Grease the Groove vs Failure | How To Use Both Methods

[@clintatk]

Grease the groove is also a great way to let your joints catch up with your muscle strength. I'm up there in age and joint protection is key! It's really important if using weights.

[@suhwateezea.214]

Good point!

[@crash8803]

So Far, the most valuable lifelong advice on fitness.

[@prajjwolbhandari8922]

Is result of GTG temporary?

[@suhwateezea.214]

@@prajjwolbhandari8922 yes its temporary but if you incorporate it into your stimulus program it could help you achieve more gains and strength

[@clintatk]

@@prajjwolbhandari8922 I’m no expert but gtg is in addition to regular “to failure” type sets. But, yes, some people do use it as their regular program. I see it as a supplemental for transitioning to heavier weight, to allow joints, which take longer to build strength, to catch up to my muscle strength.

[@vincentcrowley5196]

The Russian system of weight training was to grease the groove by not moving up in weight on an exercise until the weight you're using is easy, this was proved to keep the strength gained longer term than your central nervous system constantly being frazzled by not having time to get used to heavier weight

[@FreshSmog]

I'm actually unknowingly doing Greasing The Groove. I have a pull up bar set up right beside my PC workstation, so I've been doing about half my max reps and an odd tucked front lever every time I take a break, without going to failure since I still need to work. My numbers have been rising and I've managed a 3 second proper form full front lever after 6 months of somewhat minimal training. I've literally never had a dedicated front lever workout session. Seems like out muscles are more receptive to training variation than we thought, reps to failure is just one style despite being the standard way to workout.

[@thecatvirusgotme889]

ZZ.. exactly right.

[@talkingbirb2808]

I guess it was additional to the primary training?

[@jr28778]

Lol

[@oceanliauw26]

Did you grease the groove front lever daily?

[@silver0697]

@@oceanliauw26 i do to and i do it each day except during back day

[@keeran9306]

Rep ranges below 5 have the ADDED BENEFIT of strength but as long as it's till failure, hypertrophy will take place. Same goes for higher reps, it just has the added benefit of increasing your endurance. Muscle doesn't know reps or weight, it only knows tension. A lot of people including myself used to misunderstand that. Great vid.

[@ZlatniPlast]

Muscles only knows damage and nerve synapsis. Gtg keeps damage low and works on muslce synapsis constantly.

[@primalperry5667]

This is key info that I don't think a lot of people are sharing. As a desk worker who was extremely sedentary, trying to get into working out was tough. Coming into it gradually instead of going hard like I wanted to was paramount in the success that I've had so far. I also wanted to mention that I think it's awesome that you weren't too proud to correct yourself from previous recommendations. Good on you @Minus The Gym

[@paullewis7339]

Great point about the forgotten metric: form and technique. I always felt that this is the most important factor since form requires effort, but effort does not require form.

[@jvm-tv]

GTG is particularly useful with skill based workouts like calisthenics, kettlebells, clubs, maces etc and much less with bodybuilding type of exercises that skill is not a big component in them.

[@thecatvirusgotme889]

I found the opposite- GTG is very useful for simply building muscle and nothing to do with increasing any skill I have.

[@salvitoregachione1237]

Wait, you’re both right!

[@mysteretsym]

All lifting is a skill

[@jvm-tv]

@@mysteretsym not with machines for example.

[@SensSword]

As a man nearing 40, pushing towards my max always ends in aches and pains. All that does is slow my progress. I've been instead doing half or less as often as possible, which is slowly getting me back on track. Didn't realize enough other people figured this out for it to have a name. Guess I'm a GtG for life sort of guy now... Good video!

[@dariorox1]

same for me, I'm 40 and I was training 3 hours a day x 4 days a week until recently but I was constantly sore, so now I'm training 1.30 h a day for 3-4 days a week, I haven't lost much strength and I'm not all that sore

[@primalperry5667]

I'm 41, had similar results with soreness and even pulled muscles over and over when I first picked up strength workouts a couple years ago. I work a desk job and was not physically active at all for years. What I found helpful is doing an exercise only once per week, focusing on form and movement speed/tempo while not pushing to failure. I pushed a little but not much at all for about a month or two. It really helped with my muscle and joint strength and prepared my joint and muscle tissues for a more difficult workout. After about 2 months, I started pushing to failure or within 1-2 reps and have had no issues. I still only do each exercise once per week, 3 different workouts per week. I'm not sure I'd classify what I did as greasing the groove as described in this video but more of a midway between greasing the groove and going to failure. I'm not a professional in this topic but thought I'd share what worked for me in my experience in hopes it might be helpful.

[@erinhuff9307]

Been consistently working out for years, and have an emphasis on calisthenics for about 3 years, and still continue to learn something from all of your videos. Thank you for your content! I look forward to watching more!

