Alex one thing I’ve noticed about your training, is that you have MASTERED the art of knowing when you will hit failure and staying 1 rep away from it. Your grinders are crazy
Thank you Michael and I'm happy you mentioned this!! That's correct, I can gauge it with about 90-95% accuracy. I would have to credit the Max Effort method for that, I know my limits and have developed the ability to strain. This process took yearsssss though.
You are literally a human strength training encyclopedia. Thank you so much for the knowledge you constantly share with us. "Knowledge in youth, is wisdom in age".
The reason this guy keeps on progressing because of all the adaptations from different approaches in fitness (strength ,hyperthrophy, explosive movements, static response, specific, non specific etc) he understands fatigue to reward ratio, he knows different movements with the best strength curve to address his weakness..I have no doubt if he takes powerlifting seriously he can def break national records
Hey Alex can you do a full week training vlog? The entire training session (mostly) uncut, everything included from entering your home gym to warmups, stretching, setting up gear and taking breaks, basically the complete full picture. I think it could give great perspective on the true raw reality of things and gives a super clear & complete overview that's relatively rare to see on UA-cam in its entirety (e.g training duration timewise). I'd be interested personally (also considering how your training methods & exercises have evolved over the years). (Alternatively you could also do the same idea as above but with cuts in between while making mentions of the time on the clock so as to still get a clear impression of time duration (although i do still see value in completely uncut and i think it would be unique)) You could just set up a camera somewhere w complete gym overview (or multiple if youre feeling ambitious, for different angles) and let it roll for however long your complete trainings take. Or for all i know you could even stream it and read chat during set breaks e.g. (if it won't ideally impede your normal training regiment focus time & exercise selection)
I normally don’t like QA’s. But this one was solid. Good questions. And each answer has some depth. They could’ve been short segments too. So nicely done.
Lookin great Alex, you have come a long way. I have also noticed I maintain back strength when cutting, while at the pushing movements I become noticeably weaker.
I don't know if you read comments from old videos, but, thank you for showing me the chest expander. They taught me how to grind really hard my triceps movements and even my close grip bench, that last portion of the range of motion with the chest expander is magical.
Follow up to the question about good mornings re leg day/back day. Would it be good to do high or even ATK rack pulls instead of deadlifts or good mornings along with rows and weighted pull ups? Then do the conventional deadlifts etc on leg day?
Good question. Yes, that would make sense from a blending standpoint. Though I'd still say conventional on the leg day isn't as good as an RDL/good morning. Especially since you already got the overloading effect from rack pulls earlier.
Man his endurance is on a completely different level, I've been trying to match him but I'm so far away. Amazing what serious long term training can do.
@nicholas ingratta there's no harm in being able to exert yourself for extremely long periods of time, if anything it's a sign that your body is absolutely working to its best capacity.
following your novice program right now! it is the first program that i ever followed in 30 years of training! Because of its appeal in so many ways. Yes , to me it is a gem! Thank you Alex!
Elbow popping during triceps exercises : • Bench press : during eccentric, if I go further than 90 degree angle, there is popping • Triceps rope pushdown : during eccentric, if I go up further than 90 degree, there is popping • Dips : when I go down, if I go below 90 degree angle, there is popping There is pain after the workout but not during. Warming up with light triceps rope pushdowns helps a little but isn’t enough. How can I solve this ?
Hey Alex, my OHP is at 55kg for 5 (standing) and my progress on it has been moderate I miss reps here and there but never had any stalls. However, my bench press is at 67.5kg for 5rm, I am currently running a 5x5 program that has me benching and oh pressing twice every 8 days. I also eat in a surplus, sleep like a king, and hydrate myself, I also do assistance lifts like close grip and tricep isolations. But still, my bench keeps stalling everytime i add a measly 2.5kg on the bar. I am @86kg body weight.
I started Olympic lifting and my program has a movement that looks like a power shrug 6x a week. Clean and jerks and snatches and all the associated accessory pulls will grow you traps like crazy
Bulgarian split squats with the front leg on a plate has helped a lot for my leverages, long legs short torso. Going past parallel is an issue. It's all posterior chain and it's hard to sit in the hips. Tried using the leg press and the hack squat machine and it always felt off (my gym's machine are not the best and there's only one of each). While doing the split squat, I noticed a major imbalance in terms of spinal erector strenth. It's much better now. Perhaps I'll try squatting again one day... maybe front squats. For now split squats and leg extensions have been taking care of the quads.
Last time I did weighted pull ups, I could only go up to 2 plates. but I always knew the top part of the movement was the hardest from the point I relearned the movement with proper scap motion
Alex , if you have the space would you consider to get a functional trainer , or some attachments, rings and the rest of your equipment are just enough. For your training goals . Im building my home gym and wants some opinions about cable machines.
