That guy Eugene is hiding his snake oils salesman schemes behind the illusion of a nuanced take. All these reasons he gives as to why not to do a particular barbell exercise doesn't really hold for the vast majority of the population. Take the squat, for example. When some of the best weightlifters / strongmen are giants with long limbs, the proportions argument is simply invalid for avoiding the movement altogether. Sure, they won't be the best squatters ever, but it doesn't mean the ability to perform the movement correctly is restricted by their morphology. It just means it may take them a little extra effort to find and train at the right position for them vs someone with a long torso + short femur. I also don't buy the joint-stress argument one bit. Unless you're an elite (also enhanced) athlete moving crazy amounts of weight, it may make sense. But I see plenty of top-level bodybuilders and powerlifters who train in all sorts of intensity / rep / set ranges on the barbell movements without experiencing this supposed "over-accumulation" of joint fatigue that they can't recover from. Yes, there are things like low bars beating up the elbows too much. Then, just do high bar or SSB bar squats. It'd be silly to switch out a low bar with a leg press or even something like a Bulgarian split squat. The amount of neurological / muscular stress you can put on your body (and therefore, the amount of growth response as well) simply cannot be replicated, especially for the un-enhanced. At the end of the day, there's no way Eugene himself isn't aware of all this. He's just being an edgelord to sell his new gimmick, while trying to get away with it with these seemingly balanced takes.
No you have just completely missed the entire point of what he is saying. He isn't saying barbells are bad. He is simply saying train in a way that suits your goals and needs. Your goals and needs may include the use of a barbell, though they aren't inherently better or necessary unless you specifically compete in powerlifting, oly or strongman. You use strongmen who aren't biologically gifted who have become good squatters as an example of what? Is your logic that if a powerlifter is able to squat the casual lifter should also be able to squat? Even though they are in the gym for a completely different reason? What inherent positives are associated specifically with the casual gym goer squatting? Furthermore you are incorrect to say that an increase in neurological and muscular stress creates some sort of 'increased growth response' or for that matter more hypertrophy. The main driver of hypertrophy is contractile force. Your quads don't know if your squatting or leg pressing. They simply know how much force they are needing to produce and then creating the intramuscular tension to meet that demand.
If barbells are "overused" then it's because they are just bars with weight on it. It's like saying nails are overused. They're just the simplest implement that does the thing you want.
I'm doing what I consider pure bodybuilding, and yet, the skeleton of my program are barbell movements: barbell rows, bench press, OHP, RDLs, olympic squats and barbell shrugs, for me, the best exercises for many movement patterns tends to be barbell movements for numerous reasons, I'll never stop using barbells, ever.
Hating on barbells is the trendy thing to do right now. The hypertrophy gurus especially love to hate on them, claiming how they're not "stable" so you can't focus the stress on the prime movers like machines blah blah blah.
Arnold, Oliva, Zane and some others are probably 90% of the reason why lifting weights is not seen as something that will murder you before you turn 30 nearly as much as it was back in the early 1900s anymore BUT MAN they sure as hell helped fuck up people's minds about what physical training is. I was watching this video about how some members of the chinese olympic weightlifting team ate and trained and apparently Shi Zhiyong isn't into accessory/isolation work and people were surprised that he's so jacked despite "not training muscles" lol dude is cleaning and jerking almost 200kg and snatching 169kg, his muscles work way, waaaaaaaay harder than most people's doing 3x10 with machines that don't even go beyond 100kg. People are clearly under the impression that bodybuilding, a specific sport, and physical training, which is used for all sorts of physical sports, are synonyms. I even remember this dude commenting under Klokov's 100kg one arm snatch that it was pointless because "arnold didn't do it in pumping iron" so it was best to focus on moderate weights and sets of 8-12 LOL. That's clearly what's going on with his video, he says he replaced barbells and kept his gains, it's purely from the assumption that everyne picking up weights is focusing on hypertrophy.
Arnold and columbo did crazy amounts of barbell work that no ifbb pros do today including a lot of deadlifts. Columbo is probably the strongest guy to ever live if we talk about poiund for pound strength
3:30 Yeah fuck the bench press i’ll just wrap myself up in dozens of pounds of chains and put my feet up on a bench while grabbing parallel bars and doing pushups...because thats totally not impractical and ridiculous
He could have saved a lot of breath and simply reiterated the value of running conjugate after hitting intermediate level. That's what the Russians discovered 50 years ago.
I was patiently waiting for you or Geoffrey Schofield to call him out for that leg training video. What he said had some merit but as others pointed out, his arguments against barbell movements was just clumsy.
Well said. I did enjoy Eugene's videos but you're absolutely correct in that this is not best for folks like myself who are beginners. I'm definitely on the other side of recovery due to my age but man do I enjoy barbell exercises. Keep up the great videos. I'm super happy I found your video on a diy TIB bar. I use mine to this day. 👊🏽
My biggest problem with Eugene is the way he pronounces 頑張る, the name of his company. I think he is one of those guys that likes to be contrarian. For me, having to move into a home gym two years ago was a blessing because it forced me to train with just the barbell and pullup bar. The results have been amazing.
When I first started training, I avoided barbells. I got some decent benefits using dumbbell presses, cable pulldowns and rows, and leg presses for a while, but nothing amazing. Trying to progress with cables and dumbbells worked early on, but quickly slowed. So I did some research and decided to try using barbell lifts more. My progress absolutely exploded, and barbells continue to give me the largest benefit for both strength and hypertrophy. I like some other non-barbell exercises, too, but they're not for the purposes of strength. More for accessory work and skill work.
Dude, I cannot stress how good of a response video this was. By far the best one I've seen. It's one thing if Eugene himself decides to phase out his barbell training after having having used it in the past to build a substantial muscle and strength base, but the "you should too" part is an absolute problem. There is just no way around it, the barbell is the most superior implement to build maximal strength and muscle mass (if that is your goal) and this nocebo injury stuff does way more harm than good for people. Like you said, it comes down to programming and the dosage of how you are using it while incorporating other implements as well. If you go in influenced that the bar is going to f up your joints beyond repair its going to become a self fulfilling prophecy. The barbell lifts are skills that need to be practiced and mastered over time. He is really doing a disservice to beginners and isn't that much better than Athlean X in my opinion
Agree 100%. This message is absolutely going to the wrong audience and is going to influence them in negative ways potentially for years to come. It's an unfortunate thing, but it's the nature of social media I suppose.
@@EnkiriElite what gets me is the fact that for anyone who lives this lifestyle of being dedicated to serious training, your methods and approach changes over time. So Eugene could literally next year want to reintroduce some barbell lifts here and there to add in a new stimulus and will be known as that guy who told thousands of beginners to stop using it lol. Either that or he just goes indefinitely without the bar….which lets be honest why would you limit yoursef like that taking it out altogether permanently? Just weird to me man
All these guys claiming to have the goal of muscle building are way too fixated on making their training as "safe" as possible. I've gotten into arguments with dudes who literally think being absolutely 100% safe is more important than making progress.
A bit of an off topic question, but if body dysmorphia exists, do you think there's such a thing as "strength dysmorphia"? Like thinking that you can't lift a certain weight makes you think that you're weak? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Hey Alec any tips on how to manage elbow tendinitis due to chin ups? I have done stress/load/intensity management and nothing seems to work any tips on programing the chin up?
for the home gym user a barbell provides the most value for money in terms of versatility, loading potential and footprint. as a strength hobbyist the barbell (and a rack) is all i need to challenge me and keep me progressing. don't need to over-think this stuff and search for whats "optimal" just consistent work in
And the safest option as well. If you fail a barbell benchpress in a rack with safety bars, you will be okay. Fail doing a dumbbell press and pray for the best.
