Q and A Volume 7 - YOUR Questions Answered - Warmups, Pre-exhaust, Intensifiers, Injury Prevention

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[@Camarija]

Time Stamps @ Top // Question @ Bottom 0:48 - How do you structure warm up sets and reps? 12:33 - Mechanisms for hypertrophy favor heavier weight, making pre-exhaust techniques technically inferior? 16:27 - When is a good time for a beginner to transition into intermediate, and intermediate into advanced programming? 22:49 - When and why would you use intensifier techniques? 27:43 - How to work on beginner's coordination before moving to basic heavy exercises to avoid injury? 31:37 - Differences between training for natty vs enhanced? 36:18 - Ideal seat height for chest & back machines? 39:29 - How do you feel about leg extensions for quads? Hi Coach! Your chart drawings have been incredibly informative, especially in helping understand the biomechanics surrounding certain movement patterns. I was hoping you could apply your inspirational artistry to explain who would win in a fight between a gorilla and a lion. Thank you!

[@keenan3618]

You're a hero, mate. Also, thank you very much for summarizing the questions.

[@codyypeng]

you legend!

[@Camarija]

@@codyypeng I wonder if my question at the bottom is the cause of Coach's hiatus... maybe he's been preparing the white board with drawings of gorillas and lions for a while now :)

[@codyypeng]

@@Camarija i am team gorilla btw :)

[@I_Stand_With_Canada]

Watching these Q and As should be mandatory for anyone who lifts.

[@azozfs5330]

When should beginners/intermediate use the top set + back off set method rather than just straight sets?

[@jtpw437]

Will fixed frequency programming eventually lead to stagnation in progress assuming that you are eating, training (intense with circle rep principle) and resting well and still not progressing in the gym? I ask because that is the only other variable that could hinder progression (going back to the gym before growth has taken place as someone who doesn’t use PEDs) but it’s seems no one can get past the idea that you don’t have to train multiple times per week to get your best possible progress. Thank you

[@manuelsiegelin3997]

does more volume, more sets and reps equals more wear and tear on the joints, ligaments and tendons? I ask because some say more volume strengthens the ligaments and tendons!? I´m confused, whats wrong whats right? I want to stay healthy

[@joojotin]

Yes more wear and tear 100% you can recover from your training and not get those issues but too much volume is only bad.

[@graynz824]

Generally speaking, just don't overdose. There is like with everything a limit to how much is productive and how much is overkill, in the context of hypertrophy that would be 20 sets a week because for anything above that the law of diminishing returns sets in

[@fleshmotorcycle94]

great question, I also want to know Joes thoughts

[@joojotin]

@@fleshmotorcycle94 We already have Joes thoughts. He does low volume high intensity training with lowest volume that produces results to keep progressing without injuries and you always have somewhere to go to after you need to increase volume. This is what he preaches.

[@fr1571]

@@joojotin low volume high intensity as you said is actually way more prone to cause you injuries vs higher volume because you have to do more weight. That’s why every older retired bodybuilder or people like Jay Cutler always preach high volume for prevention of injuries

[@gwilson3728]

“Fatigue” is often used as a blanket term to note any number of factors in the inability to achieve optimal performance... over the years I have noticed that systemic fatigue, caloric deficit fatigue, isolated muscle fatigue and sleep fatigue, all feel different and can affect my performance goals of a session somewhat differently. Any notes on managing different types of fatigue?

[@Harrythehun]

Also fatigue due to stress is a big issue for many of us.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Renaissance Periodisation has a few GREAT videos on fatigue management, have a scroll, all about deloads, active rests, etc.

[@ashleysmith3243]

When using different movements to train each major muscle group in both their lengthened and their shortened range, would you say it tends to be more beneficial to exhaust the full/lengthened range first with the biggest ROM and then go onto movements which train the shortened muscle or vice versa? Does any particular muscle group respond better to one before the other?

[@utubebrowseupload]

WE NEED MORE OF THESE, THEY ARE FREAKING AWESOME!!!

[@fr1571]

I am a subscriber to your app and find it really strange that your programs have us do just 6-8 reps with 3sets and keeping 1 rep on the tank. The best growth I have personally ever experienced is from doing more than 3 sets, over 12 reps and going to failure. I consider 6-8 reps to be sub-optimal and not going to failure as well. Would you please elaborate on this? I asked in the app and Bryce told to me to watch your videos. Which I did and I hear a lot of talking but still not addressing why are we doing so little reps and sets in programs made for Hypertrophy. (Also personally I think the amount of exercises per muscle group is very low as well, not targeting all the fibers possible…) Thanks a lot for addressing this!

