Yoked With Small Lats? Best Bodyfat? 2 Sets? (Q&A)

[@georgemichaelforever4079]

As time goes on Alex looks more and more like Kratos

[@diinu1391]

He really should get a photoshoot with Kratos makeup

[@rabidash9309]

You right BOY

[@publicrestroom5075]

BRO HOLY SHIT UR RIGHT

[@gow588]

that ain’t holy

[@MASCULINAVERSITY]

​@@diinu1391 the muscles and yoke boutta finally help him achieve that ghost of Sparta look

[@TheBcoolGuy]

That 64 kg guy with the 200 kg DL and 180 kg squat... MAN what a beast. He's a fair bit stronger than me on the DL and a LOT (a plate) stronger than me on the squat, and I weighed 205-210 lbs when I set those PRs.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Of course it's impressive, especially at his age too, but he's probably short, meaning ROM is shorter, so he can "move more weight" since it's not moving as far as someone who is 6 foot plus.

[@Avareee.]

@@RDS_Armwrestling Bodyfat and also leverages play a big part too.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

​@Avareee92 true, but at 64kg he's probably not a big guy like, Alex himself suggested the guy is likely very lean, even if he's short he'd not be thicc at that weight

[@mikakoivisto6504]

​@@RDS_Armwrestlingif he's 150-155cm, he is thick as fuck.

[@naughtiousmaximus7853]

@@RDS_Armwrestling Tall guys should move more weight because you are literally bigger. stop coping.

[@wh1t3phyr3]

I enjoy the fact you use safety glasses with the chest expander. Gotta stay safe 👍

[@pretty_flaco]

Mike Mentzer shit

[@danielplusthrash]

Don't have to pretend to be tough when you're already tough 💪

[@neil12011]

Not much, but thank you for the years of absolute stellar content bro.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Thank you for the donation, Neil. It means a lot and it's my honor to provide this informative content.

[@ferdinandfocus489]

why are long rope tricep exercises better? - yes, the triceps naturally extend the arm away from midline when isolated, but with a v bar or short rope, ur just using some delt/pec in addition to triceps, which are still the limiting factor.

[@P-12345]

For me the intentional arching motion with the long rope recruits more fibres and gets a better range of motion

[@alexhornby5995]

As with many exercises, I’ve always said just do both

[@daviddietsch]

I do both, it feels different with both variations

[@ge7581]

The fully contracted position of the tricep is actually way behind the body. Tricep isn’t just the elbow joint but also the shoulder joint. The long rope is much better at getting a full contraction. The dumbell tricep kickback is actually perfect for this, except the low tension in the beginning of the movement.

[@P-12345]

@@ge7581 try with the cable aswell, set it to the bottom, it’s great

[@heheha47338]

Wow finally a q&a after so long... Also alex the bulk is going insane

[@MarcoIsBig]

Gotta love the bulk.

[@DCJayhawk57]

I think I finally did it! I successfully did some assisted dips today without shoulder pain or biceps irritation. I haven't been able to tolerate dips for over 15 years. What I credit for improving my tissue capacity are incline curls, deep stretched DB fly presses and cable flyes, and dedicated anterior delt training. I have realized what held me back was not my joints, but weak supporting muscles and poor tissue capacity for those extended ranges of motion. I'm going to ease into training them by warming up with assistance and then doing sets with body weight. I weigh over 230 lb at the moment so will still be getting a good stimulus. Once I'm used to bodyweight and if things continue to go smoothly, will venture into the world of weighted dips for the first time since about 2004-05 when I was a skinny college kid. Been trying to keep the antifragile mindset. You have to progressively overload range of motion the same way you do volume and intensity. I've known this for years with lower body training, I can Platz squat ATG at 6'2", but haven't applied the same philosophy to my upper body training. Had a left shoulder injury back in high school and have used that as an excuse for all these years. Only recently realized how underdeveloped my left front delt was in comparison to my right, my side and rear delts are in pretty good balance so I guess I never really noticed.

[@BigRelly]

the 2 sets per exercise has been a game changer! Ive been making a steady rep and weight progress and my recovery has never been better!

[@edrickhuge4637]

Can you explain your split?

