Ask Al - Gaining Mass with Calisthenics

[@saurabhgarg5676]

Hi Al One thing I admire about you that though your are the best in Calisthenics and your knowledge is superb but you don't force anyone to follow your beliefs. That is great.

[@benwarner468]

This guy is brilliant. He provides practical and powerful wisdom, and has boosted my appreciation for calisthenics. The steroid and supplement comments are mind blowing.

[@STIXAHOY]

the whole self esteem thing at the end was spot ON .......

[@Arthax83]

Probably one of your best video, Al! 🙏🏻

[@tr1ckster726]

I really needed to hear the last minute about chasing huge muscles. I just want to be strong and flexible.

[@TylerInTraining]

Iirc Coach Sommer said that isometric holds also help with building muscle mass, since it taps into the time under tension principle. Solid video as always Al.

[@Nigel__]

Best fitness advice I’ve ever heard. You’re the man, Al.

[@petergeneva]

Hey hey hey Al: always generous, humorous and knowledge-ous. Thanks man.

[@warrenellis1023]

Always follow your own reason, intuition, and first hand experience. Great life advice after great fitness advice. 💎

[@32aque]

Al always gives great advice. Thank you!

[@roivosemraiva]

This is well intended advice from a person who knows. We workout to be healthy. Thank you for your information on this myth about getting Massive!.. Genetics plays an important role on how much your muscles grow massively...

[@Antarmy2]

Great advice Al, 👍

[@cheerfulheartdeepmind685]

So inspiring as usual Al...high reps with basics always wins👍 by the way... are you still doing one arm push ups? Or doing basics only with some weight lifting?

[@hellboyarun9673]

Iam very very inspired your workouts and your skills. Brother iam 38 years old , 5.11 inch height, 210 pounds, please give me calisthenics workout routine for shred.

[@RJ-lq9ey]

Hey Al! Thank you for your videos, your're the real deal, keep up the good work! I'm 47 and just bought a copy of your new book "Old Man Strength" and enjoyed your advice and workout plans. Since you recommend doing multiple sets of each exercise I wondered about your opinion on "High Intensity Training", i. e. doing one set of each (bodyweight) exercise and take it to failure in a time frame of 60-90 seconds with very slow and controlled movements (4 seconds concentric, 2 seconds hold, 4 seconds eccentric). Could it be as effective and maybe preserve joints from overuse due to too many reps, especially in "older age" (40 and beyond)?

[@jasonashley4579]

I'm 42, you're far from old.

[@shanir97]

I like your attitude 👌 Thx for your videos

[@michellejones4110]

Thank you!

[@TheEladin]

Well said Al

[@chapulinnemx1383]

Definitely you’re right Simpler is better

[@farhanhussain_]

I do acknowledge the importance of calisthenics but only as a way to build muscular endurance and strength endurance. It builds decent muscle but only to a certain limit. Beyond that, one has to use weights, either as weighted calisthenics or a separate lifting session, if he plans to maximize hypertrophy potential and participate in any physique related competition or bodybuilding. Basic problem with calisthenics is that, no matter how advanced variations you use, progression means more reps/volume and no one can keep piling up infinite volume. Volume driven approach doesn't suit many people.

[@RJ-is9ko]

it's why I do weighted calisthenics for one set of each exercise to failure. saves time and I'm getting bigger.

[@frog6054]

I've been doing calisthenics for 2 years and my muscles is still growing. Although, maybe it's also due growth hormone cause I'm 18.

[@davepazz580]

