Responding to comments about my program - Day 4 & 5

[@HeIsVeryMinkas]

One hole in this program is the lack of neck work. I recommend replacing all sets of all exercises with only neck.

[@utgardkraft1412]

Neck deadlifts. Neck bench press. Neck calf raises.

[@beclops]

Neck flyes

[@naughtiousmaximus7853]

Neck weighted dead hang.

[@JauntyWhale]

​@@naughtiousmaximus7853to failure

[@Anonymousdeletedaccount...]

neck jobs

[@techtexan2816]

What I loved about NH is he teaches you to program for yourself. Some optimal bros get all butt hurt about everything - use machines don’t bench- well I like to bench so I’m more likely to push myself and stick to it. Optimal Vs good enough is only a few % points difference so imo it’s more worth it to do what you enjoy and what works for you.

[@Jdm5299]

The irony of the optimal argument is that it doesn't take into account adherence and the likeability of the program/movements. Who does something they don't like lol

[@frankb5728]

It's insane the amount of hate naturals get for not blowing up. Most of the hate comes from DYEL's who get cold feet because they're suddenly realising you can't look like Ronnie Coleman in 2 years.

[@givemeabreak5896]

Most are kids that have the same amount of muscle mass that Alan has in his legs on their upper bodies.

[@jms0313]

Naturals can blow up if they eat and lift heavy. Natural Hypertrophy’s programs are straight garbage

[@travishowrish6805]

Even for a natural Alan looks like garbage. Dude has been lifting 10+ years and cant fill out a medium.

[@rbarreira2]

I agree with Alan that if one has the time to explore, there's more than enough good content for natural bodybuilding on KZbin. Channels like Sean Nalewanyj, Geoffrey Verity Schofield, Natural Hypertrophy, Alex Leonidas, Basement bodybuilding etc. No need to pay for expensive coaches unless you want someone to handhold you every step of the way.

[@BillLinAZ]

I will add the if you want to purchase a book, GVS's books are really good and not expensive at all. In fact, he probably doesn't charge enough.

[@hristodiveri7559]

I know you said etc. but just wanted to add Bald Omni man's name there as he was the one that introduced me to everyone else :))

[@frankb5728]

You forgot Sam Sulek

[@madlad5710]

​@@frankb5728no

[@Ignore14]

I like Sam Sulek but a lot of his advice is typical steroid user advice. Especially when he said that your split/frequency don't matter as long as you're hitting muscle groups twice a week. A lot of muscle groups can be hit 3 or 4 times a week.

[@Blondeguylifts]

As someone who loves bodybuilding and powerlifting, I love this series!

[@georgeroberts6875]

Anyone saying Alan hasn’t gained muscle is mad, I think his progress is insane for how long he is lifting

[@AMan-vs4vs]

Internet is full of uninformed kids

[@chaosdisciple3052]

You can see it in his upper arms for sure.

[@Ferris.]

Many dont realise that it takes longer to put on muscle the more years you train. The increase is not linear, apart if you take gear.

[@wigletron2846]

His bis/tris look bigger now than when he was 50lbs heavier doing strongman

[@JustinBaronofsky]

His legs are massive!

[@charliehaskell1926]

I’d love to see an Alan Thrall/Renaissance Periodization collaboration.

[@michaellupu2080]

​@@MindfulMovementPracticeagreed, but having said this, Alex Leonidis is very much aligned with NH and he had multiple colabs with RP. One just last week and another a month ago. You can learn from everyone, even if you don't agree with them down the line. Alan colabed with Mark Bell in the past...

[@xroyalblood5472]

@@MindfulMovementPractice No one at RP promotes PEDs what are you talking about lol

[@homegymr.e.c9784]

I dont think it will match, They try to be too "strict" with somethings, besides the PED side of it

[@rbarreira2]

​@@MindfulMovementPracticeAgreed, I would rather not see Alan associate with people who glorify the use of steroids (intentionally or not).

[@raginbullfrog]

​@@MindfulMovementPracticeaccept Jeff Nippard is a regular with them.