29:00 in regards to moderately weighted unilateral work, I believe it has a place for field athletes and sports that require fast footwork. It is definitely harder than a belt squat and bc of coordination limitations, may not put on the same amount of muscle. However I believe it will make u much more athletic and that is higher on my priorities than absolute muscle mass.
I don’t think you have to necessarily go super slow on the eccentric but making sure that it’s controlled and not bouncing out of the bottom will definitely yield more gains
My skullcrusher is 115lbs for 3 sets of 8 with a straight bar and yet your bench is much higher than mine. I found out that you can lift more weight with a straight bar on the skullcrushers. It's a great exercise for progressive overload.
Definitely interested in a new novice program! Also, I assume you still stand behind the naturally enhanced program, correct? Do you plan on updating that book in anytime in the future?
omg I really love the fun way u making your videos) Keep it up man best wishes form Ukraine! I'm also trying to make some home workout guides here so your videos are huge inspiration for me
I’ve been working out around a herniated disc for years, but recently the sciatica came back with a vengeance and I’ve only been able to train a few times a month. Despite the injury I achieved a 365 high bar squat, 300 total weighted pull up, 155 barbell curl clean, one arm pull up for reps, 405 trap dead and 265 bench without directly training it. Wanted to thank you for all you’ve provided to the global community with your channel. Can’t train as much as I want to but I’ll always tune in for new Alex content 🍻
Hi Alex, as far as minimalist neck training goes, have you seen Matthew Zlat's method? He literally just places his chin over the bar when doing weighted vertical pulls, and allows his neck flexors to take some of his weight. Wanted to hear your thoughts on this, especially since you do a bunch of weighted calisthenics already. Thanks for all the Q&A wisdom
Hey Alex can you give some approximate conversions between good morning rep work and deadlift 1RM? You convinced me to do good mornings and they’ve revolutionized my leg training. Keep up the great content
To train your neck without actually training it is to lock your chin on those pullups/chinup. Try literally to hang on the bar using your underchin. Simple way to add neck training volume on a weekly basis
Hi Alex, in your past videos you have recommended rotating variations when progress stalls. In general, when using double progression how many workouts without progress would you go before switching out the movement. I feel like rotating the exercise as soon as you do not progress (eg. Week 1 8-8-7 Week 2 Still 8-8-7 Week 3 Switch Exercise) does not factor in possibilities such as lack of sleep, form misgrooves, slower gains as an intermediate or advanced lifter and other external factors. Hope this question makes sense and I appreciate your content.
Struggling with arm hypertrophy, but the rest of my body is growing great. Thinking of changing my five day split from Push, Pull,rest, Legs, Push, Pull, rest to Push, Pull, rest, Shoulders and arms, Legs, Chest and Back, Rest Would love to know your thoughts on this switch.
Alex please make a new novice program man. You said it’d be even better for hypertrophy and I feel there aren’t enough novice programs designed for powerbuilding and muscle building, especially given the recent development in the community against powerlifting centric minimalism. I think you’ve learned a lot since you made the first one and it’d be really helpful for the new age of lifters.
I can't depress my shoulder blades down & back in fluid motion when I go up in Pull-Ups no matter how hard I try bruv(thus not engaging my back properly at all).. Any solution for this @Alex..??
23:00 i was wondering if I could get Ur opinion on a program I made with this whole thing in mind. It's basically push, pull with posterior chain, quads and arms, push, pull, legs and arms. Arms include biceps, forearms and only the longhead of the tricep. First push day is a calisthenics focus push session with chest, medial lateral heads of triceps. So 4 sets slow pushups, 3 sets close grip, dumbell flies (not sure if I need them), one of those pushups that resemble the JM press and some lu raises and calves. I thought of doing this type of session for less fatigue for the deads. Then the following day is 2 sets of deadlifts, preferably heavy tho I realised I've gone way too light and even got past 15 reps on the weights available, then 3 sets of frog stance rdls, then some wide grip pull-ups, pullovers, a mix between a drag curl and a Yates row. Calves and neck are sprinkled here and there in supersets as well as ham curls. Legs the day after is just sissy squats with hammer curls and ez bar curls, overhead extensions and forearm stuff The next push session has weights, dumbell press, seated dumbell ohp, incline press, ez bar JM press with lu raises and calves. The next pull has chins, chest supported rows, upright rows and another variation of pullovers with calves and nek. This doesn't have posterior chain cos of the next day The legs session I do after that has 3 sets bulg squats, only 2 sets Romanian deads and 2 sets of a variation of the box squat natural hypertrophy showed in his glute exercises but I just grab the bar underneath me. I superset it all with front dumbell curls, curls behind the back on the bench and dumbell overhead extensions with forearm stuff. Nordic curls are also done. What do u think about this type of programming to fit the deadlifts in?
On the topic of unilateral work, I find it to be a useful developmental tool for training stability in the first place, as well as reaping hypertrophy benefits with less external load, it also has a tendency to balance the leg more by hitting the adductors and abductors, which is a great thing IMO.
