Can Anyone Recommend A Good Weight Lifting Regime

[Ideal man]

Im going to give jogging a rest due to foot and knee pain and will start doing weights all i have is 60lbs in total to work with can you guys tell me how long i should lift for and how many sets of each also im wondering how can o get abs with weights please help

 

[AndrogenicKing]

Check out the THOR program by Christopher Walker. Or UMZU fit. Peaty workout programs.

 

[zenbox]

This website: Black Iron Beast - 5/3/1 Calculator

There are articles attached for the various programs it builds.

 

[Malris]

Hey Paul,

Depends on what you want. @Hans has a service where he can work with you for lifting and/or supplements.

For both of these next suggestions, there's a lot of stuff on YouTube by both groups. I'd check those out and see what you think of those before buying anything. You can probably do 2 months worth of exercises easy from either one without paying a dime, then, if you want more of either one you can buy something. Or not.

Personally, I love the CaliMove calisthenics stuff (Cali Move). It's fairly inexpensive, and most of it can be done with a pair of rings and/or a dip & pull-up station. 2 years of self-customized exercises for about $200-250. One of the guys is a physical therapist, so the exercises are set up to help you gain & maintain mobility without causing injury.

There's also Jeff Cavaliere/AthleanX (ATHLEAN-X | Six Pack Abs and Building Athletic Muscle) if you want weightlifting instead of calisthenics. His stuff is good to great, but when I tried it I wasn't strong or in shape enough to do it. It was about $100 for each of his plans when I last looked. He's a physical therapist too, as well as a professional athletics guy (he was in charge of athletics for the Mets for a while, IIRC) so he's really concentrated on creating routines that will help keep you from getting injured.

Whatever you do, if you find something you like, make sure that it's training opposing muscle groups. If the program just has you doing different kinds of push (bench press, pushups, flys, shoulder press, squat, situps or planks, etc.) then you're only training the front side of your body, which will cause or accentuate bad posture, and eventually real hip and shoulder problems. Gotta have pulls to counter the pushes!

 

[milkboi]

I like Kinobody’s Greek god program because of its simplicity and time efficiency. It focuses on upper body development and has two different training days (chest & shoulders; back and legs). Main goal is to become stronger in a lowish rep range (5-8 reps) on the (incline) bench press, chin ups/pull ups and overhead press. It’s definitely worth the 100 bucks or whatever it costs but I‘m sure you can also find the PDF for free floating somewhere in the WWW.

 

[David90]

I like Kinobody’s Greek god program because of its simplicity and time efficiency. It focuses on upper body development and has two different training days (chest & shoulders; back and legs). Main goal is to become stronger in a lowish rep range (5-8 reps) on the (incline) bench press, chin ups/pull ups and overhead press. It’s definitely worth the 100 bucks or whatever it costs but I‘m sure you can also find the PDF for free floating somewhere in the WWW.

*Coughing Loud*

Spoiler

(PDF) Greek God Muscle Building Program | Ahmet Demircioğlu - Academia.edu

Kinobody's Greek God Program is very good indeed. My Serious Weightlifting Phase has begun with that.
Because it concentrates on short and effective Workouts (Workouts done between 45-60 Minutes), as well as Compound Movements (barely some Isolation Exercises) and Progression (via More Reps or gettinger Stronger).


Here is what a simple Greek God Program would look like:

Spoiler

Workout A:
Incline Bench Press / 3x 5-8 Reps (RPT)
Standing Press / 3 x 5-8 Reps (RPT)
Lateral Raise / 3x 8-12 Reps
Skull Crushers / 3x 6-10 Reps

Workout B:
Weighted Chin Ups / 3x 5-8 Reps (RPT)
Hang Cleans or Sumo Deadlift / 3 x 5-8 Reps (RPT)
Bent Over Flyes / 8-12 Reps
Barbell Curls / 3x 6-10 Reps

And here is what a Speciliazation Phase would look like:

Spoiler

Chest Specialization:

Workout A
Incline Bench Press / 5 Sets (RPT: 5, 6, 8, 8, 8)
Flat Bench Press / 3 Sets (RPT: 6, 8, 10)
Lateral Raise / 3x 8-12 Reps
Skull Crushers / 3x 6-10 Reps

As you can see in the Specialization Phases, there will be additional Volume in terms of adding 2 more Sets to your First Compound Exercise (which is the Incline Bench in this Case). Also the Second Exercises will be (mostly) a Compound Movement that also Compliments this Phase by adding more Volume (in this Case, Shoulder Press gets switched for Flat Bench Press, to give The Chest more Volume. Also Flat and Incline Bench are hitting the Shoulders INDIRECTLY to some Extent.

The ONLY Two Problems i see with this, is the Volume of the Sets and a missing (Weighted-) Abs Exercise.
Because the ''Strength and Density Workout'' could be WAY to less Volume.
Also Most of the Guys want Abs and i (personally) think, only Training them once or twice per Week, won't be enough. I would personally add at least one (Weighted-)Exercise for Abs (3 Sets) at the End of EVERY Workout.

