My recommendation for the best calf exercise = use the horizontal seated leg press (not incline/plate loaded) for calf raises I get a better stimulus than any standing or seated calf raise I've used
"I've spoken about [leg extensions being overrated] at length." So what you're saying is that your explanations are also done in the stretched position. That's dedication.
same here my man. Some people do their whole training on cables at my gym, while I do want to do some cable exercises, not want to wait for them to get free and take a sprint to try and get one.
Same here. Seems the cables and benches are ALWAYS occupied! I'd have to go near closing time or in middle of day on my day off. It's ridiculous how my EOS fitness gym oversell their memberships.
i mean those are still awsome excercises and you can still grow using them, but if u wanna optimise ur workout reconsider periodicaly substituting with these
@@geminix365 those are good lifts too, this stuff is very individual and could come down to something as simple as if or not you'll have fun and go hard.
He is only talking about max muscle grow, but does not account for time or functional value, at least for these: 1) replacing DB Lateral Raise with cables is literally x2 time wasted 6) Deadlift is great for overall strength and is super functional contrary to his alternatives 7) Same, replaces lunges with x2 time wasted exercises
Every single training video is about this same topic these days. I've been doing overhead extension and dips for half year now. On overhead extension I've added just 1 rep during that time, on dips I add 1 rep almost every workout and after 12 extra reps I add weight. For sure overhead extension stretches the muscle more but on dips I add reps about 40 times faster. Sean Nalewanyj gets this right imo. You don't have to ditch every single exercise that doesn't stretch the muscle. Progressive overload is way more important thing long term. Do exercises where you actually increase weight over time.
I personally prefer to "force" progression on overhead extension by adding weight. I find it as pretty fatiguing exercise to the muscle through performed volume (probably bc of compromised blood flow) and I discovered quite a few times that I wasn't able to add more reps at given weight but easly preformed the same number of reps with slightly heavier load.
Well yeah Dips with 200 Pounds Extra weight, but the Guy who doin 80 Pounds Overhead Extensions still got the bigger triceps, thats the different. You know the this extra progess doesnt comes from your triceps, that the dips is an Chestexcercise ?? The Overhead Targets most the Longhead, while the Dip Target, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps und much more (and not much the Long head) its like you try to compare an Preacher Curl with an Latpulldown
Overhead extensions (and I would include skullcrushers in that, provided they're done with a deep, behind the head stretch) really do grow the long head in a way that compound pushing movements simply do not. Personal anecdote, but I didn't start really growing my long heads until I finally started doing overhead tricep work several years into my training (just dumbbell skullcrushers; no cables in my garage). Before that I had just done compound pushes for triceps and my long heads were underdeveloped.
If all you care about is hypertrophy, then the reasoning in this video maybe makes sense. But a lot of us care about strength, sports performance, and being able to move our bodies through space with grace and power. I'm not saying Milo's recommendations are necessarily bad for those goals. But Milo is so relentlessly focused on studies that measure muscle growth while never addressing movement patterns or power or resilience to injury or agility or any number of other goals that a lot of athletic fitness-minded folks have. I also think Milo should address Chesterton's fence/the Lindy effect: how come the deadlift has been used successfully by so many powerful people in so many athletic disciplines for so long? Were they all wrong? Should they have been doing RDLs and lower back isolation movements instead? If I want to be a strong resilient dude who can help my friends move big couches all day long, should I do deadlifts or should I do lower back isolation movements to grow my erector spinae complex? I'm assuming that if I'm 100% focused on hypertrophy then I should just blindly do what Milo tells me. But if hypertrophy is only, say, 50% of my goal, then are these recommendations good, bad or atrocious? I want the big picture beyond just "here are studies comparing these exercises on muscle growth". It's fine if there aren't studies! Use your big brain and experience as a coach and a scientist to make the best recommendations you can, under uncertainty! Decision-making under uncertainty should not and cannot be shied away from if one is to be effective in life.
they werent wrong persay, its just different excercises for different goals, if ur goal is hypertrophy RDL make more sense, if ur goal is strenght then maybe dealifts are prefered or atleast as equal to RDLs
also strenght and hypertrophy are heavily intertwined byt growing more u become stronger, or by becoming stronger u can emphesis hevier loads meaning more muscle growth. 6-8 reprange is ideal to target both strength andhyper trophy, u can sort of calibrate it by following this principle (pls guys correct me if this wrong) so either do >8 reps for more hypertrophy training focus, or do
Milo's area of expertise is muscle hypertrophy, not sport or strength training. People interested in those and general fitness might find these videos helpful because training to grow larger muscles generally improves strength, agility, and reduces injury risk. And Milo is pretty clear that these overrated exercises are still effective in building muscle, just not as effective as some alternatives. The conventional deadlift is not a popular exercise outside of a few sports that specifically require them, such as powerlifting or strongman. Chesterton's fence should give you far more curiosity over bicep curls and squats. If you want to be able to move couches and only have time for one exercise, deadlifts might be your answer if they mimic that movement most closely (though probably deadlifting an object of awkward size and walking around carrying it would be even better). Otherwise, as Milo said, it trains a lot of muscles, but trains them all poorly (compared to alternatives).
You're 100% right, but don't expect much support in the comments. The attempt to divorce 'hypertrophy' almost entirely from strength and power training, even for general sports, has become absurd. As if hypertrophy can be achieved by almost not breaking a sweat or ever feeling a load on your joints.
@@baronmeduse No one tried divorcing hypertrophy from strength/power. It's that as we've studied them, we've discovered that they are in fact different. People resistance train for a variety of reasons, yet the recommendations were all mixed up with each other. Bodybuilders, powerlifters, and soccer players all sorting through the same information. It's simply a natural result of learning more about hypertrophy and strength that we can isolate them from each other.
Yeah I've done these they're like a floating preacher curl. I guess not as stable cut still seriously good especially for time efficiency. Saw a guy named prophet fear curling with his arms perpendicular to the bench (like a crucifix curl. I can't thinking of a better way to put it.) Huge stretch from the shoulder adduction and hardest at the bottom. ua-cam.com/video/LQS3xAnwH2s/v-deo.html
@@duncandrake1676watched him. He’s putting his elbows seriously at risk as lifts the DBs at weird angles. If he wants to get huge stretch for biceps on a bench, watch RP guys doing it lately.
Yep. I recently tried 15 degrees (which was in response to Dr Mike demonstrating flat reps I think), and it's a game-changer. You really can't avoid the bicep stretch at the bottom like you can inadvertently at something like a 45° or 30° incline, and it works the biceps well even with much lighter-weight than you'd use for standing dumbbell curls. In fact, I'm tempted to replace most of my standing and (higher incline) lying dumbbell curls with it. Personally, I'm not sure that I'd want to go with the stretch involved in doing parallel reps, but only because of the way it feels on the shoulders/ elbows. But like Harkkyn says, try lowering the bench to see if it works for you.
The common sense approach is you do what works best for you as an individual .... we all respond differently to different variations so stick with what works for you (simple)
That argument works for every single exercise. There is always someone huge who did a suboptimal exercise and still has an incredible physique. The reason for that is simple: exercise selection is NOT THAT IMPORTANT. What's important is 1. Consistency 2. Nutrition 3. Steroids, if applicable 4. Genetics 5. Overall workout planning (how often, which muscle groups) and only at the very end comes the selection of which specific exercises you do for which muscle. So, can you have huge shoulders by just doing regular side raises? Of course, if you do all the other points right! Could you have maybe 10% bigger shoulders if you select a better exercise? Also, of course!
Watched it twice, and I agree with 8 out of 9 except for the *Deadlift* - Simply because the Deadlift is the exercise that grown me a lot of mass. Yeah, it's fatiguing, but the "balancing/supporting" back muscles that it indirectly stimulated are so substantial because it mimics the natural motion of the body when pulling a heavy object off the ground. It's also the most practical. "Experts" are debating over the deadlift over a long time already, I don't know who to believe. So I experiment and for me, it's one of the BEST exercises ever, It made me stronger and if I want to bulk and gain more mass and weight. I'll just do it 10 x 3 sets twice a week to failure and watch the weighing scale skyrocket.💪 But each one is different, It might be "overrated" to some BUT for me, It definitely works and I will still do it. Cheers!👌💯
Mark rhipptoe said it best. Research and data is only useful if it coincides with phenomenality Deadlifts aren't "optimal." Bent over barbell rows aren't "optimal." But people who pick up heavy weight and put it down and eat lots of good food, get big and strong. For 99% of people that's as simple as it needs to be and anything else is simply injury prevention.
@@somander Very well said mate, also the Mark Rippertoe quote is something I live by., "proper form" is KEY, even our favorite heavy barbell Squats which according to some medical "experts" is even worse than Deadlift and is actually "very bad" for the spine and damages the spinal discs because it's not made to support very heavy weight. BUT it still works and make lots of people big and strong. - any effective exercise ain't optimal without proper form - the key to "injury prevention". Thanks for your feedback, Cheers.🙂
I think it depends majorly on how fatiguing deadlifts are for the individual. For me, they are really fatiguing and my goal is to build hamstrings, so the RDLs are better options. For other people, they can recover just fine and their goal with them is to build the entire posterior chain at once (which the DL are gold for, IMO). Just goes to show the problem with speaking in black and white terms. So many of these things are highly individual.