[@BigRelly]

@@edrickhuge4637 im on an upper lower split. On upper day I do 2 horizontal pulls, 1 vertical pull, 1 horizontal press, 1 incline press, 1 vertical press , lateral raises and rear delt raises (dropset on second set), pushdowns and cable overhead extensions (all for two sets). On lower day I do reverse machine front squats , rdls,leg extensions, laying hamstring curls, preacher curl variation and cable face-away curls (3 sets for compounds 2 for isolation). I throw abs at the end of each workout (crunches or leg raises)

[@marshallore6869]

I second this

[@iangraham-white5717]

@@BigRelly Doing arm isolation on lower or "limb" days is as good as having an arm day or arm focused upper body workout

[@Sohelanthropus]

Your name is badass as fuck

[@anthonyhaga7559]

Love the channel, long time subscriber. When are we getting another AD strength/hypertrophy book? I’ve gotten so much from naturally enhanced, I can’t help but think a new book would elevate everyone to another level. Cheers!

[@Kriszxzx]

Thanks for getting back to my question Alex, I really appreciate it

[@AlexLeonidas]

Thanks for the great question!

[@deathbleu5741]

Hands down the best natty lifting channel. Bro keeps evolving.

[@jayden_2_savage635]

Your dedication and consistency are amazing god bless

[@MayankO1]

The best natural Bodybuilding fitness channel on youtube. Period. Amazing exercises recommendations and great focus on bodyweight and weighted calisthenics exercises not just weights. It changed and helped my physique in a great way. Weighted chinups and weighted pull ups are Goat of exercises for me.

[@alexc7857]

Alex slow down you're gonna start to dwarf the average tren and sarms goblin 💪🏻 you're advice is invaluable and refreshing and clearly paying off

[@AlexLeonidas]

My man Alex, thank you so much!

[@JoseGonzales-lt1xm]

I noticed the higher amount of editing on this one, sounds and transitions all that. Great stuff dude, I’ve missed these qnas🥂🦬

[@AlexLeonidas]

Took a long time to make this one, after the wait I wanted it to be special! Cheers brother

[@andreaandrea9033]

Best natty advice channel so far

[@Not-Lunar]

Thoughts on Free-weight Pullovers and "Ribcage expansion"? Keep up the good work Alex!

[@richardzacek8427]

Great idea

[@mert111]

Great exercise for loaded stretched hypertrophy but in terms of ribcage expansion and growing your frame that wont happen unless you’re a teenager/early 20s. If you are a teen this exercise is must do and will literally grow your skeletal frame which no other exercise is known to do.

[@John-cena6483]

​@@mert111there are countless examples of lifters who have in fact expanded their ribcages past their twenties, so your theory is wrong

[@Cootjeeee]

Natural hypertrophy has a nice vid about pull overs

[@JayJayMehdi]

@@John-cena6483 Perhaps, but to a lesser extent.

[@ce8539]

Love these Q + A's, youre a beast Alex, heres to all of us in the noble natty community making gains and staying injury free as much as possible

[@mikakoivisto6504]

I fucking love these Q&A videos! You always answer my questions in these.

[@BasedAhmed]

My chest expander finally arrived, and I've been hammering my back with it. Really great stuff, thanks for recommending it! You think you're gonna do more videos in the future with it? Since they have been increasingly more associated with your name

[@To_be8]

Could you do a video on sprints for cardio? I took a few years off of working out & i started binge watching your videos again. For the amount of detail and information you put into them i have to say you are extremely underrated.

[@Alejandro_theGr8]

A vid on sprinting by Alex would be nice but he recently stated he doesn’t run anymore since burpees are his preferred form of cardio. Alex’s past content on GPP and jogging is helpful though.

[@MarcoIsBig]

Hi Alex just got the notification. You're one of the few fitness guys I follow on here. I'm usually more into music related content. Got Shoulders and Traps today on the agenda. Let's keep on killing it!

[@noank9175]

9:40 Arms are looking SUCCULENT here, Alex.

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

Great video Alex! Always learning from you. Even though I have been training since 1983 and was a nationally ranked competitive drug free powerlifter who has always been pretty studious I still feel like I need to listen to your videos several times to absorb everything you are putting out. It’s like you are paraphrasing an entire book in a few minutes on every topic you speak on. Really great content!