[@raginbullfrog]

Thank you Alan. I'd listen to NH or Basement Bodybuilding, other natties, and yourself of course over a lot of KZbinrs. There is a lot of hobbyists like myself that appreciate the honest content. Nothing is perfect and it's nice to learn and grow together. We sometimes forget what a process natural muscle building is. It's a process to be enjoyed. Train untamed!!!

[@BasementBodybuilding]

Machine power shrugs looking cleeeean

[@MrAntonioCapone]

It reminded me of some instructional video I saw for the move, some underground stuff.

[@LBJedi]

Regarding your excellent response to the “program holes” comment, I would like to add one more thing. There is also the concept in non-competitive bodybuilding of building the body you want to have personally. Your concept of your ideal physique will almost certainly differ from someone else. A program should reflect your personal goals. For example, I like to have a more streamlined lower body, and my program reflects that. Is is ideal for tge perfect competitive X-frame? Absolutely not. Would it therefore look riddled with holes to someone who had that X physique as their goal? Yep! It fits me though, and that’s what matters😊

[@abumuad]

That row bench looks freaking awesome

[@RSuave545]

Seal Rows are chaddy

[@m.i.c.h.o]

I need it

[@danielprest5887]

Its a great exercise. It humbles you also, you cant lift as much as you think you can. Some peoples ego might not like that, doesn't bother me though.

[@sexmansex4776]

its expensive as fuck tho 😢

[@erickg667]

​@@danielprest5887It's great if you have a controlled tempo, but even if you don't. I must confess that I'm a bit addicted to do them Kyriakos mode😅

[@tysjt]

Choosing movements that really stretch the target muscle and slowing the eccentric has been a massive boon for me, thanks to RP for those (and many more but the above are game changers)

[@Freynightwalker]

Great discussion as you are going, Alan. I particularly liked the reminder that not losing or gaining weight does not mean you are not benefiting. Pay attention to body changes and how clothes fit. Great points.

[@aubietigerton1807]

At the end you mention the one thing that bothers me about other lifters. Some guys actually believe there is ONE way to train and any other way is no good. But then why are there so many systems that exist and are effective? They never look at that. It just shows how much they don't know about weightlifting. High intensity/low volume or low intensity/high volume are two systems which both work to build muscle and strength. I find it useful to incorporate a bit of both at appropriate times in my training journey.

[@MasoNowa]

Everybody nitpicks the 1% difference between all top programs/lifters instead of focusing on the 99% they have in common.

[@davidkymdell452]

That's also a symptom of the modern day keyboard warrior though....everything is binary, black and white, my way or the highway etc. and it applies to many topics, not just bodybuilding. I doubt it was like this say 30-40 years ago.

[@MoralesCorner]

​@@davidkymdell452that's a bias every human tends to, you need to be educated in this to be able to see beyond it. Look at politics or sports. People tend to be sectarian and see things as picking one side out of two extremes.

[@dividendking3686]

NH inspired me to build my own program, I've been on it for almost a year now. Good and steady gains. Progression is slow but constant. 💪🏻

[@ierit3796]

Your tips for learning power liting movements have been fantastic for me. Thank you. Bodybuilders attack the muscles from all angles but most of your work is one plane; forward and back or up and down only. Bodybuilders make good use of dumbells and cables. Arnold has spoken about stressing eccentrics in most movements. The guys not doing eccentrics were leaving half the rep on the table. As an advanced lifter, all the extra techniques bodybuilders use are fair game for you, like drop-sets, etc. Thank you for all the work you have put into your videos. I wish you continued success in all things.

