Stronger But Smaller? Optimal Rows? Heavy Dips? (Q&A)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Arms got stronger yet smaller? Are cheat rows worth it for hypertrophy? How do I overcome strength plateaus? It's Q&A time!
NEW ADAPT SHORTS: www.barbellapparel.com/leonidas
----------------------------------------
Transparent Labs 10% Off "Leonidas"
athlete.transparentlabs.com/a...
----------------------------------------
US My Gym Equipment: www.bellsofsteel.us/influence...
CA www.bellsofsteel.com/influenc...
---------------------------------------
Barbell Apparel Clothes: www.barbellapparel.com/leonidas
----------------------------------------
MacroFactor App 14 Day Trial Code "Leonidas" macrofactor.page.link/leonidas
----------------------------------------
TikTok: / alexleonidasofficial
----------------------------------------
Instagram: / alexleonidasofficial
----------------------------------------
Neck Flex: tinyurl.com/yy22fk7a
----------------------------------------
Naturally Enhanced 5% Off "ADF"
alexleonidas.com/naturally-en...
----------------------------------------
My Free Novice Program! outalpha.com/the-out-alpha-nov...
----------------------------------------
Want to consult me for email exchanges, consultations, online coaching, or for custom programs? outalpha.com/contact/
0:00 Intro
0:10 Stronger biceps but smaller arms?
3:19 Long head from v-bar pushdowns?
5:12 How often to max out on pullups, and bodyweight changes?
8:23 Dips vs dumbbell bench press?
12:50 Barbell Apparel adapt shorts & guarantee
13:54 T-bar rows optimal?
16:40 Cheat rows for posterior chain?
19:01 How I increase weight/progress
21:43 Inverted row backpack tip
23:35 Larsen Press not stable for chest gains?
25:44 Conclusion
Disclaimer: Alex Leonidas is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before starting any exercise program. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Alex Leonidas will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or passing.
#bodybuilding #strenghtraining #musclegain - Навчання та стиль
Awesome Q&A! Next time, the most liked comments will be answered so make them count.
Also check out the new adapt shorts by Barbell Apparel barbellapparel.com/leonidas
So those spider curls it’s all about the tendon
Rows with eagle loops my man . Try it . I can do ring and pinky pull-ups . Would be cool to meet you one day . Come out to Loveland co
Pls lets talk about legs
I injured my back when i squated heavy
How can i build big legs without a squat
You don’t have to squat . Especially if you did already . Do what doesn’t hurt . The most important thing is you don’t get hurt again .
I have just achieved my first 135 bench thanks to your novice program, I've been doing it for about 4 months. Thank you so much man I'll continue to follow this program until I get some intermediate numbers (according to your standards). This means a lot to me as I was looking forward to this number in the bench ever since I started (I could only do 66 pounds). I have also increased my pull ups from 3 to 8 and my overhead press from 55 pounds to 105. Thanks once again dude, you are a real one, love your content, cheers!
Dang, the overhead press progress is probably the most impressive. Great gains, that program will serve you well for a while yet!
Congrats on hitting your goal man. Just wait, if you stick to it 225 feels so much better and getting to 315 feels amazing, after putting in years of work to get there. The more you progress the more satisfying it is because you know how much work you put in to get there, you know. Good luck with your progress
@@jricknuts8067 Thanks friend I appreciate it! I will for sure stick to it! Am very determined to get to those numbers!
Sometime going for numbers holds you back . Do every muscle
Nice bro 👌👌
These Q&A are truly knowledge concentrate, each time I learn a whole lot from an advanced lifter, thanks Alex !
Always happy to help my serious audience, much love and thanks for your questions!
For the algorithm
Thank you Jonathan
For the algorithm
For the algorithm ✊🏻
Getting more fitness IQ outa less time with these videos Alex. I’ve learned a lot from you over the years
Love hearing that, OG!