[@sylenx02]

Yo Alex I have a question: When I was at a 3-plate dip, my bench was 220. I increased my dip to 4-plates, and my bench was still at 220. I then decided to increase my bench from 220-270. My dip then increased to 187 without training the dip. Why is there bench➡️dip carryover, but zero dip➡️bench carryover? On the other hand Mathew Zlat (fully natty), can dip 192KG, and he has a 200KG bench without any training. Why did he experience dip➡️bench carryover and I did not? Thank you Alex 🔥

[@theFriendlyGhst]

What you said about small muscle groups not necessarily recovering faster really rings true for me. I've always had to rest my biceps a lot and I thought I had something wrong with them

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Yeah when people sat "small muscles" they mean like the little muscles of the forearm or like the foot or something haha, biceps can take a lot of damage just like any other muscle, of course they can take time to recover. On top of that, everyone is different, some people just take longer to recover due to genetics or diet, lifestyle, sleep schedule etc etc

[@ferdinandfocus489]

Is skipping top range of normal close grip pulldowns equal to diagonal pull? Also if lats are inactive at the top, which muscles are active?

[@productofmymind4860]

I think its the infraspinatus and teres muscles if I'm not mistaken. If you include the very top range on pulldowns I don't think you'll benefit that much. If there is a benefit it will by very small :)

[@TheDanimal91]

I just smashed a 445 bench press personal record today. I'm on the path to 500lbs natty. Any recommendations on how to program my bench press the higher I climb up?

[@TonyDrs]

Always love these raw q&as bro. Keep up all the great work!

[@muscleandmath2910]

Yo Alex, after stopping neck training for some years now, I'm starting again. If I don't want to do it at the gym, how far can I go with bodyweight only, or light weight/bands at home? Currently at 14 inch ultra pencil neck, only want to reach 16-16.5 inches then maintain.

[@ps3inquisition441]

Like your form on the seated overhead. I’ve been doing them like that for the last few months and the gains have been great, and my shoulders feel great too.

[@yeehawpartner3893]

Lol what’s with the safety glasses on the expanders? Great vid

[@malarkey_detected]

If he somehow loses grip and suddenly lets go he could lose an eyeball

[@Kenneth_SPNG]

For the next Q&A: What're some of your favorite diet hacks or things to keep you more sane when the cut goes on for a while. As a former fat man, I have a hard time cutting for long periods of time so I often do 1-1 duration diet to diet breaks at maintenance for 1 or 2 months at a time. I've used fruits to fulfill that sweet tooth in me, but what do you do in those instances?

[@dudeshamus1451]

The beard is looking monstrous bro! Kratos mode unlocked!

[@NewBronzeEra]

Wow Alex, I gravitated to this twice a week, three compound exercises, and two or three isolation exercises A little while ago and I feel great. Difference is, I’m doing 3 sets per exercise instead of 2 as it’s calisthenics heavy and my numbers are all smaller than yours- (except height at 5’7”). You are a beast!!

[@nmnate]

I've been spamming RDLs for a decent period now. I do think they've really prepared my lower back for doing bent over rows. And you're totally right, when you go strict on bent over rows with a deep stretch, slow eccentric you can go quite a bit lighter than you might think. 135 can probably work well for a lot of folks (certainly for me). It feels weird using versa grips for rowing a plate per side but I feel my back way better (pull more through my elbows). 🤘

[@thydog]

Hey Alex. I'm a novice. Former Athelete. Lifting 4x/wk while cutting for 4 months while gaining strength on SBD. 126lbs, 5'4, 15% bf now no stall on LP yet. SBD 1RM based on 5RM. (265/135/330). Raw, beltless, sumo, high bar. The National Men's Junior record for 115lb in my country is (310/190/355). 130lbs record - (390/225/485) & 145lbs record - (465/325/475). I'll be turning 24 in June, 2026, I want to break a National Record. What should I do after LP ceases. Strength is priority right now.

[@user-en5vj6vr2u]

About the effect of body fat on dipping strength, fatter lifters do get better leverages. Basically, the center of mass of the body goes travels through a shorter vertical distance than the hanging weight, so you can’t just body weight it to the hanging weight and call that absolute load. You have to multiply the body weight by a constant factor

[@heartbeatbillionaire]

Love your work Alex. What are your thoughts on doing heavy farmers carry and heavy rack pull on the same day? Would it be better to split them up?

