Can't believe it's already the last one of the year. These Q&As have been even more helpful this year considering what we've gone through. Big thank you Alex for what you've done this year!
@@hybridramper-futurearmy1160 Greg Doucette makes overly long, ranty videos that I really don't care for. When I watch fitness stuff I want the infromation in a more condensed form, not this long youtube-algorhythm-milking entertainment form. His anabolic french toast is great.
Man, I once tried a 300 pull up workout. Super hard but then I tried the 500 pull ups workout... BRUTAL! 2h30 mins endless sets of 5 pull ups with 1 min rest, absolutely freaking hard, mad respect for anyone who does it
Hey Alex, this isn’t technically a question but I figured the knowledge would be appreciated. I have super thin wrists and over the past 3-ish years, it’s been hard not to have wrist pain no matter how much I’ve worked on grip width, style, so forth when pressing. But recently I started using Fat Gripz for all of my pressing movements and the strengths gains have been phenomenal. It feels like I’m pressing against more of a flat board rather than having the bar dig into my wrists and it’s really resolved my anthropometry issue. Hopefully this helps anyone with a similar issue
i also noticed that fat grips make the pain go away (I get the wrist pain too) and i think there is merit to the fatter bar being easier on the weak point. however, i think its mroe of a forearm/wrist/grip weakness. i think strneghtneing those will be a better solution to the issue, at least thats what ive found works for me. just my 2 cents
I have 6 inch wrist and the weird thing is I've never experienced wrist pain lol But maybe bcause I have basic calisthenic background (high rep push up, pull up, and squats everyday) before entering strength training
@@swingjazz4868 my wrists are 6.5, i do get wrist pain on heavy bench and ohp without wrist wraps, wrists go back alot but barpath and strength wise it feels better for me, so i just wear my wraps alot.
@@adamek9750 Wraps certainly help. But I find the grip/forearm specialization that comes from using Fat Gripz might give me more long term benefit. Wraps are another tool in the toolbox, so I will use them when I feel the need to
Great questions as always!! Post yours down below. 0:06 Hey Alex, I want to do dips for chest emphasis but I never really feel my chest, I only feel my triceps and scapular muscles. Is there a certain form I can use to activate my chest more? 1:33 Hey Alex, can you build mass with high volume regular pushups, pullups, squats? If so? why do many people say you cannot and that it’s actually only endurance training? 3:54 What's up Alex, I am currently running your novice program. But on the two days in between, I do things like sprinting, jumping, hang cleans etc. for sport. Do you think that's ok or compromising recovery? 5:31 Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps? 8:00 In your novice program, for the accessories lifts , at what rep range do you add weight? A set for them is 6-10 reps 9:04 Yo Alex, how can i train my glutes without increasing leg size 10:29 Would you incorporate cheat rows, if you would go for bear mode again? 11:38 I don't think you talk much about calves and side delts, do you train them? 12:49 If i don't feel 100% recovered on someday running the Novice Program should I take a rest day or train anyway? 14:09 Hey Alex, i was wondering if i should use a weighted vest or not for my calisthenics because apparently it restricts scapula movement? Is this true? 15:24 Hi Alex, How woud you structure a prisoner style dip workout ? I reached the point when i am able to do 20 down dips, but i noticed that form breakdown occurs, because it's mentally hard for me to do 20 or more reps in a set. How would you change the set/rep scheme ? 17:07 Hey Alex, what do you think about fat burners ? 18:18 Hi Alex, What do you suggest for Protein supplements? Any particular brand of powder you recommend? 20:16 Hey Alex, I feel like my grip strength is really holding me back on some heavy pulls (rack pulls and pull-ups namely). Its gotten to the point where I'm stuggling to rack pull even 2 plates above the knee without my wrists giving in, when I know I could pull more for sure otherwise. Is there something I can do righy now or an exercise that will help develop my grip quickly? Much love from UK :) 21:35 hey Alex, if you do lets say 500 pushups, is it theoretically neccesary to follow it by 1000 reps of back exercise? Im asking because you mentioned once the 1:2 ratio for chest/back exercises, does this also apply for calisthenics? keep it up man 23:53 Hey Alex! I'm unable to train anything overhead or any delt isolations due to injury, what is the best way for me to still build my delts? 25:03 Hey Alex, what do you think of OHP, pull ups and belt squats giant set together? Is that enough to make gains? And what do you think of thick bar pull up, grenade pull up, rope pull up for special exercises? 27:55 How to know when you hit you mrv on certain muscle group?(lets say I did a little reset and now Im back to my pr weights and it feels like Im about to fail next workot- I suspect that it might be because to many sets(for the back,16-18sets))
What are your thoughts on the knees over toes guy on Instagram’s philosophy of getting rid of knee pain through training the muscles around the knee by knee over toes training
@@AlexLeonidas Alex, I have a question; I've been doing westside conjugate method for 20 weeks straight and I took a deload week when I started getting weaker when I came back I was even weaker hence I took another week off then I cam back even weaker. I'm in a surplus I sleep 10 hours a night I meditate. How many weeks off do I need to FULLY recover.
Sometimes I find myself scrolling up and down through your instagram just as some kind of inspiration/motivation. Keep it going man you're one of my favourite weightlifting youtubers
In prison I used to do 8 sets of rep To failure push ups, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 20, 20, 18, I used to go so low My chest touched the floor and then exploded up. Everyone said my workouts were to high volume but after 3 months my chest got massive and the whole wing started doing it.
@Ukmagic80 no definitely not, I sometimes took 3-4 days to fully recover, these push ups your stance is wide, you go as low as you possibly can so your chest and nose are touching the floor then explode up, on the negative, you slowly lower yourself , I'm talking like 3 seconds on the negative and when I mean rep to failure I mean if I put a gun to your head you physically couldn't do 1 more and that's every set for 8 sets, this targets both the slow and fast muscle fibers, sorry for the essay 😂
@@stec1808 thanks for the reply mate. I might try this with parallettes to get a deep stretch. I've been doing dips and lately been getting pain so switching to pushups
This is where the skills (planche, front lever, etc.) in calisthenics come in bro. If you train these you will have an easier time reaching “failure” and build a great physique in the process as these moves all require that you have a good body comp. Not to mention that skill training is fun and you aren’t thinking about pushing through the pain
Hey Alex could you maybe do a video on concurrent peruodization 101 and explain how to use exercize rotation and volume/intensity days. Keep up the good work
@@sud0807 apreciate it a lot bro but I have researched a lot and I Think i have understood most. I just think a lot of his followers dont know and he can explain it in a video. But again it was very kind of you to offer bro
Great job on the channel this year. Your philosophy and rhetoric has changed quite a bit. I'm not sure if that was intended, but I appreciate the work you're doing and the messages you're putting out.