Are snatch grip high pulls still fucking awesome for power development mr enkiri? I'm up to 300 for 3 and wondering if I should keep going or just start learning how to actually snatch lol
If you want to start hitting some power snatches to shake things up that would be totally fine. But you can keep high pulling if that's what you want to do!
Barbells provide a level of stability that DBs and other free weight implements can't even come close to. Meaning, their potential for intensity, overload, and progression is way higher than those. At the end of the day even if those other movements have slightly more "optimal" biomechanics, since programmability and progression is one of the most important factors for progress in training, the BB still holds a greater advantage. It's hard to argue that a difference of a few degrees of joint movement is worth far more than a massive gulf difference in actual programmability and progressive potential. Coupled with that, the heavier load and faster progression allows for neurological skills such higher exertion, and a higher amount of total systemic stress. Its a basic principle behind strength training, and is explained very well by people like the BBM crew. And as for machines, they're so restrictive and provide almost no amount of joint freedom, that it's not very safe nor efficient to use them at lower rep ranges. This concept is explained very well by Mike Israetel when he speaks about the applicability of rep ranges, and which exercises one should apply which rep range to. The lack of free movement also means you don't get the balancing and coordination aspect you'd get with free weights. Missing out on useful neurological adaptations that one simply can't get without some form of free weights. That's where barbells come in. They're stable enough to be pushed super heavy, and at super high relative *and* absolute intensities, but they're still free enough to allow for natural joint movement and motor skill learning. Obviously shouldn't be your only method of training, but it does have some benefits one simply can't replace. If you truly don't care about those benefits then you could ignore them; but to claim you can get all of them/replace them with something else is just false. Another benefit I alluded to was the rep range variability. Barbells allow you to safely and more reliably train rep ranges that the other implements don't lend themselves as well to. Again, if you don't care about that benefit then yes, you can ignore it; but don't pretend like it can be obtained just as efficiently with the other modalities. It simply isn't true. Lastly, even if you wanna appeal to authority to try and disregard all of my points, then there's Dr. Mike Israetel who puts heavy barbell movements before anything else. He says they're his favorite, and they work the best for him. And whenever he trains someone, he always has them do just a few. All of these reasons and more (would get way too long if I exhausted my arguments) are why I disagree with his statements. And as Alec said, most of Eugene's *own* arguments don't apply to the masses that he is directly talking to. So he defeats his own arguments by applying context. I don't think you should *only* use BBs, but I also don't think you should *stop* using them.
People who drone on endlessly about muscular tension as the end all be all can get away with that line of thinking for one reason and one reason only: they are juiced to the gills. The only way to separate the importance of the nervous system from this entire process is to bypass physiology by using exogenous hormones. If you are natural you cannot separate the nervous system from the processes of building strength and hypertrophy. Therefore, listening to someone else who lives by a different rulebook drone on endlessly about tension is a fool's errand. You have other more important concerns and that aspect will take care of itself once you figure out how to get your more important ducks in a row.
I was able to take my quads to the next level with hack squats because I can push myself much further than I can on the barbell back squat. You physically can’t take a back squat to failure and when it comes to training legs it’s been shown to be much harder to accurately gauge Reps in reserve. I also prefer the weighted dip to the bench press for similar reasons.
In regards to squatting, I experienced the same thing. I worked up to a 455lb 1RM back squat at 151lbs bodyweight over the course of 5 years and my quads didn't grow much. My electors, glutes, abs, and hamstrings were thick and developed, but not my quads. Not until I started breaking free from the emotional tie to barbells and started to venture out and use hacks squats and even smith machines. 22inch legs went to 25in legs in less than 2 years lol. The theme of Eugene's video wasn't to discourage the use of barbells, it was about not being emotional and dogmatically tied to them in a cultists fashion. It's appalling to me the majority of people are this close minded about just one whole piece of equipment. NOTE: for all the people who might throw ad hominids at my way; just a reminder that I never once declared a stance against barbells. Personally, I love barbells. But they are not the perfect tool for everything in every situation. I simply don't have an extremist view on the matter.
@@talonwoolsey3 you won't to defend your cult leader snake oil salesman tactics by calling us cultists. When did Alec discourage the use of machines and be close minded. He implicity discourages the use of barbells to promote his useless programs . Most people nowadays have rejected common sense and fall for smart sounding , ear itching stuff
Honestly for a beginner barbells are key imo, and they're definitely the most fun. There was a time where I do almost entirely just barbell movements and it was great. Especially for the lower body, squats, rdls and calf raises with barbells will almost 99% of the time have good results. Nice video enkiri
Yes, I just find it a bit silly when people provide advice that doesn't apply to 99% of the people watching UA-cam fitness. If you the advice he gave in that video is applicable to you then you already know all of it already without watching his video. And if what he's saying is news to you then you don't need to be hearing it in the first place.
@@EnkiriElite it's so sad I've seen my own friends stick to machines and they look at me weird cuz they say you know barbells are bad for you, and will cause injuries and now I see where this stuff comes from. They see advanced bodybuilders stick to mostly machines and copy blindly.
@@ArmaanRawat472 for real? If you think like that then you will be a perpetual novice. I personally can’t understand it. It is just as important to work stabiliser muscles and you can’t get that on machines. You could do the following all bar workout till the day you die… hip thrusts, front squat, calf raise, conventionsl deadlift, barbell row, behind lifts (rear delt), military press, bench press, bicep curl, skull crushers, forearm curls and extension… all body, zero problems
after about 20 years of lifting… my barbell usage is now strictly for snatches, cleans, and front squats … dumbbells for ALL my presses… machines for single joint accessories like curls etc
12:50 I don’t do any of “the big three”. Oh wait, I do. Zercher squats, weighted push ups, and Jefferson deadlifts. It seems like certain movement patterns are very conducive to getting strong as hell
Great video ! I agree with pretty much everything you said. That video was a complete contradicting nonsense and I hated the fact the a lot of other fitness youtubers, even Zack Telander didnt see that. I would like to add some other points as well : - Compound barbell movements can actually heal chronic pain and increase longevity and overall structural health by loading the posterior chain and strengthening the joints. By that alone they are the most important thing that you can do, when it come to fitness. - Barbell training increases performance - not only strength, but also speed, stability and explosiveness . In that regard they are also invaluable. Also it is worth to point out, that in that video Eugene did not benched "correctly". The arch in the bench press is not to take away ROM, but rather to stabilize the scapula and remove the shoulders out of the equation and to put the chest in the best position to push, so that you can recruit the most muscle fibers. So actually if you have joint problems when doing the barbell movements, it is not that the movement itself sucks, it is that you suck at the movement.
@@highintensity415 Well, he tried to be respectful as possible and he also brought some really good points actually, but his take on the bench was kinda bad in my opinion. Then again, he is an Oly lifter, so it is understandable - that lift is not really into his wheelhouse... And dont get me wrong, Its not like I am a bench press fanatic myself, personally I prefer to do OHP and dips, but still the bench is perfectly valid lift, that gets needlessly bad reputation.
@@Dark89Avenger Yeah Alec just presented better arguments overall in what was flawed about the original video such as taking the nervous system into account and the problems with Eugenes logic about fixed plane of motion and what not. As well as addressing the elephant in the room about having built a big base becoming strong with the main compound lifts
Glad you enjoyed the video man. And i would agree that in most cases if you get joint pain from a movement you are new to it probably has less to do with the movement itself and more to do with how you are performing it OR simply how you move your body in general.
