Exercise Variations, High Frequency, Size Gains (Q&A)

[@joshwilliams6517]

Alex looking significantly bigger lately. So dope

[@AlexLeonidas]

Preciate that Josh! Big PRs coming 👊

[@KarmasPerjury]

@@AlexLeonidas yeah your arms look bigger

[@joetaylor7442]

Yeah he looks like he has a different body than the previous 4 years I’ve watched.

[@HenchPig]

@@AlexLeonidas 100% looking absolutely massive right now!

[@luisbauer78]

did he say anything about his weight recently?

[@DrSwole]

Glad you emphasized focusing on what you can control. It’s been a rough time for fitness content but things will be better!

[@deez994]

Is 5’11 tall for male ?

[@ledues3336]

@@deez994 yeah

[@johnjohntv1195]

@@deez994 Not in Poland. They tall as fuck

[@noahsibahi-jackson8757]

@@deez994 It's around an inch or so above average

[@abadi173]

keep going man, we are all here benefiting from your content, we are forever grateful.

[@AxeMain]

Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly

[@AlexLeonidas]

My pleasure! Hope it was helpful and thanks for the great question.

[@leftphilange69]

Moo 🐮 moo moo? Moo. ❤️

[@ChrisPBacon072]

Hey Alex, why does almost nobody talk about maximazing adducors? I heard the adductors are a bigger muslegroup than hamstrings, but everyone seems to only look at the quads and hams. Why is that and do you think it would be beneficial to train them? Greetings from the Netherlands

[@jimjob1056]

It's not an obvious muscle group and generally is built reasonably by squats and the such, but if you do want to build it one of the best ways is getting a strong sumo deadlift and lowbar squat, and a great isolation both for hypertrophy and to avoid injuries/tightness due to weakness is Copenhagen planks. I recommend you don't ignore your adductors, i strained mine last Christmas and took the best part of 2 months to be able to squat anything pain free

[@rooost9856]

They cause the knees to cave in if they get too strong, not a good thing imo

[@Eudamonic]

I second this for the next qna

[@jimjob1056]

@@rooost9856 most people will have adductors that are too weak generally. Except maybe those who are experienced with sumo deadlifts and low bar squatting.

[@phx-b]

Think someone already asked this in his Q&A a few years ago. He basically said that your abductors are adequately hit for 90% of people in your basic leg day program. Essentially, if you’re doing your variated squats, they will be targeted enough to be a well developed muscle.

[@ChrisPBacon072]

I would also really appreciate a complete video on training and insomnia

[@bjiffy10]

You looking swole in the thumbnail. Keep it up Alex!

[@eyemissmyunclecharles7185]

Just did a full neck workout with my new neck harness for the first time, now watching an AD vid, sickkkk

[@SeyaDiakite7]

thank you for being here when i need it. I also ended a 30 days of training. I'm going for it again.

[@yodgetfit]

Do you think dead hangs could help build the lats just like how rack pulls and deadlifts help build the traps by static weighted stretching?

[@hozerberto4886]

I have heard stories about a bodybuilder who used to do weighted chin up dead hangs for his lats and he had a good back

[@nickvoelker7180]

A dead hang on a conventional pull-up won't do much for mass or strength. With the conventional pull-up the lats never becomes fully extended, so the weighted stretch just isn't there. You could set up the legs elevated pull-up variation that would allow full extension of the lats, but that's a crazy setup to just get a weighted stretch. The traps and the lats also have a different muscle fiber composition, and won't respond the same way to the same type of stimuli.

[@bothpartiesaretotaldogsht5750]

Hi Alex you were a huge help in my fitness journey! I was 380 and went down to 215 and 18% body fat. Unfortunately I was hit by an 18 wheeler in 2019 which TOTALLY derailed my progress. It was a hard fight to heal (which thank you again, listening to one of your videos LITERALLY kept me from killing myself when my weight BALLOONED 80lbs) but I'm finally ending physical therapy and will be able to work out again!😄😄 what would be your suggestion for getting back into the groove after a LONG hiatus? My old workout was 4-5 days/45 min cardio/ heavy to mid heavy full body and I would superset combo a large group with a small group, like forearms with quads. My diet is pretty damn good if that helps too. THANK YOU SO MUCH ALEX! To haters you may be just a muscle-head-ytber but please never forget how much you actually touch people's lives.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Thank you so much man, I'm truly honored to hear this and wish you continual success in your fitness journey. You conquered a serious battle which built your mindset for every other uncontrollable event. Cheers for being a warrior and much love! I'd recommend a basic calisthenics program with frequent cardio, then run a novice program once your base is back. Shouldn't take long.

