Meet the STRONGEST Man in Calisthenics | FitnessFAQs Podcast #12 - Mathew Zlat

[@FitnessFAQs]

Listen on Spotify - spoti.fi/3FD8PLE or Apple Podcasts - apple.co/3DRiRHG Timestamps - 00:00 Warning 00:40 Mathew Zlat Story 1:19 Personal Records 2:25 The Journey 6:29 What's Streetlifting? 7:14 Starting Weighted 8:25 Beginner Routine 9:56 How Strong Are You? 11:05 Optimal Exercise Order 13:30 Perfect Dips 22:45 Perfect Pull-Ups 32:38 Accessory Exercises 37:28 Isolation Exercises 39:41 Training Vs Strict Form 40:42 Pause Reps 42:21 Warm-Up Mistakes 45:16 Rest Times 47:21 Skills & Streetlifting 48:54 One Arm Pull-Up 54:31 Training to Failure 57:06 Injury 58:10 Body Fat 58:58 Hiring Coach 1:01:53 Autoregulation 1:02:40 What to Track 1:03:51 Periodisation 1:04:40 Special Supplements 1:10:15 Advice to Younger Self

[@TimothyJ.Lochhead]

Thanks for the interview and timestamps! What is the name of the Russian strength specialist and author mentioned at 44:17? Sounded like M______ Lavinsky (but I can't find/search who). Many thanks if anyone can note.

[@semme01]

he doesnt seem at all to focus on a controlled excentric movement. is a slow "negative" that much overrated?

[@user-Red5hield-exp0ser]

This guy's explanation of how he trains is the most in depth, yet easy to understand for the layman, from beginner to advance. His English is superb too. Respect to this young man and his work ethics. Great choice Mr Vadnal 👏🏼

[@navidmehdi6]

the word your looking for is eloquence

[@jgfergus]

"layman"

[@user-Red5hield-exp0ser]

@@jgfergus You're right

[@JohnboySK64]

+1, spot on dude.

[@mymatemartin]

I'm a 60yo slug looking for inspiration. I've watched your channel for quite some time and really feel body weight training is a good fit for me. This interview was absolutely brilliant. One of the best I've ever seen. Intelligent, informed questions answered with honesty, clarity and precision. Not a single second wasted with fluff or ego. Thanks so much.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

I tried for years to learn backbend bridge, front splits and middle splits. Stupid strategy. Once I focused on one thing only, I made huge progress and could do it consistently. Once a skill is mastered, it's easy to maintain while focusing on the next.

[@RR-xz6bv]

Mastering my muscle up almost flawless check out my vid. I’m working on hspu it’s so impossible but I love the feeling of working all those small muscles it feels amazing

[@nikitaedell]

Well thats more of yoga and not calisthenics

[@dudejoe8390]

I'm learning back bridge, middle splits, and front splits now, and making good progress quickly. • FS = 95٪ • MS = 40% • BBB = 80% I understand everyone is gonna progress differently, but good programming and understanding helped a lot.

[@hornet-h3v]

@@nikitaedell Yeah, but the same mindset can be applied to all kinds of skills.

[@nikitaedell]

@@hornet-h3v no not really, what i meant that its not considered calisthenics, scimce a middlesplit is not a strength exersize

[@kodokraksasa6564]

Perfect dips - support be tense, depress scapula, chest hollow - position must tight, close, symmetrical, control weight w/ legs - rear delt at elbow level or below - when pushing, let go of closed chest and abs tension - control is the most important in dips - mentally visualize the full dips sequence - breathe freely, breathe out before dipping to tense abs, - put the weight very low so u can hold the plate with feet Perfect pullups - stabilize 1st in hang - pull as fast as possible - until chin/ neck clears bar - grip a little wider than shoulder width - grip width is up to u - deadstop is good 4 technique - nonstop allows more reps

[@mezomohsen854]

Thanks a lot man

[@RSM0047]

Solid

[@stevethea5250]

@@mezomohsen854 time

[@shawnm2113]

Perfect Dick Downs: -Ask your mom.

[@yasirassociates4373]

HELPED ME .

[@yqafree]

What a mature athlete, for such a young man he's very well researched and wise.