Bottom line whatever it comes down to is train hard in a safe way. Whatever helps you to stay safe while lifting, go for it. If you can stay safe using heavy barbell movements, do it. If you’d prefer to use dumbbells, that’s fine. But to say that barbells are no good as you get better, that’s BS. The same is true for people who are absolutely married to the barbell. Spice up your training with different equipment. Makes it more fun
I hate to sound butthurt but I had to unfollow him for that nonsense lol. He's kind of pushed back against traditional exercises like pullups for the back and squats for the quads in the past, didn't think he'd take it that far.
Nothing wrong with a good old fashioned boycott. If more people did that then content creators would stop making divisive hot takes like his just to get you to click.
Not the obly questionable thing i see him do...his clients do 3-40 rep sets and super sets...if you are enhanced or have a solid base i could see it working to maintain tissue but for a guy who is 140 pounds skinny and wants to add muscle those rep ranges wont do shit...
A little off topic but one barbell exercise I have dropped is the bench press,. Reason being it doesn’t promote the correct muscle firing patterns for most natural upper body movements in most athletic sports. Not so much about the elbow but the fact that you have to pin and squeeze your shoulder blades while you push you hands/elbows forward. That is not what you want you body to get used to. The most popular Chinese Olympic weight lifter Liu said the same thing. He doesn’t bench press because it stiffens up his shoulders and affect his overhead press. And it’s just as bad for you movement patterns like throwing, punching, batting. The barbell bench press should only be reserved to powerlifters. If you want to throw a punch, shoot a basketball, play any racket sports, don’t bench press.
Awesome video and really great points. You sure showed that good-for-nothing, trendy barbell-hater what's what. At least he has the pretty hair thing going for him.
In the context of muscular strength and endurance, an argument for training movements over mesocycles with barbells and dumbbells together or alternately and periodically can be made very easily. But i find it hard to make the case to ever take the barbell away from training power at any time in a macrocycle.. not a big fan of “let’s talk about strength and hypertrophy” when we have strength-speed, power, speed-strength, speed, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic capacity to work on as well. Find me another implement that’s better at loading and progressing for power training in all planes than the barbell..
wow that close grip 'hack squat' looking exercise from atlas looks like the answer to my rackless home conundrum ;( i keep scraping my calves trying to do em with a wide grip
Weighted calistetics, natilus machines and dumbels is all I need. Alot safer and there are people who only use calistetics. Some famous bodybuilders only use machines. Some only use dumbels. Some people's ego is routed in the barbel and they want to force it on us.
I think he is villanizing barbells a little too much here but I would agree in saying that if someone doesnt want to primarilly focus on just barbells, thats fine and it is their prefrence
I like Eugene and his content but I'd never give up the barbell. Other than so many barbell variations > machines, barbell makes me feel bad ass. Squatting 200lbs just feels better than leg pressing 300lbs. Plus leg press feels like trash on my low back and back squatting doesn't so
Barbells have given me the most gains because they are the fastest way to progressively overload. And that is the key to strength and size. Dumbells are good but they are much harder at getting stronger and moving up weight regularly compared to barbells. To me progressively overloading is the key to getting bigger.
Agreed, that's why I mentioned the point about the stabilization vs. prime mover continuum...where DB's are limited by excess stabilization and machines are limited total lack of stabilization, and then barbells are smack dab in the middle. Optimally balanced for maximal gains.
Unilateral is superior. And squats are just weighted calisthenics. Eugene made his point well. The only flaw is his assumption that deep squat mobility cannot be built up and improved. Squatting deep is a normal human attribute and not being able to is a defect. But other than that he made his point well. Bench press is the best example of this. Barbell bench press is inferior in health benefits, safety, and hypertrophy compared to dumbells. He made his point well amd it applies to everyone. This doesn't make the barbell bad, but it is overrated. It's like Ronnie Coleman's bodybuilding career. He's good, one of the best, but he has some controversial wins and therefore is overrated by the masses.
Maybe what he was trying to enunciate, but failed to do was refer to repeated stress injury (tendonitis)…. Mobility is key as we get older, I’m 47 and focused on that as much as what I lift. That’s why you vary the exercises that you do and hit the joint from different angles, same principle as Arnold talks about for hypertrophy. I notice now Arnold doesn’t use a barbell whenever he posts a video of him working out, yet Jacinto Bonilla still does as part of his cross fit workout, at an older age than Arnold. When you get older preservation of strength, mobility and physique is paramount and that includes plenty of compound lifts with the bar.
I mean there's so many ways you can tweak barbell exercises to suit your body leverages and get more gains from using less weight. Not all machines are suitable for you as everyone is built different and can be quite restrictive at times. Dumbbells can be good but not optimal for progressive overload as compared to barbells. In the end, get the best out of all different equipments if you can, however barbell exercises will always be the best for pretty much 99% of the population~ if you suck at them, you are the problem, not the barbells 😅
Thats exactly what I was thinking. I was like wtf is he doing with the barbell? He sounded very much like he mustve been doing something horribly wrong.
Over 90% of peoples have sh*t technique with barbell lifts and variations. Hence the overuse, hence the injuries. I litterally used the barbell as primary tool for rehabing my groin, shoulder and elbows injuries. And now I'm stronger and bigger than before. Good technique, adapted progression in movement and programming and the key points. Plus barbell compounds make you stronger better than other implements, which drives up your strength for progressing on the other implements. Good luck hurling around 50+ kg dumbbells for pressing variations. That and dumbbells deadlifts/RDLs are stupid. PS : also most muscular guys ditching barbells, like Eugene, Paul Carter...etc, used to get big and strong through barbell work as base. Beginners/intermediates focusing on machines and dumbbells don't progress aswell.
what magical quality does a barbell contain that makes it better for strength or hypertrophy? If you say loadability I say that you can pin change plates on a cable stack. There is no inherent reason to use barbells when it comes to hypertrophy.
This video is not about hypertrophy and neither was Eugene's. That said, judging by your comment it doesn't even sound like you watched my video or you would have already had you question answered.
@@matth3657 per the description: "for strength, muscle mass, athletic performance, and longevity there are often better implements to use." By his own words he is literally extrapolating non-barbell training into pretty much every single realm of fitness there is. Just fucking lol. Of course his video was "certainly about hypertrophy *in part* " you cant talk about weights without it being about hypertrophy *in part.* that is a given. He's the one that made this video and tried to extrapolate it into every physical fitness quality under the sun, not me. Not sure why you feel the need to defend it, but you're doing a flimsy job.
I feel like even after you're advanced, barbell seems more optimal since barbell exercises are the easiest to progressively overload imo. Gym dumbbells only go up to a certain weight and getting them up can be a pain plus if you're advanced you're probably maxing out on certain machines lol
I agree that at no time does any other topl really *trump* the barbell, no matter how advanced you are. But you do open up the option of kind of doing whatever the hell you want once you're already big and strong. You won't lose muscle mass. Building it in the first place is the hard part.
@07:24 , My personal experience : ( P.S. don't roast me for my weak strengths; i am in the Novice Purgatory who didn't know any better ) This is exactly what happened to me. I had watched Eugene's best exercises for chest video and a few more from other influencers, I reached to the conclusion that I should be doing dumbell presses as my primary pressing; so I switched out all my horizontal pressing with dumbells and even my overhead pressing with dumbells. I progressed with it for a few months; went from 20kg dumbell pressing upto 30 kgs for 8 reps with clean form. And then it was exactly as you said; I hit a wall that I can not get through; tried changing the tempo, the rep ranges; tucking my elbows in for a neutral grip variation. Nothing that could help me breach that wall. And now again I am going back to barbell work, and just as I started doing it I am hitting PR's almost every day. So all in, What I realized and what I would say this that dumbells are great, and yeah they work very well and they can help you with less joint strain and everything but replacing your barbell work with them is not at all the right approach. I am getting back in barbell movements and I am definitely becoming happy after my everyday session. Also, I can increment with custom weight plates of 500gms for micro loading even which is not possible with dumbells. In most of the gyms around here( I live in India ) the increments after 20kg dumbells are of 5 kgs. So when I was stuck at 30Kg; I couldn't even back down to 27.5kg's as there were no dumbells; I had to go down to 25 kgs. those are available at huge commercial gyms which are not affordable and only found in metro cities.
