Jeff Cavaliere: This Is An Intervention

[@-Azure.EXE-]

You'll see channels like CurleanX, and know Jeff has made some gargantuan fxxk ups like 1. 10 by 10 on squats with 70% of your one RM with 1 minute rest as a weight loss exercise (still makes me laugh everytime I think about it) 2. 'Breath out as you descend into the bottom of a squat.' 3. Athlean-XX. 4. The fake weight era. There were still good videos between those but my gawd. He's always had a little crazy lurking in him.

[@GVS]

And all are still up. He's edited the description of the breathe out video, so he KNOWS it's wrong but isn't willing to take it down even though that can get people hurt (and undoubtedly has). That says everything: ego before his own viewers.

[@-Azure.EXE-]

@@GVS It would do Cavalier so much good to just admit he made mistakes. The catback deadlift proved his ego is too big to know when to quit.

[@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600]

You forgot to list the time he said that doing bicep curls with your leg was a very effective form of training and this was like in 2017 and it’s scary how even advanced considered him credible

[@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600]

Back then

[@SalchichaStudios]

Im so funny 🎃🎃

[@AlexLeonidas]

This was one of the most brutal Athleanx roasts yet, especially the McDonald's comparisons and showcasing the increased frequency of fear mongering over the years.

[@RDbodybuildingreardelt]

Was wondering if you still find yourself agreeing with him on some topics? Mostly regarding injury prevention, rehab ect?

[@jackshitehead7024]

Hey strap...err I mean alphadestiny, why not enter a (Natural) bench competition like you did 3 yrs ago and smash your own Canadian record?

[@epicotakugamer4930]

Hey been a fan of you since your Good Looking Loser days. I'd like to see if you've ever done infield videos of cold approaching before.

[@SamK2525]

Dude I can’t take the way you talk, do you talk like this all the time? keep the pace going, stop slowing down, I got stuff to do.

[@snowiblind]

@@epicotakugamer4930 Alex was on Good Looking Loser forum? What do you mean? Never heard of him there

[@FitLabb]

I’ve posted respectful critical comments on Jeff’s videos in the past & every single one was either quickly deleted or his army of fanboys descended on me with attack after attack. Then I was blocked from commenting altogether, which is why it’s important for us to make content like this holding people like Jeff accountable in honest & respectful ways.

[@scottvasnik]

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing.” We must stand against fitness tyranny together!

[@liftingwizard3431]

The shit is insane there indeed

[@kickstothehead3705]

@@scottvasnik a lot worse than fitness tyranny going on tho

[@DarthNoshitam]

Channels can block individual accounts from commenting?!

[@liamengram6326]

@@DarthNoshitam Absolutely. They can even shadow ban you where you can still comment, but nobody else except for the creator will see your comments.

[@MassiveIron]

Thanks for the shoutout. These types of videos by Athlean do nothing to help the average lifter reach their goals. If anything, they only mislead and add confusion. And quite frankly, I don't think this is about helping people at this point... But that's my opinion. I'm glad you mentioned legacy. What exactly is our goal at the end of the day? You can make a solid living helping people and leave a good legacy.

[@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600]

The funny thing is that he saw your post where you were roasting him for which raise was best for the shoulders and reuploaded the video as which press is the best

[@MassiveIron]

@@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600 Haha didn't know that!

[@rolandrolladoor2371]

Hey there Stevie boy...you gave The Fake Merc credibility by making him a writer on your site. How's your legacy bud?

[@jcl9034]

@@rolandrolladoor2371 This cringe "fake merc" circle jerk is so 2020. Regardless of whether or not blaha pretended he was a mercenary does not change the fact that Blaha has solid information and is quite strong. Blaha puts out solid information relating to strength.

[@indiansmokar]

@@jcl9034 he uses fake weights and is a deranged fuck

[@BrawnyKingFitness]

Jeff's personality has a big part to play in this. The way he presents himself, how he talks and his confidence can fool any beginner into believing that he is an expert. Throwing big words like lateral abduction also helps. And the skeleton as well. Making him look like some doctor.

[@GVS]

Yes he says side lateral raises lol. Lateral means side. Side...side raises 😂😂😂

[@TheLouisianan]

but...but...he coached NFL athletes in strength and conditioning (a population of geneticlly gifted athletes that have done crazy shit to make gains because they could do anything and grow).

[@fratystuff6737]

Yeah he's just a expert marketer.

[@liamengram6326]

@@TheLouisianan No he didn't lol. He was the PT for the Mets. Not only did he not do any strength and conditioning work, he worked with baseball players who notoriously don't need to be athletic to be good (Prince Fielder, anyone?).

[@BSimpson1998]

He is an expert. That's indisputable.

[@freakied0550]

Jeff learned the algorithm game long before anyone else in the fitness space.

[@GVS]

Yep. And while someone else probably would have figured it out at some point, I can't say it's been a positive overall.

[@raman0312]

​@@GVS well the sun might be dec. shine on athlean x in coming time if something doesnt change in his channel

[@raman0312]

wait a minute...is jeff doing this to get in like...such controversy videos to gain popularity like Tarun Gill of INDIA 😆

[@MassiveIron]

Back in the day Ask Scooby was rocking billions of views but he was doing it the right way, helping people and doing live videos. Jeff could have followed that path.

