Weightlifting is an art not a science. Anyone thats done it for any amount of time knows you feel your way through every workout, with none being the same. You eventually find out that pre calculating everything is a waste of time bc youre not some precise machine, though your reps might appear that way. Its all about how well you can work those muscles on that given day, on that given set, on that given rep, and the only way to do that is to feel it for yourself.
it is not a science? sure, smooth brained people will never put in enough effort to understand the logic. I wish the best for the joints and ligaments of the people follow this philosophy.
It most certainly is a science! and most certainly not an ART!..... art is expression of skill and imagination... if there is any relative progression with lifting weights then it is body building... the expression of ones lifting into physiological sculpture!!! To say weightlifting is an art is moronic! the reason you have so many likes is because the average person is not very clever and half the population is even more stupid than that... Ironic to say the least that the content creator is called ' intellectual meathead' and thinks you are right! You are both stupid!
This is something more people need to hear. Start with the basics, and if it doesn’t work for you, try a variation of that movement. Exercise selection is important, but choosing what works best for you should be the primary focus.
That’s why I like RP and dr mike. Loads of suggestions that tangibly can help you avoid pain and better load the muscles, while noting that everyone is slightly different and to do what feels good
@@redfishplayz4476 intensity is a better word id say, failure has become quite overrated nowadays and should be something you do from time to time to know where you are standing at the moment and not necessarily something you must do if you want gains, so long as you stay within 1 or 2 reps of failure, have acceptable volume and stay consistent with your routine anyone can get shredded
It took me 10 years of lifting to finally realize this. Now I just go into the gym and use it as my 45min-1hr daily meditation, feeling the muscles work and purely focusing on the movement. I’ve never enjoyed lifting as much as I do now
Does it really work as meditation in terms of strengthening your ability to focus? I usually listen to music while lifting but I feel it takes away from my focus on my body
Same. 45 minutes, without headphones. Best time to clear the mind. I used to get so hyped up and play intense music that would fire me up to the point where I’d be physically and emotionally spent by the end of the workout.
@@k.skraatch you should try it a couple times, why not. for me I can't do that because my gym plays music, so wether I like it or not, I'm listening to music, sadly they have 80s and country music.
The strongest I ever got was by doing "Starting Strength" for 16 weeks straight and focusing on consistent gym attendance rather than gains or plates. It is so easy to focus on the opposite because big plates and hot mirror pics are so enticing. But that mindset leaves you much more vulnerable when life inevitably stops or slightly reverses your progress. You show up after a bad week and feel like you're not good enough even when you got a full routine in. Now you feel like you're playing catchup. Now you are anxious and stressed about something that should be an outlet. Now you are backsliding mentally and your whole routine is in crisis because your mindset is hurting your ability to appreciate how far you have come. Respect yourself for showing up regularly and cut out anyone who's ruining your mindset with rigidity, black-and-white thinking, drama, or BS comparisons. The greatest achievement you can have in a gym life is being a familiar regular. That takes so much discipline and patience to sustain as an adult.
someone put it this way: if you are disciplined enough to consistently put your body through so much stress every day that it has to adapt by getting stronger, that's already very special, not many people are willing to do that.
I think this mindset could be applied in every area of life, not over complicating it. It's about enjoying the process and figure out what works best for YOU, not how it works for others.
Definitely was part of this group myself. One thing I’ve learned is that pretty much all fitness plans are a variation of “Workout more, gradually increase intensity, eat slightly better and sleep more”. If you’re a beginner the most important focus is probably just discipline and consistency. Dont overthink/over-research for a routine. Find one you like and keep at it, then modify/improve along the way. If you’re a perfectionist remind yourself doing more or SOMETHING is better than doing NOTHING.
I few weeks ago I was practically tearing my hair off. There was so much conflicting advice from so many people (both online and otherwise) that each told me basically “do it this way or it is wrong”. I didn’t enjoy the gym because I was worried I was doing something wrong and as I was a newbie I instantly assumed everything was wrong. I began to be inconsistent (because I was never motivated) with my workout and I’ve been lagging for a week now, which of course takes away a lot of progress. This video was really refreshing to hear.
Yep. And for the love of god REST. I made more progress working out 5-6 times a week than 7. If you don’t rest at all, you are at risk of overtraining.
I agree with this unless you are an athlete at a high level. I compete at the college level and we use science heavily to influence how build our track training
I have been mixing calisthenics with weight lifting. What a killer combination. The weight lifting allows for easier progressive overload and the calisthenics tells you how far you've gone and how to redirect... Bottom line is, unless you're into competition the whole point is to have a strong body to avoid the issues that come with aging. Anything that takes you there healthy and without injury is great
I've had friends begin working out close to when I started. They watched everything from social media, got some ridiculous routine, and barely went to the gym. It didn't do anything, and they quit after a couple of months. I did simple exercises, went consistently, and worked on learning proper form, and I got in shape. My friends told me I had good genetics (I have pectus, which means I have a dent in my chest), or it was easier because I started out overweight, but in reality it was their own fault.
You have to be the champ before you be the champ. Your friends there showed you what excuses are. I experienced the same when i was young, my brother and his friends told me dont do this dont do that but in reality they just loved to play a mentor role. Now over 10 years later im still at it, jacked af and they all quit a long time ago. Im not saying this to put them down but it’s exactly what happened because i always followed my own path.