I find that even when I use a quad biasing form on Bulgarian split squats my glutes get sore but my quads are completely fine the next day and not sore at all.
Alex! When the literature suggest 10-20 sets a week per bodypart might be optimal for hypertrophy, how specific is this? For example: 10-20 sets for each anterior-, lateral- and rear delts OR 10-20 sets for 'delts'? 10-20 sets for rhomboids, traps, teres, etc. and lats OR 10-20 sets for 'back'? Also, do I count my flat and incline pressing towards front delts too? and my upperback biased pull-ups towards lats? I know there are multiple ways of counting volume, I did actually watch dr. Mike's video on this topic. My question however remains: How do I have to count if I want to be in that 'optimal' 10-20 range?
Alex, How would you address a weakness at the start of a pull-up? I always fail in the fully stretched position. Like I can’t even begin the pull up at the end of my set. Whereas most people seem to fail closer to the top of the movement. Also, I’d love a new novice program. Love your work, thanks brother
Do multiple sets of half-rep pullups to failure in the bottom 50% of the ROM. This should surely improve specific strength in that area. Then if you're worried about missing out the top portion of the lift, hit a set in the top 50% of the ROM. Similarly, you could do the same thing on a lat pulldown, and/or a straight arm pullover.
@@RDS_Armwrestling Thank you for your advice! It’s so logical. I think I’ve been conditioned against partials. I will implement that from now and see how I go
@Jornson Gardr a lot of the bodybuilding crowd are all for full ROM this/max ROM that, and I agree that it's important, but addressing weaknesses or other issues is also very important, and partials in the stretched position have been shown to be as effective (or even more effective) than full ROM exercise. Crazy eh?? It is also worth knowing that muscles are naturally weaker in their extremes of range of motion, so fully stretched and fully contracted, which is why it can sometimes feel impossible to start another rep of pullups after fully extending at the bottom.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on steel mace/ mace bell and Indian club training. It's a bit different but it seems to offer a lot of benefits.
Hey Alex, I just got some olympic rings and have two questions. 1. What’s your opinion on the body weight leg curl and elevated bridges with rings? Do you think these would be comparable to banded good mornings for example? 2. Is there any hypertrophic benefit to doing RTO ring push ups and dips? Love the content, keep at it!
Alex thanks for the Q&A, lots of great info! and by the way I hopped on your NE program, started it in September this year and i can see the gains in strenght and size ways it blows my mind! I even diverted a little bit from my Calisthenics workout for the winter just for your program, I trusted You and the process and it really shows ;) thank you and I cant wait for your calisthenics plan !
33:08 I want to isolate my hamstrings , i have one machine in my gym but is too easy i can do over 30 reps , i do RDL am strong at them but I dont want to be minimalist
Hey bro, im an intermediate and just started a new job which has me working 6 days a week 10 hours a day... I can only fit int 4 45 minute workouts a week in my schedule. How would you go about doing that? Im coming from a ppl split where i would smash all of the accessories and ive always been trying to be as optimal as possible, as i am not a big fan of minimalism. but it seems minimalism is the way to go for me now... question is: how can i optimise minimalism? compound fullbody workouts and ignore accessories? dont wanna lose all my gains, idk ive been overanalysing all of this too which doesnt help... thank u bro keep up the awesome work
I think bulgarian splits squats/lunges have its place from the stimulus fatigue ratio perspective. Sure you can do some volume on regular squats and thats were most of the gains come from but these smaller movements can help to add extra volume without accumulating too much fatigue because theres only so much volume on squats you can do before they bury you. Sure there are also belt squats which are also great with amazing stimulus/fatigue ratio but a lot of people dont have access to them (since a lot of gyms dont have equipment for those) and setting them up on boxes can be pain in the ass and sometimes even dangerous. Hack squats/leg press are also good options but those already use signifitantly more weight than lunges/split squats.
I got too stressed mentally from the novice program, i'm mentally exhausted from trying to add 5 pounds to heavy squats 3 times per week, i feel like I need something more sustainable personally, I had to mentally psyche myself up before every session.
Hey alex I'm trying to increase my volume but i don't have time for doing more than 3 sets per exercise I'm doing cluster sets for some isolation exercises & higher reps do you think that is an effective way to increase volume for the goal of building muscle thank you for answering my questions
Hi Alex, I see you talking about the max effort and conjugate methods a lot and feel that from your videos a I have a loose grasp on what they are, could you define fully what they are because id love to try them out
Lil' copy and paste from the video about back rows : Hey Alex, will you do a video on how to apply a maximalist approach ? On your video about "minimalist training will fail you" you go on about how making compromises will give you lesser results. I've been thinking about it a lot. I mean, I want results so let's just do as much volume as I can with a very high intensity for every muscle, right ? And then give them the rest they need , and do it again. For example, I can do 5 sets of lateral raises before being toast, but I have no problem doing the same thing the next day. So let's just do that evey day, right ? Problem is this logic is not applicable for the whole body, because there's just too much muscle you need to take care of, and doing 20 exercises for 5 sets each everyday is just a straight up bad idea. So I've been trying to make it work in my mind but I just can't get it right. Because I guess there will compromises, there's just no going around it. I just can't think of how to make the maximalist approach work.