[@kamo7293]

on the topic of the 15 degree bench angle, I recently switched from flat bench with arch to 15 degree with arch for the exact reason you outlined, that my chest became parallel to the floor while benching. I quickly noticed my chest blow up quite a lot, something I just couldn't get done with flat with arch. if I was ever to do incline, I would probably go 30/45

[@BurnToast101]

Went from 20-50Lb reverse curl 35-55Lb Seated DB Strict Curls 6’4” Lifter but barely any arm improvements, why so?

[@rampagesmackssons508]

Eat and remember you have triceps

[@bobbyhunt3009]

Hey Alex, Love all your videos, shorts and full. Take Care

[@fatcat22able]

My question for next Q&A: when I try for one rep max, I notice that my grip tends to give out near lockout. But I feel like my actual hip hinge strength can handle the load. Would straps or hook grip help me take care of this problem, or should I add rack pulls to improve my lockout? I guess it’s a question of how to diagnose where my limiting factor is.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

If you're talking about deadlifts, the grip will usually limit the load more than your lower body etc, straps will help absolutely, but you could also do some grip work as well, like holding your deadlifts at the top for a few seconds, dead hangs (even weighed dead hangs) etc, but if you're more interested in deadlifting more weight, just buy straps yeah. Hook grip just hurts for me, crushing my thumb isn't exactly a priority for me haha

[@suyashdubey8767]

Thank you Alex I am the one who was stuck at 2plates si bulked to 69 kgs till then now my squat is 190 deadlift 225kg and bench 110kg

[@bail223]

Been waiting so long for a Q&A Alex! Please make them more frequent! One of my favorite forms of content from you

[@Tommy_verde]

Hey Alex, where can we find good expanders? All Amazon has are cheap little knockoffs. Is there a private business?

[@ptadisbander7959]

Just a very nice thing to do, the old q and a. Cheers !

[@nomadicstrength]

Good to see these back.

[@bronzeliver6735]

Alex do you have any experience with your left shoulder clicking? I’m double jointed and I’m not sure if I should be worried, cause my elbow joints click all the time but only my left shoulder clicks?

[@adonis9505]

Blast from the past!!! Love it!

[@THAWN.E]

I have a home gym like you,and i have no access for a leg extension machine can i replace it with BW sissy squats?or the real question is can i maximize leg growth with only squatting?

[@AlexLeonidas]

I trained that way ALL THE WAY UP to my competition. Zero leg extensions, only sissy squats. Worked great! My routine was Barbell Squat, Good Morning, Belt Squat, ghetto leg curl, sissy squat, and optional reverse hyper (usually skipped).

[@ethanevans9840]

For the next Q&A Hi Alex, can you give me a 4 day program to follow? Or the best one in your opinion for powerbuilding that focuses more on compounds and less on machine / isolation work?

[@janhedel96]

in my personal experience doing a very low volume approach to training does work but only if the intensity is beyond just failure, i.e. drop sets, rest pause sets, myo reps etc. i train like this myself and have gotten quite te results

[@TheBcoolGuy]

Hey, Alex! Wondering about how to best program the deadlift as an intermediate lifter. You might be able to help me with squats too. (I highlighted the main question, it's not as long as it looks.) What I used to do was linear periodisation, where I'd alternate between squat and deadlift on Sundays in 4 week periods, and complimentary hypertrophy-focused stuff on wednesdays. (in a 4x/week push/pull-esque split). Specifically, I'd do 4x5 with my 7RM as determined by the previous period's performance, but adding 2 kg per week, 1 if 2 was too much, and then doing roughly my new calculated 2RM for a single to get a PR, followed by some more deadlifting along the same vain. There was typically stuff like rows after the deadlifting or squatting as well. It was a lot of recovery to keep up with, but it felt pretty effective. I've even done a similar thing on bench. I went from a 375 lb deadlift in August of 2022 to a 410 lb deadlift on March 20th 2023 training like this. *Is it redundant to do 4 strength sets for one main exercie in a workout? Would one set to failure be better? Am I getting stronger for doing multiple sets of the same thing?*

[@Kyprianos96]

Hi Alex, I'm a big fan from Cyprus. I have a pretty decent physique and strength. I am 27 years old, 176 cm, and 92kg at this point. My bench is 165kg for 1 rep (with pause). I want to increase my bench to 180kg, but I always fail at the lockout. I have been lifting for 6 years now and trained like an old-school bodybuilder, but I never did any powerlifting or strength training. Any tips on how can fix my lockout strength and generally how to approach bench specialist training?