I built a body with calisthenics only. People don't even believe me when i tell them that i don't use weights. And as you stated i do a lot of reps till failure with high volume, 500 pull ups on back day, 1000 push up on chest day. So i can confirm what you said from personal experience 🙏
Final Q&A for 2020?! Shit, Alex idk if you are gonna see this but I remember checking in back in April during lockdown. Been highs and lows all over the place since then but training and nutrition are going well (I'm doing weighted chin ups right as we speak) just wanted to let you know man that you have helped me a lot man,... just putting your vids on helps me keep training in perspective when I'm training or when I'm eating. Much love brother. Cheers.
Started watching your weighted pull-ups videos, I’ve got to 7.5kg 10x3 today after about a month since starting! My PB is 15kg for 3 reps. Thanks for the inspiration, I’m a hard gainer who struggles to eat but I’m seeing real gains already with this method. You said in another video that anyone can get up to 50% of there body weight weighted, for me this is 35kg so this is my goal for 2021
Doing push pull with calisthenics got me jacked. I would do squats on chest day and dips with my pull ups. It's the best I've looked in my life I went from 160 to 175 . I did a thousand push ups on mon/wens/fri Tues/thurs I did dips and pull ups for 1 1/2 hours. I did this for 8 months and I blew up.
Hey Alex, do you think belt squats are an effective exercise for building strength/size? I can load up 90lb in plates but I do have sand bags I can hold if I want more resistance. Do you also think I would absolutely need a loading pin for this or can I just use a dip belt?
I've had to do dip belt squats in my home gym as I don't have barbells or a lot of weight. I do 90lbs for reps. I have bought a sandbag which hasn't arrived yet to add more weight. Definitely a good alternative, but I've gotten to the point where I have to do super slow eccentrics with that weight. I enjoy it more with a loading pin. I have a short one of for 25mm plates. Very cheap off of AliExpress or Alibaba. I don't know how big your plates are. If they are 50mm bumper plates they would be way to wide to lay horizontally, but it's possible to use the chain as if it was a loading pin. Just attach a carabiner at the end.
@@momatotsosrorudodi My plates are just2 inch cast iron plates. Do you think it's necessary for a loading pin because I don't want to spend money an any extra equipment (I have spent quite a bit for home equipment). hanks for the info!
Hey Alex, it would be very nice if you could upload more training videos! I think, we can all agree on the fact, that when we see someone make progress (especially strength), we really get motivated! Take care :)
Would you recommend doing "drop sets" with high volume bodyweight stuff? As in, push ups from knees when you cant do any more full pushups, Or pull up negatives when you cat pull up anymore?
Hey alex what exercises would you recommend for bigger obliques, I don't really care about the v taper and really dig the thick core aesthetic, thank you saludos desde España
Conor vs Dustin. Who wins? Also I recently started GZCLP and the progression on the T1 lifts is very good, however I was wondering what you think of the deadlifts 3x10 in the T2 lifts considering you talk about the poor stimulus to fatigue ratio on the deadlifts. It hasn't impacted me yet mainly bc I keep the weight relatively low and work on form in order to better my T1 lift. Just wanted to know your thoughts on the program in general as well. Love the content and keep up the great work!
Hi Alex, 1) Can your psychotic home workout (as a 3 days per week program with proper overloading) replace your novice program due to the pandemic? 2) What are your 2021 goals?
Hey Alex, Thoughts on cluster sets, lots of great coaches recommended it and some claim it's the fastest way to gain strenght(christian thibadue specifically) Please like so Alex can see bros
Hey alex, is it a good idea to specialize in barbell incline bench the same as you would in regular bench press or ohp? If so, what benefits would you expect to see specific to getting a stronger 1rm in the incline bench?
Due to the incline bench decreasing activation of the lower chest but raising activation in the upper chest and front deltoids, specializing in this exercise will hypertrophy those muscles to a significant extent compared to flat benching. Here are the benefits: [1] When you finally decide to transition to specializing in the overhead press, progress won't be as slow due to you having hypertrophied those muscles. You will be able to handle more weight. [2] When you go back to the flat bench press, shoulders will no longer be a limiting factor.
When i signed up for a gym, the guy at the front desk asked me if i was a powerlifter lol I trained inside my semi truck for 2 years, 20 lb weighted vest with. Push ups, pull ups and squats. All sets to failure and everyother day. You can get size, just gotta work hard, consistent and eat enough.
Are you doing pull-ups properly? I remember I got to 55 pounds weighted pull-up and hit a plateau because it was all biceps. Maybe you’re doing the same?
Hey Alex, first of all I wish you a happy new year and a successful 2021. Now for the questions. I'm running an upper lower routine, is it ok to super set everything on my upper day? Otherwise it will take a lot of time. I do Bench press the lat pull-downs / ohp then Australian pull-ups and so on. And you said 10 to 20 sets are all you need but I do 1 exercise of 3 sets for my biceps and triceps at the end so that's 6 sets per week is that enough? Also my squat rack limits me to 100 kg whick I can rep for 10 a.t.m. Is it good to just increase the reps as a progressive overload?
Hey Alex, how do I mix in bodyweight pullups (and maybe some inverted rows) at home while hitting back 2x a week in the gym without impeading recovery?
Hey Alex, do you think wrist roller could be my main exercise for forearms instead of wrist curls, or do you think that it's better as a finisher? If so, if it were you how would you go about using it, time or rounds?
