How Little Can You Train And Still Grow Muscle?

[@Dr__Pak]

Thanks for having me on fellow-real-doctor Mike 💞 Shame the video did not include footage from our mud-wrestling "match" 😟

[@Lexsoufz]

Ποσό χαίρομε να σε δω να Μήλας με τον Dr. Mike ρε φίλε !! Χαιρετισμούς από Αμερική 💪🏻

[@Dr__Pak]

Να σαι καλά μα μαν

[@Agnopes]

This might have been one of my favorite of Mikes videos, so much data that can apply to a huge amount of people of different training levels. I am curious about how diet was taken into consideration during the 7 years experiments.

[@Dr__Pak]

Thank you!@@Agnopes

[@NoneyoBusiness579]

Thank you, real Doctor Pak and real Doctor Mike. This video is hugely inspiring for me. As someone with a seemingly minimal bandwidth of willpower, I've quit training 20+ times because I just got too frustrated trying to do 15+ sets per muscle group per week, ultimately resulting in zero gains. To combat this, I decided to train at most 3 muscle groups with no more than 9 sets per muscle group per week, with the plan to slowly build up in weekly muscle number trained and sets from there so the relative training volume change isn't as extreme as my past attempts to go from 0 to 100. Funnily enough, "nonoptimal" training with good consistency has resulted in more net gains than my many sporadic attempts at "more optimal" training with poor consistency, all while feeling less effortful. LATERAL DELTS, BICEPS, AND FOREARMS BAAABBYYYYY.... for now (might add Chest next). P.S. - Dr. Mike, please don't look at my custom mesocycle templates in the R.P. Hypertrophy app

[@jordanknapp7757]

This guy matches dr mikes vibe and I’m here for it

[@BigBADSTUFF69]

he preempted all of mikes gay jokes

[@jamesmirabal4058]

Ya they are like two members of the same body. A regular pair of testes.

[@GLOKD]

FR. WAS SEARCHING FOR THIS COMMENT.

[@KKyrou]

@@BigBADSTUFF69as a fellow Greek, I can say we see gay jokes coming a mile away.

[@dassebbe]

I wish this continued on pornhub

[@HeelerGSD]

“But for the ravages of aging…” I’m in that camp. Dr Mike: Please dedicate an RP podcast episode to hypertrophy over 50.

[@fox20rps94]

RP has a video of Mike talking about training differences and muscle growth among different age groups

[@HeelerGSD]

@@fox20rps94 Yes, I've watched that video at least twice. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGndlHlsitlqotE) I am suggesting this be a topic for the RP podcast, where the listener gets a whole different level of nuance and insight, plus Nick's take on things.

[@CBMof0]

He has one - it's good!

[@therealdestructicus]

Why? You're literally just dying st that point.

[@j.rob.5943]

Me too. In my own experience, getting back after a 30 year absence from lifting, it’s definitely possible to build substantial muscle (i restarted my training at 55). However, after those initial “newbie” gains all over again, it’s been a damn dogfight scratching out consistent but small gains. I would honestly say that it took me 3 years to gain what took 6-9 months in my 20’s. Body composition is also much more challenging, as any surplus seems to go right to the waistline. I’m happy with my progress though. Biggest issue for me has been avoiding injury. Tendonitis is a bitch at any age but can really stifle you when older.

[@tribunaldude]

for those who don't know, Dr. Pak has a 630 pound deadlift, has recently survived an intense training session with Kyriakos Grizzly, AND he dared to engage the Bloatlord in one on one combat.

[@DarkoFitCoach]

But would he be able to beat jason genova? It would be sickening. The pissening

[@wigletron2846]

​@@DarkoFitCoachJason's current state is melted brain from Haldol

[@Dr__Pak]

I have legit purchased 2 shout-outs and 1 order 66 from Jason. I am a certified P*ss trooper too. Real ones know@@DarkoFitCoach

[@Dr__Pak]

thanks

[@DarkoFitCoach]

@@johnpeterson9266 i know, i know. It was worth a shot and ofcourse the pissening cannot be fathomed by us mere mortals

[@aaronlawrence6350]

This was really good to see. I normally do 12 sets per muscle per week, but I travel for work and sometimes have to miss a day and can't make it up later in the week. It's good to know that even if I miss 4 sets, I'm still in the range of making some slight gains or at least maintaining. I'm trying to get out of the mindset of "If I can't do it perfectly I just shouldn't even do it at all." It's better to do SOMETHING than nothing.

[@mr.t3782]

Absolutely 💪

[@infernus6278]

I used to train ~6 times a week (3-1) but in the past year I was forced to switch to AB training with fixed schedule 3 times a week (with ~1 actually less per month due to various reasons) where am doing 6-7 sets per muscle group (x1.5 rounds up to roughly 9-10 weekly) and i have more strength and muscle mass than I had in my 20s. As long as you train properly and are not afraid to push yourself, low volume but consistent training can definitely give even better results

[@dcdowd]

It is absolutely better to do something than it is to do nothing.

[@xaris205]

D

[@xaris205]

D

[@TokyoRights]

The most valuable thing I've gotten from your channel is that I wasn't progressing because I was doing too much, while I thought I wasnt progressing because I was doing too little. My training was mostly low reps high weight strength training, so I would do a lo of sets to compensate for the low reps. I've started seeing progress again when doing half of what I used to do, lowering the weights and slowing down the eccentric. Now strength is going up again.

[@DarkoFitCoach]

Mentzer would be proud of thy

[@bigcson]

Great to hear! What were you doing before and how much now?

[@TokyoRights]

@@bigcson Before it was mostly sets of 1-5 reps for 1 to 3 hours spent at the gym, focusing on compound movements. My goal was just overall strength, not hypertrophy. I'd be done when I felt out of gas. Then take 2-4 days to recover fully for that muscle group. Now I try to stick to the 12 sets per muscle group per week, being mindful of the stimulus to fatigue ratio, by using lower weights, for 6-12 reps and slowing down the movement. Still doing 1-5 rep sets but more as an exception than as the base of the workout. And I leave the gym still having energy and it takes 1-2 days of rest to recover now. And strength gains are faster now.

[@JZ-xu3vg]

i did the exact opposite and my strength is going up. why is lifting so confusing T_T

[@martymcfly6411]

I think you are seeing progress just because you are doing something different. If you do the same thing for too long the gains stagnate. I cycle different rep ranges for periods of time. Or I listen to my body and let my body decide.

[@stevegaspar]

Mike Mentzer was definitely prescribing the minimum effective dose for growth and development and advocated this style specifically to those with "lives outside the gym". Also his chest and back workout literally had close grip incline bench and close grip palms facing lat pulldowns (interesting enough he said its the best biceps exercise he's done). So essentially choosing exercises that provides the best bang for the buck. This video was great thanks for sharing

[@TiberiusX]

💯 started in September after a 6 month dual hernia. Best results I've seen.

