Training to be in the strongest 5% of the population

Go to www.thorum.com/ and use code MIKEBOYD to get 20% off a truly unique ring or watch.
In this episode I find out how long it will take me to bench press my own bodyweight, pullup 1.5 x my bodyweight and deadlift twice my bodyweight. At the time of filming I weighed 70 kg (154 lbs). Apparently this puts you in the top 5% of the population in terms of strength. I'm not sure about that, but deadlifts sure are hard!
Filmed at Block10 in Dundee.

[@MikeBoyd]

What strength challenge should I try next? 💪

[@SomeKidFromBritain]

Calisthenic stuff Like front lever and muscle ups

[@MaxGamingLV]

Running a marathon should be an interesting endurance challenge. Set a goal too of like top 20 or top 10 finish

[@TheHyTek]

How many hours for 1 arm pullup

[@MikeBoyd]

I think I'm going to work on the front lever

[@stevealford230]

... lifting MY BIG FAT HEAVY D... ... umbells.

[@wegez0r]

I think the squat should have been 1.5x bodyweight.

[@MikeBoyd]

ooft.

[@alexanderbogander2671]

you're clearly not a climber haha.

[@NiallMcKenzie]

yeh, that's the one I've seen. I need to loose some weight to get the double BW deadlift, 181 at 93kg, ffs!

[@andydt82]

Yes, 1x body weight squat is super easy

[@ub3rfr3nzy94]

I'm 117kg :(((((

[@tl1326]

next video: beating eddie hall in a strongman challenge

[@MikeBoyd]

At this rate I'm struggling to beat his 11 year old son, Max Hall!

[@afz3003]

Yeah that kid is a little beast himself 😅​@@MikeBoyd

[@tl1326]

@@MikeBoydI know you have it in you! to beat Max Hall!

[@RogueMaverick_]

😂

[@bennyb.1742]

Mike vs. Eddie Hall at a wide variety of challanges. Including some math, and scratching ones own back.

[@Sleepless_Chaos]

I want you to go completely the other direction and try learning how to crochet for the next one. You seem to have athletics down pretty well; what happens when you try a good ol' granny craft? It's great seeing you again. Cheers.

[@MikeBoyd]

my wife is a crocheter. Might check it out!

[@Rogsnutle]

@@MikeBoyd Next year's Valentine Special? 🤔

[@datguy4104]

crochet can be learned in an afternoon

[@Zhuria]

I'd love this! Challenge could be to make a nice amigurumi/plushie!

[@ashleyspianoprogress1341]

Woobles sponsorship opportunity? Lol

[@alekss0225]

Excellent showcase of why rest periods are so important. Even though your muscles might feel fine - your nervous system might still need more time to recover from the previous sessions. When gym starts feeling like shit and you feel like you're starting to move backwards - time for a deload week.

[@senfdame528]

I know the concept, but I've never heard the term deload week. Nice one thx (Y)

[@Kyance]

Your nervous system is able to recover much quicker than a week - it usually takes less than 72 hours. There is no need for a deload week if you are sleeping enough and giving your body the fuel/calories it needs to rebuild.

[@xarodej]

@@Kyance you can't progress forever. the overall stress and fatigue will accumulate at some point and deload week or even a week off is a great way to reset it. also it is a great thing to do when hitting a plateau. rest is just as important (if not more) than the actual act of working out

[@Nyitemare]

Couldnt agree more

[@squid_sama9318]

@@KyanceThis is definitely true for most lifts! If you go for a max attempt on your heavy compound lifts like squats and deadlifts however it can take up to 10 days for your nervous system to fully recover! Deload weeks are definitely essential if you are lifting heavy consistently. Hope this helps 😊

[@tommackenzie9280]

The weightlifting belt is designed to give you something to brace your core against. Think about creating pressure in your mid-section pushing out against the belt in all directions. This will help prevent injury, but only if bracing correctly, the belt doesn't reduce risk of injury by default.

[@MaxDttmnn]

That is where everyone goes bad on these things haha. They don't know how to brace, start wearing a belt and still getting injured. Then they stop deadlifting because they have lower back issues xD

[@nemo5930]

im glad someone said something

[@GOOFLEr]

It's for pssies

[@Shvabicu]

Belts don't reduce injury risk even with proper bracing technique. This has been studied. What they do is allow you to lift more as the higher IAP you can generate with a belt increases core stability and thus reduces energy leakage.