[@MAGA_Dec1773]

Same question here!

[@libri5627]

For me, higher volume works better than low volume. That’s the only thing that makes me sore and helps me grow. Why would you do such low reps in a Hypertrophy training?

[@HypertrophyCoach]

(If you watch the overview for the program your on, you’d here this): You’re on the first block of a program. Lower reps and short of failure are to help you have time to get acclimated to the program, and improve form. By block 2, rep ranges change. And more intensifiers are added, as well as a couple new exercises (depending on the program). Block 3 adds “metabolic/pump” work. In the guidance section watch videos on: umbrella training principles, exercise selection, the circle rep principle, workout structure overview, rep ranges, set structure, why low/minimal volume….and that should more than answer all your questions. I talk specifically about all the things you mention, in detail in those videos. So not sure what questions are still unanswered.

[@Invigor8dj]

Thoughts on using a high quality whey isolate as your primary Protein source if you don't get any digestive issues from it?

[@ReEeZ08]

Question: Could you please give us a bit of a breakdown on deloads. How often do you incorporate them? Do you take off completely or drop volume/intensity? How long do they last? How is your nutrition when you do?

[@Adrian-mb6wt]

Appreciate you doing these Q&A sessions.

[@kasper52173]

Could you please do a video on just targeting mid, lower traps and Rhomboids. X

[@helmutkrusemann9194]

Regarding the last question in the last episode, this is the best recommendation or approach to training for the average population I have ever heard and I really thank you for it. Please be honest and this is a serious question because I think and I bet this is what almost everyone of us recreational meatheads want, will you really ever design the I want to be a bad... human program? A program to get strong, build a decent amount of muscle, be flexible and physically fit for all tasks of life. Like you said, feeling good, looking good, moving good. A hybrid program with all cardio, strength and muscle building components. Seriously, do you really think about writing a program like this? I would pay anything I have. You are the best. Thanks

[@machado7763]

great question tbh

[@arthurbarbosa5825]

How important is grouping exercises for a body part all in one day? For example: I'd be able to train biceps with more intensity if I did one exercise 3x a week versus doing all 3 of those exercises in a single workout

[@23spiro33]

Does exercise order make a difference and how would you organise that order? Great videos mate and thanks for the time you put into them.

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi there, in terms of hypertrophy it won't make a massive difference (there's a meta analysis comparing pre-exhaust training i.e. isolation first then compound vs the compound first then isolation, for pec dec and chest press I believe). Results will be very similar, I'd recommend you try both and see what you prefer. I did a video on this on my channel, if you're interested check it out 👍

[@UPGRADEX]

Joe Big fan love your Q & As. You are my favourite KZbinr. Question: Post workout - Would you recommend having greens to get the body back to an alkaline state after being acidic?

[@Deciden0w.]

My favorite, thanks Joe!

[@coachpaul-vedicfitness]

Just commenting to thank you joe. I love this Q&A format

[@jamesbailey7589]

This is more of a separate video idea but do you think you could make a video where you take someone's physique and walk us through how you would create a split for them? So we could see examples of how to prioritize certain muscles while deprioritizing others and so we can see how you'd select exercises?

[@christiang9239]

What are some good leg exercises for people with not so good knees?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

It takes experimentation, because everyone has different structures etc so what might put a lot of pressure on the knee for one person might not have any issues for someone else. My knees can give me trouble some days, but a lot of the time they don't bother me during my leg workouts. General recommendation would be if you're doing a squat or some sort of leg press would be perhaps stick to around a 90° bend at the knee during the reps in case going deeper stresses the tendon etc a bit too much. Perhaps try a slightly wider stance to bias the glutes a little more to take some pressure off the knees and quads. Most exercises for the hamstrings and glutes won't hurt your knees, so deadlift variations and hamstring curls shouldn't hurt the knees (but just make sure you get the machine set up properly so the axis is at the knee joint)

[@tonyb6054]

Opinion on Linear periodisation, ie start with high reps in the training block then work down in reps over the course of 8-12 weeks?

[@iankarloromero7788]

Swimming vs. Running for Cardio? Is swimming too much volume for some muscles if I’m following some variation of PPL?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Swimming is great cardio, low impact on joints etc. It's probably not too much for some muscles cos the intensity is fairly limited compared to running.

[@boodehoop891]

Best combination of exercises for cannonball shoulders in a Push/Pull Split (not PPL)?

[@imtryingyall]

yaaay another video!!!! tfs!

[@Coachtw18]

I got to the party late but does Rest-pause effect growth or strength more

[@iamnth9600]

Hi coach, i just wanted to know how should you teach/coach a beginner , i have a friend , he is a newbie and i don't know where to start.