[@SchuyFit]

Wow, have never heard of the term 'greasing the groove'. Knew always training to failure wasn't a great idea, just didn't know the term for it. Also, you're incredible at explaining things in a simple way man, I appreciate you!

[@Dustomatic]

Nobody said training to failure wasn’t a good idea. It just depends on your goal.

[@geminigizmo6427]

@@Dustomatic which one is better for strength?

[@eugeemz]

@@geminigizmo6427 both I do greasing the groove for like a month then start to go to failure, i got my push ups from 15 to 25 in just a weak doing this

[@ParkerBG]

@@eugeemz no you didn’t 🤦🏼

[@ParkerBG]

@redkirigiri4112 did you typo?

[@SynerstarHealthOver50]

GTG has absolutely changed my workouts, flexibility, strength, and increased muscle, as well. I go 40-80% on most all exercises and get stronger and more muscular on a monthly basis. Going to failure increases the time to recuperate so you do less quality sets over days vs. GTG. More quality volume and time under tension over days w/ GTG. And you can also do it with weighted exercises as well. I'm so grateful I've found out about this principle as I used to think I had to go to failure to build muscle and strength. Not anymore.

[@Marom_Haim]

Amazing!! Great to hear :) I'm trying to understand whether you have to go near failure or not for hypertrophy, but if I understand well, you have experienced some good muscle gains from greasing the groove, is it true?

[@SynerstarHealthOver50]

Yes, for sure! I only do 40-80% effort on each exercise set and I NEVER go to failure. The body still gets stronger and builds muscle as long as you get enough sleep between workouts. Sleep is KEY cause my diet currently stinks, lol! But I do sleep! Our bodies repair themselves and get stronger from sleep (not from exercising). I don't try to push myself to get sore during my workouts or after them, like I did when I was younger... I read Pavel's book on this and he said some of the strongest powerlifters of the past 100+ years, and some of the great Russian powerlifters almost NEVER go to failure and most typically did workouts that were pretty easy on their bodies.. not hard workouts, at all = no soreness.. and these were world-class power lifters. Pavel said going to failure on exercises is NO GOOD for building strength. So, I never exercise if I feel any type of soreness - that just tells me I'm not ready to exercise again - the body is still recuperating and repairing itself. And here's another VERY IMPORTANT thing I learned over the past few weeks that I am now incorporating into my workouts. Mike Mentzer was a professional bodybuilder and a leading bodybuilding coach, as well. Many folks say he was a brilliant coach. He (and his clients) was on steroids, of course, but this one principle he talks about works for regular folks like me as well. There are a lot of TikTok videos with his advice on building muscle by focusing on the negative part of the movement the most. And do it slowly. Mentzer was a HUGE practitioner of going very slow on the negative part of the movement - he said THAT is what really builds muscle - NOT the part where you lift the weights but the part where the weights get lowered. There are TikTok videos of him making his clients hold the weights for 15 seconds on the downward movements - like torture, actually. Now, those clients were on steroids and they recoup really quickly. But for a regular guy like me - I now don't try to do more pullups - I just do 5 pullups but count 3 Mississippi on the way downwards on each rep. (the negative part of the movement). And I do the same with pushups and even Hex Bar squats. I now use my bodyweight for the Hex squat (@ 180 lbs.) which is easy for me to lift... but I count to 4 Mississippi after I have the weight lifted... and then I slowly lower the weight and count 4 Mississippi on the way back down to the ground. Then I lift it back up quickly. I definitely notice a difference by doing things this way vs. just trying to get more reps. and doing them fairly quickly. The maximum amount of pullups I had done was 7 about 4 weeks ago and that was about 80% effort for me. But last week I challenged my son to see who could do the most and I did 9.5 at age 53. I had never tried to max out on them so I didn't really know how many I could do. When I was 18 I could only do 8 at max. So, doing 80% and LESS effort on them the past several months - has enabled me to do more than when I was a teen, lol! That said, I now really focus on doing the negative part slowly and I never go over 80% effort on each exercise - mostly probably 60-70% effort. The negative part of the movement is the GOLD part for building muscle, I currently think. Yes, Mentzer was very bright and I think he was correct! 👍 @@Marom_Haim

[@ZlatniPlast]

​@@SynerstarHealthOver50 such effort to bring your way to people and what worked wonders for you. I take lots of days to rest for example while I see some people recover way quicker but also lose muscle very quickly when they stop. I lose muscle very slowly so I like it this way better anyway, I work less and get more

[@SynerstarHealthOver50]