Hey Alex! A couple questions for you:
1. What have you been doing for calves these days?
2. How do you program burpees? And how do you progress with them?
Thanks, man!
as far as calves I don't believe he trains them as he doesn't train legs either as they are a strong point for him
I think doing stair master of tippy toes is a game changer
Stair master seriously feels like the only thing that does anything for my calves. Calf raises just can’t accumulate enough tonnage
@@nomongosinthaworld i personally love single leg raises off stairs for that extra stretch, cranking out lengthened partials when the contraction fails
@@nomongosinthaworld farmer walks also potentially could get the job done, if done on the tippy toes as well
These Q&As are top-notch, brother.
Thanks for responding to my question Alex! For follow up, im 6ft tall 195-205lbs with long limbs which may be why my arms are so small in comparison. I curl pretty strict and only cheat the last few reps of a set. Both my bis and tris were getting stronger at the time but my bench strength went down. I was talking about my barbell curl of 80lbs for 10 but I can still dumbell curl 35s for like 12. Also I was recomping at the time. So I think I understand now why the arms were getting smaller but not bigger which is basically I need to bulk which im currently doing. Thanks for the advice big guy, much appreciated 💪💪💪
Could be carb intake. I noticed I was having the same problem some time ago. I kept getting that Bruce Lee strength and shrinking! lol But it was because my carb intake was lower than usual. I used to eat a lot of sweet potato and squash and stopped for reasons I can't even remember. When my carbs went back up I started gaining size.
Cant wait for the calisthenics park training video!
Alex can we get an in depth video on burpees next?
Golden content man!
For the next q&a what is an elite OHP standard assuming you’re training consistently for years
Thank you so much! My question was just for busy times like exam phases. I'll probably just do 3 sets of rdls and barbell rows on separate days in a week
Good shit as usual. My question is, in your back pain video you said you were sleeping on the ground. You still doing it? Btw I started and love it.
Hey alex, what are your thoughts on Kinobody's training philosophy?
Also commenting for the algo because I’m running outta words to describe ur work my man!
Great video 😁
Hey mate loving the content. Just wondering if you’re still working on weighted calisthenics ebook? Keep up the great work
Those twins were on all kind of gear 😂
We're all gonna make it brazzz
With the right instructors, absolutely!
Most helpful weightlifting Q&A on YT.
the amount of progress your physique has gained over the past year or two is insanity, the ultimate natty motivation bro. maybe Overkells physique is attainable...
💪💪 Respect. More gems from you for your viewers as usual. Like you, just don't get the underhand power cleans. 🤣 Great analysis on the dips vs dumbbells bench press. In 38 years, never did a dumbbell bench, but lived on heavy dips. IMHO Dips are best for pecs(leaning forward) and helped me build pec size and power off the chest. Still love that you're getting people into pullups. Love the larsen. If I have one lifting regret, it's I wish I did feet up decades ago. I feel stability is more an issue for us taller lifters since so much of us is off the bench. But we get better at it with practice. And getting the most out of less weight via the larsen is a must for lifters who are heavy benchers.
Alex could you go over your current advice on improving nerd posture and one hip higher causing one side bigger, thanks!
Hey Alex, I like your pull up power a lot. Can you give us one arm pull/chin up accessories ( I’m not talking about pull up variations)! 🙏🏻
Hey Alex, I've got a few questions
1) For biceps growth you suggest a forearm biased curl before underhand curl so the forearm is prefatigued and biceps work harder. Does this also work in reverse for forearm gains? (so to do underhand first)
2) How do I add more variation to dips without chains? Is alternating between touch and go and pause in the stretch a good way?
3) Due to my cable length I can only do double rope pushdowns in kneeling position. Is it fine to do it this way or should I buy a shorter cable?
Thanks for helping natural community Alex. We all owe you so much
Alpha Destiny is my goat
Hey alex will you ever include olympic lifts like snatch and clean and jerks in your workout?
Q&A Shoulder pain on pushdowns
Especially on the last reps
Arms looking good alex
You've mentioned before that expander work improved your posture quite a bit. How long did this take and what improvements specifically did you see?