@@kidbrown2010 you nailed the perfect word that I was trying to type earlier but I can't remember -> "POSTERIOR CHAIN"👍 I felt my whole back become stronger and tighter (Hams, Glutes, Lower back, Lats, erector spinae and even traps.) It's called the King of all exercise for a reason. Maybe the only exercise that no matter what experts or UA-cam video will say as "overrated" that I will still DO no matter what -because it's super effective for ME. Thanks again.👌
Plus, it just feels good to complete a heavy deadlift. The satisfaction of putting everything together and the experience of moving all that weight is awesome.
I've also just done curls laying on the floor. Locking out the elbows with weight is a little too stressful on my tendons so letting them touch the floor between reps is a good balance for me.
I tried the reverse nordics after the video and it's now my favourite home exercise if I can't get to the gym. It's shocking how much burn and pump you can get from just lying on your back. Literally had quads shake/vibrate like an instrument string the longer I stayed in the stretch. And it's a great double whammy since the hip flexor and quad can get tight. It's hands down the easiest of the replacement exercises to apply as well. The jackpot of exercises. When I tried nordic curls feet under the couch and supporting slightly hands on doorframe, I found out that it's the toughest calf exercise I've ever done if you don't apply enough support from hands. There's a reason why when doing them with a partner, they hold higher up than the feet. So maybe that's a nice way to train calves without annoying weak feeling exercises... The tension and overload was something else. But be careful. Bulgarian splits have also been a staple for home and just as an accessory to have some unilateral stuff. Have a bad habit of favouring one side on bilateral exercises. It can also teach to use more quads and seems to be able to force a lot of quad strength development if you focus on not using the support leg at all. And of course it hits the glutes like a beast. The balance is of course a challenge, but it can also teach better squat mechanics and knee tracking. Just another jackpot of exercises.
Hi. I teach newbies the deadlift for the purpose of technique. What the deadlift and Romanian deadlift do is teach how to pick up a bar safely from the floor and rack it. I saw a study confirming what I'd seen with my own eyes countless times; the majority of gym injuries occur between exercises in the set-up and pack down, so I now emphasise safe set-up and pack-down as part of my first 1-5 sessions with a client depending on their muscle memory and rate of fatigue that day.
None of these studies comparing exercises are done over an entire career and consider how consistently youll be able to do the exercise in the long-term. I love overhead extensions they're my favorite triceps exercise, i also agree the stretch is super potent for growth but its not the only important thing. Its the same thing as the volume obsessed bros and intensity obsessed bros, i warn you against considering one training variable to be king while ignoring others. You can do pushdowns harder for longer without problems than an overhead extension. Id love to see milo talk about this actually since he seems to give actionable advice based on the literature.
You are the first person I see also mentioning this. It's utter non-sense if you don't take all these other variables in mind, exactly. You can do 100 sets in 2 weeks and it will probably be more effective than 1 set, doesn't mean shit in the long term.
Do you have any videos on how MUCH of a difference all this tension in the stretch and ideal resistance curve stuff makes? For example, dumbbell lateral raises are easy to do at home with minimal equipment. If cable raises are 5% better, it's not worth the extra hassle for me personally since I don't have the equipment. If it's like 20% better I might have to go shopping.
if u have a bench at home, have it on incline lay beside it and do it in that position with dumbells, ud get all the benefits of the cable machine in this case
what I do at home when I feel like my shoulders can take a few sets between my gym sessions is: left knee on a couch, right leg straight on the floor, left arm supports my body on the couch lean (back lean? whatever its called where you rest your back on a couch) and then you do lat raises with right arm where your chest is at at angle. This provides me with tension on my shoulders better than just straight standing lat raises. Or you can just lean against a wall and do the same. As long as you are at an angle you are better off than with just standard lat raises - minus time since you do one arm at a time.
9:30 Question for the video creator: Why do we change the exercise so we become more stable instead of training the muscles that keeps us stable? Lunges are great to get some more functional stability muscle growth instead of just pure MUSCLE for show
Because the video is about growing muscle, not improving stability. I'm interested in stability as much as muscle growth so ima keep lunges in my program lol
I get your point about leg extension machine. With that said, I like doing it (as you mention). But more important, it's easy to manage progressive overload with leg extension machines. Harder to do that with the exercises you mention as best I can see. And I think it was Jeff Nippard who recommended putting the seatback as far back as possible and leaning back as far as possible to maximize stretch. Easier for him because he's short I suppose. At 181 cm I don't get as much out of that and I think you're taller than me.
13:39 Raskol x Milo limited edition Tshirt's when? I suggest an illustration of the Tale of Milo, a young man carrying a newborn calf that then turns into a jacked adult carrying a cow (because progressive overload), but instead of the bovine we get a canine (because Milo _Wolf_ ) and for the jacked greek man we get a big, bald, bearded stud (because Dr Pak is greek and well, we all know they're -lovers- best friends)
Some interesting choices on here. On a separate note, those popping sound effects are just as bad as the snipping ones. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but there's just no need for sound effects for transitions like that.
Been doing lengthened partial reverse nordics, dumbell pullovers, overhead extensions, decline deficit pushups, lying dumbell behind the back lateral raises just to name a few. And its working very well for me
Great tips and visual detail for the split squat. I canned that one long ago, because it felt so weird. But after watching this, I might throw it back in the hat.
Great video!! I can attest to the preacher curl. I've always done the typical bicep curl, and when I switched to preacher curl, I could feel my biceps grow stronger and faster.
Bottom line guy do what feels good and gives you a pump. You can do all the “best” exercises but if your body isn’t feeling it , it’ll never be optimal
I learned about the lying side lateral from one of your interviews with Dr Mike at RP. It’s far and away the simplest and least fatiguing way to induce a huge stimulus in my side delt. I basically get the same burn and pump in my side delts that I do when doing calf raises and it’s super easy to take the exercise to failure without the rest of my body trying to compensate. Thanks for promoting the exercise.
Me too. I swapped out lateral raises for same Loving them so far. I've also done away with tricep pushdowns, replacing them with overhead extensions (much smaller weigh, rather humbling), and I tossed out leg extensions for sissy squats. Have to admit that I was tired of all three of those anyway.
Ive done them on and off for some years, they are a great exercise, although I'll never replace side raises with them entirely as I prefer to incorporate both into my weekly volume, that way im getting tension in both the stretched position and contracted
I think exercise demonstrations in either a longer video for each muscle group or short reels or “shorts” demonstrating exactly how to perform exercises from the lengthened position similar to how Ben Yanes has done it would be great. For example, setting up the d handle to hand height on cable lateral raises. A lot of ppl still setting the d handle to feet height
I have a seated leg curl/leg extension machine and it stays in the leg curl configuration all the time. For calves I mostly do occasional standing raises. What I have found as a trick is putting a fifty pound weight vest on and then front loading with a 45 plate, currently doing it with a 55 and going for a 1km walk. Does wonders for the calves, traps and forearms. It is always about training economy. One thing I will agree with is the walking lunge ouf as I have had near accidents many a times with it in my early days. Now however I am used to it but I can certainly see the benefits of your substitute movement. Discovered your channel due to your interview with Mike. Liking it so far!
Re: Incline curl. In light of the new insights into the benefits of increasing stress in stretched position, I've started doing what I call 'false start' incline curls, where alternate between doing full and half ROM repetitions. First a 'false start' rep explosively curling to half mast, releasing slowly, then explosively curl the full ROM with a nice, tight 1 second squeeze at the top to involve all my little sarcomere buddies. I do sets of 6, where one false start + one full ROM curl counts as 1 repetition. I speculate this should yield the benefits of full ROM training, while spending 80% of effort in greater stretch should capitalize on the stretched-stress benefits. Purely speculative, but false start pull-ups with strict form were the single most effective exercise I did in the army, got me from 4 to 19 good reps in a short time. Anyone else have experience with false start exercises?
Milo, wouldn't the good morning be a little less time efficient than an RDL since you'd probably need some time to setup safeties or a spotter just in case you fail a rep at the bottom of the hinge? This isn't a concern with an RDL since you can simply drop the bar. Additionally, if you don't engage the lats and allow the bar to fall forward naturally as you hinge, you end up with basically the same force curve as the good morning since you've now increased the lever and you can use less weight in the RDL as well and save time loading plates. So I'd think the RDL with the longer lever bar path would be the better bet most of the time.
I prefer the in front of the body diagonal cable side raise with your torso twisted. That way you have a longer range of motion and don't have to use as much weight. When I do regular cable side laterals, my joints hurt.