Hey Alex, this one doesn't have to go into the next video. Might not benefit a lot of people but Can you recommend a minimum length of rope for rope pull based workouts? I want to buy one but don't have a lot of disposable income (teenager in school and all). I don't wanna buy one too short and have it be a waste of money, but I also don't want to overspend on one longer than I'll ever need to use. I plan on using it for both strength and GPP like work with somewhat longer set durations if that helps. Also, are thicker ropes (1" - 2" diameter) worth the money over just a thinner one (like maybe jump rope level thick) with gloves? I'd really like to know what I could get away with before make the investment. Especially in my country.
Alex, what do you think of the Super Squats program? More precisely the Squat aspect of the program. I’ve been trying it out and have seen tremendous quad gains. I have also noticed that it helped me pinpoint my weakness during squatting. Thanks!
Hey Alex do you think arm day can have its place or is it too Broish? Lets say I train 4 times a week (upper /lower) but I wouldnt do any isolation work of arms on one upper body day and instead I would do jsut arms the next day after one upper body day(so the arm day would be just once a week and more volume/exercises on that day and the first exercise would be treated like main exercise) while the second day would be just normally on the second upper body day which would be just one biceps/triceps exercise after main upper body compound exercises. So one day in a week would be focused on arms.
Alex one thing I’ve noticed about your training, is that you have MASTERED the art of knowing when you will hit failure and staying 1 rep away from it. Your grinders are crazy
Thank you Michael and I'm happy you mentioned this!! That's correct, I can gauge it with about 90-95% accuracy. I would have to credit the Max Effort method for that, I know my limits and have developed the ability to strain. This process took yearsssss though.
@@AlexLeonidas
@@AlexLeonidas that's incredible, I'm trying to follow your steps
You are literally a human strength training encyclopedia. Thank you so much for the knowledge you constantly share with us. "Knowledge in youth, is wisdom in age".
Thank you brother!
@@AlexLeonidas Most welcome, undoubtedly well deserved! Much respect!
Bro your deadass an overachiever and I am inspired by your passion for fitness , thanks for your enthusiasm and information take care man.
My man, I appreciate you for that.
These q and a’s are great cause you get so much information from even just one answer to a question, great content as usual brother!
Thank you Michael, doing my best to cover lots of details and enhance the viewing experience!
Just finished the video and you always kill it bro, and thank you as a natty you help my training so much
The reason this guy keeps on progressing because of all the adaptations from different approaches in fitness (strength ,hyperthrophy, explosive movements, static response, specific, non specific etc) he understands fatigue to reward ratio, he knows different movements with the best strength curve to address his weakness..I have no doubt if he takes powerlifting seriously he can def break national records
Thank you for this, Ramon. That beautifully sums it up.
Hey Alex can you do a full week training vlog? The entire training session (mostly) uncut, everything included from entering your home gym to warmups, stretching, setting up gear and taking breaks, basically the complete full picture. I think it could give great perspective on the true raw reality of things and gives a super clear & complete overview that's relatively rare to see on UA-cam in its entirety (e.g training duration timewise). I'd be interested personally (also considering how your training methods & exercises have evolved over the years).
(Alternatively you could also do the same idea as above but with cuts in between while making mentions of the time on the clock so as to still get a clear impression of time duration (although i do still see value in completely uncut and i think it would be unique))
You could just set up a camera somewhere w complete gym overview (or multiple if youre feeling ambitious, for different angles) and let it roll for however long your complete trainings take. Or for all i know you could even stream it and read chat during set breaks e.g. (if it won't ideally impede your normal training regiment focus time & exercise selection)
yeah this would be really nice
100% interested in the new novice program, and possibly a 4 day split
4 days isnt enough
@@stopplzs 4 days is more than enough if you're training hard enough and eating right.
@@stopplzs Alex trained 2x full body a week, 4x is enough.
make ur own program dood
just go with gut feeling and u make gains
Same but 3day per week is my preferred frequency right now
Really interested in a new novice program with more focus on hypertrophy ! Thanks Alex.
I normally don’t like QA’s. But this one was solid. Good questions. And each answer has some depth. They could’ve been short segments too. So nicely done.
I appreciate that man, glad you enjoyed this Q&A.
You are by far the most creative lifter willing to challenge old ideas great info keep it up bro!
Lookin great Alex, you have come a long way.
I have also noticed I maintain back strength when cutting, while at the pushing movements I become noticeably weaker.
But at what cost. He lost all his hair
I maintain back strength when bulking but at pushing movements I become weaker in calisthenics
I don't know if you read comments from old videos, but, thank you for showing me the chest expander.
