One of the greatest things that lifting did for me was open the gate way to nutrition and cooking. Finding ways to eat healthy while also experimenting with recipes and cooking techniques has been equally as rewarding as the lifting itself. I’ve found these thought provoking videos ten times more intriguing than finding the umpteenth way to “optimize” this and that. Great video man! Glad you’re back!
Same for me and my wife. My wife is obsessed with tennis now and plays pretty much every day in competitive rec league. We're cooking so much more now, using all the cookbooks we have and haven't used lol.
I’m sure you’d have much more to add too. Someone else left a comment here quoting one of your videos on a similar topic, which I’m excited to check out
love this type of meta-fitness content. after a certain point fitness content becomes mostly entertainment. sure there are nuggets of training wisdom you can pull from everyone, but once you truly understand the game, no single youtube video is going to make a significant impact to your chances of achieving an elite physique. breaking out of the lifetime intermediate level requires so much individual personalization and self experimentation that you can't really knowledge transfer as directly as the novice principles. i have a very long journey left to go, but even now the things i enjoy the most have become the higher level philosophy content, and super nitty gritty thought experiments about weird exercise optimizations. these things are fun to think about simply because i love and am obsessed with lifting, but this content is a lot less monetizable than the infinitely regurgitated "how to get jacked" videos. I understand why it's the path a lot of people take, but that is exactly why I appreciate your anti-influencer approach, and why I think you have cultivated such a solid audience of meat-heads who appreciate it. would love to see more of these types of meta/subversion of the online fitness cult videos.
This reminds me a lot of what Alan Thrall said was the main difference in his training between his 20s and 30s! The truth is, made short, lifting is much easier to stick with when you’re unhappy about something in life. When you start to emotionally mature and reach the life you wanted, it takes some of the fire away. Lifting definitely lost its glossy shine it had in my early days, but I still have a long ways to go with it and have found other reasons to be passionate about it. Also, your point about vicariously living through other lifters’ content is actually why I often turn the screen off when I watch your content😅. Hope you don’t mind, but I’m just here for the ideas mostly! I need to save that passion for my own session later today.
Bro is single handedly killing my Adsense gains… lol in all seriousness, it sounds like Alan articulated that very well. I must’ve missed that vid, but gonna watch that today. Thanks for the recommendation brotha!
I'm a financially secure adult with a good job, and I find training more enjoyable now than ever despite increased real world responsibilities. I have a bunch of younger friends at the gym who look to me for advice. I was a lone wolf lifter the majority of my adult life, so it's different now with a sense of community and casual friends I've made. It's also rewarding being one of the biggest natty lifters at the gym. I see the gym as a gift for how hard I've worked to get to where I am. If you don't like it past your younger years, the chances of you maintaining adherence are low imo. In the words of Grizzly: you have to live it.
The fact you got to a 3 plate bench kinda easily without putting on a bunch of size means you do have a genetic gift for strength. Bodybuilding is another story. Don't discount yourself.
It's a bit ironic that he brought up toxic positivity while also claiming that he's not genetically gifted. On the surface of it, him saying that is a positive thing as it seems to imply that other people can get the same results, but if it isn't true then it's giving people unrealistic expectations which would qualify as toxic positivity.
Anybody who lifts *seriously* can bench 3 wheels if they don't have bad genes. Especially if that's their main thing in life. 4-plate is elite territory.
@user-he4ef9br7z Not a chance , 2 plates is achievable for most naturals after 5 years . I mean 100kg/220lbs for at least 1 set 6-15 rep range 3 plates 140kg/315 is top natural genetics or at least trt beginner/non competitive steriod use
@@Junglebtc Sorry, 315 isn't top tier. If you're 18 years old and you still weigh 140 pounds, then yes, it seems impossible. But if you're more like 180, which plenty of young men are, five years of consistent training and putting on another 20 pounds of mass (most of it won't be muscle and it doesn't have to be) will get you a single at 315 if you peak right. And I'm not saying that should even be a goal. There are plenty of other milestones that are probably much more important. But don't put a 315 bench on a pedestal. I've known plenty of guys over the course of my training career who could have had it with another year of training, but elected to focus on hypertrophy once they hit 250 or so. Or they just started focusing on another hobby.
I like the workout footage with the commentary over it, keeps it visually interesting. I especially liked the point about the 'mystery' of lifting being an aspect you had at the start, having a chip on the shoulder and lifting to see where you go but once you're there the mystery is gone.
Great video. Content like this is the reason I keep coming back to your channel long after I've abandoned many others. I remember watching one of the channels I got interested in early on in my lifting journey and realizing that it just kept recycling the same basic content over and over. Unfortunately, so much of the science-based crowd ends up being similar - either aimed at beginners or speculative in a way thats not useful for the more advanced trainee. It's challenging and creative to come up with something to offer the advanced intermediate or advanced level lifter in terms of YT content. Talking about mindset, lifestyle, etc really scratches that itch for me. These things are important but rarely discussed. It's also really nice because I don't have anyone else to talk to about lifting in an advanced way. My friends who do lift are all basically beginners, so i get at least some sense of community from your channel.
The fatigue expense is a big one for me. Lifting isn’t my only hobby or passion, but it saps a big amount of my energy for the rest of the day. Leaving little for the other activities. I have to rest a good amount before I feel productive again, and by that time, two thirds of the day is already gone.
Really enjoy these more philosophical lifting videos. I know that there's the meme of just lift big and eat big but nerding out about lifting and trying to connect to it on a deeper level really brought my love for lifting back.
Can I propose something inspired by Alex Leonidas and GVS? In the natty community, building muscle is slow, so bulking (with strength and progressive overload) is often prioritized over cutting. However, dedicating a significant part of the year to a cut instead of a bulk can bring novelty and rejuvenate interest. The daily visual feedback during a cut can be motivating as you see progress in the mirror. It also highlights another key aspect of bodybuilding- aesthetics. For naturals, especially intermediates to advanced lifters, getting shredded and focusing on aesthetics can be a refreshing challenge and goal. You can always return to regular programming, but committing to a serious cut offers a different and exciting experience. PED users shouldn’t have a monopoly on aesthetics- the natty movement can embrace it too, making it a worthwhile pursuit.
Good sales pitch to get me to start a cut series 😂😂 In all seriousness, I’ve considered cutting a bit deeper exactly for that reason. I probably will at some point just for fun
I cut for the first time seriously this year after bulking for, no joke, 8 years straight since I rediscovered bodybuilding and it became a passion. It's kind of nuts how much better I looked after dropping 15 lb of fat over 4 months. Constant compliments, people thinking I'd actually gotten bigger. Way more people asking me for advice. My calisthenics movements are better than ever, my fitness is great, I have more energy. I'm currently holding steady after the initial cut because started getting some fatigue and I'm pushing 40, so tissue loss was kind of a concern. Been gaintaining for about 6 weeks now and have probably dropped a little more weight. After vacation in a couple weeks I plan on cutting for a couple months before winter hits. I think as long as you're still prioritizing tissue accrual, you should reward yourself with an occasional cut. I've heard Menno say a ratio of 4:1 or 6:1 time spent bulking:cutting is ideal for naturals. I agree a lot with this, just bulk very slowly without thinking about it and you shouldn't ever look sloppy. Too many people bulk way too fast only to significantly cut every single year.
To me it always made sense that i should bulk very slowly. Ive been slow bulking for 4 years now and i dont look sloppy or fat. Im quite happy overall with my physique even tho some areas need improvement. Il prolly cut at year 6.
5:29 this is something that is been really bothering me and that i see happen often , even in the " noble natty " community, has a channel gets more subs the less informational and more entertainment focused the content becomes, channel like this is a gem because is not just about begginers, there is nothing wrong with begginers and im glad if they can get set on the right direction in this platform, no the real issues are casual lifters, who only pretend to actually lift and bodybuild and stay begginers/early intermediates for life , every popular channel always comes up with new gimmicks that make you save more time and effort but somehow give you more gains ( the whole concept is an oxymoron) , is nice to have channels where the community is looking for actually getting big and not cut any effort of slack on basic training fundamentals, a shame that mainstream fitness has become " x study gives you y % more gains with z technique that saves you time" ( be that lengthened partials or drop sets or whatever gimmick channels come up with this days ).