I find that what cable pushdowns lack in terms of long head stimulation, they make up for in terms of stability and progressive overload. It’s kinda similar to preacher curl vs incline curl. That being said, I do both at different times(i.e. strength vs hypertrophy blocks)
Am I the only one who thinks science based training is overrated? Don't get me wrong, I love the vids and incorporate most of the things mentioned in my training, but then I see someone like Jesse James West who was a 'terrible' lifter according to Jeff Nippard, but he has a physique that's better than probably 99% of lifters. makes me think that potentially lengthened partials, slow eccentrics etc show more growth in these studies because likely it's a change to the way the people in the studies usually train. As an example: I think a person who alternated from only training lengthened partials to only full ROM every 3 months for 2 years would get better gains than the person who only trained lengthened partials for 2 years and no other form of training. And most importantly, all these techniques mean fuck all if you don't train very hard - a person with average form who trains really hard will get miuch better results than someone who trains at a moderate intensity and does lengthened partials and/or full ROM
Yeah, I agree. As long as you are progressing and training hard, you will reach the same end goal (maybe at a slower rate?). People also try to extrapolate too much from these short studies. It could be possible that the growth rates converge to similar amounts as you get used to the exercise or progress towards a certain point.
@@senhuawu9524 yep agreed! Another example is Mike Israetel saying how bad some jacked guys training is, and how good another jacked guys training is. but they both have incredible physiques. like his training can't be that bad if he looks the way he looks
There are many reasons this field of "science" (I think it shouldn't even qualify as a science) is questionable. Another thing is that most studies are done in a vacuum. For example, MIlo often parrots the high volume studies.. but did you know that those people were not following full training programs.. OR even a full body part programs. They have subjects try 30 vs 10 sets 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞. Milo then gets on here and tells his brainless audience that 30 sets 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 is better than 10. That's not what the study proved at all. People's routines don't consist of 1 exercise, so this is fucking useless. I could write an essay. That's just one of the problems.
@@conayollit’s just a way for them to make money so they have to make content and click baity stuff constantly. Getting jacked is quite simple but if you wish to make money from it you just need to make things more complicated that they actually are. Also the arrogance some of the science guys and especially their audience really rubs me the wrong way.
Depends. I’ve trained my ass off old school style for over a decade mixing strength and hypertrophy. TBH bodybuilders in the 2000ies and powerlifters all kinda trained similar. I think the king Ronnie popularized it along with others. Point is though, I had some pretty lacking parts of my physique that I had to use a scalple not a hammer to bring out so this is when this kind of thinking is important. I think anyone with lots of experience could tell you that. If you’re just a beginner or intermediate and still working on your first decade, smash away. You don’t really need to think imo. It’s just when you wanna hop on stage or do well in a meet passed an amateur level you need to think about things wisely. Just my opinions, take it or leave it.
Pushdowns are for some people the only worthwhile option, because overhead stuff just completely messes up their elbows . There are so many more factors to exercise selection than fixating on „but is it lengthened biased?“ just for the extra couple of percent of hypertrophy they provide, and in a year it’ll probably be replaced by the next big sh*t. Though I gotta agree, RDLs and Split squats are straight bangers
cable lateral raise - but take out the possibility of rotating the elbow (especially at the fully contracted position and thus cheating by using the front delts) by setting it at elbow height when the arm is hanging down, bending the arm and grab the handle. then just pulling the elbows out to the side to the point the delts can't contract any more (it's a relatively small motion), rep until you can't even move the elbow outwards any more. slight lean forward and angling required to not activate the traps. this places greater emphasis on purely the side and reduces reliance on either the front or rear delts.
Let me get this straightened out... do any or all exercise(s) that extends the muscle at the stretched starting position, right? 🤔 cuz I found that lengthened partials work best for me when I'm nearing my final set or when I'm close to failure. The stretch also feels good.
My Triceps are my most gifted muscle, so here is my 2 cents: - Ditch the 2 handed cable pressdown - Focus on: A: Barbell Skull Crushers with a Straight Bar, EZbar is EZ is easy on the wrist, but a bro told me 20 years ago Str8 bar forces you to stabillize the bar thus more muscle action over a wider area. ELBOWS the exercise pulls like a mule on your elbow tendons so you dont dive in with crazy weight do a warmup of 25 reps with a medium weight that you could do 40-50 reps with. The goal is to warmup the muscle, lubricate the elbow joint, get the beginning of a massive pump in the followup sets going. Also this many reps allows you to perfect the groove and keep your elbows straight instead of flaring out during heavier sets as a cheat to shorten the lever arm. WORKING SETS: 20 reps, stop 2-3 reps near failure 15 reps to failure from here on 10 reps 8 reps immediately followed by mechanical superset with JM Press or Close Grip benchpress with the same barbell/weight go all out with these. backof set: 12 reps+mechanical superset. Mike Francois used to do this combo to significantly beef up the triceps in the off season. B: OVERHEAD EXTENSIONS I prefer standing 1 arm db overheads but heavier bb extentions on incline and decline benches are also great. Since it is quit slow to progress in weight with 1 arm dumbell overhead extensions i call in the help of triple drop sets to get the high intensity stimulus Other times i might do mechanical superset of 1 arm dumbell overhead extension with close grip pushups. Finisher: 3 sets of benchdip with arms behind back. BI's and Tris on same day works nice especcially if you do supersets or train in alternating fashion like: 4 sets dumbell scott curl 4 sets barbell skull crushers 4 sets biceps cable curl ....ETC Well that was my 2 cents, enjoy
Excellent exercise that can teach you how to properly stabilize, but pretty pointless for hypertrophy when you can do a regular deadlift (which probably aren't the best for hypertrophy either).
@@joemomma8369 Ok thank you for the answer. I search for a good home hip hinge exercise. What do you think is the best hip hinge exercise with less equipment? i have at home only light dumbells with 30 kg per Side.
Of course I agree that a stretch-focused exercise will probably be more effective than an exercise that focuses on peak contraction, but I do think there are equally important factors people should consider. Lets take the cable lateral raise: 1)Its not easily available in crowded gyms 2)It takes more time when it is performed unilaterally(cutting your rest times shorter wont be as good) 3)The supraspinatus helps in the initial part of shoulder abduction, so the deltoid stimulus on the stretched part may not be as good as you imagined) 4) you can always do more sets on a dumbbell lateral raise
The deadlift is great for lazy lifters. It's one of the best bang-for-the-buck exercise. Just one set of heavy deadlifts every couple of days after waking up has let me maintain most of my muscles and look jacked. Sure, it's not optimal, but that's SIX minutes of exercise a week.
he didn't mention it on this video but Milo's cable curl on a flat bench is great for that tension under stretch (sorry, he used dumbbell but I like the cables). I think he was using it as a better lengthened partial option for those that use it but still effective. I do split squats like kneesovertoesguy and its very effective. He keeps the back leg straightened to get a nice stretch on the adductor. I like to try variations that work for me, I like using Milo's more often than not.
would you say that using a band to get deeper in the reverse nordic curl is a good idea or does the effect of the band where you get the most support at deepest ROM contradict it so much it's not worth?
the split squat variation is just as hard to balance as a lunge. I do think that if you can't balance properly you should do slightly lighter weight, but over time balance also gets better
I agree that the incline curl has poor resistance at the stretched position, but why not just do it on a flat bench? I even tried it with a decline a few times and apart from looking like a doofus it felt great.
Definitely right about deadlifts being fatiguing. I'm doing a powerbuilding block and they just drain me. Probably not worth it as also inflammed my spinal erectors as well.
Deadlifts are how I cured my lifelong back problems. I once spent an entire week in bed because my back was so messed up. Once I started deadlifting my back problems vanished. Focus on keeping you back straight and don't overdo it. I always stick to weights I can do for 8-10 reps, unless I am going for a 1rm.
Funny how so many people try to get more efficient in the gym, but easily spend 30 min just browsing YT or TikTok if jot considerably more. What are you saving time for?? Try to slown down and really enjoy each exercise maybe throw off some weight, focus on form and then slowly go creeping up :)
2:53 in fact you don't do it like that, you just don't know how to do it. You have to incline the bench more so that your arms just don't fall down and discharge the tension on the biceps. If you do it correctly it has the same results of the better one you're suggesting. Being able to train also means being able to isolate and activate the muscles you're training without having to find "the best exercise ever". Many the exercises that a lot of youtubers are marking as "not efficient" are ironically the ones who are giving me the best results.
I HATE the preacher curl, I can only do it one arm at a time so it takes twice as long, its an awkward position for a tall man like myself, and my back tends to be sore after ward (not that I'm using the muscles just from the position as I'm in my 40s, and again, a tall man). I'm sorry, but I'll still take the incline curl over that garbage every time. Very informative and appreciated video though.
u can try cable machine curls, with u standing slightly leaning back and arms in preacher position. same excercise in theory just dont engage lower back
I generally agree, but for biceps i would say the preacher curl is the best bicep elbow flexion exercise, for the lateral raise, somekind of a strapped lateral raise is the best, i got insane mind muscle connection to the point where i feel my chest working doing laterals. Cable pushdown, agreed, no comment. Expander tool agreed, but would prefer the one arm variation. Deadlift, agreed. Lunge, yes smith machine for the stability. Leg extension i don't fully agree because squats and leg presses don't really stretch the rectus femoris much. Leg extension machine is the only machine that does well knee flexion that actually targets the rectus femoris, so reverse nordic curls aren't a replacement imo, but they are a must. Sissy squats are a touch too unstable to do it while i'm at the gym (i like to do it at home).
