A super simple video, but a topic I haven't discussed in a while. It's an important message that needs repeating, so enjoy. Also MUST WATCH "Progressive Overload Truths" ua-cam.com/video/HduiXMoupOc/v-deo.html&t --- Quick summary 1) Set high strength goals 2) Develop a plan to achieve them, be patient/enjoy the process 3) Automatically get jacked Done.
Yo Alex, i will start running the madcow 5x5 program(switching the bench with dips). I am thinking of adding assistance exercises and abs and pull ups and stuff are easy to program but how would you incorporate belt squats and RDLs? (I think i definitely need some volume for my legs, i have a pretty dominant lower back). And would you think a conditioning/active recovery day (45min.) after Day 3 would hurt my progress?
@@manheer5825 I bulked up to 180, then I cut down to 160-165 and maintained that for a while, and now I've cut down to 140-145 and I'm super happy with the results. I achieved the body I wanted and now I work out 2-3 times a week at home to maintain it. I no longer go to the gym because I'm satisfied with what I've achieved, but I've been thinking about getting a membership again to take it to the next level. I also converted to Orthodox Christianity, which has given me a sense of meaning and purpose far beyond what the gym ever could've given me.
@@nooblifter390 Sure, go off and deadlift 3+ plates for reps with bad form and an arched back for a few weeks, then I'll ask you if you think form is important in the hospital when you're done with your spinal surgery for your herniated discs.
Started implementing this about 3 months ago. I've always had a problem packing on weight, and especially after my novice gains progress was minimal, so I went from doing 10+ exercises per workout to a basic novice program with compound movements and progressive overload. My arms even look bigger in rest than they used to when i did isolation movements every workout. Not only that but seeing the bar with more and bigger plates week to week has revitalised my passion for training.
Thank you Alex for showing the right way to us natties. You're one of the most honest youtubers in the industries and I can't appreciate your advice enough. Stay winning bro
I tweaked my back a week ago and I just saw ur video about fixing the back. I have so much respect for you. It really helped me. Also I changed from conventional DL to hack DL. Thank you Alexander
Hey Grim, good to hear from you! Hope you're doing well and I appreciate you stopping by. UA-cam has definitely changed and I can say you were right about a lot of things especially in regards to most people not wanting to change even if you give em the answers. And the dark truth about human nature. Much respect brother
@@AlexLeonidas I hold no animosity for anybody because I know: all the times I've been a a$$hole on the net? I wasn't in a good place. Yeah, change is scary man. It's built in to us to stick to what we know and are comfortable with. It's just unfortunate some people stay in that dark old hole & project toxic shit all the time.
@@AlexLeonidas Listen Alex, I contemplated your comment. I have a brother the same age as you. He might even be older than you. I make sure his mind is kept healthy all the fu$king time. Now, I watched you grow on here, and I don't want you dwelling on that 'dark truth'. I'm not gonna bull$hit you. It is there, but I'd rather you just understand that it's there so you have a guard & develop the tools for it when it arises. NEVER, EVER give it energy...that should be reserved for your strengths. The trick is: contemplate all those 'dark truths' you've experienced so far...then think of something to counteract each one of them. I call these mental weapons. You will be repeatedly exposed to bull$shit in this life...luckily most are repetitious & you will probably already have the tool to deal with it. If you come across a negative you've never experienced? Let yourself feel the pain, and then be thankful for the gift of another weapon. Remember man, you have to recognize your qualities. These need constant energy! You follow this advice, and I guarantee you will grow in to what you're suppose to be.
Ismail KhanOfficial i literally said "having hundreds of pounds tied to the hands". How is that weak? It's just funny how a non lifter would consider this situation stupid, but for us it's the best part.
Inspirational as always, thank you, Alex, Today is my first day of the novice program, at 35yo, 5’8” 178lb, bench P 4x195, squat 4x245, D lift 4x335, OHP 4x125. Let’s see how it goes! Keep up the good work, my man .
The Simple truth right here!!! We need more people like you Alex. I see dudes all the time in my gym sayinn: "You need to lower the weight, squeeze your muscles really hard and u get Big". Bull shittt These are the dudes that give up or go Juice bcoz they dont know how to fucking train as natural.