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

Also it has to be tight! Every time I see someone in the gym with the belt so loose it is basically dangling on their wast I cringe.

[@johnreese1337]

That last deadlift felt poetic. You even held it up and looked around, exactly like Hall did when he lifted 500kg

[@afz3003]

I live how supportive mikes partner is in all his videos so damn wholesome 😅

[@garremannen]

Whats wrong woth the words wife or girlfriend? Partner is what you someone involved in a business transaction or possibly if someone is gay but doesnt want to say he has a boyfriend.

[@nebulastar3087]

Lol what? Partner is used all the time in the UK.

[@sksiehzvzlsueh]

@@garremannen "wife" and "girlfriend" are mutually exclusive. so using "partner" works great if you don't know if they are married

[@garremannen]

@@nebulastar3087 yes, so? When did this start and why?

[@afz3003]

@@garremannen I said partner because I don't know if she's his girlfriend or wife. It's not that deep.

[@joe8565]

You learnt how to do muscle ups. I’d be very surprised if more than 5% of the population can do them.

[@aneraxxmusic2343]

Closer to 1% homie

[@dejwid192837]

Man, looking at your wife, i can't wish anyone anything else. She is so supportive and happy of you acheaving your goals. This is just amazing to watch, together with your content about your self-improvement.

[@burgundygoat8273]

You probably shouldn't put on the safety clips if you're benching alone. That way if you do fail, you can dump the plates on one side to get the bar off of you.

[@georgenettleton1857]

No no! Bad advice!! If you dump it off one side, the bar becomes unbalanced and one side will fly up and can injure you or another gym goer. Also, if the weights slip off mid-lift it's a bad bad BAD time! Always have a spotter if your uncertain about the lift. Don't have a spotter? Just ask a random passerby. Most gym folk are happy to lend a hand (if you PR we feel like we were part of that haha) lift safe and get strong everyone! 😆

[@RuBeNmEvIuS]

@@georgenettleton1857I’d prefer to dump off the weight over choking under the bar. I’ve never used clips in bench press and it never went wrong in over 5 years

[@keithletheren196]

Always dump weights in an emergency, it’s the rule of the solo lifter

[@Axel_O]

@@georgenettleton1857 Its not a bad advice at all... (from me a 200kg+ bencher)

[@thedeathcake]

100% this

[@cvqtkokirilov]

"Not chin above the bar, but nose touching the bar :D", that made my day - moral of the day "when you make your own rules, you have a bigger chance to succeed" :D

[@MikeBoyd]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Genuinely pretty good advice, though. That's how you set realistic goals.

[@dab88]

when you cheat form you're more likely to get injured. Sometimes making your own rules isn't always the best idea

[@simosuurkuukka1581]

Dude changed chinups to noseups

[@mihatron6479]

You are right. It's calisthenics.🤸‍♂️

[@lepinda]

Pull-ups aren't called "chin-ups". They are 2 totally different things.

[@user-zn1rc9gq7y]

Yeah I was a little disappointed in this.

[@killamackay]

He never attempted chin ups. It was pull ups. Different exercise

[@user-zn1rc9gq7y]

@@killamackay In no world are pull up or chin up standards 'touching your nose to the bar'. The difference between those two is your hand grip, not final height.

[@Deffine]

You forget the matter that 95% of the population probably doesn't even lift.

[@bartsimba4]

Thats why getting in the top 5% of the world is attainable in this short timeframe :)

[@Stefan-wz1wf]

Roast! Made my day 😂👍🏼

[@crazycjk]

Hey Mike! For being presumably self-taught, you've smashed it here! Just a little extra info for you which I hope helps Bench press needs to touch your chest. Squats and Deadlifts are similar, but the differences make them very different. PullUps should really go higher. Deadlifts ruining your shins is common but fixable. Your strength plateauing is a perfect demonstration of the limitations of linear progression (eg we all have a ceiling where you can't just add a bit more weight each week). Easily fixable :) - perfect demo of the effects of fatigue when you pulled 140kg after a week off! Also normal that your physique hasn't changed significantly - you've trained purely for strength, not size. Good job overall!

[@gazehound]

His bench press did touch his chest in the end :)

[@jamietaylor1552]

bench does not need to touch chest

[@kcheung0]

@jamietaylor1552 it should, most hypertrophy is in bottom range, or if following ipf rules a 1 sec pause is needed

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

beginner gains is purely nerve training ,after that gains are slow and hard

[@nuclear7622]

@@kcheung0touching chest reduces time under tension and helps you lift the weight though, isn’t it optimal to stop just before you would touch the chest?

