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Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Hello,

I'm new to this site, I've just been watching your videos Scott, and I think your youtube channel is the best honestly. I need some help figuring out a good workout split for my specific situation:

My stats:

Age: 16

Height: 5"5 (yup still haven't hit a growth spurt yet)

Weight: 135

Bodyfat%: I think around 14% (caliphers say 12% but I can't even see abs at all yet so I think that's too low)

Goal: Muscle gain

Daily Calories: I'm not good at counting I mainly just track protien and that's it, but I eat about 140g a day, and I eat pretty clean and lots of fruit, vegatables, grains all that stuff.

 

So my goal is to put on a lot of muscle, like 10-15lb and I've been lifting consistantly for about 4 months. I started with a Upper/Lower when I just started, then like a 5 day bro split which thanks to your videos I know isn't the best for me. And then a sort of bodypart/PPL hybrid. Anyway my sitiuation is this: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Chest, and I think also back, grow fairly easily. My biceps/triceps/shoulders are the opposite they grow much slower, but I'm not sure what's wrong with my training. So what I've been doing is:

 

Monday: Legs/Abs

Tuesday: Chest/Back (to use supersets to get the workouts done quicker than straight sets so I don't burn to many calories)

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Arms/Shoulders (I feel like after I do 3 supersets of bis/tris I'm already somewhat tired when I get to the three exercises for shoulders)

Friday: Rest OR Abs/Calves

Saturday: Chest/Back/Abs

Sunday: Arms/Shoulders

 

Hope this was not to long of a post but I wanted to give you as much info to answer this question.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Hello,

I'm new to this site, I've just been watching your videos Scott, and I think your youtube channel is the best honestly. I need some help figuring out a good workout split for my specific situation:

My stats:

Age: 16

Height: 5"5 (yup still haven't hit a growth spurt yet)

Weight: 135

Bodyfat%: I think around 14% (caliphers say 12% but I can't even see abs at all yet so I think that's too low)

Goal: Muscle gain

Daily Calories: I'm not good at counting I mainly just track protien and that's it, but I eat about 140g a day, and I eat pretty clean and lots of fruit, vegatables, grains all that stuff.

 

So my goal is to put on a lot of muscle, like 10-15lb and I've been lifting consistantly for about 4 months. I started with a Upper/Lower when I just started, then like a 5 day bro split which thanks to your videos I know isn't the best for me. And then a sort of bodypart/PPL hybrid. Anyway my sitiuation is this: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Chest, and I think also back, grow fairly easily. My biceps/triceps/shoulders are the opposite they grow much slower, but I'm not sure what's wrong with my training. So what I've been doing is:

 

Monday: Legs/Abs

Tuesday: Chest/Back (to use supersets to get the workouts done quicker than straight sets so I don't burn to many calories)

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Arms/Shoulders (I feel like after I do 3 supersets of bis/tris I'm already somewhat tired when I get to the three exercises for shoulders)

Friday: Rest OR Abs/Calves

Saturday: Chest/Back/Abs

Sunday: Arms/Shoulders

 

Hope this was not to long of a post but I wanted to give you as much info to answer this question.

Hey @Vect0rs, thanks for the kind words, glad you like the videos!!

 

Honestly the first thing I see here is that you don't really track calories.. and that can be a mjor problem. You're only 16, you need to be eating HEAPS and ALL THE TIME lol. That might sound a bit over the top but to make the most of these years you really do need to eat like you're always starving. Have you got an Android phone so you can download my app and use the meal planner from the @mealplan page to track things daily?

 

Also, have you been to the @mealplan page on the site to calculate your BMR and get an idea of how many calories you need/what your macros should be? You don't have to track forever.. but you need to be able to know that you are getting enough calories to grow.. otherwise you're guessing and cutting yourself short on the progress you could be making. You need to be eating at least 250-500 calories ABOVE your BMR.. and at your age it could be more like 500-1000 depending on your metabolism.

