The problem is when someone says "strength training" people will automatically associate it with powerlifting. You should get stronger at everything not just the powerlifts. Want big biceps? Get strong at curls. Want big triceps? Get strong at triceps extensions. Heck even lateral raises numbers should go up if you want wider and rounder shoulders. Get strong at everything including isolation exercises not just the compounds and you will get jacked.
For reals. That's why i hope streetlifting can become more mainstream. Muscle up, pull/chin up, dip, squat. Same thing as powerlifting but more upper body dominant
My favorite thing about Alex is he’s not dogmatic. So many UA-camrs say things like “only do these kinds of exercises” or “never do this exercise”. He understands that training is very nuanced and what you should do depends on many variables, including your goals, your build, what training level your at etc.
Thank you John, I know a lot of people don't like nuanced answers but there's really so many ways to go about thia lifting game. There's a reason why I embrace being the jack of all trades. Besides enjoyment, refusing to acknowledge various training methods that work is dishonest and I can't roll with it. I'm here to offer options, to leave no stone unturned and make us last. Training is for life and context matters.
When I was in high school around 2002, I was living off 5x5s and getting pretty jacked and strong through sheer effort and the blessing of youth. When my friend wrapped his car around a tree with me in the passenger seat, I sustained several spinal injuries that kept me from exercising till a year and a half ago, when I could finally afford artificial disc replacement surgery. When I came back to exercise, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information out there, and I made the mistake of finding Athlean X’s fear mongering videos before digging deeper. I finally started going under 8 reps a few months ago, and it has been far more enjoyable. Turning 40 in a few months and hope to hit a 225 OHP, 315 bench, and 405 ATG squat at 5’7” 180 before then. Thanks for the inspiration!
The problem is “not caring” about strength is being used as a mask by some for “I’m afraid” of strength. When someone like me says I don’t care about strength, I genuinely mean that. It’s not a good or bad thing, it just is what it is. And through chasing size, I’ve gotten pretty damn good strength: preacher curl 120x5, smith JM 250x7, smith bench 310x9, etc. So if I don’t care about strength, that doesn’t mean I don’t get stronger, it means if I’m big with below average strength, I don’t care! On the other side of the same coin, if I’m big and had to grind it out with brutally hard, heavy lifting? I also don’t care that I had to suffer through that. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s not about avoiding (being afraid, really) strength, it’s about not caring, regardless. Of course it’s a bit more nuanced than that, but this is a comment and not a 25 minute ramble of mine haha Edit: oh and excellent video per usual, nice work articulating the more subtle aspects of this topic
My man, you’re one hell of a critical thinker. I’d never considered the distinction between not caring and being afraid, but you should definitely cover this in a full video. It makes perfect sense. Your training mindset is genuinely stoic (can't say the same for others who makes excuses), considering those impressive AF numbers. I can’t preacher curl or JM press anywhere close, but if I could, I’d definitely care! Also, with the new muscle you’ve built through proper hypertrophy training, a 405lb Smith bench press (or barbell) is easily within reach. You walk the walk, acknowledging your strength and the role of it without getting attached.
@@AlexLeonidas I appreciate the kind words bro! And haha we’re on the same page, I had already noted down to make a video in response to this, you raised some excellent points
My preacher curl is 95lbs 3 sets of 8 with a straight bar. Yet my arms are 16 inch shredded. There isn't that big a difference in terms of strength but you're far more massive. This what volume training does, and bodybuilding style training like lifting slowly.
@JayJayMehdi honestly, that's about what is expected. You're lean as you saud yourself and BB is around 20% bodyfat, so given that you're also a bit weaker, I'm not suprised that your arms are 2 inches smaller.
@@JayJayMehdi95 lbs on a preacher curl vs 120 lbs is a HUGE difference, i wanna know what you're on haha. Also if you have 16 inch arms and are truly shredded, then thats insane. You'll probably have 16.7-17 inch arms at similar bodyfat as Basement Bodybuilding
This is why I enjoy both of you guys’ content. It’s just about lifting and pursuing fitness passionately first and foremost, with the gain of muscle as a natural byproduct.
@@AlexLeonidas Well, thanks to people like you when I started 6 months ago I started right. I went from 131lbs to 148lbs in those 6 months as a beginner. I went from benching 75lbs to 225 for 6 reps in just 6 months and I didn't even know it was possible, but it actually makes total sense. I believe the average beginner lifter is afraid to go beyond 6RPE, doesn't eat right, don't count their calories and they don't do strength sets, so it's not hard to be much better than average and have much better than average results. I started in the gym with two friends and they would always joke that I was ego lifting, even though my form was very good, they didn't even do barbell bench because they heard it's worse than dumbbells in Instagram reels. Guess what's their preferred exercise now that they saw my results?
This is how I treat my exercise, it might technically be powerbuilding, I treat exercises as ways to drive as much stimulus/tension as possible (mostly straight sets) and then get as strong as possible on them
Thank you brother, I've also had enough of these disgustingly low standards. We must continue fighting against the black pill, uplifting the community and fulfilling our fitness destiny.
My bench numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, but I don’t see anyone in my gym overhead pressing more than me. Or maxing out the cable station for reps on pushdowns. A plateau is just a new challenge.
Watched it to the end now. Alex, its such a great thing to have someone like you on my lifting journey. I was always a heavy chubby guy, now im getting stronger at the basics and i can do weighted pullups and dips now, im looking forward to be able to enjoy calisthenics all the more soon. Thank you alex, your a beast :)
I am turning 41 this year, lifting weights for almost 25 years. I can only say that I lifted heavy for pretty my my whole lifting career, with the result that I accumulated a lot of small injuries in my joints. That encouraged me to train lighter, at around the 12 rep range and I feel so much better. My body is literally healing from all the damage that I have done over the years. Not saying you will win bodybuilding show or powerlifting competitions while training like this, but you can be a pretty healthy and buff natty.
Yeah I pretty much try to avoid going under 3 reps. I’m in my early 20s so I can still lift heavy for a good amount, but when I get to my early 30s I’m gonna take it easy.
Just wanted to say your videos been a big help for me I'm 15 and I'm just trying to get as strong as I can but I've been stuck on benching only 135 for 2 reps💀 but thanks for all the great advice
My man, slowly build your collection over time! I got my home gym in 2018, and every year it's evolved. One big piece here and there makes a big difference.
Best decision you will ever make! I’ve been working out for one year and have never been to a commercial gym 😅 started at home, and never going to leave, and it only gets better and better over time as you acquire more pieces.
I hope that streetlifting can become more mainstream as a strength sport. I hate that when people say strength training its immediately assumed that its powerlifting. There are other types of strength sports. And to be honest, I'd rather look like a streetlifter than a powerlifter. Streetlifting physiques even as a strength sport produce some really awesome physiques. Wide back, massive chest and shoulders and still decent legs since they still have to squat in competition.
i see why the bodybuilders at the gym get pissed off and leave when they see me doing barbell squats and bench press. Im a year out from back surgeey, a few years out from neck surgery. Right now im doing 315 for 10 reps on squat getting my ligaments and joints strong again, my bench is probably 405+, my deadlift around 500lbs for 8-10 reps, i did dumbell curls with 65lbs the other day 10 reps. I really want to improve my squats, ive been taking it slow because of the back surgery, but i think the squats are helping not hurting. Im a former nfl offensive tackle, now strength training is my favorite thing to do! I want to unlock tbe depths of my power!!! Keep going alex! You have a great channel, very intelligent and sound teaching, thank you very mucu!
I started hitting almost everything in the 3-8 rep range with heavy weight and I love it. My main goal is strength, but I have been getting bigger. My arms have seen the biggest difference as I was hitting higher rep, lower weights in the past.