[@freakied0550]

@@MassiveIron slicing and freezing bananas is the greatest gift Scooby ever bestowed upon our unworthy souls.

[@freakied0550]

Credit where it's due: Alec Enkiri caught so much heat from fanboys and some creators on here alike for calling out Athlean X before it was trendy to do.

[@GVS]

100%, his original video "Athlean-X is not a strength coach" he got a lot of shit for. But he stuck to his guns.

[@MD-ol4pe]

If it wasn't for Alec, I'd probably still be following Jeff for awhile longer, just as I began heading into the gym - safe to say I found a much more productive community here

[@elitestrengthcoach9024]

@@GVS He got a lot of sh$t for doing it because he lied, Geoffrey. It was proven beyond doubt. It's sad that you are simply dissembling to suit your own prejudice.

[@elitestrengthcoach9024]

No credit at all. Enkiri was doing it for his best buddy The Fake Merc. It's telling that Enkiri chose to be a Hemmingway nuthugger.

[@darkpoison6250]

@@elitestrengthcoach9024 nice one troll 😂

[@ven9276]

"To look like an athlete, you gotta train like an athlete....here's 800 videos on bicep curls"

[@LasTortugasAzules]

So true. It's weird that his followers never seem to figure out the hypocrisy. He preaches "training like an athlete" and putting emphasis on function and overall health, but then the majority of his videos are focused on hypertrophy (suboptimal hypertrophy). There's nothing wrong with being a hypertrophy focused channel, but don't market yourself as something else entirely

[@ClayHales]

One of my favorites is that in some cases his train like an athlete mantra simply means to do a standing (usually cable) version of an exercise instead of something more conventional. Because athletes compete standing up. It's almost as meaningless as functional training has become.

[@DarkVeghetta]

Don't forget the ever-popular 'lift fake weights for that noobie cred PR'. Never forget the fake weights. Ever.

[@ElloYuchub]

It's amazing how Jeff Cavaliere went on from becoming the most liked fitness youtuber to the place where everybody is criticizing him nowadays in a span of like 2 years. Earlier even people like Steve Shaw, Elgintensity etc used to praise him but once he was exposed, everything changed for the better.

[@IamliterallyToji_777]

I was one of the mfs that followed him and i regret. It. I wasted 2 years following his bs

[@dontwatchdotorg]

Makes you wonder why they praised him in the past? Was it selectively looking at his advice that's actually sound, was it mistakingly thinking his poor advice was good until others criticized him, was it just not thinking critically while mainly using him for views, etc? (I haven't mentioned anything malicious because I would like to think some of these guys have proper integrity)

[@No-way-way]

It all went downhill after the fake weights lol

[@Ignasimp]

How was he exposed? What happened?

[@curlean-x4443]

Regarding praising him before 2020, it could also be a matter of how much people have grown and how much they conform to trends. A lot of people have learned a lot in the past 3 years. And they may have realized Jeff Cavaliere's information is problematic or incorrect. Three years ago, a lot of us believed in things that we don't anymore. The difference is that some people change their views to align with the latest expert consensus, which changes, but Jeff hasn't really done that. A lot of people also praised him like a beacon but "switched camps," so to speak, once he showed himself to be a deceitful liar. That is because they know conforming to the current popular opinion is safer for social media traction.

[@Rawsavon]

A. Excellent fast food analogy and props for weaving it through every point B. Those shame feels when you admit that Ath(too)lean X and G Shred were your introductions to KZbin Fitness

[@croissantrophy.channel]

It's ok, must of us, if not all, started like that.

[@dilbophagginz]

this comment makes me feel really fucking old. Hasn't G shred only been popular for like 2 years?

[@Rawsavon]

@@dilbophagginz Not sure when it was exactly, but it was long enough ago that... He lived in a small apartment, and he didn't scream all the time. I bailed around the time he likened Stephanie Buttermore to a pig (the hypocrisy was too much, and it was a Seinfeld "I'm out" GIF moment for me)

[@rhythmtreble7311]

No shame boss you moved on from him is what matters

[@sheadoherty7434]

A right of passage for all lifters is watching athlean x as a novice and realising he has no idea what he's talking about as an intermediate

[@powerlius2730]

My perception of Athelan X has changed so much over my lifting ‘career’

[@GVS]

Same. As a beginner he's very convincing.

[@connivingkhajiit]

@@GVS almost frighteningly so. Glad i moved away from his content.

[@DarkVeghetta]

The second those weights were pointed out as being fake, I refused to listen to another word from Jeff's mount without triple-checking it. The one good thing I learned from him was how to properly do the _hollow body hold._ The title of that video was clickbait, so I knew he'll over-promise going in, but the video and descriptions of the exercise were solid.

[@lionheart-182]

Jeff has more knowledge about the algorithm than actually teaching something valuable

[@boxman_ninja0819]

Every few months we need to refresh the athlean x critique train exactly because of what you said. He still has that huge reach and impact and he's not stopping

[@jakedaniel1814]

I've always watched Jeff for more of his physiotherapy stuff. His exercises have helped me tremendously with my shoulders and tennis elbow. I've never really watched for bodybuilding tips or advice.