[@chrisweaver6351]

Love these Q&A vids, they really open my mind, always eager to learn!

[@samshetty9023]

I like your Q and A , how you focus to stay on track when we are all stuck in lockdown !?

[@lic.ramiromarcos7109]

Hey Alex, I wanted to know if an upper-lower-full body hybrid program is ok for 3 times a week (from a recovery standpoint). I want to do 3 gym workouts and 2 boxing workouts per week (no overlap, so training 5 times a week). If it helps to know, the gym program would be something like this: Day A (upper body focus): - Vertical Pull (3 sets) - Horizontal Pull (3 sets) - Vertical Push (3 sets) - Horizontal Push (3 sets) - triceps with bands (2 sets) - biceps with bands (2 sets) - light squat variation (2 sets) - light deadlift variation (2 sets) Day B (lower body focus): - Trap bar deadlift (3 sets) - Squat variation (3 sets) - Deadlift variation (3 sets) - Accessory legs (3 sets) - Calves (3 sets) - Triceps focus push (2 sets) - Biceps focus pull (2 sets)

[@vinh7889]

Hey Alex, you were on point about everything about question thank you for reply! And keep doing the great work!

[@SW-et4zb]

Hey Alex. Quite a long time ago, Migan (From 3D alpha) made a video about “fiber training” in which he explains how there were certain parts of your body that had predominantly fast twitch muscles and others that had more slow twitch (For example Shoulder and Traps were slow twitch dominant as opposed to the Chest and Quad sweeps that were more fast twitch dominant) and thus recommended to do reps in the 4-6 rep range with explosive reps for the fast twitch muscle fibers like explosive bench for chest and higher reps for slow twitch like high rep shoulder shrugs for shoulders. Based on your knowledge/experience, what do you think about this?

[@pancakespushups4318]

Stop listening to Migan. He over analyses his ideas way too much without any real application in the gym. Do sprints and focus on getting stronger.

[@SW-et4zb]

@@pancakespushups4318 Okay. Thanks. I would also like to see what Alex thinks.

[@JohnsGym402]

I agree with Luis's response. Migan doesn't have the strength or physqiue to back up his philosophies. Theye're still worth checking out, but take them with a grain of salt.

[@noahsibahi-jackson8757]

@@JohnsGym402 True although nucleus overload definitely does work though, not to mention scientific research does support this

[@eric961996]

@@SW-et4zb For the record I also agree with Luis. It’s easy to start obsessing over the nitty gritty details but we’re all built a little differently too. My advice, try doing low reps for a few months, and then seriously try doing 12-15 reps for a few months too. See what feels and/or works better for you.

[@angelgfromcorkerii8797]

HEY BEARD GAME ON POINT

[@AlexLeonidas]

Ayeeee thanks man!

[@pterpsvin8887]

Alphadestiny video ideas Full day of eating React to some of youre old content. I Think that would be awesome Opinion on High frequency shoulder(mostly OHP and Face pulls 5 days a week) Transformation video Feel free to ADD to my list Fitness Channel reviews

[@achillesleon5545]

I do 1 set (it's like a dropset with some failure) of side laterals 5x a week and facepulls 5x a week, I'd say my shoulders being one of my better body parts have benefitted fs

[@scorki666]

My thumbs up for that first answer

[@juandnt7713]

Thank You Alex for answering, you Made My life much easier, thanks for giving me the Best gains of My life. Best wishes and good Luck with your 405 bench goal :).

[@yodgetfit]

lets GOOO alex uploaded at 4am

[@AlexLeonidas]

Time zone gains!

[@ZaidKhan-zv7sl]

Congrats on 405 alex...... My question is.. what do you think about convict conditioning and if you train like that what should you change or not change??