[@lexilex1430]

This is my second week on the Mike Mentzer Program and I can already feel my gains. I'm also able to lift more (increased weight) and with better form. No muscle lost at all.

[@darymetal]

The problem with mr Mentzer is that he took for granted that everyone could train with sufficient intensity, which is NOT the case. THe average person's intensity is ridiculously low, since they will most likely stop at mild discomfort, and they will also lack the ability to recruit muscle efficiently. But even then, even an intermediate athlete couldn't match the intensity Mentzer would put on the table, the guy allegedly took motherfucking SPEED before his workouts. The guy was literally tweaked. Of course he could output way more intensity.

[@stevegaspar]

@@darymetal he has video's and interviews talking about teaching intensity to a brand new lifter. Also, he definitely used meth and I believe moreso after his competitive career. That said it's not that different than all the lifters (especially recreational lifters) who are on vivance for their "ADHD".

[@TiberiusX]

@darymetal the era he was doing drugs he wasn't a bodybuilder any more.

[@hooka2k]

I began looking into minimum effective dose when I became a mom and let me tell you I have been more consistent and have a better physique now after 2 kids and pushing 40 than I ever did before that. It’s easier to stick to and recover from. Some weeks I’m exhausted and over it but knowing that just getting in a little bit of something will still be meaningful is enough to keep me going. Love this stuff guys. Thank you for the work you do 🙌🏻💪🏼

[@paradoks7487]

What’s your workout routine ?

[@hooka2k]

I do 4wk cycles of 3 different full body workouts (squats, deads, bench, rows, push ups, pull ups etc) and progress each week with the 4th week being my max week, then deload for the first week of the next cycle. I don’t necessarily increase weight in a given exercise each week if I’m already working close to my max so I push it in other ways like another rep or focusing on improving form etc. I have 2 small kids and the gym I go to has very limited childcare hours so sometimes I don’t make it for all 3 workouts every week. I try to at the absolute minimum make it once per week. This has been enough for me to keep making gains and at the very least maintain during a season where I don’t have a lot of extra time in my schedule and not a lot of help (I work 12hr ER nurse shifts on the weekend and am a stay at home mom during the week). Knowing that even a small amount of lifting is beneficial has been a major shift in helping me to stay consistent even when I can’t spend as much time in the gym as I’d like to.

[@XTheSpartanX7]

This is the way! Shoutout to you for putting in the work as a mom while it’s easy to put it off.

[@hooka2k]

@@XTheSpartanX7thank you so much!

[@canecorsomom2023]

I've been training since I was in my 20's. When I was younger I did a lot of volume, I'm sure plenty was junk volume But after I had my 5th child at 37 my body just wasn't able to recover like it used to. I got pretty depressed about it honestly. I started messing around with the volume and training smarter, it's made a world of difference. I doubt I'll look like it did in my early 30's, but I'm seeing that I can get at least close And im not dead for 3 days after

[@Tangosz]

Dr. Pak was great because no matter the chaos that Dr. Mike brought, he embraced it and then went right back to the science talk. Tremendous.

[@radoslavdragnev8797]

I'm the strongest and fittest when I train 1 day followed by 2 rest days and repeat. For 13 years of lifting this is what I discovered. Currently training only monday and thurdsday due to the fact that gains are not really my priority currently. I'm still at my peak strenght and haven't lost anything but I do go very hard on those workouts like 1 hour of total annihilation- forced reps ,drop sets , and very intense training overall

[@ktmtxt]

Guys, there's Knowledge in these sentences 👆

[@snorman1911]

Turdsday 😅

[@darylbrown6739]

@@snorman1911 I mainly train on wedensnesdesday

[@jekabsd]

Same here, I wish I had discovered this training method before.

[@almpo188]

I'm 29 and I do 4 working sets per muscle group per week. High intensity sets close to failure, stretched position and slow eccentric and I get awesome gains.

[@joojotin]

I wish more people gave it a try. Everyone that I have put on low volume programs have been amazed that all the additional work was for nothing and was in some cases holding them back.

[@almpo188]

I think especially for those with physical jobs, or in my case physical hobbies. If you're out surfing, running and playing sports, high volume just isnt a great option because you already fatigue yourself doing other stuff@@joojotin

[@pritok6]

with slow eccentrics and pauses is like 8-10 sets my mrv for some bodyparts lol

[@tryingtothinkofsomethingcool]

How advanced are you? If you're not at least in the late stages of intermediate then of course anything will work

[@joojotin]

@@tryingtothinkofsomethingcool Wait till you understand that advanced people dont need more but less volume

[@TDawg317]

As for the 1 of the 1.5 females, thanks for the shout out! 😅

[@tinybarabo]

I feel totally seen 😂

[@David_L178]

All I can say is wow. I’m surprised at this study. I’m also extremely happy they used individuals that actually train. Too many times the participants are untrained. Thanks for this video. Entertaining and informative

[@ParvParashar]

It’s really great to see Dr. Pak on the channel. Super excited to watch the video. I’m absolutely sure it’s going to be full of super helpful information. Thanks for all the amazing videos! 🙏

[@braysive4380]

Lots of great information on banging men!

[@SirAlexanderdeLarge]

His Hercules T-shirt is 🔥🔥!

[@jaywoolston2851]

Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty training was big when I first started lifting years ago. And I approached my workouts from the standpoint of doing the least lifting I could do to still make gains. I found that, for me, some muscles just required more sets and reps, but I made very good progress with certain exercises and muscles doing the low volume training. I would normally only bench for 4 sets a week. And in my 50's, at about 190lbs, I was benching 340. So it definitely worked for me in that regard.

[@johnjohntv1195]

Which muscles required more?

[@DolphR]

@@johnjohntv1195 usually smaller muscles, like the individual heads on the quads, biceps, heads of shoulders etc. but it's very individual

[@jaywoolston2851]

@@johnjohntv1195 I have found that my biceps don't respond very well to heavy weight or low reps. I have to do about 20-25 reps and usually 9 sets. I hit my calves with about 15 reps and my side and rear delts with about 25.

[@DonnieDarko727]

Height?

[@jaywoolston2851]

@@DonnieDarko727 I'm 5'8".

[@vorsillionx]

This is actually very helpful information for people such as myself who has busy schedules or working night shifts or has higher priorities or all of these.

[@bigpicturegains]

I’m of the mind that less can be more as you become more advanced. After you’ve developed technique that allows maximum muscular tension in a target fashion, and are able to perform reps with high intensity without losing that desired muscle recruitment, I do believe you can get away with doing quite little weekly.

[@Soccasteve]

Oh for sure. I’d say most lifters don’t need more than 8 sets a week.

[@letsworkoutabit1959]

Another factor is life. Once you hit your late 20s, you already have real and heavy responsibilities -- career, family, etc.

