Hey Dr. Mike I would love to see a 6 - 12 month transformation of someone starting off in relatively normal shape (and not on the juice) being personal trained by one of your RP peeps for the duration. It would be awesome to see the potential of the techniques you teach for us normal folk
Oh yea, it would be super annoying for you guys to make hahaha but it would be awesome and imagine how many people it would bring to the app 😉@@RenaissancePeriodization
This was great for me! 58 years old, used to train regularly before ballooning to 252. Dropped 40 lbs and have been lifting a lot (5 days a week). Definitely have focused on form to prevent injury (have degenerative lower back disc, knees get painful periodically). These suggestions are gold. Thank you
I’ve only been working out for a year and a half self coached so I’m able to fix this early thanks to you. I’ve switched from weight progression to technique progression after I feel a good stretch and pump I’ll progressive overload weight and it feels way better, my hips and shoulders were impinging before 😅
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🤔 Dr. Mike shares tips on reducing gym injury rates. 01:25 🏋️♂️ Better technique is key to reducing injury risk in weightlifting. 03:04 🏃♂️ Controlling the eccentric phase of exercises helps prevent knee injuries. 04:13 🔄 Deloading at the right time is crucial for injury prevention. 09:31 🏋️♀️ Gradual, smaller weight progressions are safer and effective. 12:53 🤨 Pausing at the bottom of certain movements can reduce injury risk. 14:45 🧠 Wisdom in training is essential; you don't need egotistical workouts to make gains while minimizing injury risk.
At age 49, after decades of bodybuilding, and multiple injuries, I've been implementing most of those points and my workouts have been awesome. My joints no longer hurt and I have much better recovery.
Huge help! I'm almost 50 and started back to hitting the gym about two years ago. Found out through multiple injuries that I can't train like I did in my 20s. Biggest takeaways for me was the proper technique and not doing the egotistical bullshit of adding too much weight too fast. Thanks!
Proper warm up is by far the best advice I can give to someone else. This becomes near critical as the trainee gets older. It also serves as a gauge to what kind of workout you are going to have. Now a proper warm up is going to vary per individual but there are few checks you need to make before that first working set. I personally think just a little cardio gets the blood pumping and helps with your mindset. Dynamic stretching rather than static stretching will also help prepare your connective tissue for your future workload. And we can't forget warm up sets which not only get you prepped for larger loads but also dials in the technique aspect of the movement and primes your targeted muscle. But also remember that your secondary movement will need little to none warm up sets. Lastly, there might be special considerations you might need before a training session. If you have shoulder problems you may want to do some upper back or rear shoulder work to enforce good technique. You might want to some bands or preactivation techniques to make sure your abdominals are primed for barbell squatting or your glutes are sufficiently awakened before deadlifts. This mostly pertains to older trainers or those looking to avoid lingering injuries.
@domepiece11 they do have their place although I always felt dynamic stretching worked better before along with warm up sets then do the static stretching afterwards once already warmed up etc.
I was afraid the first tip was "dont lift". I snapped my back in february, but im slowly recovering. Word of advice for lifters that dirnt have spine problems yet: DO NOT FUCK WITH YOUR LUMBAR SPINE, being strong is nice, but being able to walk is also pretty good
For me, scapular depression is more important a que for benching than retraction. I’ve had past dislocations in both arms from gymnastics/calisthenics. It took years for me to understand this technique (for no good reason), but since I’ve never felt the bench so much in my chest. Dr. Mike’s benching for max growth video helped a lot.
One of the things that has saved me in the gym is doing what I call "protective exercises". For shoulders, that would be rotator cuff strengthening exercises, for legs, that would be leg abductor and adductor movments. I know you don't like training abductor and adductor Dr. Mike, but trust me they are there to do an important job!
Dr. Mike, honestly I wish your channel was around years and years ago. As a middle aged man that likes to lift heavy objects for fun, the injury problem is real. I found your channel earlier this year and have been eating up the content and following your advice with great results. One of the best pieces of advice you have been giving is how to maximize the stimulus to fatigue ratio and minimize injury. There is nothing that sets you back more than an injury. Your information about deloading too has been helpful. Thank you!
As a US citizen that has lived their whole life in Utah, I completely agree with the deloading on time symbolism. Love the jokes and informative content by the way! Keeps me engaged, Thank you!
I have to say: finally someone saying the truth. I injured my right knee for not being taught properly and for believing that I could lift the same weight guys with more strength than me could, doing squats with a air free bar. DON'T. EVER. DO. IT. What Mike says is completely true. Don't over-erxercise your body nor push your limits further because you're being pushed towards to or even called a "wuss" for NOT doing it. On the contrary: know your limits and try to add weight and motion as you progress. Don't exert more strength than needed. And most importantly: ALWAYS make sure to learn first and act later. Never go into doing exercises you don't know how to perform and don't put more weight than your body can lift. Do it periodically and if you feel like cannot keep going, stop. Mike is the genius on this, but... I also speak from injuries I got for not doing what he says right there. Thanks Dr. once more and I'll keep watching your stuff to take care of myself better. See you round!
Always love the semi off the tangent analogies / pop references. Yes, I come for the lesson but we all know we look forward to these random ass commentaries
I can relate to this video a lot. I used to get hurt at the gym regularly, and i finally decided to step back and correct some things. Bench was a huge culprit so i dropped weight and focused hard on technique and proper tracking. After getting used to the new form not only did i stop getting hurt but my bench press that had plateaued for quite aome time started to progress again. I started employing these techniques to all my lifts and started gaining everywhere. There is no substitute for good form, technique and patience.