[@herwee]

Hey Alex. Been hearing more and more often about tracking HRV, and have been considering starting to tracking it. Is this legit, and if so, how should we track, interpret, and act upon HRV on a daily basis? Hope this question doesn’t incorporate too much. Thanks for all the help/info/inspo over the years. You’re an absolute beast.

[@20timesshoota27]

yo alex, I really need info on grippers, progresssion, strength standarts, and forearm hyperstrophy in general. thanks for your vids, amaziong content man

[@Cookie_Jun]

18:20 Be looking forward to this, Alex. I myself am struggling from insomnia that comes and go.

[@Hubersanti1]

Thanks Alex! I’ll continue strength training and drop some lbs

[@valeriodelbianco8143]

Hey Alex how can I start training for deadlift? How much volume and frequency do you recommend? Thank you for the awesome content! Much love and respect from Italy! Ps.: your beard looks really good now

[@StrengthHacksCoaching]

Look into Stronglifts 5x5

[@justin2011h1]

Hey Alex, I was wondering about your thoughts on training twice a day. Specifically strength training/ bodybuilding with weights in the morning and calisthenics in the evening. For example, upper-lower, 4x a week. In the morning, you do your strength and bodybuilding exercises that calisthenics movements may not target as well (such as lateral raises or deadlifts) and in the evening either: 1. you practice calisthenics skills/using variations to work towards a calisthenic skill (such as planches/doing pseudo planche pushups to work towards doing a planche) or, 2. you do callisthenics as a form of metabolic conditioning (complete as many rounds as possible of basic calisthenics movements such as pull-ups or push-ups, or even superset them in a given amount of time. Reps are not taken to failure but are 50% of the max amount of reps of each movement).

[@adambehrendt8925]

Hey Alex, I always know that when I do the following ab exercise I always get sore in the lower abs (below my belly button) the most (while I agree the whole 6 pack is contracting I think there may be more stretch or load at this portion of the muscle at the bottom position). Just laying on a bench with shoulders slightly off the bench (abs contracted) and doing leg lifts with toes pointed out and pausing at the extended portion. Can easily add weight with ankle weights. Give it a go and maybe you'll see what I'm talking about.

[@superzico5498]

Hey Alex I’ve recently experienced some numbness in my arms from overactive upper traps and weak lower traps and serratus anterior. I’ve been fixing this with stretches and mobility drills and was wondering what exercises or variations you recommend to target the lower traps and serratus anterior. Been watching you for 2 years and enjoy your content more than any other fitness KZbinr. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

[@anti_hero_660]

Bro I’ve been doing banded seated shoulder press and it’s a fucking game CHANGER!!

[@insomniacsupremacy]

When should we expect a plant based recipes cooking video? In the meantime any recipes you recommend other than soup and pasta? Merci Alex pour tes vidéos

[@southpawhammer8644]

My gym told the gov to kick rocks. Been open almost the whole time.

[@John-cena6483]

Sounds like a great gym, you're a lucky man

[@9999-k9q]

What a stupid gym

[@ashraffaridharis5570]

Agreed lmao. People are dying and some are more worried about biceps.

[@southpawhammer8644]

@@9999-k9q we had no problems, everything cleaned, wear a mask if you want.

[@jetjames420]

I superset all of my bench press training with row training. Same bar, same volume. I do the same thing with press/chinup. If i'm pushing in that direction, i'm also gonna pull exact same volume.

[@mikestiger3793]

I think that an interesting topic that Alex could talk about is how to increase the deadlift without deadlifting. I know he has videos on that topic, but one video with more detail with be cool to watch.

[@domepiece11]

Basically posterior chain exercises and lats and traps. One great hip hinging exercise is the barbell or band hip thrust. You could do hang power snatches for strong lats.

[@owenheath6840]

Have you ever completed a full training phase where you only use the slingshot for benching? if so, what was the carryover like when you went back to regular benching?? i'm trying to get a 3 plate pause bench but my right shoulder is messed up despite always benching with a solid pause, keeping my elbows tucked etc so i was considering replacing regular bench with slingshot for a while to take some stress of my shoulder whilst it heals up.