Please reach your maximum potential Alex. Your videos and accomplishments have been a huge wake up call to naturals everywhere and it shows in your growing following. Reach your pinnacle and keep inspiring us to do the same. And to anyone else reading this, I wish all of you a lifetime of gains and improvement. I hope all of you become the best you can possibly be.
Yesssss. I’m looking forward to being way lighter and getting all the strength back. I’ve been fat for wayyy too long but pretty happy with how much strength I’m maintaining as I cut. Love the passion. I get it!
Alex. I’ve been lifting for about a year and a half and I discovered you 4 months ago. At the 14 month mark I’d hit 315 lb deadlift. With just 4 more months of lessons I learned from you, I hit 405. 495 here we come! Thanks for your quality content always telling it like it is!
Every man should aim to be strong and then pass down this info and knowledge to his kids. Strength differentiates you from the masses and turns you into a more capable and useful person. Strength training sure did help me become a more confident man who is less neurotic and afraid of speaking out his mind.
Social media has everyone confused about everything today. It took me a few years to figure out just WTH am I even lifting for after the head-spin I've been in for the last several years. *All I currently do are very extreme loaded carries for football field length laps in the sand and go as hard as I can to complete whatever goal I set that day.* I realized all I currently care about is my body is being worked hard, I can feel and see results and as long as I workout this hard 2-4 times a week each and every single week for the indefinite future, I'm 46 and don't need more fitness goals ATM. I want to do weighted dips with 150 lbs from the waist like I did a few years ago and hit a 500 lb deadlift on farmer's bars, but they're childish goals. *I have far more important things to put that level of dedication and focus on.* The only thing I need from the gym is to feel healthy and satisfied.
Yeah man this is some great information that really gives light behind the idea of powerbuilding. The big 3 lifts are mainly tests of strength and a way to get your total body stronger. The core strength you gain I think is unmatched from squats and deadlifts. On the other hand, your body tops out at a certain point, this is where isolations come in. Tendon strengthening from high rep band work, doing compromised ranges of motion, half of these things can help bulletproof your joints. Stretching also helps you grow as well, so when you start to combine all these things together you really have something. It's interesting hearing NFL athletes that do yoga, but honestly I do similar stuff also for stretching because more flexibility helps things like your lower back from getting into bad positions. I greatly underestimated the value of stretching and flexibility in keeping you from getting injured, it just makes your joints tolerate everything so much better.
Only just getting started through this video but can already tell this mimics my exact thinking about all this which has been culminating over the last few weeks. Strength is VERY important. But when we threw the powerlifting-style programming bath water out the window (which was totally the right move), we also threw the baby of strength out as well.
Sometimes that's all you need, just to keep your passion high! Like I didn't care for a new bench PR up until recently, took years but I'm ready for some change.
@@AlexLeonidas People underrate the importance of ENJOYING training and how that plays into overall arousal from session to session. One could have the most "optimized" workout, but if they're bored and dread performing it, they won't get NEARLY as great of results as something "unoptimized", but they love it workout to workout.
Your videos are inspiring. I’ve been stuck with novice numbers for years doing “minimalist” work, falling into the powerbuilding hole, and avoiding a lot of solid exercises because of you know who. It’s time for me to change my approach and mentality. Now i need to balance running somehow since I love that too. 😂
Even if big barbell movements aren’t quite optimal, the joy I get from training them and getting stronger makes them wayyyy more productive for me. The journey from 315 to a 405 deadlift was extremely gratifying. The current journey I’m on for 440 and then 500 is equally motivating. Heck, even chasing bigger loads on the more “optimal” RDL is fun.
@@AlexLeonidasexcited to see your journey back up to 405 on bench. I’ve been lazy with pressing strength for awhile now and seeing your pressing explode might be the motivation I need!
I just hit 225 for 3x3 on the RDL after years of high rep work that rarely saw me go past 170Lbs. My glutes have also finally started getting bigger as well, but that can be attributed to hitting heavy hip thrusts.
@@jahimuddin2306 good to hear! I’ve been taking deadlift training as my number one priority recently and it’s really paid off. Went from 370 to 405 in about 6 weeks and now it’s been another ~2 months and I think 440 is going to be there soon. I’m also using 260 on RDLs for 3 sets of 6-10 which is crazy weight compared to what I used to do.
@@jahimuddin2306 RDL's probably did a lot more for your glutes than hip thrusts. I got to 44 inch glute measurement taking my RDL from 275x5 to 335x10. Hip thrusts. Have never done a hip thrust in my life
Kind of a weird conversation, if you want to get bigger muscles, you’ll have to get stronger at the movements you’re doing for those muscles, otherwise you’ll literally make no gains. It’s like saying progress overload is non existent when it comes to hypertrophy😂😂
I’ve ignored isolation exercises for quite a long time now. I’ve put it under the guise of minimalist training, I would just do basic movements like pushups pull-ups and squats and then call it a day. What you’re saying makes perfect sense. If you don’t put time in making a specific area stronger, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that it just ain’t gonna grow. In my experience I’ve been spamming pull-ups practically daily for years, but I haven’t really put any focus on getting stronger at curls. My back far surpasses my biceps in development. Been adding more exercises into my routine. Let’s see what happens
@@undagroundmane9117 Yeah and the truth is most 15 rep sets are so brutal on the joints with compounds because of sheer workload/volume. 15 rep sets can be used for sure, but I feel like most people think it's just most efficient for your time and instead do poor sets of junk weight. For isolations though 15 reps is great, everything has it's place.
Alex just keeps the epics rants! Your one sassy little rascal! Self proclaimed noble natty is wild! As an anabolic aristocrat myself, I approve this message! 🤩
I like to 1RM and set strength goals, then once I hit them I like to work back and hit new 3,5,8,10 rep maxes to increase the total working weight I use on my hypertrophic volume sets 💪😎👌
Love the nuances in this. I wish that this form of content got more love than the 50 trillion set, 8 billion exercises with plates instead of dumbells, etc that i see scrolling on youtube As someone developing a home gym and has had to move quite a bit, ive had to make do with less weights and less than ideal equipments from time to time. Starting out ive made errors like messy form (like using my chest on a jm press) and over did it in terms of volume, which did grow me but made my joints hurt a ton and i did not grow much in terms of strength per microcycle. I learned to get more out of less weight from people like you and that helped me greatly with very limited weights and bad recovery. For example, i would do 315 ish full on horsing the weight deadlift with pillows underneath, to switching entirely to snatch grip for 125 with a much slower eccentric, but that went up and up to 215, then id widen the grip more and more and more. I still saw a decent slowdown which made me believe i was genuinely intermediate, Then i got ill, got massive strength boosts and ive gotten hooked on that genuine strength gain. Currently, my micro cycle is 10 days instead of 7 but where before i would have 1 rep or a half rep per session, i consistently get 2-3+, all with good form and making the most out of what i have and though hard to tell at times, i believe im seeing the rewards. My defecit deadlift has gotten to my old horsing deadlift numbers, so i went to the next variation, where im still stronger than the last time when i did snatch grip deadlifts Part of me does still wonder how far i should lean here or there, if i over do the long ranges of motion or technique, if i should sacrifice some more form for more weight but i feel im getting there eventually, and i do end up still getting stronger on older positions. I do wish that strength was discussed more since i see influencers do as you say. Strength with good enough form and tempos are good for tracking potential hypertrophy, a big muscle has to have big strength at its pure function at least. Certain times, you can benefit from a little more horsing of weights, like a heavy squat that builds overall mass and strength in the quads, glutes, core, spinal erectors, etc, vs ONLY opting for 7 second eccentric pendulum squats. A little cyborgery helps with objectivity, one shouldnt be at the total expense of the other, but whats all the good form and the 40 second eccentrics if it can take away from our ability to see objective strength gains? (Through extra metabolic fatigue, mental fatigue doing century long movements for 26 reps, changing movements much for the "optimal" choice that you relearn and relearn and potentially push less stimulus into other muscles) I am sleepy so this is a huge ramble but yea
I thought being strong was just my own little thing that I could be proud of. Was never bothered about looks but it's improved my grappling x10 and protected me in my old job where I had to restrain grown people with minimum harm but also protect myself. The grappling made the strength useful and the strength gave me new avenues in grappling
So important to get stronger on isolations. I've stronger chin ups, db rows, bb rows and weighted pushups than ever before and my arms has actually gotten smaller since especially my tricep isolation movements has gotten weaker, because i've neglected them due to joint problems. Now i'm gaining skullcrusher strength back and shirt is already getting a bit tighter
Personally as a long armed gentleman, I’ve had the best results from focusing on building my arms first and letting everything else follow. And since they were my weakpoint I dropped the ego and literally did 5lb cable tricep extensions and cable curls for 6 months. Then 10lbs for 6 months and so. Now 3 years later I’m strict curling 40lb dumbbells with ease. And cheat curling 120lbs and soon I’ll be cheat curling 140lbs with reverse grip. I also started wrist curling 2lb dumbbells... 1lb in reverse. Now my most recent PR 3 years later... drumroll please... 70lb dumbbell wrist curl. With a giant coke can sized fat grip. Not once... not twice... but for 8 sets of 1-4 reps. That’s almost half my body weight! In another 3 years I want to wrist curl 120-150lb dumbbells. I’m confident I can do it, all by Gods grace. God exalts the humble boys.