Yo Alex, thanks for your program man, I was stuck at a plateau for nearly 3 years, it was after I watched your videos that it hit me. I was married to the same lifts all the fucking time. I run NE and dude my traps are already noticeably bigger, my arms are coming along nice as well as my sunken upper pecs. Im still figuring shit out for myself and experimenting with different setups but people keep complementing me on my results. Thanks bro.
this is facts. focused on ohp just cause i find it fun i dont really care much about looks but i went from 135 for 6 and got it to 15 and now my shoulder are one of my best looking muscles
ps i was using alex's style of training 2x a week volume and intensity with a focus on deadlift and ohp and in 2.5 month got my deadlift from 425 to 500 and ohp from 155 to 190. shit works. i even got into rock climbing since im not in the gym all the time
What you’ve said is worth gold Alex, I 100% agree with you. However there is one thing I need to add: What Alex is saying is correct, if you’re natty get stronger to get bigger however you still need that mind to muscle connection, you see I built a 140 kg deadlift at only 52 kg bw, my legs and back are my best muscle parts. I built a 75kg bench however I wasn’t using my chest properly and over extending my shoulders, had I been focusing on using my chest, I would’ve 1. Been able to bench more as the chest is the stronger muscle group 2. Seen better muscle gains I’ve recently realised that this problem was due to my neglecting of my rear delts that pushed my shoulder forwards and affected my chest gains. I’ve started doing rear delt every workout and my chest gains are booming and so is my bench, haven’t gone for a 1Rm for a while but I know I’m much stronger Sorry for the long post 😅
Yes 20 years doing this. And this sums all everything important. The difference between success and failure at this. Would add that some people are going to do it too quickly and get hurt or their form will go to shit and eventually get hurt or max too quick and give up. You've got to do it slow 5 lbs a week on compounds and 1 lb a week on small muscles. Finally you have your nervous system variable. So when your nervous system gets taxed from 12 weeks of this you've got to back off and start small on a new program. Build up again over 12 weeks. You've got to eat for the gains. You want the gains eat for it.
yep and you have never seen any natural who can bench only 70kg and have big chest. It just doesn't happen. You need to get stronger over time, period!
Thanks, Alex. Just finished a six week bodybuilding program as a change, but I much prefer building strength and the rest will follow. This is a little boot in the ass I needed.
I totally agree with you. Sometime we complicate so much, and the answer is so simple. Try to get better, just that. If you get better, your body will get better.
I started the Novice program a month ago. I've been working out inconsistently for a few years before. First bro-splits, then push-pull. Pretty much doing the same weights month after month, machines, so on. Yeah, I gained some muscle, but the lack of clear progress was demotivating. Now I'm actually working towards numbers and mastering them as I go. It's lots of fun and fantastic feeling stronger every week. Really an eye opener. Never trained exclusively with heavy weights and lower reps, but it feels fantastic.
@@user-zz5og2lf7p Yeah but he that old he must have great natural ability to do what he done for 35 years,have you seen his deads,presses and squarts?? Lol
I like your novice program still. Squat 107.5kg 6times 87.5 bench 6 times 135kg deadlift 6 times ohp 60kg 6times at 68kg bw 183cm. Still trying to eat more in order to get bigger and stronger
I used to be all about chasing the pump. I got decent muscles but nothing impressive. The moment I switched to eating in a surplus and doing real strength work I got massive!!!!!
Agreed. Lots of guys do some pointless routines.. when in reality if they just lifted heavy shit in certain ranges of motion, they could gain size and strength in the areas they have dedicated small routine time towards.
Man i have been training for 1 year now. At first i made some fast progress obviously, but i was training "only for hypertrophy". 5 months ago i started training for strength and now i'm addicted. I keep on getting stronger by week and i have never been this big before, it's so fucking satisfying. My bench went from 90kg 1rm to 130kg 1rm in 5 months, and damn my pecs exploded. So this was a golden advice man.
@Horacio Nelson or a half rep'r, or ass off the bencher, or bounce of the chest'r. this guy aint got a 130kg paused bench after a year of lifting, he's taking mushrooms.
That's true if you are young. Once you have trained for 30 years, there is no such thing anymore like constant overload for a natural bodybuilder. Otherwise everybody would press 800 pounds on the bench. Instead you have to vary your exercises and rest time between sets. So it is NOT just about getting stronger. Train smarter, not harder if you wanna lift for ever.
It's probably best to do both strength training AND volume to get the best of both, simply training strength only won't maximise hypertrophy, of COURSE it's good to train for strength but it doesn't cause as much hypertrophy as higher volume training, this has been shown in many studies and has definitely been working for me as a natural lifter, and also check out the London Real interview with Jeff Cavalier where he speaks of people only focusing on the the numbers
As a natural , could I train the same muscle(s) every day if I recover fast enough? The problem is , as a natural, how do I know if I’m actually recovered if I’m not sore or fatigued? Like for biceps. I can do multiple sets of 10 reps using different dumbbell exercises until failure. I will be fatigued but then the next day I will “feel” like I can do it again. If I’m not fatigued anymore then that means I can do that everyday right?
100 percent true , take a look around the average London gym u see the same guys using the same 20 kg dumbbells on sitting overhead presses or flat benches.( They are skinny) 50 kg is always available when l want to do flat bench press because noone ever used them . Progressive overload is definitely the key.