@@ZlatniPlast Yes, I agree - me too. And a lot of things have changed in my workout since that post 11 months ago. I am now working more on cardio issues and overall agility these days - even hand eye coordination... and grip... so my workouts are much different than 11 months ago. I now exercise every other day and only really do the calisthenics/weights/muscle building workout 1 time out of 6 days. So I get 6 nights of sleep in between the workouts where I do my pullups, Hex squats, pushups, etc. And I think it is really working well. The 2 other workout days I focus more on cardio, abs/core, calves, grip/forearms, stair climbing, sprinting on a rebounder, etc. I want to make a new video series by the end of the year for my current workout... Again, I never go to failure. And I don't do as many pullups as in the past but my cardio is much better than 11 months ago... I also learned from a Polish strongman about strengthening the ligaments, etc. with some interesting exercises... and I do some of this stuff, as well... and if you haven't seen the "I am Longevity" guy's KZbin channel - it is AMAZING and I add some of his stuff to my routine, as well. That guy is 60 years old and he is kinda mind blowing! I LOVE his videos... He shows us what is possible with the human body at 60... I really feel good these days with no aches or soreness or anything... and I'm starting to increase the intensity in my cardio routine, as well, now... So, I kinda overhauled everything in favor of a more intense cardio type workout and it has taken a while for me to adjust it and for my body to adjust to the point of increasing the intensity. Anyhow - thanks and keep on keeping on!👍

[@GY9944]

Haha, I’m going over the top with this and doing Greasing the Groove Until Failure, Omw to become the next gigachad baby😎😎😎 Joking aside, this was the sort of information I didn’t even know that I needed. Thanks Ryan’

[@fallerstephan9976]

Great video. Also an important thing I learned is that you shouldn’t grease the groove with more than 2 exercises at the same time. Trying to GTG with too many movements at once will over clock your CNS

[@davejones3878]

Love GTG!! In my 50's and has done wonders for me lately after reinjuring my shoulder. Lately been doing this daily for pullups for example: 5 super strict reps, walk the track 1/4 mile taking just over 5 minutes. Then do another 5 rep set. One lap, 5 pullups, another lap, 5 pullup.... 8 laps total doing a 2 mile total walk with a set of pullups in between= 6 sets of 5. Comes out to 30 pullups a day, 900 a month, over 10,000 pulls a year 😉

[@Marom_Haim]

Amazing! Did muscle size increase too from GTG?

[@jacobworsoe]

Hi Ryan, thanks a lot for this awesome and thorough response to my question in the previous video. It makes a lot of sense now!

[@Murman1973..]

Thanks for introducing gtg to me. Chin-ups and pull-ups at the drilling all the time.

[@susanapplegate9758]

Great video, you really clarified several things for me - I always appreciate how interesting you make the subject matter. I’ve been training for a Spartan, so throw several x a day to get that spear-toss down….looks like I need to use GtG technique for lots of other moves!

[@charlieginsburg6315]

@ 70 I have had outstanding strength improvement with a progressive GTC approach. Tried 3 sets of level 50% max with almost no improvement. Switched to 3 sets @ 50%, 60% 75% max for the last 60 days and have seen tremendous increase in strength and some hypertrophy. Went from 7,8,10 = 25 pushups everyday to 18,21,21 = 60 pushups everyday in 60 days. progressive GTC provides a pump and encourages strength improvement without injury. Try it for 60 to 90 days and make a video about it. PROGRESSIVE GTC the optimum workout routine.

[@stevenscott2136]

Sounds like excellent progress in stamina, but I think you'd have to test yourself against greater resistance to see if your strength has improved. Have you considered switching to one-arm style?

[@MinusTheGym]

Sounds like progressive GTC is worth a shot! Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@joshuakenny503]

@@stevenscott2136 that's quite a big leap maybe try archers first or elevated one arm ones

[@QASSHE]

So for example my max is 25. I should do 13 pushups, then a couple hours later do 15 pushups, then a couple hours later do 19 pushups?

[@charlieginsburg6315]

@@QASSHE That is what I would do. when that's to easy bump it to 17, 18,20 for 50 a day. I rest 5 min to 5 hours between sets depending on my schedule. Shorter rests (5min to 15 min) give more pump. Do them every day and let me know. I doubled my max from 14 to 27 in 60 days.

[@suhwateezea.214]

I wish I found your channel sooner. You seem like a smart not steroid athlete who shares quality info. Thank you.

[@thefirmamentalist9922]

Intuitively did this, cool to hear it articulated and validated.

[@guidoruiz2559]

Using GdG I got to go from 1 pull-up to 10 within a few weeks. Now I'm using it for other exercises. It works very well at least in the early stages of developing a skill.

[@dawovlad]

you using gtg every day or 1 or 2 days ?

[@guidoruiz2559]

@Manfreski no need to overthink, is as simple as it sounds, do some reps as often as you can according to your current level. I started with 1 pull-up every one or two hours, every day for 5 days a week. Now that I can reach a max of 10 I'm doing 8 reps every 2 or 3 hours.

[@BackTasty]

@Manfreski yoo, how it's going?

[@yayatoure24]

​@@guidoruiz2559how many days did it take to achieve that?

[@joemerino8218]

Best explanation I have seen. I have been think of the these in the wrong way. Going to be fun to step back and relook at things again. Thanks!!!