[@TaquitoMC]

Hi, Alex hope you´re doing well. I'm running your novice program atm, and I'm stucked at a 45lbs chinup, and after 2 weight resets, haven't been able to make progress. Once you said that chinups tend to stall early on on novices, and at that point, is better to periodize the movement, doing things like 5x5's or 3x1@90%. My question is, how should I structure it? Should I max out on a pullup variation, fullowed by 3x1@90% on my Wendesday B workout, and next week, do a 5x5 on another variation on Monday´s B workout, and do 3x1@90% on Friday, and so on, allways rotating the variation.

[@mishaw9154]

What's your thoughts on Turkesterone? I see Vitruvians taking it but im waiting for the natty OGs (scott and alex) to have their say (and would you ever recommend it etc). Congrats on 405 brother.

[@StrengthHacksCoaching]

What are your favorite healthy high calorie foods?

[@Scorptice]

Peanut Butter is definitely up there. But find one without sugar!

[@luisbauer78]

dark chocolate

[@punttijulle]

Hey alex. I'm 16yo and my weight is already stalling on my lifts. Bw is ~188lbs and i'm decently strong with 600lb deadlift. It could be that i'm doing mostly the same lifts and i'm cutting but i would assume my lifts would still go up.

[@chad229]

Hey Alex, I've had a discrepancy between my Back Squat and Deadlift (Not Sumo) for a long time since I started lifting three years ago. My Deadlift is 220 kg but my Squat was a very ugly and difficult 160 kg. Progress has always been a lot better on Deadlifts than Squats even with less volume on the Deads. For the last twelve weeks, I have incorporated the Leg Press for high reps twice a week and I noticed some very drastic changes. My quads have noticeably gotten a lot bigger with a bit more definition and my pants have gotten tighter and snug in the thigh region. Last week I decided to go heavy on my Squats and I surprisingly hit 200 kg as my new pr which looked better than my previous 160 kg max since I'm a bit more upright and don't have as much forward lean. I have also noticed that I can break the weight off the floor a lot easier now on Deadlifts which have always been the hardest part of the lift. I haven't really changed anything in my diet or training beside adding in the Leg Press which I thought wouldn't have much carryover. Does that mean the Leg Press is an underrated exercise from a carryover perspective? I'm about 80 kg in bodyweight which has been about the same since adding in the Leg Press.

[@stephanachill]

Hey alex i just turned 18 , 172cm and around 63kg. I've done calisthenics for 2 years and stopped for a year, I started working out again around july 2020 but this time I'm primarily training with weights for hypertrophy and some strength.I was 59kg, bulked up to 67kg and now I am at a pretty satisfying 63kg losing almost no muscle in the cutting process. My relative strength is pretty good I can do 22.5kg ring dips for sets of 12 as well as 10kg pull ups for sets of 12 and I just discovered that I can hold a front lever for like 5-6 seconds but I can bench only 57.5kg for sets of 12 (80kg one rep max) and ohp 32.5kg for sets of 12. I'm happy with my relative strength but I feel like my absolute strength is lacking since most of my friends that don't even take working out seriously can bench more than me

[@Sophist98]

Hey alex probs to your physique your looking huge lately! My question is: is fatloss the same if i instead of cutting 400 calories 6 days per week, just cut 2400 calories once per week? Thanks man keep up the great videos!

[@FernandoMartinez-xr6do]

Hey Alex Do you think that training three days a week is the most optimal way to train for size?, and also when training calisthenics how can i break through a plateau in my pull ups reps? Great video!

[@yellowjacket7023]

Hey Alex, big time supporter and promoter of all your videos and especially Q&A for the last 3 years and I finally have a question. I am 6"2 (188cm) 170lbs (77kg) and my personal life is set up to make big gains from this point on. I have an open back 1,000 lb capacity trap bar, olympic rings, pull up bar, homemade high and low dual cable pulley system with 250 lb max load, neck flex trainer, dip bars, and 8 inch high parallettes. My main concern is my leg development. Can I build Intermediate size and strength with just trap bar squats? I'll be using a raised platform to achieve the proper depth. I don't currently have the funds for a squat rack and bar bell (baby #2 on the way). Continuous support and love from North Dakota.