[@tv26889]

Do you think he could block Von Miller or is as good as an athelte as Derrick Henry?

[@yqafree]

@@tv26889 Football is quite a different sport. Maybe he could block Von Miller after training, he's certainly strong enough to but experience is key. I think Derrick Henry and Mathew Zlat have respect in the leagues of their respective sports but I wouldn't know how to qualify nor quantify these differences without seeing the others try the others sports out after a while.

[@bigsmoke4]

Wishing him a quick recovery from that nasty bicep tear!

[@jamespong6588]

He is never coming back from that

[@ursilkagaming]

@@jamespong6588 refuses to elaborate

[@rashoietolan3047]

Psychical injury heals differently from psychological injury

[@texasbeaver8188]

Wide grip chin-ups always looked sus to me. With heavy weight, jeez.

[@oigen90]

@@jamespong6588 just watch his channel - he lifts superhuman weights just in few months after surgery. I'm sure he'll be back.

[@magnus6231]

Great ! His second interview in English i think. Hopefully he recovers fast and keeps setting records in the future!

[@iagodantasf]

That interview was amazing! Pure gold. Massive respect for Mathew, such an inspiration

[@rickyspanish8956]

Just wow, what an incredible video guys, thank you so much for that! It is so hard to get this kind of top information, from the highest level athletes for free, everything nowadays is so hard monetized, BIG thank you for the work you do! I have been in Calisthenics for 3 years and I have learned A LOT from this video!

[@maximofernandez196]

50:00 I love this, and I love the fact that even Daniel learns something new and useful. As you said in another video, that even with so many years of training, you're still open-minded and learn so many new things. Keep the great content, this series is gold!

[@fredazcarate4818]

Fantastic interview with a young master of weighted calisthenics. Kudos!

[@markoplazanic784]

Amazing interview! Wanted to hear Matthew speak in a long format for so time now. He definitely put a lot of thought behind everything he's doing and I love the fact he's willing to speak out against the prevailing sentiment around certain fitness topic, but in a thoughtful manner.

[@louispeeters1151]

This was awesome! Great in-depth but easy to understand analysis and presentation of Mat's experience. I really love the calisthenics community

[@Nhicki]

Always love Matthew getting the cred he deserves, super strong dude and seems to enjoy sharing the love for the sport he has mastered

[@likemy]

saw this guy's videos around a year ago, some really insane stuff. I had no idea he was this fluent in English--it's awesome to hear his thoughts on calisthenics and training in such great detail. A top notch athlete who sounds like he's also a good coach

[@pico5746]

I fully agree with the exercise order, your most desired skill/exercise, Basics, isolation. Really good solid advice, especially for newcomers to intermediates.

[@skywalkr360]

I would LOVE to have weighted calisthenics competitions here in America 🇺🇸! I lived here my whole life I just began weighted calisthenics this year( the four lift approach: pullup, dip, muscle up, and squat), but I have been training calisthenics for a little over two years now. I began training sports seriously since 11, so ten years ago. When I say I love training, it doesn't begin to explain how much I enjoy it. Keep grinding everyone. Discipline and consistency are the keys to success. If I had to add a third one, I would say to train smart too. I avoided soo many injuries by not letting my ego get in the way. I believe in all of you reading this. YOU WILL MAKE IT!

[@adamsmith8283]

What can you do in those four lifts now?

[@skywalkr360]

@@adamsmith8283 I started some exercises earlier than others. For example, I began doing squats way before I could do a weighted muscle up. I started each of the four exercises at different times in my life, but this is the year I combined them together. Squat:340lbs (154.2kg). Muscle up: 45lbs[20.4kg](on rings) weighted dip: 215lbs (97.5kg) weighted pullup: 105lbs (47.6kg) I still need a lot of improvement. My current total is 319.7kg. The goal is to be in the 400kg + club My weight is 84.8kg

[@florriejohnson9564]

A young person with so much knowledge and wisdom.

[@joojotin]

EXACTLY right about the dips, I got shoulder pain from dips and bench because so many people say you should keep your chest as high as possible and retract shoulderblades. When I stopped that all my pain went away and its the first time ever im able to do dips consistently going more "hollow" as to say instead of retracted, im kinda dipping Dow ny chest the more down I go, feels amazing and better even targets the chest.