[@Vincent-fv1ch]

When intensity goes up, volume and frequency has to come down. Mike menzers philosophy makes more and more sense for each day!

[@nelacostabianco]

Bravo! Confirms what Mentzer was advocating decades ago with his 'Heavy Duty' training system especially his Consolidation routine of just four total exercises split into 2 days doing one set each to failure. Day 1 -Squats and Pulldowns Day 2 -Dips and deadlifts 💪 RIP Mike

[@niravsurati2905]

Exactly! But it’s funny in this interview, they still don’t mention going to absolute 100% momentary muscular failure. “Close to failure” and Mike Mentzer style of failure is completely different. I’d love to see more literature on that style of training. RIP Mike Mentzer

[@perhedman7050]

Some of the most consistent gains in strength over time made have been when I've been strapped for time and with real life pounding the door forcing me to train much less than I've wanted to. It's been in and out of the gym in 40 min for 2 or 3 times a week. No more 10 sets of squats or deadlifts but instead 3x5 , throwing in some weighted chins super set with sitting rows or what not.

[@BigDymz]

Sounds like Tactical Barbell - the bare minimum you need to get fit!

[@raupenimmersatt6906]

Thats the same I did- just literally 90% free weight compounds lift with 1 or max 2 sets on some isolation I look the best ever and Ive got more time for other sports

[@JZ-xu3vg]

i did push ups and pull ups while i worked every 30 minutes all day for 8 weeks during covid. best i ever looked.

[@aaronloossonaaronloosjr.8630]

Yes, you're main lifts that you do first were probably very dialed in. As far as everything else probably was in the gutter?

[@davidsmith2132]

3 sets of five reps? Thanks

[@kristiandolmer9625]

I feel like overtrainig is one of the most common mistakes in bodybuilding. I see these young individuals spending 2 hours in the gym, doing 5-7 exercises with 3-4 workingsets burning themselves out one by another. Thanks you for spreading awareness. I belive body dismorphia has a lot to do with this problem. As once logic tends to say ''Oh, im not making/seeing as many gains as i expected, i better lift some more'' and its a shame. Cus it causes a large portion of these individuals to either quit again, or suffer some kind of injury. Im not a saint, long time ago, I was one of those young individuals. But thanks to you and others on this platform, I have learned control it. And ever since, my training volume and weights has sky rocketed. Thank you for doing this, thank you for.. you.

[@greenstoic4029]

Completely agree with your arguments about over-training and the trope of spending multiple hours in the gym. I am in better shape than most in the United States and I’ve only ever trained maybe an hour tops in the gym per session. I despise spending more than an hour in the gym, I ain’t got time for that. In my experience it’s been important to be efficient and consistent in the gym to maintain or grow naturally (I’ve always been natural). Also, I’m 100% convinced great genetics has given me a big advantage as well.

[@JZ-xu3vg]

i overtrain, but my vo2max is also like 300

[@theswede5402]

So whats your weekly volume?

[@elunegracee]

Whats wrong with doing 7 exercises a day on push Pull legs Split?

[@stephenhughes5156]

There's nothing wrong with doing even 5-7 exercises for 3-4 sets in a session. The problem is trying to do that 5-6 days a week like a lot of guys do. The way I see it, you have to choose: either high volume, low frequency or low volume, high frequency. The guys that ARE able to train with that amount of volume 5-6 days a week... well, they are either on stuff or they are not training as hard as they think (in terms of weight and RIR).

[@konstantinoskoniaris9359]

Been following pak for some time and seeing him getting some well deserved recognition in the fitness sector and now talking with the legend himself dr. Mike is the most wholesome thing

[@JimmyStruthers-lb3sn]

Legend 😂. Israetel has done nothing in the sport.

[@SaturnReturns]

As someone who works a lot and has a family. I train full body 3/4x a week and do 2 sets per exercise to failure. Works perfect and I make great gains. Any sets more than that and I'd have trouble recovering. Some days I skip if I don't have time or feel fatigued. Its about the long game to me and avoiding injury.

[@JamalDizel]

I was lmao through out the whole video! Two doctors - not only knowledgeable but also have an amazing sense of humor!

[@Jellyforce620]

Yea nice to hear this! I got cancer alittle over a year ago now and i´ve been trying to keep up with my training but it´s not as easy to train as it was before. I have lowered my training volume form 5 days a week to 3 but the sets i do is alot harder. I have lost some strength but that´s because im not doing powerlifting anylonger and instead focusing on more brutal torture sets to gain musclemass. So yea tragedy made me go harder each set ;)

[@SycoraxPraxidice]

I’m 3 years out (completed treatment 18 months ago), and really think it makes a huge difference to keep working out as much as possible. Mentally, too. It took me about a year post-treatment to recover normally again after workouts; the extra fatigue takes a bit to shake off. But I’m back to normal volume now, and working my weights back to where they were. (I lost some muscle mass with the caloric deficit, so that was inevitable.) God, the endorphins from getting through a legit workout without keeling over are like air after almost drowning. I’ll never take it for granted again. Best of luck to you; you’re doing the right thing!! Patience and frustration were the hard parts for me; I hope you easily find your zen and can just grind through it ❤

[@levischittlord6558]

Keep going.

[@youhavetogotheretocomeback]

godspeed with your recoery brother, you got this.

Don't let that mf take your life away from you, rep out those irons. Keep pushing brother

[@samuelyeo5450]

Godspeed brother. Wish you the best and even more size!

[@sirsantos13]

Love it how you guys are having a respectful and rich discussion one second and absolut rubbish the next. As always, great content! Keep it up.

[@tomswanston]

Great video! I'm 45 years old and have been training on and off for 30 years. The last year of my life has been very difficult and busy. I'm now training 1 to 2 sets per body part every 10 days and still making gains. It's such a great feeling to know how much I can get out of so little gym time.

[@Polentaccio]

That sounds like a Mentzer approach.. what do your workouts look like?

[@tomswanston]

@@Polentaccio yes, it's along the Mentzer principles. One set to failure for each exercise. 8 second reps: 4 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. If I'm really busy, I do two work outs in a 10 to 12 day cycle. Upper body workout then take 4 to 5 days off before doing a lower body workout, then 4 to 5 days off before repeating. Currently i'm doing 3 workouts (arms & shoulders, chest & back, legs & abs) with 3 days off between workouts.