What are your current fitness goals and when do you plan on bulking again?
Alex, have you ever tried doing weighted push ups with a chest climbing harness? The load is directly under the chest, its stable and its really easy to progressively overload. To set it up however you would need a dip bar or really high plyo boxes.
Your pullup video was very helpful doing partials helped me with overuse and plateu with my biceps, light incline curls helped too, now I don't do any row variation but I intead do chest to bar pullups.
My full body split looks like this (on day two I practice judo where I do high volume push-ups abs and bodyweight squats and lunges):
1
Shoulder press
Chest to bar pullups
Dips
Sumo deadlift
Nordic curl
2
High pull with kettlebells
Pullover
Incline curl
I repeat three times and on rest day I do rotator cuff work.
Great content btw.
Edit: im greasing the groove man!!!
What are your thoughts on primarily doing sternum pullups over regular (chin to bar) weighted pullups for overall back gains? The lats still seem to give first on sternum pullups, but because of the crazy ROM, we're getting quite a bit more upper back volume too. Why not just primarily do sternum pullups as an overall mass builder for your back (besides exercise rotation and advanced lifters specifically only wanting lats)?
Hi Alex, I love your channel! I wanted to ask you, what do you think I should do if I can't fully comfortably supinate my arms when I'm doing Chin-ups? Right now I'm just avoiding the problem using different grips (like the 45° one), but I would like to work on my mobility in order to being to be able to perform a proper chin-up. Is there any mobility exercise you suggest? Love what you're doing, keep it up👍🏻
Great stuff Alex! Here are my questions:
1. What are your thoughts on high volume, antagonist supersets? Ie. 4x10-12 pull ups + dips, then 3x15 cable rows + pull ups.
2. What do you think about hybrid training like running/sprinting and weightlifting or calisthenics and powerlifting while wall climbing once a week? Is this even doable? And if so, how'd you recommend programming it?
HOW SHOULD I PROGRAM OHP AND DIPS
Basically I’m looking for the best way to get strong on these two lifts. Would any of the options below work? Or is there another way to program the movements I’m not thinking of. I personally and doing push legs pull split right now.
Option 1) heavy ohp and heavy ohp same day and progressively overload both?
Option 2) focus on heavy ohp and use dips as an accessory movement. Basically less intense dips
Option 3) heavy ohp accessory dips one day heavy dips accessory ohp the next workout?
Hey man, I do full body (3x a week) but I do dips + OHP on the same day... For me I do Dips first, 3 sets but only 1-2 sets of OHP (very taxing and slower progression). I'm still getting stronger (although OHP seems to be harder to progress as bodyweight fluctuates). If Dips/OHP get stale or plateau (you can do this with any exercise), I would switch out the exercise and commence for a few weeks. For example I switched out BB Bench with Dips and still getting stronger every session (1 rep more usually). If you do 3x a week you have to train hard (0-RIR to Failure for each set) to see progress. If your really focusing on low reps (like less than 5 reps) I would lower the sets (nothing over 2 sets) and train really hard (again 3x a week but deload accordingly/switch out exercise if you get seriously fatigued).Nevertheless, I would go with OPTION 1.
@@danielkantor5693 thanks for the feedback
@@danielkantor5693
I appreciate the feed back you’re the second person to say number 1 is my best option quick question tho.
Do you still feel like you’re making gains in both even if ohp is a little less? And would you say ohp gains are less because it’s a harder lift to progress or because you’re fatigued from your dips?
Hey alex i have a question for next q&a did you ever had upper trap and so how did you get rid off it im struggling for months with it now on the left side and tried many things but i have to say i do work a manual labor job where i have to use traps a lot and they are one of my better bodyparts also i train neck twice a week and its well over 18 inch maybe its some overuse in the neck i dont know anymore and thx for all the good information thoughout the years you elevated my gains to new level and i think a lot of people
The ring row with a backpack in front of the body is amazing, it's one of my favorite back exercises right now.
I'm wondering, does it have any benefits or downsides compared to a seal row?