[@piemar97]

For dips you should be hollow, unless you wanna grind your shoulder ligaments. Imagine it like a push up but instead of pushing off the floor, you push off the handle bars, so yeah you need to be hollow throughout the movement. I learned that from athlean-x when I had the same issue as well, from mis-information really by seeing morons doing them in videos.... I guess through experience you know what is best. I also had an issue with pull ups up until I realised I needed to retract my scapula and engage the lats from the beginning of the move and avoid shoulder strain.

[@joojotin]

@@piemar97 Yeah man, there is so much shit out there on the internet its crazy. Its mostly misinformation with bits and pieces of truth. Feels good when you figure something out by yourself.

[@wewumboyouwumbo2438]

@@piemar97 Would it be incorrect to dovthem with legs crossed behind body?

[@piemar97]

@@wewumboyouwumbo2438 Not necessarily, however, by crossing the legs behind the body, I think you are taking the core a bit out of the equation, so you are not maximising the full-body benefits of a compound move like the pull-up. Also, by taking the core out of the equation, you are more likely to be swaying-being unstable while executing the movement, so you will not be as efficient and may tire out faster.

[@Immanuel_jijo]

​@@piemar97 hollow as in protracted right ?

[@42neddy]

love how much Dan is enjoying this conversation haha

[@joojotin]

One of the best quests yet, amazing information and inspiration.

[@rootsbey]

His program has been the best progress I’ve ever experienced in my journey. Definitely worth the money to buy all 3 at once. It’s like a 2-3 year program if you stay with it. It’s impressive how strong you get in the pull and dip with just the novice phase alone. Started with 25lbs on both and the end of the first month was at 105lbs 3x7 reps. I got into a car accident so I’m at a stage to recover and will work my way back to that in the next few months since I lost strength. If you’re into this specifically I’d strongly suggest looking into his programs. Was able to stop wasting my time watching KZbin trying to figure it out how these ppl got so strong. Transfers over to barbell training as well

[@FitWels]

Loved this Interview! Lots of gold nuggets of wisdom in there. This dude seems very intelligent. My main takeaway is the protracted/„caved“ position in the dip

[@deltapi8859]

The guy as a child was literally like :"I'm going to do push ups now." few moments later "WHAT? I can't do more? UNACCEPTABLE!!!" and went on to become a legend.

[@conradphelps9389]

The amount of rest between sets is gold info. Don’t hear too many ytbers advocating that much rest

[@joewhisney]

I’m late to learning about Matthew and this podcast is an incredible intro to his work. Inspiring young man 💪🔥

[@simonebozzardi1301]

"At 13 I benched 105 kilos" This guy has like 0.01% top genetics, I don't even know if he can be classified as a human being

[@tv26889]

At 13 I benched 105 kilos" No vid.

[@simonebozzardi1301]

Well, one can even claim that there's no way this guy is natural, you always have to take everything with a pinch of salt on the internet

[@tv26889]

@Ranno Man I don't care what someone claims especially in a very very egotistical endeavor like strength training. A 500 pound bencher could have really had a 85 pound max starting out at age 13 but it might seem realistic that their 'claimed' 225 max is true. See what I mean?

[@Seyiu.]

@@tv26889 no one is a young teen and benching 500lbs. Similarly no one is a young teen and lifting the weights this guy is. You really do have to take someone’s word when this kind of specimens exist. You don’t have to make everything political g

[@tv26889]

@@Seyiu. I wouldn't call this fella a specimen but he is strong on upper body exercises.

[@jackywacky4361]

Inspiring transformation! Although I prefer lifting, calisthenics is a great way to build muscle and athleticism. Training is important but there are no real gains without proper diet. I realized that after I started following my first meal plan. I found it on Next Level Diet. At first it was tough to eat an excessive amount of calories, but eventually I got used to it. Good diet is a game changer!

[@suhayb5]

How are advertising bots getting this complex, damn

[@jackywacky4361]

@@suhayb5 im trying to help other people

[@jasonkent5625]

@@jackywacky4361 How much do they pay you?

[@goldenboy2674]

Excellent podcast daniel. Mathew was a great guest, and the guy is a wealth of knowledge. Another athlete deserving of respect and admiration. Truly inspiring.