@@naughtiousmaximus7853 I don't think neighter of them are juicing but regardless GVS recent content has definitely been more on the casual side/normie side of lifting, still puts up really good content tough and is the same with Alex honestly, bald Omni man content has been staying consistent and hasn't changed much
Weird thought here but something you said in the video made me think of this. A few years ago I decided to only follow people I believed to be natural. This helped me sift through a lot of bs and contradicting statements and basically cured any body dismorphia I had. Going into my 9th year of training, I have noticed myself very proud of my physique, but almost to the point of complacency. Not saying I’ve hit my genetic limit or that I’m at the level of the natty guys I follow, but what do you think about following PED users again? Not for advice, but to regain that sort of unattainable goal/motivation I had as a naive teen? Kind of similar to how the other natty guys obsess over Dragon Ball Z and anime physiques. Again, weird thought, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Great video Landon
"My energy and interest is higher on off days" This is what makes me wanna just train a few days a week at most. It just isnt worth it to me to spend so much energy trying to grow a little bit of tissue lol, even though its still somewhat fun to do. It really takes away my creativity and motivation for other things if done excessively.
I find training at night fixes this too. That way instead of lifting at noon and wanting to sit on the couch the rest of the day, I can actually do that but just relax then go to bed. Tricky for those who take preworkout though lol But it absolutely is the main appeal of lifting 3-4x a week instead of 5-6.
@@BasementBodybuilding Totally. I like playing guitar and gigging as much as lifting, but it takes a lot of energy. Plus everybody's gotta work a job. 3-4 days a week lifting works for me. I don't do heavy squats anymore, realized I just want a nice bench, deadlift (and to OHP 135 for reps). I just walk around/hike in nature if I need more leg training haha.
It's so true! The reason I watch you is the same as why I watch NA & Alex-you all are so down to earth and relatable. The content feels genuine, like getting advice from a friend or an older sibling. Plus, you guys give some of the best advice on RUclips!
Having no energy is relatable asf. I‘m fucking dead rn and have a heavy fucking full body session rolling around in 1-2 hours…I‘ll be a living corpse after the session.
I started lifting 3 years 9 months ago as a 135lb pencil neck. Went to the gym 6 days a week, worked hard, and made it to a decently lean 185, worked up to a 500lb deadlift and a 415 squat. About 3 years and some months in of going hard one day I said "I really dont feel like going and putting this weight on my back" after work - and skipped the gym. I was tired of aching knees and elbows. Took two full months off and am just now getting back into it, having lost considerable size and strength. I think going 4-5 days will be better for me in long run - making lifting enjoyable is something I never really spent much time thinking about when I would look at my program but I think it will be a factor going foward.
Brother I had a 6 month period around 5 years into lifting as well where I stopped. I lost 30lbs and decided I wanted to gain it back. I changed my approach to make it more sustainable and currently am bigger/stronger than I was even before taking the time off. Whatever you can do to make long term consistency the primary focus is worth it.
25 years ago I could easily motivate myself to go to the gym after work, no matter the volume or loads. Actually even 5 years ago I could still do it. The moments in-between when I've found it easy to get motivated was when I was doing low volume training. I'm doing again now and I'm easily motivated because the workouts are less than an hour (less than 45 minutes on shoulders/arm day). Yet the intensity is high. Soon this will also lead to a motivation drop, unless I do one of two things: extend the recovery days or go back to some higher volume, less intense training. I go between the two throughout the year and it keeps me motivated. The quicker workouts when I get tired of long workouts and the shift to more volume when high-intensity overwhelms you.
The thing I hate about lifting is for me atleast it always feels like your making no progress but sometimes you gotta look back in the logbook just to see how far you came and to be patient and enjoy the process if you have no love for lifting it makes things more difficult because people want instant gratification without putting in the work
@@markbaker4425 exactly some people be saying shit like that and it brings me back because I’m like huh I don’t see it, that’s that body dysmorphia LOL
My 2 main lifetime hobbies have been bodybuilding and drawing. Honestly, I find bodybuilding the less tiring of the 2. I find something about the hyper focused attention and constant concious decision making that comes with drawing to be extremely exhausting and mentally draining for some reason.
I have a job staring at a computer screen analytically for long shifts without breaks, so when people complain about the gym I just shake my head. The gym is a gift and one of the best parts of my day. You need to take advantage while you can and any time you can, because someday you'll have your last workout. If the gym feels like a chore, maybe you need to deload or change things up, or maybe you're becoming a gymcel.
Great video Landon all these things you went over have went through my head as well as I transitioned to an intermediate lifter and as I move into advanced in the future 💪🏽
Those last few points hit hard. Not having to prove yourself, no magical program, having less energy after lifting. Aka not "enjoying" lifting as much anymore. I know this just a youtube video but I get the sense that you might not be the happiest state of mind in life right now. You don't have to talk about it but if you want to share I hope most would be here to listen. At least I would be. Take care man 🙏
I find the "knowing where the natural limit is" interesting. Because AtlasPowerShrugged has this as a reason why he stays natural, to find out what is achievable
16:56 I'm one of those saying that 😅 but I'm coming from work with postural and mental fatigue mostly. Heavy lifting is tiring physically but clears my mind, stretches overtight muscles etc, so I come out tired + refreshed at the same time. Hope that makes sense.
The fatigue really caught off guard when i switched to construction work. Had to go down with the sets and it gave me an opportunity for a cut, since being active during work helps losing weight. Now I want to get a little bit more volume in for building up recovery to fatigue ratio.
Unrelated, but I want to thank you for turning me on to preacher curls. I've been pushing them hard this year. I messed around with a mixture of EZ bar and dumbells, but the bar was pissing off my wrist so I've stuck with the dumbbells. I say I've added half an inch to my arms since January. I do my top set with 22.5kg for 7 as of last night (i do 4 backdown sets in the 8-10 rep range and am slowly transferring all of these sets from the 17.5kg to 20kg; as soon as I hit the upper rep limit on a set, the next time I do that set I use the heavier weight. Only way to overload with dumbells IMO). I did smith JM press for a while, but anytime I start going heavy I can feel my other muscles taking over. I've replaced it with smith CGB with some band pushdowns as a mini pre exhaust so I have a better connection with my triceps.
I think the greater growth of a dumbed-down channel is analogous to bigger strength numbers through compromise. The quality becomes less and the channel doesn't have any more actual muscle/substance. If anything, the dumbed-down content is unchallenging and has massive blind spots. An audience built with high-quality, poignant, valueable videos is worth more than a superficial, passionless channel. If what you want is to make worthwhile, lucid videos, don't get hung up on the numbers. It's a great thing that you've achieved 26 000 subscribers. That's 26000 people who are genuinely interested in what you say and want to achieve what you're achieving. 26000 people who care.
The biggest thing in absolutely hate it the jacked ped guys who have been at it for 20 years make videos saying oh do this and don't do this workout to get jacked fully knowing natural will never be the same
really deep video, thank you 👌 For the mystery part that faded off, we have the same thing with the process of music making (= finding a personal formula that works for you), but you can still take the time to experiment and try new ideas...or not. No one could study and experiment all the (already known) music theories, technics, instruments of the entire world in a lifetime, for sure. It's all about balancing between what you know that works, and new things to explore, because exploration is thrilling. But since making music is more of a creativ process and it is wide field, what you described is probably less pronounced with it than with lifting. Probably. Thank you for sharing :)
I notice the form on the cable laterals has changed. You're going behind the body, IIRC you used to come in front of the body. Benefits you've noticed so far? I'm thinking it looks a little easier to keep tension on the delt and helps stop the traps taking over, to an extent
Hey BB, a question, in your opinion, what do you think of a seated leg press machine used for calf presses? I personally like it a lot, just not sure if it is a good choice, however in my gym there is no specialized calf machines so it's either that or calf raises with the smith machine on elevation (i currently do both).
This in particular is a very good video in my opinion. You are very analytic, as am I. Being aware of the positives and negatives and zooming out are very important to success as you say indeed. But not everyone is this analytic of a person. I don't know what you do in your daily life but these kinds of people are usually very good personal/fitness coaches.
Welcome back. Excellent video. In addition to being a great natural I also enjoy how deeply you think about this subject. In a world of meatheads (I had to override my auto correct which spelled meth heads) you are dare I say it quite cerebral. Keep up the great work
The energy thing is huge. I’m working full time and before that was a student and between that and the hard gym session it’s hard to summon up the energy to do anything like work on my pine RUclips videos. All I want to do is read and sleep lol
hey man, I got a question unrelated to this video I've been wanting to ask you. I see that in your program a lot of the sets you do are 5-6, 6-7, 6-8 reps. im just wondering why and whats your reasoning behind it, as opposed to go anything between the standard 8-12 reprange. i assume you are doing it purely for greater hypertrophy results in mind, but i just dont quite understand it. cheers man, love your content
If a lift is extra stable and lengthened biased, it’s easier to train in the 5-8ish range, no need for using lighter weights/higher reps. Save that for the lifts that are less stable or short/mid biased, it feels a bit better since you don’t have to try and grind through an ascending resistance profile with heavy weight
@@BasementBodybuilding okay i see thanks alot for the reply! got a follow up question if you dont mind. now instead of doing 8-12 reps, and now going with 5-8 on at least half my exercises, the overall volume would be lowered. do i need to add more sets to make for more volume, or does the heavier weights counteract this and there is no need? i've been following about the same template as your program, except for the rep scheme.