 

I think you have the right idea with your split.. but I suggest going with a straight PPL split so that you end up hitting legs twice a week as well.. you don't want them to end up falling behind everything else right? Plus this way you can train chest and back seperately which kind of means you end up training arms every other day (apart from during your leg workouts/rest days). Have you thought about trying my 12 week PPL split? http://muscularstrength.com/Push-Pull-Legs

 

Let me know what you think and what you get from the @mealplan page :-)

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Thanks for the suggestions Scott. I tried using the BMR calculator, but I'm confused, which BMR number do I add the 500 calories to BMR at rest or BMR in Motion?

I downloaded your app, but for both your 12 week PPL split it cost money, as does the meal plan. I have a free app that you can use to track that stuff. I will start doing that, but I think that's not the issue because I'm clearly putting on muscle pretty much everywhere else, including the arms/shoulders, just not very much specifically there. Which is why I think the main issue probably must be related to the way I'm training those areas.

 

Also so looking at the free part of the PPL program, I have a lot of questions lol.

 

1. Do you do a warmup set for each exercise, or do you go directly into the first heavy set?

 

2. Isn't going to such low reps such as 3 or 4 more of a powerlifting thing? I thought for hypertrophy the rep range is normally somewhere between as low as 6 to as high as 12 reps?

 

3. Is there a reason for the order of the exercises, like going from a chest exercise to a shoulder exercise to a tricep exercise to another Chest exercise etc... vs doing all of the chest exercises first, then all the tricep ones, and then the shoulder ones?

 

4. What do you think about facepulls? They seem to be more effective than reverse flyes to hit the posterior deltoids?

 

5. How often do you change the exercises or use a different variation of an exercise, every 3 weeks, when you seem to be stuck at a certain weight, or how do you decide?

 

6. Rest between sets is always been confusing to me, some people say rest 1-2 min, some say less than 1 min, and your program there is a combination, so how does resting 30sec vs resting 2m make a difference?

 

7. When for example the rep range is 8-10, does that mean whatever weight you are using you should be failing within that rep range, or being close to failure, and do forced reps (like a spotter helping you on the concentric portion of the movement) count?

 

8. I am also wondering isn't there a law of dimishing returns, so that like after each set you are getting less out of it, so why do you recommend to do like 4 or 5 sets of the same exercise, don't you get little out of the 4th and 5th set?

 

9. Finally do you mean that I do PPL then a rest day, then repeat these 4 days continously? So like it ends up being 5-6 workouts per week? And on a rest day, can you throw in like a shorter workout to do some extra work for like abs/calves/forearms if you want to, or do you have to just do no exercise on rest days?

 

I know this is a ton of questions, but I haven't really found the answer to any of these questions anywhere so I'm hoping you can give me some advice regarding these topics.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Thanks for the suggestions Scott. I tried using the BMR calculator, but I'm confused, which BMR number do I add the 500 calories to BMR at rest or BMR in Motion?

I downloaded your app, but for both your 12 week PPL split it cost money, as does the meal plan. I have a free app that you can use to track that stuff. I will start doing that, but I think that's not the issue because I'm clearly putting on muscle pretty much everywhere else, including the arms/shoulders, just not very much specifically there. Which is why I think the main issue probably must be related to the way I'm training those areas.

 

Also so looking at the free part of the PPL program, I have a lot of questions lol.

 

1. Do you do a warmup set for each exercise, or do you go directly into the first heavy set?

 

2. Isn't going to such low reps such as 3 or 4 more of a powerlifting thing? I thought for hypertrophy the rep range is normally somewhere between as low as 6 to as high as 12 reps?

 

3. Is there a reason for the order of the exercises, like going from a chest exercise to a shoulder exercise to a tricep exercise to another Chest exercise etc... vs doing all of the chest exercises first, then all the tricep ones, and then the shoulder ones?