[@MinusTheGym]

Thanks Joe! Glad I could clear up any confusion on the topic 👍

[@MrJohnNinja]

Well done Ryan! 2 questions - 1. When going to failure how many sets would you generally recommend, and how much rest between sets? 2. If one goes to failure on Monday, is it OK to GTG on Tues, or should one wait a day or 2? I guess that was really 3 questions :) Thanks! John R.

[@dawovlad]

after wokout my muscles pain until 2 days i can't using gtg methods

[@MrJohnNinja]

@@dawovlad Thanks Dawo.... My experience is similar. If I really go to failure I have DOMS for about 2 days. I was wondering if it was OK to GTG with some soreness. Thx, John R.

[@danjsilve]

Greasing the Groove is more and more appealing to me as some workouts especially involving legs can take me a long time to recover and even impact my day negatively. Also the number of times I experience fatigue during a routine, that it affects my form and posture towards the end of my routine. Excellent stuff

[@aaronmaxim]

"greasing the groove" in my world is called " thats what i could get in today"

[@souvikchatterjee7400]

The information is so clear in your videos. Thanks for your help Ryan

[@logans3365]

Iv been lazy all my life, and am now trying to be very active as I have found my motivation, but I keep getting injured, I believe greasing the groove will help my joints and things get used to the new activity levels before pushing everything to failure and possibly injury.

[@chazlyle41]

The Marine Corps uses GTG for things like pullups. Do a set on the way here, there, throughout the day, any time we walk by a bar. Seems casual, but we have to do 20 clean pull ups, all the way locked out down, micro pause, all the way to chin well over the bar, minimum for a perfect PFT score. Could easily do 20 pull ups years ago (2007-2011). Realized a few years back I couldn't even do 2 good ones anymore haha. Started working out traditionally (maxing out to failure on back day 2x a week) to no avail. Started GTG and getting em back quick!

[@anthonyy4345]

YES!! I've been waiting all week for this!

[@theFriendlyGhst]

For some reason I was under the impression you had to do one or the other in a given time period. i'm going to try this.

[@dougie-thugie]

This works. Gtg all day and hit it hard to failure at night. Kickass results. Just rest if youe body needs it. I'm good doing this every day now. Took awhile. But most people can do it

[@SteamedHams512]

I love the idea of Ryan doing push ups in a parking lot as people drive by wondering what the hell is going on 😂 Also GTG is what got me from 3-5 pull-ups per set to 10-12 consistently. It's also a great way to get your reps in when you're strapped for time.

[@fitnessframetv2305]

Thanks a lot man! Deeply explained. Please make a video about different techniques for calisthenics skills.

[@jasonwelsh417]

Grease the groove is almost like a cheat code

[@jordantheokay3168]

Since I watched this at the start of the month, I've empamented a plan. I'll spoil it for you, I have infact gotten markedly stronger and gotten my front splits. I nearly have my side split back. Anyway, this is what I've been doing throughout the day. I'm open to constructive criticism. I know I need to put some core work in here soon. I'm a beginner leval fellow, so whatever. Strength goal: Get stronger: (4 sets of 6 ulternating halos). (2 sets of 2 Turkish get ups w/30lb Kettlebell). (6 sets of 8: Kettlebell swing). (6 sets of 8: push-ups). (6 sets of 6: single arm sqout to pess ulternating arms evey 3 reps w/50lb Kettlebell). Stretch goal: Get my splits back: (prying goblet sqouts). (4 seats of 5 kettlebell swings). (Do several jumping jacks, then start prying, spreading the load, and breathing into the stretch). Take your time.

[@emmanuelhurd866]

You have no idea how much you just helped me with this video! THANK YOU!

[@paulogryzek4740]

The problem with understanding how seemingly competing principles can achieve similar results is because it is not simply a matter of either muscle hypertrophy or learning a movement. Knowledge around training adaptation in the current paradigm overemphasizes muscle hypertrophy. Increases in performance are probably accompanied by many other changes in the connective tissue and neuromuscular junction. These are physical changes. I can assuredly say that slow, frequent unweighted squats in a GtG protocol as described above, will absolutely improve power and lower body dexterity.

[@shourjosarkar2058]

Thanks bro for the excellent explanation of GTG method...this method was first fed into my knowledge by Pavel Tsatsouline in his well known book "The Naked Warrior".

[@shiwakuseven5859]

I'm 67 years and 9-months old. I like doing pull-ups and dips. I'm actually stronger as a senior citizen on Medicare than I was an active-duty United States Marine Corps 0331 M-60 Machine Gunner. The reason why is because I focused on doing partial reps to failure, which is a modification of Zatsiorsky's repeated effort strength training method to failure, which is the best way to develop muscular endurance, size, mitochondria, and capillary density. Recently, I did 5 sets of 36, 36, 33, 30, and 30 reps of pull-ups on the same day. The more mitochondria and capillary density you have, the more blood sugar, nutrients, oxygen, and blood flow you will have, which will increase muscular endurance and size. Full range of motion exercises is better for developing absolute strength, but pull-ups to failure is a test of muscular endurance.