[@peddfast]

For a deadlift you want to think about pushing your heels through the floor. It is the best cue I know of.

[@peddfast]

You might also want to take your shoes off @MikeBoyd

[@RobHimself86]

Also you’ll notice a huge benefit doing it without shoes - you lose a huge amount of effort ‘compressing’ your spongy soft trainers. Also aids your balance too, as you’re directly on the floor.

[@yusufyusuf1998]

you mean cue?

[@alexvisan7622]

It's actually a bad cue. You should keep mid-foot balance

[@jettnash5217]

I do wonder if he's using his shins to pull it up a little, I wish we had a side on camera to view the form bc it's super important for deadlift

[@alexanderbogander2671]

Glad you raised the bar holders on that benchpress as the weights got heavier!

[@MikeBoyd]

👀

[@alexanderbogander2671]

also... surely chin above bar!

[@MikeBoyd]

Might have to do a recap

[@alexanderbogander2671]

but well done with the challenge. I'll give it a go!

[@DuBstep115]

@@MikeBoyd Also you technique is quite horrible, you could easily bench 100kg with proper technique

[@maxwmosc]

Hey Mike, love your vids. As a competitive powerlifter and someone who's coached a couple of beginners in the Squat, Bench and Deadlift, I would say that this video was great. Idk if you want critiques at all so feel free to ignore however, first of all, deadlift form was fine, I think a lot of your gains in this were just from the increased confidence just having the belt gave you, not necessarily an increase in strength. Bench what I would say is to retract and depress your shoulder blades, imagine packing your shoulders into your back pockets this would give you a more stable base to press from and help to avoid some of the shoulder pain that you mentioned you were experiencing. Saw another comment to this effect but the point of a lifting belt is to give you something to brace into. Try crunching your abs as hard as you can and then breath into a stomach (pretending you're breathing in through a straw can help to feel this effect). I love seeing people lifting so hope you carry on :P

[@maxwmosc]

Would be interesting to see you do a powerlifting competition :3

[@jimy1352]

Do you think he should be taking off his shoes when he deadlifts? Still a beginner powerlifter, but I feel like the flat feet make it a lot easier for me!

[@Hi-zx1mo]

​@@jimy1352personal preference really, some people like being close to the ground, some like to wear shoes. Just don't wear anything with squishy soles

[@runartafjord8311]

@@jimy1352 you can make the argument that being without shoes gives you better leverage over deadlifts since you are 2-3cm further up from the bar. But you need to remember that in competition there are rules that you have to wear deadlifting shoes. I recommend buying these shoes for deadlifts if you are thinking about competitions in the future

[@nonsensei1]

Do chin above the bar like in competitions, it's a lot harder than touching the nose. Your deadlift grip is mixed which people only do when it's mega heavy, you should def try conventional grip til you can't.

[@s1nn1ck]

I agree, for that weight there is no need for that grip.

[@iPiehax]

If he's going for reaching his deadlifting goal then why would you choose a weaker grip? His goal is not to train grip strength.

[@nonsensei1]

@@iPiehax I mean I assume he'll keep training. You're just inviting imbalances and bicep tendonitis issues with this grip if you use it constantly. Besides you get grip benefits to regular grip. You can also try thumb grip but it's painful.

[@mauripekkarinen1]

​​@@nonsensei1If you switch sides with the grip, there is not going to be an imbalance.

[@s1nn1ck]

@@iPiehax For such a light weight is not a weaker grip.

[@jacksparojr]

I've missed your videos Mike! I really want to see you try more random skills like pen spinning, speed reading, or typing. As a climber I've loved watching your climbing journey. Keep it up!

[@shreyam1008]

Mike you are one of the greats. Top 5% of population in how many things now. 20 things or 50. Being top 5% of people in that many things. You are among 0.1% of the elite generalist out there. Also, I think the reason for the lack of progress in deadlifts is fatigue. squats & deadlifts are generate a lot of fatigue. and your performance = strength - fatigue. Thats why people rarely go PR(1 rep max), you train at 60-80% of your max. And for performance day. You decrease load by a lot like 30-50% max for a week(to decrease fatigue from training) and for the MAX. similar concepts on cycling/running.