 

4. What do you think about facepulls? They seem to be more effective than reverse flyes to hit the posterior deltoids?

 

5. How often do you change the exercises or use a different variation of an exercise, every 3 weeks, when you seem to be stuck at a certain weight, or how do you decide?

 

6. Rest between sets is always been confusing to me, some people say rest 1-2 min, some say less than 1 min, and your program there is a combination, so how does resting 30sec vs resting 2m make a difference?

 

7. When for example the rep range is 8-10, does that mean whatever weight you are using you should be failing within that rep range, or being close to failure, and do forced reps (like a spotter helping you on the concentric portion of the movement) count?

 

8. I am also wondering isn't there a law of dimishing returns, so that like after each set you are getting less out of it, so why do you recommend to do like 4 or 5 sets of the same exercise, don't you get little out of the 4th and 5th set?

 

9. Finally do you mean that I do PPL then a rest day, then repeat these 4 days continously? So like it ends up being 5-6 workouts per week? And on a rest day, can you throw in like a shorter workout to do some extra work for like abs/calves/forearms if you want to, or do you have to just do no exercise on rest days?

 

I know this is a ton of questions, but I haven't really found the answer to any of these questions anywhere so I'm hoping you can give me some advice regarding these topics.

You should be eating in a surplus above your BMR in motion - that is the calories you burn on days you workout. On days you don't workout, you can cut it back a bit, but not too much.

 

Yes the programs cost a Platinum membership.. $7.99 per month and you can get your first month free with the promocode FREEFITNESS if you decide to upgrade 😊 

 

For your questions...

 

1. ALWAYS warm-up before ANY workout. But you don't have to do a warm-up set for each exercise. Just the first one for the muscle group generally.

 

2. The low numbers are for your compound first, which is focused on building strength.. if you check out the entire program you will see.

 

3. Going from one body part to another like that allows you a bit more recovery time to hit the next exercise for a given muscle group as hard as possible.

 

4. Facepulls are great too.. obviously I can't include every single exercise every in one program.. lol.

 

5. If you do the full 12 week program, you can follow the calendar. There is a given structure for how it works.

 

6. Shorter rest periods give the muscle less time to recover. You need to break down muscle in order for it to grow back bigger and stronger. Shorter rest periods can make the muscle break down process 'easier'.

 

7. You should go about 1-2 reps shy of failure. So aim for 10, but 8 or 9 reps is OK, for example.

 

8. That's not true at all. If that were the case you would go to the gym, do one set on the bench press and then leave because everything else is worse after that... doesn't make sense. You need to breakdown the muscle for it to grow, like I already said. That happens when you keep putting the muscle under strain by lifting weights, making it contract etc.

 

9. Sign up for Platinum and you can follow along with the program, get the calendar, and see how it's structured. That's the way it is my friend 😊 

 

Hope that all helps!

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Hi Scott thanks for your answers. I will consider upgrading ;). Some of those questions were not just specifically about your program or any other specific PPL workout, I meant in general regardless of the program. So here are the questions I'm still unclear about:

 

1. So even if your goal is to maximize muscle gain you still want to incoporate lower rep ranges for compound exercises to build strength? So you don't recommend to like stick to the hypertrophy range for a certain amount of time, and then completely switch to lower rep range for strength for a certain amount of time, and basically alternate (periodization), instead use low reps for compound exercises like Bench, Squat, Deadlift etc... and stick to higher reps for isolation exercises?

 

2. So regardless of which PPL program, how do you decide when to switch exercises or switch to a different variation? For example take my Chest & Back workout I've been doing:

 

(All exercises 6-10 rep range, and 3-4 sets)

 

Superset:

Flat Barbell Bench Press

Lat Pulldown (wide grip)

 

Superset:

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Bent over rows

 

Superset:

Decline Bench Press

Seated Row

 

So when would you for example switch Flat Barbell Bench Press with let's say the dumbbell variation, or something else, if you were stuck at a certain weight, just every 3 weeks, or how do you decide?