T bar rows are my bread and butter for back. Great point about the top ROM not being a big deal, a lot of people won't use 45lb plates because of this. I prefer the no handle variation just grabbing the bar.
Akex I love your videos
My question is: Which exact lifts should someone get strong at to build the best v-taper possible. How would you program it? Strenght standards? split? thanks
Bicep push-ups
Just do pullups (don't have to do rows), underhand, overhand pullups work best for that. Prisoners don't do any rowing and have good backs!
@@danielkantor5693Fuck minimalism, prioritizing pull ups and ignoring rows made me look wide from the front but I dissapear like a sheet if paper from the side
😂😂@@gyrozeppeli7296
Yes
Awesome video Alex!
Question: how important is exercise variety if progression and stimulus (healthy amount of soreness) are taking place with no signs of overuse for months now?
Ex. Seated Overhead extensions have been amazing for the long head, can I commit all tricep sets to this exercise or would I be leaving gains on the table?
Cheers from San Antonio, Texas!
Question for the next Q & A: if you had to rebuild your physique from scratch, would you do rack pulls and shrugs like the old days?
Do you recommend any particular exercises to relieve golfers elbow?
Went back to close grip benching after your video on it after just not improving with my pinkies far out on last rings for the longest just weak there and lack any explosiveness. With weighted dips and close grip only took me about a week to hit 185lbs again for a few reps.
Do you plan on continuing this fitness journey going into your fifties and sixties (and even beyond) as well as the channel? im just curious
Could you do a 20 or 30 down workout for the neck?? (like witb neck curls or banded neck curls etc)
Bro my bicep tendonitis sucks. My plan is to do really light curls every other day to get more blood flow in the area the same way I learned from you to do tri push downs light to help tennis elbow .
Try to do the light curls with a band, they are the best for pumping blood into the tendons
Hey Alex, your videos have helped me out a lot. I have one question for you. I have never felt any soreness in my lats or upper back unless I do pullovers. I can feel it while I'm doing and immediately after the movement but I never feel any soreness otherwise. I have been progressing in strength too. Do you think it is because I skipped back a lot for a year (I just recently started retraining it) or because there might be some issue in my form?
Thoughts on front squats? I have a short torso and long legs(5'11) so I switched last week becase the last 3 months I stalled doing heel elevated back squats with only 8x154lbs (also weird spine pain). Also I wanted to improve my core and stability for OHP in the future.
What are the differences between volume days and intensity days, for example on back days?
22:00 ahh I didn’t realize I could do this with inverted row! definitely trying. What did you recommend putting in a pack back for weight? I’ve just been using med sized heavy rocks. Is this O.K?
Hey Alex. What would be your top three home gym essentials?
Excellent content. My question is how to apply westside principles (I really dont want to get injured from minimalism) in a busy commercial gym with no chains so I can get stronger on a weighted dip and on a weighted pull up? My current stats are: bodyweight: around 72 kg, weighted dip: +50kg 4 reps; close grip chin up: +40kg 3 reps, been training for 3 years and my current goal is to hit +60 kg on a close grip chin up for reps and +80 kg on a weighted dip for reps (for context I am 19 years old and height around 5 foot 9 inches)
Hey Alex. Firstly I want to say that you are one of my biggest inspirations as a natural bodybuilder. Secondly, what would be the best way to keep gains as a labor worker. I’m about to go back home from college for the summer to work and all I do is manual labor ranch hand work. Last summer I lost all my gains bc I couldn’t eat enough and I kept trying to train 5-6 days a week. How would you go about this to not lose gains. Peace and love ✌️
Did weighed chains no golfers elbow. But I been trying to max out on the Panatta back pull-down and I gotta stop it. My inner elbow hurts. The pullups definitely translate over to almost 4 plates on this machine but my elbow hurts. Did pullups for last yr everyday n no elbow pain so I know it's that machine
On the end of my bulk I reached 42 cm arms (16.5 inches) but I got some elbow pain due to overuse on the Tricep isolation exercises now I switched to cutting how can I maintain as much arm size as possible
Thank you very much Alex I really appreciate your help 🙏
Hey Alex just watched the last video on the incline bench press. What’s a good intermediate strength standard for the incline bench press since 225 for 5 reps is for the flat barbell bench press
What’s the best way to re-organize a program into a different amount of days? For example, making a 4 day split into a 3 day split and so on. How does volume and organization change?