[@1999ekk24]

I’m 32. 2 sets to absolute failure with strict form and no assistance reps on one exercise per body part per week. 3 weeks on 1 week rest. Every week I gain 2 reps on every exercise until I get to 25 reps and then I add weight and start the cycle with a new weight I can get 15 reps with. I’ve always loved to train as hard as possible with good amounts of volume but with age and not using testosterone this is what I’ve found to work and be super comfortable. I’m going to try 1 set per week but go with assisted reps after failure and then maybe a drop set aswell. Less is more sometimes

[@barrybarnett731]

Got to laugh at the I'm 32 or I'm 40 yrs old comments 🤣 what's that for to do with how you train ? your still relatively young and at your peak you should be able to train full throttle it's not as if your in your middle 70s ffs 🙄 I'm 65 and still train hard 3 maybe 4 times a week whilst still in full time employment stop ma King lame excuses

[@1999ekk24]

@@barrybarnett731 your training hard and a 30/40 years old training hard is 2 different things. No one is making excuses we are just sharing experiences on how to get better gains. Training full throttle as you like to say has never ended well from my experience and from what I’ve seen time and time again. Good luck macho man

[@skanda1832]

49year old man here. Went from 155BW to 210BW in one year of training 30min/day, everyday with the following program: Day 1 standing overhead barbell press Day 2 low bar squat Day 3 barbell bench press Day 4 deadlift/chin-ups (alt, every other session) * 3 warmup sets of a few reps, building up to 3 working sets of 5 reps (3min rest between warmup sets, 5 min rest between working sets). Eating >200g protein/day and >3000cals/day. Sleeping (sober) >9hrs/night. Press started at ~65lb and is now ~200lb Squat started at ~150 and is now >405 Bench started at ~135 and is now ~300 Deadlift started at ~135 and is now >470 * Just add 2.5lb to each side of the bar every workout and voila.

[@paradoks7487]

Arms are grew as well?

[@kruger4444]

​@@paradoks7487 of course they would grow. Are you dumb?

[@dakotaroberts9832]

Hypertrophy app has me in the lower end of the 8 to 12 sets/week range. At first I thought this was kinda low, but my progress has been pretty killer lately!

[@shadjohnsen8143]

My 11 yr old daughter and I are currently doing Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 which is low volume on the main lifts but higher on the accessory lifts. She has gained roughly 40-50 lbs in strength on the 3 main lifts and +30 lbs on overhead press in 5 months. I'm aware that a significant portion of her gain is due to getting used to proper form and the mechanics of lifting, but I can't wait to see her progress over the next 8 months. For those not familiar, the 531 is designed for slow but steady progress: 5lbs/month upper body (bench/overhead press) and 10lbs/month lower body (squats/deads). Seems like slow progress but if all works out, by next August she should have a 165 lb bench at 12 yrs old. When she first started this with me, she could only bench 60 lbs...now 5 months later she's up to 105 bench press currently. That is ahead of schedule, but with her getting used to proper form we recalculated her max training weight midway through. Does anyone else use the 5-3-1?

[@27actanonverba]

Thanks for the video. Just started weight training about a month ago, but I'm only able to do intense fullbody workout 2-3 times a week. i was worried I wouldn't really see results. this gives me a little more confidence.

[@benjamindavis2475]

I've gained 40 lbs in the past 2 years training Mon/weds/Fri.

[@KM-hk8tc]

@benjamin What’s a typical workout for you? Is it the same for the 3 days you’re in or same muscles hit but different exercises?

[@papaspaulding]

@@benjamindavis2475 That's pretty much how I started back in the 90's doing full body every other day and only 3-4 sets to failure per muscle group each workout. I had really good results doing just that for a good few years

[@basedWisco715]

Only? Lmao

[@thisfnguy3748]

Did you guys match on tinder? Amazing chemistry, even better content

[@hogblockula9335]

I’ve been on 6 sets per muscle group split into 2 full body sessions for like 1.5 years now. Super easy to be consistent with and i’m seeing very solid gains. In other words - agree big time with this video

[@johnbelt7676]

Many of us have been waiting for this pod; it’s about time someone’s eyes are forced open. Now we can bolster it with reducing injury with slower low force movements and lower weekly doses of stress created everything lol

[@SaiyanStrength]

This video saved me from an early death caused by cumulative fatigue due to the fear of losing gains.

[@LUKA_911]

Commenting from the netherlands just to confirm, they dont let us leave the gym. In fact I'm typing this from a squat rack

[@carlfreiermuth5424]

I did 17 reps of a body weight squat, which is near failure for me at the moment and I was plenty sore for 3 days after.. now I'm talking ass to grass, full range of motion and my warm up was walking the dog. I am just starting to train again after recovering from a major spine injury and I've been listening to the Mike Mentzer ideas.. I like the way he explains that if you do one set to failure.. that you have obviously pushed the working muscles for that exercise to their capacity in a way.. The amount I was sore felt like major confirmation to me that He's right because if I did more than that once set.. it would have been overtraining. I actually pushed so hard that I felt terrible for the rest of the day. I will be combining isometric holding at full contraction to increase intensity. For calf raises I will hold them at the top for each rep and just do one set until major fatigue.. now I am not leaving off days in between for healing.. instead I am doing one heavy day, then one light day etc. to give my nervous system a chance of keeping up. I think combining different ideas in this way will reduce the amount of time I'm spending exercising as I get back into working out again. I haven't had a protein shake in years lol, I used to be drinking protein shakes almost instead of food but now I am eating steak and eggs every day and loving it.

[@furnsidebarbel]

The best results iv had in over 20 years of training is training with 1 set per muscle once a week j vincent style. Dont knock it until uv tried it

[@JamesDHendrickson]

GREAT INTERVIEW! Followed him immediately on youtube, I'd love to hear more, or see you and him in the dungeon for leg day!

[@zdenek3010]

I'd love to hear more about assessing muscle group volume with compound movements. I do a lot of compound movements and it's sometimes hard to assess whether stalling is due to overtraining or undertraining.

[@NorThenX047]

i think with compounds you also have the problem of reaching plateau due to 1 or even multiple weak muscles involved with the movement and it may not be the ones you would assume. Always good to check the ego and go back to the drawing board and lower weights for a while while you re-perfect form

[@chrisitan4909]

exactly what nor said, in my experience dropping a dime and reperfecting form whilst doing volume has allowed me to throw a nickel on when going back to strength training

[@nglyo]

Too many people worry about losing your gains not realizing that regaining lost muscle is so much more easier than simply gaining the new PR again. I've gone on and off training for the past decade and while in the beginning it would take me 1-2yrs to achieve my max limit to what I was capable of (still not my max potential limit), regaining that after losing them for 1yr+ takes a fraction of that (think 1/5th or 1/10th of the time). Do not worry about losing gains due to xyz - while maintaining is the optimal thing to do and still preferably due to how much less time it takes, regaining lost muscle is so much easier when compared to gaining muscle from scratch (non-newbie gains).

[@NASkeywest]

I think Dorian Yates is a shining example for how Mike Mentzers methods are amazing at Building muscle mass AND good for long term health. Look at Dorian Yates today. He is in his 50s and is still healthy and doing Yoga. Compare that to Ronnie Coleman or other older body builders.

[@dick8689]

these in person inverviews are great, i hope you keep doing more.