 

3. And again regardless of which PPL program you could do PPL then a rest day, then repeat those 4 days continously? So like it ends up being 5-6 workouts per week? And on a rest day, can you throw in like a shorter workout to do some extra work for like abs/calves/forearms if you want to, or do you have to just do no exercise on rest days?

 

4. Also I'm wondering what do you think is a good amount of volume if the goal is to maximize muscle growth. For example I've heard from several people, "9 sets per muscle group per workout, and a total of 18 sets in one week". (So like 2 workouts for each muscle and 9 sets in each workout for each muscle. But some programs like yours for example has 16 sets for one muscle like chest in one workout. So are these 9 and 18 numbers not really true, and would you suggest doing like 16 sets per muscle group or what? Does it depend if it's a larger muscle group like chest or a smaller one like biceps?

 

5. Do you recommend to use supersets, so that way you save time and you burn less calories since the workout is shorter? And since I'm switching to a PPL workout if I was to use a superset it would be not antagonist muscles like chest and back it would be for example like a Chest exercise and a tricep exercise which would mean the triceps would be pre-exhasted since they likely would be used in the chest exercise.

 

6. I'm not sure if this is the right way to think about this, but if let's say your doing Triceps; do you want to have like an exercise to hit every part of the muscle, like one exercise to hit the long head, one exercise to hit the lateral head, one exercise to hit the medial head, and one exercise to hit all three, or do you just do like 2 exercises to hit all of them/2 of them, and then maybe just one isolation to hit let's say the long head if that's what's lagging for you? I ask because some people say you need to target each specific part of a muscle when your working on it, and some people say just do all compound exercises maybe 1 isolation exercise?

 

7. And finally (lol I have so many questions that come up when I watch your videos or someone elses or whenever I read something), what is your opionon about other youtubers (from the point of view of wiether their advice is helpful or useless) specifically like Athlean-X, Steve Cook, Mike Thurston, and Vitruvian Physique? Because as you mention there are many youtubers who pretend to be natural and give advice which won't work for natty's necessarily? I'm not an expert but I think most of these guys are natty's but especially like Steve Cook it's hard to say, either he is super gentically gifted or if he is not natty.

 

Thanks Scott, I don't really know anyone else who I can ask this stuff lol.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Hi Scott thanks for your answers. I will consider upgrading ;). Some of those questions were not just specifically about your program or any other specific PPL workout, I meant in general regardless of the program. So here are the questions I'm still unclear about:

 

1. So even if your goal is to maximize muscle gain you still want to incoporate lower rep ranges for compound exercises to build strength? So you don't recommend to like stick to the hypertrophy range for a certain amount of time, and then completely switch to lower rep range for strength for a certain amount of time, and basically alternate (periodization), instead use low reps for compound exercises like Bench, Squat, Deadlift etc... and stick to higher reps for isolation exercises?

 

2. So regardless of which PPL program, how do you decide when to switch exercises or switch to a different variation? For example take my Chest & Back workout I've been doing:

 

(All exercises 6-10 rep range, and 3-4 sets)

 

Superset:

Flat Barbell Bench Press

Lat Pulldown (wide grip)

 

Superset:

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Bent over rows

 

Superset:

Decline Bench Press

Seated Row

 

So when would you for example switch Flat Barbell Bench Press with let's say the dumbbell variation, or something else, if you were stuck at a certain weight, just every 3 weeks, or how do you decide?

 

3. And again regardless of which PPL program you could do PPL then a rest day, then repeat those 4 days continously? So like it ends up being 5-6 workouts per week? And on a rest day, can you throw in like a shorter workout to do some extra work for like abs/calves/forearms if you want to, or do you have to just do no exercise on rest days?