I feel like this video is talking to me. I’ve had pretty bad joint problems from day 1 and getting stronger has always been a huge struggle. I’ve put on 20-25 pounds of lean tissue in 3 years but I am still extremely weak. Have never benched 225 due to nerve damage in rotator cuff. I’ve recently began to realize that if I want to get any bigger, I have no choice but to address my strength problems from the ground up.
Awesome video. Taking some time with those lower weights and being hyper-focussed on technique actually helped me a lot in going from decent enough form (probably won't get injured, but that's about it) to pristine. However, that was indeed just a phase. At the end of the day, I now use my experience and muscle memory from said phase to lift heavier weights with clean technique. One of the most important things, in my opinion, is keeping an open mind regarding this stuff. The two extremes you mention simply don't happen to people who are just as interested in learning about training and the human body as they are in the actual activity. For beginners and even intermediates, I believe it can actually be very useful to have "phases" where they are overly focussed on a certain aspect or way of training, because you'll learn a lot about the pros and cons, and personal experience is invaluable when it comes to training. However, this can only be a good thing if they are also continuously looking into new types of content, watching and reading different creators/authors, and thus being confronted with new information - all the while, over the years, they are slowly but surely building a balanced approach to chasing their personal goals in lifting.
I've been training very seriously for over 1 year now. I'm trying my absolute best to follow a good bodybuilding program. I've been doing everything right, tracking my calories, eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, eating nutrient dense foods exclusively, 12-24 sets per day, 5 days a week, I take 1/3rd of my sets to complete muscular failure, ECT. I Bulked at a steady pace, and I gained about 32 pounds. I don't know if I'm gaining muscle at a good rate, or even gaining muscle at all. I am planning on cutting eventually, and I hope I actually made significant progress for bulking for over 500 days. (no mini cuts or plateaus when it comes to weight gain) I don't know how much my bench press will suffer when I cut back down to 135 pounds or so. At January 1st 2024 my 1RM was 155 pounds paused @ 137 BW. I hit a PR on August 2nd 2024 of 185 pounds paused @ a BW of 156. (all my body weights are morning fasted) I never go under 8 reps for any exercise, and never go over 16 reps. What I wanted to know is this normal progress or is it slow?
Depends really if you do bench every week or only do it to test your PR to see where you stand. if its the former id argue yeah pretty slow rate you are a noobie and bulked so weight should be going up pretty frequently until like 200-225( starts to slow down). If the latter then pretty decent/good you are not specializing in bench press but your muscles are getting stronger as a unit.
@@davidperez6040 I bench press 2 times a week, and I also incorporate incline dumbbell press, and machine flies. I only test my PRs to try to make sure that I'm actually putting on some muscle and make sure that I'm moving in the right direction. I was told that the way to make sure that you're making progress is not to look in the mirror but to look at your workout log book.
@@yelezi7950 You remind me of myself in the sense i felt the more I do the more results ill get. I use to bench press, incline and decline press 2x week and flys. In my opinion you are doing too much volume and its making your muscles fatigue because your body cant recover in time for the next workouts. If you cant recover then you cant perform 100% even if you go to failure, you are going to failure at your 80% not your 100%. I started to see results when i did bench one day and a variation of bench (incline) another day. I also started doing 3x5 so i knew i was going all out.
@@davidperez6040 Do you think I should lower the amount of sets I do, because I still want to do the same sort of exercises. By the way, when you changed from high volume to low volume what changed, and how did you know for sure you were not getting overtrained?
@@yelezi7950 you can either lower the amount of sets per day or lower the amount of days you go from 5 to 4 or 3 and keep the volume. I personally do 2x days now but im maintaining after 6 years i have achieved my ideal physique and do other things now. But im still getting stronger on exercises that i care about (ohp and lateral rises).
Not caring for “strength” (in this case, rep maxes on isolation or powerlifting accessories), it’s like wanting a car that has a strong body with a very weak engine. The reason the body is strong for high performance cars is because it’s assumed you’ll run with a powerful engine. Agree with you wholeheartedly with your sentiments in this video, Alex
I'm a competitive powerlifter that does a lot of bodybuilding work and incorporates some heavy sets when a competition gets near or when I want to peak my strength on any lift. In my twenties I did a couple bodybuilding contests too.
Great video. Lost sight of my numbers and now im going back to chasing numbers in all lifts, i realise how much ive regressed. Too much adhd program hopping going on. Get stronger in everything, simple advice
there was a study that said that doing low rep ranges have same hypertorphy benefits than doing higher rep ranges, but in low rep ranges you get stronger + bigger, in higher rep ranges only muscle and a bit of strength, I suggest to to get as strong as possible in all basics (weighted chins / pulls, weighted dips, bench, deadlift, rows, squats and overhead press), also you can get strong in the isolations for example getting as strong as possible in incline bench, bicep curls, skull crushers, lateral raises. And get as strong as possible in all rep ranges, someone who can do 10 reps til failure with 50kgs in lateral raises and 150kgs in overhead press will have insane boulder shoulders, so yeah focus on strength and muscle will come. Good vid Alex, keep working.
You get big either way. The question is if you want a strong 1RM, 5RM, 10RM, 30RM, etc. If you increase weight in any given rep range, you also get big.
I am totally agreeing with you. Many guys at the gym are winning about the fact they eat enough then I ask “are you stronger weakly or monthly”…. They all answer “not really” 😂😂
People talk about calve size being influenced by genetics, but after lifting over 10 years, I can conclude strength is where genetics actually matters. I am pretty big and muscular, but I ain't shit compared to some 18 year olds who have the gift of strength. For many of us focusing too much on one rep maxes will only achieve fucked up joints/injuries and overall mediocre results.
Yes I believe part of it is genetics 🧬 and genetically speaking its mostly white dudes in Strongman ( I love the sport btw I'm a mestizo Salvadorian too) specifically and almost always from Scandinavia,eastern Europe,northwest Europe with a minority in Italy ,Greece ,Portugal and Spain.