[@dimitnone6795]

Ideas for future videos: 1) Flexibility training. For example I can't touch my toes, not even my socks. Is there any set of excersises, to do them daily or some days in the week to fix that problem? 2) Cardio. I'm doing only bodyweight workout ( your beginner program), 3 times per week. Do I need do add cardio sessions in the week, to be fit? If yes what is the mininal cardio I should do? And any excersise ideas

[@joshuakenny503]

Lower body focused calisthenics follow along workouts are brilliant for training cardio and you can do them at least twice a week

[@joshuakenny503]

Although thenx isn't the best channel in some senses, they've done a lot of good lower body follow alongs which have helped me a lot

[@carterlommel1344]

Also unknowingly just atsrted doing greasing the groove. Basically I ahve it set where ill do 15 pushups if I leave my room and 15 when I come back to my room. Figured you could implement this a lot of ways too. Its been nice since I've never had the commitment to dedicate a large amount of time all In one go to working out

[@jeserodriguez5241]

it increased your numbers?

[@thecatvirusgotme889]

You are missing the essence of Greasing the Groive. It is not simply "practice" or "perfecting technique." I did it and gained 35 pounds of mostly muscle. If a person ups their calories and greases the groove, they will get muscle hypertrophy with low risk of injury. Greasing the groove exemplifies our lack of knowledge of why muscles grow. The "damage muscle" theory of "to failure" training is only one method.

[@ranggasaktibudiputra1547]

How long did it take for you to gain those 35 lbs with GTG? Also how about your training age?

[@thecatvirusgotme889]

@@ranggasaktibudiputra1547 Hello Rangga.. I would say 5 - 6 months to gain 35 pounds. I bought a barbell and weights and usually did deadlift sets of 10 reps at modest weight of 110 pounds (my 1 rep max was over 300 pounds). I did 3 sets every couple of hours - always eating hi protein afterwards. About 12 sets per day. Every day. Every few days I was sore,.even though the weight was low,, so I rested. I never trained to failure or pushed heavy weight yet the muscles grew. I had to give away 85% of my shirts and shorts. And i have always been skinny. 55 years young ! Lol

[@iakona23]

@@thecatvirusgotme889 That’s an amazing experience. What other exercises did you do like that besides deadlift?

[@thecatvirusgotme889]

@@iakona23 iakona. At the time, gyms were closed so I only did Deadlifts but in a special way. I did the hack deadlift version (bar behind feet). It's very easy on the back. Deadlifts works the whole posterior chain so that is a lot of muscles. The hack variation even hits quads. The biggest growth is in hamstrings and buttocks but deadlifts are famous for stimulating total body growth. Remember, to get big muscles, one has to eat more. Good luck!

[@iakona23]

@@thecatvirusgotme889 Thank you! I recently started doing standard barbell deadlifts, but I also do squats, Kettlebell swings and the back extension raise where you use the back extension equipment plus your own body weight to raise from a 45 degree angle to horizontal with the floor.

[@twothreeoneoneseventwoonefour5]

Why not both? I am doing 1 set of push ups to failure random times a day lately. Sometimes it is one set an hour, sometimes one set a couple of hours. But it becomes a lot of volume(average 10 failure sets a day) and I strangely had good results with it. Overtraining is overrated(overfeared?) imo. Human body can adapt to a lot of things, so if you train your muscles frequent enough, they will inevitably learn to recover faster eventually. I don't know if faster recovery(up to a point where you can do 10+ daily sets to failure without feeling soreness at all) will actually lead to more muscle growth or not, compared to a regular 2-3x a week 3-4 sets to failure, but be sure that your body is capable of more than you think. (I went from 7 to consistent 15-16 perfect form slow(pause at top and bottom) full rom push ups on paralletes in a set, even with accumulated fatigue, in around 2 weeks time with this method)

[@bernardo8698]

Great video!!! I was wondering how to balance and do both of those types of exercise, want to build muscle and increase reps and technique. I find interesting that when I would do weighted squats at the gym the trainers used to say to use less weight to do It with better technique but If would that It wouldnt get near failure with less than 15 or 20 reps. The greasing the goove could be useful

[@dimitnone6795]

Thank you Ryan, very usefull video!!! What do you think about the following weekly training program: Circuit ( no rest between excersices) of puhups, squats, pullups reps to faillure. This is a circuit, the workout consits of 3 circuits and rest 2 minutes between circuits. This workout 3 times per week, not on consecutive days. Do you think this workout is good or enough for basic strenght training and fitness?