What do you think about greasing the groove method for getting stronger? Is it only for beginners? could it be used with weighted pullups and dips?
Tricep tendonitis advice? Also, should i stop all pressing while i have it?
How do you improve your bodyweight pull up numbers if you are still on 3 pull ups?
After all this time, how do you regard full body 2x week? In particular for progressing the foundational lifts
Hey Alex, do you have any experience with an uneven ribcage & posture? My left side is higher than my right and this makes my left shoulder flare out way more on bench press and row. It also causes me neck pain that stops me from squatting and some other axial loaded movements.
Hey Alex quick question, how long should you wait before rotating back to the same main lift or accessory in a program. Thank you!
Hey Alex! What do you think about a torso limbs 2x per week split, with forearms trained on torso day? Around 8-9 exercises each session with 10-12 sets per muscle group per week. The forearm training on torso day hasn’t been interfering with my limbs day, but training forearms with limbs impacts my grip on torso day. Would love to hear your thoughts thanks
When doing inverted body weight rows is it better to have the legs bent due to the increased range of motion?
Hey Alex, you did mention about your weekly volume being 12 sets of compounds and 8 sets of isolation, would that weekly volume reduce if I am incorporating intensity techniques like myo-reps and drop sets?
Kinda specific question but what ballpark of strength standards would you apply to ez bar preacher curls? 20 months in and I just hit 25lbs each side, which sounds decent enough but there's not a lot of community standards for that lift!
Also, how does body proportions affect preacher curls, or even curls in general? i'm short-limbed 5'5 so I'm just wondering how that differs from someone taller with longer limbs for strength progression on curls.
Hey Alex great video!
Question: How does someone find their “ideal” volume?
Experiment. Gradually increase volume over a bulk and if you start to feel beaten up/ not making progress than lower it a bit. You can probably do a bit more volume than you think.
alex try standing unilatéral machine row you wont regret it
Is there a super heavyweight calesthenics community/ people to look up to? Currently looking for a 90lb weighted chin-up at 260lbs.
Some of the top street lifters are close to 100kg/220lbs (Mathew Zlat, Vitaliy Feschuk, Ludo Adamantium)
But if you're looking for truly big heavy boys look up Andrey Smaev. He's 130kg(286lbs) if I remember correctly and he's very very strong. Hope this helps.
Next mesocycle program I want to focus on arms and torso. I know I’m gonna have to greatly limit volume for legs to manage fatigue but is overlap exercises the way to go if I want to specialize this many muscle? (Chin-ups, dips, close grip bench press, etc.)
Hey Alex, question regarding tracking progress on the secundary movements of pre-fatigued body parts. For example, for chest I do incline DB press followed by dips (both w/ very controlled negatives and 1-2 secs pause stretch at the bottom). On the DB press I'm able to increase reps and weights on pretty much every session, training very close to or hitting actual failure, but by the time I get to the dips my chest is already FRIED, so sometimes I'll either have trouble matching the previous sets x reps from the previous session or even end up regressing a rep or two. Not sure if it's a by-product of the progressive overload induced in the first exercise or just a plateau straight up?
Thoughts on doing cable lateral raises every day? My side delts never feel sore after 3 sets to failure, to the point where i feel like i could train them every day and still recover every time
How many Sets of ohp (any variation) are you doing? I recommend the behind the neck ohp for all delts and especially the side one. Hope this helps
Hi, whats your Opinion on the rep goal system?
Hi Alex. Why does hammer curling across the body (pinwheel) put more emphasis in the brachioradialis and curling straight forward puts more emphasis in the brachialis? Shouldn't the position not matter since both muscles don't cross the shoulder joint?