Hey Alex, I've noticed that when you perform heavy pullups on some workout videos your back starts to round over at the top, do you class this as bad form or a failed rep? As with a pulldown you keep your sternum lifted and chest up and rounding usually is form breakdown? Or is it acceptable in a pullup to do this? Much love x
I can’t bb squat past 100kg, my lower back hurts and my knees cave inwards. I’m 6’5 so I’ve always thought it’s because of my height, but not sure. What do you reckon? Would love to be able to heavy bb squats
This is the "secret" of the likes of guys like Reg Park, Marvin Elder,Doug Hepburn etc,Reg might have used 15/20 mgs Dbol AFTER he benched 500 natural but the others were definite drug free for life and the strongest of their era.
You’ve probably already made videos on it and I would appreciate if you could link them, but how should one properly progressive overload? I hit a new bench PR of 285. I don’t want to eat to much because I already weigh around 210, I’d like to lose weight without losing the bench I have. Any advice would be great. Also, any lifts involving much lower back aren’t possible for me as I’ve had a few injuries around that area if that’s important.
Hey man. I was wondering if you could help me out. I've been dealing with some wrist pain in my wrist to the point where I've been taking days off from using the computer and even bought a vertical mouse. The thing is my wrist is so thin I think part of the reason for the pain is because I have no muscles... it's literally just bone and whatever tendons are there and I can wrap my thumb and index finger around it with no problems. I want to make my wrist stronger but I don't want to hurt it even more in the process. Are there any very light exercises I can do to try to strengthen it? A while back I tried doing handstands and I think I fucked my wrists up then too bc they hurt for a while after that
Muscle size is the GPP for muscle strength. Therefore, why focus on SPP for GPP? Progressive volume is the cause of increased muscle size. This can be done through increased load, but not soley.
Alex how would I implement full body undulating into my training? I was thinking of doing Monday’s at 90%, Wednesday’s 80%, and fridays 70%. Would this be smart programming and if not, how would you program it?
Being able to raise volume is also raising strength. If for example you can only do ten pushups, then you get stronger an can do 30 pushups, then 50 pushups and so on, you are getting stronger, and the pecs are getting bigger too.
Running modded naturally enhanced and experiencing this first hand. Just had my first 850 rack pull above the knee on a prom method. I should pull it off the floor in about 1-2 years. Love the channel!
True, BUT ... as a natural, it's super hard to get strong(er) if you wanna get/stay lean at the same time. What's the point of getting stronger and building more muscle if you have to force feed yourself and get fat? You won't look good that way (unless bear mode is your definition of aesthetics). At the end of the day, you will have to put on a lot of weight (fat) to reach high numbers, just to diet down and lose most of the strength again. For my part, I just wanna stay lean and look decent year round and go for small increases in my numbers at the gym.
See my video on efficient weight gain, you don't need to get fat bro. ua-cam.com/video/htZqeRiwtDc/v-deo.html&t And you can always do mini-cutting once in a while, your long term performance will do just fine.
True, a friend of mine always gains weight if he plateaus on bench press. I mean all good but you will end up fat as fuck if u always eat and gain weight and never cut
@@AlexLeonidas Still not convinced tho. Last year, I benched 245x3 on incline. This year, I'm 20lbs lighter (not "fat" anymore, visible abs) and guess what my incline bench went down 20lbs too. It was an exact trade-off. Now I'm trying to get to a higher number while staying this lean, but no matter how hard I push, my bench doesn't improve. I will try a little higher volume, but I don't think I can get to that level again without putting on fat (and start looking worse).
@@Mr_Donald_Pump You need to find lifts that suit your build,levers and genetics,im a terrible bencher relative to my overhead lifts so guess what!?...I focus on overhead work....As an example,why does Bob Peoples name stand out in lifting history?...It'd not his bench or press,its his DEADLIFT. Im not saying be unbalanced but if your lifting for fun,then make it fun by developing what God give you. If your not a physique competitor then who cares about balanced proportions aesthetically? He found a lift he was good at and trained it to greatness.
Hey Alex. If just getting strong will get you jacked, what is your opinion on running a pure strength program with very low volume? For someone with hypertrophy-related goals, would it be more optimal over a traditional higher volume approach? Thanks
Alex can I train 5 days a week and get bigger and stronger or is not the most optimal way?? Do you believe in overtraining? , I am doing: chest/triceps, back/biceps, legs, shoulders, chest/back/arms... Thanks man
BUT ALEX, the bodybuilders say you need to do a 5 day split, performing a million isolation exersizes in a workout, squeeze the shit out of your muscles in the 8/12 reprange while eating like 10 meals a day with high proteine and taking 300 different suplements on the side. And bodybuilders are bigger then strenght athleates, so they know what they are doing.
It's true but I've been doing low reps high intensity for a while and recently started to really focus on high sets/reps and have been seeing great gains.
There's this other asian guy named Lei Liu who can bench press 500 lbs at a bodyweight of 148 lbs. All raw and no leg drive lol. Remember kids, no matter how good you think you are, there's always an asian out there somewhere who can do it better.