I like sissy squats and reverse nordics as a solution to train rec fem more… However the issue is they aren’t really loadable for the majority of people and it’s difficult to track progress/overload. I like leg extensions especially if you have one with a seat that lets you lean back. It keeps everything else static and just focus on pure knee extension and progressive overload.
On the DB lateral raise vs cable lateral raise: is there a trade off between heavier weight and greater stretch? I find it much easier to use heavier weight on the DB variation - still keeping form tight and minimising body english. In comparison, the weight I use per arm on cables is much lower, and arguably harder to progress. So does the greater stretch on cables make up for the loss of tonnage when trying to generate a stimulus?
I still think leg extensions have their place. Lengthened biased exercises seem to generate more disruption on a per-set basis, so the leg extension can be excellent in the second weekly quad session in that it allows for additional stimulus without interfering with the primary quad session. For example, a primary session consisting of a squat pattern movement and unilateral quad movement, one braced one unbraced (i.e. hack squat and front-elevated BSS, OR back squat and single leg center-placement leg press), with a secondary session consisting of a braced movement and leg extension. This volume configuration really shines in stronger individuals who have more difficulty recovering between quad sessions, but can still be applied to intermediate lifters with great success.
The long head of the triceps has the best leverage when the shoulder is extended so the overhead stretch actually decreases long head involvement. In terms of lateral raises, the delts are monoarticular so they don’t experience any meaningful stretch so manipulating the resistance profile is pretty useless.
@@JohnnyG1 It is quite crazy to think about that random dudes on the comments are better qualified to answer basic questions rather than the guy with PhD and platform. Im not trolling Im serious.
Leverage does not appear to be that important for hypertrophy according to recent studies. It is similar to how EMG data does not correlate strongly with the best exercises for hypertrophy. Leverage and EMG data are basically the same thing. A monoarticular muscle still has a stretched and shortened position during a movement, which means changing the resistance profile can likely still be beneficial. The delts are longest when fully adducted to your side and shortest when fully abducted.
I agree on all that. I saw a study on calf raises. It said that seated doesn't give you any more growth in any of the calf muscles than the standing. Also, is doing bicep curls lying on a flat bench good. It seems to load in the fully stretched position as well.
I replaced seated knee extensions with reverse nordics over a month ago after your video on them and haven't gone back to knee extensions. Much harder than I ever imagined too! Some decent growth of quads noted already!
most exercises he mentioned are the ones I do, and I like them… I think we shouldn’t forget what he said in the beginning: they still build muscle, but maybe not as much as possible. And like Winny said: your workout should be ‘fun’ and rewarding in order to stay consistent. If you don’t like it, you’ll stop and that’s the last thing you want. A lot of exercises he mentioned as better alternatives prob aren’t going to let me stay consistent, some maybe yes. So don’t just instantly change everything you’re doing because of these kind of video’s. Wolf’s legit don’t get me wrong, but it’s better to stay consistent with ‘good/medium’ exercises where you can still progress and enjoy your time instead of doing the ‘perfect’ exercises and lose consistency.
3:38 But Milo, the way you doing it here is similar to standing barbell curl: cable forms 90 degress thus force is highest when your elbow flexed on 90 degrees
I think when assessing an exercise's value there's more to it then how much growth it stimulates, such as convenience, ease of setup, accessibility, super-set-ability, etc. For instance, dumbbell lateral raises are very convenient, you only need light dumbbells (you can even use bands). They are very easy to superset, drop set, etc. They are bilateral, so more time efficient than single arm versions. Hence, they are very spammable. Overall, they are a very convenient exercise which many people still prefer over less convenient cable or single arm versions.
Thoughts on Henselmans/Isratel’s variation on an incline bicep curl? They really push the incline the point where I feel like the stretch definitely beats that of a preacher curl.
I never understood the benefit of overhead extensions over pushdowns, the latter being more comfortable and therefore my go-to triceps finisher. I guess I learned something today.
I already do a sideways lying down lateral raise. However, I think it's better to completely lay on your side so the first initial acceleration upwards is 90 deg to the floor.
I’ve been trying a dumbbell lateral rise while leaning on a wall/bench. It’s usually easier to find a free bench (… or a free wall) than cable and you get a decent ~45 degrees angle between the force vector and your arm at the stretched position. I need to start doing the cable version as well.
My favourite tricep exercise is a French Press while sitting on a medicine ball. The ball gives you extra height to bring the shoulders clear from the top of the bench. This massively increases your ROM and allows you to REALLY stretch the triceps behind your head
If you focus on accelerating then your delts still get resistance in the bottom of a lateral raise. No stretch sure, but that’s why you incorporate both variations.
In my gym the leg extension machine is actually lengthened-mid resistance, and it feels really good on quads compared to typical shortened resistance machines.
Video idea: Best exercises with limited equipment, say for budget limited home gym, and to help give an idea of the priority for gym equipment. E.g. only have barbell, bench, freestanding racks and dumbbells
Great video, agree totally. AS mentioned, sissy squats are excellent. I do mine with an empty barbell across a squat rack and hold it for balance, keeping thighs and body in alignment bending only at the knee and ankle. Adding more weight is the hard bit…still working on how to so!
Talking about the deadlift being fatiguing, I almost die every time I do the Bulgarian split squat and usually have to have it close to the end of workout or I'm almost not able to finish the gym session
Yes to all. Though as Dr. Mike said, after a while, they will become boring and stagnant, hence the need for rotation. Split lunges with a step on the front foot (smith or dumbbell) are brutal.
Want more resistance at the bottom of the movement on preacher curls ? Substitute the dumbbell for a lighter kettlebell and hold it out infront or do hammer grip…
1 - DB Lateral Raise [0:32]
2 - Incline Curl [2:00]
3 - Spider Curl [3:18]
4 - Cable Pushdown [3:46]
5 - The Expander Tool [5:59]
6 - Deadlift [6:43]
7 - Lunge [8:37]
8 - Leg Extension [10:27]
9 - Seated Calf Raise [11:54]
real mvp as always
You’re doing the lords work
My recommendation for the best calf exercise = use the horizontal seated leg press (not incline/plate loaded) for calf raises
I get a better stimulus than any standing or seated calf raise I've used
I can’t believe my bosu ball tricep kickbacks didn’t make it
i think he went with popularity, i don't see many people doing triceps kickbacks lately
Must be good then? Keep it up!
Can't be overated if it's the GOAT!
Wtf! As if those could ever be overrated! The gall...
He said overrated, not goated.
"I've spoken about [leg extensions being overrated] at length."
So what you're saying is that your explanations are also done in the stretched position. That's dedication.
He lives in the stretched position.
@@LeanAndMean44 Dude's pretty tall too
@@dcad6934 yeah
If you've got spinal disc damage there's nothing overrated about leg extensions when the alternatives all put pressure on the spine.
@@AnUndisclosedLocationdo leg presses put pressure on your spine? I wouldn’t think it would with there being no weight on your back
Great exercise but I'd need to sacrifice a unicorn to secure two cables and an incline bench at my gym.
same here my man. Some people do their whole training on cables at my gym, while I do want to do some cable exercises, not want to wait for them to get free and take a sprint to try and get one.
LOL
this guy was super setting triceps cable push downs with barbell curls I wanted to smack him... but just asked how many more he had to go...
@@CaptinCrofty I see guys supersetting instagram while sitting on the bench press
Same here. Seems the cables and benches are ALWAYS occupied! I'd have to go near closing time or in middle of day on my day off. It's ridiculous how my EOS fitness gym oversell their memberships.
Bro literally dismantled my qorkout💀
Well, then maybe try a workout.
i mean those are still awsome excercises and you can still grow using them, but if u wanna optimise ur workout reconsider periodicaly substituting with these
I'd ask if you're growing w your current workout? If you are stick w it. If you're not maybe consider a change.
@@geminix365 those are good lifts too, this stuff is very individual and could come down to something as simple as if or not you'll have fun and go hard.
He is only talking about max muscle grow, but does not account for time or functional value, at least for these:
1) replacing DB Lateral Raise with cables is literally x2 time wasted
6) Deadlift is great for overall strength and is super functional contrary to his alternatives
7) Same, replaces lunges with x2 time wasted exercises
Every single training video is about this same topic these days. I've been doing overhead extension and dips for half year now. On overhead extension I've added just 1 rep during that time, on dips I add 1 rep almost every workout and after 12 extra reps I add weight. For sure overhead extension stretches the muscle more but on dips I add reps about 40 times faster. Sean Nalewanyj gets this right imo. You don't have to ditch every single exercise that doesn't stretch the muscle. Progressive overload is way more important thing long term. Do exercises where you actually increase weight over time.
I personally prefer to "force" progression on overhead extension by adding weight. I find it as pretty fatiguing exercise to the muscle through performed volume (probably bc of compromised blood flow) and I discovered quite a few times that I wasn't able to add more reps at given weight but easly preformed the same number of reps with slightly heavier load.