Do you think training arms and shoulder (side and rear delt) isolation every 48 hours is all right long term? Or is that too little recovery? I'd like to move arm and shoulder isolation to the next day, or the day after the lower, but I'm worried about overlap and recovery, especially when I move arms and shoulders from upper day to the next day. What do you think?
It’s something you’ll have to experiment with. The cool thing about it is if you try it and it eventually beats you up, now you know if it’s enough duration to do regularly, and how long you can do it for, and if the results are improved from your baseline rate of growth
How long are you lifting? you are pretty strong. I struggle with not even getting 2 plates on bench with1 rep max and i do lift 5 years and have some decent muscle development, but still i am pretty weak.
This is inanse. Jeff Nippard or Dr. Mike isn't talking about lifting w/ this depth. Been watching you on and off for weeks but you definitely gained a new subscriber w/ this one
Thanks bro glad you enjoyed. I try to talk about it on a deeper level, more practical stuff than just basic programming principles everyones heard a thousand times lol
Homie lifting weights isn't fatiguing. Thats all your mind. In the military we would lift like animals, do grinder PTs, run, ruck with 100+ lbs and conduct manuevers. In the SAME DAY. And you were never " fatigued." You slept wherever and whenever you could and then go out and party. Why? Because you're doing awesome shit with your tribe. Most peoples lives are monotonous grinds and they hate their life or at best feel empty inside. Lifting is probably the only thing acutally enjoy in their life. Thats the real problem. Vacations aren't tiring because you take a week off. its because youre in a noval enviroment looking forward to the next day. You're probbaly spending the entire time with friends and family as well. Community and purpose are the keys to vitality.
Do you think your foundation with strength training helped a lot with your progress when it came to bodybuilding. Because I imagine you would have been lifting much heavier weights in higher rep ranges compared to if you had just started bodybuilding from the start
I don’t think so, only because I built my strength base through bodybuilding work. It’s a common misconception on this channel that I started with strength, it was actually sandwiched between two large phases of bodybuilding training
What i can say is im not sure if lifting gives me more energy, but i certainly can feel more awake. Actually to the point where itll give me insomnia and delay when i feel sleepy by about 4 hours or so. So if i have to wake up early in the morning, 5 or 6 pm is the latest i can go. I think its more the case of being sensitive to stress rather than more energy, so you might feel more enegetic.
I hate about lifting that I have to put so much effort to get so little in return. I also have too high standards and I think Im less than I should be because of that. I have also been lifting heavy while I do not enjoy that at all, but I have been after the progress itself and not enjoying the process as much lately.
@Triple_Aces Yup I feel you, especially when they are not taking steroids and are underage and got better results than you in couple years lol. Im not giving up tho and neither should you. My advice for you and also for my self is, when there is not much progress anymore, do it for enjoyment. Like I said I like doing high reps more but I just never do them because I have always thought they are inferior. Im always after the progress not the journey. Gotta start enjoying it more than the progress itself, while still trying to progress but not make the reward the most important thing.
I’ll probably expand on that at some point, likely in my video explaining what I love about lifting. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it less than before in all aspects
in my lifting, i hate how shitty my lower body biomechanics are; my torso and legs are too long, my ankles are stiff and non-mobile as hell and my hip is janky. it irritates me to infinity how easily some ppl are able to lift and i can't find a single lower body exercise which suits me adequately. rant over.
Hi can u describe the resistance curve differences between machine Preacher vs free weight? I have this question in mind and since you're the preacher connoisseur lol
"prove to myself that i could actually do it, grew up skinny around peers with good genetics who excelled everything" hits hard, I likely have dogshit genetics for putting on mass & strength (south asian), have always been the shortest mf everywhere (5'5, living in sweden where avg height is 5'11) and mental illness + self hatred nothing is as brutal as seeing some mf who only casually lifts get bigger than you in 2-3 months
@@Sumppa It's because my left shoulder is weaker. It doesn't exactly fail but at the end of the set my shoulder becomes unconfortable and I have to stop a few seconds, and then do the last reps
@@JL-yw1cp add in some unilateral work for a while. Take your weaker shoulder to failure then do that same number of reps with the stronger one. Your weaker one will catch up.
@@bobbob4002 I see , I like to do cable lateral raises by inclining the body a little bit if I want a bigger stretch, or simply step away to steps from the cable station to have a little bit more tension at the bottom , behind the body technique looks a little bit uncomfortable but is nice to have a new tool in the box available
@@deansheppard1104cable lateral raises behind the back feels more comfortable to me. The cable can run inline with the arm when you do behind the back (if you fo lateral raises with arms angled forward)
The stretch is a tiny bit better, but it’s mostly to get my opposite site hip out of the way since I open my stance about 30°. Both are benefits either way. But both techniques will work too
What I hate: Tendinitis. Long arms, so wrists and elbows will always have some kind of pain and 2 years into lifting and I'm slowly getting rid of it. Making all arm work hammer strength saved my ass. As an amateur your real limit is absolutely there, and it's called appetite. I don't care if in an abstract logic experiment you can conclude there is no limit, in reality if your income or life doesn't depend on it, going further your appetite limit is useless. Hersovyac faced this and accepted that his limit was on the appetite, I think this to be true for everyone. And leg day takes away all your energy. That's it, I don't care about how enhanced lifters look or how fast they progress. They do them and I do me.
“Lifting gives you energy”, I’ve been pushing back on this since I started the channel. I think a big part of this is marketing towards beginners to show them a life where they are more fit, successful and productive. Although this is a great ideal, the idea that your productivity improves outside the gym due to lifting doesn’t add to up to what I see in the real world. The people who say this sometimes actually have less on their plate as their channel/business has scaled so they think they are more productive but in reality their workload has changed. It may be similar to what GVS calls lifters amnesia
This has been my experience as well. The physical and mental fatigue cost of lifting when I had less responsibilities was so negligible it hardly felt like it was there, even though it was. I could kill myself in the gym for 2 hours with squats and deadlifts and then go home and rest up on the couch and play video games the rest of the day. Now I’ve got relationships to maintain, classes to stay on top of, hobbies aside from lifting I’m committed to, chores… and on top of all of that I’m stronger now, and my body feels it after the gym. I love lifting and who it’s made me into, but it absolutely has its cons on the rest of my life
If you’re actually trying the gym will nuke your energy for the rest of the day and into the next. I don't lift as hard these days so I can perform well on more important life shit.
Agreed with the "lifters amensia" part. There are few advanced lifters giving advice online who don't coach/create content full time. Its much easier to "hoist" weights and "horsecock" around when you can spend the majority of your day post leg workout answering emails to the same dozen questions you get asked 100x a day vs. someone who has to perform surgery, close a massive client deal, practice trial law etc... And thats not to mention that despite the optimism around lifting, formal cardio has always provided me significantly more energy/sleep quality etc... than lifting+step count. I enjoy learning lifting content but my goal, and I'd imagine the actual goal for most with reflection, is to get an 'late- intermediate' physique, then downshift to maintenance/other goals. Though well-meaning, I think a lot of the messaging among advanced lifters, even the hobbyists, fuels the fantasy that being jacked is the magic cure-all to the human condition. If you don't become an advanced lifter, thats fine, but imply its because you aren't strong/tough/focused/dedicated/masculine enough to join the magical ranks of the advanced and are merely an NPC destined for nothing outside of it. All the modern day fear-mongering over who trains 'hard enough' or not is a great example of this. I think that is what fuels the desire for steroids more than anything. Brandon and others like Dr. Mike have put it well, bodybuilding/lifting at the end of the day is a leisure activity and its extrinsic rewards (health/attraction/aesthetics) are all accomplished at moderate levels. And despite this ramble, I think people who choose to be advanced are to be celebrated, just with proper perspective. Its just very hard because we are all visual creatures and highlights of being super jacked and having fun lifting with your bros and flexing with a pump speak to our emotional circuits directly in a way that even the words those people say in those same videos do not.
When somebody starts lifting, they are typically too weak to generate any substatial amount of fatigue and, on top of that, they most often leave 5, 10 or more reps in reserve, but since they're new to lifting, they can see good progress doing that and they get better without feeling fatigued to any meaningful degree. That I believe is what that belief stams from. Obviously, as one gets more advanced, it becomes less and less true that "lifting gives you energy".
It's perfectly acceptable to move on to another pursuit. You've already gotten most of the gains you're ever going to get. Pick up a hobby that improves you in some other way besides being jacked. Like playing an instrument, dancing, theater, archery, etc.