They taught me how to grind really hard my triceps movements and even my close grip bench, that last portion of the range of motion with the chest expander is magical.
Thanks for answering my question, Alex! Been using a mix of your down routines and Iron Wolf burpees to hit lower body and GPP at home.
9:40 I do a TON of pull-ups and hanging and I still have trouble with single arm hangs and transitioning
Been following since damn near 2015 Alex, proud of the progress you deserve it! Would 100% be interested in you developing a new novice program!
Alex, when is the calisthenics program coming out? Really looking forward to that
would love to see the novice program!
Follow up to the question about good mornings re leg day/back day.
Would it be good to do high or even ATK rack pulls instead of deadlifts or good mornings along with rows and weighted pull ups? Then do the conventional deadlifts etc on leg day?
Good question. Yes, that would make sense from a blending standpoint. Though I'd still say conventional on the leg day isn't as good as an RDL/good morning. Especially since you already got the overloading effect from rack pulls earlier.
I think the rebranding of the name of the channel is a great move, keep it up king
Love the re-brand for you Alex!!!
Man Iron Wolf is madman. I don't understand how someone can do burpees for 2 hours.
Man his endurance is on a completely different level, I've been trying to match him but I'm so far away. Amazing what serious long term training can do.
Crazy how anyone would ant to unless for competiton
@nicholas ingratta there's no harm in being able to exert yourself for extremely long periods of time, if anything it's a sign that your body is absolutely working to its best capacity.
following your novice program right now! it is the first program that i ever followed in 30 years of training! Because of its appeal in so many ways. Yes , to me it is a gem! Thank you Alex!
Elbow popping during triceps exercises :
• Bench press : during eccentric, if I go further than 90 degree angle, there is popping
• Triceps rope pushdown : during eccentric, if I go up further than 90 degree, there is popping
• Dips : when I go down, if I go below 90 degree angle, there is popping
There is pain after the workout but not during.
Warming up with light triceps rope pushdowns helps a little but isn’t enough.
How can I solve this ?
Awesome man love these vids, burpees are looking solid and grats on hitting that one arm pullup again!
These long form q&a vids always get me stoked. So many gems!
The name Alex Leonidas gives ADONISSSSSSSS vibes.
He's from the Mediterranean area in heritage, so it fits even more.
Adonis is Jewish ,Alex Leonidas is Greek
The only common thing between them is the Mediterranean sea
@@ΝικοςΜπελλος-τ7π the legend though was Greek
@@ΝικοςΜπελλος-τ7π Adonis = Hebrew origins
is just a theory
@@velsria1 how do you mean
Yes please, send us a new novice program !
I would die for your new novice program especially if it's more weighted calisthenics focused
Congrats again for 300k bro. Love the info and your replies to all my questions.
Hey Alex, What are your thoughts on Matt Wenning saying benching in a straighter line and having a more Triceps dominant bench is better for longevity
They did a podcast together
@@drinkinouttacups2665 I know and I've watched it before. But I'm wondering what Alex thinks since his bench is elite and he knows about longevity
Would definitely like a video on replacement for unilateral rectus femoris exercises. I despise most free-weight unilateral work
ye my biceps are weak for pullups. You are on point with it. Arms always fail first.
Hey Alex, my OHP is at 55kg for 5 (standing) and my progress on it has been moderate I miss reps here and there but never had any stalls. However, my bench press is at 67.5kg for 5rm, I am currently running a 5x5 program that has me benching and oh pressing twice every 8 days. I also eat in a surplus, sleep like a king, and hydrate myself, I also do assistance lifts like close grip and tricep isolations. But still, my bench keeps stalling everytime i add a measly 2.5kg on the bar. I am @86kg body weight.
If you're doing everything well is just waiting bro, you should see a breakthrough very soon
I started Olympic lifting and my program has a movement that looks like a power shrug 6x a week. Clean and jerks and snatches and all the associated accessory pulls will grow you traps like crazy
Bulgarian split squats with the front leg on a plate has helped a lot for my leverages, long legs short torso. Going past parallel is an issue. It's all posterior chain and it's hard to sit in the hips. Tried using the leg press and the hack squat machine and it always felt off (my gym's machine are not the best and there's only one of each). While doing the split squat, I noticed a major imbalance in terms of spinal erector strenth. It's much better now. Perhaps I'll try squatting again one day... maybe front squats. For now split squats and leg extensions have been taking care of the quads.
Last time I did weighted pull ups, I could only go up to 2 plates. but I always knew the top part of the movement was the hardest from the point I relearned the movement with proper scap motion
What do you think about lower traps isolation? are they important at all?
What about serratus anterior training?
Deficit handstand pushups are the goat for bodyweight shoulder strength. Did those for a few sessions and unlocked the full planche.
Alex , if you have the space would you consider to get a functional trainer , or some attachments, rings and the rest of your equipment are just enough. For your training goals . Im building my home gym and wants some opinions about cable machines.