Yeah we can keep progressing forever...all those 500lb benchers and 225 curlers
Well yeah Dips with 200 Pounds Extra weight, but the Guy who doin 80 Pounds Overhead Extensions still got the bigger triceps, thats the different. You know the this extra progess doesnt comes from your triceps, that the dips is an Chestexcercise ?? The Overhead Targets most the Longhead, while the Dip Target, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps und much more (and not much the Long head)
its like you try to compare an Preacher Curl with an Latpulldown
We can do both???
Overhead extensions (and I would include skullcrushers in that, provided they're done with a deep, behind the head stretch) really do grow the long head in a way that compound pushing movements simply do not. Personal anecdote, but I didn't start really growing my long heads until I finally started doing overhead tricep work several years into my training (just dumbbell skullcrushers; no cables in my garage). Before that I had just done compound pushes for triceps and my long heads were underdeveloped.
If all you care about is hypertrophy, then the reasoning in this video maybe makes sense.
But a lot of us care about strength, sports performance, and being able to move our bodies through space with grace and power. I'm not saying Milo's recommendations are necessarily bad for those goals. But Milo is so relentlessly focused on studies that measure muscle growth while never addressing movement patterns or power or resilience to injury or agility or any number of other goals that a lot of athletic fitness-minded folks have.
I also think Milo should address Chesterton's fence/the Lindy effect: how come the deadlift has been used successfully by so many powerful people in so many athletic disciplines for so long? Were they all wrong? Should they have been doing RDLs and lower back isolation movements instead? If I want to be a strong resilient dude who can help my friends move big couches all day long, should I do deadlifts or should I do lower back isolation movements to grow my erector spinae complex?
I'm assuming that if I'm 100% focused on hypertrophy then I should just blindly do what Milo tells me. But if hypertrophy is only, say, 50% of my goal, then are these recommendations good, bad or atrocious? I want the big picture beyond just "here are studies comparing these exercises on muscle growth". It's fine if there aren't studies! Use your big brain and experience as a coach and a scientist to make the best recommendations you can, under uncertainty! Decision-making under uncertainty should not and cannot be shied away from if one is to be effective in life.
they werent wrong persay, its just different excercises for different goals, if ur goal is hypertrophy RDL make more sense, if ur goal is strenght then maybe dealifts are prefered or atleast as equal to RDLs
also strenght and hypertrophy are heavily intertwined byt growing more u become stronger, or by becoming stronger u can emphesis hevier loads meaning more muscle growth.
6-8 reprange is ideal to target both strength andhyper trophy, u can sort of calibrate it by following this principle (pls guys correct me if this wrong)
so either do >8 reps for more hypertrophy training focus, or do
Milo's area of expertise is muscle hypertrophy, not sport or strength training. People interested in those and general fitness might find these videos helpful because training to grow larger muscles generally improves strength, agility, and reduces injury risk. And Milo is pretty clear that these overrated exercises are still effective in building muscle, just not as effective as some alternatives.
The conventional deadlift is not a popular exercise outside of a few sports that specifically require them, such as powerlifting or strongman. Chesterton's fence should give you far more curiosity over bicep curls and squats. If you want to be able to move couches and only have time for one exercise, deadlifts might be your answer if they mimic that movement most closely (though probably deadlifting an object of awkward size and walking around carrying it would be even better). Otherwise, as Milo said, it trains a lot of muscles, but trains them all poorly (compared to alternatives).
You're 100% right, but don't expect much support in the comments. The attempt to divorce 'hypertrophy' almost entirely from strength and power training, even for general sports, has become absurd. As if hypertrophy can be achieved by almost not breaking a sweat or ever feeling a load on your joints.
@@baronmeduse No one tried divorcing hypertrophy from strength/power. It's that as we've studied them, we've discovered that they are in fact different. People resistance train for a variety of reasons, yet the recommendations were all mixed up with each other. Bodybuilders, powerlifters, and soccer players all sorting through the same information. It's simply a natural result of learning more about hypertrophy and strength that we can isolate them from each other.
Lying bicep curls at parallel or 15° on a bench is absolutely worth exploring before writing it off.
Yeah I've done these they're like a floating preacher curl. I guess not as stable cut still seriously good especially for time efficiency. Saw a guy named prophet fear curling with his arms perpendicular to the bench (like a crucifix curl. I can't thinking of a better way to put it.) Huge stretch from the shoulder adduction and hardest at the bottom. ua-cam.com/video/LQS3xAnwH2s/v-deo.html
@@duncandrake1676watched him. He’s putting his elbows seriously at risk as lifts the DBs at weird angles. If he wants to get huge stretch for biceps on a bench, watch RP guys doing it lately.
try it on a decline bench. Even better.
@@shlok.1536 decline is the best stretch
Yep. I recently tried 15 degrees (which was in response to Dr Mike demonstrating flat reps I think), and it's a game-changer. You really can't avoid the bicep stretch at the bottom like you can inadvertently at something like a 45° or 30° incline, and it works the biceps well even with much lighter-weight than you'd use for standing dumbbell curls. In fact, I'm tempted to replace most of my standing and (higher incline) lying dumbbell curls with it. Personally, I'm not sure that I'd want to go with the stretch involved in doing parallel reps, but only because of the way it feels on the shoulders/ elbows. But like Harkkyn says, try lowering the bench to see if it works for you.
I’ve rewatched the bit where he says “technically” three times already and I don’t know why. 0:06.
Teknikri
That word specifically sounds AI generated.
Cuz you are attracted to him
I like it when Milo tells me what exercises to use but I am already doing it because he's explained how he chooses exercises so well before.
The common sense approach is you do what works best for you as an individual .... we all respond differently to different variations so stick with what works for you (simple)
Exactly.
I winder how many huge bodybuilders built their shoulders with regular side raises compared to whatever is displayed in this video...
That argument works for every single exercise. There is always someone huge who did a suboptimal exercise and still has an incredible physique. The reason for that is simple: exercise selection is NOT THAT IMPORTANT. What's important is 1. Consistency 2. Nutrition 3. Steroids, if applicable 4. Genetics 5. Overall workout planning (how often, which muscle groups) and only at the very end comes the selection of which specific exercises you do for which muscle. So, can you have huge shoulders by just doing regular side raises? Of course, if you do all the other points right! Could you have maybe 10% bigger shoulders if you select a better exercise? Also, of course!
Yes, but deadlift = fun.
Watched it twice, and I agree with 8 out of 9 except for the *Deadlift* - Simply because the Deadlift is the exercise that grown me a lot of mass. Yeah, it's fatiguing, but the "balancing/supporting" back muscles that it indirectly stimulated are so substantial because it mimics the natural motion of the body when pulling a heavy object off the ground. It's also the most practical. "Experts" are debating over the deadlift over a long time already, I don't know who to believe. So I experiment and for me, it's one of the BEST exercises ever, It made me stronger and if I want to bulk and gain more mass and weight. I'll just do it 10 x 3 sets twice a week to failure and watch the weighing scale skyrocket.💪 But each one is different, It might be "overrated" to some BUT for me, It definitely works and I will still do it. Cheers!👌💯
Mark rhipptoe said it best. Research and data is only useful if it coincides with phenomenality Deadlifts aren't "optimal." Bent over barbell rows aren't "optimal." But people who pick up heavy weight and put it down and eat lots of good food, get big and strong. For 99% of people that's as simple as it needs to be and anything else is simply injury prevention.
@@somander Very well said mate, also the Mark Rippertoe quote is something I live by., "proper form" is KEY, even our favorite heavy barbell Squats which according to some medical "experts" is even worse than Deadlift and is actually "very bad" for the spine and damages the spinal discs because it's not made to support very heavy weight. BUT it still works and make lots of people big and strong. - any effective exercise ain't optimal without proper form - the key to "injury prevention". Thanks for your feedback, Cheers.🙂
I think it depends majorly on how fatiguing deadlifts are for the individual. For me, they are really fatiguing and my goal is to build hamstrings, so the RDLs are better options. For other people, they can recover just fine and their goal with them is to build the entire posterior chain at once (which the DL are gold for, IMO).
Just goes to show the problem with speaking in black and white terms. So many of these things are highly individual.
@@kidbrown2010 you nailed the perfect word that I was trying to type earlier but I can't remember -> "POSTERIOR CHAIN"👍 I felt my whole back become stronger and tighter (Hams, Glutes, Lower back, Lats, erector spinae and even traps.) It's called the King of all exercise for a reason. Maybe the only exercise that no matter what experts or UA-cam video will say as "overrated" that I will still DO no matter what -because it's super effective for ME. Thanks again.👌
Plus, it just feels good to complete a heavy deadlift. The satisfaction of putting everything together and the experience of moving all that weight is awesome.
Using a bicep blaster on incline curls can maximum tension in the stretch
Funny you say that. I just bought an "Arm Blaster" half an hour ago to try and do that.
Oooo that’s creative! Solid idea.
@@WolfCoaching Thanks! Pelican curls might be even better if your strong btw
I've also just done curls laying on the floor. Locking out the elbows with weight is a little too stressful on my tendons so letting them touch the floor between reps is a good balance for me.