Hey Alex, I’m in between 2 different goal physiques. One is more of the V TAPER like steve reeves so like more 40’s bodybuilders and a physique like you. Bear mode with the traps and whatnot. My body is more geared towards the Steve reeves physique but I just wanted to get your thoughts
Hey, I have completed the novice program and doing naturally enhanced now. I haven't heard you talk about training the neck with a cable machine and neck harness. Have You used this and do you recommend it? I have been seeing results with it if you can get a comfortable set up. It allows you to increase to heavier weights and have easier trackability than bands. Thanks from Manitoba.
Hey Alex. Thanks for another helpful video. I'm from London where our gyms are closed again. I dont know if it's the same for where you are at the moment. My question is could it be problematic to jump off and on from your novice programe to a effective calisthenics programme including weighted dips, weighted pull ups, ring rows, pistols, L sit Etc. Etc. The reason for hopping between these 2 programmes is for obvious reasons... because of the gyms keep opening and closing. Thanks
Questions for future Q&A for you Alex (Hope you see my message and happy new year to you bro) 1. I'm currently at 132lbs (60kg) as a PB for the Bench Press after starting doing Bench Press in late September this year. My goal for the end of the next year is 300lbs, do you think that is a reasonable goal or should I aim higher (BTW I'm a shot put thrower). 2. What is your opinion on waist trainers as an additional factor besides diet and exercise to your lose belly fat and reducing your waist size? Just curious to hear your thoughts on this. 3. (Bit of a funny question) Have you suffered majorly from protein farts in the past and any experiences you would like to share lol? Seems to be a trend for a lot of guys especially bodybuilders and weightlifters.
Hey Alex,what is your opinion on Doug Bringnole’s book/philosophy on the Physics of resistance training? Basically, he states that isolation exercises are superior to compound movements in regards to maximum hypertrophy due to the understanding of physics and understanding of trigonometry .
Hey Alex, what are your thoughts on Reverse Pyramid Training and it's effectiveness long-term? I've been doing this method for almost two years now and it seems like strength gains are either feast or famine...
Hey Alex, what are you thoughts on reverse dieting? I have four weeks left on my 2000 calorie cut, losing 1lb a week so far. I was thinking of adding 100 cals a week until maintainance and 200 cal surplus afterwards for optimal balance of muscle building and low amount of body fat gain. I'm a early intermediate lifter. 198lbs cardio 5 x a week 1135 total
Thoughts on doing bulgarian for two lifts everyday, but doing volume PR’s instead of one rep maxes? Incline bench and front squat at 5-10 rep range everyday for example
hey alex,im specializing in ohp now,i am a begginer lifter (late beginner i think) i will be running upper lower concurent intensity/volume should i do 6 sets of ohp or 4sets of ohp followed by 2-3 sets of incline presses on my intensity days? same goes for my volume day 10 sets of ohp or 6 sets of ohp followed by 4 sets of incline press, i just hit 225 bench and i think my pecs are overpowering my shoulders so i wanna do ohp
Any tips for someone who's had knee surgery for a busted up meniscus? Doctors said careful weight training shouldn't be too much of a problem once healing is complete, but I wonder if I should purchase a leg press instead of doing box squats? Regular back squats seem to be out of the question for me anyway from now if I had to guess because they tax the knees so much.
Hey Alex! So, high volume workouts build muscle mass and endurance. But what about strength? Some people say that high rep calisthenics was the main reason they reached 1rm (+bodyweight) on weighted pull ups.
Hey Alex My wife has underlying health problems so when the pandemic hit I quit the gym and relied solely on my home gym £90 power blocks which I can increase to £110 if needed, Bands and a 50 kg kettle bell Always been more bothered about hypertrophy rather than specific strength as I am blind and don’t want to risk injury going to heavy with some stuff Mainly focused on push and Pull work out six days a week for the last nine months My main lifts have been rowing variations, floor press, overhead press variations, strict curls, Skull crushers , Romanian deadlifts and kettle bell swings Obviously for volume I’ve added quite a few accessories and corrective exercises I am not dramatically bothered about adding size to my legs and I like to maintain a higher body fat at around 17% Is there a way we can communicate to hammer out a solid program to follow for hypertrophy and full body balance please mate
Hey Alex! Are training calves on leg press machine in 3x8-12 on intensity day and 5x15-20 on volume day while rotating foot placement, pauses and tempo optimal?
@@swingjazz4868 For intensity day i would do a standing single leg weighted calf raise (wearing a backpack with weights in it) for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. For volume day do seated calf raises for 2-3 sets of 15-25 reps.
A question. the 35% of one rep max that still can give gains. How does that roughly translate to reps/seconds of TUL and does this vary from exercise to exercise. I am sure it varies a bit person to person, so just hoping for some averages or guidelines.
I've been doing westside conjugate method for 20 weeks straight and I took a deload week when I started getting weaker when I came back I was even weaker hence I took another week off then I cam back even weaker. I'm in a surplus I sleep 10 hours a night I meditate. How many weeks off do I need to FULLY recover.
Hey Alex Is it ok if I replace stiff leg deadlifts with just regular deadlifts on ur novice program (lighter weights and higher reps) I don't really feel my hamstrings when I perform stiff leg deadlifts If not, what are the other exercises I can do instead of sdls - maybe hamstring curls?
Hey Alex, I am currently running your novice program. I have an Anterior Pelvic Tilt so do I need to change or modify some exercises in the program? For example, should I stop doing the stiff legged deadlift?
Hey Alex what do you Think of “spliting up your workout? I train fullbody 3 times a week in the morning before School and do weighted chin ups and some Curls in the aftenroen when i get home. I Think this helps because i am more fresh for my Pullups/chin ups and Curls and have more time for other stuff at the gym
I had a lower back injury from conventional deadlift in October. My back feels good now, but what are good exercise for the lower back without high load. I don’t have access to a reverse hyper, just a home gym with a rack and bench.
Hey Alex. I’m considering a nucleus overload cycle for chest, but I lack a bench/rack. Would you recommend doing your 500 push-up workout every day for a few weeks instead, or is it too tricep/shoulder heavy?
Hey Alex how often should I mix in different variations? I’m training with my girlfriend and she is new to this style of training(calisthenics) so I’d like to know for the both of us how often to mix it up. Appreciate your advice and videos brother. I’ve incorporated a lot of your advice in my training
Concurrent periodization emphasis rotating exercises to overcome the biological law of accommodation, but can this rotation simply be a two piece? Example being that the first intensity day has OHP as primary press, second being z-press, then going back and forth? Or would this still lead to overuse injuries/stalling?