[@realbillnye]

Thanks for an OG QnA video brother. Have you ever tried LPs with joint rehab exercises?

[@delawn4532]

Can you make a video going more in depth on 6 sets of compounds and 4 sets of isolations 2x a week with example programs? (I checked your instagram for examples) With only 8 sets of isolation per week, what is your mindset for a novice (I've been consistent for 1 yr) on how to pick which isolations to do each session? when I'd like to do (1) tricep/bicep/ab/neck/side delt exercise per session then also calves one of the days maybe Thank you Alex :)

[@eddysonbunardi919]

You one of legend who word i believe and experiencing also in my training journey. Your information is diamond based on experience especially for natural trainer!

[@garnme2694]

yoooh have been waiting for you to upload something I love watching you ma man

[@AlexLeonidas]

Much love Garnme!!

[@boredtodeath491]

Hey Alex, I've just started your novice programme again after a long hiatus from the gym. It worked for me last time, so I'm expecting it to work for me again. My only question is, you made that novice programme what 7/8 years ago? With your 7+ years of experience since then, do you think it's still the ideal programme or would you tweak a few things here and there?

[@BenG-rd5wg]

Hey Alex, thank you so much for this 🙏. You’re a huge inspiration! I would like to learn the full Planche. What do you think of this workout routine: Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I do this with a 7-10 RPE: 3x2s unassisted Piked Planche+3s Banded Planche hold (I try to use lighter Bands every week, but every time I bulk my holds go straight to hell 😅) 3x4 Front Raises with a Pause in the „Planche position“ 3x4 Pseudo Planche pushups On wednesday and Saturday I do 6 reps with a 3-6 RPE After I do some OHPs, dips and lateral Raises

[@aborigine777]

I have narrow lats and shoulders and traps skinny forearms and spider arms. My chest and back is thick and my triceps lateral head is thick not well defined. I am 5ft7", 170lbs. Can narrow grip barbell incline bench press 170 x 5 reps. My chest take over in pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips no matter what grip i use. Same with push-ups.

[@arontrenholtet2549]

If someone reaches a plateau with a time proven program we know for a fact is effective and works for most people, is diet always going to be the problem? Is the answer then to add calories and the plateau will be broken?

[@azirciak]

Hello there Alex ! I have a question, about a half a year I am training Bjj 3/4 times a week + still doing Gpp workouts and gym/calisthenics, but my question is what aprosch would you recommend to mix with Bjj ? Compound lifts from gym and calisthenics and how odten would you recommend to pair gym+bjj ? I dont want to give up on calisthenics/gym because thanks to that I lost 46kg and its a love for me + tried Your NH program for about a year and BOY did I got progress like hell! Thank you Alex!

[@miso5968]

For the next Q&A: what are your current and updated thoughts on above the knee rack pulls? Would you still recommend them to people who's biggest priority is to build their yoke? (could also be part of the ongoing bring up lagging muscle series)

[@setislive]

Alex the goat

[@ri-d-an]

What do you think of this routine. i wrote it for myself for 2x week training to gain strength and muscle. Monday : Squats 5x5 bench press 5x5 weighted pullup 5x5 overhead press 3x10 triceps pressdown 3x10 Thursday: Deadlift 5x5 overhead press 5x5 bent over row 5x5 dips 3x10 bicep curl 3x10

[@stephen8996]

Do bis and Tris both days for starters

[@stephen8996]

Also id personally add chest flies into day 2 and lateral raises into day 1

[@ak.8161]

Which book would you recommend lifters who want to learn everything they need to know about lifting and Programming

[@not-thinking-about-cheating]

Hi Alex, I think exercise rotation is king for preventing overuse, but how does periodization compare to that?

[@mert111]

Alex my conventional deadlift is already at 405, squat (high bar, ass to grass, torso upright) is at 330, but my bench is at 155 as a 1rm. Also have a crazy yoke but dogshit lats, good biceps and trash triceps. Do you think its worth focusing on/specializing on “weaknesses” this early on? Or should I still keep a general focus on everything equally.

[@mert111]

Been training 10 months and im at 170lbs bodyweight at 5’8 forgot to say.

[@naughtiousmaximus7853]

@@mert111 Spam those pull ups and cable work for triceps lmao.

