Also a SS/Stronglift classic: Still not squatting 3 plates and you keep stalling? Forget getting on an intermediate program, deload 10% of the weight and start daily jumps again until you get that weight. If that doesn't work, throw in a gallon of milk.
@@Galuche1L1U To be fair, those are beginners programmes, so a degree of coaxing and nannying is supportive and safer for someone who might lack confidence or not understand that being a bit sore the next day is actually part of the process. I've often gone back to 5x5 to start up after a long break but I ignore the deload since I already know I can lift the weight but a newbie doesnt have the same confidence.
I worked at a moving company over the summer. when I started I thought I was all kinds of hot sh** because I had made a ton of gains over the winter doing SS and texas method. my first day kicked my ass so hard I was considering quitting on day 3, I remember getting home after my first day lasting 12 hours and eating a huge plate of leftover rice and then passed out in the bathtub. I pushed through it though, and by the end of the summer I hadn't lifted in the gym more than two times but I was stronger and more fit than when I started. I remember realizing how heavy a hundred pounds really was when it wasn't in the shape of a barbell, how a dresser made you contort your spine in weird angles when going down a flight of stairs, or how the best way to carry a recliner was to carry it over my head. I would have thought for certain before I started that it would send anyone straight to snap city after a few times doing it, but there i was, moving 7000 pounds of furniture every day for 6 days a week. Alan is right, the body is crazy adaptable. And people need to realize that there is more to being strong than just the big three lifts. Stuff gets a LOT heavier and form breaks down very quickly when it isn't conveniently made into a 28mm knurled steel deadlifting bar.
@@swansong5960 exactly. Lifting weights is a LUXURY! When you have no option to back out of moving that 8 foot tall 300 pound armouire whos screws are all stripped out. Yea, sucks all the fun out of it.
I got run out of the gym at about 18 years old. Looking back I was on a good path but this old man came in and rode me so hard about my poor squatting technique that I got scared and dipped. Planned on hiring a coach and getting back into fitness but didn't because I couldn't afford a coach at the time. Years later I'm finally back at it and I've learned my form really wasn't that bad.
That shit really pisses me off. Back when I was still in the army and trained at 24 hr fitness we encouraged everyone to go to the gym and one day we had a kid come with us and was just going around and trying things out. This one dude (that was not part of our group) was mocking him and the kid got depressed and almost left, when we all saw what was going on we just followed that dude around and out lifted him on everything always saying how light it was and how only pussies lifted that light.....dude got mad and finally left. Point is, it doesn’t matter where you start, only where you finish. Not everyone will go out and deadlift 700 and many don’t want to. I’m glad you’re back at it my man. Fuck that dude. I have two boys now that are 8 and 12 and both those boys come to the gym with me all the time and I always make it a point to yell and encourage and make it seem that their lifts are awesome and that they will be the strongest man in the world done day. If people lifted more people up instead of putting people down this world would be much better off.
@@Asymmetrical.athlete_ people mostly need to mind their business. I'm in far worse shape now because of his "advice". Glad to hear about your boys, I'm sure they're beasts 👊
I bet you'll find some friendly people at the gym. We all start with room for improvement and try to get better or sometimes just hold on. Training at home is also good, especially these days. A York 15 pound technique bar and a few light bumper plates are a good start and easy to manage at home. Or even just a kettle bell. The biggest difference is just doing something. Cheers mate!
@@BluegillGreg Gym I do my lifting (when I'm not doing it in the garage) doesn't usually have the assholes in question in the original comment. Actually gotten some of advice on things I've been doing ever since they told me it. Best example I can think of is the thumb placement when doing triceps work. Never hit me before guy told me.
I lifted in the 80s. Today many of the ideas we were taught are now considered wrong. I still have wrecked elbows. Back then army bootcamp mentality ruled. "Old men" never knew how to manage anyone other than the army way because thats all they had experienced ww1, ww2, korea, vietnam. In the 80s the dictator coach was seen as god like. Just because someone owns a gym or works in one doesnt mean they know what they are doing. Just like because someone owns a golf or tennis shop means they can play golf or tennis. Today when I visit gyms all I see are some college kid coach whose job is to sell membership. Thank god for yt. Also it sounds like you cannot take criticism. Dont like the advice dont take it. Just go elsewhere.
Idk if Alan has a degree, but he is a great example how knowledge can come from passion and experience just as well as in a book. Great human being right there.
I think it is important to note that pain DOES NOT equal injury. Typically injury has something to do with something being "wrong" whereas pain isn't always explainable with physiological reason. But great video Alan! Generally speaking I see that the fitness industry i greatly undereducated on this topic. So it is great that you spread solid advise on your large platform
I stopped working out due to injury. I got written a plan and due to covid I could not be physically coached. My coach said to run the plan at home by myself see how I feel. I have not felt injury. I perform my technique the same exact way. The only difference is that I have someone who wrote a plan specified to me personally. No shilling just my experience on how bad programming/intensity could be the main culprit.
I love how you put sense in these topics! There are too many sources that are overcomplicating the basic stuff which makes any beginner (myself included) to overthink and feel insecure to even start training. The most important thing should be to get your ass off the sofa and start training, the rest will follow eventually.
Epic video tbh, my take away message. It's okay to not be perfect. Don't be scared to try, you'll get better the more you do. Just don't be too enthusiastic and do too much if you're not ready for it.
This is one of the most-needed videos for RUclips fitness. Everyone share it in comments, especially in stupid places newbies go like AthleanX, celebrity workouts, etc.
good video. a friend of mine started lifting before i did and became so obsessed over technique and muscle imbalances that he ended up stopping going to the gym altogether because it was mashing his head up. Meantime i've just got on with the program i do and slowly improved consistently, muscle imbalances are working themselves out and my technique has steadily improved through reps and trial and error with different cues.