Hey Alex, currently i have a shoulder injury more specifically being shoulder impingment which is disabling me from doing push up and most pressing movements. However i have started experimenting with dumbell floor presses which gives me minimal to no shoulder pain. Would you recommend this exercise as a temporary substitute and would it be effective for gaining strength and size?
As regards to the fat burner thing I too don’t like them and think they are a waste of money. That being said Alex what’s your take on whey protein drinks/powder and creatine? More specifically creatine. I know for the most part if your eating right you’ll be your protein goals or close to that but what about creatine? I personally love creatine but wanted your thoughts on it and if it’s necessary to take it while doing calisthenics
Hey Alex, if I'm specialising in OHP and rotating variations properly [avoiding law of accomodation], but still not progressing and feeling pretty banged up/fatigued in the shoulders, do you think it's wise to swap out the movement altogether [for eg. Weighted Dips] maybe just for a couple of weeks or even a month just to re-sensitise myself to the movement pattern [in this cause, OHP]? Thanks bro
Hey alex i wonder if weighted hold with barbell for 1-2 mins would work for traps i don't have a lots of weight and even if i had my small 8 kg bar could not handle more than 360LB of weights,i build some construction that can handle like 500 pounds but puting all the cinder blocks on it is pain in the ass
Make your own protein supps, and avoid all the junk. Get an unflavored pure protein isolate, a powered carbohydrate (I like oat powder), some type of fat (MCT oil, olive oil), and then you can flavor it however you like and also add whatever extra stuff you like such as collagen and creatine. Since it's not premixed you can adjust the macro profile to match your needs for any given day. It's also way cheaper than buying premixed, less than a dollar a shake.
Hey Alex, I'm currently running your novice program but I get tremendous pain from box squats and barbell squats because I have sciatica. Basically any heavy form of squatting causes me pain. Do you have any other exercise recommendations that I can try to replace the box squat with? Many thanks
As a novice do you think is better to do your full body program 3x a week or a ppl 6x a week. Had a friend say 3x a week isnt enough to grow and he is a lot bigger than me and has some crazy numbers doing bro split
Hi Alex, whenever I do rows I have a hard time feeling my lats so I was thinking ,would I be fine if I did weighted pull-ups as the majority of the back workout and rows at the end? Thanks for the content
I am doing barbell shrugs with 12 kgs everyday with 1 rep and 1 sec hold and so on for 15 to 20 rep /sec is it enough for big traps also what about banded facepulls everday and 10 rounds for sprinting with 20 sec full and 90 sec break Currently am overweight but has seen much progress after adding some things u told in the channel thanks brother
Dude keep at it. 👍 For traps my personal advice would be to go a little heavier with barbell and your pause and high reps with dumbell. My traps grew with both of em and hang cleans. Cheers brother
Salute brother. Thank you for the mention.
@Iron Wolf
Sir you are a legend!
Salute!
@@balkanblackpillvideosandmo8456 thank you 🙏🏻
Salute brother!! Keep grinding and growing, you're bringing some of the best fitness content I've seen.
@@AlexLeonidas I appreciate that. Hope we can hit a colab soon.
@@AlexLeonidas do interview with iron wolf 👀
Can't believe it's already the last one of the year. These Q&As have been even more helpful this year considering what we've gone through. Big thank you Alex for what you've done this year!
The only Fitness youtuber I consistently watch nowadays. Most relatable, down to earth dude. Only other guy I sometimes watch is Jeff Nippard.
No Greg Doucette?
try the bioneer channel, he is awesome
@@BrenoviskxD I forgot that one. Yep I watch him from time to time.
@@hybridramper-futurearmy1160 Greg Doucette makes overly long, ranty videos that I really don't care for. When I watch fitness stuff I want the infromation in a more condensed form, not this long youtube-algorhythm-milking entertainment form. His anabolic french toast is great.
@@hybridramper-futurearmy1160 too much drama, bs cookbook and 2.5k coachplan meme shilling. Greg is pretty shitty guy tbh.
Man, I once tried a 300 pull up workout. Super hard but then I tried the 500 pull ups workout... BRUTAL! 2h30 mins endless sets of 5 pull ups with 1 min rest, absolutely freaking hard, mad respect for anyone who does it
Agreed
Hey Alex what are your fitness goals for the new year?
Same new year goals as 2020 because Corona fucked up this year.
Going to cover this in a dedicated video
Hey Alex, this isn’t technically a question but I figured the knowledge would be appreciated. I have super thin wrists and over the past 3-ish years, it’s been hard not to have wrist pain no matter how much I’ve worked on grip width, style, so forth when pressing. But recently I started using Fat Gripz for all of my pressing movements and the strengths gains have been phenomenal. It feels like I’m pressing against more of a flat board rather than having the bar dig into my wrists and it’s really resolved my anthropometry issue. Hopefully this helps anyone with a similar issue
i also noticed that fat grips make the pain go away (I get the wrist pain too) and i think there is merit to the fatter bar being easier on the weak point. however, i think its mroe of a forearm/wrist/grip weakness. i think strneghtneing those will be a better solution to the issue, at least thats what ive found works for me. just my 2 cents
I have 6 inch wrist and the weird thing is I've never experienced wrist pain lol
But maybe bcause I have basic calisthenic background (high rep push up, pull up, and squats everyday) before entering strength training
@@swingjazz4868 my wrists are 6.5, i do get wrist pain on heavy bench and ohp without wrist wraps, wrists go back alot but barpath and strength wise it feels better for me, so i just wear my wraps alot.
What about wrist wraps?
@@adamek9750 Wraps certainly help. But I find the grip/forearm specialization that comes from using Fat Gripz might give me more long term benefit. Wraps are another tool in the toolbox, so I will use them when I feel the need to
Great questions as always!! Post yours down below.
0:06 Hey Alex, I want to do dips for chest emphasis but I never really feel my chest, I only feel my triceps and scapular muscles. Is there a certain form I can use to activate my chest more?
1:33 Hey Alex, can you build mass with high volume regular pushups, pullups, squats? If so? why do many people say you cannot and that it’s actually only endurance training?