I appreciate the suggestion! I’d consider it. I don’t actually hate lifting, there are just parts of it that suck that we all have to deal with. I might make another video talking about how the parts of lifting I like outweigh the stuff I said in this
12:00 It really has become so much more difficult to stay "locked in" in terms of my lifting/physique goals now that I've lost that initial, internal spite. Used to be genuinely invigorating to go to the gym and feel angry at my life/situation in order to become motivated. Years later, bodybuilding is now my "hobby" and I have long term goals which won't come to fruition for years, even with optimal training principles. Wish I still had that chip on my shoulder and something to prove.
i want pls to ask you and this question is so so important for me…there is surgery for clavicle shoulder to make it wide …pls can you tell me its normal to do it or its dangerous..by the way i do bodybuilding ? Pls doctors i hope you answer alot of people we dont have other way to fixe that genetics problems ❤
@@spiritual_fitness you don’t have information about this subject..so don’t let me feel i talk with elon musk here ..(hahaha most stupidest thing i heard haha )… yeah cuz you don’t now shit …myygod!!
Serious answer: Its the stage of lifting when progress come incredibly slowly, if at all, and more or less require full effort/dedication to continue progress. There is no hard guide for it but most lifters get there roughly 3-5 years after serious focused training. A common trap is to think 'advanced' training is better than 'beginner' training but different strategies work better depending on what level of development you are in.
Lifting has always trashed me. I enjoy it, I like it. I love it just as much as day 1, but yeah if you are always pushing what you are capable of and never leaving anything in the tank(to or past failure) Training like a suicidal controlled lifter, you will be torched. I still do what I need to do after the gym. I don’t become lazy but it’s much harder to do dishes or walk my dog when I’ve trained for 90 to 120 minutes. As a newer lifter I lifted to failure but I remember hanging with the young adults after a session, and I was so freaking tired. But it’s part of the game and your body does adapt.
@@SoccasteveProbably means you are built for this. I was an endurance athlete growing up and that energized me a lot more than weight lifting. I was always the skinniest kid. You might be bigger boned
Calling steroid users “enhanced” is one of the most dangerous euphemisms I’ve ever heard. Enhanced makes it sound so benign, yet steroid use is well-documented to take an enormous toll on the body including early death. You’re not enhancing anything, you’re destroying long term gains for short term benefits.
Damn you’re right. Part of it is a subconscious respect thing because they’re still people, I just disagree with their decision to take PEDs in most cases.
Here's one of worst pieces of bad advice I got I've gotten which kept me as a mid intermediate for a long time despite doing pretty much everything right: "Intermediates don't need specialization phases, you should save that until you're advanced." Here's the thing about this, your weak points stay your weak points because you're not addressing them directly in your training. You don't get bigger arms magically if you've been at 16.5" for 3 years hitting your arms with the same intent as other muscle groups. The biggest factor that has changed my physique has been centering my training cycles around a few weak points, putting my volume and frequency into those, and filling in the rest according to my recovery. I have been training my quads and hamstrings only once a week for the past 9 months and have still made some progress, but during that time my shoulders and arms have grown a lot. You can't bring up all your weak points at once, either, so I suggest just picking a couple body parts to emphasize and put the rest on either close to maintenance (like I've done with my legs, recovering powerbuilder, here) or at a low to moderate volume that still allows you to progress to keep training enjoyable, but doesn't detract from your weak point training. I was too obsessive for a long time about trying to hit everything with the same energy all the time, making sure my training was "perfect" and "balanced." That was a big mistake.
I started doing this after about a year. Got my pull ups from five to ten shockingly fast doing this. My lats also blew up. I would say the worst piece of advice I got was don't do ab isolation work. "Abs are made in the kitchen." As somebody who started out skinny fat with a decent gut, ab work made a huge difference in how I look in the mirror even if it didn't give me a straight up six pack.
@@PotatoSlices yes, have you seen anyone who looks big with short long head triceps and short biceps at the same time? I still look like I have stick arms.
It's absurd how jacked you're getting.
I can’t even comprehend it. Nobody can
Bro is really small
@@AlmostlessThanHumanhe’s not trying to be obese like you.
@@DurnaldTremp dude at 200lbs I'm WAY leaner than Landon
@@DurnaldTremp Landons like 30% bf at 200lbs lol
One of the greatest things that lifting did for me was open the gate way to nutrition and cooking. Finding ways to eat healthy while also experimenting with recipes and cooking techniques has been equally as rewarding as the lifting itself. I’ve found these thought provoking videos ten times more intriguing than finding the umpteenth way to “optimize” this and that. Great video man! Glad you’re back!
Same for me and my wife. My wife is obsessed with tennis now and plays pretty much every day in competitive rec league. We're cooking so much more now, using all the cookbooks we have and haven't used lol.
Last part is relatable
Alan Balls
.. . Alan
Alan Balls
😎
I’m sure you’d have much more to add too.
Someone else left a comment here quoting one of your videos on a similar topic, which I’m excited to check out
@@AlanThrall this gives me an idea….
love this type of meta-fitness content. after a certain point fitness content becomes mostly entertainment. sure there are nuggets of training wisdom you can pull from everyone, but once you truly understand the game, no single youtube video is going to make a significant impact to your chances of achieving an elite physique. breaking out of the lifetime intermediate level requires so much individual personalization and self experimentation that you can't really knowledge transfer as directly as the novice principles. i have a very long journey left to go, but even now the things i enjoy the most have become the higher level philosophy content, and super nitty gritty thought experiments about weird exercise optimizations. these things are fun to think about simply because i love and am obsessed with lifting, but this content is a lot less monetizable than the infinitely regurgitated "how to get jacked" videos. I understand why it's the path a lot of people take, but that is exactly why I appreciate your anti-influencer approach, and why I think you have cultivated such a solid audience of meat-heads who appreciate it. would love to see more of these types of meta/subversion of the online fitness cult videos.
This reminds me a lot of what Alan Thrall said was the main difference in his training between his 20s and 30s! The truth is, made short, lifting is much easier to stick with when you’re unhappy about something in life. When you start to emotionally mature and reach the life you wanted, it takes some of the fire away. Lifting definitely lost its glossy shine it had in my early days, but I still have a long ways to go with it and have found other reasons to be passionate about it.
Also, your point about vicariously living through other lifters’ content is actually why I often turn the screen off when I watch your content😅. Hope you don’t mind, but I’m just here for the ideas mostly! I need to save that passion for my own session later today.
@@Balakay_Adkins who says you'll reach the life you wanted
Bro is single handedly killing my Adsense gains…
lol in all seriousness, it sounds like Alan articulated that very well. I must’ve missed that vid, but gonna watch that today. Thanks for the recommendation brotha!
I'm a financially secure adult with a good job, and I find training more enjoyable now than ever despite increased real world responsibilities. I have a bunch of younger friends at the gym who look to me for advice. I was a lone wolf lifter the majority of my adult life, so it's different now with a sense of community and casual friends I've made.
It's also rewarding being one of the biggest natty lifters at the gym.
I see the gym as a gift for how hard I've worked to get to where I am. If you don't like it past your younger years, the chances of you maintaining adherence are low imo.
In the words of Grizzly: you have to live it.
The fact you got to a 3 plate bench kinda easily without putting on a bunch of size means you do have a genetic gift for strength. Bodybuilding is another story. Don't discount yourself.
Bro has those Inuit genetics
It's a bit ironic that he brought up toxic positivity while also claiming that he's not genetically gifted. On the surface of it, him saying that is a positive thing as it seems to imply that other people can get the same results, but if it isn't true then it's giving people unrealistic expectations which would qualify as toxic positivity.
Anybody who lifts *seriously* can bench 3 wheels if they don't have bad genes. Especially if that's their main thing in life. 4-plate is elite territory.
@user-he4ef9br7z Not a chance , 2 plates is achievable for most naturals after 5 years .
I mean 100kg/220lbs for at least 1 set 6-15 rep range
3 plates 140kg/315 is top natural genetics or at least trt beginner/non competitive steriod use
@@Junglebtc Sorry, 315 isn't top tier. If you're 18 years old and you still weigh 140 pounds, then yes, it seems impossible. But if you're more like 180, which plenty of young men are, five years of consistent training and putting on another 20 pounds of mass (most of it won't be muscle and it doesn't have to be) will get you a single at 315 if you peak right.
And I'm not saying that should even be a goal. There are plenty of other milestones that are probably much more important. But don't put a 315 bench on a pedestal. I've known plenty of guys over the course of my training career who could have had it with another year of training, but elected to focus on hypertrophy once they hit 250 or so. Or they just started focusing on another hobby.
At 37 yrs old w 3 kids and a full time jerb, balancing how hard or not I go is imperative.