[@Ryan-wx1bi]

I think the main factor is whether you are on the juice or not. I used to go HARD in the gym and hit a long plateau. I switched to the Mike Mentzor 3 days lifting, 4 days off and broke through that plateau.

[@captainjacobkeyes6733]

Were you on steroids tho?

[@Ryan-wx1bi]

@@captainjacobkeyes6733 nah. Not being on steroids is why less volume worked for me

[@captainjacobkeyes6733]

@@Ryan-wx1bi ah ok I get it. I agree less volume feels better to me. It’s also a practical thing because my workouts are shorter and I’m less burnt out

[@NoneyoBusiness579]

Thank you, real Doctor Pak and real Doctor Mike. This video is hugely inspiring for me. As someone with a seemingly minimal bandwidth of willpower, I've quit training 20+ times because I just got too frustrated trying to do 15+ sets per muscle group per week, ultimately resulting in zero gains. To combat this, I decided to train at most 3 muscle groups with no more than 9 sets per muscle group per week, with the plan to slowly build up in weekly muscle number trained and sets from there so the relative training volume change isn't as extreme as my past attempts to go from 0 to 100. Funnily enough, "nonoptimal" training with good consistency has resulted in more net gains than my many sporadic attempts at "more optimal" training with poor consistency, all while feeling less effortful. LATERAL DELTS, BICEPS, AND FOREARMS BAAABBYYYYY.... for now (might add Chest next). P.S. - Dr. Mike, please don't look at my custom mesocycle templates in the R.P. Hypertrophy app

[@Kirbylover489]

I go just two days a week. Three sets per muscle group, I increased my bench from 160 kg to 170kg and my squat from 190 kg to 220 kg in 1.5 years. I think I'm definitely a high response person to low volume, but that sh*t is working like wonders. Thanks for the Info, looking forward to further research down the line.

[@Soccasteve]

I think many people overestimate how much volume they need. In reality, if you do two hard movements per body part for 3 sets each, done twice a week while pushing hard and progressing in reps and weight, you really think you would need more volume to grow? That’s 12 sets for the week. I’d argue most would be better off with about 8-9 sets. I’ve never been a fan of higher volumes and have never responded to it. Something I’m kind of wondering about, and Dr. Mike mentioned it here, but withall that volume will come some increase in muscle size simply through swelling and inflammation, however, that’s not actual muscle growth. As soon as you lower the volume (which, in many cases inevitably must happen as it’s hard to sustain) your muscles will lose a bit of size. But then as soon as soon as you start doing higher volume again you pump right back up. I’ve noticed for me it only takes a week of training this way to see the swelling and then another week to lose the swelling, even when still training but with lower volume. If you can train with these higher volumes and sustain it then go right ahead and keep doing it, but if you’re an average lifter you’ll probably have to use less volume otherwise you just start stalling as you’re not recovering.

[@nek_ad]

naturals have limited level of testosterone and it takes time to build up the level for next enjoyable training, only jabbed druggies can benefit from more than two trainings days per week.

[@trentenmerrill5239]

dr. mike is quickly becoming "just another" one of my favorite fitness youtube channels. what i would do to have someone like him critique my workout program would be so dope. although i do not know how much he knows about calisthenic workouts for bodybuilding... maybe if i work hard enough one day... dr. mike can also tell me my workout program is complete and utter garbage... oh what a dream that would be. or maybe he would say my workout program is "ok". who knows. i do not think he is a big fan of calisthenics being used for bodybuilding. or at least i have never heard him talk about it yet.

[@davidjarriel5182]

Intensity seems to be the key. Along with consistency. I've always felt you need try your best to the most out of each workout like it may the last one for a while.

[@SeC-q9m]

Yeah agreed.

[@vanjabi8827]

I train twice a week, “Push/Pull” type training. Coming from the Bro Split life in my teens and early-mid 20’s. Twice per week is enough to build, maintain, a better physique than your coworkers and friends. Unless you have friends/coworkers that compete on stage. Nutrition, time under tension, “hypertrophy“ controlling of the weights vs the weights controlling your movement”, etc. is KEY. You don’t have to live in a gym to look good. But you do have to inspect what you expect. Hope this helps 🤙🏽

[@iliopgi1]

Great topic and very usefull. Many people suffer from too much sets per workout. Ωραίος Πάτροκλε.

[@nicoskal85]

Εξαιρετικός ο Πακ και κάνει ωραίο δίδυμο με το Mike!

[@SafetyBriefer]

I have been doing Mike Mentzer’s Ideal Program for Naturals since April and have had great gains with a single working set to failure per week per muscle group.

[@ianwilson4841]

I do a full body workout one day a week. 1 to 2 sets per bodypart close for failure. Been training this way for years and Im never injured and my joints thank me for it. I'm 48 and just can't handle the high volume workouts I did in my 20's and 30's.

[@miltkarr5109]

Yes! I was a personal trainer 20 yrs ago and a 70 year old client flipped everything I thought I knew on its head. He came in day 1 looking like he needed a walker. He said he could only come in once every 2 weeks. So of I designed a full body workout with just a squat to failure a press to failure and a pull to failure. Then did what I'd call strength mobility. Son of a gun made the most incredible transformation I had ever seen working out once a week (he said he also did the modified workout at home on off weeks,but not as hard). He couldn't do a bodyweight squat when we started and 6 months later he was pumping out 30 holding a 25lb dumbbell. Lat pull down was really crazy. Every time he came in it was like a new person. I based everything off last workout and expected him to do a set of 12 and he'd just keep going to 30 reps with the heavier weight everytime. Lots of piddly warmup sets just because I was afraid of injuring the guy but I think that's a main component. The Bob workout I call it.

[@thodorisevangelakos]

Love seeing dr Pak on RP after seeing dr mike on the anabolic window. These guys are a God-sent for the greek weightlifting scene that's still in the middle ages

[@justgivemeanumber8215]

there's also the fact that you are less tired when you train less.... sounds silly, but for me it makes a huge plus. like, it's as if you can actually feel like muscles don't control your life

[@troydefond2307]

I feel this! For along time I was doing 30sets per large muscle group a wk and around 20-ish sets for smaller ones per group. switch to 22sets per large and 12 for smaller. It doesn't feel like i can no longer spend time with my family cuz I'm to tired as I can barely move. about to drop it again to just around 15 sets per wk for all muscles n see if that helps.

[@stevepace-first8617]

One intereting approach is the Steve Justa singles. Every day you do 4 singles of squat bench dead (12 totl reps plus any warm up) and every month test your maxes, recalibrate to 70% and gradually add weight. Rest time is about a minute between reps, so it is quick. I use this is a sort of backbone to my training and add in some isolation work. It may not be optimal but there is no dreading the big lifts. I like the daily movement, the mental aspects. Hard day/rest day approaches may be better for progress, but this daily easy apprach has its merits.