Been working out on and off for 17 years since i was 15 without any clear goals, or plan. Would never be able to intake enough protein to make serious gains. Also not have proper post workout meals within a reasonable time (usually wait few hours before eating). Reps weren't standardized, no full rom, no control in eccentric, rushed sets rather than taking proper recovery time. Never logging my workouts which made tracking impossible so i usually stayed aroujd same weight. Also avoided the basics (all barbell work: bench, rows, squats, deadlifts).Ton more mistakes I realized I've been making since I started watching this channel in the past month and a half. I've made it a habit to watch couple of your videos before working out to make sure I keep those points in focus for whatever I was working out that day. Watch several more post workout as well (sometimes listen during workout thanks to UA-cam premium). Things I learned outside this channel is a psychological concept called spotlight effect. It's the feeling that all eyes are on you. I think thats part of the reason for ego lifting and throwing around big weights rather than being strict about form. It's a big problem for guys, and not as much with females as you've mentioned they focus on form better. Gotta push ourselves on the battlefield but much like a real battlefield, do so with caution. Do we jump out of the trenches and run hastily towards the opposition? No because that's suicide. We take Calculated risks. Lot more lessons learned but from bottom of my heart, my sincerest thank you to team full ROM. 🙏🏽
Bruh these videos are really helpful for me. I am currently in the beginning of the intermediate stage of lifting/calisthenics training and I never did a deload before, always training hard in the gym (to failure/close to failure) I sometimes felt like I needed to take a break but never really did (except for some minor injuries in shoulder and knee). For a long time I am stuck on progress, I was not able to add reps or weight even tho I was working to failure. Now trying to deload, but it is really hard mentally as it feels off just to not train hard.... I am sure this knowledge of this channel will help me grow further in the future to train properly.
Weakness is actually a huge risk factor for injuries from every day activity, stumbling, falls etc. Especially in the elderly. Also the elderly respond AMAZINGLY well to resistance training, often DOUBLING their strength, because their baseline is so low.
Actually Mike said something simular on a podcast directed at women. Said you can get away with worse form because you aren't lifting very much so you aren't likely to get hurt (he doesn't recommend it though). Love Dr. Mike and I think it was just an off hand comment not meant to sound the way it did. But I found this comment amusing for that reason lol
Learning how to brace properly and fixing my technique on things like bench press etc, has been instrumental in keeping me injury free at 47 years old. Brian Alsruhe's videos on bracing and technique were super helpful in that regard, as was his programming since he tends to balance out pressing and pulling movements. It got me from basically never benching because of AC impingement that would leave me in pain for more than a week after a bench session, to hitting 315 with zero pain.
I wish guys like you and UA-cam were around 35 years ago when I was throwing weights around like an idiot without any knowledge of technique or anything else lift related. I've damaged just about every joint and muscle in my body and also have 2 hernias. Still lifting at 64 years old but much smarter these days and leaving the ego at the door. Thanks Dr Mike. keep the info and the smut coming!
Wish I had learned periodization when I was a teenager instead of slamming 3 spinal discs together maxing deadlifts every two days and having to get a discectomy and permanent mobility issues at 18 🗿 But now at 26 I'm stronger and bigger than ever before, thanks for helping me figure out shit with your videos Dr. Mike. This chanel has truly been a blessing these past 2 years back into lifting. Sadly no more powerlifting for me, ever again. That shit hurts.
Sadly, I only heard about your videos after a wrist injury. Now I'm back to the gym for almost 2 months and am doing basically everything you recommended. I took pictures of my "before", and 5 months from now, I'll do an "after" to see. Let's hope for the best (that my injury will finish healing completely and that I see some good gains)
What I've really learnt from you Mike is the whole element of how we plan our reps, sets, micro and meso cycles as and then the deload, and also the controlled eccentric, I really feel for that now when lifting.
55 here, victim of a no-deload SSC-fueled 8-week suicide mission that shredded my meniscus because they like that "bounce out of the bottom" of a 260 lb squat 😒 but it was a good lesson because I bought the RP app😀 and love training again. My knee feels much better, and thanks to the algorithm's adjustment of weekly weight and rep targets within RIR, I am hitting PRs in deadlift (300x5x2)🎉 which I never dreamed possible. Thank you, Dr. Israetel!
Warms and cooldowns, modalities to recover other than protein. Also starting legs before 21. Especially posterior chain first! I follow y’all and Matt Wenning for all my exercise needs
I can personally attest to pretty much all of this. I've had shoulder tendonitis since I inured myself in the bench when I first started out lifting 15 years ago. As I learned proper technique and dropped the weight (a lot) to do controlled eccentrics I haven't had the tendonitis flare up again.
These are great I feel like lately I have been finally in tune with all of these points and I haven’t gotten hurt in a while and am seeing crazy strength gains on my bench
I think movement variation is important too. Adjusting grips, angles, inclines, implements, etc. can shift stress to different structures to varying degrees.
I think it's really wise just to be in tune with your body and knowing how to listen to it when it comes to injuries. Like Dr. Mike said sometimes you pre-plan a program that's X amount of weeks long and maybe have 1-2 weeks left, but imo by the time you get there if you've accumulated so much muscle damage and your joints are really stressed (shoulder impingement or elbow pain for example) it's proooobably a good sign to dial it back and let your body recuperate.
Mate my conservative side of my brain was saying nah just do 80 today on the squat your hamstrings are a bit too tight for your back. Nah of course I listened to my idiot side and over did it.
The biggest thing I've learned over the last two-ish years of lifting regularly is to listen to my body. Part of that is recognizing when my fatigue is too high and knowing it's time to de-load (thanks to your content), but also to listen to my body in other ways like if a joint is getting sore. This past week, I had a shoulder that was bugging me after using shit form on some cable bicep curls the prior week. I backed off for a few days until it felt better, and when I had to do the exercise again, I made sure I was doing it right. No issues after the fact.