@@GDino33 well yeah it's true that strongmen are mostly white, but firstly they are very tall. If you look at some strong people outside of powerlifting theres also larry wheels and julius maddox for example
Don’t get why people don’t care about strength. If you have a higher one rep max, than you can lift more volume at a higher weight making you bigger in return. That being said, it’s better to build strength than to chase it.
I’m really glad there’s people setting a high standard for everyone while being natty. It’s very motivating to know natties can go far through hard work!!
@@AlexLeonidas When I get it I will comment again. It's ok if you don't remember me though, but you'll still get merry knowing some guy was inspired to the OAC by you :)
If you "only" use machines with "perfect" stability and strength curves, the "only" thing you're gonna get is injured, when real life hits you in the stabilisers.
that’s not true at all. strength is strength. look at someone like tnf, who only uses machines yet he benches 385 despite never running a strength block
A lot of these guys have never had to pick up a heavy box. No smith machine to stabilize you and the center of gravity of the box will make 60Lbs feel a lot heavier than it is.
@@jahimuddin2306 that’s not how that works. when i lift weights i pretty much only do machines. i also do manual labor and im literally the strongest one there. stop listening to weak functional bros and step outside
Really like this video. Have to say definitely agree with strength making workouts more fun and seeing that progress and PRs. Having fun is an important element of working out!
435 lbs deadlift at 150 lbs. OHP of 155 lbs 1rm and 3x8-10 with 135-145 lbs. Every time I start focussing on improving certain lifts again it improves my physique. Going heavier at lateral raises, skull crushers, flys etc. Also, when doing 5x5 on compounds (including OHP + certain row/pull up variations) lead to explosive gains and improvements in physique. Much more over 3*12 in my own experience.
I am 18yo, weigh 185, have been training for about 1,5 years, and I am slowly getting towards 225 for reps on the bench press, currently sitting at around 210. I got my best results when I started listening to Alex, I am sure I would’ve been way further by now if I didn’t waste time f*cking around with weird, overly specific exercises.
Natural Hypertrophy has talked at length about power coping, and I think that he is spot on in his assessment. But I also believe there is such a thing as hypertrophy coping, and you called it out great in this video.
One thing having sciatica pain taught me is how important putting 100% of effort on accessory work is. Hitting belt squat and belt squat RDL to failure with high volume blew up my hamstrings and quads like crazy.
Thanks Alex for the timely post!! I am 52 years old, lifting for 2.5 years. I have been doing 4-10 rep range for most of that time. 4 weeks ago I switched to 10-18 rep range. Let me tell you the first two weeks killed me. Starting week 5 now. Feeling great. The question is, how long should I continue this high volume training before going back to lower reps? My goals are looking good while being strong.
I totally agree about the 5 rep sets, it's crazy how everyone thinks it's just for strength training. Compound movements lacking weight are almost like isolation movements to your core in a sense, not doing nearly as much. It's like always doing machines then expecting to have any real strength. Ab movements are also similar where they just never have enough weight to actually beat something like a deadlift or squat. Most people usually agree it's the huge movements that get your core working the most, but I'm sure isolating the core has it's place. I can sometimes feel my abs fire so hard on a bench press keeping my legs and upper body tight together, and it only takes one rep.
Good and passionate vid, as someone who's also recovering from the early 2010s powerlifting memes it's always nice to get a reminder that strength training and powerlifting are NOT the same. Complete side track: I miss the duck-quacks when keeping it PG-13
Your videos have been immensely helpful I have binge watched your videos and absorbed a lot of information It all started with the “Case for Bent Over Rows” video and the timing was perfect because that’s when I just started doing rows Overall keep posting the content you are someone I would like to learn from 👍
The problem is when someone says "strength training" people will automatically associate it with powerlifting. You should get stronger at everything not just the powerlifts. Want big biceps? Get strong at curls. Want big triceps? Get strong at triceps extensions. Heck even lateral raises numbers should go up if you want wider and rounder shoulders. Get strong at everything including isolation exercises not just the compounds and you will get jacked.
Well said, and this is exactly the problem!!!
Time to reclaim strength training and make it synonymous with bodybuilding.
For reals. That's why i hope streetlifting can become more mainstream. Muscle up, pull/chin up, dip, squat. Same thing as powerlifting but more upper body dominant
I agree, but instead of curls and tricep extensions I'd choose weighted chins and close grip bench press in a Reverse Pyramid Training fashion.
@@scalevolvable323 Do both.
My favorite thing about Alex is he’s not dogmatic. So many UA-camrs say things like “only do these kinds of exercises” or “never do this exercise”. He understands that training is very nuanced and what you should do depends on many variables, including your goals, your build, what training level your at etc.
Thank you John, I know a lot of people don't like nuanced answers but there's really so many ways to go about thia lifting game. There's a reason why I embrace being the jack of all trades. Besides enjoyment, refusing to acknowledge various training methods that work is dishonest and I can't roll with it. I'm here to offer options, to leave no stone unturned and make us last. Training is for life and context matters.
When I was in high school around 2002, I was living off 5x5s and getting pretty jacked and strong through sheer effort and the blessing of youth. When my friend wrapped his car around a tree with me in the passenger seat, I sustained several spinal injuries that kept me from exercising till a year and a half ago, when I could finally afford artificial disc replacement surgery.
When I came back to exercise, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information out there, and I made the mistake of finding Athlean X’s fear mongering videos before digging deeper. I finally started going under 8 reps a few months ago, and it has been far more enjoyable. Turning 40 in a few months and hope to hit a 225 OHP, 315 bench, and 405 ATG squat at 5’7” 180 before then. Thanks for the inspiration!
Respect
The problem is “not caring” about strength is being used as a mask by some for “I’m afraid” of strength. When someone like me says I don’t care about strength, I genuinely mean that. It’s not a good or bad thing, it just is what it is. And through chasing size, I’ve gotten pretty damn good strength: preacher curl 120x5, smith JM 250x7, smith bench 310x9, etc.
So if I don’t care about strength, that doesn’t mean I don’t get stronger, it means if I’m big with below average strength, I don’t care! On the other side of the same coin, if I’m big and had to grind it out with brutally hard, heavy lifting? I also don’t care that I had to suffer through that. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s not about avoiding (being afraid, really) strength, it’s about not caring, regardless.
Of course it’s a bit more nuanced than that, but this is a comment and not a 25 minute ramble of mine haha
Edit: oh and excellent video per usual, nice work articulating the more subtle aspects of this topic
My man, you’re one hell of a critical thinker. I’d never considered the distinction between not caring and being afraid, but you should definitely cover this in a full video. It makes perfect sense. Your training mindset is genuinely stoic (can't say the same for others who makes excuses), considering those impressive AF numbers. I can’t preacher curl or JM press anywhere close, but if I could, I’d definitely care! Also, with the new muscle you’ve built through proper hypertrophy training, a 405lb Smith bench press (or barbell) is easily within reach. You walk the walk, acknowledging your strength and the role of it without getting attached.
@@AlexLeonidas I appreciate the kind words bro! And haha we’re on the same page, I had already noted down to make a video in response to this, you raised some excellent points
My preacher curl is 95lbs 3 sets of 8 with a straight bar. Yet my arms are 16 inch shredded. There isn't that big a difference in terms of strength but you're far more massive. This what volume training does, and bodybuilding style training like lifting slowly.
@JayJayMehdi honestly, that's about what is expected. You're lean as you saud yourself and BB is around 20% bodyfat, so given that you're also a bit weaker, I'm not suprised that your arms are 2 inches smaller.