[@MonkeyBarsEveryday]

any specifics on tennis elbow recovery? i had it for around 6mo and it just went away on its own

[@soofitnsexy]

exactly. he is clueless as a muscle building channel

[@tricky92x]

@@MonkeyBarsEveryday I found that hanging from a bar every day completely wiped out both my tennis and golfer's elbow. I did it for my shoulders, and it really helped my elbows. Go figure.

[@MonkeyBarsEveryday]

@@tricky92x heckin ironic. hangs and rock climbing were the source of my tendonitis i think it probably comes down to frequency/intensity and how you ramped into the exercises. I went way too hard too fast

[@tims251]

Got started on his channel 4 years ago when started strength training. Pointing me in the right direction. Hurt my back deadlifting. He did/does offer some great advice to eliminate pain, or correction videos. His channel helped me with posture as well. That’s helped me a ton. Other than that I haven’t checked in on his content for anything training related

[@zakazan8561]

What I have used Jeff's content primarily for is exercises when I didn't have much to work with or if I was injured. I still think he does a pretty good job at getting a message across that promotes safety in lifting. The biggest thing I've taken from him, especially considering I have bad shoulders, is his exercises for the rotator cuff to keep it healthy. I also ended up tearing my hip labrum doing full range of motion hip movements that required surgery, so I have first hand experience when it comes to the importance of injury prevention. I also have back problems and the last 10 years I've had going to physical therapy for various issues have shown me that a lot of his exercises are what many physical therapists use to rehabilitate people. Like at 3:08 that's just a modified bird dog, it's not really a leg or arm exercise, it's a trunk / core stability / anti rotation exercise. The two main ideologies in physical therapy are Mckenzie and McGill, the former being stretch-based and the latter being bracing based. Mckenzie says you can reduce radiculopathy by essentially pushing the disc back into place by doing something like cobra pose, McGill says you brace against painful movements and over time the disc heals which then reduces the radiculopathy. You bring up that it has been shown that stretching doesn't reduce injuries (which is actually contentious, you just need to look at research beyond 2004) but then you don't see the bracing aspect either. I think there's just an issue of the goal of the exercise and not every exercise or stretch is made to maximally build muscle, there are many other beneficial adaptations to exercises that are beyond just growing muscle and context and specificity matters. Everything else that he does is just marketing, and I guess I'm just not someone that's responsive to that kind of stuff and the amount of free content he offers has been enough for me. I never tried any of his workouts or his supplements.

[@robertoramos_mi]

Your channel was the first channel I came across when I started taking working out seriously a few months back👊🏽😎

[@henzy8954]

My first few weeks of training I watched Jeff Scamaliere and I eventually realized what he was doing. Luckily I found Fitness FAQ then from there Jeff Nippard, Natural Hypertrophy, Your KZbin and many other more honest good quality fitness videos. Thank you for staying real and not selling out.

[@henzy8954]

Also since it's SPOOKTOBER... Guys... Isn't it a little SPOOKY that the word LIE is in his name ...

[@michaelthreepeat]

Is Jeff Scamaliere a relative of Jeff Cavaliar ?

[@grassfedgains1216]

Solid video man, I was definitely hooked on Jeff for the first 5 years I was lifting, even bought $200+ worth of his programs. Garnered pretty bang on average results after more than 6 months of solid training. Haven't watched his content for over 3 years now.

[@justvernon7772]

Ouch, $200+ for some cookie cutter, non-individualised programs that can be easily replicated/made with the vast amount of good free training knowledge/information online. Starting to see some similarities with Jeff Cavalier and Andrew Tate.

[@NickHollis21]

I am embarrassed to say I bought AALPHA-RX about 5 years ago when I started training. Jeff's program was my very first one, it fits the narrative.

[@wte_lifts_417]

Breaks my heart to see how far he’s fallen considering how influential he was in my and many other’s early lifting days. Never meet your idols, fellas.

[@fromeveryting29]

I went to class with this one guy who was obsessed with AthleneX a few years ago. The guy was soft, skinny fat, knew nothing about nutrition (thought fruit had no carbs), and mocked me for being vegan. The guy REEKED insecurity, you could say. He went to the gym several times a week, did some weird ab exercises and then just sat around in the body weight training area for up to an hour. Meanwhile I was training at home with dumbbells and bodyweight, was a vegan and was stronger and more jacked than ever. I was always polite to him, and I think that made him even more insecure. Since then I've associated AthleneX with that guy, and never watched him. Poor guy, really. He lived at home with him mom at 30.

[@matthewlonnon5662]

I wouldn’t go as far to say nothing is better then Jeff’s instructional videos. As a 16yr with a garage full of weights Scott Herman Jeff and Elliot were big when I was starting out

[@ahmademad9696]

Oh i remember doing his abs workouts 3 years ago and getting all the looks and thinking in my head"such fools they don't know i have the power of the athlean" Then i stayed small for the next year 🙂🙂

[@Moshealthtips]

jeff from 2009-2015 was fantastic especially for beginners and intermediates. now i barely watch a video because theres competing better info

[@danielhoward3618]

He has absolutely FLOODED fitness KZbin. Can’t look at shit without seeing Jeff 15 times 🙃

[@lornebarnaby7476]

When I was a beginner I did find his content useful and credit it to some extent with helping me build confidence in the gym. But looking back now I can see that his content leaves a lot to be desired.