[@ron_lol7588]

I think it would be pretty cool if you try the flexibility skill like doing splits, a bridge and alike People often forget how important that is and focus only on strength

[@kareemelabkary7611]

Bro, you've been a big source of motivation to me since I was 16 and now as a 24 year-old you still manage to motivate me to do more and be more, proud of you man!

[@stevenbridges]

Smashed it! Great job dude! Also, you've inspired me to get one of those deadlift belts. Didn't realise they'd make such a difference.

[@flamecrew9atroblox958]

These are so impowering and motivational. This is just what I need right now.

[@MikeBoyd]

great! I'm happy you get something out of the videos.

[@Adam92326]

One thing to note is that your form while brenchpressing improved significantly. In the beginning your form wasn't that great, but in the end it was excellent, good job. I started to train a year ago (never did any training beforehand), and I am almost at these goals. Altough I am 102 kg, I can benchpress 80kg, and deadlift 160kg "only", but I am proud of these achievements because I went from not moving at all to this strength.

[@Niikuro_shuffles]

You're such an inspiration for me! Thank you for making these videos. This really motivates me to make progress in all the things I try to get better at! 💪

[@alfredowaltergutierrezmald834]

dude, thank you! Since 2018 I've been watching your videos to motivate me achieve my goals, thank you for including those moments where you get stuck too, because that reminds me that despite we can all have set backs, what is important is to keep pushing and keep moving forward.

[@BaguetteOfDoom]

PE-teacher counting Mike's pullups: "Zero. Zero. Zero." Chin above the bar at least, chest to bar ideally.

[@SoulOfNemiss]

I’ll take this as my sign to go back to the gym !! Thank you !

[@kevinnarrainen6503]

I love your videos @mikeboyd the joy on your face when you hit your goals is everything. I do think you could've made the pull up to chin, but as inspirational as ever

[@ottohertteli]

That pull-up is impressive! And the progress overall in such a short time, props to you 👏🏼

[@Keovar]

Maybe a mental challenge next, like memorizing Pi to 100+ digits? It's something you can combine with another, more physical, challenge, and going forward it may be a good background process to keep your analytical mind from getting in the way.

[@boneman137]

Great video idea, though I would have loved to see a few changes, one would be to have been including the squat, it may look similar to a deadlift but is entirely different in practice, the other would have been going to some sort of personal trainer to perfect your form, I noticed some form breakdown, which can lead to injury especially with heavy loads. Also its not considered a pullup unless your chin is above the bar. 😅

[@legionfpv4790]

Watching you overcome something like this, something that YOU struggle with, and preserve, I always feel happy for you when you succeed. Keep up the amazing work Mike!!!

[@the.lucasss_]

Been waiting for a video like this!

[@thegodfather2322]

I remember eddie hall saying that it takes the body approx 7 to 10 days to fully recover from a max deadlift so i reckon that's what happened to you with the week where it wasn't going well

[@mersulito]

This is just like Gorbino's Quest. This is the Gorbino's Quest of life.

[@BigO161107]

Mike, As an KZbin watching Veteran i must say that your videos are probably the most enjoyable videos i've watched on youtube ever. Ive been on youtube since 2006 and no other content creator has brought me such joy from watching them. First of all the time and effort you put into audio, cinematography and editing is top tier, it doesnt get much better in my opinion. Second is the pure joy of seeing you fulfill your pursuits even though theyre hard and frustrating at times, you prove over and over again that youre never too old to learn something new and honestly, you give me more than joy, you give me hope. Both in myself and humanity as a whole. If you ever decide you dont want to do these videos anymore i understand, but i will be very sad. Have a good one.

[@Laid_o]

iv been watching mike boyd for a couple of years now, tho these days i dont really come across his videos as much as i did when i was a early teen every now and then i see him pop up in my feed and i just wanted to say even tho anybody can do these type of videos mike just does it in a way that captivates my attention and i love watching them. Great work and hope you the best!

[@PlayerMathinson]

That is insane progress wtf

[@hrsmp]

For 2 months of training it's ok

[@DeepSpaceNinja]

noob-gains can be crazy for the first 6-12 months. most people don't know what they are capable of

[@hyper9160]

max deadlift just need a week rest between each one that's why when you took a week off it felt so easy

[@lordofgraphite]

Exactly, gotta respect the cns

[@Dragonborn2k]

This is actually gold standard periodisation! You train really well, 3 days per week, compounds, the sets and rep ranges along with adequate warm-up, really good job fair play!