In cycling, when left/right imbalances started being measured, naturally attempts were made to correct these. It worked, but overall power output decreased consistently. Asymetry is not a weakness.
definitely, in swimming the best freestylers in the world have some imbalances in their back and shoulders because they have a rhythm that is not even on both sides. They would not be as fast as they are without these imbalances
Those fucking Vector pedals were just cancer. I’ve focused way too hard on the numbers in the past on the bike, it’s a useful number but it doesn’t win races. Ironically!!!
@@stoempert no, one of the best ANALYSIS TOOLS. FTP is a theoretical limit. Friel had a calculation method that doesn’t work for all people.... funnily enough, the training max from the power lifting world has similar issues. Ultimately, you are chasing your tail with such high levels of analysis because your task is to maximise performance and your brain does that automatically. If your idea of fun is sitting on FTP for an hour... well fuck that. Renaissance Periodisation just had a video on imbalances- you have to stop training the strong side to get symmetrical results. If Usain Bolt was assymetrical then we need to acknowledge that chasing such things isn’t important. You need to move fast, not evenly.
@@Xplora213 For prolonged, sub-max efforts you're brain really isn't that good in maximizing performance. A power meter is a great pacing tool. If FTP were that inaccurate i don't think all the pro's would be using it, even in-race. RE the L/R imbalances i agree. Just like 'fixing' people's leg length discrepancies with shims and such is mostly unnecessary or may even lead to adverse effects.
I trained for over a year and a half and I was completely in fear of everything. Had to always be “perfect” and record everything. Overwhelming myself with deadlift videos from you and anyone else who made one. Ever since covid and my home gym, I’ve made more progress in the last 12 weeks than ever. Heavy metal and no people probably helps me. Thanks for this video.
I’m a psychologist who specializes in dealing with people with chronic pain and acquired disabilities. What Alan has said in this video is video is spot on.
People told me my squat and dead for was incorrect and I didn’t back down. I was following the SS linear progression and using the same techniques. Just because a random ass guy says your technique is wrong doesn’t mean it bad. Thanks Allen good message
A freaking beast, i also came on the IG of a "disabled" athlete sorry i don't know if there is a better way to say it in english, just bench pressing 485lbs for 3 reps legless, inspirational !!
I always appreciate your no-nonsense approach to training. At the very least, I come away from your videos with something to actually think about instead of just a sermon.
Thank you I needed this video. I had this paralysis by analysis syndrome obsessing over my squat and dl form recording myself wondering why its not perfect. I'm just gonna get in there and do it.
As a physical therapist, I am overjoyed by the messages in this video; pain is so complex/subjective that it does not always correlate with specific physical impairments or even radiological findings. More often than not, folks will see improvements in pain just from just general exercise, modifying load and addressing/overcoming their fear of movement. Great stuff! Expectation plays a huge role in pain and I’d invite anyone to check out “Individual Expectation: An Overlooked, but Pertinent, Factor in the Treatment of Individuals Experiencing Musculoskeletal Pain” by Bialosky et al from 2010 for more on that.
I agree, I think acute spikes in training load is definately a risk for injury. I lifted for 1.5 injury-free, then the gyms closed for several months and when they opened again I started training 3x per week again and got injured for the first time from lifting, glute pain, I guess piriformis pain.
@@martinshoosterman There are benefits to going to a chiropractor. Its not an end all be all but it can help. I had issues with my low back catching. Chiropractor took about 3 sessions over 3 weeks of moving it into position as well as me doing strength drills to help keep it there and I was completely pain free. In fact after the very first session it was immediately fixed. Only problem was it would move back out of place which is the only reason I needed more than one session and to work on strengthening the muscles around it again. until my body adapted to the new position and started holding it right. Basically though for under 80$ i fixed my back that had been bothering me for months at that point.
@@ah7027 sounds like the muscle was stiff and you just needed a massage. Then the chiropractor convinced you to get extra sessions because of some mumbo jumbo, just so he could get paid more.
Terrific viewpoints. These are some of the reasons I became disillusioned with "corrective exercise" as a personal trainer. I did do that "I'm gonna need to see more hip mobility before we can work with the barbell squat" thing with a guy once. Dude was a prick and I admit, maybe that affected my choice to be that way. He later stopped coming to our training facility and joined a crossfit gym where.....he injured his back. I take no joy in that, but....i guess we all failed that day.
This the most important video for people to watch. As a physical therapist I talk about this with my athletes on a daily basis. Preach on, brother in iron!
Listening to you speak is one of the most calming things ever. I'm always second guessing myself and having a rational voice to take some of the bullshit down a notch is so helpful. Thanks.