If you think calisthenics is only good for "endurance" then you aren't really training correctly... if you've made up your mind that the *only* way to progress in calisthenics is just piling on more and more reps and sets, your results are going to show that, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the reality of the situation. Believe it or not, *real* progress in calisthenics muscle-building doesn't come from more reps and volume, but actually from *less* reps and volume... only a rank beginner can measure his progress by just rep numbers, but once you are no longer a beginner, you have to change your mentality about muscle stimulation training and realize you have to make your reps *harder* and you should be doing *less* work overall as your ability to tear down muscles in a concentrated way improves. Instead of doing more reps, try cutting your reps in half but doing them *slower* than you ever have before... go so slow that you're mentally and physically burned out with only half the reps you did previously. Still think that's too easy? Try adding brief pauses with those slow reps just before lockout... hold... then complete the rep slow as before. When you lift weights, you train your mind to think just slapping on more weights is the only way to make it harder... but with calisthenics, you instead have to think in terms of eliminating all momentum "help" possible to "increase" the load on your working muscles while putting all your mental energy into that movement. Proper, results-producing calisthenics is actually very boring to look at and won't win you many Instagram likes or make your social media followers drool over themselves watching you... but it delivers just as good results as anything else (yes even weight training). You mentioned physique competitions and bodybuilding... the truth is for average people not taking any drugs whatsoever, the process of becoming lean for a competition means they are not going to hold onto the same mass level as when they were taking in a lot of calories anyway. Look at more bodybuilders at drug-free shows (I mean the *real* drug-free shows, not competitions where a guy weighs 200 lbs. ripped to the bone claiming to be "natural")... once these guys get really lean, you see these "bodybuilders" could've done nothing but calisthenics for months and *still* ended up with the same body on-stage. In other words, muscle mass is *most* dependent on your calorie intake, not you lifting weights.

[@frog6054]

@@davepazz580 Wow, I've seen you commenting about this for *years* on every kind of calisthenics videos You're really passionate about muscle building using calisthenics, I bet you have a lots of useful knowledge. I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking you. What do you think about going to muscular failure on every sets? Do you think it's necessary? Scientific research have shown that it's not really necessary and you only need 3 reps in reserve to get a good amount of growth, what your opinion on it? By slowing down our reps and progressive overload with adding pauses, how many sets and reps exactly do you think optimal for us to do? Do we have to just follow the 15 sets per muscle per week as shown in studies? Do you think it's enough to build a muscular big legs (including bigger calf) with calisthenics and lighter weight (under 30kg) by slowing down reps and adding pauses? There is a flawed study that shown slow reps are suboptimal for muscle growth, and at the end of the day, studies show that it's doesn't matter how fast you do the reps, as long as it's performed close to failure, it's will produce growth, what do you think about it? Or you recommend slowing down the reps so we could save more time? Do you think resting for 3 minutes between sets is optimal for muscle growth? And lastly, thank you, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us 😁

[@davepazz580]

@@frog6054 Thank you and yes, I've been doing calisthenics exclusively for the last several years (as far back as you can find my comments in these videos)... but I started by lifting weights and I used to be obsessed with bodybuilding, I actually lifted weights for nearly 20 years before I switched to calisthenics and I never regretted doing so. I'll answer your questions the best way I can... Going to "failure" is important for building muscle and it works well for this goal, but you have to be mindful about how you use it... it's a fine line between just enough intensity and overkilling your muscle and recovery (I've made that mistake before in my life), the latter will slow down your overall progress too much. That said, using high intensity is something you have to personally experiment with... the point isn't to kill your muscles any way you can, but to *properly* work the muscle as best as possible (proper form, slow reps, concentrated contractions, etc.) *while* pushing it to the limit. Also experiment with how well you recover from such workouts... not everyone takes to it well. So yes, I do believe training to failure is necessary, but only under the right conditions (getting enough rest and allowing recovery to take place). I can't speak on what "studies" say because I only go by what I try and what works for me personally... there are times when I just don't have it in me to take my sets to failure (such as when I come back from a layoff or if I didn't get enough sleep the night before), in those causes I just train moderately hard but don't go to failure. As far as optimal sets and reps, that's again another individual matter you have to experiment with... I will say in my own training I rarely do more than 3 sets for any body part or movement in a single workout (with the exception of ring dips and pull-ups because I find these 2 movements *very* difficult to fully fatigue with a small number of sets, they are strong muscles that require more work for me anyway)... when I hit a muscle a second time in a week, it's a lighter session that's difficult but not totally exhausting like the first one at the start of the week. About legs... yes, calisthenics is enough to build large legs but understand that the people with outstanding large legs were likely born with the right genetics for that. I've seen *tons* of just do nothing but heavy squats and leg presses for years and *still* not end up with anything close to "bodybuilder" legs... so genetics matter a lot in the final result regardless. I will say I do use weights for calves specifically (I hold a dumbbell in my hand when doing single-calf raises) the reason is calves are *very* tough, dense muscles that really require a ton of work to exhaust (far more than the thighs)... I used to just do bodyweight single-calf raises, but the sheer amount of time it took to fully kill my calves (even with slow reps) soon became counterproductive in terms of my overall energy. It can be done with only bodyweight though, it's just not time efficient.