[@paulchristie3306]

Great video. Awesome strength. Dip competition with 3 white lights ? You learn something everyday. Dips & pull-ups are the best upper body exercises.

[@jabra7793]

These podcasts by far the best content on your channel

[@wertyuiopasd6281]

No it is not. His videos on calisthenics are his best videos.

[@harmonyOfEureka]

Been following him for some time, really great strength

[@fractal_gate]

He is clearly very well researched in strength training and programming.

[@JohnboySK64]

Really great podcast, thanks for introducing me to this dude, fkn awesome content all around from you brother tyvm and keep up the good work, I learned a lot from this one, watched this a few times now actually.

[@TuranZeynalliArmWrestling]

This is a golden knowledge. I’ll be fixing my weighted dips after this video.

[@chiorega]

Great interview, interesting questions and clear and honest answers. Thanks

[@aceofchange]

Wow what a great episode! Many thanks

[@ihateandreykrasnokutsky]

My favourite interview about calisthenics. The style and approach to training is the most solid amongst everything I've seen.

[@kodokraksasa6564]

can you do an interview with Andrey Smaev and Matteo Deu next? The only calisthenics athletes at the same level with matthew

[@oaksaint4458]

That would be amazing, does Smaev speak English?

[@maximopotencial2023]

@@oaksaint4458 Smaev doesn't speak english. There's a Russian channel called True Power which features him (and also Matthew attempting 190kg on the dip). It has subtitles and a really high quality, so if you wanna know more about him, check it out.

[@oaksaint4458]

@@maximopotencial2023 thanks! I'll definitely check it out

[@kodokraksasa6564]

matteo does though, idk about smaev. Still, daniel asks the best questions to him interviewing is really great for everyone

[@nofood1]

Matteo Spinazzola

[@wandererstraining]

Hey, there have been some street lifting competitions in Montréal before! I know a few guys who participated.

[@josephjames335]

Hey bro do you still train weighted dips? I remember watching your 20 reps with 61kg when I first started training for it. Btw two of my favorite dippers Rachid and Fitstreet are up there in Canada.

[@wandererstraining]

@@josephjames335 Rachid is a friend of mine, actually! 😊 I haven't been training dips since about June 2018, because I moved to Montreal and for a while I didn't have access to a stable enough dip platform. Before leaving, I got to 2x15 reps with 180, tho! Tested myself for a 1RM without peaking on a day I felt too tired to do my regular working sets, and I hit 245. I miss pushing hard on dips, but I've been focusing more on overhead pressing and hand balancing. Think I could get in the 300 lbs range tho if I made dips a priority.

[@ConnoisseurOfExistence]

What an absolute expert! He and Smaev are crazy monsters. It's really hard to believe that Mathew hasn't used anything, but maybe... I have my own hypothesis of how to gain maximum strength with minimum side effects, with just 1 cycle in your life. You need to do 2 mg of dbol every other day for 200 days. This will only work if you're a good responder. I gained +30 kg on my bench for 40 days with 5 mg of dbol per day. If I knew what I know now, would have done what I said. The most important thing is to keep your receptors' sensitivity at its best. If you do those 200 days, let's say for a powerlifter (because it's the easiest to measure), you could gain +50 kg on all your basic exercises on the end of this period, while not have any side effects. Many people talk against dbol, but actually the best part about dbol is that it's active in smaller doses than any other steroid. This is of course once you've reached your natural limits.

[@jscmain]

I'm surprised no one ever mentions bodyweight fluctuations and even what clothes you're wearing at the time when calculating weighted movements. My weight can fluctuate anywhere from 0-5kgs+ in a single day (e.g. having a huge high sodium soup the night before) and then working out in the cold in a hoodie, long pants and shoes vs. topless in a pair of shorts at home could be another 1kg difference. I always weigh myself just before my workout and then adjust the added weight accordingly to match my target total weight (e.g. BW 80kgs +10kg or BW 83kgs +7kg). I find this makes it easier to track and be consistent. Anyways, great video!

[@dennfoo]

Thats why i workout naked

[@frog6054]

Bruh this just makes things more complicated :(

[@jscmain]

@@frog6054 It's really not too complicated. A bit of basic math (BW + added weight = target weight) and having a variety of plates (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, etc.).