[@justinheiple]

Never bought any of his stuff, but got pulled into his content back in the days, and it definitely had me spinning my wheels for years trying 57 new exercises every 2-3 weeks instead of just mastering basics.

[@austindukes1089]

Same! Why do i need 50 chest exercises that are weird as hell anyway

[@stakuv86]

This was the last straw for me! Jeff did get me started on my fitness journey and I'm thankful for that but over the years he just declined in content quality and sold out MASSIVELY on everything which is a huge disappointment and frankly really sad! I had to finally unsubscribe in the middle of this video and no regrets at all. Thanks, GVS for another great NO BS straight-to-the-point video. You have been a great continued source of motivation, encouragement, and information and also a fun enjoyable source on YT on my intermediate fitness journey! Keep up the great work!

[@blakeavila4409]

How did he sell out?

[@kchuen]

He always had bullshit content. Some of his videos are ok or even good. But he had a ton of bullshit videos right from the start. Good for you for getting rid of misinformation for yourself!

[@MCJSA]

I got started with Cavalier, too. I was living in a hotel with only access to a typical hotel gym - dumbells, tredmills, and a few simple machines. He showed me how to use this equipment. I bought a couple of his programs and that gave me the basics of programming. I'm not someone who follows anything slavishly. Eventually, I just drifted away from him to other content creators. This is like any other field - it takes some time to develop a fitness literacy, to identify the creators that offer you genuine value, and you go with those. I understand how people can get lost in some of this content - I even watched Vince for a while! Anyway, caveat emptor.

[@BrainsandGainsPodcast]

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE JEFF/GEOFF IN THIS INDUSTRY!

[@HrsHJ]

Jeff capalier is the type of guy who tells you doing bicep curl using your leg is better than a barbell

[@nvm7047]

I mean. Jeff gave me a great advice with adding face pulls to my workouts. Props to him

[@SeanHung83]

Definitely back in the days it was all Jeff Cavalier and Mike Chang videos everywhere. The good old days...

[@PeteRubish]

One thing though is id say Jeff is around 5’10.5” because I’m 5’11.5” and he was way taller than I expected in person

[@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600]

Pete you gotta get Jeff on the milk and squats program

[@theiceman7590]

The weird thing about his fanbois is that I never seen one of them (it might just be me) that posts the results they got. They never say they went from X lbs to Y lbs or their Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OHP went up or their measurements are increasing. People say that Jeff rarely ever talks about progressive overload and I think this is proof of it.

[@nathanroberts6356]

I agree with you on Andrew Huberman, I was on to him when he started going on about cold hand therapy increasing work capacity when exercising with little evidence to show this, He talks about about things in a way that they appear to be facts and he appears to be creditable due to his education but often the science is outside of his expertise

[@derekfrommoreuprightrowsmo600]

Ngl I watched one of his videos once, and huberman is the type of guy to work a desktop job but instead of working he has the notepad open and pretends he’s working, it’s like he lists these research papers but doesn’t actually put them to use

[@dominicfrigerio1747]

so lucky when I first jumped into youtube fitness the first channel I subscribes to was fitness faqs. I dont watch his channel very often now, but I owe him a lot

[@JIMALAKA]

Spot on! For me it was Mike Chang from Sixpackshortcuts back in the day! I think he ended up selling that business and he got all spiritual and stuff. He has a new channel and stuff that's quite hilarious

[@coacheugeneteo]

Great breakdown! Appreciate the effort and research that went into this - especially the fearmongering tally 🤣🤣 The audacity to pretend you have 22 inch arms. Just an inch shy of Phil Heath...🤣🤣

[@Aniviper]

You should watch Alec Enkiri roast you then, and of course Geoff agreeing to it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpiTl3mVqtp2rNE. KZbin is a cesspool of just circle jerking. Ridiculous!

[@Aniviper]

Oh right, Geoff said, you do "contrarian marketing" with your type of videos!

[@tobiash04]

when i was starting out i watched him and wanted to do his ppl program he showed back then, luckily there was a trainer at my gym who told me a basic upper lower would be a better choice and set me on the right track. she also told me that i actually have to eat, which i knew but was a bit reluctant of, and gave me the confidence to bulk

[@jaredjordan7935]

What an amazing display of channel envy right here. Jeff has amassed his massive following not by "tricking" the naive but by proving to be hands down the most valuable asset to the fitness industry for over a decade. So tired of watching people like Geoff ride the coattails of the Jeff he wishes he was. The criticisms are nonsensical and they are always leveled by people who have been pretty much relegated to the land of irrelevance by the youtube viewing audience (not some youtube algorithm determined to keep their channels small). Not a strength coach? Well, let's see he's the only one on the platform who actually served in that role for a professional sports organization and can actually call himself one. In fact, he took a complete and utter weakling Jessie and turned him into a 550lb deadlifter and a 400lb squatter. What better display of coaching ability do you get than that???? Beyond that, his knowledge of anatomy and function is second to none. Literally has no peers here. The reason the "trend" has been to hate on him is because it's the only path that the loser channels like Geoff's have found to garner any views at all. So they go back to the well just like Jeff is accused of when making another biceps video. Hypocrisy GVS. Thought you were better than this. You need an intervention.