I am getting a bit bored with influencers discussing other influencers content: There is a lot of that now. An easy way to make content, is that why? .
Mike isratel says it will all vary fromperson to person.There is no reason for barbell to produce better results than machine or dumbell and vice versa. He also thinks barbell are more injury prone and biggest proponents of barbell are intermediate lifters. In nutshell he says check for yourself whatever works do, machine barbell dumbell all are good
@@EnkiriElite if i reach stagnation( unnoticeatble gains)with dumbell/machine and barbell can break that, isnt the opposite also true though, if the reaso is some lagging muscle and form nutrition rest program are on point?? I cant wrap my head around that i will hit the ceiling with dumbell/machine faster than that with barbell when body cant tell the difference between x kg of dumbell or barbell or machine, if every other variable is well optimized. Since tools are different they will leave different lagging muscles, and switching from one to another is supposed to break that stagnation.am i understanding it correctly??
@@gamesong6600 Yes, the opposite is also true. That's why I say in the video that everything is symbiotic...the barbell is just a larger piece of the puzzle, but they all belong to the same puzzle. Eugene is the one who said "sop doing barbell exercises." I never said you should stop doing dumbbell or machine exercises, I said you should them all. Dumbbells, barbells, and machines all require varying degrees of stability. Dumbbells are ultimately limited by your inability to stabilize them because those small muscles cannot keep up with the big muscles. Machines are limited because they require no stability and the nervous system will not allow the body to get to a point where you can produce such a degree of force beyond which your body can stabilize. Barbells fall in the center, making them optimal as a standalone modality. However, all 3 pieces should be utilized for maximal gains in the long run because they all cover different parts of the spectrum. The nervous system is also a huge component in all of this and dumbbell exercises are typically not able to be loaded or worked in such a way as to train the nervous system...that is more efficiently done with barbells. As a natural lifter if you ignore the nervous system I promise you you will go nowhere.
Around the 5:00 minute mark is all that needs to be said. You hit the target dead on, Alec. This guy built 99% of his genetic potential on compound barbell movements and now he can literally do whatever he wants (bend the rules). The VAST majority of viewers are NOWHERE near their genetic potential. Most of us are newbies! It would be best for us (newbs), in most cases, to stick to barbells because they are the best bang for your buck. Period!
Except that many meta analyses and articles do back his position and most who understand science knows that using meta analyses alone instead as just a piece of a much larger puzzle are more qualified to giving thoughts than someone who built his brand from the product of exogenous drugs and gives uninformed opinions (Eugene).
Tried Eugene's "bench press tips".... pressed much less (which wouldn't necessarily be a negative thing if it has been due to technicalities), felt less stable, almost crapped up my shoulders. Nope. I've stayed away from his "nuanced, science based" stuff after that. And all that stuff about "tension" and "stabilization"..... you have to stabilize a heck ton during DB movements?
@@EnkiriElite Contrarian content is what gets you into the spotlight nowadays, sadly. People listen to what they want to hear and discard what they need to hear
So my not that educated opinion is that barbells are one of the most efficient tools. Eugene Teo uses the clever trick of replacing the generally positive word of efficient, for one more loaded (especially in a group likely to be more hardcore) with "convenient". I've got no ambitions of being pro at anything besides my day job. I just want to be fit and healthy, so bang for buck, and enjoyment are very important factors for me. Buying a dozen pieces of equipment to replicate the same effect doesn't appeal.
That guy Eugene is hiding his snake oils salesman schemes behind the illusion of a nuanced take.
All these reasons he gives as to why not to do a particular barbell exercise doesn't really hold for the vast majority of the population. Take the squat, for example. When some of the best weightlifters / strongmen are giants with long limbs, the proportions argument is simply invalid for avoiding the movement altogether. Sure, they won't be the best squatters ever, but it doesn't mean the ability to perform the movement correctly is restricted by their morphology. It just means it may take them a little extra effort to find and train at the right position for them vs someone with a long torso + short femur.
I also don't buy the joint-stress argument one bit. Unless you're an elite (also enhanced) athlete moving crazy amounts of weight, it may make sense. But I see plenty of top-level bodybuilders and powerlifters who train in all sorts of intensity / rep / set ranges on the barbell movements without experiencing this supposed "over-accumulation" of joint fatigue that they can't recover from. Yes, there are things like low bars beating up the elbows too much. Then, just do high bar or SSB bar squats. It'd be silly to switch out a low bar with a leg press or even something like a Bulgarian split squat. The amount of neurological / muscular stress you can put on your body (and therefore, the amount of growth response as well) simply cannot be replicated, especially for the un-enhanced.
At the end of the day, there's no way Eugene himself isn't aware of all this. He's just being an edgelord to sell his new gimmick, while trying to get away with it with these seemingly balanced takes.
Bro, he has barbell only programs. It's probably just a preference. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And what is he trying to sell us exactly? I can't find his products
No you have just completely missed the entire point of what he is saying.
He isn't saying barbells are bad. He is simply saying train in a way that suits your goals and needs. Your goals and needs may include the use of a barbell, though they aren't inherently better or necessary unless you specifically compete in powerlifting, oly or strongman.
You use strongmen who aren't biologically gifted who have become good squatters as an example of what? Is your logic that if a powerlifter is able to squat the casual lifter should also be able to squat? Even though they are in the gym for a completely different reason? What inherent positives are associated specifically with the casual gym goer squatting?
Furthermore you are incorrect to say that an increase in neurological and muscular stress creates some sort of 'increased growth response' or for that matter more hypertrophy. The main driver of hypertrophy is contractile force. Your quads don't know if your squatting or leg pressing. They simply know how much force they are needing to produce and then creating the intramuscular tension to meet that demand.
you seem like you didn't even watched his video
They all forget what the barbell did for them.
I honestly don't get it man
@@EnkiriElite mostly contrarian marketing, I think
@@GVS yeah, most likely. You can say whatever you want when you look like that.
I felt that.
"I was 40 years away from being the next Mark Rippetoe" I lost it, hahahahaha
Hahah just being honest
@@EnkiriElite I think most people like us coming up when we did definitely had one foot in that door at some point.
@@EnkiriElite As long as you can remember numbers beyond five, you'll be okay.
Did he build his foundation on cables and isolations or compound exercises? That question alone triggers all of Ryan Humistons viewers
Lol humiston is just too much honestly
It's actually such a ridiculous statement that it feels like bait. Either that or the gear is finally getting to Eugene's brain
Bait all day.
Is he not natural??
@@iliasissmaili4370 someone else mentioned that he has a video discussing his gear usage.
@@EnkiriElite he s very small for a gear user
@@iliasissmaili4370 because he downsized. Look at his past bodybuilding contests. He was huge. Probably only on trt rn
If barbells are "overused" then it's because they are just bars with weight on it. It's like saying nails are overused. They're just the simplest implement that does the thing you want.
Precisely. Dude was just being contrarian for the sake of it. But it's a lame take that is going to steer people off course, imo.
Alec makes some of the best arguments
Thank you, sir.
I'm doing what I consider pure bodybuilding, and yet, the skeleton of my program are barbell movements: barbell rows, bench press, OHP, RDLs, olympic squats and barbell shrugs, for me, the best exercises for many movement patterns tends to be barbell movements for numerous reasons, I'll never stop using barbells, ever.