[@Stonesniperful]

he said himself you shouldnt do it because it complicates things too much. taking a shit can take 1 kg off, drinking a preworkout can add 1 kg, swetting in warmup= -1kg.

[@frog6054]

@@Stonesniperful True lol.

[@JorisWeima]

Awesome podcast! Thank you both a lot

[@siri0te]

What a legend! Nice english brother we understand you perfectly. Recover soon and get some new PRs :)

[@ayda2876]

What he said about top single then back off sets is so interesting because all the top powerlifters in the us or europe use this way of training. I wonder how much better it is to first do your working sets then do the top single, i might give it a try

[@goprimate]

This was a great interview, learned lots of valuable info!💪🏽

[@SAY.8.18]

Matthew, Great advice. Very, very helpful. Thank you.

[@saudude2174]

inspiring stuff thanks

[@ParkerBG]

6:17 that one armed muscle-up just ruined any conception I ever had about my own strength or strength potential. I didn't even think such a thing was possible. Consider me officially and permanently humbled. And your English is brilliant, sir

[@dennfoo]

Ive seen some climbers do that 1 arm muscle up.......really insane

[@liamneslind4182]

I mean he is on juice though If you want to be amazed, watch free solo

[@tv26889]

What can he squat or Deadlift or row? Power Clean?

[@ParkerBG]

@@liamneslind4182 I saw Free Solo. It was awesome, but I doubt he can do a one armed muscle up.

[@manimal9871]

@@dennfooyeah but climbers are pretty tiny, not nearly as impressive

[@ucheokeke4780]

His english is great! and the information is excellent.

[@SupermanX7]

16:38 Did he get possessed or smth

[@ari-athbadminton0301]

I'm 20min through and reading the titles but could not find a chapter on NUTRITION. A question that comes to mind seeing his competitive results is how did he adjusted his diet or if he did that at all. He was quite lean (and better looking imo) before going for the Cali competitions that give him the power-lifter physique.

[@Olixer109]

This guy is definitely dedicated, but he's a genetic freak as well... Benching 100+kg easily at 13 years old is mad. Doing impressive calisthenics skills at 14... What a lad, truly chasing the dream of becoming stronger.

[@bobsimpson9228]

That guys row form in the back at 26:10 hurt my head lol.

[@ant7936]

Very good discussion, thanks.

[@demontime9490]

1:01:05 what is the name of the coach he mentions? I can't tell how to spell his name at all and im interested in what his philosophies might be

[@bewarethefuryofapatientman]

Мэт, спасибо за эфир, ты рассказал очень много деталей, было интересно!! Daniel, thanks for this podcast!!

[@romanpetrov5339]

Greate interview man.

[@samuelwestlund3386]

Some people like to lock at the top doing pull-ups and chin-ups, but I prefer to unpack my shoulders at the bottom and hang so that every time I pull myself up I have to lock and hinge. You can't do very many reps doing pull-ups that way, but it makes you really strong--especially if you do it with a wide grip. Same thing with the chin-ups, except my grip is narrower doing chin-ups than it is doing overhand pull-ups. Also like to throw in some hammer grip pull-ups and hang from the bar while switching between pull-up variations. His dip technique sounds a lot like mine though--go all of the way down, keep the chest hollow and press down with the scapula.

[@FormlessJKD17]

Daniel, interview the street calisthenics guys: I Am the Proof, Brody Gains, Lox, etc.

[@WigManThe1st]

Great talk. Thanks

[@LongTTH]

Hi FitnessFAQ, thanks for your effort, could you please enable CC (subtitles) in your videos, I'm not so fluent in English, so I (and many others like me) need the subtitles to fully understand your content.

[@witty95]

he benched 105kgs at the age of 13 ... whats going on here ??

[@DevinsCalisthenics]

great interview!

[@zaferbaksi]

being honest, been doing fitness for a long time, so I just tried this today and realized I am waaaay weak that I thought I was strong, getting soon in your class

[@Vilain42]

Anyone catches the name of the strength Russian coach he referred to at 44:18-44:20 ? Thx

[@iagodantasf]

I think it’s Dmitry Golovinsky

[@PullupDip]

so interesting to listen to you guys! Mathew, you're a great athlete!