I burned out my first go at the gym within a year or so because I tried to follow a pre-made, highly endorsed plan. Felt and looked like shit compared to the effort I was putting in. I came back to lifting a few years later, skipped most of the suggested leg days so my legs could still handle cardio, and pretty much only hit a muscle group when it felt fresh enough to push to the max. Ended up with a WAY more balanced physique instead of becoming a bloat lord like the first time around. I think it's mainly because not following the plan written up by a juiced up life time lifter left me with enough energy to work out almost every day of the week.
This is exactly why I got overwhelmed every single time I wanted to actually start working out rather than contemplating on it. Immensely helpful video
I hit 315 lb single rep no assistance on the bench the other night- using straight fundamentals. Back at it after years of drug abuse. Feeling great. Keep it simple folks.
Couldn’t agree more. I was caught in the trap of looking at different diets/ training methods etc and all it did was make me fall out of love with training via overthinking everything I did. When I just focused on getting stronger and eating enough protein and doing it everyday as part of my routine with no end goal in sight I started to like what I seen in the mirror.
Yeah it's good to have something to aim for, but strength training-wise it really is important to enjoy the journey, not the end goal(if there ever is one). People who do enjoy the progress will more likely stick with it for life, and subsequently enjoy the benefits for a long time.
@@tappajaav Sticking to a routine that doesn't work is exactly the problem. You can "enjoy the progress" AND get stronger. Those aren't mutually exclusive. And to become stronger at some point you will have to change something.
It's all about the basics: having a plan, tracking progress, progressive overload, consistency, proper form to avoid injury, a balanced full body workout and a pace that can be sustained for years. That will produce 90% of the results. Most of the other stuff is for elite competitors where the small differences are important only in competition.
@@Derploop There are many nuances to lifting that are evidence based and produce marginally better results but are of interest only to elite lifters striving for competitive advantages. When the basics are ignored, people will fail to achieve their goals, whereas when just the basics are faithfully followed, they will still be successful.
I also always say to my friends influencers are living 24/7 around their physique and how to optimize it. We all have job on the side, families and so on. You have no interest on optimizing everything and being a freak about it. It's not your life, you have other things you need to optimize or you want to improve. Just stick to a regular program with proper form and progressive overload and you did 90% of the job, the remaining part is for people who have bodybuilding for main activity.
Focus on time tested compound movements (Bench Press, OHP, Squat, Deadlift, Pullups, etc) and a couple of isolation exercises depending on your goals (Curls for bigger biceps, calf raises for bigger calves, etc). Train hard, eat well, sleep enough and you will see results.
Build a knowledge base as soon as possible too by reading books like science and practice of strength training, NSCA’s essentials of strength and conditioning, scientific principles of strength training and supertraining
@@augustnkk2788 20% of the work gets 80% of the results. Being 100% optimal in your body building/exercising is just not doable for most people because it takes too much time and conscious thought. Most people have lives outside the gym that they need to spend time and mental energy on.
80/20 rule: 80% of the results are attributable to 20% of the causes. Focus on: 1) Mind-muscle connection 2) Incremental loading 3) Proper rest and nutrition Things to not worry about: 1) Whether 2:30 of rest is more optimal than 3:00 2) Whether 3 x 8-12 is better than 4 x 6-10 3) How many gummy bears you should eat between your first and second compound to get an optimal spike in energy on your hardest set 4) Etc. P.S. I was the dude counting gummy bears my first year in the gym
It depends on where you are in your fitness journey. If you're a beginner or intermediate, definitely don't overthink it, focus on building a base. When you're more advanced, that's when you start having to start thinking about whether what you are doing is optimal if you want to squeeze out any more results
As a beginner you dont have to worry a lot, you only need 2-3 exercises for big muscle groups like back or legs and 1-2 exercises for small muscle groups like arms. Dont worry about trying to hit every head or every muscle fiber of given muscle as I was also stuck in this "optimal training" loop as a beginner. Just pick exercises you like and build your foundation from that until you are pass that beginner/novice lifter stage. Log your workouts and do progressive overload.
A beginner doesn't need to log their workouts either. A beginner doesn't need to think about muscle groups or know what progressive overload is. A beginner doesn't need your dumbass non-advice. All training plans are about what to do when doing just anything stops working. What then? You have have no advice to give then. People don't complicate stuff for no reason. They make stuff complicated, because they go months or years without progress.
I’m just getting into weightlifting and my friend I’m training with told me “all that matters is lifting. As long as you’re lifting what is challenging, then you’ll get good.”
Just do yourself a favor and learn about deloads and mesocycles. I wasted the first 2 years of my lifting just trying to grind out extra reps and weight each week (ultimately getting weaker before getting injured)
@@taylorhillard4868 Haha, I don't have to schedule a break from working out! :D It happens naturally because I get busy for a bit or I just feel exhausted so take 2-3 days off. The key for me is to listen to my body. Push when I can and ease off when I need to. As long as I do that, I get consistent results and avoid significant injury. But I'm not trying to optimize everything, I just like being big and fit.
That's completely wrong. That's exactly how people get stuck with 0 progress for years. Expecting to get the same gains continuously from doing the same stuff is precisely what makes people frustrated and leave.
Thank you! Too many people act like there is a "secret" to building muscle. As long as you are working the muscle groups, resting, and sticking with your routine, you WILL see improvement. That's all. Just don't hurt yourself by doing awkward movements or strange bends or twists.