[@andrewmacdonald1349]

Appreciate the content! Learned a tone. With regards to rest periods when training close to failure. Why is there greater benefit to taking 90s minimum or more a-pose to a shorter rest period of says 60s. It is just purely because it allows the muscle to near fully recover & therefor more mechanical tension in the next set when longer rest periods are taken (90 plus sec). I ask cause I’m aware one way to progressively overload an exercise is to actually reduce rest time. I have personally been implementing longer rest periods of 90s & feeling the benefit. How that makes sense. What would you generally recommend when working close to failure & why. Appreciated! Cheers

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi Andrew, In terms of rest periods is it less about letting the specific muscle recover in time, and more about sustained fatigue. If you only rest 60 secs between compound exercises you're not giving yourself time to recover and go again as hard in the following set. There's a meta analysis by Schoenfeld et al which looked at 1 vs 3 min rest periods and 3 mins produced bigger strength and hypertrophy gains. Your ability to progressively overload your training is based on your ability to add reps and weight over time, rather than reducing rest period. I'd recommend you rest 2-3 mins + generally and see how you get on. You'll likely be able to up the weights doing that. I have a video covering this on my channel that you may find useful. Have a great day 👍

[@rorkirbabtista9429]

I superset sissysquats with squats because I don't wanna squat as heavy as I can because of old injuries.

[@dawidgarstecki8553]

What do you guys think about doing 3-4 warm up/feeder sets and two top sets with the same weight? For instance 10x100 lbs, 7x140 lbs, 5x170 lbs, 3x200 lbs and 2 sets of 220 lbs 6-9 reps? I just don’t know whether back off set makes sens or not

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi Dawid, I think it is a good idea to do warm up sets but the key question to ask yourself is, are these warm up sets detracting from my working sets? If the answer is no, you're all good. Pyramiding up in weight and down in reps on warm ups is a good idea like you're doing here for this reason

[@majdsakor9099]

your #1 advice for natties? thnx alot ..your videos are helping alot

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Don't train too hard with too much volume because you simply will NOT recover and/or you'll regress.

[@CnSaliba]

and dont rely on high reps and pump work/metabolic stress. Focus mainly on mechanical tension and progressive overload on the exercises that work for u the most and get good at them.

[@user-xf3ri4dd4n]

Is it fine to go on faliure every set for example(bicep curl) - set 1 -12 reps set 2 10 reps set 3- 8 reps or go to failure on the last set and leave some reps in the tank for the 1 st set and do straight sets example - 1st set 10 reps 2 set 10 3rd set 10 reps

[@dawidgarstecki8553]

Second option is much better

[@joojotin]

First option

[@joojotin]

I have never left reps in the tank, high intensity low volume

[@jinxluvver3909]

@@joojotin if you’re doing more than one “working set” then you’re not doing low volume lol

[@joojotin]

@@jinxluvver3909 so 1 is low 2 is medium volume, interesting 😂😂

[@jensmitdembenz2036]

Hey Coach, could you go into detail on why a pronated wide grip pulldown variation is suboptimal for training Lats? Is it just because of less ROM or does it also put more emphasis on other back muscles? (traps, rhomboids because of movement in the shoulder blades)

[@Camarija]

would love to see the chart board on this!

[@lavesjr]

Hey, Coach Joe! Love all the informative videos! Question: Recently, I’ve transitioned to home workouts due inaccessibility to the gym. I’ve got a pull up bar at home. Just wanna know if pull up is decent for the lats considering a lot of the other muscles involved (biceps, forearms, upperback, etc). Or maybe is chin up better, because of increased lat stretch even if there’s more emphasis on the biceps? Thanks!

[@cjsmulligan4127]

How to structure a diet if you can’t train for 4-6 weeks and can’t train normally for longer yet (eg. Like a hernia surgery recovery period)

[@monad40]

Thoughts on very high rep circuit style warmups for an upper lower split to potentiate and activate the muscles for the workout and to build gpp? Lower body for example 300 reps of lower body work in roughly 12-15 minutes. For example 4 sets of 25 reps with low intensity belt squats, 4 sets of 25 reps low intensity leg curls and 4 sets of 25 reps low intensity reverse hypers. What is your opinion? Do you think its a good idea or just unnecessary junk volume when the goal is muscle growth?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Probably junk volume. You can do a few warmup sets with the first exercise you choose and that should be enough. The first question of this q and a answers this.

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

A big muscle bound guy who's fat... How would you approach it?

[@boodehoop891]

Any tips against scapular winging?