This is an excellent Video. The section where he mentions how a coach's advice can greatly alter the mindset of the athlete, is very true. It can create a lot of anxiety if you are more worried about being perfect, creating a sense of anxiety when approaching weight lifting. Its a difficult thing to balance, good feedback with positive vibes. Versus harsh feedback that can intimidate an athlete and affect the mental game when lifting weights. As an athlete myself, I struggle with this. So its great to see someone comment on this in a video :)
Alan, you're spot on with that "encouraging movement" bit. I've hovered around 300lbs at 6'3" most of my adult life. Had a lot of back, ankle and knee pain... Until I started lifting. I'm still not that strong for my size, but I can move this massive body around so much better now simply because I keep moving. Every time someone asks me how I jog up the stairs or do box jumps at this size, I tell them that bodies are meant to be active. Even one this size wants and NEEDS to move. It's the best "medicine" I've been able to find. Good video, man.
this is one of the most important topics to discuss and to debunk all this nonsense and get rid of fear mongering, because i deal a lot of pain especially with my shoulders and goddamn i can't even tell you how much i've tried all this mobility stuff and stretching and zero help, but then someone told me to go watch barbell medicine video about this topic and i did, after that video i stopped all the unhelpful mobility drills and stretching and started to simply move more, being more active in life and lifted weights without fear of moving imperfectly and if i felt little bit of pain i didn't stop doing the movement all together, i simply just adjusted the load so i could lift and the days when i didn't feel pain i lifter heavier, and maybe few weeks later finally my 6 months lasting shoulder pain was gone. Now days i have overall way less pain and finally i can actually lift
So true. Stopped caring about cooming. Now I deadlift 7000 pounds with my right arm and I dont care while my left arm is slowly being reassured in my body as a vestigial organ.
As someone who just bought a bar and squat rack for home after going 8 months with only being able to do piddly dumbbell, band, and bodyweight stuff....it was really good for me to hear the part about spikes in training. Gotta ease back into it over a few weeks.
As a cyclist I can attest to how spikes can ruin you. I watch my training pretty carefully and progressively up the load by adding a minute to intervals, or cutting rest periods, or upping the intensity, volume, etc. Ensures forward progress over time without being in a place that's prone to Burnout or injury
Thank you, I really needed this video. I always obsess over my form and would get my mood ruined just because I didn't perform the lift 100% correctly. I really liked the "efficiency spectrum" concept. I am striving to constantly be more efficient with my form each day and it's a good mindset to have as opposed to constantly critically analyzing my form with every single rep and getting upset because I didn't do it 100% correctly.
"i wish we would stop putting up barriers for new lifters" really well said, any hobby seems to have gatekeepers, and I admit fear of injury prevented me from getting serious about lifting for years even though i knew it was important and i should do it. Luckily i found this youtube channel, which inspired me to buy a rack and get serious. Thanks Alan, you've been a huge inspiration! P.S. - snap city!
Great vid, so agree with this. Ive suffered a lot from tendon problems and have learned that the most important contibuting factor is over training and not technique.
i did my RP squat with pretty bad technique but nothing hurt, it felt amazing tbh, i was amazingely horrible in the beginning, i could not perform a good squat, years later i tried at it again and i can finally squat and not only that i've gotten to the point that i could do my max PR finally it felt SO good man, just focus on trying your best and how it feels if you're targetting the right muscle, this is all do to alan's video's btw and he also helped me fixed most of my form and going to the gym feels so amazingly good now that i know how what's supposed to feel
I love that you brought up the MLB pitcher... I try and approach my long term excercise goals like they do. They are so systemic about their ramp-up time. Look at the big picture folks and be smart. Every day you are training so you can train the next day, week, months, years. This is a marathon for most of us.
I used to always have back problems, like pain, popped disks, and slipping rib syndrome, then I started lifting, I haven't had to go back to the chiro in 2 years now. 30 years old. feels good man :)
Facts Alan. I used to think I got pain from rowing because of poor technique or something with my build, until I backed off the weight and built up from there. I'm now rowing more than ever pain free. Thanks for the video never thought about it like this👍
7:55, I realized today that I've been to rigidly focused on my deadlift form. I'm on a deload week, so I was pulling light weight without much concern over my form. I felt way more live in the lift, and I'm chocking that up to not stressing out and having anxiety over my form.
Just tested my maxes and put up 225 on bench, 325 on squat, and 365 on deadlift. It’s not impressive but it’s a start after a couple years of fear of the gym. Thanks for getting me into lifting and getting through all the bullshit. I’m 19 and have a lot more time to work. I’ve gotten a few friends into it and we all workout together now. You’re the man Alan Thrall.
I absolutely cried a little watching this video. I, as a person pursuing to open my own training center for ALL folks, absolutely agree with this PSA. Fvck yes and thank you.
Probably one of the few (and best) videos discussing relationship between pain, technique, posture, etc, from an scc I have seen on the entire RUclips. Kudos.
Speaking from personal experience, this is powerful stuff. Removing the fear, restoring self-efficacy, and managing expectations was huge for me when it came to overcoming persistent, non-specific low back pain.
Preach Alan. In my gym i see people spending more time on foam rolling and silly mobility drills than actual lifting. I call this Instagram fitness fools. The amount of gimmickry is unbearable.
That kind of 'help' is why I set-up a home gym. My son didn't want to go to a gym with a bunch of people telling him he was going to get hurt or that he wasn't lifting enough. There are a lot of people that only feel good about themselves if they can lift more than the guy next to them.
I love how Al uses Martins Stienborn squat as an example. Because Martins (shortly after that record event) started being hyper analytical about his squat. Martins has been using Squat University for a long while to fix his squat. I do love the point though, your technique isnt the big problem, your programming is.
I love this. It's a more in depth look into everything I was told when I first started. I think that's what really scares new comers. from trying anything new in the gym. The sheer amount of people with thumbnails like a slight rounded back = skull and cross bones is over whelming. I didn't even deadlift for the first year of my workout life just because I spent that long watching tutorials and practicing with a broomstick.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy this is a great video, an increase in demand such as novelty, intensity, or volume is almost always the cause of gym pain or even pain from day to day life and physical occupations. However, optimal performance and living a pain-free life are two different things, I would argue from experience that correcting imbalances is quite important for living pain-free. For example, the Usain Bolt example you used was great for showing imbalances don't mean poor performance, but look at this excerpt from a report on his stride and scoliosis: "Bolt has written that he feels awkward standing still, and leans to the right because it feels uncomfortable to stand and place pressure on his left leg. Sitting in the same position for too long gives him backaches."