Ran your novice program and made great gains and hit all numbers for the big 3.. But I did put on some fat.. What would you suggest be the best way to cut and not lose as much strength?
What would you say for taller athletes following your program? I'm 6ft 7 following it the naturally enhanced and I'm finding jefferson deadlifts and pendlay rows rather difficult. How can I change these moves?
Its worth mentioning that it is posible to gain strength without mass, purely through neural proficiency (when talking about low reps, 1-5) however, you cant nervous system your way through reps of 8-15, take for example belladrome cyclists, those guys ALL have huge quads, you cant NS your way through a belladrome race, at some point, to produce that much repetitive force, you need bigger muscles, theres just no way around it (rowers are also a good example, look at their backs). Dont get me wrong, im not saying to go do gpp and expect muscle gains. Strongmen and bodybuilders are the biggest for a reason. Getting stronger in the 8-15 rep range is pretty much guaranteed muscle gains, theres just no neural adaptations to be made to that kind of training and you know its just muscle, no two ways about it.
If you go from doing 3 reps with 225lbs on bench press to doing 3 reps with 265lbs then you WILL of got bigger in the process. As you have got measurably stronger. However, where people get confused is they will go from doing 8 reps on 225lbs to doing 3 reps with 265lbs, I would say in this situation you haven't actually got stronger. In other words someone who can bench 225lbs for 8 already has the muscle mass to bench 265lbs for 3. All you have done is work in a lower rep range and make neurological adaptations.
Hey carrying the 60lb and 100lb kettlebell to work now. My traps have grown so much that I need to start getting new shirts. What brand is good for you big traps?
Alex I been looking at my body for a while and kinda think it’s impossible for my body type to get lean and what not, like I’ll probably never see my abs. When I get out of my army training I’m hitting the gym and wondering if I should do anything different. I look fluffy and shit.
A super simple video, but a topic I haven't discussed in a while. It's an important message that needs repeating, so enjoy.
Also MUST WATCH "Progressive Overload Truths" ua-cam.com/video/HduiXMoupOc/v-deo.html&t
---
Quick summary
1) Set high strength goals
2) Develop a plan to achieve them, be patient/enjoy the process
3) Automatically get jacked
Done.
True words are spoken
Could i do a full body intensity day every 4 days and just gain strength to get big?
Yo Alex, i will start running the madcow 5x5 program(switching the bench with dips). I am thinking of adding assistance exercises and abs and pull ups and stuff are easy to program but how would you incorporate belt squats and RDLs? (I think i definitely need some volume for my legs, i have a pretty dominant lower back). And would you think a conditioning/active recovery day (45min.) after Day 3 would hurt my progress?
Thanks in advance!
Could i do push ups on my off days i do the 3x fullbody in NE?
I needed this. Been training like an idiot for 2+ years now with no progressive overload what-so-ever. That changes today. Thanks Alex.
Let's get these gains bro
hows it goin 2 years later
@@manheer5825 I bulked up to 180, then I cut down to 160-165 and maintained that for a while, and now I've cut down to 140-145 and I'm super happy with the results. I achieved the body I wanted and now I work out 2-3 times a week at home to maintain it. I no longer go to the gym because I'm satisfied with what I've achieved, but I've been thinking about getting a membership again to take it to the next level. I also converted to Orthodox Christianity, which has given me a sense of meaning and purpose far beyond what the gym ever could've given me.
@@WallsClips Bro that’s amazing, glad you’re doing better!
@@WallsClipsupdate again?
And most importantly don't stop. Keep it up for days months years on end without injuries while getting stronger.
exactly, learn your forms, form is key, an injury is a ginormous setback for naturals.
@@KaibaKaiohlmao...form is the last thing people get injured due to..
@@nooblifter390 Sure, go off and deadlift 3+ plates for reps with bad form and an arched back for a few weeks, then I'll ask you if you think form is important in the hospital when you're done with your spinal surgery for your herniated discs.
I like how frustrated Alex sounds. Hope this video blows up, people need to hear this!
Started implementing this about 3 months ago. I've always had a problem packing on weight, and especially after my novice gains progress was minimal, so I went from doing 10+ exercises per workout to a basic novice program with compound movements and progressive overload. My arms even look bigger in rest than they used to when i did isolation movements every workout. Not only that but seeing the bar with more and bigger plates week to week has revitalised my passion for training.
Thank you Alex for showing the right way to us natties. You're one of the most honest youtubers in the industries and I can't appreciate your advice enough.
Stay winning bro
I'm honored to help brother, keep grinding and growing 👊
Everything thats half intelligent will give you 90% of the results and people get wrapped up in that last 10%
*With great power comes great meatiness*
Are you gonna comment on every video with caps on?
Gayest saying ever.
I tweaked my back a week ago and I just saw ur video about fixing the back. I have so much respect for you. It really helped me. Also I changed from conventional DL to hack DL.