Dey terk meh jerb! 😣
@@leonkennedy9739 Dey touk awrrr jewbss
Hey man, I can barely keep up with my training and I got zero kids (though my jerb is a pain in the ass). I think you're doing great.
Dammit they took yer jerb!
DURGA DURGA DURR
One set to failure.
Cut is going well bro. You're getting that NH horizontal bicep vein
I followed you because you discussing important subjects that I hadn't seen discussed anywhere else. This is how one develops expertise.
Thanks man. I try to share wisdom that’s unique to my channel, there’s already a lot of redundant info out there lol
I like the workout footage with the commentary over it, keeps it visually interesting. I especially liked the point about the 'mystery' of lifting being an aspect you had at the start, having a chip on the shoulder and lifting to see where you go but once you're there the mystery is gone.
Great video. Content like this is the reason I keep coming back to your channel long after I've abandoned many others. I remember watching one of the channels I got interested in early on in my lifting journey and realizing that it just kept recycling the same basic content over and over. Unfortunately, so much of the science-based crowd ends up being similar - either aimed at beginners or speculative in a way thats not useful for the more advanced trainee. It's challenging and creative to come up with something to offer the advanced intermediate or advanced level lifter in terms of YT content. Talking about mindset, lifestyle, etc really scratches that itch for me. These things are important but rarely discussed. It's also really nice because I don't have anyone else to talk to about lifting in an advanced way. My friends who do lift are all basically beginners, so i get at least some sense of community from your channel.
The fatigue expense is a big one for me. Lifting isn’t my only hobby or passion, but it saps a big amount of my energy for the rest of the day. Leaving little for the other activities.
I have to rest a good amount before I feel productive again, and by that time, two thirds of the day is already gone.
Really enjoy these more philosophical lifting videos. I know that there's the meme of just lift big and eat big but nerding out about lifting and trying to connect to it on a deeper level really brought my love for lifting back.
I am glad these type of videos are back. Didn't know you went on a vacation lol. Hope you enjoyed it
Hell yeah, pumped to be making them again. And thanks bro!
Can I propose something inspired by Alex Leonidas and GVS? In the natty community, building muscle is slow, so bulking (with strength and progressive overload) is often prioritized over cutting. However, dedicating a significant part of the year to a cut instead of a bulk can bring novelty and rejuvenate interest. The daily visual feedback during a cut can be motivating as you see progress in the mirror. It also highlights another key aspect of bodybuilding- aesthetics. For naturals, especially intermediates to advanced lifters, getting shredded and focusing on aesthetics can be a refreshing challenge and goal. You can always return to regular programming, but committing to a serious cut offers a different and exciting experience. PED users shouldn’t have a monopoly on aesthetics- the natty movement can embrace it too, making it a worthwhile pursuit.
Good sales pitch to get me to start a cut series 😂😂
In all seriousness, I’ve considered cutting a bit deeper exactly for that reason. I probably will at some point just for fun
I cut for the first time seriously this year after bulking for, no joke, 8 years straight since I rediscovered bodybuilding and it became a passion. It's kind of nuts how much better I looked after dropping 15 lb of fat over 4 months. Constant compliments, people thinking I'd actually gotten bigger. Way more people asking me for advice.
My calisthenics movements are better than ever, my fitness is great, I have more energy.
I'm currently holding steady after the initial cut because started getting some fatigue and I'm pushing 40, so tissue loss was kind of a concern. Been gaintaining for about 6 weeks now and have probably dropped a little more weight. After vacation in a couple weeks I plan on cutting for a couple months before winter hits.
I think as long as you're still prioritizing tissue accrual, you should reward yourself with an occasional cut. I've heard Menno say a ratio of 4:1 or 6:1 time spent bulking:cutting is ideal for naturals. I agree a lot with this, just bulk very slowly without thinking about it and you shouldn't ever look sloppy. Too many people bulk way too fast only to significantly cut every single year.
To me it always made sense that i should bulk very slowly. Ive been slow bulking for 4 years now and i dont look sloppy or fat. Im quite happy overall with my physique even tho some areas need improvement. Il prolly cut at year 6.
5:29 this is something that is been really bothering me and that i see happen often , even in the " noble natty " community, has a channel gets more subs the less informational and more entertainment focused the content becomes, channel like this is a gem because is not just about begginers, there is nothing wrong with begginers and im glad if they can get set on the right direction in this platform, no the real issues are casual lifters, who only pretend to actually lift and bodybuild and stay begginers/early intermediates for life , every popular channel always comes up with new gimmicks that make you save more time and effort but somehow give you more gains ( the whole concept is an oxymoron) , is nice to have channels where the community is looking for actually getting big and not cut any effort of slack on basic training fundamentals, a shame that mainstream fitness has become " x study gives you y % more gains with z technique that saves you time" ( be that lengthened partials or drop sets or whatever gimmick channels come up with this days ).
The funny thing is that Bald Omni Man is definitely juicing and GVS probably too. The only 2 dudes I trust are Basement and Alex.
@@naughtiousmaximus7853 I don't think neighter of them are juicing but regardless GVS recent content has definitely been more on the casual side/normie side of lifting, still puts up really good content tough and is the same with Alex honestly, bald Omni man content has been staying consistent and hasn't changed much
@@deansheppard1104 bom content hasnt changed much besides him being a roidhead, I agree
@@naughtiousmaximus7853if you think they’re juicing, you’re in the wrong crowd
@@Ash-os7fc explain how advanced lifter like bald omni man goes from ripped 170bs to ripped 200lbs in 3 years, please
Weird thought here but something you said in the video made me think of this. A few years ago I decided to only follow people I believed to be natural. This helped me sift through a lot of bs and contradicting statements and basically cured any body dismorphia I had. Going into my 9th year of training, I have noticed myself very proud of my physique, but almost to the point of complacency. Not saying I’ve hit my genetic limit or that I’m at the level of the natty guys I follow, but what do you think about following PED users again? Not for advice, but to regain that sort of unattainable goal/motivation I had as a naive teen? Kind of similar to how the other natty guys obsess over Dragon Ball Z and anime physiques. Again, weird thought, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Great video Landon
Yeah that really is a good question, and super thought provoking. I’ll think about it a bit and maybe discuss in a video down the road
"My energy and interest is higher on off days"
This is what makes me wanna just train a few days a week at most. It just isnt worth it to me to spend so much energy trying to grow a little bit of tissue lol, even though its still somewhat fun to do. It really takes away my creativity and motivation for other things if done excessively.
I find training at night fixes this too. That way instead of lifting at noon and wanting to sit on the couch the rest of the day, I can actually do that but just relax then go to bed. Tricky for those who take preworkout though lol
But it absolutely is the main appeal of lifting 3-4x a week instead of 5-6.
@@BasementBodybuilding Totally. I like playing guitar and gigging as much as lifting, but it takes a lot of energy. Plus everybody's gotta work a job. 3-4 days a week lifting works for me. I don't do heavy squats anymore, realized I just want a nice bench, deadlift (and to OHP 135 for reps). I just walk around/hike in nature if I need more leg training haha.
@@BasementBodybuilding good point, cus i usually train fairly early
It's so true! The reason I watch you is the same as why I watch NA & Alex-you all are so down to earth and relatable. The content feels genuine, like getting advice from a friend or an older sibling. Plus, you guys give some of the best advice on RUclips!
Having no energy is relatable asf. I‘m fucking dead rn and have a heavy fucking full body session rolling around in 1-2 hours…I‘ll be a living corpse after the session.
@@DavideGalic sad
Snort some pre after
You’re jacked dude 😳
Unironically my pre workout is what allows me to stay consistent even if I have no energy on a day
Full body hits different, yeah 😂 but really, stimulus to fatigue is worth taking into account at least for phases.
I started lifting 3 years 9 months ago as a 135lb pencil neck. Went to the gym 6 days a week, worked hard, and made it to a decently lean 185, worked up to a 500lb deadlift and a 415 squat. About 3 years and some months in of going hard one day I said "I really dont feel like going and putting this weight on my back" after work - and skipped the gym. I was tired of aching knees and elbows. Took two full months off and am just now getting back into it, having lost considerable size and strength. I think going 4-5 days will be better for me in long run - making lifting enjoyable is something I never really spent much time thinking about when I would look at my program but I think it will be a factor going foward.
Brother I had a 6 month period around 5 years into lifting as well where I stopped. I lost 30lbs and decided I wanted to gain it back. I changed my approach to make it more sustainable and currently am bigger/stronger than I was even before taking the time off. Whatever you can do to make long term consistency the primary focus is worth it.
@@yaboiij6694 Totally agree, and your comment is very encouraging. Thank you for sharing
@@user-im4wl2ci5n Does Deadlift or RDL build a good back?