3:54 What's up Alex, I am currently running your novice program. But on the two days in between, I do things like sprinting, jumping, hang cleans etc. for sport. Do you think that's ok or compromising recovery?
5:31 Do you think rotation of exercises to avoid over use injuries is necessary when using lighter weight for higher reps?
8:00 In your novice program, for the accessories lifts , at what rep range do you add weight? A set for them is 6-10 reps
9:04 Yo Alex, how can i train my glutes without increasing leg size
10:29 Would you incorporate cheat rows, if you would go for bear mode again?
11:38 I don't think you talk much about calves and side delts, do you train them?
12:49 If i don't feel 100% recovered on someday running the Novice Program should I take a rest day or train anyway?
14:09 Hey Alex, i was wondering if i should use a weighted vest or not for my calisthenics because apparently it restricts scapula movement? Is this true?
15:24 Hi Alex, How woud you structure a prisoner style dip workout ? I reached the point when i am able to do 20 down dips, but i noticed that form breakdown occurs, because it's mentally hard for me to do 20 or more reps in a set. How would you change the set/rep scheme ?
17:07 Hey Alex, what do you think about fat burners ?
18:18 Hi Alex, What do you suggest for Protein supplements? Any particular brand of powder you recommend?
20:16 Hey Alex, I feel like my grip strength is really holding me back on some heavy pulls (rack pulls and pull-ups namely). Its gotten to the point where I'm stuggling to rack pull even 2 plates above the knee without my wrists giving in, when I know I could pull more for sure otherwise. Is there something I can do righy now or an exercise that will help develop my grip quickly? Much love from UK :)
21:35 hey Alex, if you do lets say 500 pushups, is it theoretically neccesary to follow it by 1000 reps of back exercise? Im asking because you mentioned once the 1:2 ratio for chest/back exercises, does this also apply for calisthenics? keep it up man
23:53 Hey Alex! I'm unable to train anything overhead or any delt isolations due to injury, what is the best way for me to still build my delts?
25:03 Hey Alex, what do you think of OHP, pull ups and belt squats giant set together? Is that enough to make gains? And what do you think of thick bar pull up, grenade pull up, rope pull up for special exercises?
27:55 How to know when you hit you mrv on certain muscle group?(lets say I did a little reset and now Im back to my pr weights and it feels like Im about to fail next workot- I suspect that it might be because to many sets(for the back,16-18sets))
we appreciate you bro!
Thanks so much for answering my question
When i do skullcrushers, my elbows hurt. Could you give me an advice please?
Thanks for the answer man, even if you did roast me lol :))
What are your thoughts on the knees over toes guy on Instagram’s philosophy of getting rid of knee pain through training the muscles around the knee by knee over toes training
"Cause they simply don't know better". Loved it
You helped me progress so much through 2020. Really appreciate the no bs, down to earth approach. Looking forward to another year of it
Much love brother, I'm happy to hear that.
@@AlexLeonidas Alex, I have a question; I've been doing westside conjugate method for 20 weeks straight and I took a deload week when I started getting weaker when I came back I was even weaker hence I took another week off then I cam back even weaker. I'm in a surplus I sleep 10 hours a night I meditate. How many weeks off do I need to FULLY recover.
IM HERE FOR THIS LETS GO!!!!
Didn't know you watch alpha destiny Scott
Legends im The comments
Sometimes I find myself scrolling up and down through your instagram just as some kind of inspiration/motivation. Keep it going man you're one of my favourite weightlifting youtubers
You're the realest fitness channel out here. Never stop uploading bro!
In prison I used to do 8 sets of rep To failure push ups, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 20, 20, 18, I used to go so low My chest touched the floor and then exploded up.
Everyone said my workouts were to high volume but after 3 months my chest got massive and the whole wing started doing it.
Did you do this everyday?
@Ukmagic80 no definitely not, I sometimes took 3-4 days to fully recover, these push ups your stance is wide, you go as low as you possibly can so your chest and nose are touching the floor then explode up,
on the negative, you slowly lower yourself , I'm talking like 3 seconds on the negative and when I mean rep to failure I mean if I put a gun to your head you physically couldn't do 1 more and that's every set for 8 sets, this targets both the slow and fast muscle fibers, sorry for the essay 😂
@@stec1808 thanks for the reply mate. I might try this with parallettes to get a deep stretch. I've been doing dips and lately been getting pain so switching to pushups
Alex is a beacon of truth and wisdom in UA-cam fitness
This is where the skills (planche, front lever, etc.) in calisthenics come in bro. If you train these you will have an easier time reaching “failure” and build a great physique in the process as these moves all require that you have a good body comp. Not to mention that skill training is fun and you aren’t thinking about pushing through the pain
Good point.
Thanks boss, keep up the great work 🤙
Honey its 2pm, time for Alpha Destiny Q&A
"HELL FUCKING YEAHHHHHHHH"
I enjoy your show. I don’t know what your educational background is. From a physiology perspective you are accurate. Thank you.
Hey Alex could you maybe do a video on concurrent peruodization 101 and explain how to use exercize rotation and volume/intensity days. Keep up the good work
What questions do you have? I might be able to help if Alex doesn't get back to you.
@@sud0807 apreciate it a lot bro but I have researched a lot and I Think i have understood most. I just think a lot of his followers dont know and he can explain it in a video. But again it was very kind of you to offer bro
@@pterpsvin8887 No worries! Best of luck :)
Great job on the channel this year. Your philosophy and rhetoric has changed quite a bit. I'm not sure if that was intended, but I appreciate the work you're doing and the messages you're putting out.
Alex's thoughts on fitness are gold
I built a body with calisthenics only. People don't even believe me when i tell them that i don't use weights. And as you stated i do a lot of reps till failure with high volume, 500 pull ups on back day, 1000 push up on chest day. So i can confirm what you said from personal experience 🙏
Awesome to hear that man
What about legs
@@iliveinsideyourhouse3943 fuck legs bro 😂😂😂😂😂
@@caliphysix
Bruh :(
@@iliveinsideyourhouse3943 i'm joking
Final Q&A for 2020?! Shit, Alex idk if you are gonna see this but I remember checking in back in April during lockdown. Been highs and lows all over the place since then but training and nutrition are going well (I'm doing weighted chin ups right as we speak) just wanted to let you know man that you have helped me a lot man,... just putting your vids on helps me keep training in perspective when I'm training or when I'm eating. Much love brother. Cheers.