I think that is going to provide the best long term outcomes across multiples facets.
Ofc🤷🏻♂️
Hating on barbells is the trendy thing to do right now. The hypertrophy gurus especially love to hate on them, claiming how they're not "stable" so you can't focus the stress on the prime movers like machines blah blah blah.
Ohpr and pure hypertrophy training...
Arnold, Oliva, Zane and some others are probably 90% of the reason why lifting weights is not seen as something that will murder you before you turn 30 nearly as much as it was back in the early 1900s anymore BUT MAN they sure as hell helped fuck up people's minds about what physical training is. I was watching this video about how some members of the chinese olympic weightlifting team ate and trained and apparently Shi Zhiyong isn't into accessory/isolation work and people were surprised that he's so jacked despite "not training muscles" lol dude is cleaning and jerking almost 200kg and snatching 169kg, his muscles work way, waaaaaaaay harder than most people's doing 3x10 with machines that don't even go beyond 100kg. People are clearly under the impression that bodybuilding, a specific sport, and physical training, which is used for all sorts of physical sports, are synonyms. I even remember this dude commenting under Klokov's 100kg one arm snatch that it was pointless because "arnold didn't do it in pumping iron" so it was best to focus on moderate weights and sets of 8-12 LOL. That's clearly what's going on with his video, he says he replaced barbells and kept his gains, it's purely from the assumption that everyne picking up weights is focusing on hypertrophy.
People are retarded.
Arnold and columbo did crazy amounts of barbell work that no ifbb pros do today including a lot of deadlifts. Columbo is probably the strongest guy to ever live if we talk about poiund for pound strength
3:30
Yeah fuck the bench press i’ll just wrap myself up in dozens of pounds of chains and put my feet up on a bench while grabbing parallel bars and doing pushups...because thats totally not impractical and ridiculous
Lmao
He could have saved a lot of breath and simply reiterated the value of running conjugate after hitting intermediate level.
That's what the Russians discovered 50 years ago.
But based on this video particular video of his conjugate would not fall within an acceptable framework for him either lol.
Unbreakable you blocked me remember ??
@@EnkiriElite True, sadly. 😂
I was patiently waiting for you or Geoffrey Schofield to call him out for that leg training video. What he said had some merit but as others pointed out, his arguments against barbell movements was just clumsy.
Agreed. I wasn't a fan.
Well said. I did enjoy Eugene's videos but you're absolutely correct in that this is not best for folks like myself who are beginners. I'm definitely on the other side of recovery due to my age but man do I enjoy barbell exercises. Keep up the great videos. I'm super happy I found your video on a diy TIB bar. I use mine to this day. 👊🏽
Glad that video wad able to help you man!
Truth is, that video was "click bait" or "spews for views" . That video needed to be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
Agreed
Checking in for the Friday morning lecture from the Hybrid Athlete ✍️🤓 another great vid bro!
Thanks for the continued support broha.
My biggest problem with Eugene is the way he pronounces 頑張る, the name of his company. I think he is one of those guys that likes to be contrarian. For me, having to move into a home gym two years ago was a blessing because it forced me to train with just the barbell and pullup bar. The results have been amazing.
Always enjoy your vids Alec keep em coming ! :)
When I first started training, I avoided barbells. I got some decent benefits using dumbbell presses, cable pulldowns and rows, and leg presses for a while, but nothing amazing. Trying to progress with cables and dumbbells worked early on, but quickly slowed. So I did some research and decided to try using barbell lifts more. My progress absolutely exploded, and barbells continue to give me the largest benefit for both strength and hypertrophy. I like some other non-barbell exercises, too, but they're not for the purposes of strength. More for accessory work and skill work.
Great video! I was on the dumbbell only route earlier in my lifting career and hit a plateau.
Dude, I cannot stress how good of a response video this was. By far the best one I've seen. It's one thing if Eugene himself decides to phase out his barbell training after having having used it in the past to build a substantial muscle and strength base, but the "you should too" part is an absolute problem. There is just no way around it, the barbell is the most superior implement to build maximal strength and muscle mass (if that is your goal) and this nocebo injury stuff does way more harm than good for people. Like you said, it comes down to programming and the dosage of how you are using it while incorporating other implements as well. If you go in influenced that the bar is going to f up your joints beyond repair its going to become a self fulfilling prophecy. The barbell lifts are skills that need to be practiced and mastered over time. He is really doing a disservice to beginners and isn't that much better than Athlean X in my opinion
Agree 100%. This message is absolutely going to the wrong audience and is going to influence them in negative ways potentially for years to come. It's an unfortunate thing, but it's the nature of social media I suppose.
@@EnkiriElite what gets me is the fact that for anyone who lives this lifestyle of being dedicated to serious training, your methods and approach changes over time. So Eugene could literally next year want to reintroduce some barbell lifts here and there to add in a new stimulus and will be known as that guy who told thousands of beginners to stop using it lol. Either that or he just goes indefinitely without the bar….which lets be honest why would you limit yoursef like that taking it out altogether permanently? Just weird to me man
All these guys claiming to have the goal of muscle building are way too fixated on making their training as "safe" as possible. I've gotten into arguments with dudes who literally think being absolutely 100% safe is more important than making progress.
@@Soccasteve 😂lets just be grateful we don't think like that. That mindset usually results in permanent mediocrity or being average
@@highintensity415 Haha exactly, if you want to be safe why not just do water aerobics or something?
A bit of an off topic question, but if body dysmorphia exists, do you think there's such a thing as "strength dysmorphia"? Like thinking that you can't lift a certain weight makes you think that you're weak? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Sounds like a good topic for a video!
Hey Alec any tips on how to manage elbow tendinitis due to chin ups? I have done stress/load/intensity management and nothing seems to work any tips on programing the chin up?
for the home gym user a barbell provides the most value for money in terms of versatility, loading potential and footprint. as a strength hobbyist the barbell (and a rack) is all i need to challenge me and keep me progressing. don't need to over-think this stuff and search for whats "optimal" just consistent work in
And the safest option as well. If you fail a barbell benchpress in a rack with safety bars, you will be okay. Fail doing a dumbbell press and pray for the best.
@@Abraham_Kist-Okazaki just drop the dumbells?
@@Abraham_Kist-Okazaki or just bring them on your legs? I do that every tine i fail
@@yeeyee1690 Just drop them on my face?
Great video man. Love to see you call bullshit on these jokers
Are snatch grip high pulls still fucking awesome for power development mr enkiri? I'm up to 300 for 3 and wondering if I should keep going or just start learning how to actually snatch lol
If you want to start hitting some power snatches to shake things up that would be totally fine. But you can keep high pulling if that's what you want to do!
I've been waiting for this. Nice one, Alec!
Thanks!
Regarding the conjugish program. Do you think that Lat pulldown variations Carry over to Chin ups/pull ups?
Yes, they build strength in the back muscles as well as hypertrophy them.
Barbells provide a level of stability that DBs and other free weight implements can't even come close to. Meaning, their potential for intensity, overload, and progression is way higher than those. At the end of the day even if those other movements have slightly more "optimal" biomechanics, since programmability and progression is one of the most important factors for progress in training, the BB still holds a greater advantage. It's hard to argue that a difference of a few degrees of joint movement is worth far more than a massive gulf difference in actual programmability and progressive potential.
Coupled with that, the heavier load and faster progression allows for neurological skills such higher exertion, and a higher amount of total systemic stress. Its a basic principle behind strength training, and is explained very well by people like the BBM crew.