A year and a half ago I went to snap city while deadlifting. Form was consistent, didn’t make any huge jumps in weight or volume. But the injury occurred at the end of my last set and fatigue was very high. Literally had I not gone for that last rep I very well may not have gotten injured. Spent forever wondering if it was my form, but this video does make me rethink the whole incident...
I'm the anecdote guy who'll say the improvements in mobility fixed alot of my pain; constantly lifting while my mobility was still bad didn't do jack shit and certainly didn't improve my mood or confidence, I didn't make it a barrier I still found ways to lift while improving it but just lifting left me in pain that was in no way, shape, or form productive.
I think its not meant that ANY bad technique will cause injury, more so that SUFFICIENTLY bad technique can certainly cause pain. You make a bunch of great points.
People often ignore that pain can also be cause by accidents that are natural in life or training sessions. Maybe you tripped and that cause you to have some knee pain or maybe you freaked out during the bench press. That doesn’t mean that you’re bad at what you’re doing, it could be something that happened at one point in time.
Tennis is my primary sport but I do love barbell lifting. ..everything started in February 2017 when I found your clips. My favourite exercise is the DL. What I like the most is improving my technique and then realizing how certain tweaks enable me to lift more. I take lifting seriously but not THAT seriously which means I don't have a training log. I just go harder than last time and enjoy my training. The purpose of my workouts is to balance and support tennis and to look good. :D
i just started doing heavy lifting yesterday (clean & deadlift) and i would refer to most of your videos. they're very helpful. this is very helpful. as an athlete back in highschool years ago, and starting to get active again recently, this really motivates me to continue working out. im embracing more of the 'pain' now. tbh used to think think that all of the soreness after workout is normal, which they are, but i like how you explain more about this in depth. really appreciate it. keep it up.
Yup! Osteo., head to toe, limited shoulder range, and weak. Couldn't lift arm overhead. Needed 2 hands to take gallon of milk out of fridge. Started with 2 , 8- lb dumbells, 1 set of 5. Six months later, arms overhead lifting 70-lbs, 2-3 sets of 20. 1.5 years later, well over 200-lbs, sets of 5 to 10 reps. Yes, times of increased pain, took rest days. But over all better mobility, better strength and in some areas less pain, certainty not more. Gread vids, Allen!!
The most relaxed, honest, and in synergy with what he says, all praises aside, if you take your main aspects around training into consideration along with working on the skill of reading your bodies language, you should only TRAIN UNTAMED
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
The number 1 cause of pain in the gym: Training tamed
@T-800 Model 101 Infiltrator Unit. uncanned?
@@EliasOwnage95 un open taint?
Dude... Alan Thrall... you the shit!
Hahahahaha THIS
Train unpantsed?
Alan, just write a book already man. I know I'd read it.
Great idea!
If Louie Simmons can, Thrall definitely can.
He hasn't peaked yet
Yes.
WHAT?! READ??
Honey your hip shifted 3 mm to the right when squatting. Time to go back down to bodyweight squats and stretches for 3 months until it is perfect .
Then get frustrated that you can never make any progress and double down on flexibility
Squat U moment
@@jdmopaw can't get your knee to 12.76degrees past your toes. Gonna blow a disc mate
Also a SS/Stronglift classic: Still not squatting 3 plates and you keep stalling? Forget getting on an intermediate program, deload 10% of the weight and start daily jumps again until you get that weight. If that doesn't work, throw in a gallon of milk.
@@Galuche1L1U To be fair, those are beginners programmes, so a degree of coaxing and nannying is supportive and safer for someone who might lack confidence or not understand that being a bit sore the next day is actually part of the process. I've often gone back to 5x5 to start up after a long break but I ignore the deload since I already know I can lift the weight but a newbie doesnt have the same confidence.
I worked at a moving company over the summer. when I started I thought I was all kinds of hot sh** because I had made a ton of gains over the winter doing SS and texas method. my first day kicked my ass so hard I was considering quitting on day 3, I remember getting home after my first day lasting 12 hours and eating a huge plate of leftover rice and then passed out in the bathtub. I pushed through it though, and by the end of the summer I hadn't lifted in the gym more than two times but I was stronger and more fit than when I started.
I remember realizing how heavy a hundred pounds really was when it wasn't in the shape of a barbell, how a dresser made you contort your spine in weird angles when going down a flight of stairs, or how the best way to carry a recliner was to carry it over my head. I would have thought for certain before I started that it would send anyone straight to snap city after a few times doing it, but there i was, moving 7000 pounds of furniture every day for 6 days a week.
Alan is right, the body is crazy adaptable. And people need to realize that there is more to being strong than just the big three lifts. Stuff gets a LOT heavier and form breaks down very quickly when it isn't conveniently made into a 28mm knurled steel deadlifting bar.
great explanation
We have a lot in common. How "fun" is it moving massive hardwood furniture like dinning tables down stairs and pianos with lifting straps?
I come from a family of furniture/piano movers. Never thought I'd find internet people to relate to regarding the moving business lol
@@swansong5960 exactly. Lifting weights is a LUXURY! When you have no option to back out of moving that 8 foot tall 300 pound armouire whos screws are all stripped out. Yea, sucks all the fun out of it.
@@pierredessein5568 i feel for you man, movers are no joke. The company i worked with was like the football team, it was always something different.