25 years ago I could easily motivate myself to go to the gym after work, no matter the volume or loads. Actually even 5 years ago I could still do it. The moments in-between when I've found it easy to get motivated was when I was doing low volume training. I'm doing again now and I'm easily motivated because the workouts are less than an hour (less than 45 minutes on shoulders/arm day). Yet the intensity is high. Soon this will also lead to a motivation drop, unless I do one of two things: extend the recovery days or go back to some higher volume, less intense training. I go between the two throughout the year and it keeps me motivated. The quicker workouts when I get tired of long workouts and the shift to more volume when high-intensity overwhelms you.
The thing I hate about lifting is for me atleast it always feels like your making no progress but sometimes you gotta look back in the logbook just to see how far you came and to be patient and enjoy the process if you have no love for lifting it makes things more difficult because people want instant gratification without putting in the work
I always feel like im making no progress and then a coworker will be like "wow ur getting huge" and i realise i have body dysmorphia.
@@markbaker4425 exactly some people be saying shit like that and it brings me back because I’m like huh I don’t see it, that’s that body dysmorphia LOL
I hate I don't become a literal anime character in one week.
@@markbaker4425 same shit
My 2 main lifetime hobbies have been bodybuilding and drawing. Honestly, I find bodybuilding the less tiring of the 2. I find something about the hyper focused attention and constant concious decision making that comes with drawing to be extremely exhausting and mentally draining for some reason.
@@HughMansonMD sad
Honestly, true.
I have a job staring at a computer screen analytically for long shifts without breaks, so when people complain about the gym I just shake my head. The gym is a gift and one of the best parts of my day. You need to take advantage while you can and any time you can, because someday you'll have your last workout. If the gym feels like a chore, maybe you need to deload or change things up, or maybe you're becoming a gymcel.
@@DCJayhawk57whats a gymcel
Great video Landon all these things you went over have went through my head as well as I transitioned to an intermediate lifter and as I move into advanced in the future 💪🏽
Thanks Jake, glad to know I’m not the only one feeling these downsides to lifting 😂
Those last few points hit hard. Not having to prove yourself, no magical program, having less energy after lifting. Aka not "enjoying" lifting as much anymore. I know this just a youtube video but I get the sense that you might not be the happiest state of mind in life right now. You don't have to talk about it but if you want to share I hope most would be here to listen. At least I would be. Take care man 🙏
Welcome back and great stuff as always!
I find the "knowing where the natural limit is" interesting. Because AtlasPowerShrugged has this as a reason why he stays natural, to find out what is achievable
Great dialog and thanks for the candid sharing! Like it!
Thanks man glad ya enjoyed!
16:56 I'm one of those saying that 😅 but I'm coming from work with postural and mental fatigue mostly. Heavy lifting is tiring physically but clears my mind, stretches overtight muscles etc, so I come out tired + refreshed at the same time. Hope that makes sense.
The fatigue really caught off guard when i switched to construction work. Had to go down with the sets and it gave me an opportunity for a cut, since being active during work helps losing weight. Now I want to get a little bit more volume in for building up recovery to fatigue ratio.
Nice to see a new video from you man!
Thanks bro enjoy! More to come
Unrelated, but I want to thank you for turning me on to preacher curls.
I've been pushing them hard this year. I messed around with a mixture of EZ bar and dumbells, but the bar was pissing off my wrist so I've stuck with the dumbbells. I say I've added half an inch to my arms since January. I do my top set with 22.5kg for 7 as of last night (i do 4 backdown sets in the 8-10 rep range and am slowly transferring all of these sets from the 17.5kg to 20kg; as soon as I hit the upper rep limit on a set, the next time I do that set I use the heavier weight. Only way to overload with dumbells IMO).
I did smith JM press for a while, but anytime I start going heavy I can feel my other muscles taking over. I've replaced it with smith CGB with some band pushdowns as a mini pre exhaust so I have a better connection with my triceps.
I think the greater growth of a dumbed-down channel is analogous to bigger strength numbers through compromise. The quality becomes less and the channel doesn't have any more actual muscle/substance. If anything, the dumbed-down content is unchallenging and has massive blind spots. An audience built with high-quality, poignant, valueable videos is worth more than a superficial, passionless channel. If what you want is to make worthwhile, lucid videos, don't get hung up on the numbers. It's a great thing that you've achieved 26 000 subscribers. That's 26000 people who are genuinely interested in what you say and want to achieve what you're achieving. 26000 people who care.
I just came from bald omnis video and both of you are getting huge rn natty community on the come up
Thanks bro he’s got a solid channel too
The biggest thing in absolutely hate it the jacked ped guys who have been at it for 20 years make videos saying oh do this and don't do this workout to get jacked fully knowing natural will never be the same
Just don't watch them lol
It's not about watching them, it's the concept it self. Why harm others with your advice while you know that your advice will not work for them ?
@@yassenredwan8297 yeah people post misinformation regarding everything all the time unfortunately
really deep video, thank you 👌
For the mystery part that faded off, we have the same thing with the process of music making (= finding a personal formula that works for you), but you can still take the time to experiment and try new ideas...or not.
No one could study and experiment all the (already known) music theories, technics, instruments of the entire world in a lifetime, for sure.
It's all about balancing between what you know that works, and new things to explore, because exploration is thrilling.
But since making music is more of a creativ process and it is wide field, what you described is probably less pronounced with it than with lifting. Probably.
Thank you for sharing :)
Very insightful comment, seems like you get where I’m coming from too! Glad you enjoyed the vid
Look at you out there in the sun defying Canadian stereotypes. Love to see it!
Even atlas thinks I’m Canadian!
@BasementBodybuilding that's right you're from this side of the nonexistent fence. But I bet they have bagged milk at your stores...
You know you are getting big when your face starts to look a bit leaner at your bulk weight.
Thanks man. I did cut down about 12lbs which helped a bit. Still got a little baby face going on though lmao
Lifetime intermediate checking in 😎
Followed you 8 months ago.......best at your game❤
Much appreciated, I try to make thoughtful videos
Your triceps are coming along nicely. Are you doing anything extra for them?
Thanks! And nothing outside the norm for me
I notice the form on the cable laterals has changed. You're going behind the body, IIRC you used to come in front of the body.
Benefits you've noticed so far? I'm thinking it looks a little easier to keep tension on the delt and helps stop the traps taking over, to an extent
Hey BB, a question, in your opinion, what do you think of a seated leg press machine used for calf presses? I personally like it a lot, just not sure if it is a good choice, however in my gym there is no specialized calf machines so it's either that or calf raises with the smith machine on elevation (i currently do both).
We’re flooded with content when the basements not flooded.
This in particular is a very good video in my opinion. You are very analytic, as am I.
Being aware of the positives and negatives and zooming out are very important to success as you say indeed.
But not everyone is this analytic of a person. I don't know what you do in your daily life but these kinds of people are usually very good personal/fitness coaches.
Welcome back. Excellent video. In addition to being a great natural I also enjoy how deeply you think about this subject. In a world of meatheads (I had to override my auto correct which spelled meth heads) you are dare I say it quite cerebral. Keep up the great work
Can you elaborate on what you mean by “the natural beginners stays small because training is their primary, and only stimulus”?
It’s cyclic in nature - enjoyment will come and go. We all go through it. Training abbreviation can work well for a time to freshen up.
Very good point, holding back a little can definitely let you freshen up. Underrated topic!
Too real bro 🥺
its not about enhanced getting more views its all about personality.
Bro's turning into a horse 🐎 🔥
Horse cultural appropriation is acceptable right?
Skeleton horse just in time for All hallows Eve
@@AlmostlessThanHumanbro go donate half your paycheck to some e-girl streamer.
@@deathbleu5741 are you speaking from experience bud
@@BasementBodybuildingyes
The energy thing is huge. I’m working full time and before that was a student and between that and the hard gym session it’s hard to summon up the energy to do anything like work on my pine RUclips videos. All I want to do is read and sleep lol
Bro figured out the codex of arms and now has transcended his physique and lifes entirety
hey man, I got a question unrelated to this video I've been wanting to ask you. I see that in your program a lot of the sets you do are 5-6, 6-7, 6-8 reps. im just wondering why and whats your reasoning behind it, as opposed to go anything between the standard 8-12 reprange. i assume you are doing it purely for greater hypertrophy results in mind, but i just dont quite understand it. cheers man, love your content
I'm wondering this too
If a lift is extra stable and lengthened biased, it’s easier to train in the 5-8ish range, no need for using lighter weights/higher reps. Save that for the lifts that are less stable or short/mid biased, it feels a bit better since you don’t have to try and grind through an ascending resistance profile with heavy weight
@@BasementBodybuilding okay i see thanks alot for the reply! got a follow up question if you dont mind. now instead of doing 8-12 reps, and now going with 5-8 on at least half my exercises, the overall volume would be lowered. do i need to add more sets to make for more volume, or does the heavier weights counteract this and there is no need? i've been following about the same template as your program, except for the rep scheme.