[@landonmatthew]

“he keeps beginners as beginners”. That’s SOOOO true. I 100% attribute my elongated beginner phase to trusting this man. It took me like 3 years to realize these things.

[@AwesomeCo1]

Me too man, I was a beginner for like 3 years tbh, and in the space of like a year I've made more progress in those 3 years combined

[@landonmatthew]

@@AwesomeCo1 same dude…

[@ScEscapism]

Although I love how educative your content can be, can we all take a moment to appreciate some of the memes and fun little jokes geoff edits in, golden!

[@danielgilbert8338]

Funniest man in fitness. 100%

[@txmie]

A distinguished gentleman of the culture

[@craigpage1261]

When I was still on FB I joined an unofficial AthleanX group. The mods ran it with an iron fist. No negative words against Jeff allowed AT ALL! It was more cultish than the keto groups….except ketogains. Those people are a straight up a religion. 😂😂

[@xjet]

But... but... but Jeff's creatine is unique because it contains the proven performance increasing ingredient: placebo. For an extra $10 per pot you can buy the "Pro" version that has placebo forte. This version not only increases performance but doubles your gains! Bloody marvelous!

[@tomlazoriksuccessfitness]

Comparing the fitness industry to fast food and Jeff to McDonalds is a brilliant analogy. I still remember when Athlean X was a respected brand. I really think it was the fake weights incident that opened up some eyes in regards to all the flaws. But the Athlean X brand is like Six Pack Shortcuts on a fat stack of PED’s. It’s insane the reach and unwavering respect from some that Jeff has despite the glaring issues 🤡🍔

[@proathlete8153]

Not really a good analogy. McDonalds is good value for money, you always know what you are getting no matter where in the world you are, the service is good, the staff training is good, and it's the best tasting coke there is. Do you only live on it? No. Do you live on only The Scho-ster's videos? Gawd no! It’s insane the reach and unwavering respect from some that Geoffrey has despite the glaring issues. Btw, do you have any fitness certs, credentials or education? I'm having trouble finding anyone in Geoffrey's circle who has any. Sh-amateurs all of them.

[@tomlazoriksuccessfitness]

@@proathlete8153 I mean, the video was pretty much all about the analogy - so despite your points, he had some as well. No analogy is perfect, but I think there is a good argument here. I see your POV, but I don’t think that makes it a bad analogy. And I am NASM certified, with specializations in bodybuilding, MMA conditioning, and flexibility/mobility. I’m sure there are others who watch Geoff who has credentials, such as FitLabb

[@ConnerKent87]

I got into fitness with Athlean X. Even spent 100 on his "Max Size" program. Him and Coach Gregg kept me small mostly due to diet for a while but I outgrew them in about a year. I like to belive that happens to alot of people. He DOES prey on beginners but without him wouldn't have gotten into it. Not excusing the behavior, but I like to believe that most people figure it out after not so long and they stay into it.

[@alexanderrussell5427]

I followed athleanx programs from around 2016-2019. Very suboptimal results and I think the only useful piece I gained was sticking to a routine. Feel I missed a few years of my early lifting.

[@zarante5640]

Athlean-X held back my gains for years and years. Geoff was my introduction to proper fitness content and eventually to Nippard, Bald Omni Man, NH and so on. The amount of time I wasted wanting to be a lean stick that never properly progressed on his compounds and even spent money on his bullshit traning templates is crazy

[@elio6861]

that fucker got me to advise a giant guy that he shouldn't internally rotate, and i have also bite the growing without getting fatter bullshit, luckily enough i rolled up on a old video of him saying that sissy squats gonna turn your quad tendons into pieces and realized it was s

[@rolandrolladoor2371]

@@dustencross357 And you said "Don't worry Jeff, I'll do it for free". Are you sane bro?

[@Pyryp2]

One thing I credit Jeff with is pushing face pulls. It will keep many shoulders healthy. Though he ruins that a little by saying his style of face pulls are the only good way to do them.

[@Halbared]

I've watched this a couple of times, the burger fart line cracks me up.

[@GVS]

Glad someone enjoyed it haha

[@Pastapillow]

He's probably not THAT bad for beginners / new lifters. The main thing is he is encouraging people to exercise. When I first got into lifting, I found his content really informative, entertaining and helpful. He answers questions that newer lifters have and does so in an engaging way. I couldn't watch a video of his now, but I'm no longer his target audience. Before my interest in lifting grew, I probably didn't have enough attention span for 2 hour podcasts I mostly watch now.

[@inlimboed91]

I think a lot of people lose sight of this once they get to a certain level. We were all beginners once. A lot of what he says is utter bullshit and a lot of his followers probably never get anywhere, but it's probably a gateway for a lot of people who subsequently broadened their horizons.