[@ispgravy4233]

Drop set tricep cable push downs. Game changer for my triceps, which also helped increase my bench a decent amount.

[@delawn4532]

Hi Alex, I am 31, married, a father with a 1 year old, a fulltime job, and a side business. I have been consistent for just about over a year and I work out at home with only dumbbells, a cable machine, and chest expander doing full body 2x/week. I am very curious for your 6 compound sets & 4 isolation sets. For isolations, I have neckwork, abs, triceps, biceps, side/rear delts - how do you fit all of this into 4 sets? What would you recommend for someone at my stage with isolations?

[@nunomaia5513]

The 6 sets of compound and 4 sets of isolations twice a week are just for the upper body, should the same system be applied to the lower body?

[@gavincabral3273]

Hey Alex what books would you recommend for strength training. Also are you still doing a 4 day conjugate approach or something else?

[@BrownWithAFrown]

From the research I've done, I want to implement a weighted vest into my mini-cut. Would a deficit of 150-300 calories under maintenance along with a 25lb - 50lb range be effective for a 4-5 week mini-cut? I've been bulking for 4 months and continue to do so for another 6 months before even considering a min-cut. It's something I want to experiment with just for fun.

[@TH-jb6ip]

Yo Alex what's up? I have a quick question for you. I got my first 10 pullups in a row using grease the groove, now i can do an extra 45 pounds for 1 rep. Ive stalled a little in my 3 sets of 3-6 on heavy days and 3 sets of 6-9 on light days. So i was wondering, what if i dropped all my pull up workouts, and just did grease the groove with 35 lbs, starting from 2 reps per set Monday to Friday (doing a maximum of 3 sets a day) and slowly increasing it to 10. Then starting the normal program again. Would that be a bad thing or should i go for it?

[@bernardobarreto4211]

The construction glasses for the Chest Expander are still hilarious

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Safety first, nothing funny about a spring breaking or detaching and lacerating your eyeball, eh?

[@luchito6647]

man i love that alex talks like a black middle aged woman

[@Darknight526]

Great vid Alex!

[@JobWClips]

Love the content! going for 225 bench this bulk, wish me luck :)

[@AlexLeonidas]

With a proper bulk, no reason why you won't hit 225!

[@Ahmad-ru4ou]

Me to let’s see who does it first 😂 I will comment again once I hit it

[@zayyh4294]

I've got a prominent anterior pelvic tilt. This causes poor handstand posture and lower back pain from barbell rows and deadlifts. I've been doing hip thrusts, hip flexor stretches and hollow body holds for 2 months with no visible progress. How do you suggest solving this issue?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Keep training, 2 months isn't really a long time, especially considering the tilt you have took longer than 2 months to develop - perhaps train the abs more from the bottom up to potentially promote the flattening of the lower back. I have a similar issue.

[@zayyh4294]

Great points. I'll definitely keep going at it and I'll try to hit those lower abs too, Thanks for the feedback@@RDS_Armwrestling

[@glorytoukraine5524]

Hello, Alex. What would your advice be on bulking for tall people? I'm 6'3, 22 years old, and fluctuate between 135 and 145 lb. I did spend several months eating around 4000 calories a day and got myself to 155. Problem is, at a point I couldn't even think about eating without feeling sick. So I stopped force feeding and dropped back to 145. My strength kept progressing, but I don't like that my weight stays what it is. I wanna pursue armwrestling more seriously, and would need to get to at least 170 to do so comfortably. But every time I gain weight, it feels like a reverse crash diet.

[@glorytoukraine5524]

@@Chicken-1923 Will be keeping the oils in mind. I already eat a lot of bread, about 4-6 slices per meal.

[@angelradev4968]

I do three times a week sbd heavy semi lighter and my accessory for tha back is pull ups i don't know if i should add pendlay rows or some typw of rowing

[@tawfiqalashkar3065]

When to use bands for strength training? Should you use them randomly as a variation I know that using accommodating resistance is effective but i don't know when to use it

[@leonardorosato1361]

Do you think progressing a harder variation of a movement is a good way to increase strength for that movement while limiting fatigue? For example squatting over 300 pounds every week has becoming taxing and I have instead been progressing zombie squats at low 200s which is less fatiguing, but I’m wondering if it will help my barbell back squat

[@hrd2kl]

You've been using good mornings and reached impressive deadlift strength without deadlifting. How can this method be applied for someone with bad bench press leverages to increase their bench press? thank you.