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of it being incline? Having your arms behind your torso might bias the long head of the biceps more
I tried the reverse nordics after the video and it's now my favourite home exercise if I can't get to the gym. It's shocking how much burn and pump you can get from just lying on your back. Literally had quads shake/vibrate like an instrument string the longer I stayed in the stretch. And it's a great double whammy since the hip flexor and quad can get tight. It's hands down the easiest of the replacement exercises to apply as well. The jackpot of exercises.
When I tried nordic curls feet under the couch and supporting slightly hands on doorframe, I found out that it's the toughest calf exercise I've ever done if you don't apply enough support from hands. There's a reason why when doing them with a partner, they hold higher up than the feet. So maybe that's a nice way to train calves without annoying weak feeling exercises... The tension and overload was something else. But be careful.
Bulgarian splits have also been a staple for home and just as an accessory to have some unilateral stuff. Have a bad habit of favouring one side on bilateral exercises. It can also teach to use more quads and seems to be able to force a lot of quad strength development if you focus on not using the support leg at all. And of course it hits the glutes like a beast. The balance is of course a challenge, but it can also teach better squat mechanics and knee tracking. Just another jackpot of exercises.
Yep, nordic curls definitely works the calves. Not as much as calf raises of course, but there’s definitely some hypertrophy there
Hi. I teach newbies the deadlift for the purpose of technique. What the deadlift and Romanian deadlift do is teach how to pick up a bar safely from the floor and rack it. I saw a study confirming what I'd seen with my own eyes countless times; the majority of gym injuries occur between exercises in the set-up and pack down, so I now emphasise safe set-up and pack-down as part of my first 1-5 sessions with a client depending on their muscle memory and rate of fatigue that day.
Another great video! Love the information, study references, and presentation!
milo. i hear you. but most of the execises are unilateral. i personal really dislike doing one arm of the time.
With me it's the opposite, I prefer unilateral exercises. I feel like it gets much better and I have more focus on working the muscle.
If you use your imagination, I bet you can find bilateral versions of almost all of these exercises
@@1TieDye1What do you suggest for the side delts?
@@UA-cam..Enjoyer cable y raises or whatever they're called
one arm at a time is a waste of time
None of these studies comparing exercises are done over an entire career and consider how consistently youll be able to do the exercise in the long-term. I love overhead extensions they're my favorite triceps exercise, i also agree the stretch is super potent for growth but its not the only important thing. Its the same thing as the volume obsessed bros and intensity obsessed bros, i warn you against considering one training variable to be king while ignoring others. You can do pushdowns harder for longer without problems than an overhead extension.
Id love to see milo talk about this actually since he seems to give actionable advice based on the literature.
You are the first person I see also mentioning this. It's utter non-sense if you don't take all these other variables in mind, exactly. You can do 100 sets in 2 weeks and it will probably be more effective than 1 set, doesn't mean shit in the long term.
@@danieloost1629 it's frustrating to hear science guys talk like the guys of the past were uneducated while making such similar mistakes.
intensity beats volume.
What about incline dumbbell curls + preacher curls in the same workout? Your arm is behind your body in one exercise and in front the other.
Do you have any videos on how MUCH of a difference all this tension in the stretch and ideal resistance curve stuff makes? For example, dumbbell lateral raises are easy to do at home with minimal equipment. If cable raises are 5% better, it's not worth the extra hassle for me personally since I don't have the equipment. If it's like 20% better I might have to go shopping.
if u have a bench at home, have it on incline lay beside it and do it in that position with dumbells, ud get all the benefits of the cable machine in this case
what I do at home when I feel like my shoulders can take a few sets between my gym sessions is: left knee on a couch, right leg straight on the floor, left arm supports my body on the couch lean (back lean? whatever its called where you rest your back on a couch) and then you do lat raises with right arm where your chest is at at angle. This provides me with tension on my shoulders better than just straight standing lat raises.
Or you can just lean against a wall and do the same. As long as you are at an angle you are better off than with just standard lat raises - minus time since you do one arm at a time.
trying to reinvent the wheel
Please make a short explaining your Bulgarian Split Squat demo!!
8:30 Sooo... a deadlift?
Not at all! It's a SLDL where you bend your knees. I like to superset them with rack pulls from the floor. Way better than the tired old DL!
@@oioioi-9942 oh yeah my bad lol
9:30
Question for the video creator:
Why do we change the exercise so we become more stable instead of training the muscles that keeps us stable?
Lunges are great to get some more functional stability muscle growth instead of just pure MUSCLE for show
Because the video is about growing muscle, not improving stability.
I'm interested in stability as much as muscle growth so ima keep lunges in my program lol
No matter how stable you are, you can't be more stable than the bench
I get your point about leg extension machine. With that said, I like doing it (as you mention). But more important, it's easy to manage progressive overload with leg extension machines. Harder to do that with the exercises you mention as best I can see. And I think it was Jeff Nippard who recommended putting the seatback as far back as possible and leaning back as far as possible to maximize stretch. Easier for him because he's short I suppose. At 181 cm I don't get as much out of that and I think you're taller than me.
I'm really enjoying your videos, you got a new subscribed in your channel 😊
Thanks for another great video, Milo!!
13:39 Raskol x Milo limited edition Tshirt's when? I suggest an illustration of the Tale of Milo, a young man carrying a newborn calf that then turns into a jacked adult carrying a cow (because progressive overload), but instead of the bovine we get a canine (because Milo _Wolf_ ) and for the jacked greek man we get a big, bald, bearded stud (because Dr Pak is greek and well, we all know they're -lovers- best friends)
Nobody is doing the Jefferson Curl for back,if you want stretch it's phenomenal
Some interesting choices on here.
On a separate note, those popping sound effects are just as bad as the snipping ones. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but there's just no need for sound effects for transitions like that.
The sound effects are a bit much. I guess it's something to try to make the production quality seem higher lol.
They're awful and jarring. Completely unnecessary.
Been doing lengthened partial reverse nordics, dumbell pullovers, overhead extensions, decline deficit pushups, lying dumbell behind the back lateral raises just to name a few. And its working very well for me
Looking at your vid, you and your 'friend' look quite cute together
Great tips and visual detail for the split squat. I canned that one long ago, because it felt so weird. But after watching this, I might throw it back in the hat.
Great video!! I can attest to the preacher curl. I've always done the typical bicep curl, and when I switched to preacher curl, I could feel my biceps grow stronger and faster.
Been using laying DB laterals for the last few weeks. Also just starting me second week of your free training program. Thanks for offering that.
Bottom line guy do what feels good and gives you a pump. You can do all the “best” exercises but if your body isn’t feeling it , it’ll never be optimal
I learned about the lying side lateral from one of your interviews with Dr Mike at RP. It’s far and away the simplest and least fatiguing way to induce a huge stimulus in my side delt. I basically get the same burn and pump in my side delts that I do when doing calf raises and it’s super easy to take the exercise to failure without the rest of my body trying to compensate. Thanks for promoting the exercise.
Me too. I swapped out lateral raises for same Loving them so far. I've also done away with tricep pushdowns, replacing them with overhead extensions (much smaller weigh, rather humbling), and I tossed out leg extensions for sissy squats.
Have to admit that I was tired of all three of those anyway.
Ive done them on and off for some years, they are a great exercise, although I'll never replace side raises with them entirely as I prefer to incorporate both into my weekly volume, that way im getting tension in both the stretched position and contracted
I think exercise demonstrations in either a longer video for each muscle group or short reels or “shorts” demonstrating exactly how to perform exercises from the lengthened position similar to how Ben Yanes has done it would be great. For example, setting up the d handle to hand height on cable lateral raises. A lot of ppl still setting the d handle to feet height
Great video. What software do you use for the muscle animation?
I have a seated leg curl/leg extension machine and it stays in the leg curl configuration all the time. For calves I mostly do occasional standing raises. What I have found as a trick is putting a fifty pound weight vest on and then front loading with a 45 plate, currently doing it with a 55 and going for a 1km walk. Does wonders for the calves, traps and forearms. It is always about training economy. One thing I will agree with is the walking lunge ouf as I have had near accidents many a times with it in my early days. Now however I am used to it but I can certainly see the benefits of your substitute movement. Discovered your channel due to your interview with Mike. Liking it so far!
Re: Incline curl. In light of the new insights into the benefits of increasing stress in stretched position, I've started doing what I call 'false start' incline curls, where alternate between doing full and half ROM repetitions. First a 'false start' rep explosively curling to half mast, releasing slowly, then explosively curl the full ROM with a nice, tight 1 second squeeze at the top to involve all my little sarcomere buddies. I do sets of 6, where one false start + one full ROM curl counts as 1 repetition. I speculate this should yield the benefits of full ROM training, while spending 80% of effort in greater stretch should capitalize on the stretched-stress benefits.
Purely speculative, but false start pull-ups with strict form were the single most effective exercise I did in the army, got me from 4 to 19 good reps in a short time. Anyone else have experience with false start exercises?