Hi Alex, thoughts on a hybrid upper/lower/full-body? For example,
Monday: Intensity lower
Wednesday: Intensity upper
Friday: Volume full body
Started watching your weighted pull-ups videos, I’ve got to 7.5kg 10x3 today after about a month since starting! My PB is 15kg for 3 reps. Thanks for the inspiration, I’m a hard gainer who struggles to eat but I’m seeing real gains already with this method. You said in another video that anyone can get up to 50% of there body weight weighted, for me this is 35kg so this is my goal for 2021
Doing push pull with calisthenics got me jacked. I would do squats on chest day and dips with my pull ups. It's the best I've looked in my life I went from 160 to 175 . I did a thousand push ups on mon/wens/fri
Tues/thurs I did dips and pull ups for 1 1/2 hours. I did this for 8 months and I blew up.
Hey Alex, do you think belt squats are an effective exercise for building strength/size? I can load up 90lb in plates but I do have sand bags I can hold if I want more resistance. Do you also think I would absolutely need a loading pin for this or can I just use a dip belt?
I've had to do dip belt squats in my home gym as I don't have barbells or a lot of weight.
I do 90lbs for reps. I have bought a sandbag which hasn't arrived yet to add more weight.
Definitely a good alternative, but I've gotten to the point where I have to do super slow eccentrics with that weight.
I enjoy it more with a loading pin. I have a short one of for 25mm plates. Very cheap off of AliExpress or Alibaba.
I don't know how big your plates are. If they are 50mm bumper plates they would be way to wide to lay horizontally, but it's possible to use the chain as if it was a loading pin. Just attach a carabiner at the end.
@@momatotsosrorudodi My plates are just2 inch cast iron plates. Do you think it's necessary for a loading pin because I don't want to spend money an any extra equipment (I have spent quite a bit for home equipment). hanks for the info!
Love watching these while eating at the table! 💪❤️
Thank you Alex for these Q and A videos. I always find an answer to something I was wondering about. Very interesting videos.
Hey Alex, i don't have any questions but i just want to say that i appreciate your godly content
Preciate that Aleksa
Hey Alex, it would be very nice if you could upload more training videos!
I think, we can all agree on the fact, that when we see someone make progress (especially strength), we really get motivated!
Take care :)
Hey Alex, what would be the standard for intermediate weighted chins? (Right now I’m doing a bit over half of my body weight for 6 reps)
depens on your weight, but generally i would say you are already at least low intermediate if you weigh around 80 KGs
50% of bodyweight is intermediate. 70% is elite
@@ClassicPhysique27 For 1 rep?
@@Dasqal 5
Would you recommend doing "drop sets" with high volume bodyweight stuff?
As in, push ups from knees when you cant do any more full pushups,
Or pull up negatives when you cat pull up anymore?
this one was really helpful for me. much love brother
Hey alex what exercises would you recommend for bigger obliques, I don't really care about the v taper and really dig the thick core aesthetic, thank you saludos desde España
Alex, when is the collaboration with brosciencelife going to happen?
Conor vs Dustin. Who wins? Also I recently started GZCLP and the progression on the T1 lifts is very good, however I was wondering what you think of the deadlifts 3x10 in the T2 lifts considering you talk about the poor stimulus to fatigue ratio on the deadlifts. It hasn't impacted me yet mainly bc I keep the weight relatively low and work on form in order to better my T1 lift. Just wanted to know your thoughts on the program in general as well. Love the content and keep up the great work!
Hi Alex,
1) Can your psychotic home workout (as a 3 days per week program with proper overloading) replace your novice program due to the pandemic?
2) What are your 2021 goals?
Dude these topics coudlnt have come at a better time wow!!
Hey Alex, Thoughts on cluster sets, lots of great coaches recommended it and some claim it's the fastest way to gain strenght(christian thibadue specifically)
Please like so Alex can see bros
Hey alex, is it a good idea to specialize in barbell incline bench the same as you would in regular bench press or ohp? If so, what benefits would you expect to see specific to getting a stronger 1rm in the incline bench?
Due to the incline bench decreasing activation of the lower chest but raising activation in the upper chest and front deltoids, specializing in this exercise will hypertrophy those muscles to a significant extent compared to flat benching. Here are the benefits:
[1] When you finally decide to transition to specializing in the overhead press, progress won't be as slow due to you having hypertrophied those muscles. You will be able to handle more weight.
[2] When you go back to the flat bench press, shoulders will no longer be a limiting factor.
Im learning so much from these videos
For the pull up push up ratio question I say do inverted rows. It's easier than pull ups. I ain't done it but it makes more sense
When i signed up for a gym, the guy at the front desk asked me if i was a powerlifter lol
I trained inside my semi truck for 2 years, 20 lb weighted vest with. Push ups, pull ups and squats. All sets to failure and everyother day. You can get size, just gotta work hard, consistent and eat enough.
Hey Alex, everything is progressing except my pull-ups. Any tips
Grease the groove / Armstrong pull-up workout/ Russian Fighter pull-up program
Are you doing pull-ups properly? I remember I got to 55 pounds weighted pull-up and hit a plateau because it was all biceps. Maybe you’re doing the same?
Maybe you're gaining weight too quickly brah
Do pullups everyday, greasing the groove. This helped my pull-ups massively. Went from 4-5 per set to 8-9 at 215lbs
Start at 10down pullups and increase by onedown every week you'll be at 1000reps a day within 35 weeks
Hey Alex, what is the ideal Caloric surplus when doing Bulgarian Light
Hey Alex, first of all I wish you a happy new year and a successful 2021. Now for the questions. I'm running an upper lower routine, is it ok to super set everything on my upper day? Otherwise it will take a lot of time. I do Bench press the lat pull-downs / ohp then Australian pull-ups and so on. And you said 10 to 20 sets are all you need but I do 1 exercise of 3 sets for my biceps and triceps at the end so that's 6 sets per week is that enough? Also my squat rack limits me to 100 kg whick I can rep for 10 a.t.m. Is it good to just increase the reps as a progressive overload?