@@JayJayMehdi95 lbs on a preacher curl vs 120 lbs is a HUGE difference, i wanna know what you're on haha. Also if you have 16 inch arms and are truly shredded, then thats insane. You'll probably have 16.7-17 inch arms at similar bodyfat as Basement Bodybuilding
Mfw Alex progressively overloads the length of his videos (In 4 months, we'll get a 7-hour Essay)
Haha going full NH mode! These videos take longer to create, but I'm super proud to release them. Always relevant.
@@AlexLeonidas they're entertaining and worth watching for sure as well!
@@bluehippotech 100%
This is the kind of video I prefer. This video will give value for years.
Then he’ll transition to shorts only as a deload.
"this will save a lot of time for the future generation of lifters"
They're gonna be HUUUUUUGE!
They're honestly soooo lucky!!!! Imagine if we had this information sooner 👌
This is why I enjoy both of you guys’ content. It’s just about lifting and pursuing fitness passionately first and foremost, with the gain of muscle as a natural byproduct.
@@AlexLeonidas Well, thanks to people like you when I started 6 months ago I started right. I went from 131lbs to 148lbs in those 6 months as a beginner. I went from benching 75lbs to 225 for 6 reps in just 6 months and I didn't even know it was possible, but it actually makes total sense. I believe the average beginner lifter is afraid to go beyond 6RPE, doesn't eat right, don't count their calories and they don't do strength sets, so it's not hard to be much better than average and have much better than average results. I started in the gym with two friends and they would always joke that I was ego lifting, even though my form was very good, they didn't even do barbell bench because they heard it's worse than dumbbells in Instagram reels. Guess what's their preferred exercise now that they saw my results?
@@lucashiroshins225 for 6 reps after 6 months of lifting is freaky. Took me 7 years to do the same.
405 bench is beast
Powerlifting strength with bodybuilding physique is the goal. Never stop getting stronger
I'm trying to get strongman strength with off-season bodybuilder physique
@@paavoilves5416now thats the real goal
bodybuildiing physique is unnatural and weird
quick correction, his name is natural obesity now
Natural stress-induced blood pressure
holy shit i freaked for a second i thought this was my other account talking. sweet pfp man, i've had it for a few years too
Natural Hypertension
More strength = more tension = more hypertrophy = more muscle = more strength
Just don’t ignore your isolations
This is how I treat my exercise, it might technically be powerbuilding, I treat exercises as ways to drive as much stimulus/tension as possible (mostly straight sets) and then get as strong as possible on them
If you master mind muscle connection. You can make 135 feels 315
Dude your pure passion for improvement is crazy. Every time i feel like it's not worth the grind, you change my mind.
Yeahhhh we at the buffet right now
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Buffet = Roid-like strength gains (aka Bloatmaxxing lol)
@@AlexLeonidas How much protein: FULL
Yeahhhhh
I have progressed on weighted calisthenics thanks to you Alex
Love to hear it :)
Weighted Calisthenics is the truth, and guarantees aesthetics + high general strength.
Hey he's clean shaven, nice look for late summer. Looks to be an inspiring video too. Always stronger!
A fresh look for many big surprises coming soon, stay tuned and thank you! We must always raise the bar, never settling.
Well I can't take a man without a beard seriously...
@@demoncore5342 😆
One of the best creators on fitness youtube, tired of the blackpill narrative that sets the bar for nattys so low.
Thank you brother, I've also had enough of these disgustingly low standards. We must continue fighting against the black pill, uplifting the community and fulfilling our fitness destiny.
Bro most of black pillers are low iq insecure teenagers, which should convince you it's a bunch of BS
bro what does the blackpill have to do with this lmao I don't think you know what it is
One minute in and I can tell this'll be a great message. Back's looking even crazier than ever!
I always loved the synergy between hypertrophy and strength in certain movements, nothing balloons me up like making progress on weighted pull ups
What’s your max weighted pull up
My bench numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, but I don’t see anyone in my gym overhead pressing more than me. Or maxing out the cable station for reps on pushdowns. A plateau is just a new challenge.
I hit 315 as a 20 year old at 160lbs, I dont have crazy genetics and still made it, yall gotta higher your naty strength expectations.
Tell em bro, and well done that's actually quite freaky!
Perhaps not crazy genetics but very good genetics for sure mate and a good work ethic no doubt.
Are we just taking your word for it? Or you got a clip?
@@itsviibes5854 right, lol.
Well said.
Watched it to the end now. Alex, its such a great thing to have someone like you on my lifting journey. I was always a heavy chubby guy, now im getting stronger at the basics and i can do weighted pullups and dips now, im looking forward to be able to enjoy calisthenics all the more soon. Thank you alex, your a beast :)
Alex's rants have such good energy, they make me wanna get off my ass and train 💪
I love that they make you feel that way! Let's get these hardcore gains 💪
So glad I'm early to a video by alex, glad to see you hit 400k! I really appreciate your advice man thanks for all the help!
I am turning 41 this year, lifting weights for almost 25 years.
I can only say that I lifted heavy for pretty my my whole lifting career, with the result that I accumulated a lot of small injuries in my joints.
That encouraged me to train lighter, at around the 12 rep range and I feel so much better. My body is literally healing from all the damage that I have done over the years.
Not saying you will win bodybuilding show or powerlifting competitions while training like this, but you can be a pretty healthy and buff natty.
Yeah I pretty much try to avoid going under 3 reps. I’m in my early 20s so I can still lift heavy for a good amount, but when I get to my early 30s I’m gonna take it easy.
38 here and iv also reached a similar conclusion. Former competitive powerlifter now hobbybuilder.
Just wanted to say your videos been a big help for me I'm 15 and I'm just trying to get as strong as I can but I've been stuck on benching only 135 for 2 reps💀 but thanks for all the great advice
Good stuff young King, at 15 you probably just need to eat more to blast through that bench plateau. Keep grinding!
That's basically the reverse NH video about *Power-Coppers* telling them they cared about *Physique* all along , now it's the other way around .
My dream is to build a home gym like this
My man, slowly build your collection over time! I got my home gym in 2018, and every year it's evolved. One big piece here and there makes a big difference.
Best decision you will ever make! I’ve been working out for one year and have never been to a commercial gym 😅 started at home, and never going to leave, and it only gets better and better over time as you acquire more pieces.
Mine too!!!
doing hypertrophy work to break through plateaus on my strength exercises helped me a lot
I hope that streetlifting can become more mainstream as a strength sport. I hate that when people say strength training its immediately assumed that its powerlifting. There are other types of strength sports. And to be honest, I'd rather look like a streetlifter than a powerlifter. Streetlifting physiques even as a strength sport produce some really awesome physiques. Wide back, massive chest and shoulders and still decent legs since they still have to squat in competition.
Bro I swear the amount of confidence and hope your vids give me is amazing!
i see why the bodybuilders at the gym get pissed off and leave when they see me doing barbell squats and bench press. Im a year out from back surgeey, a few years out from neck surgery. Right now im doing 315 for 10 reps on squat getting my ligaments and joints strong again, my bench is probably 405+, my deadlift around 500lbs for 8-10 reps, i did dumbell curls with 65lbs the other day 10 reps. I really want to improve my squats, ive been taking it slow because of the back surgery, but i think the squats are helping not hurting. Im a former nfl offensive tackle, now strength training is my favorite thing to do! I want to unlock tbe depths of my power!!! Keep going alex! You have a great channel, very intelligent and sound teaching, thank you very mucu!
I know damn well that I am an intermediate lifter, and I'm happy with that (for now) knowing that I still have so much more potential to unlock.