Do you think training arms and shoulder (side and rear delt) isolation every 48 hours is all right long term? Or is that too little recovery? I'd like to move arm and shoulder isolation to the next day, or the day after the lower, but I'm worried about overlap and recovery, especially when I move arms and shoulders from upper day to the next day. What do you think?
It’s something you’ll have to experiment with. The cool thing about it is if you try it and it eventually beats you up, now you know if it’s enough duration to do regularly, and how long you can do it for, and if the results are improved from your baseline rate of growth
Do you have an arm specialization program? I'm doing an arm specialization program already and not getting good results.
how long did you do?
How long are you lifting? you are pretty strong. I struggle with not even getting 2 plates on bench with1 rep max and i do lift 5 years and have some decent muscle development, but still i am pretty weak.
This is inanse. Jeff Nippard or Dr. Mike isn't talking about lifting w/ this depth. Been watching you on and off for weeks but you definitely gained a new subscriber w/ this one
Thanks bro glad you enjoyed. I try to talk about it on a deeper level, more practical stuff than just basic programming principles everyones heard a thousand times lol
“What I Love, that will spoil.” Rammstein
Well said by him!
I entirely agree. When all a chemistry based lifter has to do is up the dose when they platue how the hell is a natural going to apply that advice.
fact
SHOULDERS LOOKING HELLA SMALL.
Maybe you should do a road to boulder shoulder journey ;)
Is this what the kids call gaslighting? 😉
Road to Boulder Shoulders and 19” arms time. Need them delts
boulder shoulders are the goal bro been obsessed with boulders for years, not resting until i can attain boulder shoulders without flexing
At least one of them will be happening before the end of the channel
@@BasementBodybuilding
There is no end to the Channel!! 💪🏼
@@joshuamendiola5331 it’ll at least be one more year, I can promise that!
Homie lifting weights isn't fatiguing. Thats all your mind. In the military we would lift like animals, do grinder PTs, run, ruck with 100+ lbs and conduct manuevers. In the SAME DAY. And you were never " fatigued." You slept wherever and whenever you could and then go out and party. Why? Because you're doing awesome shit with your tribe. Most peoples lives are monotonous grinds and they hate their life or at best feel empty inside. Lifting is probably the only thing acutally enjoy in their life. Thats the real problem. Vacations aren't tiring because you take a week off. its because youre in a noval enviroment looking forward to the next day. You're probbaly spending the entire time with friends and family as well. Community and purpose are the keys to vitality.
agreed
Do you think your foundation with strength training helped a lot with your progress when it came to bodybuilding. Because I imagine you would have been lifting much heavier weights in higher rep ranges compared to if you had just started bodybuilding from the start
I don’t think so, only because I built my strength base through bodybuilding work. It’s a common misconception on this channel that I started with strength, it was actually sandwiched between two large phases of bodybuilding training
What i can say is im not sure if lifting gives me more energy, but i certainly can feel more awake.
Actually to the point where itll give me insomnia and delay when i feel sleepy by about 4 hours or so. So if i have to wake up early in the morning, 5 or 6 pm is the latest i can go.
I think its more the case of being sensitive to stress rather than more energy, so you might feel more enegetic.
I hate about lifting that I have to put so much effort to get so little in return. I also have too high standards and I think Im less than I should be because of that.
I have also been lifting heavy while I do not enjoy that at all, but I have been after the progress itself and not enjoying the process as much lately.
@Triple_Aces Yup I feel you, especially when they are not taking steroids and are underage and got better results than you in couple years lol.
Im not giving up tho and neither should you. My advice for you and also for my self is, when there is not much progress anymore, do it for enjoyment.
Like I said I like doing high reps more but I just never do them because I have always thought they are inferior. Im always after the progress not the journey.
Gotta start enjoying it more than the progress itself, while still trying to progress but not make the reward the most important thing.
@Triple_Acesbe proud. You’re avoiding temptation and there’s power in that. Sometimes it can be as simple as that 👍
Lifting isn’t as exciting as it used to be? I can’t relate with you on that one chief. My experience has been the opposite.
I’ll probably expand on that at some point, likely in my video explaining what I love about lifting. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it less than before in all aspects
do you do isolation work for the rear delts?
Usually I do 2 sets of reverse pec deck. Nothing crazy. Could be worse, could be better
in my lifting, i hate how shitty my lower body biomechanics are; my torso and legs are too long, my ankles are stiff and non-mobile as hell and my hip is janky. it irritates me to infinity how easily some ppl are able to lift and i can't find a single lower body exercise which suits me adequately. rant over.
I check every day for new video :)))))))))))))
A video about what you love about bodybuilding would be fun to hear 🫡
For sure brotha! Feels gimmicky if I put it out next but we’ll see 😂
Hi can u describe the resistance curve differences between machine Preacher vs free weight? I have this question in mind and since you're the preacher connoisseur lol
"prove to myself that i could actually do it, grew up skinny around peers with good genetics who excelled everything"
hits hard, I likely have dogshit genetics for putting on mass & strength (south asian), have always been the shortest mf everywhere (5'5, living in sweden where avg height is 5'11) and mental illness + self hatred
nothing is as brutal as seeing some mf who only casually lifts get bigger than you in 2-3 months
Rocking the drip I see
Every time I pick out my shirt, it’s obvious which one I’m going to with 😂
Guys what to do when my left shoulder fails before my left tricep during tricep pushdowns?
get someone to show you proper technique. It shouldn't make your shoulder fail ever
Use an incline bench, or try decline Skullcrushers. The added stability is a game changer!
@@BasementBodybuilding ok ty
@@Sumppa It's because my left shoulder is weaker. It doesn't exactly fail but at the end of the set my shoulder becomes unconfortable and I have to stop a few seconds, and then do the last reps
@@JL-yw1cp add in some unilateral work for a while. Take your weaker shoulder to failure then do that same number of reps with the stronger one. Your weaker one will catch up.
Imagine being such a hater of Life that you bettered yourself to insult it
It all comes full circle
I recently discovered Morgan wallen and I thought he looked like somebody but couldn’t remember who, now I remember
Why do you put the hand behind your back in the cable lateral raises? 0:38
Offers a greater stretch on the side delt, as the stretch is what grows a muscle the most, he emphasises the stretch here.
@@bobbob4002 I see , I like to do cable lateral raises by inclining the body a little bit if I want a bigger stretch, or simply step away to steps from the cable station to have a little bit more tension at the bottom , behind the body technique looks a little bit uncomfortable but is nice to have a new tool in the box available
@@deansheppard1104cable lateral raises behind the back feels more comfortable to me. The cable can run inline with the arm when you do behind the back (if you fo lateral raises with arms angled forward)
The stretch is a tiny bit better, but it’s mostly to get my opposite site hip out of the way since I open my stance about 30°. Both are benefits either way. But both techniques will work too
doing it in front makes the cable run into your body, which can distract you during your set
What I hate: Tendinitis. Long arms, so wrists and elbows will always have some kind of pain and 2 years into lifting and I'm slowly getting rid of it. Making all arm work hammer strength saved my ass.
As an amateur your real limit is absolutely there, and it's called appetite. I don't care if in an abstract logic experiment you can conclude there is no limit, in reality if your income or life doesn't depend on it, going further your appetite limit is useless. Hersovyac faced this and accepted that his limit was on the appetite, I think this to be true for everyone.
And leg day takes away all your energy.
That's it, I don't care about how enhanced lifters look or how fast they progress. They do them and I do me.
“Lifting gives you energy”, I’ve been pushing back on this since I started the channel. I think a big part of this is marketing towards beginners to show them a life where they are more fit, successful and productive.
Although this is a great ideal, the idea that your productivity improves outside the gym due to lifting doesn’t add to up to what I see in the real world.
The people who say this sometimes actually have less on their plate as their channel/business has scaled so they think they are more productive but in reality their workload has changed. It may be similar to what GVS calls lifters amnesia
This has been my experience as well. The physical and mental fatigue cost of lifting when I had less responsibilities was so negligible it hardly felt like it was there, even though it was. I could kill myself in the gym for 2 hours with squats and deadlifts and then go home and rest up on the couch and play video games the rest of the day.
Now I’ve got relationships to maintain, classes to stay on top of, hobbies aside from lifting I’m committed to, chores… and on top of all of that I’m stronger now, and my body feels it after the gym. I love lifting and who it’s made me into, but it absolutely has its cons on the rest of my life
Get him on podcast 😉🔥
If you’re actually trying the gym will nuke your energy for the rest of the day and into the next. I don't lift as hard these days so I can perform well on more important life shit.