*Squat University has left the chat*
😂😂😂
You seem to lean forward in the squat so you must do air squats for a month
@@slimshady2045 Also a 24 hour mobility routine
Yeah I don't really like them that much. They kinda fall in that "you have to have perfect technique or your spine will explode"
Lol
The only dude who wakes up in the morning and says, "today I'll ruin all the fitness influencers basic strategies" and then delivers. Awesomeness!!!
Allan Thrall, the Lawful Good character of the YT Fitness universe. More of these guys are needed.
You can't spell pALAdiN without Alan and the man has great rolls on every single stat, especially wisdom and strength.
Agree 100%. The information and ideas shared are brilliant. Wish I could double like the video
@@akin1989 yup.. too much useless garbage, nocebos and fear mongering on YT.
I got run out of the gym at about 18 years old. Looking back I was on a good path but this old man came in and rode me so hard about my poor squatting technique that I got scared and dipped. Planned on hiring a coach and getting back into fitness but didn't because I couldn't afford a coach at the time. Years later I'm finally back at it and I've learned my form really wasn't that bad.
That shit really pisses me off. Back when I was still in the army and trained at 24 hr fitness we encouraged everyone to go to the gym and one day we had a kid come with us and was just going around and trying things out. This one dude (that was not part of our group) was mocking him and the kid got depressed and almost left, when we all saw what was going on we just followed that dude around and out lifted him on everything always saying how light it was and how only pussies lifted that light.....dude got mad and finally left. Point is, it doesn’t matter where you start, only where you finish. Not everyone will go out and deadlift 700 and many don’t want to. I’m glad you’re back at it my man. Fuck that dude. I have two boys now that are 8 and 12 and both those boys come to the gym with me all the time and I always make it a point to yell and encourage and make it seem that their lifts are awesome and that they will be the strongest man in the world done day. If people lifted more people up instead of putting people down this world would be much better off.
@@Asymmetrical.athlete_ people mostly need to mind their business. I'm in far worse shape now because of his "advice". Glad to hear about your boys, I'm sure they're beasts 👊
I bet you'll find some friendly people at the gym. We all start with room for improvement and try to get better or sometimes just hold on.
Training at home is also good, especially these days. A York 15 pound technique bar and a few light bumper plates are a good start and easy to manage at home. Or even just a kettle bell. The biggest difference is just doing something. Cheers mate!
@@BluegillGreg Gym I do my lifting (when I'm not doing it in the garage) doesn't usually have the assholes in question in the original comment. Actually gotten some of advice on things I've been doing ever since they told me it. Best example I can think of is the thumb placement when doing triceps work. Never hit me before guy told me.
I lifted in the 80s. Today many of the ideas we were taught are now considered wrong. I still have wrecked elbows. Back then army bootcamp mentality ruled. "Old men" never knew how to manage anyone other than the army way because thats all they had experienced ww1, ww2, korea, vietnam. In the 80s the dictator coach was seen as god like.
Just because someone owns a gym or works in one doesnt mean they know what they are doing. Just like because someone owns a golf or tennis shop means they can play golf or tennis. Today when I visit gyms all I see are some college kid coach whose job is to sell membership. Thank god for yt.
Also it sounds like you cannot take criticism. Dont like the advice dont take it. Just go elsewhere.
Dude your light years ahead of most people at the gym looking self esteem thru lifting a number or a aesthetic improvement.
Dehydration not enough water in your body can cause injuries especially during weight training. What your saying makes a lot sense
I'm new to lifting and this is probably one of the most important videos I could have watched. Thanks for the honesty man.
Idk if Alan has a degree, but he is a great example how knowledge can come from passion and experience just as well as in a book. Great human being right there.
Alan is the best coach on RUclips bar none
I think it is important to note that pain DOES NOT equal injury. Typically injury has something to do with something being "wrong" whereas pain isn't always explainable with physiological reason. But great video Alan! Generally speaking I see that the fitness industry i greatly undereducated on this topic. So it is great that you spread solid advise on your large platform
That “furthermore” at 7:29 was extremely necessary
Haha agreed.
Super necessary.
I stopped working out due to injury. I got written a plan and due to covid I could not be physically coached. My coach said to run the plan at home by myself see how I feel. I have not felt injury. I perform my technique the same exact way. The only difference is that I have someone who wrote a plan specified to me personally. No shilling just my experience on how bad programming/intensity could be the main culprit.
This one hit home. I've been obsessing over muscle imbalances and slight tweaks for years now. Thanks Alan.
I love how you put sense in these topics! There are too many sources that are overcomplicating the basic stuff which makes any beginner (myself included) to overthink and feel insecure to even start training. The most important thing should be to get your ass off the sofa and start training, the rest will follow eventually.
Epic video tbh, my take away message. It's okay to not be perfect. Don't be scared to try, you'll get better the more you do. Just don't be too enthusiastic and do too much if you're not ready for it.
This is one of the most-needed videos for RUclips fitness. Everyone share it in comments, especially in stupid places newbies go like AthleanX, celebrity workouts, etc.
This video makes me so happy, everyone send it to squat university and athlean x
good video. a friend of mine started lifting before i did and became so obsessed over technique and muscle imbalances that he ended up stopping going to the gym altogether because it was mashing his head up. Meantime i've just got on with the program i do and slowly improved consistently, muscle imbalances are working themselves out and my technique has steadily improved through reps and trial and error with different cues.
In cycling, when left/right imbalances started being measured, naturally attempts were made to correct these. It worked, but overall power output decreased consistently. Asymetry is not a weakness.
definitely, in swimming the best freestylers in the world have some imbalances in their back and shoulders because they have a rhythm that is not even on both sides. They would not be as fast as they are without these imbalances
Those fucking Vector pedals were just cancer. I’ve focused way too hard on the numbers in the past on the bike, it’s a useful number but it doesn’t win races. Ironically!!!