[@user-dn4lg1dv5v]

You are 💯 correct, as a natural bodybuilder you have to get stronger on the movement patterns you choose to do. Progressive overload always has to be apart of the equation if you want to continue to grow. Lower reps still cause hypertrophy in the body. 3-30 is the latest research. All rep ranges should be performed. Respect, you can definitely tell you are main gaining correctly. As for the program, it seems to be tailored to your specific needs and/ or preferences. This is exactly what you need if you are training for yourself and not completing. Enjoying your program is of the utmost importance, you are gonna be far more consistent if you are doing what you enjoy. God bless

[@bobnewkirk7003]

I really appreciate this coverage of your journey. I was fortunate enough to start my lifting journey in this community and so I have managed to avoid a ton of pitfalls along the way. Each of the Natural channels in this space have a perspective and style that is worth understanding. NH is a great choice as he feels, to me, like the most balanced between the Workhorses (GVS) and Powerhouses (AL) and as such has been a great asset in developing my own program. RE plugging holes in your program: I tried to do that once, I ended up with a 48 movement program that took me all day to do. It took me a long time but actually sitting down and prioritizing what I wanted let me build something that fit with my schedule and more importantly I have stuck with. I plan to do this a long time so there will be plenty of time to rotate movements in and out to address issues.

[@matthewdavidson7283]

Yeah you are gaining muscle dude. People are clueless about what muscle gain actually looks like, especially naturally.

[@stevenhalloway1736]

That nice controlled tempo will work them muscles better for bodybuilding and save the body. Keep doing your thing man.

[@sebastionchosay3620]

I follow thrall 5/3/1 and I still eat his bulking diet but I love his new content best KZbin fitness guy ever

[@sonicwave32]

3:04 honestly this is a big gripe I have with the term "RPE". It stands for "rate of perceived exertion" on a scale of 1-10, but doesn't mean that at all and literally just indicates reps in reserve, which is unintuitive and people seem to confuse it all the time. RIR communicates the same thing but is way more intuitive IMO.

[@ddpwe5269]

You've made a great transition to bodybuilding, Alan! Dispelling perceived notions that many of us had!

[@Daywalkr]

looking huge and dropping knowledge as always. Biggest fitness motivation on youtube

[@Jerry-zf3ip]

just give us some more of those squat jump shorts.

[@zwryy7622]

Swear I had to look at the thumbnail for a good minute before I understood the eldritch beast over Alan's head was actually a seal

[@caleb_wesman]

I agree 100% about pause reps being great with tendon / joint issues. My experience has been that the spring response is brutal on my joints, whereas a pause is brutal onthe muscles but the joints seem to like it

[@mlpreiss]

I wish my gym had a bench that adjusted vertically so I could could do chest-supported rows and spider curls. It does have equipment that many other commercial gyms don't have, like a trap bar and a Swiss bar.

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

Commercial gyms don't have trap bars? Wow, that's discouraging to hear as someone who has a trap bar even in my crappy garage gym but wants to finally start going to a real gym for better/more equipment.

[@mlpreiss]

Some do, but many don't. At least that's my experience. YMMV.

[@Finnalychangedmyname]

oh thats a great idea to have 1 leg down with the spider curl

[@porqpine53]

The RDLs on that shrugger go hard as hell

[@sxhrgvs]

Really enjoying these vids. Programme looks good to me and, as you said, it’s about what you’ll enjoy and stick to. It’s not about optimal, whatever that means, unless you’re competing. Keep up the great work.

[@ChaviFit]

I loved the natural hypertrophy crossover. I took the plan he gave you and moved things around a bit to my preferences. No holes, just preference.

[@minorityvoice9253]

Love your content brother. And your down to earth approach, honest and full of integrity.

[@florkiler6242]

I like your approach to how fast muscle can grow mister its nice to see some of these natural lifter reality from time to time

[@knightveg]

The comments what you were responding to are typical people who have been influenced by social media influencers who are not really that informative You can not get more classic bodybuilding than an upper and lower body workout program Your body transformation is going well Keep training hard

[@TheHaiku2]

Wish my gym had a cambered football bar, we've got one with no camber, can't get a good RoM with it. I have a bicep tendon issue, that's why I'm using the football bar.

[@TERAFIT8999]

Love your work Alan! You are learning so much, we all are learning so much. I wish all fitness youtubers would switch up what theyre doing and narrate how its going! Love what you said about the most optimal program is the one that you are going to follow. Keep these vids coming!