 

4. Also I'm wondering what do you think is a good amount of volume if the goal is to maximize muscle growth. For example I've heard from several people, "9 sets per muscle group per workout, and a total of 18 sets in one week". (So like 2 workouts for each muscle and 9 sets in each workout for each muscle. But some programs like yours for example has 16 sets for one muscle like chest in one workout. So are these 9 and 18 numbers not really true, and would you suggest doing like 16 sets per muscle group or what? Does it depend if it's a larger muscle group like chest or a smaller one like biceps?

 

5. Do you recommend to use supersets, so that way you save time and you burn less calories since the workout is shorter? And since I'm switching to a PPL workout if I was to use a superset it would be not antagonist muscles like chest and back it would be for example like a Chest exercise and a tricep exercise which would mean the triceps would be pre-exhasted since they likely would be used in the chest exercise.

 

6. I'm not sure if this is the right way to think about this, but if let's say your doing Triceps; do you want to have like an exercise to hit every part of the muscle, like one exercise to hit the long head, one exercise to hit the lateral head, one exercise to hit the medial head, and one exercise to hit all three, or do you just do like 2 exercises to hit all of them/2 of them, and then maybe just one isolation to hit let's say the long head if that's what's lagging for you? I ask because some people say you need to target each specific part of a muscle when your working on it, and some people say just do all compound exercises maybe 1 isolation exercise?

 

7. And finally (lol I have so many questions that come up when I watch your videos or someone elses or whenever I read something), what is your opionon about other youtubers (from the point of view of wiether their advice is helpful or useless) specifically like Athlean-X, Steve Cook, Mike Thurston, and Vitruvian Physique? Because as you mention there are many youtubers who pretend to be natural and give advice which won't work for natty's necessarily? I'm not an expert but I think most of these guys are natty's but especially like Steve Cook it's hard to say, either he is super gentically gifted or if he is not natty.

 

Thanks Scott, I don't really know anyone else who I can ask this stuff lol.

Hey man.. some of these questions can be answered if you follow the program.. it's structured to give you results, and once you see the structure, you'll get an idea of what kind of training works. Obviously it can work in other ways.. but why not just take out the guess work and start one of the programs? 😊 

 

1. Yes it's good to mix low reps and high reps. That way you get the best of both worlds. You can do pure strength training or pure hypertrophy training.. but it's good to have some heavy training involved and it makes sense for that to be your compounds.

 

2. You switch when you stop seeing results - generally every 8-12 weeks. Doesn't have to be a complete overhaul.. just changing exercise order or training days can help.

 

3. Yes and yes to both parts of this question.

 

4. Depends on the person. Different people will respond differently to certain amounts of volume. Also depends if you are eating enough (obviosuly that is key). Smaller muscles like biceps and triceps don't need as much volume as bigger muscles like back or legs. The amount of volume in the program is perfect 😁 

 

5. Supersets are great! I love doing supersets, and you can do them either way - chest and back or chest and tricep supersets work fine.

 

6. Yes- the tricep has three heads, and while you can do something like a close-grip bench press which pretty much hits all three heads, it's good to do some other variations to make sure you cover each head as individually as you can (while you can't specifically target just one head, you can place more emphasis on the different heads). Depends if you are bodybuilding (going for separation/definition) or just pure mass.

 

7. I have many opinions on many YouTubers.. some are good, some aren't so good. If you watch my videos on steroids you can start to learn what to look for when it comes to an un-natural physique.. but if people are giving good quality info (both natural and un-natural athletes - and not claiming natural), and are giving advce that can work for anyone, then no problems 😊 

 

Hope that helps!

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Hey Scott thanks for the reply.

 

I saw your new videos where you mention that to build muscle on the chest that the dumbbell bench press is the better than the barbell bench press, so my question is then why do you recommend barbell bench press in your push pull legs program? Also in the second month you say to do the Barbell Pin-Press but my gym doesn't have that piece of equipement so what should I substitute it with? Incline bench? Lastly if my gym does have a piece of equipement but it is being used do you just swap that exercise out with a similiar exercise or do you go to the next exercise and come back to that one later?