@@Xplora213 Cancer? You mean one of the best training tools available to cyclists?
@@stoempert no, one of the best ANALYSIS TOOLS. FTP is a theoretical limit. Friel had a calculation method that doesn’t work for all people.... funnily enough, the training max from the power lifting world has similar issues. Ultimately, you are chasing your tail with such high levels of analysis because your task is to maximise performance and your brain does that automatically.
If your idea of fun is sitting on FTP for an hour... well fuck that.
Renaissance Periodisation just had a video on imbalances- you have to stop training the strong side to get symmetrical results. If Usain Bolt was assymetrical then we need to acknowledge that chasing such things isn’t important. You need to move fast, not evenly.
@@Xplora213 For prolonged, sub-max efforts you're brain really isn't that good in maximizing performance. A power meter is a great pacing tool. If FTP were that inaccurate i don't think all the pro's would be using it, even in-race. RE the L/R imbalances i agree. Just like 'fixing' people's leg length discrepancies with shims and such is mostly unnecessary or may even lead to adverse effects.
I trained for over a year and a half and I was completely in fear of everything. Had to always be “perfect” and record everything. Overwhelming myself with deadlift videos from you and anyone else who made one. Ever since covid and my home gym, I’ve made more progress in the last 12 weeks than ever. Heavy metal and no people probably helps me. Thanks for this video.
I’m a psychologist who specializes in dealing with people with chronic pain and acquired disabilities. What Alan has said in this video is video is spot on.
People told me my squat and dead for was incorrect and I didn’t back down. I was following the SS linear progression and using the same techniques. Just because a random ass guy says your technique is wrong doesn’t mean it bad. Thanks Allen good message
Happy to see this channle is still drama free... just lifting and metal, YOU ROCK!!!
This is one of the best videos on training I've ever watched.
Dude with Spina bifida was sure a healthy dose of "what's your excuse?"
A freaking beast, i also came on the IG of a "disabled" athlete sorry i don't know if there is a better way to say it in english, just bench pressing 485lbs for 3 reps legless, inspirational !!
Exactly what I was thinking
@@RyanGogginsTv I think in strongman they say adaptive athlete which seems cooler but disabled athlete is perfectly appropriate.
Also reminds me of Lamar Gant and how his spine was in an s-shape, which some might have used as an excuse not to deadlift.
I always appreciate your no-nonsense approach to training. At the very least, I come away from your videos with something to actually think about instead of just a sermon.
Alan is the most down to Earth gym bro, he knows his stuff and he knows people. Legend.
The Intro is back 🍻
Adam has come full circle and mastered his craft
Thank you I needed this video. I had this paralysis by analysis syndrome obsessing over my squat and dl form recording myself wondering why its not perfect. I'm just gonna get in there and do it.
As a physical therapist, I am overjoyed by the messages in this video; pain is so complex/subjective that it does not always correlate with specific physical impairments or even radiological findings. More often than not, folks will see improvements in pain just from just general exercise, modifying load and addressing/overcoming their fear of movement. Great stuff!
Expectation plays a huge role in pain and I’d invite anyone to check out “Individual Expectation: An Overlooked, but Pertinent, Factor in the Treatment of Individuals Experiencing Musculoskeletal Pain” by Bialosky et al from 2010 for more on that.
I agree, I think acute spikes in training load is definately a risk for injury. I lifted for 1.5 injury-free, then the gyms closed for several months and when they opened again I started training 3x per week again and got injured for the first time from lifting, glute pain, I guess piriformis pain.
3:54 'This is stuff that makes up a back specialist's nightmare'.
Or a chiropractor's wildest fantasy.
Gullibility is a chiropractors wildest fantasy
@@martinshoosterman There are benefits to going to a chiropractor. Its not an end all be all but it can help. I had issues with my low back catching. Chiropractor took about 3 sessions over 3 weeks of moving it into position as well as me doing strength drills to help keep it there and I was completely pain free. In fact after the very first session it was immediately fixed. Only problem was it would move back out of place which is the only reason I needed more than one session and to work on strengthening the muscles around it again. until my body adapted to the new position and started holding it right. Basically though for under 80$ i fixed my back that had been bothering me for months at that point.
@@ah7027 you’re just describing how you got scammed man
@@ah7027 sounds like the muscle was stiff and you just needed a massage. Then the chiropractor convinced you to get extra sessions because of some mumbo jumbo, just so he could get paid more.
@Wemple as most musculoskeletal issues tend to
As a lifter and dancer, I've worried about imbalances so often. This was such a liberating discussion.
Literally had to retrain my brain to enjoy lifting again because I went down this same rabbit hole. Great video 👍
Terrific viewpoints. These are some of the reasons I became disillusioned with "corrective exercise" as a personal trainer.
I did do that "I'm gonna need to see more hip mobility before we can work with the barbell squat" thing with a guy once. Dude was a prick and I admit, maybe that affected my choice to be that way. He later stopped coming to our training facility and joined a crossfit gym where.....he injured his back. I take no joy in that, but....i guess we all failed that day.
This the most important video for people to watch. As a physical therapist I talk about this with my athletes on a daily basis. Preach on, brother in iron!
Listening to you speak is one of the most calming things ever. I'm always second guessing myself and having a rational voice to take some of the bullshit down a notch is so helpful. Thanks.