Yo Alex, have you ever considered doing arm-wresling again? You got the build for it! Thanks for the content, cheers from Hungary!
Just discovered that Alex is only 26 years old and he's this smart and experienced. Jeeeeezz
epic leg curl setup
29:00 in regards to moderately weighted unilateral work, I believe it has a place for field athletes and sports that require fast footwork. It is definitely harder than a belt squat and bc of coordination limitations, may not put on the same amount of muscle. However I believe it will make u much more athletic and that is higher on my priorities than absolute muscle mass.
I don’t think you have to necessarily go super slow on the eccentric but making sure that it’s controlled and not bouncing out of the bottom will definitely yield more gains
I 100% agree on that
My skullcrusher is 115lbs for 3 sets of 8 with a straight bar and yet your bench is much higher than mine. I found out that you can lift more weight with a straight bar on the skullcrushers. It's a great exercise for progressive overload.
Definitely interested in a new novice program! Also, I assume you still stand behind the naturally enhanced program, correct? Do you plan on updating that book in anytime in the future?
please talk about losing intermuscular fat when cutting and how it effects size and strength
omg I really love the fun way u making your videos) Keep it up man best wishes form Ukraine! I'm also trying to make some home workout guides here so your videos are huge inspiration for me
I would love if you released a new novice program with hypertrophy focus!!!
I’ve been working out around a herniated disc for years, but recently the sciatica came back with a vengeance and I’ve only been able to train a few times a month. Despite the injury I achieved a 365 high bar squat, 300 total weighted pull up, 155 barbell curl clean, one arm pull up for reps, 405 trap dead and 265 bench without directly training it. Wanted to thank you for all you’ve provided to the global community with your channel. Can’t train as much as I want to but I’ll always tune in for new Alex content 🍻
No excuses!!!!! Got some solid general strength and better legs than most people who are injury free. Cheers to always being a warrior 🍻
@@AlexLeonidas Exactly brother, ran squats and milk to build them there. I’ll be fully back in the temple of iron in time ⚔️
Got push tomorrow, will surely include your tips!
Hi Alex, as far as minimalist neck training goes, have you seen Matthew Zlat's method? He literally just places his chin over the bar when doing weighted vertical pulls, and allows his neck flexors to take some of his weight.
Wanted to hear your thoughts on this, especially since you do a bunch of weighted calisthenics already.
Thanks for all the Q&A wisdom
Hey Alex can you give some approximate conversions between good morning rep work and deadlift 1RM? You convinced me to do good mornings and they’ve revolutionized my leg training. Keep up the great content
For context I’m at 185 3x10 and wondering when I‘ve got the posterior chain strength to pull 500. Thanks!
I’m using 155 for rep work and can only pull just under 4 plates so id say 225 for rep work is a safe goal
To train your neck without actually training it is to lock your chin on those pullups/chinup. Try literally to hang on the bar using your underchin. Simple way to add neck training volume on a weekly basis
Hey Alex, when can we expect your new novice program? :)
Alex, would you do chest flies if you're already doing the adduction on ring pushups and ring dips?
Hi Alex, in your past videos you have recommended rotating variations when progress stalls. In general, when using double progression how many workouts without progress would you go before switching out the movement. I feel like rotating the exercise as soon as you do not progress (eg. Week 1 8-8-7 Week 2 Still 8-8-7 Week 3 Switch Exercise) does not factor in possibilities such as lack of sleep, form misgrooves, slower gains as an intermediate or advanced lifter and other external factors. Hope this question makes sense and I appreciate your content.
Hi Alex, is there a better exercise than stomach vacuums for the transverse abdominis? Love your content and the work you put out
Specifically to address flared ribs
Struggling with arm hypertrophy, but the rest of my body is growing great. Thinking of changing my five day split from Push, Pull,rest, Legs, Push, Pull, rest to Push, Pull, rest, Shoulders and arms, Legs, Chest and Back, Rest
Would love to know your thoughts on this switch.
yes to the new novice program! currently running the OG and results are insane 💪🏽
Alex please make a new novice program man. You said it’d be even better for hypertrophy and I feel there aren’t enough novice programs designed for powerbuilding and muscle building, especially given the recent development in the community against powerlifting centric minimalism. I think you’ve learned a lot since you made the first one and it’d be really helpful for the new age of lifters.
Great content man. Always gain wisdom from these.
I can't depress my shoulder blades down & back in fluid motion when I go up in Pull-Ups no matter how hard I try bruv(thus not engaging my back properly at all).. Any solution for this @Alex..??
Alex, I'm interested in the new novice program. Could you have a video on it ?
Love that you're sticking to unscripted q&a
23:00 i was wondering if I could get Ur opinion on a program I made with this whole thing in mind.
It's basically push, pull with posterior chain, quads and arms, push, pull, legs and arms. Arms include biceps, forearms and only the longhead of the tricep.
