjoy that Video ON Effort lol….You FREAKIN NAILED it Man (it HAS to be THE Best HIT Video out there) I’m 59yrs Old and I’v Just (2month Ago) dropped my Days from a 4day Split to a 3day PPL coz i found it Hard to Recover BUT now BOOM I’m Back…… Chris from Manchester England
Dude you’re looking pretty amazing. How many sets should we do per exercise and how many exercises per workout?
2 sets per exercise.
3 compounds, 2 isolations is what I do.
@@AlexLeonidas thanks a lot! I have been all over the map. I’ll give that a try
@@AlexLeonidas same muscle /pattern or full body when you Saïd compound
@@AlexLeonidas per week or per session?
We need a new program from you, Alex.
Many new ones on the way :)
Great video Alex and absolutely agree with everything you say. I’ve been doing 2 hard sets per exercise lately and it’s been working well. I also perform high rep calisthenics and the mindset that creates merges well with weight training
I did a college powerlifting competition and it was actually fun.
I mean it was like doing a 30 to a minute rest hypo/ muscles endurance training. But with our maxes instead.
LEONIDAS THE CANADIAN DREAM!
Canada ftw
It's Saitama greeting us from the Super Planes of Existence.
I had pains in my left elbow when doing body weight dips yesterday. I’ve been doing quarter reps with a pause and doing them a lot lately, maybe less frequency, more recovery more weight and less sets. My anthropometry is the type where I have shorter range of motion I believe, so I’ll monitor the elbow pain.
Love the volume drop advice Absolutely diced !
HOLY F*** you are lean now!!
Looking extremely good. Iv started leaning down myself. But only cuz i like looking good in the summer and want to try hitting 10% again where i look the best.
How Old are you Alex?
I know this is happening because Alex is low energy right now, on this crazy cut, but to be totally honest, i think i like the way he speaks now more.
it's more calm, slower, and kinda leaving some space between his key statements, which gives you a moment to digest what he just said before moving on.
I will say however that there is a big advantage to adding a light day with higher reps. This type of programming is also implemented in Westside barbell and his a really good balance to lifting heavy. One day I will stay in the 6 to 10 rep range with a muscle group and later that week will hit the same muscle group but stay in the 15 to 20 Rep range. It’s a different type of intensity. Trust me, trying to hit failure at 20 reps on a muscle creates a different level of pain and mental toughness
This video's timing couldn't be more perfect, I saw it right after a workout where an AD press rep took me around 8-10 seconds
Your physique is just amazing Alex.
I only do 2 sets per exercise per workout and I’ve been getting good results. I work in the 8-15 rep range and aim for an rir of 1-0. I make my 2 sets count. Sometimes I’ll do drop a set finisher.
I recently added more exercises into my routine, but my progress basiclly stopped because my volume was way too high (about 20 sets/muscle a week while training with 0-1 RIR) for my recovery. I also felt super tired and got achy joints despite being on a bulk and sleepin 8+ hours a day. Even a deload didn't help that much. I decreased my volume down to 2 sets per exercise and progress is back on the menu! I also feel more energetic.
The bast gains I have seen in my life has been when I started training 7d/week fullbody, doing minimum amount of sets & exercises per muscle group, but doing them with strict form all the way to failure. Just chose the exercises that have weighted stretch and that feel comfortable and safe at pushing them.
I agree with cutting the volume. Started using the RP template programs and I was surprised how low the volume were, tried it anyway and trained hard (RP style) and realized how much junk volume I was doing before. Going into every session fresh and ready now which means every session I get to train really hard without building too much fatigue, and every movement is fucking quality so pumps are crazy
Thank you Alex
Will try that 2 set experiment thanks!
Another great one! I definitely had a lot of success cutting back the sets when I was in a deficit, mentally able to push for more on a bulk but yeah just a few sets did the trick and I kept most of my strength after dropping 15 pounds
9:40 he's talking about weighted pullups and dips
Those ez bar skull-crushers give the long head a pump like no other.
Even more so without locking out, NH style!
Perfect pre-workout video, lets go!
Looking crazy. I hope you're keeping safe for the cut, though! I remember last time when you said you fainted at one point.
Just the video i needed
Enjoy, it's jam packed!
Great vid, can you make a video on how to have more energy throughout the week? I work 60 hours a week but work out 4-5 times a week how should I manage fatigue better?
If you can, go to bed at 9pm and take 200g of magnesium bisglycinate. Mouthtape to ensure nasal breathing (+ earplugs if needed). You'll sleep like a baby.
im also curious about this
Needed this