[@tomosothejuggler]

Epic video Mike! Keep them coming! 💪🏼

[@JohnKExp]

Learn the one handed card shuffle!

[@40g33k]

Or any cardistry for that matter

[@andrewdunbar828]

There are multiple, but good suggestion!

[@no9scrum]

Getting rid of the squat does make sense as I'd wager anyone who's trained could pretty easily do their own bodyweight for 1 rep.. However adding a pull up with such a high amount of weight does really separate the group, even people who train ALOT still struggle to train pull ups, I don't think exchanging them really works here though. If anything the squat should be kept in but the weight increased to bodyweight plus half... even that is probably still very achievable for most people who regularly train

[@deifiedtitan]

I think the counter-argument re: squats is that although anyone trained could squat their lean bodyweight, what percentage of the population actually resistance trains? I’ve seen newbies struggle with just a bar, but after learning technique they can squat half their lean mass no problem and could probably push their lean mass on a leg press, but likely not squat it. Could be wrong but I think when you’re in the gym a lot there’s a perception that people work out more than they probably do because you see it at least 3x a week. I think as a few others have mentioned. 1.5x body mass may be a better benchmark if it is the case that anyone can do 1x

[@appa609]

​@@deifiedtitan At least 1.5BW. Elite lifters squat more than they DL. I think 2xBW is pretty reasonable.

[@squidwardo7074]

@@deifiedtitan How could someone possibly struggle with a bar? I don't understand how someone like that could even walk up stairs or pick something off the ground? I feel like any average man who has a normal BMI and isn't completely disabled should be able to do a 1x bw squat and deadlift easily

[@no9scrum]

@@squidwardo7074 the struggle wouldn’t be the weight more the ability to actually squat…

[@CaridorcTergilti]

​@@squidwardo7074it is a flexibility problem not strenght

[@DogginsFroggins]

Excellent work! 46 days is fast for such an improvement. Although I always assumed you were stronger than this due to your muscle up challenge but it goes to show how specific strength is. Honestly with your work ethic you could become really strong since you are so good at learning and sticking to skills. Great vid! You need to do a powerlifting comp in future, it would make for an awesome video.

[@meneermankepoot]

Always good to see youre still around, hope youre doing well Mike :D

[@SpeedSloth]

Congrats! Worst thing you can do with deadlifts is max out every session. Looks like you tired yourself out, many small jumps at higher reps would of helped here.

[@MikeBoyd]

Absolutely agree. I wish I lifted less over the experiment. I'd probably have got to 140 sooner.

[@paulraj3715]

True

[@user-be2qk7xf7y]

congrats on hitting your strength goals Mike!! As an avid hobby lifter I thought id do my best to answer of few of the questions you had :) 1) a lifting belt is used to aid in your ability to "brace" which is a term I recommend you look up but basically its a breathing technique that allows you to create intra-abdominal pressure. doing this effectively is a huge key to squatting/deadlifting and to a lesser extent benching as much weight as possible. 2) that cut on your shin isn't great but its a clear sign that you're keeping the bar very close to your body which is absolutely a good thing to do. As you practice the lift more you'll get to the point where you can keep the bar close to your shins (ideally touching) without all the friction that's causing the cut to re-open. 3) benching without a spotter especially at or near max weights is generally not a safe thing to do. However if you're going to do it please don't put clips on the end of the bar. This is because if the weight falls towards your neck you won't be able to roll the bar down your body and you'll be choked by the bar. people have died benching and it almost always happens in this way. Not using clips always you to tip the bar to the side so that the weights slide off the end of the bar, it's not a great choice but its better than dying. 4) your training plan of 3 sessions a week with a max attempt every session is very aggressive. You'll very quickly burn out and as you mentioned there were a few weeks where you were weaker than the previous which is a very clear sign that you're not recovering between sessions. the reason why you were able to still progress and remain injury free is because you are very new to lifting. As you get more advanced you'll have to train with lighter weights (compared to your maxes) and take longer periods between days where you try to pr. Generally people go roughly 2~3 months before trying a new pr and it's not at all uncommon for very advanced lifters to go much longer. 5) your benching technique isn't by any means bad but there's still a lot that you could do to make the lift more efficient. leg drive, arching, driving your shoulders into the bench, and finding your preferred grip width will all add kilos onto your lifts. The next big milestone on bench is the infamous 100kg which a lot of people consider to be a right of passage. hitting 100kg proves that you have trained intelligently for at least a couple months and this separates you from the general population of non-lifters by a decent margin.