[@DrOrr]

@@inlimboed91 I’d say it’s 50/50 because some people can become attached to the channel n never improve past complete beginner

[@Pastapillow]

​@@inlimboed91 Yeah. I think if someone has appetite for better content, they'll eventually find it. There's a lot to learn in terms of lifting and how muscles work and Jeff does teach some good basics. I also don't really care about his fake weights. It's typically safer and loads of bodybuilders/content creators use them. And everyone has an ego / wants to feel strong. He wants to show he has experience in a visual way and lifting a lot of weight is short form for that. I don't doubt that at his prime that he was probably pretty strong. And he has probably coached some people into being very strong. Moreover, his fear mongering keeps new users safer probably. Before you learn to listen to your body, throwing around big weights at precarious angles could hurt you. I feel okay with day 1 gym users thinking an upright row will break their shoulders. With good loading, it's a great exercise though.

[@Pastapillow]

@@DrOrr 😂 I did watch his channel for too long to be fair

[@liamengram6326]

Unfortunately, there is a sizeable subset of lifters who still swear by Jeff 2+ years in to their lifting journey who wonder why they're no longer progressing and any time you tell them it's because they're still getting all of their advice from Athlean X they start hissing at you and throwing up cross-fingers. I tell them to just look at Jesse. He was working full-time for Jeff for 5 years where working out to prove Jeff's methods work was part of his job. And in those 5 years where he should have gotten well on his way to being an advanced lifter, he made it about halfway in to the intermediate category.

[@PaulnOn]

Yeah as many others I eventually stopped watching his stuff because it became very reptitive and also I was annoyed by the killing your gains stuff. The only thing I really am thankful for is that he was the one emphasizing to do facepulls, and I still stick to doing these. It seems that doing facepulls got rid off my shoulder issues when doing benchpress etc. Cheers, love your content Geoff! Keep it coming its amazing!

[@austindukes1089]

Jeff’s day is coming when he has nothing left to make up. Some of his physical therapy based videos are great and it shows where his true experience and expertise is. However, nobody needs 300 variants of the same basic exercises and I spent years spinning my wheels because I followed his fluff advice. Got Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 and it opened up how simple this can be and what basic lifts can really do. Follow John Meadows for great variations for the basic shit and Greg Doucette. Never looked back. I do my own shit now and I do the same 3-5 exercises for each body part and have been for years with amazing progress and results.

[@b1uezer]

I don't necessarily disagree with your points. I started with Athlean-X was one of the first channels that brought me into the fitness space. I've noticed the content is more or less unspecialized, and not really all that helpful for becoming more advanced. Aside from the occasional anatomy lesson, a lot of the moves he's putting out is just about the movement patterns; that doesn't automatically translate into being an athlete. Training like an athlete would be training in sport-centric movements, and sticking to basic strength building exercises instead. A lot of his content is the exact opposite, coming up with tons of different workouts, that compromise just how much muscle you can build for nuance. The one thing I did want to ask you though: is do you think it's wrong of him to use his platform to make money? Does he have a moral obligation to do what we expect out of him? I don't know if I can say I'm exactly disappointed in Jeff for optimizing his channel to make money. Doing the same thing over and over isn't insane if it's getting you the results you want. Could he change? Sure. Should he change? That I don't think is as clear cut. To stick with your analogy, it feels like calling out Ronald McDonald for McDoncald's profiting on a fast food when it's our society that's reinforced the demand.

[@GVS]

Definitely fault on both the supply and demand sides here. Nothing wrong with making money; I make money through my book sales. It's an issue of scale and degree. Do I expect him to change? No. But at least people can become aware of what is happening.

[@lunallena5594]

Thanks for the video! I don't watch Athleanx like before precisely for these reasons. How Jeff faked his height, his sets with huge weighs in particular and the fact that he did nothing to recant or at least take down those videos was really deceptive. Everyone who lifts knows that it's about the look and personal capacity. He's good for technique.

[@trislifting47]

As I never watch Jeff the B-roll footage in this video looks like an actual comedy show

[@nahomwondwossen4328]

When I started fitness two years ago, I used to primarily watch Athelean X videos. Although he definitely did help me, I realize now that his main intention was to manipulate me into thinking fitness is complicated and that only his videos and programs are the solution. However, now after watching your channel, Jeff Nippard, Dr. Mike Israetel etc., I realize how pointless a lot of his videos are (for example posting the same things over and over gain). Thank you Geoffrey, for having the courage to call him out!

[@fillphd]

when I first started lifting i thought Jeff was a mastermind hahaha

[@freddymars2014]

Skeletor-X is a menace to the fitness community

[@davidkeller3618]

The fitness / bodybuilding magazines have historically been repetitive in their training articles. That’s the life of being in the business

[@Coalemos]

But but but Jeff has saved me from injury! But he's shown me how to workout with my back pain! But but but he's allowed me to put an inch on my arms in 22 days!

[@robwebber1217]

Jeff Cavaliere's channel is a little bit like looking through a reclamation yard. You occasionally find something useful but you have to look through a lot of junk to find it.