I tore my bicep when I was 27 trying to make tire flips “harder”. Progressive overload was something I didn’t know about and in the four years since then I’ve make incredible strides. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been with mindful workouts and mindful programming and dieting. Cheers to getting less fucking stupid 💪🏾👏🏾
Thank you dr Mike, I always remember your advice in the previous video. My #1 is don’t hurt yourself in the gym, #2 get decent results, sometimes it’s hard not to, but i try cause I’m 54 years old
Doug Hepburn's Program B is amazing, and a great example of slow weight additions. He was the first guy to bench 500 back in the 50s and 60s, and did rudimentary powerbuilding. Did 8 sets of 2 at 80% and 3 sets of 6 at 60%. Each workout, added a rep to one of the heavy sets and one of the light ones until he was doing 8x3 and 3x8. Then, he added 10 pounds and started over. Comes out to about 10 pounds a month. If you run the program, it feels sooooo slow. But like, that's 120 pounds on your bench in a year without getting hurt. That's no joke.
I would tell myself that 8 sets of chest per session is better than 20-24 lol. So much junk volume in all my routines back in the day. Coming back to lifting 20+ years later at 52 and finding all this stuff has been great.
The paused reps is a huge one. I tore my patellar tendon back in 2016, and since then have switched to only doing deep pause squats (which dropped the weight I could do by over 100lbs), and doing the same on pretty much all leg movements (hacks, presses, all squat variations) as well as prioritizing box squats a lot more, and although my legs are no bigger than they were before, I haven't even had a knee twinge in almost 8 years now, and my legs are basically the same size as they were back then. Deloading more often has drastically reduced all my other injuries as well. Now the only times I get injured are rock climbing on the weekend, but at 225lbs that is bound to happen pretty much no matter what haha, so you do what you can.
Thanks Dr. Mike! Im growing like a tree. Nearly everyone lift heavier weights then me in the gym, but I'm bigger, and my joints and recovery are amazing. I do 11 excersises in total and perfecting my form on these movements. Thanks for al the free information!
Personal preference is up the reps by one or two per set instead of using 2.5s, it feels like slower progression but much more consistent progression and form and better consistency between workouts, would recommend trying it out.
I do both. Once I'm up 2-3 reps, I can add the 2.5s. Then up 2-3 reps, switch from 2.5s to 5s. And so on. You barely notice the progression until all of a sudden you are adding an extra 45 per side and it took you way less time than you thought it would.
I’m 43 and have been back to training for two years now and have followed Dr. Mike from almost the beginning and trained with his style and have been consistent every week! Never missing and training except getting sick one week and I’m so grateful to be fuckable and functional at my age! Went from 172 at 6’2” to 215-220 along with being clean and sober! I’m just sending my positive change and energy to you so that you can do the same and live your best and healthy life! Peace out~~~~>
Dr. Mike...where do i begin lol. I wish i had your knowledge back when i started at 13yo and now 44yo. I probably wont have a bump A/C joint and knee issues. I have some experience in the gyn but ive leanred way more by listening you and others in your sphere than i have in my entire gym career. Im very much appreciative of your content and nothing but respect for you sir.
Doing a consistent warm up of treadmill & core has helped me reduce injuries, along with really learning to focus on technique to develop a better mind/muscle connection. That, and earbuds. I've practically killed myself mid lift trying to grab, or contort myself to stop some stupid giant headphones that were sliding off.
One thing I would add that I learned later (too late) is that not every machine is for everyone, and some are straight more injury inducing than free-weight movements. In my case it was the Hack Squat Machine - fucked up my knee on my year 3 of lifting (at year 14 now), and it's reminding me about it's existence every now and then. Luckily I came across Dr. Mike and learned how to stimulate my quads with a leg press in a way that doesn't irritate the knee (Jujimufu legs episode), just recently, until then I was stuck doing quad movements that didn't put much stress from the top like sled pulls, leg extensions and lightweight paused goblet squats etc.
Mike, thanks. it’s like you watched my leg press on Monday and are scolding me, lol. RP app said to increase 2.5# and I increased 20# instead. Next time I’ll increase reps by 1 or 2 to reach the target RIR rather than load.
Can we just appreciate Dr Mike sharing blockbuster movie ideas one after the other 😄 love all the knowledge shared but this is pure gold. Can we get a special edition where Dr Mike talks movies? I mean the ones he makes up? I’d pay for that 😅
For me, a big one I had to learn was avoiding injury outside the gym, rather it be doing something reckless or working on a home project or simply forgetting to be mindful.
I've never been injured in 17 years of lifting and BJJ, 600+ deadlift natty and have competed probably 20 times. I've done a lot of these things and got lucky early on that when I wasn't doing these things I never got hurt. Programming progressions and deloading was something I always did
I've never injured myself in the gym, maybe because I started after cancer treatment, so I've always been in the recovery mindset and never did any weight I couldnt handle. My muscles/tendons/ligaments/bones were all so atrophied at one point that curling 10 lbs would have me sore for a week so I always had to go as light as possible and focus on intensity techniques other than just increasing weight. After some time I started taking training more seriously in a bodybuilding context and I'm realizing that building that recovery mindset purely intuitively was foundational to all my success and seems to be dead on with most of what you teach.
Hi Mike - fellow 38 y.o. here.. been training since 16 and man do I agree with your "I wish I knew statement.." I was one of those "PR every workout" kinda dudes.. then Cross-fit came around.. fck yeah let's go.. barefoot running - hell yeah, lets not adapt or anything before we start running 10ks.. guess what.. jacked elbow, jacked shoulder, busted knees. Safe to say that my approach to training is markedly different today. I love the message you put out.. don't be an idiot like me kids :)
Honestly, the worst injury to me is a back injury. I wish I had learned more about spinal health when I was a wee lil lad. Dr. McGill paid a huge tribute to me over the last 6 to 7 years but I needed his wisdom in my early 20s.