I really like this advice. People who genuinely buy into Stoic philosophy are the best content creators for self-improvement as the advice isn't undermined by malevolent intentions: there's no sale, no narcissism, just a genuine attempt to put more good into the universe. Keep up the good work and I think a similar video about diet would be beneficial also.
"there's no sale" --> bro, don't kid yourself. ALL content is here to sell ads. They ain't doing it out of putting more good into the universe. There is nothing wrong with it, and yes this video does make an excellent point. But don't kid yourself like it's being done out of the goodness of their hearts. It's about clicks, likes, subscribes, and comments. Metrics. And I just added to that count lol
Beginners need to watch this. I’ve gained so much size and strength from progressively overloading the basics over many years.. with some isolations in there of course.
The biggest thing I have learned is intensity. When I wasn't growing I looked for al types of ,cutting edge workouts. Turns out my problem with plateaus was never my form, rom or reps. It was me. Once I started tracking my progressive overload and really pushing myself, poof. Gainsville.
I learned early on that I HAD to have a written plan and detailed tracking. When I go to the gym, I have a list of lifts that I will be doing, the order I'll be doing them, what weights I will be using on each set, what machine or bench adjustments I will use and how many reps I have previously achieved on each set. I carry a small notebook with me and update it during each lift. That detailed tracking shows me how I am continually improving and gives important positive feedback. Most people in the gym don't do that and are ad hock with their lifting, and that doesn't work so well.
@@shadynail4723just write down your exercise and think about how easy it is to do it. for example, are you struggling with 100 lb bench presses but still able to do them consistently? you're probably good to stay there. are you doing them consistently like it's nothing? up the weight. if you need more detail for your exercises, you can write down the equipment you used (smith machine, dumbbell, etc), adjustments to the equipment (VERY important for machines), the weight you used, repetitions and sets of repetitions
This is so true; I try to weightlift 3-5 a week, but every RU-vid video by some ripped guy shows me I need better form, need to do a different exercise, need to brace my core and do everything perfectly, they literally make me think I'm doing everything wrong as someone who's just starting
To be honest, after taking a scientific approach to lifting especially after taking the time to understand kinesiology, my body has changed and I've gotten way more gains. Figuring out as a newbie got me injured and even lead to overtraining. When I looked at the facts and the efficient ways of training, using science, I haven't had any complications since then. I feel healthier, more energetic, stronger, more confident and my gym sessions feel more organized and complete. I have Dr Mike Israetel to thank for that. Studying how to lift and the human body hasn't taken the fun away from my training... It has actually made my training more fun and I've come to realize that I spend most of my time studying than actually training. It makes sense. I train 2hrs a day... In my spare time a part from my life, I'm studying bodybuilding. It's not taking the fun away... It's showing that you're dedicated to your craft.
Good for you! I think that's great. I also used to really love to get into the science of it, but at some point, I realised for myself that as I got further into the science I started to overthink everything and my training suffered. I know a few people who have had the same situation happen. I'm definitely not opposed to good science-based training, more of the nonsense that people create and label with science. but I believe it's more important to learn a bit and implement a lot rather than the other way around so that you can discern what information is valuable and what is snake oil. I would also say you've done it the right way by training first and then learning afterwards, whereas many others learn how to lift before they even touch a weight and prophesize with 'absolute authority' to those who are further along in the training journey than them telling experienced lifters they're doing things wrong. You also discovered that what you were doing wasn't working and so you adapted which is great. what I don't like is when something is working and you begin to believe its wrong because you saw some TikTok telling you it was an absolutely catastrophic way to do an exercise.
@@IntellectualMeathead I don't disagree with you at all. Even in the video I agreed to some extent. At one point the science started overwhelming me because there were always new studies coming out on various aspects of training and they all add up to an "it depends" solution. What I must say is that a scientific approach to lifting really and truly isn't for everyone. That's why some people might find it demotivating, very stressful and some might even give up on lifting all together. You have to have lots of patience and an ok level of education to actually interpret what you're reading and actually be able to apply each concept in the real world. Not to mention being able to apply them to yourself as an individual since everyone is different. Everything sounds and looks good in theory but life can be a total pain. But to me the process has been awarding as I mentioned before and I fully encourage everyone to at least touch the tip of the iceberg on scientific lifting just to see if it's for you. If it isn't, just lift heavy shit within your reasonable limits (don't ego lift) and enjoy life. But I'm a guy who likes to be sure of what I'm doing and where I'm going with my training as efficiently and as safe as possible. So, that's why I implemented the scientific approach to lifting.
@@mr.jds-_- The way I see it - it's about finding the right balance, training hard and doing most things right (effective exercises, form, etc) yet not hyper obsessive over negligible details to compensate for lack of intensity or other variables
100% agree with you. The general point of this video "don't overcomplicate it - you still need to put the work in" is still true. But: Starting with a most likely as close as optimal (or even just good) approach is important and saves people from wasting a lot of time and also ruin their health. Take shoulder rotation for example: Very few gym trainers actually teach exercises for stabilizing your shoulders & external rotation. I see newbies becoming internally rotated press monsters all the time and it wont be long before the first should pain and I've been there myself. So in the broad range of the sports, more education ("science") is needed a lot. But yes - there is no need to take it to the extreme and I also observe that - as some kind of snake oil being sold in order to sell training plans: "You can only grow if you do my weird exercises instead of the proven ones". That of course is bs.