Agreed with the "lifters amensia" part. There are few advanced lifters giving advice online who don't coach/create content full time. Its much easier to "hoist" weights and "horsecock" around when you can spend the majority of your day post leg workout answering emails to the same dozen questions you get asked 100x a day vs. someone who has to perform surgery, close a massive client deal, practice trial law etc... And thats not to mention that despite the optimism around lifting, formal cardio has always provided me significantly more energy/sleep quality etc... than lifting+step count.
I enjoy learning lifting content but my goal, and I'd imagine the actual goal for most with reflection, is to get an 'late- intermediate' physique, then downshift to maintenance/other goals. Though well-meaning, I think a lot of the messaging among advanced lifters, even the hobbyists, fuels the fantasy that being jacked is the magic cure-all to the human condition. If you don't become an advanced lifter, thats fine, but imply its because you aren't strong/tough/focused/dedicated/masculine enough to join the magical ranks of the advanced and are merely an NPC destined for nothing outside of it. All the modern day fear-mongering over who trains 'hard enough' or not is a great example of this. I think that is what fuels the desire for steroids more than anything.
Brandon and others like Dr. Mike have put it well, bodybuilding/lifting at the end of the day is a leisure activity and its extrinsic rewards (health/attraction/aesthetics) are all accomplished at moderate levels. And despite this ramble, I think people who choose to be advanced are to be celebrated, just with proper perspective. Its just very hard because we are all visual creatures and highlights of being super jacked and having fun lifting with your bros and flexing with a pump speak to our emotional circuits directly in a way that even the words those people say in those same videos do not.
When somebody starts lifting, they are typically too weak to generate any substatial amount of fatigue and, on top of that, they most often leave 5, 10 or more reps in reserve, but since they're new to lifting, they can see good progress doing that and they get better without feeling fatigued to any meaningful degree. That I believe is what that belief stams from. Obviously, as one gets more advanced, it becomes less and less true that "lifting gives you energy".
Bro you have visible abs, how much did you have to cut?
12lbs! And it’s just the lighting for the most part.
It's perfectly acceptable to move on to another pursuit. You've already gotten most of the gains you're ever going to get. Pick up a hobby that improves you in some other way besides being jacked. Like playing an instrument, dancing, theater, archery, etc.
I enjoy playing videogames and basketball over lifting but lifting brings more health benefits and utility in my life.
"Everything Works" and SBD or else no gains that what I hate about lifting youtube
Everyone contradicts themselves. Either too dogmatic or so open minded the brain falls out
SBD crew is worse. Way worse. In my city I have gym that is clearly powerlifting focused. The amount of bad physiques is astonishing.
What's with the audio ?
Is it alright?
I know you might not like this suggestion but, maybe focus on a goal like something in calisthenics perhaps?
I appreciate the suggestion! I’d consider it. I don’t actually hate lifting, there are just parts of it that suck that we all have to deal with. I might make another video talking about how the parts of lifting I like outweigh the stuff I said in this
12:00 It really has become so much more difficult to stay "locked in" in terms of my lifting/physique goals now that I've lost that initial, internal spite. Used to be genuinely invigorating to go to the gym and feel angry at my life/situation in order to become motivated. Years later, bodybuilding is now my "hobby" and I have long term goals which won't come to fruition for years, even with optimal training principles. Wish I still had that chip on my shoulder and something to prove.
Bro hasn’t even started cutting yet and looks ridiculous on the thumbnail 💀
I did a 3 week mini cut, helps the posing a ton not gonna lie 😂
Bro looks like he just survived that thing that happened in Germany in 1945
@@AlmostlessThanHuman you are trying too hard m8
@@Scorptice and you're not trying hard enough bud
@@BasementBodybuilding How much did you cut? Because this vascularity is insane.
i want pls to ask you and this question is so so important for me…there is surgery for clavicle shoulder to make it wide …pls can you tell me its normal to do it or its dangerous..by the way i do bodybuilding ? Pls doctors i hope you answer alot of people we dont have other way to fixe that genetics problems ❤
this is the most stupidest thing i heard 😂. only doctor you need is a mental one.
@@spiritual_fitness you don’t have information about this subject..so don’t let me feel i talk with elon musk here ..(hahaha most stupidest thing i heard haha )… yeah cuz you don’t now shit …myygod!!
The audio could improve a little bit. Cheers 🥂
Agreed, I’ll see if I can hook up my mic for voiceovers
Whats advanced? Serious question
Serious answer: Its the stage of lifting when progress come incredibly slowly, if at all, and more or less require full effort/dedication to continue progress. There is no hard guide for it but most lifters get there roughly 3-5 years after serious focused training. A common trap is to think 'advanced' training is better than 'beginner' training but different strategies work better depending on what level of development you are in.
@@TheGreektrojan i like that
Lifting has always trashed me. I enjoy it, I like it. I love it just as much as day 1, but yeah if you are always pushing what you are capable of and never leaving anything in the tank(to or past failure) Training like a suicidal controlled lifter, you will be torched. I still do what I need to do after the gym. I don’t become lazy but it’s much harder to do dishes or walk my dog when I’ve trained for 90 to 120 minutes. As a newer lifter I lifted to failure but I remember hanging with the young adults after a session, and I was so freaking tired. But it’s part of the game and your body does adapt.
Maybe I’m just an outlier, but I always feel way more energized to get stuff done right after the gym.
@@SoccasteveProbably means you are built for this. I was an endurance athlete growing up and that energized me a lot more than weight lifting. I was always the skinniest kid. You might be bigger boned
@@daviddietsch Definitely not, I was always the shrimp lol. I was 5'8 140 pounds as a senior in high school and played soccer year round.
@@Soccasteve haha I was the baby to your shrimp. I was 120
@@daviddietsch Lol well by that point I had been lifting for a bit and gained some weight. 120 is crazy
Calling steroid users “enhanced” is one of the most dangerous euphemisms I’ve ever heard. Enhanced makes it sound so benign, yet steroid use is well-documented to take an enormous toll on the body including early death. You’re not enhancing anything, you’re destroying long term gains for short term benefits.
If we’re naturals maybe they should be unnaturals
That sounds kinda badass tho
Damn you’re right. Part of it is a subconscious respect thing because they’re still people, I just disagree with their decision to take PEDs in most cases.
So true.
Respect for posting this 2 mins after uploading 😂
@@BasementBodybuilding I'm looking forward to watching and finding out if I was right to agree with you.
Looking forward to moving out of the city and buying a house so I can have a rats nest basement gym like yours :)
Jesus christ the bicep veins
What is your resting heart rate?
@@TheAstronomyGame 52-54ish
@@BasementBodybuilding did you play a sport or do endurance training before lifting?
Here's one of worst pieces of bad advice I got I've gotten which kept me as a mid intermediate for a long time despite doing pretty much everything right:
"Intermediates don't need specialization phases, you should save that until you're advanced."
Here's the thing about this, your weak points stay your weak points because you're not addressing them directly in your training. You don't get bigger arms magically if you've been at 16.5" for 3 years hitting your arms with the same intent as other muscle groups.
The biggest factor that has changed my physique has been centering my training cycles around a few weak points, putting my volume and frequency into those, and filling in the rest according to my recovery.
I have been training my quads and hamstrings only once a week for the past 9 months and have still made some progress, but during that time my shoulders and arms have grown a lot.
You can't bring up all your weak points at once, either, so I suggest just picking a couple body parts to emphasize and put the rest on either close to maintenance (like I've done with my legs, recovering powerbuilder, here) or at a low to moderate volume that still allows you to progress to keep training enjoyable, but doesn't detract from your weak point training.
I was too obsessive for a long time about trying to hit everything with the same energy all the time, making sure my training was "perfect" and "balanced." That was a big mistake.
I started doing this after about a year. Got my pull ups from five to ten shockingly fast doing this. My lats also blew up. I would say the worst piece of advice I got was don't do ab isolation work. "Abs are made in the kitchen." As somebody who started out skinny fat with a decent gut, ab work made a huge difference in how I look in the mirror even if it didn't give me a straight up six pack.
What I hate the most is my bad insertions which make me look small
Nothing you can do about that. Just get bigger and your muscles will look bigger.
don't be cynical about it. lift either way.
@@PotatoSlices yes, have you seen anyone who looks big with short long head triceps and short biceps at the same time? I still look like I have stick arms.
@@dynaspinner64 I haven't seen anyone in the bodybuilding world who has as bad arm genetics as me, I can't relate to them
@@JL-yw1cp you might as well give up and become a couch potato then.
2swol2control