[@wandererstraining]

A+ on the dip technique advice! (As expected from someone who can dip in the 400 lbs range.)

[@DavesReign]

What rope you use for weighted dips??

[@thanksgivingh6185]

really appreciate the timestamps. Great interview

[@Ratatosk80]

Fantastic interview. Question, for weighted pull ups I have been doing my 5x5 but incorporating "scapula activations" ( not sure what to call it) at the end of each set. So I will do the 5 reps, continue hanging and do reps of the initial scapula activation of a pull up until I am spent. Picked up on it from a video I say a while back. The idea of it was to increase strength obviously. Thoughts?

[@Scubajunky]

Great podcast, one thing I am confused with though, he has a routine 4*8 and if you get 8 on the last set you increase weight by a set amount, that implies that the last set is to failure and not 2RIR

[@JeremiahShowtyme]

We’ve been doing these contests in USA fyi especially the east coast. It’s more cultural I believe though than an I guess “official sanctioned” competition.

[@constanttension8833]

Really great tips

[@manthenx7050]

Fire 🔥 bro fire

[@meyr1992]

Whats on fire ? Is your house burning ?

[@JJ-kl9ve]

It would be really great if you invite Matteo Deu to your podcast!

[@JungseHandbalance]

Great advice 😄

[@mariuxxxx1]

On gear but strong yes it takes lot's of training but for how long you can keep that and is it worth at the end

[@Stonesniperful]

shut up pope

[@brianbadonde8700]

You mad bro

[@wolfbuysse2698]

u know how visualizing an exercise often can help the mind muscles connection. Well watching someone do dips for half this long ass vid made my chest hurt. And i trained my chest 2 days ago

[@Kektamusprime]

wow crazy on those rest times, ive always thought 2-3mins max 5 minute rest will help a lot

[@APOSTEL_GREIFF]

Thank you for the Interview! Next i would like you to interview Zeblack Turbo :))

[@shimshondayal8458]

I live in India & we have street lifting competitions here infact our current national championship is just 17 years old but became national champion at 16

[@kungfuguitarboarder]

Great talk, a lot of wise words guys

[@iagodantasf]

47:33 did someone get the name of the guy that combines skills with streetlifting?

[@nicolasziegler2291]

Vitaly Feschuk

[@Siegefya]

Not sure why people are hating this was a great interview. I especially like his thesis on simplicity. Granted, not to talk shit...not at all, but I personally don't like his dip form, but it's fine ..it works for him. A lot of people don't like Hannibals form for dips, but I completely understand why he does them like that and I go low like him as well. Not sure why there is so much controversy over dips in our community.

[@kalocaploc124]

Dude... you should check out Slidis and his channel slidis mode. He is a monster amongst us mortals.

[@kriena4190]

Never thought you could tear a bicep during pullups, even with weight.

[@TheAvprobeauty]

not knocking weight loss surgery because I do feel there is a place for it. but how you feel about steroids is the same way I feel about wlsurgery. I feel that clients/people/athletes miss the very important journey…the mental fortitude, etc. awesome info as always.

[@nofood1]

Zlat is my OAP inspiration 👍

[@efisgpr]

* PAUSE * LIKED ✅ * FAVORITED ✅ ....THEN watched.... 👍

[@horstdombrowski8338]

Really nice Input. Especially the pause thing. And I thought 3 minutes are long. 😅

[@42neddy]

not related to strength but matvey also so well spoken in english its awesome

[@dann7598]

You get Pere Coll on one of these

[@domepiece11]

Great interview but I wish you had asked him about his lower body training based on some of the video footage we saw.

[@Deer-i7o]

What can I do while I'm resting for those 10 minuites do I just sit and rest or do crunches thanks

[@yashhgami]

This will be a good watch, next the strongest woman?

[@bithon5242]

Inspirational af

[@jessemurray1757]

just to clarify, assistance is not important for strength but for body building, assistance is very important.

[@davidkelly414]

Fast muscle gain , but the ligaments and tendons , connective tissues , take a lot longer to strengthen. If he has injured his connective tissues it will take a very long time to heal . I hope it is a bicep tear only . Wish him well , good health and fitness.