6:24 "I drove through Switzerland once and got a lot of tickets because they have auto speeder cameras. Fu##n as#####s, that's like 600 dollars, fu#k!" As a Swiss I can confirm this 😅
In any given session, work the rear delts with rows and/or pull-ups before doing pushing movements. This was a game changer for me when I injured my shoulders. I also do my pressing movements before triceps work, and it seems to reduce elbow tendonitis as well
Let's just say that I've learned so much from the channel to the point where it's too many to list. I'll definitely try adding small amounts of weight per week instead of throwing in a 25 lb all of a sudden
Great advice. Been lifting 40 uears and have had many injuries. I have incorporated theses things the last several years and stopped training like a powerlifter because of injiroes, arthrotos and chronic pain. I would add th the list that if you go into the gym and are supposed to do a particualr lift or pundage and you genuinley dont feel up to it, or if surong warmups somwtimg gets tweaked or it just doesn't feel right......STOP, assess the situation and modify as needed. I have even just pulled the pin entirely and left the gym. I really, really wish i had listened to that inner voice or gut feeling. I woukd have avoided several injuries that way.
1. Don't put all your eggs in the gym basket. Do stretching, foam rolling, mobility exercises outside the gym too. 2. Proper warmups. I see wayyy too many people just go straight to their top set like wtf??? 3. Reverse pyramids / back down sets. As fatigue increases, load and injury risk decrease.
Every time I have gotten any injury I was pushing near my PR lift numbers. So I changed my approach. If I can do 10 or 12 reps at any given weight range, then I judge that to be very safe. I can lift a little heavier at a reduced rep range but if I can't do at least five or six reps, then GO NO HEAVIER. Do top sets at the max weight you can push five or six times and build up capacity over time until I can do THAT weight at 10 to 12 reps. Now I've gained strength without having gone into risky 1RM territory. Do more reps at a weight lower than your max. Stretch more, use the rollers, slow down your lift movements. Be controlled. Use less momentum and more controlled force. These are all part of lifting safer.
Working my way out of a myriad of shoulder injuries right now. It's tough man. Pushing yourself as hard as possible while maintaining form, all the while the ghost of an injury hangs over your shoulder waiting to be resurrected...
I will add for those people who are the opposite end of the spectrum of the brave heart warrior type (with torn pecs) who are veeeeery afraid of injury, you still gotta push yourself and sometimes just try shit. When I was doing dumbbell press at planet fitness several years ago I’d stay away from the 75’s because I figured since it was the heaviest dumbbell they had, I shouldn’t be using them. But then I went to an EōS gym and saw what weight other people were moving around and realized “Wait are they all way stronger than me or am i not trying hard enough?” A solid mix of both because I should’ve been working with 75’s at the time but was cutting myself short in fear of injury and lack of self confidence. We’re pushing 90’s for sets of 15 now 🤘🏼
Very disappointed Crocs did not make this list
Gotta wear socks with crocs to get the full benefit...
If you aren't doing croc rows in crocs, you're missing out on some serious mind-muscle neural activation.
I started wearing crocs and my dad finally came home.
Put the crocs in ‘sport mode’ and you are good to go.
Crocs are the new chicken, broccoli, and rice, bro!
Since I started watching this channel, my SFR inproved 1000 fold. Thank Dr. Mike.
my too i get a way better results.
Science to fatigue ratio?
Sex to Fellatio @@lazarnikolic8161
@@lazarnikolic8161S is actually a placeholder for "dicks"
@@lazarnikolic8161 stimulus
Your mix of humour and knowledge has helped this newbie learn so much over the past 3 months of training. Thanks for all your content Dr Mike!
Thank you for watching! - Dr. Mike
Hey Dr. Mike
I would love to see a 6 - 12 month transformation of someone starting off in relatively normal shape (and not on the juice) being personal trained by one of your RP peeps for the duration.
It would be awesome to see the potential of the techniques you teach for us normal folk
That's one hell of a video project, sir. We'll give it some thought! - Dr. Mike
a long term series with weekly updates on the progression. that would be a hit for sure. @@RenaissancePeriodization
@@RenaissancePeriodizationwould be an amazing series
Oh yea, it would be super annoying for you guys to make hahaha but it would be awesome and imagine how many people it would bring to the app 😉@@RenaissancePeriodization
I would watch it, for sure.
Warm ups are important too. I have learned this the hard way. Now i never skip them and i always feel better when starting my work sets.
Yes 100%
Couldn’t agree more.
This was great for me! 58 years old, used to train regularly before ballooning to 252. Dropped 40 lbs and have been lifting a lot (5 days a week). Definitely have focused on form to prevent injury (have degenerative lower back disc, knees get painful periodically). These suggestions are gold. Thank you
I’ve only been working out for a year and a half self coached so I’m able to fix this early thanks to you. I’ve switched from weight progression to technique progression after I feel a good stretch and pump I’ll progressive overload weight and it feels way better, my hips and shoulders were impinging before 😅
Awesome! - Dr. Mike
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🤔 Dr. Mike shares tips on reducing gym injury rates.
01:25 🏋️♂️ Better technique is key to reducing injury risk in weightlifting.
03:04 🏃♂️ Controlling the eccentric phase of exercises helps prevent knee injuries.
04:13 🔄 Deloading at the right time is crucial for injury prevention.
09:31 🏋️♀️ Gradual, smaller weight progressions are safer and effective.
12:53 🤨 Pausing at the bottom of certain movements can reduce injury risk.
14:45 🧠 Wisdom in training is essential; you don't need egotistical workouts to make gains while minimizing injury risk.