[@shookadance]

Pre-Exhaustion is very popular for the young crowd, the young social media fitness influencer crowd… why? Because like most under 30, they want the easy way, they want to do as little work as possible, they don’t want to do heavy ass lifts, they want easy. There’s a reason nobody on the Olympia stage is doing Pre exhaustion all day every day lol.

[@RA-hv8wr]

When running a split like ppl or upper/lower is it best to have push A and accessories

[@shivanshkandroo7441]

Question : Why am I just too sore all the time even after eating in a surplus and have protein about 1.2 Times BW in lbs. I sleep 7hrs a night and I train 6 days a week with a modified bro split where legs are trained twice divided into Quads/Calves and Glutes/Hams. Rep range is generally about 6-12 for all the Days and 3-4 Working sets are performed each exercise. I do continue to build strength but still get too sore generally. I'm afraid if I reduce the volume/intensity, might lose the gains. What should be done?

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi Shivansh, the easiest fix for this is to reduce your frequency. I think it is likely you are not giving yourself enough time to recover between sessions. If you implemented a mid week rest day and one day at the weekend you'd effectively have 3 days on, 1 day rest repeat. 5 sessions a week in my experience has been very beneficial for recovery. If your DOMs are so bad that it is impacting your ability to progress your training, yet protein, sleep seems to be on point then try reducing frequency and go from there. You could also try sleeping 8 hours a night and see if that helps 👍

[@shivanshkandroo7441]

@@PT.DanShine thank you so much dan, will surely try it out.

[@vittoriomoldovan7773]

Whenever I go back home, I have to change gym: I never find exactly the same machines or even if, they feel really different and I can't use the same weight I've done the previous workout, so I can't tell if I'm progressing in that specific exercise. How can I know I'm still making progresses? What should I do in order to make sure I'm progressing even when changing gym for short term time (2 weeks)?

[@mohemdmasseh2153]

Can bands be effective for isolating small muscles(delts,bis and tris...)

[@abhijeetsinha8328]

If my genetic potential is to pack on 40 lbs of muscle mass and if i achieved it in a time span of 6 years, so is it that after that whatever training I am doing is just to maintain that size and no growth comes after that or you can add on size throughout the training career ???

[@eagleelisei]

Question: What is the difference between torque and shear force or is it the same thing?

[@cyclist5000]

Timestamps would be nice..

[@Camarija]

I got you bro

[@cyclist5000]

@@Camarija Too late, already watched it lol. Thanks though!

[@jannishulvi5151]

Are there any physiological benefits of only eating Protein and fats as the last meal? Or is it just personal preference?

[@jensmitdembenz2036]

I'm currently running a Push/Pull Half body Split and doing a heavy squat movement on both push days is too harsh on my recovery. That is why I am doing Bulgarian Split Squats once a week as a "bread and butter" type movement instead. Do you think they can be a good substitution or would you always prefer doing them more as pump work? Or should i maybe modify my training split to make my leg training more efficient? (My legs are tiny btw, so choosing efficient quad movements is very important to me)

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi Jens, to make bulgarians slightly more quad focused you can have a shorter stride length and keep an upright torso, this biases knee flexion over hip flexion on your front leg, give that a try and see if it helps with your quad focus training. I've seen good leg growth on bulgarians

[@samcamilleri7340]

With ur one arm lat pull downs on a bench, if u put it hand into the neck to sit up more apparently it will activate more lat due to the motion on the lat. ur thoughts?

[@vanshmatta4392]

If i feel like i trained really hard in the gym kept 0-3 reps till failure, but the next day I'm not sore I'm just a little fatigued in the muscle i trained and can't train the same muscle the next day. So am i actually training hard and recovering really well ( my recovery and sleep quality 9/10) or am i just not creating a stimulus for growth how do i figure out?

[@PT.DanShine]

Hi Vansh, don't worry about not being really sore, or having lots of DOMs, that is not a driver of muscle growth. Go based off if your lifts are progressing - are the reps per set and weights going up over time ? (progressive overload). As long as you are 0-3 reps from failure and progressively overloading then you'll be likely going in the right direction 👍

[@jimisgrobas]

I ve heard that abdominal crunch machines may hurt your back , but I enjoy using them and it's the only ab exercise I enjoy in general. What's your opinion should I continue doing it?

[@Doggomorph]

If never hurt than continue

[@joojotin]

Why would they hurt your back?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

If you use a crunch machine, consider doing some sort of hyperextension exercise to balance out the opposing muscles.

[@MeZoRH]

How would a natural keep progressing after 8 years of training? My programming has been largely influenced by RP Strength (Dr.Mike) focusing on the basics of increasing sets, reps and weight. Would introducing something like 2x volume on the last work out day and rest the next day (Sunday) allow someone to keep growing?