First push day is a calisthenics focus push session with chest, medial lateral heads of triceps. So 4 sets slow pushups, 3 sets close grip, dumbell flies (not sure if I need them), one of those pushups that resemble the JM press and some lu raises and calves. I thought of doing this type of session for less fatigue for the deads.
Then the following day is 2 sets of deadlifts, preferably heavy tho I realised I've gone way too light and even got past 15 reps on the weights available, then 3 sets of frog stance rdls, then some wide grip pull-ups, pullovers, a mix between a drag curl and a Yates row. Calves and neck are sprinkled here and there in supersets as well as ham curls. Legs the day after is just sissy squats with hammer curls and ez bar curls, overhead extensions and forearm stuff
The next push session has weights, dumbell press, seated dumbell ohp, incline press, ez bar JM press with lu raises and calves.
The next pull has chins, chest supported rows, upright rows and another variation of pullovers with calves and nek. This doesn't have posterior chain cos of the next day
The legs session I do after that has 3 sets bulg squats, only 2 sets Romanian deads and 2 sets of a variation of the box squat natural hypertrophy showed in his glute exercises but I just grab the bar underneath me. I superset it all with front dumbell curls, curls behind the back on the bench and dumbell overhead extensions with forearm stuff. Nordic curls are also done. What do u think about this type of programming to fit the deadlifts in?
I like to do some unilateral compound leg movements because my left leg is noticeably smaller than my right. Even though it's just as strong.
On the topic of unilateral work, I find it to be a useful developmental tool for training stability in the first place, as well as reaping hypertrophy benefits with less external load, it also has a tendency to balance the leg more by hitting the adductors and abductors, which is a great thing IMO.
Upper back looking insane in the thumbnail
I find that even when I use a quad biasing form on Bulgarian split squats my glutes get sore but my quads are completely fine the next day and not sore at all.
Alex!
When the literature suggest 10-20 sets a week per bodypart might be optimal for hypertrophy, how specific is this? For example: 10-20 sets for each anterior-, lateral- and rear delts OR 10-20 sets for 'delts'? 10-20 sets for rhomboids, traps, teres, etc. and lats OR 10-20 sets for 'back'?
Also, do I count my flat and incline pressing towards front delts too? and my upperback biased pull-ups towards lats?
I know there are multiple ways of counting volume, I did actually watch dr. Mike's video on this topic. My question however remains: How do I have to count if I want to be in that 'optimal' 10-20 range?
Alex,
How would you address a weakness at the start of a pull-up? I always fail in the fully stretched position. Like I can’t even begin the pull up at the end of my set. Whereas most people seem to fail closer to the top of the movement.
Also, I’d love a new novice program.
Love your work, thanks brother
Do multiple sets of half-rep pullups to failure in the bottom 50% of the ROM. This should surely improve specific strength in that area. Then if you're worried about missing out the top portion of the lift, hit a set in the top 50% of the ROM. Similarly, you could do the same thing on a lat pulldown, and/or a straight arm pullover.
@@RDS_Armwrestling
Thank you for your advice! It’s so logical. I think I’ve been conditioned against partials. I will implement that from now and see how I go
@Jornson Gardr a lot of the bodybuilding crowd are all for full ROM this/max ROM that, and I agree that it's important, but addressing weaknesses or other issues is also very important, and partials in the stretched position have been shown to be as effective (or even more effective) than full ROM exercise. Crazy eh?? It is also worth knowing that muscles are naturally weaker in their extremes of range of motion, so fully stretched and fully contracted, which is why it can sometimes feel impossible to start another rep of pullups after fully extending at the bottom.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on steel mace/ mace bell and Indian club training. It's a bit different but it seems to offer a lot of benefits.
Hey Alex, I’ve been doing RDLs any standards for them for a massive hamstrings and glutes
Grandmaster Kratos blessing us with his wisdom, thanks Alex.
Does anyone know when the new novice program comes out?
Hey Alex, I just got some olympic rings and have two questions.
1. What’s your opinion on the body weight leg curl and elevated bridges with rings? Do you think these would be comparable to banded good mornings for example?
2. Is there any hypertrophic benefit to doing RTO ring push ups and dips?
Love the content, keep at it!
Alex thanks for the Q&A, lots of great info! and by the way I hopped on your NE program, started it in September this year and i can see the gains in strenght and size ways it blows my mind! I even diverted a little bit from my Calisthenics workout for the winter just for your program, I trusted You and the process and it really shows ;) thank you and I cant wait for your calisthenics plan !
Please create a new Novice program , that would be fascinating!!
33:08 I want to isolate my hamstrings , i have one machine in my gym but is too easy i can do over 30 reps , i do RDL am strong at them but I dont want to be minimalist
Try the nordic curl. You can make it harder by changing the leverage via extending your arms out, and then you can add weight if that gets too easy.
Nordic curls with reverse bands and laying cable leg curls are your best bet. You can also get a Gym Pin
Hey bro, im an intermediate and just started a new job which has me working 6 days a week 10 hours a day...