15:13 even 3 dicks too many can make a difference
You forgot essential ending lecture about dicks 😅
you missed the most important takeaway, the last three dicks can make a huge difference
👍
You forgot the dick jocke, bro
At age 49, after decades of bodybuilding, and multiple injuries, I've been implementing most of those points and my workouts have been awesome. My joints no longer hurt and I have much better recovery.
Are you on TRT?
Huge help! I'm almost 50 and started back to hitting the gym about two years ago. Found out through multiple injuries that I can't train like I did in my 20s. Biggest takeaways for me was the proper technique and not doing the egotistical bullshit of adding too much weight too fast. Thanks!
Proper warm up is by far the best advice I can give to someone else. This becomes near critical as the trainee gets older. It also serves as a gauge to what kind of workout you are going to have.
Now a proper warm up is going to vary per individual but there are few checks you need to make before that first working set. I personally think just a little cardio gets the blood pumping and helps with your mindset. Dynamic stretching rather than static stretching will also help prepare your connective tissue for your future workload. And we can't forget warm up sets which not only get you prepped for larger loads but also dials in the technique aspect of the movement and primes your targeted muscle. But also remember that your secondary movement will need little to none warm up sets.
Lastly, there might be special considerations you might need before a training session. If you have shoulder problems you may want to do some upper back or rear shoulder work to enforce good technique. You might want to some bands or preactivation techniques to make sure your abdominals are primed for barbell squatting or your glutes are sufficiently awakened before deadlifts. This mostly pertains to older trainers or those looking to avoid lingering injuries.
See, this is the ONE area where I disagree with Mike. Warmups, stretching, mobility, etc. are NOT useless.
@@domepiece11 yeah I think he does warm up sets but isn't into much static stretching or mobility. As you age I think it becomes super important.
@domepiece11 they do have their place although I always felt dynamic stretching worked better before along with warm up sets then do the static stretching afterwards once already warmed up etc.
I was afraid the first tip was "dont lift". I snapped my back in february, but im slowly recovering. Word of advice for lifters that dirnt have spine problems yet: DO NOT FUCK WITH YOUR LUMBAR SPINE, being strong is nice, but being able to walk is also pretty good
Goddamn bruv. My back aches just reading it. Wtf happend bruvvvvv?
@@DarkoFitCoach had some nagging pains and aches. Went to a metal concert. Had fun. Woke up, coughed once, and couldnt walk anymore 🥹
@@pisk64 sounds like lots of fun damn
@@pisk64Gd bro that sucks. What kind of potential progress have you been told is statistically possible?
Yeah I normally don't tell anyone how to lift in the gym but on a heavy rounded back dl I may say something to that person.
For me, scapular depression is more important a que for benching than retraction. I’ve had past dislocations in both arms from gymnastics/calisthenics. It took years for me to understand this technique (for no good reason), but since I’ve never felt the bench so much in my chest. Dr. Mike’s benching for max growth video helped a lot.
One of the things that has saved me in the gym is doing what I call "protective exercises".
For shoulders, that would be rotator cuff strengthening exercises, for legs, that would be leg abductor and adductor movments.
I know you don't like training abductor and adductor Dr. Mike, but trust me they are there to do an important job!
👍👍👍 strong rotator cuff muscles.
Dr. Mike, honestly I wish your channel was around years and years ago. As a middle aged man that likes to lift heavy objects for fun, the injury problem is real. I found your channel earlier this year and have been eating up the content and following your advice with great results. One of the best pieces of advice you have been giving is how to maximize the stimulus to fatigue ratio and minimize injury. There is nothing that sets you back more than an injury. Your information about deloading too has been helpful. Thank you!
As a US citizen that has lived their whole life in Utah, I completely agree with the deloading on time symbolism. Love the jokes and informative content by the way! Keeps me engaged, Thank you!
I have to say: finally someone saying the truth.
I injured my right knee for not being taught properly and for believing that I could lift the same weight guys with more strength than me could, doing squats with a air free bar. DON'T. EVER. DO. IT.
What Mike says is completely true. Don't over-erxercise your body nor push your limits further because you're being pushed towards to or even called a "wuss" for NOT doing it. On the contrary: know your limits and try to add weight and motion as you progress. Don't exert more strength than needed. And most importantly: ALWAYS make sure to learn first and act later. Never go into doing exercises you don't know how to perform and don't put more weight than your body can lift. Do it periodically and if you feel like cannot keep going, stop.
Mike is the genius on this, but... I also speak from injuries I got for not doing what he says right there.
Thanks Dr. once more and I'll keep watching your stuff to take care of myself better. See you round!
Always love the semi off the tangent analogies / pop references. Yes, I come for the lesson but we all know we look forward to these random ass commentaries
I can relate to this video a lot. I used to get hurt at the gym regularly, and i finally decided to step back and correct some things. Bench was a huge culprit so i dropped weight and focused hard on technique and proper tracking. After getting used to the new form not only did i stop getting hurt but my bench press that had plateaued for quite aome time started to progress again. I started employing these techniques to all my lifts and started gaining everywhere. There is no substitute for good form, technique and patience.
Been working out on and off for 17 years since i was 15 without any clear goals, or plan. Would never be able to intake enough protein to make serious gains. Also not have proper post workout meals within a reasonable time (usually wait few hours before eating). Reps weren't standardized, no full rom, no control in eccentric, rushed sets rather than taking proper recovery time. Never logging my workouts which made tracking impossible so i usually stayed aroujd same weight. Also avoided the basics (all barbell work: bench, rows, squats, deadlifts).Ton more mistakes I realized I've been making since I started watching this channel in the past month and a half. I've made it a habit to watch couple of your videos before working out to make sure I keep those points in focus for whatever I was working out that day. Watch several more post workout as well (sometimes listen during workout thanks to UA-cam premium).