[@lolfirepoisonftl]

Hey Alex, since you've gotten your home cable setup, do you find yourself still using the band version for exercises like Pushdowns, Pulldowns and Face Pulls or do you find the cable version to be superior? Would love to hear your thoughts on that. Thanks!

[@yoadamrocks]

Hey Alex, been a fan for ages. I've been on your novice program for 25 weeks now, and all of the sudden about 3-4 weeks ago I started to notice bad upper back soreness/pain when high bar box squatting due to the bar repeatedly resting on the outer edge of my scapula. I've resorted to using a bar cover, which certainly isn't ideal at all, and I was wondering if you had any advice? I already hit 315 3x5, in fact managed up to 330 3x5 so maybe it's time to swap programs? I'm at a 400 3x5 trap deadlift and 200 3x5 floor press, if that helps. Much love!

[@neutralups]

Should I run a novice program? I've been half-assing it for about 3 years months on-months off. I weigh 132lbs (1RMs; 105ohp, 135b, 160s, 242d)

[@ke7558]

Differnce between strength and hyperthrophy training

[@jackwhite4091]

Volume and intensity

[@atomerki9759]

Alex brother you are looking bigger and better everywhere except your neck, did you stop training your neck brother?

[@rpe1078]

Hey Alex, I had a shoulder Injury in the past and it's affecting my bench progress. I have a 145 lbs OHP but I can barely hit 165 lbs on flat bench. The shoulder stretch at the bottom is always the issue for me. Any tips on how to improve this ? Thanks from montreal :)

[@jonatan5482]

selam alex ive been on your novice program for a few months now and have been making very good progress. i was very weak when i started due to never doing sports and being 16. Now my problem is, that my strength is very inbalanced, even though i follow your program perfectly. My OHP is 100x5, closegripbench 120x8 and floor press 135x5. My normal Pause bench is even weaker at 120x5. How can i fix this strength inbalance? Greetings from Switzerland keep grinding homie

[@WarriorsonlineYt]

Hey Alex ! Can u help me out with a prisoner style back workout ? I am a novice and gyms are closed ... unfortunately i don't even have a pull up bar at home ...anyways love your videos man !

[@nitheshdsouza6743]

Hey Alex, I have been working out for 4+ years, plateaued on the heavy weights and feeling burnt out before every session. I switched to Full body 3x a week for about a month now and have noticed I am recovering better, lifting more and feeling excited once again before every workout. Was I doing something wrong with my older PPL workout or is full body just better for the average lifter (Not on gear)?

[@ifaa5755]

Dude you were having a good run during 2017. Watched a lot of your videos. Did you dip for a while after that or something cause didn't hear from your channel at all? Only reason I found you now was cause I was looking up neck training

[@anishcyprin9077]

Hey Alex, are artificial sweetener and low fat substitute good if used in moderation.

[@michaelk.924]

Hi Alex, i hate training chest and that's why i would say it's my biggest weak spot. My form, volume and frequency are on point, but it doesn't seem like it's growing and i'm not enjoying training it. Any tips on that? Should i switch exercises or variations more often? Love your videos mate, you're huge inspiration.Much love from Czech Republic.

[@EyyDunkeyy]

Hey Alex, your novice program can be done in 2 days. Do I need to do it always with a 1 day off in between? Because for me, can I do it on a Monday and Friday. Because I've got every week on Wednesday a football/soccer match/training

[@pterpsvin8887]

Hey Alex. What is a good ratio between neck Curls and Extension. I can do 5x25 neck Curls with 10 kg and 3x35-40 neck Extension also with 10 kg. Also how neccesery are neck Extension. Btw is it true neck Curls helps with neck posture?

[@smiffff]

Opinion on weighted dips + ohp + incline bb press for shoulder/upper chest focus ?

[@mathewsymss4377]

Hey Alex, first of all love the content, ive made some of my best gains these past 4 months just by learning from you, so thank you so much! My question is: How am i supposed to be warming up for weighted dips? Ive worked up to a 11kg weighted dip these past 2 months, starting from absolutely 0 bw dips, i should say that im an absolute novice. Thank you!

[@RRdot7]

Hey Alex! Q&A: I know you prefer full body 2x a week over 3x a week. What can you say about nucleous overload? I wanna try it, but I also wanna hear your thoughts about it.