And as for machines, they're so restrictive and provide almost no amount of joint freedom, that it's not very safe nor efficient to use them at lower rep ranges. This concept is explained very well by Mike Israetel when he speaks about the applicability of rep ranges, and which exercises one should apply which rep range to. The lack of free movement also means you don't get the balancing and coordination aspect you'd get with free weights. Missing out on useful neurological adaptations that one simply can't get without some form of free weights.
That's where barbells come in. They're stable enough to be pushed super heavy, and at super high relative *and* absolute intensities, but they're still free enough to allow for natural joint movement and motor skill learning. Obviously shouldn't be your only method of training, but it does have some benefits one simply can't replace. If you truly don't care about those benefits then you could ignore them; but to claim you can get all of them/replace them with something else is just false.
Another benefit I alluded to was the rep range variability. Barbells allow you to safely and more reliably train rep ranges that the other implements don't lend themselves as well to. Again, if you don't care about that benefit then yes, you can ignore it; but don't pretend like it can be obtained just as efficiently with the other modalities. It simply isn't true.
Lastly, even if you wanna appeal to authority to try and disregard all of my points, then there's Dr. Mike Israetel who puts heavy barbell movements before anything else. He says they're his favorite, and they work the best for him. And whenever he trains someone, he always has them do just a few.
All of these reasons and more (would get way too long if I exhausted my arguments) are why I disagree with his statements. And as Alec said, most of Eugene's *own* arguments don't apply to the masses that he is directly talking to. So he defeats his own arguments by applying context. I don't think you should *only* use BBs, but I also don't think you should *stop* using them.
People who drone on endlessly about muscular tension as the end all be all can get away with that line of thinking for one reason and one reason only: they are juiced to the gills.
The only way to separate the importance of the nervous system from this entire process is to bypass physiology by using exogenous hormones.
If you are natural you cannot separate the nervous system from the processes of building strength and hypertrophy. Therefore, listening to someone else who lives by a different rulebook drone on endlessly about tension is a fool's errand. You have other more important concerns and that aspect will take care of itself once you figure out how to get your more important ducks in a row.
I know this comment was four months ago, but everyone here saw Dr Mike’s newest vid on this exact subject right?
11:41 I agree. And there is no exercise that feels uncomfortable or impinging on my joints when using my barbell.
I was able to take my quads to the next level with hack squats because I can push myself much further than I can on the barbell back squat. You physically can’t take a back squat to failure and when it comes to training legs it’s been shown to be much harder to accurately gauge Reps in reserve. I also prefer the weighted dip to the bench press for similar reasons.
In regards to squatting, I experienced the same thing. I worked up to a 455lb 1RM back squat at 151lbs bodyweight over the course of 5 years and my quads didn't grow much. My electors, glutes, abs, and hamstrings were thick and developed, but not my quads. Not until I started breaking free from the emotional tie to barbells and started to venture out and use hacks squats and even smith machines. 22inch legs went to 25in legs in less than 2 years lol.
The theme of Eugene's video wasn't to discourage the use of barbells, it was about not being emotional and dogmatically tied to them in a cultists fashion. It's appalling to me the majority of people are this close minded about just one whole piece of equipment.
NOTE: for all the people who might throw ad hominids at my way; just a reminder that I never once declared a stance against barbells. Personally, I love barbells. But they are not the perfect tool for everything in every situation. I simply don't have an extremist view on the matter.
@@talonwoolsey3 you won't to defend your cult leader snake oil salesman tactics by calling us cultists. When did Alec discourage the use of machines and be close minded. He implicity discourages the use of barbells to promote his useless programs . Most people nowadays have rejected common sense and fall for smart sounding , ear itching stuff
Honestly for a beginner barbells are key imo, and they're definitely the most fun. There was a time where I do almost entirely just barbell movements and it was great. Especially for the lower body, squats, rdls and calf raises with barbells will almost 99% of the time have good results. Nice video enkiri
Yes, I just find it a bit silly when people provide advice that doesn't apply to 99% of the people watching UA-cam fitness. If you the advice he gave in that video is applicable to you then you already know all of it already without watching his video. And if what he's saying is news to you then you don't need to be hearing it in the first place.
@@EnkiriElite it's so sad I've seen my own friends stick to machines and they look at me weird cuz they say you know barbells are bad for you, and will cause injuries and now I see where this stuff comes from. They see advanced bodybuilders stick to mostly machines and copy blindly.
@@ArmaanRawat472 and 5 years from now they will have made minimal progress. Unless they jump on sarms before then 😂
@@ArmaanRawat472 the so called gym trainers themselves know nothing about strength training and just copy bodybuilders
@@ArmaanRawat472 for real? If you think like that then you will be a perpetual novice. I personally can’t understand it. It is just as important to work stabiliser muscles and you can’t get that on machines. You could do the following all bar workout till the day you die… hip thrusts, front squat, calf raise, conventionsl deadlift, barbell row, behind lifts (rear delt), military press, bench press, bicep curl, skull crushers, forearm curls and extension… all body, zero problems
Ive moved away from barbells and gotten really into weighted calisthenics the last few years, but maybe its time to get back to them
I think combining modalities is the best way!
Video lighting maxed out 💯
after about 20 years of lifting… my barbell usage is now strictly for snatches, cleans, and front squats … dumbbells for ALL my presses… machines for single joint accessories like curls etc
12:50 I don’t do any of “the big three”. Oh wait, I do. Zercher squats, weighted push ups, and Jefferson deadlifts. It seems like certain movement patterns are very conducive to getting strong as hell
Criminally underrated channel
Eugene strikes me as the kind of guy that's into perineum sunning.
Great video ! I agree with pretty much everything you said. That video was a complete contradicting nonsense and I hated the fact the a lot of other fitness youtubers, even Zack Telander didnt see that.
I would like to add some other points as well :
- Compound barbell movements can actually heal chronic pain and increase longevity and overall structural health by loading the posterior chain and strengthening the joints. By that alone they are the most important thing that you can do, when it come to fitness.
- Barbell training increases performance - not only strength, but also speed, stability and explosiveness . In that regard they are also invaluable.
Also it is worth to point out, that in that video Eugene did not benched "correctly". The arch in the bench press is not to take away ROM, but rather to stabilize the scapula and remove the shoulders out of the equation and to put the chest in the best position to push, so that you can recruit the most muscle fibers.
So actually if you have joint problems when doing the barbell movements, it is not that the movement itself sucks, it is that you suck at the movement.
Yep, I was disappointed with Zack's response. And you brought up some very good points there
@@highintensity415 Well, he tried to be respectful as possible and he also brought some really good points actually, but his take on the bench was kinda bad in my opinion. Then again, he is an Oly lifter, so it is understandable - that lift is not really into his wheelhouse...
And dont get me wrong, Its not like I am a bench press fanatic myself, personally I prefer to do OHP and dips, but still the bench is perfectly valid lift, that gets needlessly bad reputation.
@@Dark89Avenger Yeah Alec just presented better arguments overall in what was flawed about the original video such as taking the nervous system into account and the problems with Eugenes logic about fixed plane of motion and what not. As well as addressing the elephant in the room about having built a big base becoming strong with the main compound lifts
Glad you enjoyed the video man. And i would agree that in most cases if you get joint pain from a movement you are new to it probably has less to do with the movement itself and more to do with how you are performing it OR simply how you move your body in general.
@@highintensity415 Yeeep and sadly very few people talk about CNS training in general. I am glad that Alec mentioned it.
Bottom line whatever it comes down to is train hard in a safe way. Whatever helps you to stay safe while lifting, go for it. If you can stay safe using heavy barbell movements, do it. If you’d prefer to use dumbbells, that’s fine. But to say that barbells are no good as you get better, that’s BS. The same is true for people who are absolutely married to the barbell. Spice up your training with different equipment. Makes it more fun
Agreed
Eugene: _Barbells are overrated_
Also Eugene: do you guys hear that?