I think the biggest hurdle in exercise is when you start out and you don't feel which muscles are being worked. But once you start to get your form down, you can start feeling more accomplished. There is nothing more satisfying as knowing which muscles are being worked during an exercise. You can't say you know yourself until you know how to flex each muscle group.
Finally someone who comes clean and clarifies things for those who are just beginning. I've been working out for years and keep it good old fashioned and simple. No reason to overcomplicate it and make it rocket science. That kinda puts people off and kills motivation.
The "Mind-Muscle" connection is probably the most important thing I have learned in the last 12 years of training. It is 100% key to being able to "feel" your way through various exercises and understand what is working for you to target the muscles you want to hit. One of the best tips I learned is to practice your movements/flex while each muscle group is sore, especially when you're just starting. You can better feel the muscle contract/move when you're sore and better memorize the motion for the next time you go to train.
Dude 1000%. Practicing the movements while sore is the most helpful hack of all time for mind-muscle connection. Literally was able to feel my lower chest activating for the first time ever by doing it this week lol.
Everyone’s different but I started with the “don’t complicate it” approach at the start and just kept getting injured, which eventually just kills your motivation. So some advanced knowledge about correct form, stretching for muscle groups and avoiding tendon problems, may seem like “overcomplicating it” but I honestly needed it. Once you’ve got a good knowledge base you can just get at it with confidence.
But that's basic stuff not necessarily what is referred to when people talk about 'optimal' training which leans more towards hyper obsessive one track minded thinking, proper warm ups, proper technique/form, and avoiding injury is should be common sense, no one should fall to either extreme IMO
I feel like there's always room for improvement in any given exercise but since everybody's different its hard to say what is considered "optimal" for them, which is why for the most of the time the advice "whatever works for you" is the best advice we have for most lifters, because most lifters are unlikely to compete in any body building competition or powerlifting, so no need to overcomplicated these movements.
@@edmond472 Depending on who you follow for your workout routine some of them will encourage cheating which will increase the risk of injury. Maybe THEY can get away with cheating for some exercises and see results, but not everybody.
What was the reason for your injury and tendon problems and how did you resolve Asking as I am always very close to these problems my guess is I'm just doing too much. I know 10-20 sets per week per muscle group is meant to be fine but in a normal week I'm probably cranking out ~30 sets
What you're referring to is not overcomplicating it. That's figuring out supplemental activities that can make lifting more enjoyable and painless, which is very important. It's overcomplicating once you see people doing goofy exercises that they created by themselves thinking they're special or something, like that guy in the video doing chest press with two barbells.
The algorithm is smiling at you! I love that your videos go instantly to the point and don't waste time compared to most RU-vidrs these days, considering the topics. Doing that while still preserving humor and substance is difficult.
Thank you very much friend, I am a person who at 36 years old is tired of being overweight and I want to look good, I have been in the gym for 2 weeks and I have been informing myself about "what to do in the gym" and by God they overload you with information and over complicate things only causing one to feel even more overwhelmed. Thank you very much for this video, you don't know how much it helped me and I'm sorry if my English is not good. Greetings from Chile
I was a competitive swimmer that started lifting before my senior year of college, I have been lifting about a year consistently and what I’ve found is that the best workouts are when I don’t want to go in and I’m tired. Even if you aren’t as strong on a particular day or you skip a movement or you do less reps, that is still better than doing nothing
You’re absolutely correct. I’m 57. I started lifting at 13 with all the basic lifts. I’ve never needed any experts or a trainer. If I learned everything on my own at 13, what’s the need for experts or trainers? It baffles me that people waste their money to learn how to work out.
That's the perfect way of explaining it. It baffled me how my coworkers would basically scuff at any fitness advice I'd give them because I don't LOOK like these influencers but then when "nothing works for them" I let things be
As someone who studied Kinesiology in university, and is generally passionate about human anatomy, exercise physiology, and resistance training, I find myself having watched many different "science-based" content creators. Even as someone who consumes that type of content regularly, and as a self-proclaimed "science-based" lifter, I find myself agreeing to many of the points you've made in your video, especially as it relates to our society as a whole. Nowadays, not only with training/stuff in the gym, people seem to hyperfixate on learning and perfecting whatever skill they're trying to get better at (e.g: powerlifting or even something like playing the piano) without actually practicing/spending time on getting better by putting in hours actually doing the skill. I think we as a society have been conditioned to value "efficiency" and "productivity" so much that even in our personal hobbies, we are expected to be able to learn and have high levels of understanding of whatever skill we're trying to learn before we actually put in the hours of training required to get good candidly. I feel like nowadays there's less and less people who try to get better at a skill through actual experience/exposure, and instead opt to "get better" via passively absorbing knowledge through RU-vid/Tiktok/Instagram/etc. Overall though, I believe the amount of information online that is now available is beneficial rather than harmful if you're smart/literate enough on the Internet to be able to differentiate between someone who actually knows what they're talking about vs. someone who doesn't. Sadly though it seems the latter tend to do better with the algorithm on platforms like Tiktok & Instagram, and as such get much more exposure than they should be getting. Thanks for sharing your views and for allowing meaningful conversation!
well actually there's the phrase "perfect practice makes perfect" so it does make sense to make sure one is practicing in an efficient manner before just spending hours upon hours doing it, potentially engraining bad habits, etc. it's a balance. also, watch Justin Sungs video about how hard work doesn't always beat talent, it's basically saying a person can "practic[e]/spend time on getting better by putting in hours actually doing the skill." and still lag far behind people who are doing just that but much more effectively. they say "work smarter, not harder", but the reality is you should work "smarter" first, then work "harder" as well! that being said, I agree largely with the Intellectual's video, but the thing is to work, learn, work, learn, etc. And don't learn from goofballs, learn from people like Jeff Nippard, or Eugene Teo. There are solid "science based" lifters out there, and you can usually tell them because they're humble, honest, straight forward, discuss the caviates and nuances, express the idea that is expressed just now in Intellectual's video - putting in the work itself is indeed important, and what works for some might not work for others, etc.