[@Gearoid-hf8oe]

Hi Alex I have a question regarding programming.I understand clearly your views on novice programming and have seen your many replies to this type of question so my intention isn't to be annoying, just time management is an issue. I'm a late novice, or at least approaching that stage. Due to many factors(mainly work) , training full body x3 per week is very challenging time wise. Would I still make linear progression/reasonable progress if I was to train x4 per week with Squat/Bench/Ohp/ Deadlifts as the primary move each workout with accessory work included. In a nutshell, would training each compound lift once per week be enough to make progress?

[@nahiyanishmam4298]

Hi Alex, if I only do neck curls for neck, will it be enough to build a huge neck? I get headache from neck extensions. I do powershruggs also

[@labibchowdhury5935]

Hey alex gained 15/16lbs training at home for 8months using weighted push ups dips pull ups 1 arm and 1leg DB excercises.But i lack bench press stability and coordintion any tips to improve Bench press stability.And will i loose chest size as theres no overload

[@alexmcaree3713]

Hey Alex I'm a big fan and I'm into weighted calistenics and am very interested in neck work, only issue is I have heard about sleep apnea and other issues regarding it, cheers from ontario!

[@eE737]

Hey Alex, For novices, the strength standards for the overhead press, bench, squat, and deadlift are in the ballpark of 135, 225, 315, and 405 respectively, but what are the strength standards for the other lifts in the novice program, ie. the chin-up, pendlay row, overhead extension, curl, and plank/cable crunches?

[@ChanceFlores]

Hey Alex, I want to do nucleus overload training for the glutes, which main exercise would you recommend? Squats? RDL’s? Hip thrust? Any other exercise? Thanks for your help!

[@landerhendrickx3522]

Hi, I have been thinking about this for a while now. I don’t recommend doing it in a straightup compound form because that would be too taxing on recovery. I recommend rounded upper back extension. You could do a variation on hip thrusts to lower the absolute load required also in my opinion. Increase the range of motion by elevating your feet, wear a band loop around your knees and pause each rep on top. Single leg leg press with a high feet placement and toes pointing outward also could work. The absolute load is lower because you do single leg work and if you use as much range of motion as possible (upper leg touches torso) the loads you can move for 15-25 reps even with the machine will be drastically lower. The downside would be that you are taking up the machine for a long time and after one leg you will be more tired in general before you start the other leg. You could just switch back and forth but this could become 6 minutes of cardio/nucleus overload style training if you are not in great shape. My final suggestion is feet elevated paused weighted frog pump and alterate that with single leg leg press

[@Mrraerae]

Barbell or band hip thrust. The glute activation is just amazing when you do a lot of them often and get good at them. You get peak resistance at peak contraction, what more could you want? Such an good way to hit the glutes

[@ChanceFlores]

@@landerhendrickx3522 thanks for the input, yeah I've been leaning towards the hip thrusts with a band, maybe single leg or weighted safer and easier on recovery!

[@ChanceFlores]

@@Mrraerae yeah hip thrusts all the way!

[@landerhendrickx3522]

ChanceFlores I think single leg would introduce a stability and core element and would take a lot longer unnecessarily. For sure try doing it weight over time because you want to fatigue within less than 30 repsw

[@kalleuot8586]

Hi Alex! I've been specializing OHP for the last 2 years in my training, introducing all sorts of different variations. Recently I had lockout weakness, but after doing a bunch of chain work for example wanting to fix this my bottom strenght has kind of fallen off. My standing barbell OHP 1RM is currently about 190-195 pounds yet my flat benchpress 1RM is around 285. I feel like my OHP has kind of plateaued so I was thinking about switching to specializing in bench and doing OHP for volume only. Could this strategy provide gains to my OHP even to some extend? I'm a 22 year old, 178lbs/5'10 guy with 6 years of training experience. Big salute from Finland, absolutely love your content! You're killin' it!💪🏼

[@johnr116]

Hey Alex, keep up the good work. Any tips for reducing DOMS from eccentric overload?