[@nmnate]

That's a great analogy. It fits so well. 👍

[@aevy6894]

Love your stuff as always Geoff! Got your latest book last week and been loving it! in your 100 fitness mistakes video you shouted out some amazing fitness youtubers, could you please do another video which is the opposite of this one? AS in from beginner to advanced which creators on this platform lifters should engage with, apart from yours ofcourse!

[@murmor6890]

As someone who watched his content over 10 years ago I think the time argument is kinda valid. Pioneers deserve to be cut some slack imo and while a lot of backlash is deserved he also is a bit over-bashed nowadays. Also while he isn't science based he does explain his arguments and a good part of them hold value at least as a dissenting opinion, not everyone has to agree. Also speaking about his free content here, his payed programs are probably a completely different animal from what one can hear.

[@JohnCampbell-mw6yn]

Jeff got me started on my fitness journey years ago Lots of Respect for him Jeff's tha Man!!

[@scorpioman1964]

Haha..this is one of the best videos of Jeff from you. I must say Jeff helped me with some pain issues in my back and tendons. I'm still a follower and like to see how the interactions are between Jesse an Jeff. I hate the best and worst videos of him. But be honest if talking about him then it's necessary to follow him 🤣🤣🤣

[@carloslabanda5402]

I did learned a few things from Jeff, but few... Then I discovered the good channels

[@AndreaRodolfoNadia]

Glad I wasn't the only one to feel really disappointed by seeing Huberman have him as a guest on his podcast.

[@JoshBenware]

8:40 thanks for featuring my comment!

[@mrhigeji]

My first 6+ months of lifting were basicially Jeff's "perfect" (insert bodypart) workouts. I of course made gains since everything works for beginners but the workouts were long, I felt stupid doing them and, most of all, I made almost no progress and plateaued hard. I made so much better and consistent progress since moving on from his content and am pretty sure that I not only have a better physique than Jeff (might be subjective) after only 3 years of lifting, but also that I outlift him by 30-50% (even adjusting for bw and age). It honestly pisses me off that his content is pretty much the first thing that pops up for people that actually want to better themselves

[@justinroberts2323]

That's what probably is the hardest thing about being a fitness trainer online. Cavaliere is his own thing but eventually you're going to run out of things to say because fitness is a relatively exact science. Stick to what works i.e. progressive overload, compounds lifts, high protein diet, etc. There is advanced stuff but that is really limited to a small group of advanced people and real athletes. A bicep curl will always be a bicep curl and a good exercise for biceps. After running through every other muscle and lift you get back to biceps and realize you already explained the best stuff for it. Now you need to do something different to keep your base that likes to see best/good exercises that is kind of wishy washy or straight up BS OR delve into other things and hope you keep your base while still adding to it. Happens to every big youtuber. Greg and Cavaliere are prime examples. They had great fitness content in their first 3 or 4 years and now greg talks about other people with 5 ads in each vid and Jeff has been spewing bs workouts for a while. It's tough to see but it's the way it is.

[@XanderYTV]

After my first day in the gym i talked to someone at work about it. He said to go on youtube and "avoid athlean-x and watch jeff nippard" that put me on the right path from the get go. While i dont 100% agree with jeff on everything now, i still think thats a great channel to get started with.

[@awemanyfit]

Jeff was one of my first fitness KZbinrs I started watching

[@petewest3122]

I fully agree with every point. I haven't any watched AX in over four years. I continue to do face pulls on the Day-Leee.

[@user-dn4lg1dv5v]

Glad to see someone saying what all real lifters have known for years.

[@crusigala]

He really did jump start my workouts when i started. I wasn't growing, getting stronger or even getting sore even after doing a hundred reps out of sheer frustration. I don't remember the video but he was the only guy (not even articles giving me a good answer) that said flexing during the rep was important and it changed everything, and so naturally i went back for more. It's so sad to see these videos calling him out.

[@anthonyplaysbass]

Yeah because 100 rep sets build muscle 🙄🙄🙄 You likely weren't growing because you didn't train in a sensible, time tested manner (majority compound movements in the 8-12 rep range coming just shy of failure) and/or consistently enough. Oh wait, but you flexed during your 100 rep sets of pink dumbbell wrist curls. Stick with channels like GVS, Steve Shaw, Sean Nel, Basement Bodybuilding and even sprinkle in a little from the OG natty king Scott Herman. Forget AX.

[@crusigala]

@@anthonyplaysbass I was just a beginner. I've been lifting just over 4 years now, so your crude sarcastic comment isn't necessary. I've gotten much MUCH stronger and bigger to the point of being asked about my cycle, of which I'm not on any performance enhancing drugs.

[@djrobinson6602]

I first started watching him in 2018 senior year of high school when I started working out seriously. He helped teach me the basics but after a while I felt like his exercises were more for muscular endurance than strength and size. The only workouts of his I use now are his ab workouts.

[@joeysantillo8977]

Found many other channels through Jeff C. so give him credit for that. First one was Greg D with a critical review of Jeff.

[@jmeyer99]

My fitness approach in nine words: "dynamic double progression with compound lifts, and some cardio." Log every workout to ensure gains. Your muscles have no recourse but to grow.