Things I learned outside this channel is a psychological concept called spotlight effect. It's the feeling that all eyes are on you. I think thats part of the reason for ego lifting and throwing around big weights rather than being strict about form. It's a big problem for guys, and not as much with females as you've mentioned they focus on form better. Gotta push ourselves on the battlefield but much like a real battlefield, do so with caution. Do we jump out of the trenches and run hastily towards the opposition? No because that's suicide. We take Calculated risks.
Lot more lessons learned but from bottom of my heart, my sincerest thank you to team full ROM. 🙏🏽
Bruh these videos are really helpful for me. I am currently in the beginning of the intermediate stage of lifting/calisthenics training and I never did a deload before, always training hard in the gym (to failure/close to failure) I sometimes felt like I needed to take a break but never really did (except for some minor injuries in shoulder and knee). For a long time I am stuck on progress, I was not able to add reps or weight even tho I was working to failure.
Now trying to deload, but it is really hard mentally as it feels off just to not train hard.... I am sure this knowledge of this channel will help me grow further in the future to train properly.
Joke’s on you, I’m too weak to get injured.
Nobody is too weak to get injured my friend
I still got injured I'm even weaker now
Weakness is actually a huge risk factor for injuries from every day activity, stumbling, falls etc. Especially in the elderly. Also the elderly respond AMAZINGLY well to resistance training, often DOUBLING their strength, because their baseline is so low.
Actually Mike said something simular on a podcast directed at women. Said you can get away with worse form because you aren't lifting very much so you aren't likely to get hurt (he doesn't recommend it though). Love Dr. Mike and I think it was just an off hand comment not meant to sound the way it did. But I found this comment amusing for that reason lol
Learning how to brace properly and fixing my technique on things like bench press etc, has been instrumental in keeping me injury free at 47 years old. Brian Alsruhe's videos on bracing and technique were super helpful in that regard, as was his programming since he tends to balance out pressing and pulling movements. It got me from basically never benching because of AC impingement that would leave me in pain for more than a week after a bench session, to hitting 315 with zero pain.
Im a horseshoer and I need to keep everything safe and injury free. If I cant work my family cant eat so i really appreciate this video.
New member just getting into the gym at 45 and finding Dr Mike so helpful on my journey to a healthy more muscular me thank you 🙏🏻
Dr Mike brightens my enthusiasm for training with every video.
I wish guys like you and UA-cam were around 35 years ago when I was throwing weights around like an idiot without any knowledge of technique or anything else lift related. I've damaged just about every joint and muscle in my body and also have 2 hernias. Still lifting at 64 years old but much smarter these days and leaving the ego at the door. Thanks Dr Mike. keep the info and the smut coming!
Wish I had learned periodization when I was a teenager instead of slamming 3 spinal discs together maxing deadlifts every two days and having to get a discectomy and permanent mobility issues at 18 🗿
But now at 26 I'm stronger and bigger than ever before, thanks for helping me figure out shit with your videos Dr. Mike. This chanel has truly been a blessing these past 2 years back into lifting. Sadly no more powerlifting for me, ever again. That shit hurts.
Sadly, I only heard about your videos after a wrist injury. Now I'm back to the gym for almost 2 months and am doing basically everything you recommended.
I took pictures of my "before", and 5 months from now, I'll do an "after" to see. Let's hope for the best (that my injury will finish healing completely and that I see some good gains)
The difference between stupidity and bravery is whether or not it works
What I've really learnt from you Mike is the whole element of how we plan our reps, sets, micro and meso cycles as and then the deload, and also the controlled eccentric, I really feel for that now when lifting.
55 here, victim of a no-deload SSC-fueled 8-week suicide mission that shredded my meniscus because they like that "bounce out of the bottom" of a 260 lb squat 😒 but it was a good lesson because I bought the RP app😀 and love training again. My knee feels much better, and thanks to the algorithm's adjustment of weekly weight and rep targets within RIR, I am hitting PRs in deadlift (300x5x2)🎉 which I never dreamed possible. Thank you, Dr. Israetel!
Warms and cooldowns, modalities to recover other than protein. Also starting legs before 21. Especially posterior chain first! I follow y’all and Matt Wenning for all my exercise needs
I can personally attest to pretty much all of this. I've had shoulder tendonitis since I inured myself in the bench when I first started out lifting 15 years ago. As I learned proper technique and dropped the weight (a lot) to do controlled eccentrics I haven't had the tendonitis flare up again.
These are great I feel like lately I have been finally in tune with all of these points and I haven’t gotten hurt in a while and am seeing crazy strength gains on my bench
Watching this I decreased my injury risk ten fold but increased lulz and knowledge eleventy billion fold.
I think movement variation is important too. Adjusting grips, angles, inclines, implements, etc. can shift stress to different structures to varying degrees.
I think it's really wise just to be in tune with your body and knowing how to listen to it when it comes to injuries. Like Dr. Mike said sometimes you pre-plan a program that's X amount of weeks long and maybe have 1-2 weeks left, but imo by the time you get there if you've accumulated so much muscle damage and your joints are really stressed (shoulder impingement or elbow pain for example) it's proooobably a good sign to dial it back and let your body recuperate.
Mate my conservative side of my brain was saying nah just do 80 today on the squat your hamstrings are a bit too tight for your back. Nah of course I listened to my idiot side and over did it.
Wow. What a great group of good people.
The biggest thing I've learned over the last two-ish years of lifting regularly is to listen to my body. Part of that is recognizing when my fatigue is too high and knowing it's time to de-load (thanks to your content), but also to listen to my body in other ways like if a joint is getting sore. This past week, I had a shoulder that was bugging me after using shit form on some cable bicep curls the prior week. I backed off for a few days until it felt better, and when I had to do the exercise again, I made sure I was doing it right. No issues after the fact.