As a fellow short arm guy, you’ve just inspired me to max out on the bench press 🫡
Christ the first 36 seconds of this are all I think about when I'm in the gym watching others. What a start to the video
I started hitting almost everything in the 3-8 rep range with heavy weight and I love it. My main goal is strength, but I have been getting bigger. My arms have seen the biggest difference as I was hitting higher rep, lower weights in the past.
Please reach your maximum potential Alex. Your videos and accomplishments have been a huge wake up call to naturals everywhere and it shows in your growing following. Reach your pinnacle and keep inspiring us to do the same. And to anyone else reading this, I wish all of you a lifetime of gains and improvement. I hope all of you become the best you can possibly be.
Yesssss. I’m looking forward to being way lighter and getting all the strength back. I’ve been fat for wayyy too long but pretty happy with how much strength I’m maintaining as I cut. Love the passion. I get it!
Alex. I’ve been lifting for about a year and a half and I discovered you 4 months ago. At the 14 month mark I’d hit 315 lb deadlift. With just 4 more months of lessons I learned from you, I hit 405. 495 here we come! Thanks for your quality content always telling it like it is!
This brother has been my motivation for ages. Alex man, thank you dawg for everything u contribute to and stand for ❤
Every man should aim to be strong and then pass down this info and knowledge to his kids. Strength differentiates you from the masses and turns you into a more capable and useful person.
Strength training sure did help me become a more confident man who is less neurotic and afraid of speaking out his mind.
Progressive overload with good form is everything period
Social media has everyone confused about everything today. It took me a few years to figure out just WTH am I even lifting for after the head-spin I've been in for the last several years. *All I currently do are very extreme loaded carries for football field length laps in the sand and go as hard as I can to complete whatever goal I set that day.*
I realized all I currently care about is my body is being worked hard, I can feel and see results and as long as I workout this hard 2-4 times a week each and every single week for the indefinite future, I'm 46 and don't need more fitness goals ATM.
I want to do weighted dips with 150 lbs from the waist like I did a few years ago and hit a 500 lb deadlift on farmer's bars, but they're childish goals.
*I have far more important things to put that level of dedication and focus on.* The only thing I need from the gym is to feel healthy and satisfied.
Yeah man this is some great information that really gives light behind the idea of powerbuilding. The big 3 lifts are mainly tests of strength and a way to get your total body stronger. The core strength you gain I think is unmatched from squats and deadlifts. On the other hand, your body tops out at a certain point, this is where isolations come in. Tendon strengthening from high rep band work, doing compromised ranges of motion, half of these things can help bulletproof your joints. Stretching also helps you grow as well, so when you start to combine all these things together you really have something. It's interesting hearing NFL athletes that do yoga, but honestly I do similar stuff also for stretching because more flexibility helps things like your lower back from getting into bad positions. I greatly underestimated the value of stretching and flexibility in keeping you from getting injured, it just makes your joints tolerate everything so much better.
Only just getting started through this video but can already tell this mimics my exact thinking about all this which has been culminating over the last few weeks. Strength is VERY important. But when we threw the powerlifting-style programming bath water out the window (which was totally the right move), we also threw the baby of strength out as well.
checked for a new vid and was not disappointed haha
Haha you came back for a monster of a video!
This is perhaps the most beneficial information I have heard in a long time. Now I'm going to focus more on isolation movements to get those arms up.
You look like a winner. Respect for your work
We're all gonna make it brahs👍
Absolutely 💯
remember me from the small arms. 3 monts ago the barbel curl with 30kg was very hard. now i rep 60kg high reps easy. my arms did grow 2cm
I do remember, bro you're on another level!!!!! The basics did you right 💯
Good to switch your goals around
Sometimes that's all you need, just to keep your passion high!
Like I didn't care for a new bench PR up until recently, took years but I'm ready for some change.
@@AlexLeonidas People underrate the importance of ENJOYING training and how that plays into overall arousal from session to session. One could have the most "optimized" workout, but if they're bored and dread performing it, they won't get NEARLY as great of results as something "unoptimized", but they love it workout to workout.
Forearms looking ꜰʀᴇᴀᴋʏ man. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Ricky, I'm isolating them now!
Mfs will claim they dont care about strenght only muscle, my dude, what do you think you have muscles for
Many people measure strength by their one rep max.
I for one don't do any weight I don't think I can rep for 10.
Bodybuilding is strength training, the goal is to progressively get stronger with good form in the ranges of motion you train
Your videos are inspiring. I’ve been stuck with novice numbers for years doing “minimalist” work, falling into the powerbuilding hole, and avoiding a lot of solid exercises because of you know who.
It’s time for me to change my approach and mentality. Now i need to balance running somehow since I love that too. 😂
Even if big barbell movements aren’t quite optimal, the joy I get from training them and getting stronger makes them wayyyy more productive for me. The journey from 315 to a 405 deadlift was extremely gratifying. The current journey I’m on for 440 and then 500 is equally motivating. Heck, even chasing bigger loads on the more “optimal” RDL is fun.
This!!!!!! Crucial to last in this Iron game.
@@AlexLeonidasexcited to see your journey back up to 405 on bench. I’ve been lazy with pressing strength for awhile now and seeing your pressing explode might be the motivation I need!
I just hit 225 for 3x3 on the RDL after years of high rep work that rarely saw me go past 170Lbs. My glutes have also finally started getting bigger as well, but that can be attributed to hitting heavy hip thrusts.
@@jahimuddin2306 good to hear! I’ve been taking deadlift training as my number one priority recently and it’s really paid off. Went from 370 to 405 in about 6 weeks and now it’s been another ~2 months and I think 440 is going to be there soon. I’m also using 260 on RDLs for 3 sets of 6-10 which is crazy weight compared to what I used to do.
@@jahimuddin2306 RDL's probably did a lot more for your glutes than hip thrusts. I got to 44 inch glute measurement taking my RDL from 275x5 to 335x10. Hip thrusts. Have never done a hip thrust in my life
I am on a journey currently, my max bench is 175 lbs my goal is to increase it atleast to 225 this video really helps and motivates me.
Kind of a weird conversation, if you want to get bigger muscles, you’ll have to get stronger at the movements you’re doing for those muscles, otherwise you’ll literally make no gains. It’s like saying progress overload is non existent when it comes to hypertrophy😂😂
As if easiest way to get stronger isn't getting bigger. That strength vs size needs to finally go.
I don't care much for the big 3, but I do care about getting stronger
This
I’ve ignored isolation exercises for quite a long time now. I’ve put it under the guise of minimalist training, I would just do basic movements like pushups pull-ups and squats and then call it a day. What you’re saying makes perfect sense. If you don’t put time in making a specific area stronger, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that it just ain’t gonna grow.
In my experience I’ve been spamming pull-ups practically daily for years, but I haven’t really put any focus on getting stronger at curls. My back far surpasses my biceps in development. Been adding more exercises into my routine. Let’s see what happens
Mark Rippetoe happily snorting rn
Funny enough, he was right about sets of 5 being good for hypertrophy!
@@AlexLeonidasmakes sense no time wasted every rep is pretty challenging
@@AlexLeonidas its almost like everything works🤔 dont tell the optimal bros🤫
@@undagroundmane9117 Yeah and the truth is most 15 rep sets are so brutal on the joints with compounds because of sheer workload/volume. 15 rep sets can be used for sure, but I feel like most people think it's just most efficient for your time and instead do poor sets of junk weight. For isolations though 15 reps is great, everything has it's place.
@@AlexLeonidas
Multiple sets of low reps ??