[@wewuzvenom2887]

I've been gaining weight. When covid first hit I gained like 50lbs and my weight was about 296lbs. I started to run and watch my diet and lost it all and got down to 248lbs. The gym opened back up so I started going back to lift. My lifts have been going up, but also my weight. I'm already 10lbs heavier. I started to continue running after lifting but I'm not really seeing a change. At this point it has to be my diet. I know it. I also work 2 jobs right now, so maybe lack of sleep is also an option. I just need the motivation to stop being a fat ass, and start making home cooked meals vs always eating out even if I think I'm "eating healthy".

[@liambee3874]

Hey Alex, I have been following your novice program for around 4-5 months and have got some great strength and size gains from it. I am approaching intermediate level standards however my arms have not increased size. I have progressively overloaded the barbell curl from 55 pounds to 85 pounds for reps as well I have increased my close grip from 135 to 195 for reps, they are still 13.5 inches. should I give it some more time and keep following the original program or add in some supplementary volume and isolation

[@AK47_.]

Hey Alex, I loved the beginning of the video. I’m from the UK, London England to be specific. Here we were all over the place. Still no way near normal. But our vaccine rollout has been fantastic. So, I’m relatively positive. I think the vaccine is key to some form of normality. Not that I promote it. But, countries will only run (as normal as possible) when the majority of population is vaccinated. When this is over. Come to the UK and do a meet and greet. 🤛🏽

[@FettyHuang]

Sometimes when I'm outside, I stop what I'm doing, laugh for a couple seconds, and then stop to burn extra calories.

[@shadowalker8068]

neck work 5x week or 7x or 3x yoke training ? i do 4x week im a fan of cheat shrugs always go fast never slow👈💪nice q n a bro 🤙

[@randombeast5898]

What is a good weight gain for a 75kg, 16 year old with 2 years of training?

[@IntoTheOutside000]

Hey Alex. Thank you for the knowledge and inspiration you have provided over the years and for staying true to your purpose. What is your opinion on naturals who train their neck and sleep apnea. My neck muscles get tight after for a couple of days after lifting all 4 directions with plates. Do you recommend stretches to reduce the risk of sleep apnea?

[@m4x144]

Hi Alex, I am 14 years old, I am 5.5 and I weigh 145 lbrs, I trained for a year weighted calisthenics (pull up and dip, 20kg) combined with GHR, Bulgarian and belt squat, what do you think? Greetings from Chile

[@canotajman]

Hey Alex! What do you think about only doing towel pull ups but with a lot of bicep curl variations?

[@StrengthHacksCoaching]

Good for building back, grip and biceps. If you want to build other muscles you will have to do more movements

[@canotajman]

@@StrengthHacksCoaching Thank you!

[@csbdcsbd8728]

Hey Alex I've just been Inspired by your incredible bench PR and want an 100kg ohp. I'll be maxing out twice a week but my problem is apart from the pin press from different heights and 4 different bands I feel I dont have nearly enough variation as you had the slingshot chains and different bars. Is my goal going to be extremely more difficult without the different bars etc and how crucial do you think having a swiss bar is?

[@PM-vs3rh]

Hi Alex, What is a more effective method of doing pull ups for both size and strength? Grease the groove or just a normal set/rep program? When should you transition from GTG to a normal pull up program, if it does indeed have a limit? Thanks!

[@DavidParyan-o2r]

Hey Alex! Lately ive been watching a ton of moreplatesmoredates. Ive seen him talk about sleep apnea and i was wondering how training our necks would factor into this. Is the risk higher or lower, i would love to know. Thanks, greetings from Germany

[@Mrraerae]

If you're natty I wouldn't be worried about building too much pure muscle to the point that it starts obstructing anything by itself but if you have big neck muscles and on top of that you bulk up a bit too much and get chubby, I'm sure it could factor in. The higher your bodyweight is and the more tissue you have around your neck, the higher your sleep apnea risk is. So a jacked neck might give you less room for extra bodyweight and bodyfat on a bulk before you develop sleep apnea

[@DavidParyan-o2r]

@@Mrraerae thanks for the reply :)

[@JornGuardian]

Can i do your novice program with a standard barbell?

[@JohnDoe-xf9ly]

I dont do any rows!!!! I just do snatch grip deads and behind the back deads and zercher deas and front squats and zercher squats and pullups and chinups and ohp and btn press so i think i dont need rows Forgot to mentione good mo4nings and snatch grip rdls also

[@crusader4481]

Hey Alex, my knees have been bothering me lately when I Squat. Any advice on how to train legs with knee pain?