[@oyuyuy]

A beginner can definitely add weight to PRs that quickly, I see no issue with that. It did bother me that he was doing 1-rep max training from day 1 though, that sounds like an excellent way to injure yourself. Also, the training plan was 1 session per week per muscle group, I'd say that's too little if anything. 2 times a week would've been good.

[@Lucky008aau]

Yes.

[@deanocunni]

Thats a great effort, a little tip for bench pressing without a spotter. Leave the clips off. That way you can tilt the bar and the weights will slide off.

[@just6979]

Leg sleeves for protecting your shins against deadlifts are a thing. The scrapes do kinda show reasonably good technique though: that you're pulling the bar straight _up_ with your legs and erectors instead of just trying to unflex your hips with the bar cantilevered out in front of you.

[@moonman8450]

Gotta put you top 1%

[@oyuyuy]

Training 1-rep max from Day 1 sounds like a near guaranteed way to injure yourself 😬Glad you didn't but I hope no one tries it at home

[@johannguyen9276]

Cool to see tou weightlift since i started going to the gym a couple years ago after watching you do your progress videos on everything you wantes to learn. So i started my own "progress" and just continued

[@03dashk64]

It is really cool to see someone do this for the first time. I do power lifting. When I started, my weights were nothing. Within like 6 months though my bench warmup was 135lbs. Deadlift is my favorite though. It is one of those lifts that it’s easier to keep correct form when there is some actual weight Edit: if you’re nicking your shins, you’re doing it right haha. It will callous up 18:30 I can see you getting in your head.

[@jammybap]

Deadlifts tax your central nervous system more than almost any other lift. Some people say you need to leave 7-10 days between deadlifts if you're going near max. That could help explain your off weeks followed by noticable gains - physical adaptations were occurring but your CNS was just to wiped to make use of them.

[@BingoBangoBabyInc]

@jammybap exactly, after failing a max deadlift that many times in that one session it's no wonder he couldn't get a good workout, his CNS was fried.

[@EstebanDiaz]

Get yourself a spotter that plants a little kiss on ya when you fail your rep. That's the swole buddy I need. 😆

[@ABD5667]

Bodyweight squat I've done. Double bodyweight deadlift I've done many years ago, i havent tried to do max deadlift in ages. Bench i know is my weakness, with a spotter I've done close to bodyweight but needed a bit of help with sticking points but i was quite a bit lighter. This video has inspired me to test myself again. Improving technique will improve the lifts. As stated above I was always weak in bench but when i watched some videos on bench technique i saw immediate improvement

[@charlydorina9033]

I love how happy you two were when you manged the 140 kg dead lift

[@ErloBrown1]

Most impressive part of this video is that you only weigh 70kg.

[@bloopbloop9687]

When benching without a spotter you should leave the clips off, that way if you even fail, you can dump them off the sides

[@KIIBIIR6]

mike has a way to always deliver! well done mate!

[@StrengthOfADragon13]

To give you an idea of progression, one of my proudest lifting accomplishments as someone who is a US national level strongman competitor for my bodyweight, was a 3x bodyweight deadlift (600lbs at 200lbs bodyweight) I am pretty confident that 2x bodyweight deadlift puts you in the top 5% on its own

[@lazyemperor5182]

the way you arranged those weights on 11:36 killed my soul a bit😭😭😭

[@mattwilcoxuk]

Never without a spotter or safety bar, Mike. Never. You crush ribs that way, and you don't know when you're gonna have a bad day.

[@coltynstone-lamontagne]

Always do everything as though you are going to sneeze. Because you can sneeze at any time

[@gibsonf06]

I love deadlift, but I’ve got great leg and core genetics. 405lbs, idk what that is in kgs but it’s almost 2x my body weight! I definitely couldn’t the pull up challenge but this seems like an interesting challenge to pursue! I love your videos Mike! Spreading self improvement and healthy lifestyles is so amazing for my generation, thank you!

[@cavemencubers7564]

Great to see you lifting Mike, hope to see more!

[@bilalrasool2318]

There's no way hes 59 years old. He looks 40

[@Clark24au]

He said 14 years ago not 40. Makes him 33.