I can only fit int 4 45 minute workouts a week in my schedule. How would you go about doing that? Im coming from a ppl split where i would smash all of the accessories and ive always been trying to be as optimal as possible, as i am not a big fan of minimalism. but it seems minimalism is the way to go for me now...
question is: how can i optimise minimalism? compound fullbody workouts and ignore accessories? dont wanna lose all my gains, idk ive been overanalysing all of this too which doesnt help... thank u bro keep up the awesome work
THE NAME CHANGE YES IT IS TIME
Damn right Josh!! Feels good to be me 💯
Did you ever have problems with muscle knots. If so, how did you get rid of them?
Love your content keep it up!
My forearms got crazy from Gi Jiujitsu but those Rope pull machines at the gym are really nice for Forearms
Always thought your actual name was even more sick than the alias. Glad to see the change.
Thanks brother, should've changed it a long time ago
@@AlexLeonidas yes
I would love to see a new novice program tbh would be interesting to see
Here here for new novice program!
Would love a new novice program!
I think bulgarian splits squats/lunges have its place from the stimulus fatigue ratio perspective. Sure you can do some volume on regular squats and thats were most of the gains come from but these smaller movements can help to add extra volume without accumulating too much fatigue because theres only so much volume on squats you can do before they bury you. Sure there are also belt squats which are also great with amazing stimulus/fatigue ratio but a lot of people dont have access to them (since a lot of gyms dont have equipment for those) and setting them up on boxes can be pain in the ass and sometimes even dangerous. Hack squats/leg press are also good options but those already use signifitantly more weight than lunges/split squats.
I got too stressed mentally from the novice program, i'm mentally exhausted from trying to add 5 pounds to heavy squats 3 times per week, i feel like I need something more sustainable personally,
I had to mentally psyche myself up before every session.
Alex, do you train Tibilialis Anterior and Serratus Anterior? If so, which exercises do you do?
Hey alex I'm trying to increase my volume but i don't have time for doing more than 3 sets per exercise I'm doing cluster sets for some isolation exercises & higher reps do you think that is an effective way to increase volume for the goal of building muscle thank you for answering my questions
Hi Alex, I see you talking about the max effort and conjugate methods a lot and feel that from your videos a I have a loose grasp on what they are, could you define fully what they are because id love to try them out
Would definitely be interested in a new novice program!
Would love to see a new novice program.
So we can giant set far + close pushdowns and Overhead extensions everytime? 🤔
You certainly can, just pay attention to recovery and possibly drop volume.
@@AlexLeonidas Thanks bro
Lil' copy and paste from the video about back rows :
Hey Alex, will you do a video on how to apply a maximalist approach ?
On your video about "minimalist training will fail you" you go on about how making compromises will give you lesser results.
I've been thinking about it a lot. I mean, I want results so let's just do as much volume as I can with a very high intensity for every muscle, right ? And then give them the rest they need , and do it again.
For example, I can do 5 sets of lateral raises before being toast, but I have no problem doing the same thing the next day. So let's just do that evey day, right ?
Problem is this logic is not applicable for the whole body, because there's just too much muscle you need to take care of, and doing 20 exercises for 5 sets each everyday is just a straight up bad idea. So I've been trying to make it work in my mind but I just can't get it right.
Because I guess there will compromises, there's just no going around it. I just can't think of how to make the maximalist approach work.
Hey Alex, this one doesn't have to go into the next video. Might not benefit a lot of people but
Can you recommend a minimum length of rope for rope pull based workouts? I want to buy one but don't have a lot of disposable income (teenager in school and all). I don't wanna buy one too short and have it be a waste of money, but I also don't want to overspend on one longer than I'll ever need to use. I plan on using it for both strength and GPP like work with somewhat longer set durations if that helps.
Also, are thicker ropes (1" - 2" diameter) worth the money over just a thinner one (like maybe jump rope level thick) with gloves? I'd really like to know what I could get away with before make the investment. Especially in my country.
Alex, what do you think of the Super Squats program? More precisely the Squat aspect of the program.
I’ve been trying it out and have seen tremendous quad gains. I have also noticed that it helped me pinpoint my weakness during squatting.
Thanks!
Thoughts on power shrugs vs snatch high pulls for getting yolked?
Hey Alex do you think arm day can have its place or is it too Broish? Lets say I train 4 times a week (upper /lower) but I wouldnt do any isolation work of arms on one upper body day and instead I would do jsut arms the next day after one upper body day(so the arm day would be just once a week and more volume/exercises on that day and the first exercise would be treated like main exercise) while the second day would be just normally on the second upper body day which would be just one biceps/triceps exercise after main upper body compound exercises. So one day in a week would be focused on arms.
Funny you mention this Marko because that's EXACTLY how I've been training. You're smart for these details 💪💪💪💪
@@AlexLeonidas Wow thats amazing. This pretty much answers my question.