Thank you Alexander
I'm happy those tips have been helpful to you, wishing you continual gains in a safe way.
Try sumo, you want a more upright torso so the torque is lower on your lowerback
I totally agree with this!
Aww you made a video responding to my question, thank you bro 😄
So true that KISS acronym is true for so many things especially for building muscle.
hassa it stands for keep it simple stupid.
@@RohmerFitness nah it stands for keep it short [and] simple
Body adapts. If it needs more strength, it will to grow more muscle. Simple
Holy fuck
Rudy so why are there so many little dudes lifting so much
Kevin’s World Tour there arent
kobejg yes there are. I’ve seen some scrawny ass kids benching 2 plates
Kevin’s World Tour checking in. 6’2 170 skinny asf bench 255 paused
Hello to the Alpha! It's good to see you still lasting and progressing kid
Keep it up!
-Grim
YT came 15 years too late for me. It doesn't matter any way. There's too much to do outside anyway.
Hey Grim, good to hear from you! Hope you're doing well and I appreciate you stopping by. UA-cam has definitely changed and I can say you were right about a lot of things especially in regards to most people not wanting to change even if you give em the answers. And the dark truth about human nature. Much respect brother
@@AlexLeonidas I hold no animosity for anybody because I know: all the times I've been a a$$hole on the net? I wasn't in a good place. Yeah, change is scary man. It's built in to us to stick to what we know and are comfortable with. It's just unfortunate some people stay in that dark old hole & project toxic shit all the time.
@@AlexLeonidas Listen Alex, I contemplated your comment. I have a brother the same age as you. He might even be older than you. I make sure his mind is kept healthy all the fu$king time. Now, I watched you grow on here, and I don't want you dwelling on that 'dark truth'. I'm not gonna bull$hit you. It is there, but I'd rather you just understand that it's there so you have a guard & develop the tools for it when it arises. NEVER, EVER give it energy...that should be reserved for your strengths. The trick is: contemplate all those 'dark truths' you've experienced so far...then think of something to counteract each one of them. I call these mental weapons. You will be repeatedly exposed to bull$shit in this life...luckily most are repetitious & you will probably already have the tool to deal with it. If you come across a negative you've never experienced? Let yourself feel the pain, and then be thankful for the gift of another weapon. Remember man, you have to recognize your qualities. These need constant energy! You follow this advice, and I guarantee you will grow in to what you're suppose to be.
Truth, pure honest truth!!! Thanks for posting this pumped me up for tomorrow’s workout.
Life goal: looking like a red pickle while I have hundreds of pounds tied to my hands.
Ismail KhanOfficial i literally said "having hundreds of pounds tied to the hands". How is that weak?
It's just funny how a non lifter would consider this situation stupid, but for us it's the best part.
@Ismail KhanOfficial calm down sweetheart
Inspirational as always, thank you, Alex,
Today is my first day of the novice program, at 35yo, 5’8” 178lb, bench P 4x195, squat 4x245, D lift 4x335, OHP 4x125.
Let’s see how it goes!
Keep up the good work, my man .
How is the program going bro?
Going into my third year of weightlifting, going to focus on getting stronger and eating at a small surplus, wish me luck fellas
The Simple truth right here!!! We need more people like you Alex. I see dudes all the time in my gym sayinn: "You need to lower the weight, squeeze your muscles really hard and u get Big". Bull shittt
These are the dudes that give up or go Juice bcoz they dont know how to fucking train as natural.
Yo Alex, thanks for your program man, I was stuck at a plateau for nearly 3 years, it was after I watched your videos that it hit me. I was married to the same lifts all the fucking time. I run NE and dude my traps are already noticeably bigger, my arms are coming along nice as well as my sunken upper pecs. Im still figuring shit out for myself and experimenting with different setups but people keep complementing me on my results. Thanks bro.
Bro that's awesome, glad to hear you're making all kinds of gains. Keep crushing it
I love this guy. He says it as it is
I agree 100%. All new lifters should seriously follow this advise.
You've changed our journey completely, without your help we wouldn't be where we stand today
Thank you Alex!
Alex I’ve looked the same for years, I just want to thank you for this video, it changed my mindset and helped me realize what’s actually important.
this is facts. focused on ohp just cause i find it fun i dont really care much about looks but i went from 135 for 6 and got it to 15 and now my shoulder are one of my best looking muscles
ps i was using alex's style of training 2x a week volume and intensity with a focus on deadlift and ohp and in 2.5 month got my deadlift from 425 to 500 and ohp from 155 to 190. shit works. i even got into rock climbing since im not in the gym all the time
Damn those gains are solid!!