I have some exp in weight training and can confirm, DO NOT OVERCOMPLICATE. At first, choose a goal for yourself, then do simple things Need strength - do heavy weights Need endurance - do more reps Need mass - eat more Need to lose weight - eat less Want a balance? Eat enough, do base exercises, variate strength / endurance trainings. 3 main things that make your physique better during a whole life: discipline (consistency), volume (how many tonns you overcome on a training), diet (eat enough, to reach your goal)
Ironically even thought your "advice" is completely trivial shite, it's still complicated. Simple would be "do this at that time with that weight for that amount of time". You're giving absolutely no real advice at all. "Disciplline" just means spinning your wheels and achieving nothing. There's people who spend YEARS making 0 progress.
Great video. This lesson DOES translate towards life as well. Lots of people overcomplicate the basics so much that they don't even attempt to do it. Sometimes you got to just trust the process and get your feet wet.
Many people overcomplicate the basics, and are highly susceptible to being sold overcomplicated basics, if it gives him a chance at avoiding the hard work. Ulimately they play a part in their own deception.
Idduno that’s why I love, “there’s a lot of skinny scientists in the morning who know all about how to make muscles grow,” from Tom Platz. It helps to know the anatomy of how muscles work but you’re right. Just gotta get in there and train.
The basic, compound exercises are the ones that often build the most muscle and strenght. Bench press, squat, deadlift, pull ups, overhead press, etc. But people nowadays tend to overcomplicate everything and pick cheesy variations that are less effecive. there's a reason why most people use machines instead of free wheights.
Yep, like success in most things, it’s the basics applied consistently. Machines are fine to fill in some extra volume but shouldn’t make up the core of your training program.
This is by far one of the best videos I've ever seen about fitness. And I'm not even exaggerating about that. I don't usually comment on videos unless I absolutely feel like it, and I feel like I needed to say thank you for being one of the few out there actually talking sense and not pushing their own agenda. People need to be taught HOW to think (not WHAT to think) about anything in life, and training is no exception.
Seriously, this was exactly what i had to hear. Been training for a year and getting kinda lost, cuz all of these information not only in the web but also from the gym, overcomplicating everything. This is it, back to the basics. Thks a lot and best regards from Brazil!
Once you see progress working out…you can’t stop. I have people always asking me how I have so much motivation for the gym, man it’s not even that…you end up falling in love with the art of lifting heavy weights.
this channel is super underrated. production quality and editing are terrific and the topics are interesting and explained in a really good way. keep up the good work bro
One guy I met had a humorous rephrasing of the statement at 2:08 "[Bodybuilding] is one of the few things in life where effort directly correlates to results." He used to say that "if it was easy we'd all be looking like superman". That was good encouragement for tough sets.
One of my favorite RU-vidrs, ShreddedSportsScience, is a very well educated guy. Part of the reason I enjoy his stuff is that he ALWAYS tells his viewers that for most lifters, basic compound movements and getting a decent diet is all they will need. All these super-specific exercises that eke out tiny gains in muscle isolation are super useful - if you're already in the top 1% of lifters and just trying to get that tiny bit of edge to win a competition. In most cases, over-optimizing will actually be the thing that leaves gains on the table for beginners.
As a skinny 18 year old trying to gain muscle with dumbells, it's really useful to know that you don't have to do crazy biohacker shit to get bigger. Thank you.
I think there must be a balance. Learn enough to not get injured and actually target the muscles you are trying to train, but don't get too obsessed that you spend more time on your phone than actually exercising. I think it's good to get good science based advice to make your training more efficient when you don't have enough time to exercise in the first place.
Thank you for this video, I’m a beginner but have started seeing some slow growth and definition on my arms. I’m not the type to just blindly follow fitness influencers, but it is hard sometimes to know who is being genuine and who is trying to showboat. Thanks again and I’m going to continue giving it all I got on my journey.
People also need to realise that these content creators need to literally create content out of thin air, given the inherent simplicity of fitness. A lot of these people just talk for the sake of it, and once you understand this as the nature of the industry, you won’t be worried about sub-optimal training
The fact that we need all these content creators is absolutely crazy. Remember how in pre internet era people just went to the gym and achieved great results? They didn't had an army of influences telling them what to do and yet they build great bodies anyway entirely on their own or with the help of a trainer by basically just doing the most basic of basics like benching, deadlifting of squatting. They didn't need to watch hours worth of instruction videos, they didn't needed chatgpt to write them fitness training plans. They just went to the gym, worked out whatever they felt needed most work consistently and got results. Heres the thing. Unless you want to become a body builder or lift weights professionally, then you don't need to worry about anything other than eating healthy and compound movements. If you're just a casual person who wants to look good then Don't worry about doing 50 different variations of squats or some obscure variant of a push up just go to the gym and do compound movements that work the most amount of muscles like bench press, squats, deadlifts and pull ups.