And am I still getting some quality work for the brachialis doing the pinwheel version and vice versa?
Much love from Chile!
Might not be something you're interested Alex but what's your opinion on isometrics? Background on me, I'm not a bodybuilder like probably the majority of your subscribers, I'm an arm wrestler, I only do isometrics (yielding and overcoming) also weighted stretch, and table time, my arms are 17.5inchs and 15inch forearms, 32inch waist. Would be interesting to hear your opinion as you have some good info. Thanks 💪
What do you think about russian step loading for weighted pullups?
Hey Alex, I am currently recovering from a long injury on my lower Back, and trying make it thick and strong so as not to get injured. Which exercises would you recomend apart from the Hip hinges and Squats (don't have no Reverse Hyper machine BTW)?
Q what to do when barbell bench press plateau
What do you think of doing prs on another excercise that uses the same muscle when you've reached your max strength on one movement. Example if your ohp is not improving doing more horizontal pushing or front raises with different variations. Would it then improve your ohp or not?
What would you recommend to someone with narrow clavicles, wide hips and high lats to build the best V taper possible for them? Also do you think implementing something like a reeves deadlift would actually make your clavicles wider or do you think its just bro science?
Hey alex. Do you prefer reverse pec fly or face pull?
How strong should you be before subbing in Larsen Press or Cambered Bar as a movement?
Hey Alex, I've gotten to a point in my training where I want to train at home as a challenge to myself for the next few months while I'm trying to lose weight for the summer. Plus, my local gym shut down and I have to utilize what I have at home. 2 32kg Kettlebells, a dip station, Pushup handles and, a weight vest with about 80lbs of 10lb plates. I'm trying to figure out what to do from here. Any advice from you or the community would be greatly appreciated!
What do you think about j curl and back bridge ( knee over toes guy)
Calisthenics question: Atm pike pushups is my third exercise on my upper day (weighted dips/pulls come first) and I'm basically at the last progression before wall HSPU. I know the jump from pikes to wall HSPU is large and the reps will drop - what do you think about doing 3x10 weight ed dips and pullups and then 3x3-5 HSPU later? Will the mix of high and low reps interfere with the adaptations? Should I instead prioritize the HSPU now?
Hey Alex!
I am dealing with lat pain at the insertion of the upper arm. I did a lot of pull ups and one leg frontlever raises for low reps. Then my lats startet hurting and being warm all the time. I mostly feel it when doing a latpulldown movement or when stretching it in a Handstand. switched to wide barbell rows for a while but the pain remains after weeks. Should i increase bloodflow and be careful of stretch based exercises? What would you do?
Thank you a lot and your strength is a great motivation :)
do you plan to test straight arms strength ecercises ?
hey Alex if you're strong enough can you do a one leg pendulum sissy squat if possible can you try it would be fun to see
Can you talk about bfr for hypertrophy
You can do one arm pull up, but can you do a one arm dip? What do you think about this exercise? Also do you think if I can do more than 50 strict push ups in a row it’s better to do clapping push ups sets because it’s harder and I can do less ?
Do you consider pseudo planche push ups a good hypertrophy movement for the front delts? There are in deep stretch position and brutally difficult even bodyweight with enough lean
Hey alex could barbell rows replace rdls on some days since im not rowing or rdling any significant weight and my l back is lacking in strength and thickness. Also would it be better to get at one variation of pull ups first or a bunch of them even tough i can barely get 10 reps on most variatons.
Can u Combine 2 vertical pulls and one horizontal pull on full body (only bodyweight)?
Furthermore,
1 Of Each can be enough if done 3 times a week (2-3 sets)?
Do you use soreness as an indicator that you adequately stimulated the target muscle? I train to and often past failure on many lifts but rarely feel soreness in my chest and lats. Progression is still happening for me but I’m curious how or if you use soreness as an indicator of stimulus.
Hey alex
If i dont have access to weights for 3 weeks what is the best way to maintain leg muscle and strength as well as posterior chain