[@kalandonor]

The biceps gains are so visible Alan! Congrats on the gains! Keep going! I'm very curious about the results after one year. I hope you are making regular photos to document the journey! 😃

[@DONQUIIIXOTE]

Idk if you gained muscle but what I can see is that you looked stacked, you feel great and you’re enjoying what you’re doing. That’s a win.

[@NONO-hz4vo]

@12:46 he makes a point that a lot of newer/younger lifters may not value as much as they will with experience. Some workouts are really good and you enjoy them a lot and are seeing great progress. After a ~6 months though it is probably wise to modify it a lot. Not necessarily in terms of the muscles you are working but in terms of the lifts that you use. Your body has a lot of smaller muscles and a lot of tendons/joints. Making sure all the muscles are balanced is key to injury prevention and making sure you limit the repeated stress on the tendons and joints goes along with that.

[@scooobyj8714]

Looks like a great program. Don’t listen to the haters. My take is do whatever keeps you motivated, having fun and in the gym

[@jeanpaulkassdale]

Loving the series. Also natties should take advice from natties and not enhanced, it's just not the same game. I've been running a program from NH for a few months myself and the results are FANTASTIC, period.

[@oafkad]

Posting fitness videos on the internet is a quick way to get "experts" coming out of the woodwork.

[@strength4all185]

There are many natural trainers out there sharing excellent content surrounding routines, mindset, mobility and general health that YT and IG algorithms do not give the time of day

[@brettperkins4643]

Training is hard, its harder when your running your own business, great job, keep it up

[@robinc.9845]

I`m actually reconsidering my Training Program. I come from 3 time a week Full Body (2h each, 6h week) and 3 times Running (Marathon Training) with 1-2 additional Crosstrain Sesssions (Elliptical, Swim, Bike). I ran Berlin Marathon in 3:26h and since my Home Gym is Ready now (Cable, Powerrack, Dumbbels) i restructured to 6x PPL (6h x week) with 4 runs and 1 additional Cardio Crosstrain. Now i didn`t put up my trainingvolume that much BUT it feels way harder since you have basically 2 Sessions a day. I think i will go to a 4-5 x Upper Lower with maybe the 5th day some accessory and stretching. As Winter is coming, i want to hold my cardio fitness high to go into marathon prep in Januar (First Marathon in April) and i have the feeling that i don`t get it done with a 6x PPL... would love to hear your thoughts, great Content! Keep it up!

[@raymondjurado9203]

The T-Shirt test of hypertrophy is real. Great video.

[@zerrodefex]

Especially these days with so many t-shirts being made with tiny sleeve holes to hide how small most males arms are. My old t-shirts from the late 90s and early 2000s fit so much better than those made in the last 10 years.

[@Ethereum1789]

​@@zerrodefex Living in your own reality.

[@DrewPeabawls]

Anyone else here following the program? I am in my home gym and have had to get creative with all the movements that use cable machines. I find that with a barbell, plates, squat rack, flat bench, kettlebells and rings, I can get this all done! Looking forward to day 3 tomorrow.

[@Dravok]

How did you substitute the Swiss bar bench?

[@DrewPeabawls]

@@Dravok just use heavy dumbbells and set up my flat bench on blocks against the wall for the wanted incline

[@jacefletcher113]

Love it Alan! Thanks for a little inside look on your current training!

[@LatimusChadimus]

It's still wild seeing you bodybuild. Wild aka Untamed 😉

[@atlaspowershrugged]

Are you actually trying to recomp without bulking? And Of course NH would give you katana tricep extensions.

[@fuaadmohamed7926]

Pretty sure he’s in a reasonable surplus. There is no reason to slow down his progress

[@harrydennis6854]

Looking great Alan! You've definitely improved your physique noticeably 👊

[@freekaya7777]

Appreciate these videos, I’ve learned a lot.

[@ShadBo]

Damn, B, if your upper body ever catches up to your legs you'll be absolutely winnin the Mr. U on a DAY-LEE. I've really been enjoying this series. Thanks for all the years of awesome content.