This last month I was feeling really discouraged about fitness because I was letting myself get caught up in optimization and plateauing. I finally realized that I was overconsuming fitness media and it was making me fall out of love with exercising. Despite being fairly selective with my content I still let media overcomplicate things and keep me in my head. I had to remind models to just lift the damn weight, run how I want, and enjoy the process and love my body for what it is and where it’s going
What really made me rethink about the whole body building thing is that i've seen a lot of these freelance construction worker, where theory is literally the last thing on their mind, they just dig holes, lift bricks and pour cement and they're shredded af.
This exact problem exists in the shooting community. People will buy a $2000 rifle, put a $1000 optic on it, $4000 of other crap and gear, then never shoot it and argue on Reddit all day about how to shoot "properly" and take pictures for Instagram. Instead, buy a $500 AR, put a $200 optic on it, and spend the rest on cheap ammo and go actually practice. You hear often about Guccied-out wannabe operators getting destroyed in competitions by middle aged dudes with Mini-14s and 14-year-old girls with cheap ARs. The older men and little girls actually practiced, the tacticool guys just burned money on gear.
I think it's important to differentiate between science-based fitness influencers (Sean Nalewanyj, Jeff Nippard, Josh Brett, etc.) and "science"-based influencers (V-shred and the like). The former have two different "styles," the first being "let's look into studies to optimize things for the more exprienced" and the second being "let's ignore that for the beginners because it really doesn't matter." Any good science-based fitness influencer worth their salt will accept the fact that no study will ever represent every single person, as we each have unique biology, biomechanics, interests, habit-building tendencies... and these individual factors mean that there is no "optimal" anything. Like you said, just pick what feels best.
Dude, give me a break with that nippard manlet who cites "studies" based on "research" done by some college kid for his bachelor's on his other 8 gym buddies. "Optimizing for advanced lifters" yea right, if you are advanced you already optimized your training, that's how you get advanced! They all want to milk that sweet influencer shekel from the nerds.
I fell out of love with training relatively recently, and only just this past week have I started REALLY enjoying my sessions again. This video is about bodybuilding, but the same shit is rampant in powerlifting, primarily in the form of programming. There's so much conflicting advice from respected people in the industry; you need to be training at x% of your 3 rep max for Y number of sets and Z number of days per week while rotating movement variations and repeatedly alternating between dynamic and max effort work. Don't even get me started on accessory work/selection. Some people say not to do anything but SBD and their variations, others will say you need 5 assistance exercises per weak muscle group per session. Now I've simplified it and I'm just chasing the nastiest pumps with dropsets and weighted stretches in the 8-15 rep range on my bodybuilding movements and hitting some decently heavy sets of 6 on my barbell compound for the day. I'm actually making progress again lol
In my experience where the science based approche started to hinder my workouts was when I was thinking way too much about how much should I target this muscle group and that mouscle group, and it came to the point where I was anxious doing the bench press coz what if my front delts overdevelop or that Im only training the side delts once a week and rear delts twice. Now I'm at a point where I just said to myself, take what you learned and make a solid workout and when you actually put on some muscle and see that something is over/under develop you'll adjust it. So the best advice I can give is that just put in effort and lift with proper technique (because not doing so could result in injury and that is something that you can't fix as easily as you overdeveloped front delts)
This is also true for language learning. Some spend sooo much time on finding the best method and always discussing about it and making it all very complicated. Language learning is something organic, aquiring a language is organic. Overcomplicating its process in the beginning stage isn't the best. Something might be not 100% effective but in the end maybe just starting and figuring out is better than breaking your head over the most effective method. It will become less fun aswell and that makes learning even less effective. After some experience one will also figure out what works the best for oneself. I tried some things, some were good some weren't. For others it may be different
As a fellow “intellectual meathead,” I loved learning and trying to optimize training to where I had more fun writing programs that “made sense” than I did actually working out. The best thing you can do is “feel” and damn it, if you’re immobile and need to stretch, do it. I half assed and neglected it, been out of the gym for weeks and I miss it terribly. What I miss even more is being able to put my shoes and socks on, walk or even lay down without pain. Don’t ego lift. Do what’s right for you, longevity is much better than forcing 5 lbs on a lift
It's extremely rare that I instantly subscribe to a channel on the first video I get recommended, but this was just on point, the amount of grift in the fitness space is crazy. Training is like a bell curve, you start out thinking it's simple, then you get deeper into it and overcomplicate everything, try to optimize every aspect (this is when you buy your first supplements), then you get to the end of the tunnel where things are indeed simple, but you have a better understanding of them. looking forward to more videos!
I agree. I have been going to the gym for around 5 months and from beginning I tried to learn everything by science. Recently when I went to the gym with my cousin who is quite jacked, I realized that everything that most exercises I was doing wrong because of overcomplicating movements. I read also that it's good for beginners to do 6 exercises per day. I don't care about this bs more and I finally feel that I'm moving in right direction.
Great video. For around a year when I was younger, I used to do some fad exercises prescribed by Athlean X. What a waste of time. Now I do a PPL split, stick to the basics, and I’ve been getting way better results
The paradox of bodybuilding is that all the beginners and intermediates try to get super technical in a futile attempt to shorten the journey to elite level, although all they need to do is the basics at a high effort level for a sustained period of time (which no one wants to do). All the fancy stuff doesn’t matter much until the lifter is already advanced, at which point they’ve either intuitively figured out the fancy stuff or can easily integrate it once informed. Thus the elite who says “Just train hard bro.”