This is an excellent Video. The section where he mentions how a coach's advice can greatly alter the mindset of the athlete, is very true. It can create a lot of anxiety if you are more worried about being perfect, creating a sense of anxiety when approaching weight lifting. Its a difficult thing to balance, good feedback with positive vibes. Versus harsh feedback that can intimidate an athlete and affect the mental game when lifting weights. As an athlete myself, I struggle with this. So its great to see someone comment on this in a video :)
Alan, you're spot on with that "encouraging movement" bit. I've hovered around 300lbs at 6'3" most of my adult life. Had a lot of back, ankle and knee pain... Until I started lifting. I'm still not that strong for my size, but I can move this massive body around so much better now simply because I keep moving. Every time someone asks me how I jog up the stairs or do box jumps at this size, I tell them that bodies are meant to be active. Even one this size wants and NEEDS to move. It's the best "medicine" I've been able to find. Good video, man.
this is one of the most important topics to discuss and to debunk all this nonsense and get rid of fear mongering, because i deal a lot of pain especially with my shoulders and goddamn i can't even tell you how much i've tried all this mobility stuff and stretching and zero help, but then someone told me to go watch barbell medicine video about this topic and i did, after that video i stopped all the unhelpful mobility drills and stretching and started to simply move more, being more active in life and lifted weights without fear of moving imperfectly and if i felt little bit of pain i didn't stop doing the movement all together, i simply just adjusted the load so i could lift and the days when i didn't feel pain i lifter heavier, and maybe few weeks later finally my 6 months lasting shoulder pain was gone. Now days i have overall way less pain and finally i can actually lift
So true. Stopped caring about cooming. Now I deadlift 7000 pounds with my right arm and I dont care while my left arm is slowly being reassured in my body as a vestigial organ.
As someone who just bought a bar and squat rack for home after going 8 months with only being able to do piddly dumbbell, band, and bodyweight stuff....it was really good for me to hear the part about spikes in training. Gotta ease back into it over a few weeks.
As a cyclist I can attest to how spikes can ruin you. I watch my training pretty carefully and progressively up the load by adding a minute to intervals, or cutting rest periods, or upping the intensity, volume, etc. Ensures forward progress over time without being in a place that's prone to Burnout or injury
All your videos are very good and make a lot of sense. Thanks for all your contributions on the strength training, they have help me a lot.
i think this is the most important videos you've ever posted alan. keep doing what you're doing
Im a simple man. I see a channel mention mechanical stress quantification, and I subscribe. Great video!
Crazy how you're the first lifting/ strength training/ fitness channel that got me into lifting and your content still rocks so hard
Thank you, I really needed this video. I always obsess over my form and would get my mood ruined just because I didn't perform the lift 100% correctly. I really liked the "efficiency spectrum" concept. I am striving to constantly be more efficient with my form each day and it's a good mindset to have as opposed to constantly critically analyzing my form with every single rep and getting upset because I didn't do it 100% correctly.
"i wish we would stop putting up barriers for new lifters" really well said, any hobby seems to have gatekeepers, and I admit fear of injury prevented me from getting serious about lifting for years even though i knew it was important and i should do it. Luckily i found this youtube channel, which inspired me to buy a rack and get serious. Thanks Alan, you've been a huge inspiration! P.S. - snap city!
Great vid, so agree with this. Ive suffered a lot from tendon problems and have learned that the most important contibuting factor is over training and not technique.
I use to be weak and in pain now im strong and still in pain 😅
The circle is complete.
Sounds like an improvement!
Me too lmao rather be physically better and in pain than be weak and in slightly worse pain
i did my RP squat with pretty bad technique but nothing hurt, it felt amazing tbh, i was amazingely horrible in the beginning, i could not perform a good squat, years later i tried at it again and i can finally squat and not only that i've gotten to the point that i could do my max PR finally it felt SO good man, just focus on trying your best and how it feels if you're targetting the right muscle, this is all do to alan's video's btw and he also helped me fixed most of my form and going to the gym feels so amazingly good now that i know how what's supposed to feel
this video is the reason why Alan is the best fitness youtuber ever. Road to 1M subs!
This video really helped me. Been having problems with overthinking asymmetries and those examples help me feel very free!!!
I love that you brought up the MLB pitcher... I try and approach my long term excercise goals like they do. They are so systemic about their ramp-up time. Look at the big picture folks and be smart. Every day you are training so you can train the next day, week, months, years. This is a marathon for most of us.
I used to always have back problems, like pain, popped disks, and slipping rib syndrome, then I started lifting, I haven't had to go back to the chiro in 2 years now. 30 years old. feels good man :)
Thank you so much for this video. It was unbelievably helpful for me! Thanks Alan you're a legend.
2:26, This is hands down the most amazing thing, related to lifting, I've ever seen!
Facts Alan. I used to think I got pain from rowing because of poor technique or something with my build, until I backed off the weight and built up from there. I'm now rowing more than ever pain free. Thanks for the video never thought about it like this👍
Briefly considered making a second account so I could like this video twice
This is honestly one of the best videos you've ever made.
7:55, I realized today that I've been to rigidly focused on my deadlift form. I'm on a deload week, so I was pulling light weight without much concern over my form. I felt way more live in the lift, and I'm chocking that up to not stressing out and having anxiety over my form.
Just tested my maxes and put up 225 on bench, 325 on squat, and 365 on deadlift. It’s not impressive but it’s a start after a couple years of fear of the gym. Thanks for getting me into lifting and getting through all the bullshit. I’m 19 and have a lot more time to work. I’ve gotten a few friends into it and we all workout together now. You’re the man Alan Thrall.
Straight and to the point.... Thanks, Alan. Once, a 60-something year-old guy asked me if I were a power-lifter at the gym one time.
I absolutely cried a little watching this video. I, as a person pursuing to open my own training center for ALL folks, absolutely agree with this PSA. Fvck yes and thank you.