[@jodyjohnson1666]

I love the Steve Justa approach. It's about TRAINING, not WORKING OUT (your daddy issues. lol)

[@shabsog]

holding your breath for 20 minutes to hide belly fat is hard..

[@stunnaman9]

Just got out the gym! Love New RP videos!!

[@shanesummers1458]

I know your mostly focused on muscle building but I'd love to hear your thoughts on strength training and also training for performance e.g sport, fighting, power/oly lifting

[@maxmassetti2392]

Dr Pak with the Supreme Beanie and Rolex and Mike repping the fitbit and RP merch! Dr Pak has that drip 😮

[@Dr__Pak]

Supreme x DOOM

[@cdula26]

The mainstream studies are going to end up saying “you don’t actually need to train at all, sitting on your couch is as optimal as training 5 days a week”

[@Soccasteve]

Doubt it, seeing as there’s a studying outlining why 52 sets is better than 22 sets a week.

[@MajkaSrajka]

Dr__Pak - the only doctor that you come to looking healthy, leave looking sick and leave 5 star review 😎

[@fitlawnguy]

This is great to know. I do landscaping in texas, and for about half the year (Texas pretty much has two summers, a hot one and a really hot one) it is absolutely brutal trying to balance work and training. I pretty much do what i can, when i have the energy to do it during that time, sometimes as little as 2 full body workouts per week (one where i do upper first, one where i do lower first).It's nice to know that that training hasn't been to just maintain, and that I've been able to at least make some progress.

[@maseay91]

Fellow Texan her that comment had me dying lmao “a hot one and a really hot one”

[@ryze9153]

Landscaping is hard work but that shit will make you fuckin strong.

[@ryze9153]

@@maseay91 I used to live in Houston and yea, its pretty much true. Hot and really hot, and very humid. Thats basically what you get.

[@AdamParkhurst]

@@ryze9153 you seem like you did not have friends as a kid

[@ryze9153]

@@AdamParkhurst where the hell did you get that from?

[@TheSmurf1973]

I do 4 x 30 min weight sessions a week and I love the gains I'm making. Maybe they're newbie gains, I don't know, but I'm definitely making big progress.

[@moa3821]

Pandemic was a good test when the gyms were closed. You can pretty much maintain on 30% of volume

[@DarkoFitCoach]

Easily. The pissening

[@devinnavarro6112]

Respect is earned, not given…except when the man has a Calvin and Hobbes tattoo. Mucho respect there.

[@japan100100]

Interesting information. I do about 12 sets a week for chest, so from the discussion in this video, I imagine I'm getting decent gains(and I can visually notice as well).

[@BrofUJu]

Yup, about same. Been doing controlled chest press machine and then higher rep on cable flys and it's been great. 3 sets each, twice a week ish

[@TheGreektrojan]

It varies from person to person and training age but 12 quality sets per week is well over the 90% of optimal gains for most everyone. Keep up the good work.

[@stephenhughes5156]

Assuming you are using good exercise selection and getting close enough to failure, then yeh you should be all good. Best thing to do though is just track your progress in your lifts. If they're going up over time, what you're doing is working.

[@MajkaSrajka]

I'm still confused about 8:45 Dr.P "We are not talking about a single set a week, we're still talking about close to 10 sets per muscle group per week. [...] I don't think thats a lot, people make a big deal out of 10 sets" Dr.M "It's two workouts a week where you do five sets" That is two workouts a week where you do five sets -per muscle, meaning if you have 2 leg exercises (knee and hip), 2+ arm exercises (elbow and shoulders), 1 back, 1 chest exercises you get to 6-7+ muscle groups (probably closer to 10+ if you separated arm and knee flexion and extension), each for 5 sets makes 35-50+ sets in a single workout. Even semi-conservative "1min of exercise 1min of rest" that makes 70-100 minute workout, excluding all additional time costs both in and outside the gym. Am I missing something?

[@michaelporter9157]

Absolutely loving Dr Mike referring to Southampton Solent University as 'fancy' 🤣

[@Tigerfire75]

Mike Mentzer was right with his theory of high intensity training. He said do one set of 6 to 10 reps to failure with about 3 or 4 exercises with several days of recovery. How many days depends on the person. What you fail to understand is you have to go to failure and not close to failure. If you don't go to failure you aren't stimulating the muscles to build muscle.

[@wdadwawdadawdwdwa4133]

*Mike Mentzer has joined the chat*

[@zwryy7622]

Methhead

[@dangersmymiddlename6341]

There’s just no way to train to failure on each set on multiple sets of same muscle group and not require extended recovery time. Come back to early and you short circuit the repair and prevent the build out of new muscle tissue. Again Mike said it best, when you turn on the light switch the light is on. No need to keep clicking the switch.

[@landotucker]

I do full body 3 days a week and Im really reluctant to increase my training and do a split because I'm worried that if I'm lazy or if there are any changes in my life it will cause me to skip days. I feel bad that I'm not making the same gains that someone doing a split would be, but it's good to know it's not significant. 10:54 "This is for you, grandma!" 😆

[@cspahn3221]

You can always make a step to a 4 day lifting routine. Monday - Lower, Tuesday - Upper, Wednesday - Rest, Thursday - Lower, Friday - Upper, Sat&Sun - Rest.

[@NofirstnameNolastname]

This video should also reassure you that if you miss a day its not gonna be as bad as you think. Because you need less volume that you think.

[@Soccasteve]

You could do a split but if full body is working for you just keep at it, unless you want to change it up. I personally love full body, gives me the best recovery.

[@svikram9]

This was really informative. I always thought it was all or nothing. If I didn't do the full sets and my full workouts, I thought I won't make progress. This gives me motivation to ensure that atleast get my sets in no matter where I am. If not for gaining, I'll continue to maintain the muscle and once I'm back home, I can train hard again. Thanks Dr. Mike and Dr Pak for the insightful talk!

[@ProphetFear]

I could do 2 sets of wide grip super deep dips and be sore 4 days later, already challenging recovery abilities. In fact I did 3 sets of hamstrings total 3 days ago and am still feeling it a bit. People will come around and assume I am following some kind of Dorian Yates volume paradigm when in reality... he actually did more weekly sets than me and I just can't handle tons of volume on certain muscles that are really easy to exploit with stretching.

[@Shvabicu]

I'm similar with quads. 4 sets of squats and I need a wheelchair for 3 days. I do another 3 sets of leg extensions on another workout and that's it. 7 sets per week and gains are incredible.

[@florkiler6242]

worm up? or nahh?

[@nathanwagester6665]

Same here with the hammies man. I do three sets of hard rdls and I am toast for three days. I genuinely think a high volume paradigm is assumed because people are either half repping, not milking the eccentric, or simply not trying that hard. I now average about 6-7 sets a muscle group per work out and I get way more sore compared to how I used to train with 15-20 light junk sets per muscle group a workout.