Milo, wouldn't the good morning be a little less time efficient than an RDL since you'd probably need some time to setup safeties or a spotter just in case you fail a rep at the bottom of the hinge?
This isn't a concern with an RDL since you can simply drop the bar.
Additionally, if you don't engage the lats and allow the bar to fall forward naturally as you hinge, you end up with basically the same force curve as the good morning since you've now increased the lever and you can use less weight in the RDL as well and save time loading plates.
So I'd think the RDL with the longer lever bar path would be the better bet most of the time.
I prefer the in front of the body diagonal cable side raise with your torso twisted. That way you have a longer range of motion and don't have to use as much weight. When I do regular cable side laterals, my joints hurt.
I find that what cable pushdowns lack in terms of long head stimulation, they make up for in terms of stability and progressive overload. It’s kinda similar to preacher curl vs incline curl. That being said, I do both at different times(i.e. strength vs hypertrophy blocks)
Replacing deadlifts with good mornings, dear god.
@KeithBurtons Yeah, you should totally skip them. You just get no muscle at all, it's all an optical illusion.
Perfect day for this upload. Was about to do lat raises and tricep cable pushdowns.
Am I the only one who thinks science based training is overrated? Don't get me wrong, I love the vids and incorporate most of the things mentioned in my training, but then I see someone like Jesse James West who was a 'terrible' lifter according to Jeff Nippard, but he has a physique that's better than probably 99% of lifters.
makes me think that potentially lengthened partials, slow eccentrics etc show more growth in these studies because likely it's a change to the way the people in the studies usually train.
As an example: I think a person who alternated from only training lengthened partials to only full ROM every 3 months for 2 years would get better gains than the person who only trained lengthened partials for 2 years and no other form of training.
And most importantly, all these techniques mean fuck all if you don't train very hard - a person with average form who trains really hard will get miuch better results than someone who trains at a moderate intensity and does lengthened partials and/or full ROM
Yeah, I agree. As long as you are progressing and training hard, you will reach the same end goal (maybe at a slower rate?). People also try to extrapolate too much from these short studies. It could be possible that the growth rates converge to similar amounts as you get used to the exercise or progress towards a certain point.
@@senhuawu9524 yep agreed!
Another example is Mike Israetel saying how bad some jacked guys training is, and how good another jacked guys training is. but they both have incredible physiques. like his training can't be that bad if he looks the way he looks
There are many reasons this field of "science" (I think it shouldn't even qualify as a science) is questionable.
Another thing is that most studies are done in a vacuum. For example, MIlo often parrots the high volume studies.. but did you know that those people were not following full training programs.. OR even a full body part programs. They have subjects try 30 vs 10 sets 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞. Milo then gets on here and tells his brainless audience that 30 sets 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 is better than 10. That's not what the study proved at all. People's routines don't consist of 1 exercise, so this is fucking useless.
I could write an essay. That's just one of the problems.
@@conayollit’s just a way for them to make money so they have to make content and click baity stuff constantly. Getting jacked is quite simple but if you wish to make money from it you just need to make things more complicated that they actually are. Also the arrogance some of the science guys and especially their audience really rubs me the wrong way.
Depends. I’ve trained my ass off old school style for over a decade mixing strength and hypertrophy. TBH bodybuilders in the 2000ies and powerlifters all kinda trained similar. I think the king Ronnie popularized it along with others.
Point is though, I had some pretty lacking parts of my physique that I had to use a scalple not a hammer to bring out so this is when this kind of thinking is important. I think anyone with lots of experience could tell you that.
If you’re just a beginner or intermediate and still working on your first decade, smash away. You don’t really need to think imo. It’s just when you wanna hop on stage or do well in a meet passed an amateur level you need to think about things wisely.
Just my opinions, take it or leave it.
Pushdowns are for some people the only worthwhile option, because overhead stuff just completely messes up their elbows .
There are so many more factors to exercise selection than fixating on „but is it lengthened biased?“ just for the extra couple of percent of hypertrophy they provide, and in a year it’ll probably be replaced by the next big sh*t.
Though I gotta agree, RDLs and Split squats are straight bangers
cable lateral raise - but take out the possibility of rotating the elbow (especially at the fully contracted position and thus cheating by using the front delts) by setting it at elbow height when the arm is hanging down, bending the arm and grab the handle. then just pulling the elbows out to the side to the point the delts can't contract any more (it's a relatively small motion), rep until you can't even move the elbow outwards any more. slight lean forward and angling required to not activate the traps. this places greater emphasis on purely the side and reduces reliance on either the front or rear delts.
Thoughts on doing dumbbell lateral raises the way Dr. Mike often does them, I.E. seated on an incline bench?
@StrengthShowcase still hardly any lengthening of the side delt
@@ephraim1995 I feel a pretty good stretch at the bottom if I allow the dumbbells to go underneath the bench, but not sure.
@@StrengthShowcase try lying on a flat bench and doing one arm lengthened partials behind the back
@@ephraim1995 A solid option, but I really prefer doing lateral raises bilaterally. I already spend too much time in the gym anyway. 😅
Let me get this straightened out... do any or all exercise(s) that extends the muscle at the stretched starting position, right? 🤔
cuz I found that lengthened partials work best for me when I'm nearing my final set or when I'm close to failure.
The stretch also feels good.
My Triceps are my most gifted muscle, so here is my 2 cents:
- Ditch the 2 handed cable pressdown
- Focus on:
A: Barbell Skull Crushers with a Straight Bar,
EZbar is EZ is easy on the wrist, but a bro told me 20 years ago
Str8 bar forces you to stabillize the bar thus more muscle action
over a wider area.
ELBOWS the exercise pulls like a mule on your elbow tendons
so you dont dive in with crazy weight do a warmup of 25 reps with
a medium weight that you could do 40-50 reps with.
The goal is to warmup the muscle, lubricate the elbow joint,
get the beginning of a massive pump in the followup sets going.
Also this many reps allows you to perfect the groove and keep your
elbows straight instead of flaring out during heavier sets as a cheat to
shorten the lever arm.
WORKING SETS:
20 reps, stop 2-3 reps near failure
15 reps to failure from here on
10 reps
8 reps immediately followed by mechanical superset with JM Press or Close Grip benchpress with the same barbell/weight go all out with these.
backof set: 12 reps+mechanical superset.
Mike Francois used to do this combo to significantly beef up the triceps in the off season.
B: OVERHEAD EXTENSIONS
I prefer standing 1 arm db overheads but heavier bb extentions on incline and decline benches are also great.
Since it is quit slow to progress in weight with 1 arm dumbell overhead extensions i call in the help of triple drop sets to get the high intensity stimulus
Other times i might do mechanical superset of 1 arm dumbell overhead extension with close grip pushups.
Finisher: 3 sets of benchdip with arms behind back.
BI's and Tris on same day works nice especcially if you do supersets or train in alternating fashion like:
4 sets dumbell scott curl 4 sets barbell skull crushers 4 sets biceps cable curl ....ETC
Well that was my 2 cents, enjoy
Nice Video again. What do you think about single leg deadlift?
Excellent exercise that can teach you how to properly stabilize, but pretty pointless for hypertrophy when you can do a regular deadlift (which probably aren't the best for hypertrophy either).
@@joemomma8369 Ok thank you for the answer. I search for a good home hip hinge exercise. What do you think is the best hip hinge exercise with less equipment? i have at home only light dumbells with 30 kg per Side.
Great video. Making these swaps asap, at least the ones I haven’t already done. Stretch on.
Of course I agree that a stretch-focused exercise will probably be more effective than an exercise that focuses on peak contraction, but I do think there are equally important factors people should consider. Lets take the cable lateral raise:
1)Its not easily available in crowded gyms
2)It takes more time when it is performed unilaterally(cutting your rest times shorter wont be as good)
3)The supraspinatus helps in the initial part of shoulder abduction, so the deltoid stimulus on the stretched part may not be as good as you imagined)
4) you can always do more sets on a dumbbell lateral raise
The deadlift is great for lazy lifters. It's one of the best bang-for-the-buck exercise. Just one set of heavy deadlifts every couple of days after waking up has let me maintain most of my muscles and look jacked. Sure, it's not optimal, but that's SIX minutes of exercise a week.
Yeah, the deadlift works most of the major muscle groups, which is why it makes you tired. (boo hoo!)
Great information ❤
Total pencil neck mindset. Do your deadlifts!!!
why?
Holy buckets
Whats your take on behind the back pushdowns or cable kickbacks since Jeff nippard recommends them for a peak contraction in the long head?
he didn't mention it on this video but Milo's cable curl on a flat bench is great for that tension under stretch (sorry, he used dumbbell but I like the cables). I think he was using it as a better lengthened partial option for those that use it but still effective. I do split squats like kneesovertoesguy and its very effective. He keeps the back leg straightened to get a nice stretch on the adductor. I like to try variations that work for me, I like using Milo's more often than not.
would you say that using a band to get deeper in the reverse nordic curl is a good idea or does the effect of the band where you get the most support at deepest ROM contradict it so much it's not worth?
the split squat variation is just as hard to balance as a lunge. I do think that if you can't balance properly you should do slightly lighter weight, but over time balance also gets better
When's the app likely to be ready bro - and great vid!