[@atenas80525]

QUESTION - if we don't have the strength to do advanced body weight exercises (pull-ups, hand stand push-ups, etc.) is it maybe our body's way of telling us we are not ready to put the mass on? Should we prioritize strength before mass? It is certainly doable with weights to exceed your bone/connective "readiness" for weight but be muscularly ready. Do body weight exercises act as a "circuit breaker" to let you know if you are ready to move on? I hope that makes some sense.

[@davepazz580]

No, it only means you have to start with easier versions of those basic calisthenics movements and slowly work your way up to harder versions over time...

[@josegalamba5570]

Very nice advice!

[@supertitanium3051]

Hey hey hey Al. How would you adapt Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty principles to the training routines in the Convict Conditioning book?

[@michellejones4110]

You're brilliant with a top body. Any diet advice for us girls?

[@KrizsanEndre]

Well said!

[@a-terrible-fate532]

People have a lot of body dysmorphia, what they think is not very big is actually pretty aesthetic and decently well. Muscled. I would say your physique is fairly aesthetic and looks fit and strong. You have enough muscle without being too big.

[@ryanhookstra9685]

Great advice Al!

[@budokarate6212]

Great video, Al

[@NDemanuele1]

Awesome video! This is something definitely on people's minds! I do a combo of both: Weights and Calisthenics. And I'm in the same boat as you - not trying to gain mass. I am 50 and been questioning if I should discontinue weights and just stick to calisthenics. Lately I been burned out of my routine since I haven't changed it in awhile. I am taking a few weeks off to rest while I contemplate how to change my routine. I am mainly after functional conditioning. One of my hobbies is Mountain Biking which is a primary motivation to exercise as conditioning for that. Maybe you can give me some additional knowledge! Thanks!!

[@cheerfulheartdeepmind685]

I'm 50 too and what works best for me is high reps slow perfect form basics like dips pull ups rows and push ups... I only do 1 set each with high reps to failure... each rep takes 3 seconds.... I also add some weight lifting again high reps for 1 set only each... I do full body 3 times a week.... I tried everything and found this template works for me best... don't waste your time and energy on volume doing sets far from failure... instead do one quality set for 15 to 25 reps each exercise.... variety is key and get your volume from increasing reps not adding sets.... intensity is important.. so get close to failure every exercise... vary your rest period between 2 to 3 min each exercise set .. Pseudo planche push up is an amazing chest builder! Add this into your routine.... My workout usually takes 20 to 30 min and I am very muscular and strong despite my age....

[@andreavillani880]

Hi Al, i don't even understand which muscle i need to improve to pass from a pull up to a muscle up. any advice ?

[@swethankalinga9694]

Hey al, I just wanted to know how many days should I workout per week.i just do pushups pullups and single leg squats along with jumprope.Please make a video on this

[@daveparker2090]

Coolest thing about Calisthenics and having great body weight to strength ratio, is at your kids Ninja warrior Birthday party and the 52 yo Dad is showing the 19 yo instructor how to do Faux Grip pullup's and lever's. 😁

[@viniciozanella7106]

great video!

[@numba1baller4life]

That was a nice jab at Kali muscle lol.

[@papasitoman]

Good points. FYI, I got FAR more attention from the ladies as a slimmer man than I did as a bigger, stronger man (I was also fluffier).

[@GarglingBulldog]

Awesome vid Al!

[@CarlMarvin]

Hi Al! What workout routine would you recommend for someone just looking to "bulletproof" their body against the rigors of an everyday active lifestyle? Not looking to get ultra big or ultra strong, just want to make sure I can continue to be as active as I can be as I age!

[@giorgoameling]

Hey, Al! I was wondering if it's better to do push, pull, legs or upper body, lower body as a routine weekly workout.? I try to vary a bit and do a combination of weights and calisthenics. Love you're video's!!