[@MinusTheGym]

Glad you like the video! I think a 3x3 circuit to failure done 3x per week is good starting point for a beginner, especially when they're still building up to the basics (i.e. perfecting their push up form, learning pull-ups, etc.). You can increase that to 4x a week on your journey to the basics as well. Once you're comfortable with the basics and are trying to build up the reps and build more mass, then I recommend increasing the frequency to 5 or even 6 workouts a week, as long as you're sticking to the basic calisthenics. You really can train basics with a high frequency, especially when your volume is around 3-4 sets per exercise. I have some videos planned in the near future about this topic so make sure you stay tuned!

[@dimitnone6795]

@@MinusTheGym Thank you very much Ryan. Very usefull info!

[@jessicafurman8470]

Great video, thanks for breaking it down!

[@counselorchandru]

Great video! So does this mean if I'm a beginner and I start with GTG first, with a bunch of movements, I'd be able to go from there to full sets later?

[@gustavoadolfo_84]

I read an article few days ago that tearing muscle fibers isn't the main reason of hypertrophy. Going near to failure makes your body to produce a protein that signals muscle must grow but you have to train again within 48 hours to get advantage of this. The peak of this protein's rise is about at 24 hours, so I'm working out at 60% the day before to my focused training and I have improved a lot in just 2 weeks.

[@DarthNoshitam]

Can you share the article?

[@Danielsalazar-31]

I second this can you please share the article with us? Huge exercise science nerd when it comes to frequency and tolerance

[@jr28778]

I do this when I train with my 21 inch Cold Steel slant tip machete ( look it up , or just look on my channel . it's rather hefty) I didn't start training with a big machete like that though . I started with a smaller one (also on my channel) but I just do this daily and it works great . It's only been about 3 months and The big machete already seems lighter

[@alexgadbois1916]

Great video! I started using grease the groove a week ago for pushups and I love it. Can grease the groove be used for neck exercises? I have a weight plate to do neck curls (front, back, left, right). Would it make sense to use GTG for the neck?

[@Jjurek4911]

Once you reach your goal, like say 20 pull-ups, and you want to “grease the groove” on another movement like handstand push-ups, what is the best way to maintain your 20 pull-ups?

[@josh_md]

Hi Ryan. Great video. Do you recommend doing greasing the groove on days where I workout that specific muscle group? (GTG on pullups during pull day). Thanks!

[@MinusTheGym]

Thanks! And yes, you can do some gtg sets on your workout days. Just keep them short, nowhere near your max. It shouldn’t affect your workout. If anything, it will warm you up prior to your workout, and increase blood flow to the muscles after your workout to optimize recovery.

[@josh_md]

@@MinusTheGym Thank you so much!

[@Anonymous77-s1s]

@@MinusTheGym thank you!!

[@Anonymous77-s1s]

Thank you for this comment!!

[@101personal]

Thanks Ryan for your great videos. Are you doing any warming up when greasing the groove ? If so, how much in time and depth ?

[@MinusTheGym]

Thanks! And nope, no warm up. With basic calisthenics the first few reps are basically your warm up.

[@larckpack1692]

Thanks for the video! I was really confused with 'greasing the groove' term

[@vistars6892]

hey ! i dont have a lot of time but i want to build muscle , so i Grease the groove to faillure everyday. i randomly in my day , when i get up to drink water , to get food or to go to toilets , do one set of push ups to faillure . to rest , i do push ups , some day squats , some day curls for biceps . and my weird way of doing Grease the groove is very nice to build muscle when you dont have enough free time for traditional workout ! that all , i just wanted to share my experience guys

[@MinusTheGym]

Nice! Thanks for sharing. That’s great you’ve been able to put on noticeable mass with GtG.

[@vistars6892]

@@MinusTheGym thanks for your response :)

[@Paul-yk7ds]

But if Greasing the Groove leads to the ability to do more reps, then wouldn't it also lead to more hypertrophy when you are then able to increase your reps in your workouts to failure? (via the principle of progressive overload)

[@GeomancerHT]

I am trying to get progressive overload by doing more difficult exercises and trying to keep the reps about 8-12 so I in theory maximize strength as I'm not interested in bulking too much. But also I rep to failure and try to get a last good negative, it's more like if I was working for the army, trough failure every time every day.

[@Vk-du3ci]

It would definitely lead to some hypertrophy, the only question is, how much compared to traditional style training. That remains unclear

[@AceMcshred]

That's my logic as well. If you build your compacity to do 2x the reps on a given exercise, it shouldn't matter what approach you took to get there.

[@Knatrick]

Very well explained video. 👍

[@madhavdarad7645]

A very good topic!!! I was confused about it for a long time..

[@海帆曾]

Thanks for making this. It's very helpful.

[@batboy5023]

How do we go about checking our GtG progress regarding reps? Check how many reps till failure on weekly basis? Thanks for the fantastic information!