What you’ve said is worth gold Alex, I 100% agree with you. However there is one thing I need to add:
What Alex is saying is correct, if you’re natty get stronger to get bigger however you still need that mind to muscle connection, you see I built a 140 kg deadlift at only 52 kg bw, my legs and back are my best muscle parts. I built a 75kg bench however I wasn’t using my chest properly and over extending my shoulders, had I been focusing on using my chest, I would’ve
1. Been able to bench more as the chest is the stronger muscle group
2. Seen better muscle gains
I’ve recently realised that this problem was due to my neglecting of my rear delts that pushed my shoulder forwards and affected my chest gains. I’ve started doing rear delt every workout and my chest gains are booming and so is my bench, haven’t gone for a 1Rm for a while but I know I’m much stronger
Sorry for the long post 😅
Yes 20 years doing this. And this sums all everything important. The difference between success and failure at this. Would add that some people are going to do it too quickly and get hurt or their form will go to shit and eventually get hurt or max too quick and give up. You've got to do it slow 5 lbs a week on compounds and 1 lb a week on small muscles. Finally you have your nervous system variable. So when your nervous system gets taxed from 12 weeks of this you've got to back off and start small on a new program. Build up again over 12 weeks. You've got to eat for the gains. You want the gains eat for it.
yep and you have never seen any natural who can bench only 70kg and have big chest. It just doesn't happen. You need to get stronger over time, period!
Thanks, Alex. Just finished a six week bodybuilding program as a change, but I much prefer building strength and the rest will follow. This is a little boot in the ass I needed.
I totally agree with you. Sometime we complicate so much, and the answer is so simple. Try to get better, just that. If you get better, your body will get better.
I started the Novice program a month ago. I've been working out inconsistently for a few years before. First bro-splits, then push-pull. Pretty much doing the same weights month after month, machines, so on. Yeah, I gained some muscle, but the lack of clear progress was demotivating.
Now I'm actually working towards numbers and mastering them as I go. It's lots of fun and fantastic feeling stronger every week. Really an eye opener. Never trained exclusively with heavy weights and lower reps, but it feels fantastic.
Short and no bullshit. The rest its up to personal preference how you go from there.
Thx bro! Definitely going to keep this mind
Great simple video man
For extreme evidence just look at Tobi Alder, as well as Alex of course,point proven.
Your should mention yourself Jason! 💪
@@johnreiss2112 Too right,I just watched his latest deadlift video and I lost for word! 😵
@@user-zz5og2lf7p Yeah but he that old he must have great natural ability to do what he done for 35 years,have you seen his deads,presses and squarts?? Lol
I like your novice program still. Squat 107.5kg 6times 87.5 bench 6 times 135kg deadlift 6 times ohp 60kg 6times at 68kg bw 183cm. Still trying to eat more in order to get bigger and stronger
Keep up the good work bro! Sounds like you got a proportionately stronger bench
140 squat x5
70 bench x5
lol
I'll 💯 agree with this shit. Bout damn time.
I used to be all about chasing the pump. I got decent muscles but nothing impressive. The moment I switched to eating in a surplus and doing real strength work I got massive!!!!!
Looking good mate, no homo
yeah with the help of the good old d-bol am i right? XD
Agreed. Lots of guys do some pointless routines.. when in reality if they just lifted heavy shit in certain ranges of motion, they could gain size and strength in the areas they have dedicated small routine time towards.
Man i have been training for 1 year now. At first i made some fast progress obviously, but i was training "only for hypertrophy". 5 months ago i started training for strength and now i'm addicted. I keep on getting stronger by week and i have never been this big before, it's so fucking satisfying. My bench went from 90kg 1rm to 130kg 1rm in 5 months, and damn my pecs exploded.
So this was a golden advice man.
@Horacio Nelson or a half rep'r, or ass off the bencher, or bounce of the chest'r. this guy aint got a 130kg paused bench after a year of lifting, he's taking mushrooms.
Great video alex. I think you should start posting some behind the scenes on your Instagram story. I've realized you dont use that
Thanks man, yeah I should probably do that
Thanks for this video. It's gonna change things
Can you make a video about your body transformation and about your journey?
Good fucking video.
Real talk. Simplify the fuck out of it.
I love weighted calisthenics
That's true if you are young. Once you have trained for 30 years, there is no such thing anymore like constant overload for a natural bodybuilder. Otherwise everybody would press 800 pounds on the bench. Instead you have to vary your exercises and rest time between sets.
So it is NOT just about getting stronger. Train smarter, not harder if you wanna lift for ever.
Daniel K. Wow you really needed to just disagree ?😂
'If im already as strong as i can be then its not about getting stronger anymore! Therefor you're wrong!'
Well, ok
It's probably best to do both strength training AND volume to get the best of both, simply training strength only won't maximise hypertrophy, of COURSE it's good to train for strength but it doesn't cause as much hypertrophy as higher volume training, this has been shown in many studies and has definitely been working for me as a natural lifter, and also check out the London Real interview with Jeff Cavalier where he speaks of people only focusing on the the numbers
Looking yoked, Antarctica
@T I
Ur right haha 😂
As a natural , could I train the same muscle(s) every day if I recover fast enough? The problem is , as a natural, how do I know if I’m actually recovered if I’m not sore or fatigued? Like for biceps. I can do multiple sets of 10 reps using different dumbbell exercises until failure. I will be fatigued but then the next day I will “feel” like I can do it again. If I’m not fatigued anymore then that means I can do that everyday right?