*0:13** starts playing in background*
Hahahaha
I hate to sound butthurt but I had to unfollow him for that nonsense lol. He's kind of pushed back against traditional exercises like pullups for the back and squats for the quads in the past, didn't think he'd take it that far.
Nothing wrong with a good old fashioned boycott. If more people did that then content creators would stop making divisive hot takes like his just to get you to click.
Not the obly questionable thing i see him do...his clients do 3-40 rep sets and super sets...if you are enhanced or have a solid base i could see it working to maintain tissue but for a guy who is 140 pounds skinny and wants to add muscle those rep ranges wont do shit...
@@Croissantrophy.meme.channel It seems like it's trendy to hate on things that work
A little off topic but one barbell exercise I have dropped is the bench press,. Reason being it doesn’t promote the correct muscle firing patterns for most natural upper body movements in most athletic sports. Not so much about the elbow but the fact that you have to pin and squeeze your shoulder blades while you push you hands/elbows forward. That is not what you want you body to get used to. The most popular Chinese Olympic weight lifter Liu said the same thing. He doesn’t bench press because it stiffens up his shoulders and affect his overhead press. And it’s just as bad for you movement patterns like throwing, punching, batting.
The barbell bench press should only be reserved to powerlifters. If you want to throw a punch, shoot a basketball, play any racket sports, don’t bench press.
Awesome video and really great points. You sure showed that good-for-nothing, trendy barbell-hater what's what. At least he has the pretty hair thing going for him.
I literally just weighted dips and ring push ups and having my best chest gains
In the context of muscular strength and endurance, an argument for training movements over mesocycles with barbells and dumbbells together or alternately and periodically can be made very easily. But i find it hard to make the case to ever take the barbell away from training power at any time in a macrocycle.. not a big fan of “let’s talk about strength and hypertrophy” when we have strength-speed, power, speed-strength, speed, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic capacity to work on as well. Find me another implement that’s better at loading and progressing for power training in all planes than the barbell..
GT and I already made a video but it lacked outreach, can you respond to NH's deload video on our behalf lol
I'll check it out
@@EnkiriElite And this rebuttal already came before that video was uploaded ua-cam.com/video/eO_Lr7Asm7E/v-deo.html&t
I almost bench pressed 600 pounds today! I was only shy 410 pounds of 600 pounds.
wow that close grip 'hack squat' looking exercise from atlas looks like the answer to my rackless home conundrum ;( i keep scraping my calves trying to do em with a wide grip
Non-barbell training = fluff and pump
Depends.
Your channel is Great , looking forward for a collab between us
Weighted calistetics, natilus machines and dumbels is all I need. Alot safer and there are people who only use calistetics. Some famous bodybuilders only use machines. Some only use dumbels. Some people's ego is routed in the barbel and they want to force it on us.
Barbells are killing your gains!
lol apparently they are now.
Preach it brother. 🙏
At 1:23. Not only do you have a lot of different gym equipment, look at all those different brooms
Broom master
I honestly want to see someone react to eugenes video about the biggest mistake on bench press, shits almost as bad as this one
I think he is villanizing barbells a little too much here but I would agree in saying that if someone doesnt want to primarilly focus on just barbells, thats fine and it is their prefrence
I was gonna give him the benefit of the doubt until he said “especially as you get stronger”
If i give uo barbell movements then i cant go to the gym anymore because i have a hone gym
I like Eugene and his content but I'd never give up the barbell. Other than so many barbell variations > machines, barbell makes me feel bad ass. Squatting 200lbs just feels better than leg pressing 300lbs. Plus leg press feels like trash on my low back and back squatting doesn't so
Barbells have given me the most gains because they are the fastest way to progressively overload. And that is the key to strength and size. Dumbells are good but they are much harder at getting stronger and moving up weight regularly compared to barbells. To me progressively overloading is the key to getting bigger.
Agreed, that's why I mentioned the point about the stabilization vs. prime mover continuum...where DB's are limited by excess stabilization and machines are limited total lack of stabilization, and then barbells are smack dab in the middle. Optimally balanced for maximal gains.
@@EnkiriElite why is stabilization necessary for progressive overload
@@rev5298 if you are being genuine I'm happy to answer the question.
@@EnkiriElite yes I'm being serious
That Tao feller would be nothing without PEDs.
the more quality training equipment you can get your hands on- the better, of course....
Unilateral is superior. And squats are just weighted calisthenics.
Eugene made his point well. The only flaw is his assumption that deep squat mobility cannot be built up and improved. Squatting deep is a normal human attribute and not being able to is a defect.
But other than that he made his point well. Bench press is the best example of this. Barbell bench press is inferior in health benefits, safety, and hypertrophy compared to dumbells. He made his point well amd it applies to everyone. This doesn't make the barbell bad, but it is overrated. It's like Ronnie Coleman's bodybuilding career. He's good, one of the best, but he has some controversial wins and therefore is overrated by the masses.
Gotta disagree with pretty much everything you said here, minus the Ronnie part because I don't following bodybuilding and can't speak to it.
I thought he made his point terribly unconvincingly.
RSM is highest on BB work, SFR is not. That’s the only thing I can really think of
Maybe what he was trying to enunciate, but failed to do was refer to repeated stress injury (tendonitis)…. Mobility is key as we get older, I’m 47 and focused on that as much as what I lift. That’s why you vary the exercises that you do and hit the joint from different angles, same principle as Arnold talks about for hypertrophy. I notice now Arnold doesn’t use a barbell whenever he posts a video of him working out, yet Jacinto Bonilla still does as part of his cross fit workout, at an older age than Arnold. When you get older preservation of strength, mobility and physique is paramount and that includes plenty of compound lifts with the bar.
I mean there's so many ways you can tweak barbell exercises to suit your body leverages and get more gains from using less weight. Not all machines are suitable for you as everyone is built different and can be quite restrictive at times. Dumbbells can be good but not optimal for progressive overload as compared to barbells. In the end, get the best out of all different equipments if you can, however barbell exercises will always be the best for pretty much 99% of the population~ if you suck at them, you are the problem, not the barbells 😅
Thats exactly what I was thinking. I was like wtf is he doing with the barbell? He sounded very much like he mustve been doing something horribly wrong.
M'barbell
M'lord!
M'achine!
All I do is barbell exercises bruh
Alec's lookin like he's constantly flexing his lats, but he can't help it they're just that huge
Barbells the bread and butter of muscle growth
Over 90% of peoples have sh*t technique with barbell lifts and variations. Hence the overuse, hence the injuries.
I litterally used the barbell as primary tool for rehabing my groin, shoulder and elbows injuries.
And now I'm stronger and bigger than before.
Good technique, adapted progression in movement and programming and the key points.
Plus barbell compounds make you stronger better than other implements, which drives up your strength for progressing on the other implements.
Good luck hurling around 50+ kg dumbbells for pressing variations.
That and dumbbells deadlifts/RDLs are stupid.
PS : also most muscular guys ditching barbells, like Eugene, Paul Carter...etc, used to get big and strong through barbell work as base.
Beginners/intermediates focusing on machines and dumbbells don't progress aswell.
I like the Gym Eugene Teo Trains in. If I was there, I would use the barbells lol
what magical quality does a barbell contain that makes it better for strength or hypertrophy? If you say loadability I say that you can pin change plates on a cable stack. There is no inherent reason to use barbells when it comes to hypertrophy.
This video is not about hypertrophy and neither was Eugene's. That said, judging by your comment it doesn't even sound like you watched my video or you would have already had you question answered.
@@EnkiriElite eugene's video was certainly about hypertrophy in part. Maybe you didn't watch his video though?