 

And the other big question I have, is if I'm doing in one week P/L/P/rest/P/L/P it ends up being in total for the whole week about:

 

32 sets for chest

36 sets for back

18 sets for Biceps

18 sets for triceps

20 sets for shoulders

18 sets for hams (not counting squats)

20 sets for quads (not counting squats)

 

even for a higher volume workouts isn't this a bit too much? By the time I get to the last 1 or 2 exercises I can't put in the same level of effort as earlier, maybe it's just the shorter rest times as my split before this was also a lot of volume. Should I lower the number of sets a bit and after a few weeks get to the number that's in your program or what?

 

Also one other thing concerning volume, is there any reason that you do for example two shoulder exercises for 5 sets each, rather than 3-4 exercises 3 sets each? Basically what I am asking is what is the difference or pro/con of doing more exercises less sets/ vs fewer exercises but more sets of each?

 

Thanks Scott.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Hey Scott thanks for the reply.

 

I saw your new videos where you mention that to build muscle on the chest that the dumbbell bench press is the better than the barbell bench press, so my question is then why do you recommend barbell bench press in your push pull legs program? Also in the second month you say to do the Barbell Pin-Press but my gym doesn't have that piece of equipement so what should I substitute it with? Incline bench? Lastly if my gym does have a piece of equipement but it is being used do you just swap that exercise out with a similiar exercise or do you go to the next exercise and come back to that one later?

 

And the other big question I have, is if I'm doing in one week P/L/P/rest/P/L/P it ends up being in total for the whole week about:

 

32 sets for chest

36 sets for back

18 sets for Biceps

18 sets for triceps

20 sets for shoulders

18 sets for hams (not counting squats)

20 sets for quads (not counting squats)

 

even for a higher volume workouts isn't this a bit too much? By the time I get to the last 1 or 2 exercises I can't put in the same level of effort as earlier, maybe it's just the shorter rest times as my split before this was also a lot of volume. Should I lower the number of sets a bit and after a few weeks get to the number that's in your program or what?

 

Also one other thing concerning volume, is there any reason that you do for example two shoulder exercises for 5 sets each, rather than 3-4 exercises 3 sets each? Basically what I am asking is what is the difference or pro/con of doing more exercises less sets/ vs fewer exercises but more sets of each?

 

Thanks Scott.

@Vect0rs I actually just answered a similar comment someone else asked as to why the barbell bench press was in the PPL program haha. And the reason is because part of the goal with the PPL program is to build STRENGTH in your compound movements. That's why there is the reverse pyramid rep scheme, and that is why you use the barbell bench instead of the dumbbell bench - as I mentioned in the video, the barbell is better if you are going for pure strength.

 

Does your gym have a squat rack with safety bars? If not, I suggest just doing pause reps as if you had rack there. You'll have to lower the weight from what you normally do, and maybe get a spotter in case you end up gettings stuck towards the end of your sets.

 

High volume builds muscle. However, if you actually follow the PPL split on the site.. it doesn't add up to that much anyway.

 

It's not about how many different exercises you do.. it's about how much total volume you can do. For the program I found that two exercises was enough so long as the total volume was still there. Remember that with a pressing movement for the shoulders, you're pretty much hitting all three heads then and there.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Hey Scott thanks for all the answers. I finally understand that stuff.

 

Anyway I have a few things I came across that I don't understand:

 

1. What do you think about Upright Rows? If you look it up lots of people say that it causes shoulder impingment, especially (you probably already know), Athlean-X, in at least 2 videos he mentions how bad that exercise is. Yet another of the youtubers I watch is Steve Cook and he says that it's perfectly fine as long as you don't have a pre-exsisting shoulder injury. On the other hand he has had some injuries so I'm not sure if he is the best person to listen to in regards of being injury free... On your channel I don't see anything about that, just one video about how to do an Upright row. So is the upright row bad for everyone, only for people with previous shoulder injuries, is there some specific variation that is better than others (like some people saying to not go above your chest and using a wider grip), and in general do you think it's effective and if not what other options would be effictive instead of that exercise?