When I first started lifting the extent of my knowledge was lifting progressively heavier weights over time will make you bigger and stronger. So I lifted progressively heavier weights and I gained about 45-50lbs in my first 2 years of lifting without increasing my body fat by too much. Then I started to learn all sorts of fancy and advanced training stuff and stayed right about that same body weight for the next 2 years lol
@@earhearthush-up5549 well yeah, that was definitely a lot of it, but training style was also very much at play. I was only low level intermediate when I plateaued. I was like 185lbs at 5'10" and 20% body fat. A few years later, when I got back to the basics of just go in there and lift hard without worrying too much about making sure everything is optimal I started to progress again. I've gained almost as much weight since then as I did in those first 2 years (I'm 220 now) and these were far from newbie gains.
Great video. All so true I use to confuse myself to the point I wouldn’t even train, because of all the info and over complicated advice online. Now I’m just doing the basics we all know works, and I’m happier and have been more consistent 💪🏼
This really hits home. You only need to do the basic form and how-to of body building. Everything else is a distraction. I'm one of those teenagers that over analyze and over theorize weightlifting. I also had been guilty of judging newcomers when their form is wrong, which in turn, I also feel guilty when I'm doing some new exercise, fearing that other people may judge me in the same light. I think it becomes a big roadblock if you over think it. By going to the gym and eating a bit healthier is enough.
i was fooled by the at home workout videos and couldn’t understand why i wasn’t seeing results and got really demoralized. then i actually joined a gym, got a trainer with decades of experience, and have seen crazy newbie gains in the past four months. he just told me to stay offline and ask any of the experienced trainers at the gym when i have questions. glad there’s videos like this to cut thru thru the BS if you don’t have access to a good trainer. i’ve never felt happier healthier or prettier and my only regret is not starting sooner!
I'm a person who is naturally interested in science. I enjoy content from creators like Jeff Nippard because he'll go into detail about scientific papers and meta-reviews, and even debunk some bodybuilding myths that have circulated the community for some time. One thing I quickly noticed on his training oriented videos is it boils down to "maybe this is "optimized" but if you put the work in, make sure to incorporate every muscle group, and train to failure, you'll see some good results." So I mostly just watch his diet-oriented videos in order to modify my eating habits to compliment my work in the gym. Lifting is simple, but as a biochemist, I'm aware that diet and nutrition is much more scientifically grounded and those are the avenues where I really like to learn so I can treat my body better after I beat the shit out of it for an hour every day. Personally, the science behind a lot of it is what actually keeps me motivated. If I keep my mind occupied with engaging content that's related to my health goals, it keeps me focused and on-track until I can get into a routine, which is tough with my ADHD. But I'd never go so far as to religiously follow an influencer's "YOU'RE DOING THIS WRONG" crap when I can watch a video of Ronnie Coleman screaming "LIGHT WEIGHT BABY" and doing exactly what the influencer said not to do lol.
Like you said you naturally work it out and get better over time. A lot of that early progress i had with rapidly increasing my lift weights was just learning to train harder and realise how often I still had reps in the tank.
Great video that represents what ALOT of people have been thinking, me included. Fitness has been overcomplicated by "influencers" for the sole reason to stand out from the crowd, so much so that focusing on the basic workouts has become the way to stand out nowadays. When I started my own fitness journey, I got confused and mislead by so many shortcut-inspired routines, with close to zero results. But, when I started to do "just what feels right for ME" the results started coming along too! reason for writing this is just to say, do what works for you. turns out its alot more enjoyable and contributes to consistency. (for me, that is)
Scathing. Based as hell. Man's being the change in the world. The same problem can be found in illustration. It's not complicated, there is no trick, you find and invent ways to draw what you observe.
Excellent video. The fun is learning yourself. I remember seeing new lifters in the gym and giving advice at times. Now, when I see new lifters, I let them get on with it, I remember being that person. If they truly want to get better, they will do the research, just them being there trying is good.
The only three things that matter are effort, consistency and progressive overload. As long as those 3 are taken care of the rest is just trying to make the gym fun, you don't have to stick to basics if you don't want or you can do nothing but basics. You can also be as simple or as complicated as is fun for you, whatever actually gets you back in the gym.
i really think the way you can tell if a "science based" fitness influencer is using "science" to overcomplicate versus simplify and provide insight into how to do movements correctly. Jeff Nippard is a good example of someone who while they do focus on some like nitty gritty things, he never acts like it's something thats insane, its just small things like, "focus on this small form cue to help build this" and mostly targets intermediate to advanced lifters with that kind of advice. Sean Nalewanyj is a great example who just keeps things simple. He never uses science to overcomplicate. And as far as mind muscle connection goes, he often emphasizes how some of these overcomplicated lifts end of faking a mind-muscle connection and how the, MMC for short, can be misleading. He actively states to keep lifts to the basics when your a beginner and slowly improve form. I think there's a distinction to be made between the real science based lifting community and people using science-based lifting as a marketing term.
This was one of my (many) big mistakes when starting, lifting like Mr. Olympia when I’m a noob. Being simple, and consistent has given me the most progress above everything
Perfection is the enemy of progress. Don’t let perfect get in the way of good. Apply this to your exercise and life, and you will go farther than you ever thought you could.