[@MinusTheGym]

Yeah, just see how your max is increasing each week when you do a few sets until failure.

[@batboy5023]

@@MinusTheGym Ok thanks!

[@Shizzle541]

When doing GTG, how often do you do a max workout in order to get your new sub maximal rep range? Like once a month or week?

[@anestishs9929]

I thought the same

[@heapner]

I’ve learned so much thank you!

[@SralNespi]

Amazing video! Very informative Would be great with a video comparing going until failure vs time under tension.

[@markoperic2792]

Great video. Tnx. I have question. What about warmup? If I'm doing GtG, for example 8 times a day do I need to do 8 wormup routine? Or just hit the floor and do pushup?

[@MinusTheGym]

You don’t need to warm up for sets of the basics. The first few reps are a warm up themselves. That’s one of the many beauties of basic calisthenics exercises 😁

[@MadelineWesley]

thank you, that was actually very informative!

[@stevenlake5278]

Great video thank you. But I also want to say that just because you reach hypertrophy does not mean you will gain muscle mass.You will gain strength but if you don't increase your calorie intake your muscles will not grow but reaching hypertrophy does mean you will get stronger not necessarily bigger.

[@AdvancedTennisFoundation-ph9zo]

so how do you decide what is good form other than a dangerous form? Bad form today is tomorrows new discovery. I used to catch so much grief for my GTG type workouts and when I used partial reps. Even got booted from gyms for jump squats... now this stuff is cutting edge...

[@VietNguyen-kx3lq]

Im using push pull leg rountine so i leave 1 muscle group rest 1 day before I train them Example i will pick 1 push exercise for GTG in pull day and let it fully rest in leg day before I train ít again

[@suesimmons926]

Grease the Groove is a form of alactic, anti-glycolytic, but still anaerobic, training in the predominantly Creatine Phosphate energy system of short, intense, explosive rep sets with adequate rest between sets. Could you talk more about that kind of training?

[@Dexter68136]

What are you talking about 😂

[@reignmkr64]

Great video. Thank you for this post!

[@tjman4943]

Subscribed after the frog pose video, but this was good too. Great info

[@surfside16]

Good Vid. I'm going to do burpees. 3-5 reps every 1/2 hour which will give me strength and conditioning. And full body twice a week for strength. That should keep me healthy.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Isnt going to failure a basic requirement, to build muscle and get stronger? When I lift I go to failure and often do a few forced reps, where someone helps you a tiny bit, to complete a couple at the end, with heavy weights. This is the only way I ever get stronger, by doing more than I can. With good form of course. Greasing the groove seems to be a good way to lose weight, burning calories, for those that need to do that, without building size, right?

[@MinusTheGym]

You build some size with gtg, but in my experience it’s not as much as when training to failure. Russian Olympic weightlifters use gtg for strength training and save training to failure (or “maxing out”) for the event. It’s apparently a great method for strength training in this way.

[@user-he4ef9br7z]

No. Approaching failure is.

[@azirciak]

This video is greatly educative. Thank you :)

[@stereoscuro]

Thanks Ryan! I have one very specific question: how do you really meassure the GtG for isometric holds? (no real reps like in HS? I heard about total capacity, but I wanted your opinion. Cheers from Krakow!

[@jaloodali5645]

Check out Prilepin tables on Steven Lows website… great guidelines pfor skills and isometric training

[@MinusTheGym]

The echo JalooDaLi and their recommendation for the Prilepin chart. With isometrics I believe Prilepin is somewhere in the 60-70% range of max hold time, typically doing that for 4 or 5 sets. But you can do less intensity, such as 40-50% of max hold time for more sets when you grease the groove and that will work too. I remember when I had a 20 second advanced tuck front lever, I still couldn’t do a straddle for the life of me. I did GtG with 10 second holds (50% of max) 6 times per day to accumulate 60 seconds total every day. Within two weeks I had a decent 4-5 second straddle.

[@The_Aging_Warrior]

@@jaloodali5645 Thanks! I've never heard of Steven Lows. I just looked him up - now I feel like I might actually recover from my shoulder pain!

[@oceanliauw26]

@@MinusTheGym how would i go about training for planche and front lever at the same time if i want to grease the groove

[@cameronjohnson5529]

Great video and great explanation!! Thanks!!!

[@ivanildocafu3452]

What if I combine GTG with failure one day rest between these 2 ways? I mean one day GTG, one day rest and then failure, one day rest and so.

[@mikimilostnic2366]

Can i change up the excersises when I'm doing GtG, Lets say I do wide grip pull ups one day, next day chin ups, third day - hammer grip pull ups, than repeat. Or should I stay with one excersise and doing it for couple of weeks until I'm happy with the strenght? Bless you!

[@ahmadqatouni]

Damn, this channel is golddd, just the answers I needed. So I have a little question, I am practicing with my hand grippers (currently on 55kg), and I always used to practice till failure. I want to try this GTG technique, will it help me to reach the (next gripper 65kg) . ?