[@playerzero2236]

Bodybuilders typically give bad advice on recovery time because they're taking steroids and growth hormone and as a natural adding that much volume will actually inhibit your growth. Your body is pretty good at telling you when you're over doing it and for me I train at most 1 or 2 times a week the same muscle groups and if I go beyond I start to notice that I make little or no improvement. I used to do high volume and had a terrible time growing and since I've gotten older and wiser, I take my recovery process very serious and it seems like every week I'm making consistent progress in the amount of weight and repetitions I'm able to churn out and this is on top of running marathons.

[@anonperson3972]

I'm doing a PhD at the moment and don't have a huge amount of time and energy (now being in my final year), but I managed to put on 9kg in the last few months, going from 94kg to 103kg, (natty) without my bodyfat increasing visibly, just turning up to the gym two or three times a week for an hour at a time. Focusing on doing a few very high quality sets with full ROM and slow controlled eccentrics with very high effort.

[@intensity.density2208]

5-8 sets per muscle per week for me seems to be the sweet spot. 6-8 reps per set, every 5-8days depending on recovery, schedule, personal life etc. It's working very well for me, growing and getting stronger. The most important thing for me is nutrition and rest. Doesn't matter what you do, if nutrition and rest aren't on point, forget about results.

[@Soccasteve]

Yeah I’m a fan of 8 sets for most body parts. That allows one day to have two exercises, one for 3 sets and one for 2 sets. Then a second day with one exercise for 3 sets. Works like a charm.

[@RedfishCarolina]

I'm definitely the "person A" here with a busy job and family. I get 3, maybe 4 hours per week in the gym. I do Push-Leg-Pull-Leg 1 hour sessions and love it. The first leg day is Posterior chain (Hams, glutes, etc) and the second is quads/squats. I go as intense as a 45 year old can and not leave on crutches. No regrets. I HAVE to force myself to get plenty of sleep.

[@gp2755]

MENTZER WAS RIGHT! OMG! ALL THESE YEARS!!!!!!!! ALL THE NAYSAYERS!!!!

[@Dr__Pak]

Nope

[@gp2755]

@@Dr__Pak awwwwwwwww

[@nelsonsantos4027]

Is that a tat of DOOM on Dr. Pak's right arm? Be it the rapper or the comic villain, you already have my utmost respect!!

[@Dr__Pak]

Yes! MF DOOM tat on the right, Dr. Doom tat on the left AND the Supreme x DOOM beanie. I am a HUGE DOOM fan

[@EnigmaticAnamoly]

Something I think that doesn't get talked about enough in regards to overtraining and all those young dudes spending hours on end in the gym making minimal gains, is the correlation between OT and all the different kinds of PWOs out there now and the amount people are taking before a workout. Some of the stuff out there can literally make you feel like superman and make you superficially think you can 'keep going' when in actuality, your muscles are spent and you're likely overtraining.

[@fotis3v480]

Remember getting some pretty hard preworkout a while back, i would do sets of 10 with 250kg on the leg press and that day that preworkout kicked in(yo) i did sets of 8 with 320 over and over and over😂😂... I've always had an issue with MENTALLY getting into my push hard mode but that day was flat out funny. Not to mention that press was after a grueling 4 sets of squats so it's not like I was fresh...mental stimulants are great for permanently depressed/wanna die types of brains.😂

[@squallrulz20]

I think there should be some additional mentions in regards to the effectiveness of minimum volume training. The impact of diet and adequate sleep was not really talked about for this but can have an extreme impact on the effectiveness of minimum volume training for muscle gain. When I was working within aged care there was individuals who gained muscle without training exclusively from improved diet and sleep(aware of their medication and does not cause muscle gain or prevent muscle loss), and this had been the case with some of the malnourished street sleeping adults in Victoria as well who gained muscle mass when given social support and housing. If we are looking at somebody who is a beginner with a desk job, no activity, poor diet and low quality sleep they may be gaining muscle with 0 sets per week purely from improved diet and sleep which will stop at a point yes, but I think it is worth mentioning.

[@drenaraine6898]

Mentzer was right - generally

[@Red88Rex]

I’m down to two hardcore lifts a week, upper and lower. Keeps me maintained easily! I actually get gains on my legs still. Been lifting 26 years lol not as motivated to go 6 days a week anymore. I laughed a lot during this, you guys are hilarious together!

[@newerest1]

My main question at this point is necessary volume to maintain. There are definitely points in my training career id just be happy to maintain what i have and not risk additional injury, mostly when im trying to train skill work in something like bjj more

[@privtprofile24]

Pretty sure there was a study done on that and they said that even as low as 1/9th of your regular volume should be enough. I would personally go a little higher but maintenance is MUCH lower than to gain. Edit: they even talk about maintenance volume in the video. They talked about 2-4 sets being enough.

[@greuju]

I'm more of a calisthenic type of athlete I don't really get that much of a hypertrophic response I am native American. I think maintaining is mostly about, remaining consistently active, good protein feeding windows, and giving your full body some form of exposure. I just did bodyweight exercises when I was trying to maintain, and a few heavy sets of squats. If your body is getting signals to keep the muscle, getting the protein, and those muscles are occasionally being used and fatigued. You should keep most of it.

[@zepintoferreira8431]

For something like 3 months? Get 3 sets at 5 RIR per muscle group in and you'll be fine. You'll lose your pump and a negligible amount of muscle but it all comes back in a couple of weeks of serious training. I do that often to focus on my tennis. The video talks a bit about that around 11:40

[@privtprofile24]

Why go for 5 rir? Why not 0-3?@@zepintoferreira8431

[@joojotin]

Do fullbody 1-2 times a week and 2-4 sets per bodypart. Worst case you maintain easily and best case you continue to build muscle and strength.

[@basketweaver1144]

Can confirm. I started a job that is very physically intensive, in order for me to work well without hating my life I dropped volume down to about 2 sets per week, but i went right to failure and fid drop sets. My goal was to just maintain my progress, then once I'm adapted to work and training I can think about increasing volume. To my surprise I i actually made progress.

[@leomariano2735]

Nice, I assume those low set numbers are for individuals in a caloric surplus or at the very least eating at maintenance. But what about cutting? How much do you have to train to not lose muscle?