[@AbuZak14]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂​@@Clark24au

[@norway3600]

U just roasted my man Mike so hard

[@110inshallah]

Nose touching the bar? What a joke

[@MikeBoyd]

Chin above?

[@joelsimmons6565]

@@MikeBoyd always

[@riskorikkinen3498]

@@MikeBoyd You are a climber now. Chest to bar.

[@Flopsaurus]

@@MikeBoyd Yes, at least!

[@Nyitemare]

This was a lovely breath of fresh air from my regular recommended vids

[@Pile_of_carbon]

Nicked shins are very common among people who train deadlifting. By angling your feet slightly outwards your knees will get closer to your center of gravity, resulting in less nicking of the shins and an easier lift in general. On the topic of bench press and sore shoulders, that's a tendon rubbing in your acromion if I remember correctly. By retracting your scapula you create a more stable stable position to lift from and reduce the tendon on bone rubbing. Imagine putting your right hand in your left back pocket and left hand in your right back pocket. That's a a good position to start a bench press from.

[@ashleyspianoprogress1341]

I like the idea behind this video alot, but as someone not super into lifting I would have loved to learn more about the process. Like how did you adjust your form to get better, did you learn any tips and tricks along the way, maybe even hire an expert when you hit a plateau to talk about how to progress. Matt Davella just did a similar video and I found it super interesting and motivating

[@davidsen1805]

Awesome job Mike! 5:45 Put the caribener back on the other side where the chain starts 11:00 The main thing the belt does is give you something to brace against 12:00 Yeah the shin scrapes are really annoying. You just have to tweak your form, but that usually comes at a slight performance penalty cause the weight is farther from your center. 16:02 I've hardly met anyone in a gym that /wouldn't/ spot you if you asked, generally a very supportive community. You smashed it though! 18:00 Deadlifts are a very systemically taxing movement, extra rest days and deload weeks are your friend 20:25 No need to do half a rep just unracking lol

[@AlwaysReason]

Sweet. Good work, man. I was lifting this when I was a wee boy, but keep at it, dude.

[@chedzeesheeda1019]

For avoiding nicking the shin on your deadlift: get lower, and stand straighter, which may come from a slightly wider, toes pointed out stance. Your knees will swing out of the way more naturally from a lower position, as you’ll essentially have the weight hanging from your shoulders over your toes, and you won’t have as much horizontal play in it with that. You want the bar to move as cleanly vertically as possible. I had the same problem when I first learned to deadlift, coming from a water polo and backpacking background, but it helps A LOT to figure out how to properly get low. It should feel like it’s 90% glutes at the bottom. That said, I’ve always preferred squatting, and there’s no shame in not doing exercises you simply don’t vibe with outside of a challenge context.

[@MikeWarner75]

This is weird. Yesterday I was watching videos on how to start running. I went down a KZbin rabbit hole and ended up on strength progression videos. I swear at one point my internal monologue said “I’m surprised Mike Boyd hasn’t done this yet”. 😂 Great job!

[@kerrmackay5756]

Belts are used as a tool to increase the intra-abdominal pressure you are able to achieve through bracing. This will help to stiffen the spine and reduce spinal compression, so you were correct in that it does make it safer and reduce compression although this is through intra-abdominal pressure not through dispersing load. I would say that if you are trying to further increase your deadlift I would suggest doing only 1 deadlift session either weekly or bi-weekly as it is a very taxing exercise for CNS, may also be why your progress on deadlift was very up and down due to fatigued CNS? Also, when I bench I also wear a belt, the intra-abdominal pressure is helpful to increase strength in many compound exercises if you can get a good brace. Very well done on your progress, impressive stuff!

[@nick-no6pi]

Im so engrained in gym culture that this was a fun watch seeing it from someone who doesn't weightlift as much. Deadlift definitely is the most tiring workout so the 1 week rest proly fixed you right up nice one!

[@TeeSelz]

I want to see you wood turning! I started this january on a small lathe and the progress is really interesting to see. From "scared to shit of this death machine" to "first crap bowl and containers" to "beautiful wooden bowls and comtainers" in a few weeks /months. Really high learning curve and relatively small invest to yield high quality products (

[@error-un3fo]

You smashed it mate 👌 you have kind of made me want to go back to the gym 😅 that rest was very sensible as well, when it comes to your back when you fatigue that much rest is a must. Repair get back to it and some.