Thanks for the video man!
love the MMO analogy
100 percent true , take a look around the average London gym u see the same guys using the same 20 kg dumbbells on sitting overhead presses or flat benches.( They are skinny) 50 kg is always available when l want to do flat bench press because noone ever used them . Progressive overload is definitely the key.
Simplicity is key to any sustainable behavior. Are you planning to get strong AF at the Strict Curl?
You know it brother, and yes I'm leaning towards that.
Ur physique is great💪🏾💪🏾💯💯
Gotta just keep going.
Hey Alex, I've noticed that when you perform heavy pullups on some workout videos your back starts to round over at the top, do you class this as bad form or a failed rep? As with a pulldown you keep your sternum lifted and chest up and rounding usually is form breakdown? Or is it acceptable in a pullup to do this? Much love x
I like this dude.
just get strong 4HEad
I can’t bb squat past 100kg, my lower back hurts and my knees cave inwards. I’m 6’5 so I’ve always thought it’s because of my height, but not sure. What do you reckon? Would love to be able to heavy bb squats
This is the "secret" of the likes of guys like Reg Park, Marvin Elder,Doug Hepburn etc,Reg might have used 15/20 mgs Dbol AFTER he benched 500 natural but the others were definite drug free for life and the strongest of their era.
Very informative coach
That makes sense thanks
Great video man as always
Thank you for this video! I was over here hoping to get weaker every work out.
You’ve probably already made videos on it and I would appreciate if you could link them, but how should one properly progressive overload? I hit a new bench PR of 285. I don’t want to eat to much because I already weigh around 210, I’d like to lose weight without losing the bench I have. Any advice would be great.
Also, any lifts involving much lower back aren’t possible for me as I’ve had a few injuries around that area if that’s important.
Hey man. I was wondering if you could help me out. I've been dealing with some wrist pain in my wrist to the point where I've been taking days off from using the computer and even bought a vertical mouse.
The thing is my wrist is so thin I think part of the reason for the pain is because I have no muscles... it's literally just bone and whatever tendons are there and I can wrap my thumb and index finger around it with no problems.
I want to make my wrist stronger but I don't want to hurt it even more in the process. Are there any very light exercises I can do to try to strengthen it? A while back I tried doing handstands and I think I fucked my wrists up then too bc they hurt for a while after that
Muscle size is the GPP for muscle strength. Therefore, why focus on SPP for GPP? Progressive volume is the cause of increased muscle size. This can be done through increased load, but not soley.
Alex how would I implement full body undulating into my training? I was thinking of doing Monday’s at 90%, Wednesday’s 80%, and fridays 70%. Would this be smart programming and if not, how would you program it?
Training for strength is also fun like who doesn’t want a huge bench squat or deadlift?
Nuff Said !
Being able to raise volume is also raising strength. If for example you can only do ten pushups, then you get stronger an can do 30 pushups, then 50 pushups and so on, you are getting stronger, and the pecs are getting bigger too.
Exactly brother
Hey alex,why don’t you do deadlifts? Or if you do,why don’t record? I have never seen you even talking about it
Bruno Souza he used to do deadlifts few years back.
Running modded naturally enhanced and experiencing this first hand. Just had my first 850 rack pull above the knee on a prom method. I should pull it off the floor in about 1-2 years. Love the channel!
Lol
True, BUT ... as a natural, it's super hard to get strong(er) if you wanna get/stay lean at the same time. What's the point of getting stronger and building more muscle if you have to force feed yourself and get fat? You won't look good that way (unless bear mode is your definition of aesthetics). At the end of the day, you will have to put on a lot of weight (fat) to reach high numbers, just to diet down and lose most of the strength again. For my part, I just wanna stay lean and look decent year round and go for small increases in my numbers at the gym.
See my video on efficient weight gain, you don't need to get fat bro. ua-cam.com/video/htZqeRiwtDc/v-deo.html&t
And you can always do mini-cutting once in a while, your long term performance will do just fine.
True, a friend of mine always gains weight if he plateaus on bench press. I mean all good but you will end up fat as fuck if u always eat and gain weight and never cut
@@AlexLeonidas Still not convinced tho. Last year, I benched 245x3 on incline. This year, I'm 20lbs lighter (not "fat" anymore, visible abs) and guess what my incline bench went down 20lbs too. It was an exact trade-off. Now I'm trying to get to a higher number while staying this lean, but no matter how hard I push, my bench doesn't improve. I will try a little higher volume, but I don't think I can get to that level again without putting on fat (and start looking worse).