I tore my bicep when I was 27 trying to make tire flips “harder”. Progressive overload was something I didn’t know about and in the four years since then I’ve make incredible strides. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been with mindful workouts and mindful programming and dieting. Cheers to getting less fucking stupid 💪🏾👏🏾
I watched this while eating chocolate cake and did not get hurt. Thanks Mike 👍
The ending 🤣, never change, Mike!
Warm up sets. You gave this tip in another video and it was a game changer for me. 💪💪💪
I wish I knew earlier about this channel. Thank you for your job.
Thank you dr Mike, I always remember your advice in the previous video. My #1 is don’t hurt yourself in the gym, #2 get decent results, sometimes it’s hard not to, but i try cause I’m 54 years old
Most important video yet. I learn something every video.
Doug Hepburn's Program B is amazing, and a great example of slow weight additions. He was the first guy to bench 500 back in the 50s and 60s, and did rudimentary powerbuilding. Did 8 sets of 2 at 80% and 3 sets of 6 at 60%. Each workout, added a rep to one of the heavy sets and one of the light ones until he was doing 8x3 and 3x8. Then, he added 10 pounds and started over. Comes out to about 10 pounds a month. If you run the program, it feels sooooo slow. But like, that's 120 pounds on your bench in a year without getting hurt. That's no joke.
People that share are the best.
I would tell myself that 8 sets of chest per session is better than 20-24 lol. So much junk volume in all my routines back in the day. Coming back to lifting 20+ years later at 52 and finding all this stuff has been great.
Ugh definitely. - Dr. Mike
The paused reps is a huge one. I tore my patellar tendon back in 2016, and since then have switched to only doing deep pause squats (which dropped the weight I could do by over 100lbs), and doing the same on pretty much all leg movements (hacks, presses, all squat variations) as well as prioritizing box squats a lot more, and although my legs are no bigger than they were before, I haven't even had a knee twinge in almost 8 years now, and my legs are basically the same size as they were back then.
Deloading more often has drastically reduced all my other injuries as well. Now the only times I get injured are rock climbing on the weekend, but at 225lbs that is bound to happen pretty much no matter what haha, so you do what you can.
Thanks Dr. Mike! Im growing like a tree. Nearly everyone lift heavier weights then me in the gym, but I'm bigger, and my joints and recovery are amazing.
I do 11 excersises in total and perfecting my form on these movements. Thanks for al the free information!
In my fifties now, and I wholeheartedly agree with all of your recommendations. As do my sore shoulders and elbows.
Golden advice for a person who lifted for about a year consistently (me), thanks for the wisdom and the laughs Dr. Mike!
Personal preference is up the reps by one or two per set instead of using 2.5s, it feels like slower progression but much more consistent progression and form and better consistency between workouts, would recommend trying it out.
I do both. Once I'm up 2-3 reps, I can add the 2.5s. Then up 2-3 reps, switch from 2.5s to 5s. And so on. You barely notice the progression until all of a sudden you are adding an extra 45 per side and it took you way less time than you thought it would.
Turning 30 next month worked hard labor since I was 18 and feel it catching up . Definitely using this
PERFECT TIMING! Literally just searched this! I'm 42 and looking to get back into lifting with the focus on not getting injured
Watch RPs technique vids intently. That'll prepare you 🤙
Sames, only I'm 43
I’m 43 and have been back to training for two years now and have followed Dr. Mike from almost the beginning and trained with his style and have been consistent every week! Never missing and training except getting sick one week and I’m so grateful to be fuckable and functional at my age! Went from 172 at 6’2” to 215-220 along with being clean and sober! I’m just sending my positive change and energy to you so that you can do the same and live your best and healthy life! Peace out~~~~>
@@davidtopoleski5935good shit, man!! 👊🤘
dr. mike's analogies are just great pure stand up comedy. I laughed my ass off at the cujo gas station story.
Dr. Mike...where do i begin lol. I wish i had your knowledge back when i started at 13yo and now 44yo. I probably wont have a bump A/C joint and knee issues. I have some experience in the gyn but ive leanred way more by listening you and others in your sphere than i have in my entire gym career. Im very much appreciative of your content and nothing but respect for you sir.
Thank you so much and best wishes to you! - Dr. Mike
@@RenaissancePeriodization you're very welcome 🙏🏽
Doing a consistent warm up of treadmill & core has helped me reduce injuries, along with really learning to focus on technique to develop a better mind/muscle connection. That, and earbuds. I've practically killed myself mid lift trying to grab, or contort myself to stop some stupid giant headphones that were sliding off.
I'm getting absolutely jacked and staying away from injury on a plant based diet thanks to your advice Dr. Mike. Thank you so much for the free info.
Appreciate the time stamps!🙏
One thing I would add that I learned later (too late) is that not every machine is for everyone, and some are straight more injury inducing than free-weight movements. In my case it was the Hack Squat Machine - fucked up my knee on my year 3 of lifting (at year 14 now), and it's reminding me about it's existence every now and then. Luckily I came across Dr. Mike and learned how to stimulate my quads with a leg press in a way that doesn't irritate the knee (Jujimufu legs episode), just recently, until then I was stuck doing quad movements that didn't put much stress from the top like sled pulls, leg extensions and lightweight paused goblet squats etc.
Mike, thanks. it’s like you watched my leg press on Monday and are scolding me, lol. RP app said to increase 2.5# and I increased 20# instead. Next time I’ll increase reps by 1 or 2 to reach the target RIR rather than load.
Can we just appreciate Dr Mike sharing blockbuster movie ideas one after the other 😄 love all the knowledge shared but this is pure gold. Can we get a special edition where Dr Mike talks movies? I mean the ones he makes up? I’d pay for that 😅
You’re an odd man but a wealth of knowledge. When u put a video out iv gotta watch. Cheers mate!!