[@anbuhd9479]

Im gonna try this challenege as well, thanks for the motivation

[@GregoryCarnegie]

Belts give your core something to push up against during a lift. They allow you to generate more pressure in your body when you brace, providing more stability when you lift.

[@MrKneffe]

deadlift is a hip exercise which means that you focus on tensing your gluteus to create an upward movement. A great tip is also to activate your latisimus before you lift the bar off the floor. All you need to do is grip the bar and have enough space to turn your elbows inwards and you will notice that your latissimus is activated. :)

[@Oscarefraim]

I think adding half your own body weight for pull-ups is the opposite of the fair way to measure someone’s strength, as pull ups are harder the heavier you are, whereas bench press and squats are easier when you’re heavier.

[@blackbriarmead1966]

I got hit by a car 5 months ago and broke my collarbone pretty badly, and I just went to the gym for the first time since then. My legs were ok, they didn't really lose much strength, but my biceps were SO much weaker. My right arm used to be stronger than my left, but now it's the opposite, and on my 3rd set of bicep curls I couldn't lift the 15 lb dumbell with my right arm. It's humbling, but I realized that it would be even worse to be so embarrassed about that that I don't go to the gym at all. Excited to get back to my previous strength level, and it's inspiring seeing you push yourself physically for the sake of content, personal growth, and just because you can

[@LaurencePlays]

I set myself an arbitrary goal a few years ago when I weighed 80kg of: 1x BW bench 1.5 x BW squat 2 x BW deadlift 2/3 BW overhead press I managed the bench and the squat (the squat was probably the easiest) and got close to the other two. Then I ... got lazy, I guess? Or distracted. These days I'm probably at about two thirds of all those goals. I think the interesting thing about this is that a lot of the goals are very similar; we came up with similar goals, despite basically just making them up!

[@SayJim]

The dip in performance just happens. Can be due to diet or energy. Most of the time its a buildip of fatigue. Perfomance will dip but after another week it should skyrocket like it did with you. Amazing progress in just a few weeks!

[@NorbiOfficial]

For a person that didnt lifted for a long time your form was pretty good in all of the lifts. Especially on the bench press. Cheers !

[@yannickme2080]

Holy shit man, haven't watched you for a while, but you look reeeally really fit and healthy. It suits you very well Whatever it is you're doing, keep it up!😄

[@str4wb3rry13]

Testing 1 rep max once a week on deadlift is VERY taxing on the body. It's pretty impressive that you progressed for so long week over week doing that.

[@ericgreenwood4812]

No matter how confident you feel, you should NEVER bench near your maximum without someone present who can help you

[@ericgreenwood4812]

It is just an unneccesary risk which never needs to be taken

[@davidleiper1]

As always Mike....just sensational stuff!

[@tangerineman27]

Mike you’re almost 60!?! You’re more of a beast at 59 than I am at 21 by a long shot. I hope my body does not fail me and I can continue to grow as you have

[@gymfordummiesgfd7950]

Your form on deadlift is spot on, and the cuts you got on your shins is the proof of it haha.

[@Daffy0208]

Hi Mike, i loved the video .... its also the inspiration that i need right now. ❤ However, I'd love to see you progress, improve techniques, and create some new targets now that you've created a base. Your videos are all about learning new siills which i love, but a great inspiration would be consistency ... can you keep strength training in your weekly life? Please give your self new strength goals, do the lrhram to reach your goals and then .... revisit some of your previous skills and see how you fair now that you have significantly improved your strength. Its a vastky underrated endeavour from the general public and would inspire many. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿♥️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@ValentinLEUNG]

Behind every great man, a great woman, loved that moment at 19:30 where she is so excited for you that you achieved your goal! That was really neat. I picked up bouldering since 2 years as part of improving my upper body strength (I do inline skating for the lower body). The question is that would what you just did have any incidence on your climbing? Thanks for sharing.

[@lastnamefirstname8655]

nice video, mike boyd! aim for top strength!

[@actedtester9482]

Lifting belts are primarily used to help you brace when you are doing a heavy lift. If you flex your core very hard before a deadlift the belt is there as a sort of thing to push against with your abdomen and overall keep yourself more rigid. This further helps prevent back injuries however when using a belt if you use improper form, injuries are still very likely.

[@laughingman1221]

As a powerlifter, I was mostly just cringing at how much faster and more easily you could have achieved the goal with more submaximal loads. Like that training looked really hard, inconsistent, and unenjoyable because of how it was programmed.