[@domepiece11]

His body has always been really leg dominant though. He has a video with a photo of him in USMC boot camp at 165lbs- normal arms with huge tree trunk legs, even then. It’s just his build. But yeah, his arms will catch up a bit.

[@penumbramine]

If you need a good trap movment in rotation a landmine highpull is gold. it looks like a meadows row but extremely chested and with a verticle torso at the top. the important part is just eating the eccentric. I start from a dead stop, explode up, slow down, reset to a dead stop, repeat.

[@nickstutts8441]

Alan's VMO development is insane (seen especially during his neck extensions)

[@AH-gc5rt]

Love your muscle tendon explanation regarding exercise choice

[@ParvParashar]

Great video! You’re an inspiration. Keep up the incredible work. 💪🙏👍

[@ROHITBIRJERANE]

Love your mindset! Safe to say you're a noble natty.

[@hafeez1hammad]

Been waiting for this thanks Alan!

[@kieranl7933]

That neck exercise, my upper traps are constantly tight. May give these a try to see if they will help. Thank you for sharing your routine

[@ibliss8350]

I originally saw the Bulgarian split squat + Hyperextension superset and thought that was a pretty insane superset. Mr. Thrall took that and cranked the difficulty up to 100 by doing front squats + RDL

[@Race_Fans_United]

Great video, as usual! Keep it up!!

[@whatsgoogle8505]

Wish I could super like this, gold gold gold gold

[@mussolman]

16:22 Heh, he said "jacked off"

[@tomsettles6873]

Alan - I'm naturally thin and I built 18 1/2" arms without drugs. I found the best tricep mass builder is v-bar pushdown on a single-pulley cable machine. I started with skullcrushers and those worked well to a certain point (17 1/2" arms). I found that close-grip bench, overhead rope, and dips are all inferior to v-bar pushdowns on a single-pulley cable. Unfortunately most gyms don't have single-pulley cable machines so you might have to buy one.

[@drvenhrd46]

Wow untamed made a nice change on gym 2 place looks clean

[@florkiler6242]

would be so awesome to se some collabs with more natural lifters where you guys just kind of hang out between sets cracking jokes and sharing past experiences not only from the gym pretty please?

[@ethan-sq6zv]

Man I really wish I had one of those seal row benches at my gym it looks so cool

[@Bjorn_R]

0:41 this. I had biceps/shoulder issues for 8 months. They slooooowly got better. I started doing inc db press 2 months ago with light weight, max ROM and controlled technique work. I am finally starting to press mostly pain free, add more weight and actually get a little pec pump. The extra focus on technique, tempo and ROM really kills the weight I can lift though, not that it matters, but I can still remember what I used to press 😅

[@gdzillar]

I switched from a PPL split where I had 0 shoulder pain to a different routine and started to experience shoulder issues. Realized later that it's because I was doing the same amount of pressing but much less rear-delt work (both direct and indirect), 0 rotator cuff, 0 facepulls and almost no vertical pulls with a wider grip (like lat pulldowns). Once I started training rear delts, rotator cuff, vertical pulls, and standing ohp (not seated), my shoulder pain improved drastically, so maybe your issue could be the same.

[@gdzillar]

And banded shoulder health exercises daily. If you fuck up your shoulders you simply can't train your upper body anymore since every upper body exercise involves the shoulder in some way, So gotta take shoulder health seriously.

[@thenewinquisition2392]

Work your way towards doing German Hangs. I had same niggle, tried them and realised my muscles were so tight i could barely grab the bar, took 2 months for my shoulders, bi and chest could stretch that much to take my bodyweight. (Yet i did this shit all the time as a kid on the monkeybars)

[@ChristianTurnerLifts]

Temper your expectations, well said.

[@Justobserving9291]

Good Work! F the haters! Looking good

[@fortressofswolitude]

Great video. I like the programming, will look back for the original with N. H.