@@Mr_Donald_Pump You need to find lifts that suit your build,levers and genetics,im a terrible bencher relative to my overhead lifts so guess what!?...I focus on overhead work....As an example,why does Bob Peoples name stand out in lifting history?...It'd not his bench or press,its his DEADLIFT.
Im not saying be unbalanced but if your lifting for fun,then make it fun by developing what God give you.
If your not a physique competitor then who cares about balanced proportions aesthetically?
He found a lift he was good at and trained it to greatness.
Hey Alex. If just getting strong will get you jacked, what is your opinion on running a pure strength program with very low volume? For someone with hypertrophy-related goals, would it be more optimal over a traditional higher volume approach? Thanks
Just get strong 4Head
Alex can I train 5 days a week and get bigger and stronger or is not the most optimal way?? Do you believe in overtraining? , I am doing: chest/triceps, back/biceps, legs, shoulders, chest/back/arms... Thanks man
How is that routine working for you man? Do you feel energized during the week or with fatigue?
@@unknownsource4359 feel great man but sometimes I train less to increase my recovery
100% true.
❤❤10 sets of 10,60 kg ohp done last week
Basement Bodybuilding has entered the comments section……
More food more 🏋
BUT ALEX, the bodybuilders say you need to do a 5 day split, performing a million isolation exersizes in a workout, squeeze the shit out of your muscles in the 8/12 reprange while eating like 10 meals a day with high proteine and taking 300 different suplements on the side. And bodybuilders are bigger then strenght athleates, so they know what they are doing.
It's true but I've been doing low reps high intensity for a while and recently started to really focus on high sets/reps and have been seeing great gains.
Team fullbody where you at?
Hey Alex , what's the fastest way to increase bench press?
Apart from benching ,what other exercises should I do to spike my numbers to 225.
Bench press specialization, but that said if you're not at 225 I wouldn't recommend an aggressive routine yet.
@@AlexLeonidas thanks man! That was fast
@@AlexLeonidas hey bro what ohp specilization programed do you recommend
Gain weight XD
@@markkart7674 lol I'm already 210 pounds
*JUST GET STRONG LOOOOOOOL 4HEAD*
Sorry?
@@AlexLeonidas memes, my Dude, memes. Gotta know Twitch streamers to get it ;)
There's this other asian guy named Lei Liu who can bench press 500 lbs at a bodyweight of 148 lbs. All raw and no leg drive lol.
Remember kids, no matter how good you think you are, there's always an asian out there somewhere who can do it better.
Jay ha
That made me, an asian feel better about myself
Yeah it's true but sometimes it's not easy to stay consistent in terms of caloric suficit and training
Nice vid
Alex would you consider yourself as having average genetics?
Ran your novice program and made great gains and hit all numbers for the big 3.. But I did put on some fat.. What would you suggest be the best way to cut and not lose as much strength?
Nice job bro, welcome to the intermediate stage!
In your case, slow cutting may be helpful.
What would you say for taller athletes following your program? I'm 6ft 7 following it the naturally enhanced and I'm finding jefferson deadlifts and pendlay rows rather difficult. How can I change these moves?
Its worth mentioning that it is posible to gain strength without mass, purely through neural proficiency (when talking about low reps, 1-5)
however, you cant nervous system your way through reps of 8-15, take for example belladrome cyclists, those guys ALL have huge quads, you cant NS your way through a belladrome race, at some point, to produce that much repetitive force, you need bigger muscles, theres just no way around it (rowers are also a good example, look at their backs).
Dont get me wrong, im not saying to go do gpp and expect muscle gains. Strongmen and bodybuilders are the biggest for a reason.
Getting stronger in the 8-15 rep range is pretty much guaranteed muscle gains, theres just no neural adaptations to be made to that kind of training and you know its just muscle, no two ways about it.
If you go from doing 3 reps with 225lbs on bench press to doing 3 reps with 265lbs then you WILL of got bigger in the process. As you have got measurably stronger.
However, where people get confused is they will go from doing 8 reps on 225lbs to doing 3 reps with 265lbs, I would say in this situation you haven't actually got stronger. In other words someone who can bench 225lbs for 8 already has the muscle mass to bench 265lbs for 3. All you have done is work in a lower rep range and make neurological adaptations.
Thomas James M exactly
Most training methods work just do what works for you and is fun fellas
Hey carrying the 60lb and 100lb kettlebell to work now. My traps have grown so much that I need to start getting new shirts. What brand is good for you big traps?
JUST GET STRONG LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
yeah man
How can I bench press without fear of fucking up? I don't have a power rack or spotter.
Lol really appreciate the MMORPG reference 🤣
Alex I been looking at my body for a while and kinda think it’s impossible for my body type to get lean and what not, like I’ll probably never see my abs. When I get out of my army training I’m hitting the gym and wondering if I should do anything different. I look fluffy and shit.