[@omerul-farukarslaner8531]

HEY Alex will you be writing a new book like natural enchanced. You have learened new principles over 5 years so will you be writing another book about concurrent periodization and talk about how you prevented injuries it would be nice since you learned alot in the 5 years.

[@arjunvinayak0916]

Hey Alex,am beginner obese guy doing calisthenics and limited weights is it ok for me to do full body 2xper week and gpp work

[@davidboye6186]

Thoughts on rowing (cardio machine) for GPP? Seems like a good idea because its only concentric work, therefore low impact(?), and provides residual back volume.

[@godlikeU2]

Hey Alex, any thoughts on the Vitruvian / Grecian ideal physique? And what would be your measurements for a bear mode physique ? Thanks Ref: This Grecian Ideal states that your flexed arms and calves should be 2.5 times larger than your non-dominant wrist, your shoulders should be 1.618 times larger than your waist, your chest should be 6.5 times larger than your wrist, and your upper leg should be 1.75 times larger than your knee.

[@antoninoguarraci8779]

Hi Alex, I have recently really gotten into powerlifting/strength training and have been training using a 3-day full body split that has the squat bench and dead as the main movements. For the summer, however, since I will have more time I want to change my split to a 4-day full body split. Can this work or is it better to just switch to a 4day upper-lower split and call it a day? Cheers from MTL

[@boredtodeath491]

Hey Alex, love the videos. After a while of general training I'm about to start your Novice program. What I want to know is will the program fix my unbalanced strength? For instance I'm stronger with my right arm compared to my left, and my left shoulder is slightly stronger than my right. Thanks again for the advice and videos

[@devashishchhabra687]

Hey Alex, I'm a 17 year old who started lifting 5 months back, I used to be extremely overweight at 107kg(6'1), now I'm 86.5(6'2). Once the gyms open, I will start following your novice program. People at the gym always tell me that my gains will explode when I'm 20, as though it's some magic number. Is there any truth to this? Thank you so much for your content, I've learned a lot from your channel!

[@user-Zachary123]

Have your gains exploded yet bro?

[@Buffwannabe]

Hello Alex, where did you get your power rack? What brand is it? How much does it cost?

[@jrfootball8346]

Hey Alex, how would you programme a power building programme? Focusing on SBD. How much accessory work would you have? How many training days etc

[@VC_JohnCarloElijahPCasis]

I hope you can do a collab with jeff nippard and check again your bench press 🙏

[@hammadm5332]

Alex, the bioneer and another KZbinr called Aboud have talked about how high rep push ups close to failure can help to carry over to heavy lifts such as bench press. I know you’ve made some videos about the benefits of high rep callisthenics but is this something you’d recommend?

[@jakob_4688]

Would you recommend overhand-weighted pull ups more than neutral oder underhand grip for frontlever training? Im currently doing about 70lbs for 5x5 of chin-ups and im wondering if i should drop the weight to do equal amounts of reps with an overhand grip.

[@mohemdmasseh2153]

Hey Alex, is archer pull up as effective as weighted pull up.Thank you for the great content.

[@dbjmk8083]

I had insomnia for years, as soon as I stopped taking caffeine I slept better than I can remember.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Pretty awesome man, never went back to it?

[@dbjmk8083]

@@AlexLeonidas I went about 6 months with nothing but herbal drinks such as Lemongrass, Jiaogulan and some ginger that I peeled and boiled. I didn't notice any dip in performance, those teas seem to give a minor pump so I enjoyed drinking them during my workouts. These days I'll drink swiss filtration process decaf coffee which has next to no caffeine as well as those herbal drinks. My family is big into coffee and teas so I'll have a caffeinated one at my parents home on weekends if it's before noon, I notice when I'm sensitive to caffeine I get a mood boost so it goes well socializing. I don't think I would go back to regular caffeine levels from several cups of regular coffee. The recovery from my sleep caffeine free is something else.

[@codyoliver7203]

Hey alex would farmer walks with light weight for long distances(1-2miles) be good for trap gains?