Great video. Spot on, all these trainers often end up paralyzing people into inaction because there is always supposedly a more optimal way of doing something. It's certainly happened to me and many others I know. Also, nice to hear a South African accent!
I started doing posture exercises more and it enhanced my body definition. Scapular pelvic tilt and arched bottoms of the feet are a secret to strength and effortlessly targeting muscle groups. I guess that's why people say their workouts aren't optimal. I used to injury my right arm and finally decided to find out why. And I found out my posture is the cause of my right arm get injury year after year. Now my right is pain free like my left
Thank you. This guy and all his fans are selling an unsafe form of willy nilly reckless training. Very ignorant and simple minded. Who is this guy? What are his credentials?
that's actually so true like I used to do shoulder press with almost 90 degree and I was happy about it and was increasing my weight every week but then I saw many videos that It should be about 75 degree or maybe less but when I actually did this I think I injured my shoulder for the first time
This is something I needed to hear. Haven’t kept a consistent plan because I’m always trying something new out because in reality I’m just not working hard enough and mostly just watching YT videos while working out to find the “best moves”. Seriously thanks for this.
You know, it's easy to agree broadly with this video's main points. Stressing the importance of a mind-muscle connection, being consistent with training, using tried and true movements, and acknowledging that there often is no "best" way to perform any exercise, but writing off science is fucking dumb, and no one with any legitimate cred would disagree with those points. You really have to blame all these influencers who think they understand the science, as well as thinking that they actually understand how to train anyone, but if you think using full ROM on tricep pushdowns is "overextended", I'd love to see how you train anything else. Channel lives up to its name.
i've been into this since a year. what I learnt is 2 things you gotta be conscious about 1. perfect form 2. mind muscle connection probably I'll add more to this list
I was gonna make a joke comment, but instead I will write a very long comment. It is true that getting sets in on all your muscles, preferably through compound movements primarily, and getting those sets close to failure, is what's most important. Doing a fair few sets at a somewhat lower RPE (6-8) and doing more sets if you do a lower RPE will always build muscle as long as you've got the proximity to failure. To increase skill strength, neurological drive, you need to make that muscle more efficient by doing heavy weights more, and probably through a peaking program of a few weeks where you're just adding some weight to the same sets and reps every week.
I think the only science-based bodybuilder/fitness influencer that I really like is Jeff Nippard. he does bring up studies and research to see what exercise seems to be the most efficient, but he never or rarely ever sells any specific exercise as "the" chest/biceps/triceps/back exercise.
I also found myself overanalyzing what I saw in RU-vid videos from would-be professional influencers instead of listening to my own almost 15+ years of training experience. After going back to basics and training like I did in the army without complicating things unnecessarily and listening to my own body & intitution I got massive results again. Don't listen to any nonsense from absolutely superfluous RU-vid influencers who just want to pull your money out of your pocket.
"Listening to your own body and intuition" is infinitely more complicated than any other advice. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. You're stuck at 8 pull ups and you're wondering whether you should go on training 3 times a week or more or less often. What can your "body and intuition" tell you about that? It could all be interpreted either way. And either way it's going to get complicated, because you'll want to track your exercises.
I used to go about it scientifically. It's a good thing to give people tips to start but i have the best workouts now just by feeling what I'm doing and not trying to overcomplicate things.
Thank you, I see so many thumbnails for videos "don't do this exercise, do this instead" it annoys the hell out of me. stimulate the muscle enough to induce hypertrophy, that's all you have to do.
This doesn’t apply to every single influencer who talks about science based training For example Jeff Nippard is a great RU-vidr and has plenty of good information. Just learn to pick the right sources
I’m glad I took strength training back in high school because it really taught me the basics, form and familiarized me with weights. If it wasn’t for that I’d be lost and confused, searching for the perfect routine. I recommend those who are in high school, if there’s a strength course available, to take advantage.
I'm not sure how this even ended up on my feed, as I'm not even remotely engaged with weightlifting or bodybuilding, but I think you've really nailed a broader issue wherein the endless torrent of "optimization content" for *any* passtime really just obstructs people from getting out there and *trying* first.
When I think science-based, I think Jeff Nippard, and he and almost every other major science-based RU-vidrs is pretty spot on and make none of the criticisms you claim. Also learning about muscle growth definitely doesn't take the fun out of it, rather it is a major encouragement, and adds a mental component to an otherwise very physical sport.
@Anon just because you are unintelligent. If you think that's complicated then damn never take an actual exercise science course. Or like anything academic.
Tbh the only "Science based fitness expert" I have really heard of or followed is Sean Nalewanyj, and his entire schtick has pretty much always been to not overcomplicate things and explain how fitness in the end is super simple, and that there really are a few pointers to keep in mind if you want your training to be both safe and effective. Highly recommend him tbh
It's not super simple. If you were even basically educated then you'd understand fitness is one of the most complicated fields of science out there. Take a biomechanics class or a nutrition class. Even a basic anatomy class. You people are all so dumb my god
I think you are overlooking something: Nerds exist. Some people like learning and perfecting something, before doing something, rather than after. This type of behaviour would principally be seen in a library or a school, where they are 'preparing for something (learning) without actually using any of the theory untill you are finished' preferring internal (mental) logical perfection. As someone like this: We are not doing it, because we don't know better. We are doing it because it feels good: It is fun. No offence
DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNN Every time I watch these videos of influencers teaching shit to get likes I have this weird feeling, you took the words right out of my mouth