Alex just keeps the epics rants! Your one sassy little rascal! Self proclaimed noble natty is wild! As an anabolic aristocrat myself, I approve this message! 🤩
I like to 1RM and set strength goals, then once I hit them I like to work back and hit new 3,5,8,10 rep maxes to increase the total working weight I use on my hypertrophic volume sets 💪😎👌
Love the nuances in this. I wish that this form of content got more love than the 50 trillion set, 8 billion exercises with plates instead of dumbells, etc that i see scrolling on youtube
As someone developing a home gym and has had to move quite a bit, ive had to make do with less weights and less than ideal equipments from time to time. Starting out ive made errors like messy form (like using my chest on a jm press) and over did it in terms of volume, which did grow me but made my joints hurt a ton and i did not grow much in terms of strength per microcycle. I learned to get more out of less weight from people like you and that helped me greatly with very limited weights and bad recovery. For example, i would do 315 ish full on horsing the weight deadlift with pillows underneath, to switching entirely to snatch grip for 125 with a much slower eccentric, but that went up and up to 215, then id widen the grip more and more and more. I still saw a decent slowdown which made me believe i was genuinely intermediate, Then i got ill, got massive strength boosts and ive gotten hooked on that genuine strength gain. Currently, my micro cycle is 10 days instead of 7 but where before i would have 1 rep or a half rep per session, i consistently get 2-3+, all with good form and making the most out of what i have and though hard to tell at times, i believe im seeing the rewards. My defecit deadlift has gotten to my old horsing deadlift numbers, so i went to the next variation, where im still stronger than the last time when i did snatch grip deadlifts
Part of me does still wonder how far i should lean here or there, if i over do the long ranges of motion or technique, if i should sacrifice some more form for more weight but i feel im getting there eventually, and i do end up still getting stronger on older positions.
I do wish that strength was discussed more since i see influencers do as you say. Strength with good enough form and tempos are good for tracking potential hypertrophy, a big muscle has to have big strength at its pure function at least. Certain times, you can benefit from a little more horsing of weights, like a heavy squat that builds overall mass and strength in the quads, glutes, core, spinal erectors, etc, vs ONLY opting for 7 second eccentric pendulum squats. A little cyborgery helps with objectivity, one shouldnt be at the total expense of the other, but whats all the good form and the 40 second eccentrics if it can take away from our ability to see objective strength gains? (Through extra metabolic fatigue, mental fatigue doing century long movements for 26 reps, changing movements much for the "optimal" choice that you relearn and relearn and potentially push less stimulus into other muscles)
I am sleepy so this is a huge ramble but yea
I thought being strong was just my own little thing that I could be proud of. Was never bothered about looks but it's improved my grappling x10 and protected me in my old job where I had to restrain grown people with minimum harm but also protect myself. The grappling made the strength useful and the strength gave me new avenues in grappling
So important to get stronger on isolations. I've stronger chin ups, db rows, bb rows and weighted pushups than ever before and my arms has actually gotten smaller since especially my tricep isolation movements has gotten weaker, because i've neglected them due to joint problems. Now i'm gaining skullcrusher strength back and shirt is already getting a bit tighter
Personally as a long armed gentleman, I’ve had the best results from focusing on building my arms first and letting everything else follow.
And since they were my weakpoint I dropped the ego and literally did 5lb cable tricep extensions and cable curls for 6 months. Then 10lbs for 6 months and so.
Now 3 years later I’m strict curling 40lb dumbbells with ease. And cheat curling 120lbs and soon I’ll be cheat curling 140lbs with reverse grip.
I also started wrist curling 2lb dumbbells... 1lb in reverse. Now my most recent PR 3 years later... drumroll please... 70lb dumbbell wrist curl. With a giant coke can sized fat grip. Not once... not twice... but for 8 sets of 1-4 reps.
That’s almost half my body weight!
In another 3 years I want to wrist curl 120-150lb dumbbells. I’m confident I can do it, all by Gods grace.
God exalts the humble boys.
I feel like this video is talking to me. I’ve had pretty bad joint problems from day 1 and getting stronger has always been a huge struggle. I’ve put on 20-25 pounds of lean tissue in 3 years but I am still extremely weak. Have never benched 225 due to nerve damage in rotator cuff. I’ve recently began to realize that if I want to get any bigger, I have no choice but to address my strength problems from the ground up.
Awesome video.
Taking some time with those lower weights and being hyper-focussed on technique actually helped me a lot in going from decent enough form (probably won't get injured, but that's about it) to pristine. However, that was indeed just a phase. At the end of the day, I now use my experience and muscle memory from said phase to lift heavier weights with clean technique. One of the most important things, in my opinion, is keeping an open mind regarding this stuff. The two extremes you mention simply don't happen to people who are just as interested in learning about training and the human body as they are in the actual activity. For beginners and even intermediates, I believe it can actually be very useful to have "phases" where they are overly focussed on a certain aspect or way of training, because you'll learn a lot about the pros and cons, and personal experience is invaluable when it comes to training. However, this can only be a good thing if they are also continuously looking into new types of content, watching and reading different creators/authors, and thus being confronted with new information - all the while, over the years, they are slowly but surely building a balanced approach to chasing their personal goals in lifting.
man I love your content so much😭 I get called out so much, but thats the good part, you keep us accountable
Mark bell said it best strength is never a weakness, weakness is never a strength
Basement Bodybuilding is gonna have a heart attack if he sees this video Alex!!! 😂
I've been training very seriously for over 1 year now. I'm trying my absolute best to follow a good bodybuilding program. I've been doing everything right, tracking my calories, eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, eating nutrient dense foods exclusively, 12-24 sets per day, 5 days a week, I take 1/3rd of my sets to complete muscular failure, ECT. I Bulked at a steady pace, and I gained about 32 pounds. I don't know if I'm gaining muscle at a good rate, or even gaining muscle at all. I am planning on cutting eventually, and I hope I actually made significant progress for bulking for over 500 days. (no mini cuts or plateaus when it comes to weight gain) I don't know how much my bench press will suffer when I cut back down to 135 pounds or so. At January 1st 2024 my 1RM was 155 pounds paused @ 137 BW. I hit a PR on August 2nd 2024 of 185 pounds paused @ a BW of 156. (all my body weights are morning fasted) I never go under 8 reps for any exercise, and never go over 16 reps. What I wanted to know is this normal progress or is it slow?
Depends really if you do bench every week or only do it to test your PR to see where you stand. if its the former id argue yeah pretty slow rate you are a noobie and bulked so weight should be going up pretty frequently until like 200-225( starts to slow down). If the latter then pretty decent/good you are not specializing in bench press but your muscles are getting stronger as a unit.
@@davidperez6040 I bench press 2 times a week, and I also incorporate incline dumbbell press, and machine flies. I only test my PRs to try to make sure that I'm actually putting on some muscle and make sure that I'm moving in the right direction. I was told that the way to make sure that you're making progress is not to look in the mirror but to look at your workout log book.
@@yelezi7950 You remind me of myself in the sense i felt the more I do the more results ill get. I use to bench press, incline and decline press 2x week and flys. In my opinion you are doing too much volume and its making your muscles fatigue because your body cant recover in time for the next workouts. If you cant recover then you cant perform 100% even if you go to failure, you are going to failure at your 80% not your 100%. I started to see results when i did bench one day and a variation of bench (incline) another day. I also started doing 3x5 so i knew i was going all out.
@@davidperez6040 Do you think I should lower the amount of sets I do, because I still want to do the same sort of exercises. By the way, when you changed from high volume to low volume what changed, and how did you know for sure you were not getting overtrained?
@@yelezi7950 you can either lower the amount of sets per day or lower the amount of days you go from 5 to 4 or 3 and keep the volume. I personally do 2x days now but im maintaining after 6 years i have achieved my ideal physique and do other things now. But im still getting stronger on exercises that i care about (ohp and lateral rises).