Hey Alex, how do I mix in bodyweight pullups (and maybe some inverted rows) at home while hitting back 2x a week in the gym without impeading recovery?
Greasing the groove
What Hermin said
@@AlexLeonidas ok, but how much
Final thoughts..Amen brother
Pure class content, respect
Hey Alex, do you think wrist roller could be my main exercise for forearms instead of wrist curls, or do you think that it's better as a finisher? If so, if it were you how would you go about using it, time or rounds?
Hey Alex, I’m in between 2 different goal physiques. One is more of the V TAPER like steve reeves so like more 40’s bodybuilders and a physique like you. Bear mode with the traps and whatnot. My body is more geared towards the Steve reeves physique but I just wanted to get your thoughts
Great q and a Alex. Any goals for 2021 not workout related?
Hey, I have completed the novice program and doing naturally enhanced now. I haven't heard you talk about training the neck with a cable machine and neck harness. Have You used this and do you recommend it? I have been seeing results with it if you can get a comfortable set up. It allows you to increase to heavier weights and have easier trackability than bands. Thanks from Manitoba.
Alex do you think 2 rest days in between every 2 sessions of upper/lower is too much?
Can I do the overhead tricep extensions on your novice program with a cable rope machine instead of an EZ curl bar.
Sure man
Hey Alex. Thanks for another helpful video. I'm from London where our gyms are closed again. I dont know if it's the same for where you are at the moment. My question is could it be problematic to jump off and on from your novice programe to a effective calisthenics programme including weighted dips, weighted pull ups, ring rows, pistols, L sit Etc. Etc. The reason for hopping between these 2 programmes is for obvious reasons... because of the gyms keep opening and closing. Thanks
Questions for future Q&A for you Alex (Hope you see my message and happy new year to you bro)
1. I'm currently at 132lbs (60kg) as a PB for the Bench Press after starting doing Bench Press in late September this year. My goal for the end of the next year is 300lbs, do you think that is a reasonable goal or should I aim higher (BTW I'm a shot put thrower).
2. What is your opinion on waist trainers as an additional factor besides diet and exercise to your lose belly fat and reducing your waist size? Just curious to hear your thoughts on this.
3. (Bit of a funny question) Have you suffered majorly from protein farts in the past and any experiences you would like to share lol? Seems to be a trend for a lot of guys especially bodybuilders and weightlifters.
Hey Alex,what is your opinion on Doug Bringnole’s book/philosophy on the Physics of resistance training? Basically, he states that isolation exercises are superior to compound movements in regards to maximum hypertrophy due to the understanding of physics and understanding of trigonometry .
Happy Christmas also Alex
Hey Alex, what are your thoughts on Reverse Pyramid Training and it's effectiveness long-term? I've been doing this method for almost two years now and it seems like strength gains are either feast or famine...
Love the QandA’s
Hey Alex, what are you thoughts on reverse dieting? I have four weeks left on my 2000 calorie cut, losing 1lb a week so far. I was thinking of adding 100 cals a week until maintainance and 200 cal surplus afterwards for optimal balance of muscle building and low amount of body fat gain. I'm a early intermediate lifter. 198lbs cardio 5 x a week 1135 total
Thoughts on doing bulgarian for two lifts everyday, but doing volume PR’s instead of one rep maxes? Incline bench and front squat at 5-10 rep range everyday for example
Hey Alex, I'm having trouble finding some good no equipment home posterior chain exercises... any recommendations?
Nordic ham negatives all the way. They will humble you big time
DIY reverse hyperextension works well too.
@@sud0807 yeah that's one major one i've planned but without any resistance
hey alex,im specializing in ohp now,i am a begginer lifter (late beginner i think) i will be running upper lower concurent intensity/volume should i do 6 sets of ohp or 4sets of ohp followed by 2-3 sets of incline presses on my intensity days? same goes for my volume day 10 sets of ohp or 6 sets of ohp followed by 4 sets of incline press, i just hit 225 bench and i think my pecs are overpowering my shoulders so i wanna do ohp
Could you possibly do a video on programing loaded carries into your work outs or condition.
Any tips for someone who's had knee surgery for a busted up meniscus? Doctors said careful weight training shouldn't be too much of a problem once healing is complete, but I wonder if I should purchase a leg press instead of doing box squats? Regular back squats seem to be out of the question for me anyway from now if I had to guess because they tax the knees so much.
Hey Alex! So, high volume workouts build muscle mass and endurance. But what about strength? Some people say that high rep calisthenics was the main reason they reached 1rm (+bodyweight) on weighted pull ups.
Hey Alex, when do you know when your ready for weighted dips over body weight dips?
Hey Alex
My wife has underlying health problems so when the pandemic hit I quit the gym and relied solely on my home gym
£90 power blocks which I can increase to £110 if needed, Bands and a 50 kg kettle bell
Always been more bothered about hypertrophy rather than specific strength as I am blind and don’t want to risk injury going to heavy with some stuff
Mainly focused on push and Pull work out six days a week for the last nine months
My main lifts have been rowing variations, floor press, overhead press variations, strict curls, Skull crushers , Romanian deadlifts and kettle bell swings
Obviously for volume I’ve added quite a few accessories and corrective exercises
I am not dramatically bothered about adding size to my legs and I like to maintain a higher body fat at around 17%
Is there a way we can communicate to hammer out a solid program to follow for hypertrophy and full body balance please mate
Merry Christmas gentlemen.
Hey Alex! What do you think about the muscle up? Is it overrated?
Hi Alex,
Can you do a workout regarding supplements.
Hey Alex! Are training calves on leg press machine in 3x8-12 on intensity day and 5x15-20 on volume day while rotating foot placement, pauses and tempo optimal?
That’s a good set up, make sure to do seated calf raises too, works a different muscle on the calf than standing and leg press (straight leg) versions
@@StrengthHacksCoaching What would be a good set and reps range for the seated calf raise on intensity and volume day?
@@swingjazz4868 For intensity day i would do a standing single leg weighted calf raise (wearing a backpack with weights in it) for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. For volume day do seated calf raises for 2-3 sets of 15-25 reps.