[@MinusTheGym]

Yes, it should. Frequent submaximal training has been shown to be excellent for strength training. I recommend reading the book The Naked Warrior by Pavel. He has a chapter about GtG in that book and it explains a lot.

[@wardhanjai9167]

Sir I am a 16 year old teen and I just want to do pull ups but the thing is that I am able to do 5 chin ups for 2 sets and for the 3rd set I use a 25 kg resistance band. However when it comes to pull ups I am not able to do a single one. Instead when I use resistance band of 25kg I'm able to do 4 pull ups for 3 sets. How do I improve this? Please guide.

[@thorikhammerfaust1075]

Just do them.

[@wardhanjai9167]

@@thorikhammerfaust1075 It's not that easy 😅

[@brianmelrose5]

I was similar and it really means your biceps are much stronger than your back. I would try and fit in some back exercises regularly and if you can get access to weight ballast on the pull up machine at the gym it will help your muscles get used to it...... bands will also work as you mentioned. Also I found it easier to do shoulder with pull up or close grip pull ups and move onto the wide grips as these will be the hardest.💪👍

[@wardhanjai9167]

@@brianmelrose5 thanks

[@wardhanjai9167]

@Buster Holiday Got it

[@Fuddy23]

What exercise can I use to replace push-ups or pull-ups . Do to a car accident my shoulders are junk

[@Julie-tm5vy]

Thank you that explains so much

[@vvxf.]

How often can you perform a set with GtG? Like one every hour?

[@MinusTheGym]

Yeah, that’s a great frequency. It could be sporadic too. For example, I used to keep a pull up bar in my bathroom doorway and every time I went to take a leak I’d do a set.

[@Seantorky3]

I've done both. Greasing the Grove worked better for pull ups. Drop pushups to failure worked better for pushups.

[@gungnir3926]

what about mixing it? like 3-5 sets to near failure daily for pushups?

[@tylerheard3982]

Thanks for the great video! I was equally captivated by the great info and those pretty blue eyes 😂

[@abhiendadevill9126]

Please, make a video on Hover Pushup or Hover glide (whatever you say it). As there lots of confusion around. Different video shows different form.

[@branislavboba1699]

I go to failure every day. One or two very short workouts. In this way I'm able to go to failure and grease the groove at the same time. Skip rope, punch the heavy bag, one hand pull-ups, one hand push-ups, one leg squats, clubbell/heavy mace and a short sprint. 4 times a week I go for one hour walk with a clubbell. Twice a week I do 20min. HIIT. Then once a week I go to the gym where again - I do 13 exercises - one super set each. This year I'm gonna be 48 and constantly getting better.

[@CarlUsana-o3l]

I do both something like alternate days !!

[@OldSchoolPatrick]

Excellent! Thank you

[@jindal.v]

Can I do greasing the groove with multiple exercises for different muscle groups at the same time? Like push ups and squats?

[@THEANPHROPY]

Thanks for the upload bub! Hey how come you resemble Iron Wolf (Gunney aka Art) in some clips bru???? Peace & Love!!!

[@bilalhandli5544]

How could I implement this? So one week just do pushups the other pullups the other squats and the other deadlift?

[@ft.the_equinox]

The thing that across my mind is, can I combine gtg and failure?? example, twice a week i will hit near failure and in rest day i will do gtg?

[@tungmingxuan8559]

I feel like I do I little of both, like throughout the day I'm doing mostly greasing the groove but usually towards the end of the day I find myself failing or nearly failing at the last set

[@albertorozco3652]

Hey Ryan, I came across your channel a while back about GTG. Your video was informative and gave me the trust to star a work out. I been doing GTG for five months and it's longest I have been consistent and injury free. Base on GTG there is no max of sets. When do I know it's time to move from normal pushup to diamond or incline "progress" ? Would like your thoughts about it keep up the good work.

[@Leonnitram123]

Hi , did you gain any muscle during those 5 months?

[@albertorozco3652]

@@Leonnitram123 I did and definitely recommend this approach

[@Leonnitram123]

@@albertorozco3652 ok thanks

[@Lightsong701]

Just try it out! Moving up in a progression follows the same rule as starting out on GTG: Rest for a day or two then attempt the most reps you can manage of a harder progression, and the following day start your GTG cycle again with half of your new max.

[@keith606]

If I wanted to increase the number of pull-ups on the B-Bars will I need to be very strong in the leg raise? I’m 6’1 so my feet will be hitting the floor if not raising my legs. Do your legs fail before finishing a high rep set of pull-ups?

[@adolfocabarcas5795]

and what about do 1 serie to fail 10 times at day and train the same muscle and the end of the day right before sleep?

[@oberek]

Thank you!

[@gamingguy1397]

i want to do more push-ups,and i trained till failure,its good training till failure for more reps?