Your physique is insane right now brother. Keep up the good work, I love the content
“Absolute strength and maximizing size potential” say less bro. 💪🏾💥
Not caring for “strength” (in this case, rep maxes on isolation or powerlifting accessories), it’s like wanting a car that has a strong body with a very weak engine.
The reason the body is strong for high performance cars is because it’s assumed you’ll run with a powerful engine.
Agree with you wholeheartedly with your sentiments in this video, Alex
I'm a competitive powerlifter that does a lot of bodybuilding work and incorporates some heavy sets when a competition gets near or when I want to peak my strength on any lift. In my twenties I did a couple bodybuilding contests too.
Great video. Lost sight of my numbers and now im going back to chasing numbers in all lifts, i realise how much ive regressed. Too much adhd program hopping going on. Get stronger in everything, simple advice
there was a study that said that doing low rep ranges have same hypertorphy benefits than doing higher rep ranges, but in low rep ranges you get stronger + bigger, in higher rep ranges only muscle and a bit of strength, I suggest to to get as strong as possible in all basics (weighted chins / pulls, weighted dips, bench, deadlift, rows, squats and overhead press), also you can get strong in the isolations for example getting as strong as possible in incline bench, bicep curls, skull crushers, lateral raises. And get as strong as possible in all rep ranges, someone who can do 10 reps til failure with 50kgs in lateral raises and 150kgs in overhead press will have insane boulder shoulders, so yeah focus on strength and muscle will come. Good vid Alex, keep working.
You get big either way. The question is if you want a strong 1RM, 5RM, 10RM, 30RM, etc. If you increase weight in any given rep range, you also get big.
@@freehatespeech6804 so if I increase in 1RM I will have same size that someone who does in 10RM
I am totally agreeing with you.
Many guys at the gym are winning about the fact they eat enough then I ask “are you stronger weakly or monthly”…. They all answer “not really”
😂😂
Strength is the measure of how much you can exert yourself into the world
People talk about calve size being influenced by genetics, but after lifting over 10 years, I can conclude strength is where genetics actually matters. I am pretty big and muscular, but I ain't shit compared to some 18 year olds who have the gift of strength. For many of us focusing too much on one rep maxes will only achieve fucked up joints/injuries and overall mediocre results.
Yes I believe part of it is genetics 🧬 and genetically speaking its mostly white dudes in Strongman ( I love the sport btw I'm a mestizo Salvadorian too) specifically and almost always from Scandinavia,eastern Europe,northwest Europe with a minority in Italy ,Greece ,Portugal and Spain.
That being said there's Mark Felix and Iron Biby who are big and strong ASF .
@@GDino33 It's because those are big as hell.
@@GDino33 well yeah it's true that strongmen are mostly white, but firstly they are very tall. If you look at some strong people outside of powerlifting theres also larry wheels and julius maddox for example
I'm on my 1yr and 8-month hypotrophy work and I have to agree with you...
Don’t get why people don’t care about strength. If you have a higher one rep max, than you can lift more volume at a higher weight making you bigger in return. That being said, it’s better to build strength than to chase it.
I’m really glad there’s people setting a high standard for everyone while being natty. It’s very motivating to know natties can go far through hard work!!
You got me training for the one arm chin. Thanks mate.
Big goal, means you got a strong mindset. Let's get it!
@@AlexLeonidas When I get it I will comment again. It's ok if you don't remember me though, but you'll still get merry knowing some guy was inspired to the OAC by you :)
If you "only" use machines with "perfect" stability and strength curves, the "only" thing you're gonna get is injured, when real life hits you in the stabilisers.
that’s not true at all. strength is strength. look at someone like tnf, who only uses machines yet he benches 385 despite never running a strength block
A lot of these guys have never had to pick up a heavy box. No smith machine to stabilize you and the center of gravity of the box will make 60Lbs feel a lot heavier than it is.
@@kevinhsu3102 There is a real life outside the gym, my man.
@@Shadow_de_Kronos are you dumb? you think someone who incline presses 7 plates on a machine doesn’t have functional strength?
@@jahimuddin2306 that’s not how that works. when i lift weights i pretty much only do machines. i also do manual labor and im literally the strongest one there. stop listening to weak functional bros and step outside
Really like this video. Have to say definitely agree with strength making workouts more fun and seeing that progress and PRs. Having fun is an important element of working out!
435 lbs deadlift at 150 lbs. OHP of 155 lbs 1rm and 3x8-10 with 135-145 lbs. Every time I start focussing on improving certain lifts again it improves my physique. Going heavier at lateral raises, skull crushers, flys etc.
Also, when doing 5x5 on compounds (including OHP + certain row/pull up variations) lead to explosive gains and improvements in physique. Much more over 3*12 in my own experience.
I've been thinking about trying 5x5 weighted pullups, probably will implement them in a couple weeks.
Top 5 Takedowns of All Time.
DAMN...... 36 min and 22 sec of REAL TALK !!!!!! 💯 OFFICIAL Bro
I am 18yo, weigh 185, have been training for about 1,5 years, and I am slowly getting towards 225 for reps on the bench press, currently sitting at around 210. I got my best results when I started listening to Alex, I am sure I would’ve been way further by now if I didn’t waste time f*cking around with weird, overly specific exercises.
Natural Hypertrophy has talked at length about power coping, and I think that he is spot on in his assessment. But I also believe there is such a thing as hypertrophy coping, and you called it out great in this video.
That's the word, hypertrophy coping. Damn right, there's always an opposite to extremes.
Winter is coming fellas
bear mode Season 😏
Perfect time to bulk and get STRONG!
@@AlexLeonidas 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@AlexLeonidas hey Phil Whatu got on ur plate over there
Bro its august 💀
One thing having sciatica pain taught me is how important putting 100% of effort on accessory work is. Hitting belt squat and belt squat RDL to failure with high volume blew up my hamstrings and quads like crazy.
Thanks Alex for the timely post!!
I am 52 years old, lifting for 2.5 years. I have been doing 4-10 rep range for most of that time. 4 weeks ago I switched to 10-18 rep range. Let me tell you the first two weeks killed me. Starting week 5 now. Feeling great.
The question is, how long should I continue this high volume training before going back to lower reps? My goals are looking good while being strong.
Many of us look for any excuses to not work hard.
I totally agree about the 5 rep sets, it's crazy how everyone thinks it's just for strength training. Compound movements lacking weight are almost like isolation movements to your core in a sense, not doing nearly as much. It's like always doing machines then expecting to have any real strength. Ab movements are also similar where they just never have enough weight to actually beat something like a deadlift or squat. Most people usually agree it's the huge movements that get your core working the most, but I'm sure isolating the core has it's place. I can sometimes feel my abs fire so hard on a bench press keeping my legs and upper body tight together, and it only takes one rep.
Hey Alex, ever consider making a movie on hard training? With your lighting, camera setup and physique it'd look amazing AF
Good and passionate vid, as someone who's also recovering from the early 2010s powerlifting memes it's always nice to get a reminder that strength training and powerlifting are NOT the same.
Complete side track: I miss the duck-quacks when keeping it PG-13
Your videos have been immensely helpful I have binge watched your videos and absorbed a lot of information
It all started with the “Case for Bent Over Rows” video and the timing was perfect because that’s when I just started doing rows
Overall keep posting the content you are someone I would like to learn from 👍
Whirlpool to Copelantis . . . lol, I'm so using that.
Was just watching your AD press vids. So freaking stable man
Game changer when all you've done prior is OHP, eh? Enjoy!