@@matth3657 per the description: "for strength, muscle mass, athletic performance, and longevity there are often better implements to use."
By his own words he is literally extrapolating non-barbell training into pretty much every single realm of fitness there is. Just fucking lol. Of course his video was "certainly about hypertrophy *in part* " you cant talk about weights without it being about hypertrophy *in part.* that is a given.
He's the one that made this video and tried to extrapolate it into every physical fitness quality under the sun, not me. Not sure why you feel the need to defend it, but you're doing a flimsy job.
@@EnkiriElite you literally said eugene's video wasn't about hypertrophy then contradicted yourself in your second comment good one
@@matth3657 😂 you're not even trying. Later dude
Free-weights and calisthenics will never be overrated
exactly!
you can tell when people confuse "overrated" with "useless"
Smart
watching you own some dude i've never heard of who's making an uninteresting and ridiculous claim while at work instead of working
Don't get fired bro hahaha
I feel like even after you're advanced, barbell seems more optimal since barbell exercises are the easiest to progressively overload imo. Gym dumbbells only go up to a certain weight and getting them up can be a pain plus if you're advanced you're probably maxing out on certain machines lol
I agree that at no time does any other topl really *trump* the barbell, no matter how advanced you are. But you do open up the option of kind of doing whatever the hell you want once you're already big and strong. You won't lose muscle mass. Building it in the first place is the hard part.
@07:24 , My personal experience : ( P.S. don't roast me for my weak strengths; i am in the Novice Purgatory who didn't know any better )
This is exactly what happened to me. I had watched Eugene's best exercises for chest video and a few more from other influencers, I reached to the conclusion that I should be doing dumbell presses as my primary pressing; so I switched out all my horizontal pressing with dumbells and even my overhead pressing with dumbells. I progressed with it for a few months; went from 20kg dumbell pressing upto 30 kgs for 8 reps with clean form. And then it was exactly as you said; I hit a wall that I can not get through; tried changing the tempo, the rep ranges; tucking my elbows in for a neutral grip variation. Nothing that could help me breach that wall. And now again I am going back to barbell work, and just as I started doing it I am hitting PR's almost every day.
So all in, What I realized and what I would say this that dumbells are great, and yeah they work very well and they can help you with less joint strain and everything but replacing your barbell work with them is not at all the right approach. I am getting back in barbell movements and I am definitely becoming happy after my everyday session.
Also, I can increment with custom weight plates of 500gms for micro loading even which is not possible with dumbells. In most of the gyms around here( I live in India ) the increments after 20kg dumbells are of 5 kgs. So when I was stuck at 30Kg; I couldn't even back down to 27.5kg's as there were no dumbells; I had to go down to 25 kgs. those are available at huge commercial gyms which are not affordable and only found in metro cities.
The chad Alec Enkiri vs. The virgin Eugene Teo
Great video dude!
i hope eugenes crowd buys less barbells, demand goes down while supply stays the same means lower prices for me!
I am getting a bit bored with influencers discussing other influencers content: There is a lot of that now. An easy way to make content, is that why?
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I take it you didn't watch the video
New term learnt in this clip : inflammatory click bait
Barbells are by far the fastest way to a base level of total body strength
Why I stopped using barbells after I built a great muscle foundation 🤣
Yeah, kind of silly to throw that notion onto everyone else
Mike isratel says it will all vary fromperson to person.There is no reason for barbell to produce better results than machine or dumbell and vice versa. He also thinks barbell are more injury prone and biggest proponents of barbell are intermediate lifters.
In nutshell he says check for yourself whatever works do, machine barbell dumbell all are good
Yes, I found myself in disagreement with much of Dr. Mike's video.
@@EnkiriElite if i reach stagnation( unnoticeatble gains)with dumbell/machine and barbell can break that, isnt the opposite also true though, if the reaso is some lagging muscle and form nutrition rest program are on point??
I cant wrap my head around that i will hit the ceiling with dumbell/machine faster than that with barbell when body cant tell the difference between x kg of dumbell or barbell or machine, if every other variable is well optimized.
Since tools are different they will leave different lagging muscles, and switching from one to another is supposed to break that stagnation.am i understanding it correctly??
@@gamesong6600 Yes, the opposite is also true. That's why I say in the video that everything is symbiotic...the barbell is just a larger piece of the puzzle, but they all belong to the same puzzle. Eugene is the one who said "sop doing barbell exercises." I never said you should stop doing dumbbell or machine exercises, I said you should them all.
Dumbbells, barbells, and machines all require varying degrees of stability. Dumbbells are ultimately limited by your inability to stabilize them because those small muscles cannot keep up with the big muscles.
Machines are limited because they require no stability and the nervous system will not allow the body to get to a point where you can produce such a degree of force beyond which your body can stabilize.
Barbells fall in the center, making them optimal as a standalone modality. However, all 3 pieces should be utilized for maximal gains in the long run because they all cover different parts of the spectrum. The nervous system is also a huge component in all of this and dumbbell exercises are typically not able to be loaded or worked in such a way as to train the nervous system...that is more efficiently done with barbells. As a natural lifter if you ignore the nervous system I promise you you will go nowhere.
@@EnkiriElite thanks 👍
Barbells definitely shouldn't be the only thing that you use but to say that you should stop using them outright is just ridiculous.
Around the 5:00 minute mark is all that needs to be said. You hit the target dead on, Alec. This guy built 99% of his genetic potential on compound barbell movements and now he can literally do whatever he wants (bend the rules). The VAST majority of viewers are NOWHERE near their genetic potential. Most of us are newbies! It would be best for us (newbs), in most cases, to stick to barbells because they are the best bang for your buck. Period!
Are you sure? you're a newbie.
Remember people, this is an opinion. No science backs this opinion.
Except that many meta analyses and articles do back his position and most who understand science knows that using meta analyses alone instead as just a piece of a much larger puzzle are more qualified to giving thoughts than someone who built his brand from the product of exogenous drugs and gives uninformed opinions (Eugene).
When it knows how to suck for fuel it's gonna be alright.
Jane Doe
what a thumbnail m'lord
The edginess was palpable.
I think the Chef’s knife is an overrated knife 🙃
Eugene is spot on though. If you don't give a shit about pr's then barbells are irrelevant.
No he's not
@@EnkiriElite Yes he is. People who like barbells are bias af towards them.
@@wrathchildrocks have fun in novice purgatory 👋👋👋
Tried Eugene's "bench press tips".... pressed much less (which wouldn't necessarily be a negative thing if it has been due to technicalities), felt less stable, almost crapped up my shoulders. Nope. I've stayed away from his "nuanced, science based" stuff after that.
And all that stuff about "tension" and "stabilization"..... you have to stabilize a heck ton during DB movements?
I'd have Kinobody legs were I to neglect barbell work, barbells be praised 🙏
Turns out Greggy's advice is top tier compared to a lot of the other social media starts I've stumbled across in recent years lol.
@@EnkiriElite Contrarian content is what gets you into the spotlight nowadays, sadly. People listen to what they want to hear and discard what they need to hear
If I could only have 1 piece of equipment, it'd be a barbell (and plates obvious)
So my not that educated opinion is that barbells are one of the most efficient tools. Eugene Teo uses the clever trick of replacing the generally positive word of efficient, for one more loaded (especially in a group likely to be more hardcore) with "convenient".
I've got no ambitions of being pro at anything besides my day job. I just want to be fit and healthy, so bang for buck, and enjoyment are very important factors for me. Buying a dozen pieces of equipment to replicate the same effect doesn't appeal.
based
Find my comment on that video. I 100000000000000000000000000000000% agree with everything you said in this video.
Found it! Very well written and good points.