[@alexc7857]

I wanna credit Jeff for one thing, being a physiotherapist, some of his videos are very insightful in strengthening parts of the body that are weak and causing pain where as many channels on KZbin promote stretching and massage, I do like that Jeff actually promotes his craft and does seem to be fairly good at that

[@woodbyte]

Jeff was indeed my first contact with this industry. Luckily for me, you and Dr. Mike were not far behind.

[@speculationtv6311]

I can't say I ever watched a full video from Jeff, but I know who he is for at least a decade. My guy is Algorithm famous 😂

[@mcfarvo]

Vshred, Gshred, Jshred: all know what they ate doing.

[@thechief9787]

I couldn’t agree more and I’m glad your bringing attention to this situation. I unfortunately got caught up in his foolishness when I was a beginner wasted hundreds of dollars on his crappy supplements and inefficient programs and didn’t crawl out of his cobwebs of bs until I ran across Jeff Nippard and Sean Nalewanyj

[@AboveAverageAdvice]

Geoff: Mass always follow clickbait guys whether knowingly or unknowingly. However, there are people who look for sensible content and they will find you. You have a unique style of telling the truth. Keep it up. Lots of respect from India.

[@FromTheWombTotheGrave]

I don’t care what anyone thinks of him I think he’s good influence on promoting fitness and helping people start their workouts. I don’t really watch his content anymore but he helped with some callisthenics workouts to get me started

[@Bvggerffpls]

One thing I will say about Jeff is that I've been watching him since early on in my fitness journey and I find his content entertaining, however, I get my actual fitness advice (the stuff I actually use) from smaller, more niche personalities that correspond to my individual goals; Bioneer, Kinobody (controversial, I know), Strengh Side, Joe Delaney and many other. I feel like I outgrew Athlean-X's content years ago Your McDonalds comparison is spot on

[@zero_to_ramy]

So AthleanX is the planet fitness of influencers?

[@ps3inquisition441]

Because of Jeff I wasn’t doing upright rows for almost a year of training. Then I learned my lesson and my shoulders and traps blew up.

[@jakobperkin7417]

This video is too accurate. When I was 18 I watched Jeff Cavalier videos and bought one of his programs. I made literally no progress and gave up for a year... Only to be then tricked again by Jeremy lol. Very Glad I found this channel and bought the book. I made my own program and have been actually making progress and gains. Big thanks

[@ThisguyLeftthechat]

Jeff cavaliere Has made it clear That he is here At youtube level: top tier Though not on the "gear" The problem is elsewhere He doesn't fear Not being sincere He even dont care About his peers He once was our dear And shirt he never weared Sits on his chair Like fitness millionaire Its not fair That he got up there But when you compare He still doesn't come near To our best influencer VSHRED.

[@isaax961]

Dude, i'm mexican, so now that i'm starting to look like i lift, they ask me where do I get fitness info. And realized that i literally watched 0 spanish spoken fitness youtubers. So when I started to look for good spanish youtubers I realized, when someone even dared to criticize Jeff, they were demolished and I'm talking that they had to regain subscribers and views for months afterwards or had to release a video saying "well that was my opinion, so relax". Srly, if the english spoken side of jeff fanboys is bad. In the latino community he is nothing less than a god. Again I want to thank you, Alec enkiri, our favourite french beast Natural Hypertrophy, Dr Mike. and Sean Nalewanj

[@TransformXRED]

Athlean-x is the sixpackdhortcut twin who succeeded because he stayed relatively moderate with his bs aimed at beginners But then he got too big to hide the bs.

[@MonkeyBarsEveryday]

5:40 #12 it's fun to "invent" movement patterns that feel like they should be worked. I recently started doing a lot more chest and reverse fly patterns just because they felt good on my shoulders. Also using a band to do the opposite pattern of a lu raise. It feels almost like iron cross.

[@shirtlessviking9225]

on point nr. 12 or just do push ups, squats and lunges at home might even be better lol. then progress to explosive stuff.

[@nmnate]

In my opinion, the best content creators teach you something useful. They are also willing to show where they've been wrong in the past (what they've learned from their mistakes). The bigger the following, the less I see this happening, especially if the creator prioritizes views or sales over value to the viewers.

[@BonytoBeastly]

To be fair, the definition of insanity is repeating the same ineffective thing over and over again while expecting DIFFERENT results. Jeff Cavaliere is repeating the same productive thing over and over again while expecting it to continue being productive. You could call that the definition of sanity. It's made him perhaps the most influential muscle-building KZbinr in history. It's working… even though his content isn't very good :S On the other hand, he's a (seemingly) natural lifter who's popularizing a natural (albeit overly lean) physique while preaching the power of exercise, eating a good diet, getting enough sleep, and avoiding substance abuse. His overall impact may be a net positive. Compare that to someone like Mike Israetel, who provides better information, but if he also inspires drug abuse or leaves natural lifters feeling perpetually inadequate, may have a net negative impact. It's kind of like a lifting Richard Simmons. Is it optimal for improving body composition? Nope. But it's exercise and a good lifestyle. The fearmongering kind of ruins it, though.

[@Aniviper]

This. This is the reply Geoff needs to hear.

[@markambrose66]

Man woke up today and decided to speak FACTS!🔥🔥🔥