[@J01123]

In their (Danny and Al) Get Strong book they have you doing full body 3x a week for basic stuff. Then as you progress you do an upper/lower split 4x a week. For me, doing the upper lower split every other day has been awesome because you get 3 days rest before hitting same muscle over again, but still workout every other day.

[@gavriel4137]

Hi Al great info as always. My question is do you workout one body part a week or do you do push, pull, leg in the same workout a few times a week?

[@1987filozof]

I enjoy this episode :)

[@LeanSt]

How far are you in the planch?

[@paulcarlson4230]

Old guy here, health and longevity and some trail running .and being helpful to others, but hey take that with a grain of salt

[@ashishshukla36]

Hey hey hey Al! Can you please clarify this sentence "... And if you are not strong enough to those things, don't worry about building mass yet..."

[@alkavadlo]

Hey hey hey, Ashish! Another way of saying it is this: Get good at those basics first before you worry about gaining mass.

[@ashishshukla36]

@@alkavadloUnderstood! Thank you for the quick response.

[@dakotawright2811]

Hey Al I've read a few of your books and I know you and your brother drink mostly water but what do you think about those Mio squirts that you can put in your water to flavor it? Do you feel that those are safe to use when there's no sugar and no carbs or do you think they have some kind of chemical in them and I should ignore them

[@alkavadlo]

I’m not familiar with that particular product but I think you’d probably be better off just drinking plain water

[@radercalisthenics]

Wisdom! the older I get, the less space I'd like to take up.

[@JackAcid]

Loved this! Earned a sub from me!

[@tg8269]

HEY HEY HEY!!!!!

[@richardmason7840]

Hey hey hey skinny Al, very good advice thank you. Keep up the good work and don't forget the Good News 1 Corinthians 15 Be Blessed & Enjoy ELOHIM !

[@MrBeefyweefs]

[@hdcustoms503]

Strong wisdom 101……..

[@tthotty8679]

He look like Freddie Gibbs

[@viveviveka2651]

Most women don't even like over-muscled guys. It isn't an attractive look to most people.

[@redturtlepants]

I'm a woman and I agree 😁.

[@strengthedgefitness8301]

@@iii___iii I’m sure there are dudes out there like that. But, for a LOT of men who have families (wife, kids) being bigger puts out an image of “don’t fuck with this”. That’s me. You never know when you’re gonna run into someone who wants to ruin your day. It has absolutely nothing to do with a masculinity failure issue. Edit: I’m not on the juice lol being big is cool but not that important

[@strengthedgefitness8301]

@@iii___iii Yyyyyeeaaahhhhhh you don’t get it.

[@strengthedgefitness8301]

@@iii___iii ok.

[@viveviveka2651]

A lot depends on where you are, and the people and places you are around. If, for example, you are in the world of scholars, it really isn't an issue. On the other hand, if you spend time in bars, especially rougher bars, then it becomes much more of an issue. In the most of the art world, it isn't an issue. In rowdy sports and parties, it can be a real issue. In the scientific world, doing research, or engineering on a fairly high level, it's not an issue. In prisons and random rough neighborhoods, and roughneck subcultures, it's a real issue. There are more examples, but that's the general picture. It's a spectrum, all the way from it doesn't matter at all, to very rarely, to not so rarely, to frequently. Situational avoidance makes a lot of sense. Just stay with the gentle, more civilized places and people.... Another issue is that there are muscular guys who feel challenged by other muscular guys. They'll call them out or pick a fight. I've seen it. Arnold used to get this quite a bit. Pythagoras said that developing your mind makes more sense than developing your body. Those ancient philosophers had some good things to say. There are videos with short, pointed quotes from Pythagoras and others. Personally, I prefer being fit and strong but not bulky. Al Kavadlo's is about as far as I would care to go with bulk. I used to value being really cut, but now that isn't an ideal I subscribe to as much. If women are shown pictures of a group of guys with their shirts off, they don't choose the bulky, muscular ones or the really cut ones as much as they do the ones who look fit but more relaxed, and not so sharply cut and defined. But I'm not really shooting for that either (out to appeal to women) at this point. I've held different goals at different times, but now it's about feeling healthy and good energy and vibes.