[@gfmbklf]

Hi Alan!! I made the same transition from Olympic weightlifting/powerlifting to bodybuilding about 3 years ago. Something I noticed about your execution of movements was almost no emphasis on eccentrics. (At least consistently) They may take some time to get used to however they are very very well worth it, for example I think your RDL’s could be capitalized on by taking a 2-3 count tempo on the way down. Please try it for your warmups + working sets, even if it means that you can’t go as heavy as you normally do, the effectiveness of your sets will skyrocket! Become a master of eccentric control. This is highly overlooked in hypertrophy training but it’s what will typically set apart a lot of novice hypertrophy enthusiast’s from more advanced trainees. If you ever want to chat about this hit me up, I’ve helped sooooooo many advanced powerlifters/Olympic weightlifters with their accessory work/hypertrophy work. It would be my pleasure to pay it forward to you.

[@silverbulletcapitalllc]

Can you talk about your nutrition/diet strategy during this bodybuilding program?

[@FitFighter15]

Thanks for answering my question about Running..

[@espendahl9719]

Great program Alan.😎😎💪💪🔥🔥

[@ivandelac764]

Its true that some coaches who aren't social media are really good, I'd argue that the top end of them are till a LOT better than those who need to sell their knowledge online. That being said, I my professional opinion about NH is best to be kept for myself. But on the other hand, you can't argue with results. If it works, it works.

[@michaellk2254]

Alex Bromley collab would be fire

[@gerym341]

Great video. Thank you.

[@johnhockley6070]

This is such a good video

[@kevinxiang1911]

haha the "leave me alone, plz" made my laugh out loud.

[@KB-vv8gr]

I'd be interested to see if Alan Thrall eventually adopts intensity techniques such as those recommended by TNF.

[@Secretname951]

Watching I just realised there’s an easier way I can set up near vertical incline press

[@K4R3N]

That's a cool row setup. I miss T-bar.

[@ab3585]

Are you related to the buff dudes that sounds like a collaboration🎉

[@yuvalyoc]

We need an Allen Thrall and Jeff Nippard collab asap

[@michaelderenne9838]

Man i need a seal row in my gym but i am completely out of room in my gym

[@TheAyatollahofNofappollah]

Thanks!

[@nathanfriedman5092]

Have you practiced posing? I know you’re not lifting to get on stage but may be worthwhile as extra stimulus/helpful for physique updates? Also, natural hypertrophy does them regularly so maybe an assumption but would think they have some benefit. Glad you’re enjoying this program 👍🏼

[@JayJay-hb5ig]

Oh man the worst part about lifting and dieting correctly is keeping clothes that fit.

[@JayMoney-hd1jl]

Would you consider doing a continuation of the Ground Zero video?

[@Jsammy_]

There is absolutely no chance I heard anything you said having to stare at that dumper half the video

[@GilTavassy]

Train on time!

[@PBLinn158]

Alan, I have the same EliteFts collegiate rack. Thing is a tank.

[@LatimusChadimus]

To me it sounds exhausting to go through so many sets and reps to activate bigger motor units to get enough stimulus to build muscle when you can do that for conditioning as a form of recovery for the bigger lifts since lifting heavy recruits the bigger motor units much faster, with lower reps. 6-8, in my book, is reserved for power training/speed training but I can attest and have heard its value doing 6 reps for hypertrophy. I don't go above 17 reps (exceptions to breathing squats), and 25-30 reps are for tendon health

[@demonslayer5613]

Can you give your take on mike mentzers way of training? It makes sense to me to train really intense and take a good amount of days off for recovery. It seems like your lifting alot and not taking too many rest days

[@mactimo333]

Your front squat is crazy strong relative to your other lifts imo. What is your PR on from squats?I'm 52 and shooting for 315 next month. Your channel is a big reason I started squatting a couple years ago. Thanks!

[@mactimo333]

Front*

[@xntumrfo9ivrnwf]

I also train on Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, and Sat. How is this coincidence relevant? It's not. Well I guess it's nice to have Sunday off

[@jonphillips2514]

Could you please share what dip belt / weighted pullup belt you are using? It looks pretty secure wrapped completely around the waist.