I agree that the incline curl has poor resistance at the stretched position, but why not just do it on a flat bench? I even tried it with a decline a few times and apart from looking like a doofus it felt great.
Definitely right about deadlifts being fatiguing. I'm doing a powerbuilding block and they just drain me. Probably not worth it as also inflammed my spinal erectors as well.
Deadlifts are how I cured my lifelong back problems. I once spent an entire week in bed because my back was so messed up. Once I started deadlifting my back problems vanished. Focus on keeping you back straight and don't overdo it. I always stick to weights I can do for 8-10 reps, unless I am going for a 1rm.
Funny how so many people try to get more efficient in the gym, but easily spend 30 min just browsing YT or TikTok if jot considerably more.
What are you saving time for??
Try to slown down and really enjoy each exercise maybe throw off some weight, focus on form and then slowly go creeping up :)
2:53 in fact you don't do it like that, you just don't know how to do it. You have to incline the bench more so that your arms just don't fall down and discharge the tension on the biceps. If you do it correctly it has the same results of the better one you're suggesting.
Being able to train also means being able to isolate and activate the muscles you're training without having to find "the best exercise ever".
Many the exercises that a lot of youtubers are marking as "not efficient" are ironically the ones who are giving me the best results.
excellent video once again
Great vid❤
I HATE the preacher curl, I can only do it one arm at a time so it takes twice as long, its an awkward position for a tall man like myself, and my back tends to be sore after ward (not that I'm using the muscles just from the position as I'm in my 40s, and again, a tall man). I'm sorry, but I'll still take the incline curl over that garbage every time. Very informative and appreciated video though.
How tall are you if I may ask? I’m a tall man as well and wondering what gives you problems with this exercise
u can try cable machine curls, with u standing slightly leaning back and arms in preacher position. same excercise in theory just dont engage lower back
I generally agree, but for biceps i would say the preacher curl is the best bicep elbow flexion exercise, for the lateral raise, somekind of a strapped lateral raise is the best, i got insane mind muscle connection to the point where i feel my chest working doing laterals. Cable pushdown, agreed, no comment. Expander tool agreed, but would prefer the one arm variation. Deadlift, agreed. Lunge, yes smith machine for the stability. Leg extension i don't fully agree because squats and leg presses don't really stretch the rectus femoris much. Leg extension machine is the only machine that does well knee flexion that actually targets the rectus femoris, so reverse nordic curls aren't a replacement imo, but they are a must. Sissy squats are a touch too unstable to do it while i'm at the gym (i like to do it at home).
I like sissy squats and reverse nordics as a solution to train rec fem more…
However the issue is they aren’t really loadable for the majority of people and it’s difficult to track progress/overload.
I like leg extensions especially if you have one with a seat that lets you lean back. It keeps everything else static and just focus on pure knee extension and progressive overload.
Sissy squats are loadable if you use a dip belt and connect to one side of a cable cross over. They're great but tough.
On the DB lateral raise vs cable lateral raise: is there a trade off between heavier weight and greater stretch?
I find it much easier to use heavier weight on the DB variation - still keeping form tight and minimising body english. In comparison, the weight I use per arm on cables is much lower, and arguably harder to progress.
So does the greater stretch on cables make up for the loss of tonnage when trying to generate a stimulus?
I still think leg extensions have their place. Lengthened biased exercises seem to generate more disruption on a per-set basis, so the leg extension can be excellent in the second weekly quad session in that it allows for additional stimulus without interfering with the primary quad session.
For example, a primary session consisting of a squat pattern movement and unilateral quad movement, one braced one unbraced (i.e. hack squat and front-elevated BSS, OR back squat and single leg center-placement leg press), with a secondary session consisting of a braced movement and leg extension.
This volume configuration really shines in stronger individuals who have more difficulty recovering between quad sessions, but can still be applied to intermediate lifters with great success.
The long head of the triceps has the best leverage when the shoulder is extended so the overhead stretch actually decreases long head involvement. In terms of lateral raises, the delts are monoarticular so they don’t experience any meaningful stretch so manipulating the resistance profile is pretty useless.
@@JohnnyG1 It is quite crazy to think about that random dudes on the comments are better qualified to answer basic questions rather than the guy with PhD and platform.
Im not trolling Im serious.
Leverage does not appear to be that important for hypertrophy according to recent studies. It is similar to how EMG data does not correlate strongly with the best exercises for hypertrophy. Leverage and EMG data are basically the same thing.
A monoarticular muscle still has a stretched and shortened position during a movement, which means changing the resistance profile can likely still be beneficial. The delts are longest when fully adducted to your side and shortest when fully abducted.
@@matthewcronshaw9331 No
@@joojotin Yes
@@joojotin 😂 ok fanboy. I’m not making this up. It’s information that Paul Carter and Chris Beardsley have shared.
I agree on all that. I saw a study on calf raises. It said that seated doesn't give you any more growth in any of the calf muscles than the standing. Also, is doing bicep curls lying on a flat bench good. It seems to load in the fully stretched position as well.
I replaced seated knee extensions with reverse nordics over a month ago after your video on them and haven't gone back to knee extensions. Much harder than I ever imagined too! Some decent growth of quads noted already!
most exercises he mentioned are the ones I do, and I like them…
I think we shouldn’t forget what he said in the beginning: they still build muscle, but maybe not as much as possible. And like Winny said: your workout should be ‘fun’ and rewarding in order to stay consistent. If you don’t like it, you’ll stop and that’s the last thing you want. A lot of exercises he mentioned as better alternatives prob aren’t going to let me stay consistent, some maybe yes. So don’t just instantly change everything you’re doing because of these kind of video’s. Wolf’s legit don’t get me wrong, but it’s better to stay consistent with ‘good/medium’ exercises where you can still progress and enjoy your time instead of doing the ‘perfect’ exercises and lose consistency.
3:38 But Milo, the way you doing it here is similar to standing barbell curl: cable forms 90 degress thus force is highest when your elbow flexed on 90 degrees
I think when assessing an exercise's value there's more to it then how much growth it stimulates, such as convenience, ease of setup, accessibility, super-set-ability, etc. For instance, dumbbell lateral raises are very convenient, you only need light dumbbells (you can even use bands). They are very easy to superset, drop set, etc. They are bilateral, so more time efficient than single arm versions. Hence, they are very spammable. Overall, they are a very convenient exercise which many people still prefer over less convenient cable or single arm versions.
Thoughts on Henselmans/Isratel’s variation on an incline bicep curl? They really push the incline the point where I feel like the stretch definitely beats that of a preacher curl.
I never understood the benefit of overhead extensions over pushdowns, the latter being more comfortable and therefore my go-to triceps finisher. I guess I learned something today.
Experiment with different cable attachments. I found that finding one that was comfortable for me made a huge difference.
I already do a sideways lying down lateral raise. However, I think it's better to completely lay on your side so the first initial acceleration upwards is 90 deg to the floor.
I’ve been trying a dumbbell lateral rise while leaning on a wall/bench. It’s usually easier to find a free bench (… or a free wall) than cable and you get a decent ~45 degrees angle between the force vector and your arm at the stretched position. I need to start doing the cable version as well.
cool video. I enjoyed the chill music more than the one on the forearm video. lol
My favourite tricep exercise is a French Press while sitting on a medicine ball. The ball gives you extra height to bring the shoulders clear from the top of the bench. This massively increases your ROM and allows you to REALLY stretch the triceps behind your head
Yeah this is great and I never thought of these things so this was really good video.
You can also get a different feel on the side raise by placing your hands behind your back as you lower your arms.
If you focus on accelerating then your delts still get resistance in the bottom of a lateral raise. No stretch sure, but that’s why you incorporate both variations.
In my gym the leg extension machine is actually lengthened-mid resistance, and it feels really good on quads compared to typical shortened resistance machines.
Video idea: Best exercises with limited equipment, say for budget limited home gym, and to help give an idea of the priority for gym equipment. E.g. only have barbell, bench, freestanding racks and dumbbells
Great video I'm already doing all this from watching other videos.
Great video, agree totally. AS mentioned, sissy squats are excellent. I do mine with an empty barbell across a squat rack and hold it for balance, keeping thighs and body in alignment bending only at the knee and ankle. Adding more weight is the hard bit…still working on how to so!
Yesss. Exactly why I do RDL's, Good Mornings and Bulgarian Split-Squats! Great vid 👌
I love how often this guy is citing his own review paper on UA-cam 😂
2:54 what if instead of incline, you do curls on a flat bench? You will have both the stretch and the resistance
Talking about the deadlift being fatiguing, I almost die every time I do the Bulgarian split squat and usually have to have it close to the end of workout or I'm almost not able to finish the gym session
Yes to all. Though as Dr. Mike said, after a while, they will become boring and stagnant, hence the need for rotation.
Split lunges with a step on the front foot (smith or dumbbell) are brutal.
Want more resistance at the bottom of the movement on preacher curls ? Substitute the dumbbell for a lighter kettlebell and hold it out infront or do hammer grip…