@@StrengthHacksCoaching Thank you for the tips coach. I'm hoping to grow this toothpick calves to 2x4 block of wood
@@swingjazz4868 Make sure to bulk, weight gain will help your calves grow more than anything else
A question. the 35% of one rep max that still can give gains. How does that roughly translate to reps/seconds of TUL and does this vary from exercise to exercise.
I am sure it varies a bit person to person, so just hoping for some averages or guidelines.
I've been doing westside conjugate method for 20 weeks straight and I took a deload week when I started getting weaker when I came back I was even weaker hence I took another week off then I cam back even weaker. I'm in a surplus I sleep 10 hours a night I meditate. How many weeks off do I need to FULLY recover.
Happy new year everyone!
Srpska krajina ?? 🚜🚜😂😂
Hey Alex
Is it ok if I replace stiff leg deadlifts with just regular deadlifts on ur novice program (lighter weights and higher reps)
I don't really feel my hamstrings when I perform stiff leg deadlifts
If not, what are the other exercises I can do instead of sdls - maybe hamstring curls?
Hey Alex, I am currently running your novice program. I have an Anterior Pelvic Tilt so do I need to change or modify some exercises in the program? For example, should I stop doing the stiff legged deadlift?
Hey Alex what do you Think of “spliting up your workout? I train fullbody 3 times a week in the morning before School and do weighted chin ups and some Curls in the aftenroen when i get home. I Think this helps because i am more fresh for my Pullups/chin ups and Curls and have more time for other stuff at the gym
I had a lower back injury from conventional deadlift in October. My back feels good now, but what are good exercise for the lower back without high load. I don’t have access to a reverse hyper, just a home gym with a rack and bench.
Hey Alex! How would you program Smolov Jr for the bench press with bodybuilding goals in mind?
Hey Alex, should i do concurrent periodization if i want to increase my strength but hypertrophy is my main priority?
Joyeux Noël, Alexandre ! La France te salue 😉💪🏻🎄 🇫🇷
Hey Alex. I’m considering a nucleus overload cycle for chest, but I lack a bench/rack. Would you recommend doing your 500 push-up workout every day for a few weeks instead, or is it too tricep/shoulder heavy?
Hey Alex how often should I mix in different variations? I’m training with my girlfriend and she is new to this style of training(calisthenics) so I’d like to know for the both of us how often to mix it up. Appreciate your advice and videos brother. I’ve incorporated a lot of your advice in my training
bro what do you think of madcow 5 x 5 ? i cant do brazailian jiujitsu while on this program,cause i will taxed out
Concurrent periodization emphasis rotating exercises to overcome the biological law of accommodation, but can this rotation simply be a two piece? Example being that the first intensity day has OHP as primary press, second being z-press, then going back and forth? Or would this still lead to overuse injuries/stalling?
Hey Alex, currently i have a shoulder injury more specifically being shoulder impingment which is disabling me from doing push up and most pressing movements. However i have started experimenting with dumbell floor presses which gives me minimal to no shoulder pain. Would you recommend this exercise as a temporary substitute and would it be effective for gaining strength and size?
As regards to the fat burner thing I too don’t like them and think they are a waste of money. That being said Alex what’s your take on whey protein drinks/powder and creatine? More specifically creatine. I know for the most part if your eating right you’ll be your protein goals or close to that but what about creatine? I personally love creatine but wanted your thoughts on it and if it’s necessary to take it while doing calisthenics
Hey Alex, if I'm specialising in OHP and rotating variations properly [avoiding law of accomodation], but still not progressing and feeling pretty banged up/fatigued in the shoulders, do you think it's wise to swap out the movement altogether [for eg. Weighted Dips] maybe just for a couple of weeks or even a month just to re-sensitise myself to the movement pattern [in this cause, OHP]? Thanks bro
Hey alex i wonder if weighted hold with barbell for 1-2 mins would work for traps i don't have a lots of weight and even if i had my small 8 kg bar could not handle more than 360LB of weights,i build some construction that can handle like 500 pounds but puting all the cinder blocks on it is pain in the ass
Make your own protein supps, and avoid all the junk. Get an unflavored pure protein isolate, a powered carbohydrate (I like oat powder), some type of fat (MCT oil, olive oil), and then you can flavor it however you like and also add whatever extra stuff you like such as collagen and creatine. Since it's not premixed you can adjust the macro profile to match your needs for any given day. It's also way cheaper than buying premixed, less than a dollar a shake.
Hey Alex, I'm currently running your novice program but I get tremendous pain from box squats and barbell squats because I have sciatica. Basically any heavy form of squatting causes me pain. Do you have any other exercise recommendations that I can try to replace the box squat with? Many thanks
Hey Alex, what would you recommend i do as a freestyle swimming sprint swimmer? It mainly uses the lats, shoulders and triceps.
Do you think that doing high rep Barbell Yates Rows, and (thicker than normal) bar pull-ups is good enough for grip if I use straps on deadlifts?
Yes, I don't see a problem with that.
Hey Alex, have you ever experienced BFR (Blood Flow Restriction) training? If so what benefits / disadvantages have you seen from it?
As a novice do you think is better to do your full body program 3x a week or a ppl 6x a week. Had a friend say 3x a week isnt enough to grow and he is a lot bigger than me and has some crazy numbers doing bro split
Ive been doing ppl split, starting each workout with 2 heavy compounds then a third but going for 8-10 reps + accessory movements
Hi Alex, whenever I do rows I have a hard time feeling my lats so I was thinking ,would I be fine if I did weighted pull-ups as the majority of the back workout and rows at the end? Thanks for the content
This is what Alex did as well, so I'm sure you'll make great Gainzs, just keep in mind to drop the weight on the Rows.
just to throw it out there
try out rings for your rows
really insanely effective you get a nice contraction
I am doing barbell shrugs with 12 kgs everyday with 1 rep and 1 sec hold and so on for 15 to 20 rep /sec is it enough for big traps also what about banded facepulls everday and 10 rounds for sprinting with 20 sec full and 90 sec break
Currently am overweight but has seen much progress after adding some things u told in the channel thanks brother
Dude keep at it. 👍 For traps my personal advice would be to go a little heavier with barbell and your pause and high reps with dumbell. My traps grew with both of em and hang cleans. Cheers brother