 

2. My second question is about leg extensions, once again not as much but plenty of people (once again Athlean-X) saying it's not very effictive and not a good way to train Quads, so would you suggest to ditch this exercise, in place of Leg Press/Hack Squats/Bulgarian Split Squats/Lunges, or continue using it?

 

3. I haven't really done lunges at all, but am thinking of adding that as one of my quad isolation exercises, however there is so many variations (barbell, dumbbell, reverse lunge etc...), so in terms of most effictive for putting on muscle and also avoiding putting unnecasary strain on your knees, which variation is the best?

 

Lastly this is not a question, but I have a suggestion for videos, I really liked the versus series, but I think another good idea might be if you compared like the different variations of exercises, for example comparing: Seated dumbbell overhead press, standing dumbbell overhead press, seated barbell overhead press, standing barbell overhead press (I know this was already covered but I just mean as an example, or like my question on lunges above).

 

Thanks Scott, and I know how in your videos you always say more good stuff coming soon, so I will say, "more good questions coming soon" :)

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Hey Scott thanks for all the answers. I finally understand that stuff.

 

Anyway I have a few things I came across that I don't understand:

 

1. What do you think about Upright Rows? If you look it up lots of people say that it causes shoulder impingment, especially (you probably already know), Athlean-X, in at least 2 videos he mentions how bad that exercise is. Yet another of the youtubers I watch is Steve Cook and he says that it's perfectly fine as long as you don't have a pre-exsisting shoulder injury. On the other hand he has had some injuries so I'm not sure if he is the best person to listen to in regards of being injury free... On your channel I don't see anything about that, just one video about how to do an Upright row. So is the upright row bad for everyone, only for people with previous shoulder injuries, is there some specific variation that is better than others (like some people saying to not go above your chest and using a wider grip), and in general do you think it's effective and if not what other options would be effictive instead of that exercise?

 

2. My second question is about leg extensions, once again not as much but plenty of people (once again Athlean-X) saying it's not very effictive and not a good way to train Quads, so would you suggest to ditch this exercise, in place of Leg Press/Hack Squats/Bulgarian Split Squats/Lunges, or continue using it?

 

3. I haven't really done lunges at all, but am thinking of adding that as one of my quad isolation exercises, however there is so many variations (barbell, dumbbell, reverse lunge etc...), so in terms of most effictive for putting on muscle and also avoiding putting unnecasary strain on your knees, which variation is the best?

 

Lastly this is not a question, but I have a suggestion for videos, I really liked the versus series, but I think another good idea might be if you compared like the different variations of exercises, for example comparing: Seated dumbbell overhead press, standing dumbbell overhead press, seated barbell overhead press, standing barbell overhead press (I know this was already covered but I just mean as an example, or like my question on lunges above).

 

Thanks Scott, and I know how in your videos you always say more good stuff coming soon, so I will say, "more good questions coming soon" :)

1. Jeff is not the be-all and end-all of fitness information.. if you do any exercise wrong, it will cause injuries. Upright rows have been around for years, and people have done them without issues so long as they are done properly. If you have a current injury which is made worse by upright rows (even when performing them correctly), then there are other exercises you can do for your traps.

 

2. Again, if done properly, there is nothing wrong with leg extensions. However, there may be some better options. Check my video below.

 

3. I wouldn't really go for lunges as a quad focused exercise.. lunges are quads, glutes and hamstrings.. I would go for any of the exercises I mention in the video below.

 

Thanks for the suggestion - I actually do compare the variations in those videos too.. just like that one you mentioned but yeah, I will keep it in mind 😊 

 

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Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Hi Scott. I spent 25 min trying to post something and it appeared as usual, but the next day the post was gone?

Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

I will try posting this again:

 

Hi Scott I have several new questions:

1. What is your opionon on workout length? Your workouts take about 90 min in total including a 10 min warmup and like 5 minutes of stretching at the end. Is that how long it's supposed to take? I've heard that after about 50 min your coristol levels go up which leads to more muscle breakdown, but not the "good kind". Is this true and would you suggest to do a few less sets so that way I can finish the workout in more like 60-70min max?

 

2. How much weight should I be gaining every two weeks? What I mean is right now I'm at about 142 lb (gained 6-7 pounds in last month while keeping about the same body fat percentage so probably doing something right lol) so when I check weight/bodyfat etc... if I'm doing everything right how much should my weight be going up?

 

3. Finally I need help with your favorite exercise the overhead tricep extension. My gym doesn't have any benches short enough to do that on, and if I just do it on a flat bench even with low weight my back with try to arch and it's obviously not good. What would be your suggestion for this problem, do them standing, or maybe with cables or what?

 

 

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Hi Scott. I spent 25 min trying to post something and it appeared as usual, but the next day the post was gone?

I like to always copy and paste what I have written in case it dissapears. But if you posted something and I replied, you should have an email with my response? If not, you'll probably have to try and post something similar again 😐 Sorry about that.

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Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

I will try posting this again:

 

Hi Scott I have several new questions:

1. What is your opionon on workout length? Your workouts take about 90 min in total including a 10 min warmup and like 5 minutes of stretching at the end. Is that how long it's supposed to take? I've heard that after about 50 min your coristol levels go up which leads to more muscle breakdown, but not the "good kind". Is this true and would you suggest to do a few less sets so that way I can finish the workout in more like 60-70min max?

 

2. How much weight should I be gaining every two weeks? What I mean is right now I'm at about 142 lb (gained 6-7 pounds in last month while keeping about the same body fat percentage so probably doing something right lol) so when I check weight/bodyfat etc... if I'm doing everything right how much should my weight be going up?

 

3. Finally I need help with your favorite exercise the overhead tricep extension. My gym doesn't have any benches short enough to do that on, and if I just do it on a flat bench even with low weight my back with try to arch and it's obviously not good. What would be your suggestion for this problem, do them standing, or maybe with cables or what?

 

 

Ah yeah I definitely replied to the first question about workout length. So you should have all my reponses in your email if you didn't delete it? For the other questions..

 

2. How much you gain will depend on how long you have been lifting. If you're a newbie, 1-2lbs every 2 weeks. If you've been training for a few years now, maybe around 0.5-1lb every two weeks for a good lean bulk. If you pile on the weight too fast there's a good chance a lot of it will be unnecessary fat.

 

3. I think I answered this too.. but a slight arch is OK, just so long as it's not excessive. Keep your core tight to minimze the arch and make sure you are only using your triceps for the movement. But you can also try the skull crushers like I showed in my last video!

 

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Vect0rs
Vect0rs g Ben Unknown
133 Post(s)
133 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: October 10, 2017
Posted

Okay thanks Scott I got the email. A trainer told me that not counting warmup or stretching (well or abs training), that if you are lifting for over 45min that your coristol levels rise and leads to the bad type of muscle break down, and the trainer said that's why they don't even have sessions for longer than 50min even if you asked for a long session because studies have shown that. Show is this all bs or...?

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Vect0rs

Okay thanks Scott I got the email. A trainer told me that not counting warmup or stretching (well or abs training), that if you are lifting for over 45min that your coristol levels rise and leads to the bad type of muscle break down, and the trainer said that's why they don't even have sessions for longer than 50min even if you asked for a long session because studies have shown that. Show is this all bs or...?

It's not true at all. There is a point where long long training sessions aren't the best, but you can easily train over 45 minutes without it hurting your muscle growth. So long as you are eating right and getting enough rest for recovery, you'll be fine. I would say 60-90 minutes is a general workout time, and keep in mind that is usually training more than one body part.

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