You just have a shitty sense of humor
For me, a big one I had to learn was avoiding injury outside the gym, rather it be doing something reckless or working on a home project or simply forgetting to be mindful.
I've never been injured in 17 years of lifting and BJJ, 600+ deadlift natty and have competed probably 20 times. I've done a lot of these things and got lucky early on that when I wasn't doing these things I never got hurt. Programming progressions and deloading was something I always did
YES💥At most of my sets, I've a range around 3reps and if I reach the top-rep, I put 5Kg more weight on it👍
I've never injured myself in the gym, maybe because I started after cancer treatment, so I've always been in the recovery mindset and never did any weight I couldnt handle. My muscles/tendons/ligaments/bones were all so atrophied at one point that curling 10 lbs would have me sore for a week so I always had to go as light as possible and focus on intensity techniques other than just increasing weight. After some time I started taking training more seriously in a bodybuilding context and I'm realizing that building that recovery mindset purely intuitively was foundational to all my success and seems to be dead on with most of what you teach.
Is just amazing the content shared here
I used micro plates, some are as low as .25, they are amazing for dumbbell progression.
Hi Mike - fellow 38 y.o. here.. been training since 16 and man do I agree with your "I wish I knew statement.." I was one of those "PR every workout" kinda dudes.. then Cross-fit came around.. fck yeah let's go.. barefoot running - hell yeah, lets not adapt or anything before we start running 10ks.. guess what.. jacked elbow, jacked shoulder, busted knees.
Safe to say that my approach to training is markedly different today. I love the message you put out.. don't be an idiot like me kids :)
YOU ARE MY FAVOURITE JEWISH MAN! :)
Honestly, the worst injury to me is a back injury. I wish I had learned more about spinal health when I was a wee lil lad. Dr. McGill paid a huge tribute to me over the last 6 to 7 years but I needed his wisdom in my early 20s.
6:24 "I drove through Switzerland once and got a lot of tickets because they have auto speeder cameras. Fu##n as#####s, that's like 600 dollars, fu#k!"
As a Swiss I can confirm this 😅
In any given session, work the rear delts with rows and/or pull-ups before doing pushing movements. This was a game changer for me when I injured my shoulders. I also do my pressing movements before triceps work, and it seems to reduce elbow tendonitis as well
“Bravehearting this shit!” 😂
That Ending 😂😵🤯🤣 HAD MY DYING!!!! GOOD STUFF DR. MIKE THANK YOU!!!!
Very important subject. Definitely the limiting factor for me!
Deloading in time it's a very good advice. We sometimes push our body too much.
Let's just say that I've learned so much from the channel to the point where it's too many to list. I'll definitely try adding small amounts of weight per week instead of throwing in a 25 lb all of a sudden
Better form, and with it lighter weight
And sticking to basics
How do you manage to put out so much high quality long form content??? God dammit man I can’t keep up!
Gracias por este video Dr. mike !!!
Powerlifting technique is why I got into powerlifting with accessory work.
Great advice. Been lifting 40 uears and have had many injuries. I have incorporated theses things the last several years and stopped training like a powerlifter because of injiroes, arthrotos and chronic pain. I would add th the list that if you go into the gym and are supposed to do a particualr lift or pundage and you genuinley dont feel up to it, or if surong warmups somwtimg gets tweaked or it just doesn't feel right......STOP, assess the situation and modify as needed. I have even just pulled the pin entirely and left the gym. I really, really wish i had listened to that inner voice or gut feeling. I woukd have avoided several injuries that way.
Dr. Mike’s a comedian and fitness is his side hustle 😂
1. Don't put all your eggs in the gym basket. Do stretching, foam rolling, mobility exercises outside the gym too.
2. Proper warmups. I see wayyy too many people just go straight to their top set like wtf???
3. Reverse pyramids / back down sets. As fatigue increases, load and injury risk decrease.
Can't believe you didn't mention punching the bar with your chin during power cleans. That's my specialty.
Very important topic. 👍
I’m sure that gym teacher became an instant legend in the eyes of those kids 😂
i had a conversation with my coworkers about pause reps on shoulders... i applied it to the squats and my hips felts better than they have in years.
Retracting my shoulders during training has extended my time in the gym considerably. And slow on the eccentric has had the same effect.
Dr Mike I would click even without the thumbnail
Every time I have gotten any injury I was pushing near my PR lift numbers. So I changed my approach. If I can do 10 or 12 reps at any given weight range, then I judge that to be very safe. I can lift a little heavier at a reduced rep range but if I can't do at least five or six reps, then GO NO HEAVIER. Do top sets at the max weight you can push five or six times and build up capacity over time until I can do THAT weight at 10 to 12 reps. Now I've gained strength without having gone into risky 1RM territory. Do more reps at a weight lower than your max.
Stretch more, use the rollers, slow down your lift movements. Be controlled. Use less momentum and more controlled force. These are all part of lifting safer.
The comedy was on another level today! 😂
f'king love this video. thank you
Working my way out of a myriad of shoulder injuries right now. It's tough man. Pushing yourself as hard as possible while maintaining form, all the while the ghost of an injury hangs over your shoulder waiting to be resurrected...
I will add for those people who are the opposite end of the spectrum of the brave heart warrior type (with torn pecs) who are veeeeery afraid of injury, you still gotta push yourself and sometimes just try shit.
When I was doing dumbbell press at planet fitness several years ago I’d stay away from the 75’s because I figured since it was the heaviest dumbbell they had, I shouldn’t be using them. But then I went to an EōS gym and saw what weight other people were moving around and realized
“Wait are they all way stronger than me or am i not trying hard enough?”
A solid mix of both because I should’ve been working with 75’s at the time but was cutting myself short in fear of injury and lack of self confidence. We’re pushing 90’s for sets of 15 now 🤘🏼