[@rossscarbro4602]

Hey Alex serious question- what’s with the safety glasses? Have you had an issue with the expanders snapping you in the face?

[@AlexLeonidas]

With this kind of spring tension, I'm not taking any chances.

[@Kaushik6570]

Are supinated back lever training worth it for conditioning strong tendons, straight arm strength and good biceps? Gymnasts never do the pronated version of it, and the underhand feels a lot natural and stronger but a lot of stress on the elbow pits. Is it worth the risk to reward ratio?

[@hassanalrubai7378]

Alex,I Have school essay /project About why most people never become intermediates and get stuck in beginner/novice purgatory? what would be your answer? do you have any ideas that would help me with the project? Love,IF i will get an A i will Definitely buy your Merch

[@josephsmth646]

Alex need your thoughts on Mike mentzer approach aka one set failure negatives forced negatives .

[@lanpeel3928]

Alex, what kind of meals do you prepare for muscle gain?

[@ianbatista631]

I was thinking about your Q&A's just last week and found this one, awesome! I'd like to hear your thoughts on prioritizing either the bench press or dips as the primary chest builder. I've just recently fell in love with dips and usually do them after my bench set, but was wondering your take on that exercise order in regards to fatigue levels coming into the next one.

[@mono_jnr]

Is it dangerous to do too many pull ups in comparison with other back exercises?? , cause im noticing weird sensations in my back, and also contractures from time to time, do you recomend to do the same volumen of horizontal pulls as vertical pulls? What do u think the cause could be? 😅Thank u in advance

[@masonbrownie]

Have you ever thought about creating an app? I’d love an app with your training and nutrition guidance

[@bedpostcha2141]

Is the kind of work capacity one builds through low-intensity steady-state cardio (for example chill 10ks taking 52minutes) the same as high rep work in calisthenics /other forms of gpp training? Is one better for the gains than the other?

[@tommi_natti]

For the next Q&A: thoughts on trap growth through weighted stretch alone; for example heavy trap bar holds?

[@bieszo]

For the next Q&A: What do you think the minimum amount of sets to trigger MPS is (per session)? I am doing full body 2-3x per week and I am wondering if just 2 or 3 sets is enough for a muscle (obviously training with a close proximity to failure).

[@radilev1996]

I now do around 2-4 sets for each muscle group, 1 set per exercise to 0 RIR and often to failure. For chest I do dips, incline bench and flat dumbell press. For back I do pullups, chest machine t-bar row and cable row. For shoulders OHP standing and seated dumbell, along with lateral raises and for biceps dumbell curl, cable curl and for triceps dumbell tri ext and pushdown. For legs squats and romanian deadlift. Monday chest and back, then legs on wednesday and friday shoulders and arms. To me the extra frequency and volume never had me grow significantly more, it's all about recovery and getting stronger over many years. We can't speed the process, so I suggest low volume and high intensity along with consistency and not overthinking it.

[@Eyoballin]

3-6 is probably enough if you train that muscle more than once a week and your muscle feels fatigued at the end of the workout. You likely need more if you dont hit both of those factors

[@pedrocorreia4695]

The thing with "volume guidelines" is that most people in those studies train with like 5 reps in reserve.. Of course they are going to need 10-20 sets a week. If you know how to truly push yourself you can make insane gains on as little as 1 set per week per muscle

[@BradleyCTurner]

Itd be interesting to see someone whos made considerable gains on just a single set per week for an extended period of time.

[@zacharycollierAW-PL]

While you're correct about the intensity, 1 set per week is pushing it. You won't really make gains off that.

[@naturalgains4229]

You will maximally stimulate gains on 1 set to failure BUT once a week isn’t enough if you want to maximize gains. I’d take 2 or 3 days to rest and do it again. Hit it when you’re recovered.

[@Balakay_Adkins]

For the next Q&A: you’ve said before that your diet isn’t plant based, but plant dominant. Can you share some details about your diet?

[@HerenciaMadre]

Have u ever tried behind the neck pull ups as a more out of less weight variation? Seems like an option that could work with rings

[@AlexLeonidas]

Started recently actually, will keep y'all updated

[@kristiyandinev9629]

Is that like 6 compound and 4 isolations per push,pull,legs(twice a week) day or I'm confusing something