[@joojotin]

Have you tried Joes programming?

[@Camarija]

That's when growth becomes extremely limited, so I wouldn't even try to grow muscle all over. At that point it's time for specialization training blocks. For a period of maybe 5 to 6 weeks, decrease Volume for some big muscle groups, for example decrease volume for quads and hamstrings. Increase the volume and frequency for some parts you're trying to bring up. Maybe shoulder and arms. The point is that you're maintaining your other muscle groups while growing a specific muscle group. That concentrated growth has a better chance of growing muscle. Plus, when you're that advanced fatigue management becomes a much bigger deal. You won't be able to Squat 315 lbs for 20 sets a week, and Romanian Deadlift 405 lbs for 15 sets a week, AND bench press 245 lbs for 20 sets a week, AND recover, AND grow muscle. Hope that helps bro!

[@alvarocarballo6561]

OMG Joe the answer to the leg extension hahahaha

[@user-xf3ri4dd4n]

How much protein do we actually need!!!??

[@joojotin]

Its easy 1.6-2.2g per kg or 0.8 - 1g per lbs according to numerous studies. Most studies shows the lower end is sufficient.

[@user-xf3ri4dd4n]

@@joojotin for bulking and cutting?

[@joojotin]

@@user-xf3ri4dd4n yeah, propably higher end on cut

[@adrians5875]

Thank you for this episode it's one of the best yet! I also greatly appreciate your instagram questions and answers!

[@waffleman578]

Even if this is too long for a q and a, can you do a video dedicated to explaining internal moment arms in detail? Thanks in advance !

[@Robertg_23]

Hi, Joe. I would like to ask you about your opinion on all those 30 Day/ 100 push up a Day challenges. It seems unlikely, yet people add photos and some transformations are nuts. Do you think it’s worth a shot?

[@UPGRADEX]

It will build your chest for a short while until you get adapted to the stimulus. I did 700 a day 300-700 per day for 10 weeks. Its not that effective from my experience. But depends on what you goal is. I did it as a mental challenge over lockdown so I got mental benefits rather than thinking I was going to get jacked from it.

[@gamerchristina1079]

💪💪❤️❤️‼️

[@no3lflex]

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🔥🔥🔥 love these q&a

[@Doggomorph]

I wait for the timestamp comments bro

[@Camarija]

I got you bro

[@Doggomorph]

@@Camarija you a fucking legend broooooo appreciate it man

[@derda4737]

What kind of cardio is the best for prep season (fat loss) / off season (maintaining health)? (hiit, liss, fasted,... )

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

For prep, it's probably something with the lowest fatigue to efficacy ratio to allow you to still train hard during weights sessions, so a lot of bodybuilders just add 30 mins/1 hour of walking a day (unless they're trying to aggressively cut for whatever reason) and during off-season you can walk too, or even something more intense since you'll have more calories to burn from diet, more energy, less fatigue (from more food and rest) etc.

[@danieldonabit]

Since the bar path with free weights is arc-shaped, when you use the smith machine for pressing movements and want to go all the way down, does this mean you have to stop short of lockout (since elbows won't be aligned)?

[@jinxluvver3909]

Go as far as you’re comfortable, and you shouldn’t lock out on your lifts anyway, all that does is remove tension from the muscle and place it on the joints until you go back to the muscles range of motion

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

@@jinxluvver3909 locking out on lifts depends on the angle of force. So you'd ALWAYS lockout on a triceps kickback otherwise you're missing the while point of that exercise, but you don't need to lockout on bench press unless you're resting between reps to try to hit another rep after.

[@jinxluvver3909]

@@RDS_Armwrestling idk I kinda disagree with you, If you have the mind muscle connection you don’t need to lockout, and you’ll likely hit peak contraction before lockout

[@maxmaximum-sh4bx]

For the algorithm

[@AnthonyVenmans]

Joe, what's your experience/opinion about ''neutral grip'' (palms facing eachother) presses with a dumbbell? Especially a paralell/neutral grip shoulder press with dumbbells is extremely hard compared to a normal grip.

[@charlierabel3604]

What is your opinion on lifting belts?

[@AnthonyVenmans]

*29:40 min*... That's exactly how I respond too!

[@nukelaloosh4795]

and this one time, at hypertrophy camp

[@joset3264]

Why am I blocked from following your Instagram :(

[@clockworkorange7064]

Waiting for the hero...

[@Camarija]

I got you

[@NagendraSingh-ye3kx]

👌🏻👌🏻