One of your best uploads Alan, I could not agree with you more!! Please do more of this type of content 🤛🏋️♀️
This is one of the best fittness related videos on youtube
One of your most important videos, I think.
Probably one of the few (and best) videos discussing relationship between pain, technique, posture, etc, from an scc I have seen on the entire RUclips. Kudos.
Speaking from personal experience, this is powerful stuff. Removing the fear, restoring self-efficacy, and managing expectations was huge for me when it came to overcoming persistent, non-specific low back pain.
Preach Alan. In my gym i see people spending more time on foam rolling and silly mobility drills than actual lifting. I call this Instagram fitness fools. The amount of gimmickry is unbearable.
Another great video...But this one in particular hits home. Thanks!!!!
Mind blowing video! Yet another level of information
That kind of 'help' is why I set-up a home gym. My son didn't want to go to a gym with a bunch of people telling him he was going to get hurt or that he wasn't lifting enough. There are a lot of people that only feel good about themselves if they can lift more than the guy next to them.
It's much nicer to have a home gym xD you don't wait in lines, just do what you have to and leave xD
I love how Al uses Martins Stienborn squat as an example. Because Martins (shortly after that record event) started being hyper analytical about his squat. Martins has been using Squat University for a long while to fix his squat.
I do love the point though, your technique isnt the big problem, your programming is.
This is my favorite video you’ve posted and will probably knock down a lot of walls for viewers. Thanks for the upload. 💪
I love this. It's a more in depth look into everything I was told when I first started. I think that's what really scares new comers. from trying anything new in the gym. The sheer amount of people with thumbnails like a slight rounded back = skull and cross bones is over whelming. I didn't even deadlift for the first year of my workout life just because I spent that long watching tutorials and practicing with a broomstick.
I’ve dropped my mobility nerd ways years ago and recently started doing all kindz of asymmetrical strongman stuff and I feel great.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy this is a great video, an increase in demand such as novelty, intensity, or volume is almost always the cause of gym pain or even pain from day to day life and physical occupations. However, optimal performance and living a pain-free life are two different things, I would argue from experience that correcting imbalances is quite important for living pain-free. For example, the Usain Bolt example you used was great for showing imbalances don't mean poor performance, but look at this excerpt from a report on his stride and scoliosis: "Bolt has written that he feels awkward standing still, and leans to the right because it feels uncomfortable to stand and place pressure on his left leg. Sitting in the same position for too long gives him backaches."
Alan is so wise.
Well made video, everyone who lifts needs to watch this
Love it. Phoenix rising is an awesome doc on adaptive athletes, beyond inspirational.
A year and a half ago I went to snap city while deadlifting. Form was consistent, didn’t make any huge jumps in weight or volume. But the injury occurred at the end of my last set and fatigue was very high. Literally had I not gone for that last rep I very well may not have gotten injured.
Spent forever wondering if it was my form, but this video does make me rethink the whole incident...
How are you doing now my friend? Greetings from Scotland 🏴
How are you doing now my friend? Greetings from Scotland 🏴
How are you doing now my friend? Greetings from Scotland 🏴
I'm the anecdote guy who'll say the improvements in mobility fixed alot of my pain; constantly lifting while my mobility was still bad didn't do jack shit and certainly didn't improve my mood or confidence, I didn't make it a barrier I still found ways to lift while improving it but just lifting left me in pain that was in no way, shape, or form productive.
I think its not meant that ANY bad technique will cause injury, more so that SUFFICIENTLY bad technique can certainly cause pain. You make a bunch of great points.
I would defs love to see that video on how bad programing can lead to pain, definitely something I've experienced myself.
Great video,Allan. Thanks.
Ohh mine this topic and content is so special and o really want all ppl can watch it!
People often ignore that pain can also be cause by accidents that are natural in life or training sessions. Maybe you tripped and that cause you to have some knee pain or maybe you freaked out during the bench press. That doesn’t mean that you’re bad at what you’re doing, it could be something that happened at one point in time.
Tennis is my primary sport but I do love barbell lifting. ..everything started in February 2017 when I found your clips. My favourite exercise is the DL. What I like the most is improving my technique and then realizing how certain tweaks enable me to lift more. I take lifting seriously but not THAT seriously which means I don't have a training log. I just go harder than last time and enjoy my training. The purpose of my workouts is to balance and support tennis and to look good. :D
i just started doing heavy lifting yesterday (clean & deadlift) and i would refer to most of your videos. they're very helpful. this is very helpful. as an athlete back in highschool years ago, and starting to get active again recently, this really motivates me to continue working out. im embracing more of the 'pain' now.
tbh used to think think that all of the soreness after workout is normal, which they are, but i like how you explain more about this in depth. really appreciate it. keep it up.
Honestly I've never appreciated a video more as someone who wants to help others improve.
As a physical therapist I wholeheartedly agree with this man!
Yup! Osteo., head to toe, limited shoulder range, and weak. Couldn't lift arm overhead. Needed 2 hands to take gallon of milk out of fridge. Started with 2 , 8- lb dumbells, 1 set of 5. Six months later, arms overhead lifting 70-lbs, 2-3 sets of 20. 1.5 years later, well over 200-lbs, sets of 5 to 10 reps. Yes, times of increased pain, took rest days. But over all better mobility, better strength and in some areas less pain, certainty not more. Gread vids, Allen!!
This is incredible information, Alan. It’s incredible to see how much YT fitness has improved.
The most relaxed, honest, and in synergy with what he says, all praises aside, if you take your main aspects around training into consideration along with working on the skill of reading your bodies language, you should only TRAIN UNTAMED