[@michaelsiemasko9395]

Your maintenance volume in a deficit becomes what your minimal effect volume is in a surplus

[@jasonsweet6877]

You guys are a bit misled if you believe 5 sets is low volume. I've trained for 4 years using many different training methods with very minimal success. After a video I saw on athlean X channel, I began binge watching Mike Mentzer videos. (I found that he was more educated, well spoken, and independently free thinking than any " Dr.") I wrote down the 4 day 96 hour version of Heavy Duty he outlined in a lecture. I immediately started the program and 3 months in at the age of 47 I have seen gains that I never experienced during brief periods of training in my 20's and 30's. Mike does include compound movements as the point in this video raises, but I am not doing more than one set with the load focused primarily on a particular muscle per week. It should be noted that neither the body nor it's growth mechanism or capabilities operate on the Gregorian calendar. Therefore a study only focusing on volume of a 7 day period is already flawed. One thing this study seems to have forgotten to emphasize is the importance of training to, and even through absolute utter mechanical failure on the one set. I would argue that in my personal experience I didn't even fully understand or develop my full potential to do this until training this way for over a month. The reason these studies are finding that a bit more volume is more effective is either because the volume guys are pumped full of the finest enhancements, or because they have not really pushed themselves to complete failure and so subsequent sets are required to stimulate the body's growth mechanism. Although I appreciate the efforts of the video, I encourage others to explore different approaches to your training volume. You may be shocked.

[@xbonoydd5269]

Boils down to being consistent. Do as much as you can do consistently

[@Soccasteve]

Nicely stated

[@markhowell524]

I really enjoy your channel. I am a 63 year old man and have been training steadily for 45 years. I really enjoyed this.

[@weirdchamp7790]

Mike mentzer knew something

[@googlefaps5883]

And so did the rest of the bodybuilders of that era. But rn. We know more. We know where he is wrong and we know where he has a point

[@bekkuri]

where he did know wrong?@@googlefaps5883

[@papaspaulding]

Im 45 and trained since my mid teens (although did take ten years off 2006-2016) and found what works optimally for me to make the best gains possible whilst not overtraining is 16 sets to failure per muscle group per week. This past year and a bit I've been training only every other day and with only 9 total sets per muscle group to failure per week. Whilst this isn't as 'good' as the 16 sets per week in terms of the mass I can build within a given time frame, the difference is very minimal, alot more than I expected to the point I can never see myself going back to the 16 sets as it's not worth it as clearly diminishing returns given the time and effort invested. I'm quite fine with spending half the time training per week and still reaping 90% of the same gains

[@TheDoosh79]

10 sets may only be two 5 set workouts, but that's per muscle group. Still trying to fit in 10 sets per week per muscle group is a lot of time.

[@Soccasteve]

Oh for sure, not all body parts need that many sets though. Chest back and legs definitely would qualify. Everything else you could probably get away with 6 or less.

[@johanjotun1647]

6 sets 8-10 reps on every upper body machine @ PF and then dumbbell shoulder raises, curls, skull crushers, leaves my chest and arms sore for 5 days. my back and legs recover quicker. My travel situation requires me to dedicate an entire day to every trip and the bus leaves a 3hr window, so 3 trips per week is what I have to work with. your channel is a great source of encouragement for me, as I don't have the time and youth to become a beefcake, but need to some gains from a quality of life standpoint.

[@User107D]

If you ain't on anabolics 1 set per muscle group is all you need but you need to fit in certain criteria - training to failure + slow negatives. Frequency is the key - the goal is to get stronger each workout but how often to train is individual, some folks may train the muscle group once per week and others may train 6 times per week.

[@stevena8719]

Ive been doing ~5 sets a week, per lift, for ages and have had no issues at all. In fact 3 working sets per week got me to a 455lbs squat with relatively little struggle.

[@chadlawrence2240]

nice.....that is good to know. I've been doing about 4 solid working sets a week for only 1year and my squat went from like 135 to close to 400 now on squat

[@mr_wright_official_]

I legit average about 6 sets per leg per week of quads making good gains, I may add more volume but I'm making gains

[@Soccasteve]

If you’re making gains then you don’t need more volume, more is not always better despite what you hear.

[@superricky13]

Been doing Jeff Nippard's 4 day minimalist upper lower split and I love it. Gives me time to do sauna after.

[@adrshortii0721]

At a whopping height of 4'10", I am considering myself the .5 lady that watches your channel 🤣🤣

[@menarenotwomen]

2:46 hearing doctor Mike say that 440 is a respectable squat hit me in the feels 🥲 social media has skewed my perspective of what strong is because everyone I see online is an outlier/freak.

[@danielkanewske8473]

Is a confounding factor overlapping muscle use from different exercises? Example, Lat pull downs also train the biceps. So if a participant performed 1 set of bicep curls as well as 1 set of at pull downs, were they considered to have performed 2 sets of bicep work? Since Dr. Wolfe was in the room, and on completely the other side of training volume, he recently posted a video discussing studies were participants performing 50+ sets of quads in a week, training while still sore, and gaining consistently more muscle from more volume. My understanding is that RP recommends not training while sore and performing fewer sets per week. Do these studies contradict RP's recommendations or is there something else going on? Thanks guys!

[@vincentm.andreassi186]

Who is Dr. Wolfe? I’d like to reference this.

[@RenaissancePeriodization]

video with him next week on this study!

[@TheBrick534]

I’ve always been curious on the overlap of exercises on one another, and if one should count those sets as effective sets for other body parts. Ie: like you mentioned, last pulldowns also involving the biceps fairly heavily depending on the variation.

[@feralearthworm3044]

​@@TheBrick534I imagine it would depend on how close to failure you take that muscle. Like if you do 10 reps lat pulldown and your lats are the muscle that fail, but your biceps could go another 10 reps, if only your lats could hang, that may not be considered a set for biceps. It may be a good spot to throw in a superset of db curls to make it count though.

[@danielkanewske8473]

@@RenaissancePeriodization Awesome, thank you.

[@connorkeane16]

Been training a year and it’s stayed fun because frequency is low for me. I don’t live sore everywhere all the time. I’ve had some recomp results, experimented with bulking / cutting all with success. Every Wednesday I hit either back or chest with some arms+ shoulders at the end. Between Saturday to Monday, I will throw in some arms+shoulders when convenient (3 or 4 sets per muscle), or I’ll hit legs like once a month. Back gets 7 sets between pullovers, pull-downs, rows with varying grips and intensifiers. I’m wrecked. Chest gets 9 or 10 sets between benching, flys and machine pressing. Cooked. Legs probably get 5-6 sets once a month and either maintain or come back stronger depending on diet. I hate training legs so only do it when fresh and I take it all the way. All close to, if not all the way to failure. Where I may double up arms and shoulders at the weekend, they get 6-8 sets a week. I work out no more than twice a week, my weight does what it is supposed to do and reps keep coming (unless lower range when cutting, the most recent lesson.) I call it the front back and limbs split but 75% bias arms 😂 When I got the time and can get to the gym for a third session, I do. Maybe if I chain a couple weeks of that and make progress then cut back and recover nice. Because I go intense, I start burning out quickly with much more volume/frequency. Sometimes I only make it once on Wednesday and that is still worth it. I will usually throw in a “bonus” exercise on Wednesdays, so on back day I will do a few sets of chest press on a machine. On chest day, I might briefly hit some pull downs or rows, just so nobody feels too left out 😅 Idk why my chest likes much higher volume but it feels right, I progress and recover. People worry too much.