For Hypertrophy, you will need at least 10 Sets per Muscle Group per Week (According to Dr. Mike Isratel).
And even with the Speciliazation Phases, it COULD barely be enough Volume. The Mega Workouts in the Program could solve this Problem. But i would start with Strength and Density (if you are an absolute Beginner) or with the Speciliazation Phases first (if you have some Lifting Experience).

For Weighted Ab Exercises i would look into following Exercises:
-Weighted Sit-Ups with a Plate,
-Weighted V-Ups,
-L-Sit Flutters (although not Weighted, it is a good an underrated Abs Exercise)
-Weighted Crunch (on a Cable Machine)
-Weighted Leg Raise (on a Pull Up Bar)

Im going to give jogging a rest due to foot and knee pain and will start doing weights all i have is 60lbs in total to work with can you guys tell me how long i should lift for and how many sets of each also im wondering how can o get abs with weights please help

It seems like, you have only a Pair of Dumbbels is that correct?!.
Or do you have access to a Gym or Home Gym via a Friend of some sort?!.

 

[David90]

Also if someone has Problems with Limited Equipment (Home-Training due to Lockdown and GYM's Closing in your Country) then you can surely do a good chunk of Exercises. It Depends on your Level of Equipment and your Level of Creativity.

(Remember that for some Home Exercises, there is certain Equipment needed)
Here is a List of Good Home Exercises.:

Chest:
-Dumbbell Floor Press

-Close Grip Floor Press

-Dumbbell/Barbell Flat Bench Press (a Bench is needed for That)

-Dumbbell/Barbell Incline Bench Press (a Bench is needed for That)

-Dumbbell UCV Raise
(Shoutout to Athlean-X)

-Banded Chest Fly


Back:
-Banded Lat Pulldown

-Banded Straight Arm Pulldown

-Banded (One-Arm or Two Arm-) Rows

-Incline Dumbbell Row (Two Dumbells and a Adjustable Bench are needed for that)

-Dumbell Seal Row
(Tip: If You don't have a Bench, you can also put your head against a counter in your Appartment/House and do them that way, it should still work)

-Seated Cable Row Variation with Dumbbells (As shown at 2:02 in this Video ( )

Legs:
-Dumbbell Squats

-Banded Squats

-Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats

-Standing Hip Abduction with Plates

-Dumbell (Courtesy-)Lunges

-Dumbbell/Barbell Hip Thrust (a Bench is also needed for that)

-Lying Dumbbell Glute Bridge

-Dumbell/Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts

-Dumbbell/Barbell Romanian Deadlifts

-Banded Good Mornings

Biceps:

-Dumbbell Waiter Curl (Shoutout to Athlean-X)

-Dumbbell / Barbell Curl

-Banded Curl

-Dumbell / Barbell Hammer Curl

-Dumbbell Incline Hammer Curl (A Adjustable Bench is needed for that)

Triceps:

-Lying Dumbbell/Barbell Skull Crusher

-Incline Dumbbell Skull Crusher (a Bench is needed for that)

-Banded Triceps Pushdown

-Close Grip Floor Press

-Dumbbell Triceps Overhead Extension

Shoulders:

-Dumbell/Barbell Shoulder Press

-Dumbbell Arnold Press

-Dumbbell Lateral Raise

-Dumbbell Upright Row

-Upright Row with Bands

-Dumbbell High Pull (Shoutout to Athlean-x)

Abs:

-Standing/Kneeling Banded Crunch

-Weighted Sit Ups with a Plate

-Weighted Leg Raise (Captains Chair or Dip Station will be needed for that)

-Weighted Russian Twists (done with a Dumbbell or a Plate)​

It's not much, but it should help, getting most People over the Lockdown Time and putting a good workout together. Maybe it helps somebody

 

[windinthepines]

Dan John - Easy Strength

 

[Sefton10]

The ONLY Two Problems i see with this, is the Volume of the Sets and a missing (Weighted-) Abs Exercise.
Because the ''Strength and Density Workout'' could be WAY to less Volume.
Also Most of the Guys want Abs and i (personally) think, only Training them once or twice per Week, won't be enough. I would personally add at least one (Weighted-)Exercise for Abs (3 Sets) at the End of EVERY Workout.

A big miss in the programme is some form of squat. Nothing builds full body hypertrophy as well or hits the abs better. Doesn't need to be heavy either, a couple of sets of goblet squats in good form would round that programme out well and negate the need for ab specific work.

 

[milkboi]

A big miss in the programme is some form of squat. Nothing builds full body hypertrophy as well or hits the abs better. Doesn't need to be heavy either, a couple of sets of goblet squats in good form would round that programme out well and negate the need for ab specific work.

I think squats activating the abs really well is a myth. Isolation exercises are superior for that purpose. Nothing wrong with squatting tho of course.

 

[Ben.]

I think squats activating the abs really well is a myth. Isolation exercises are superior for that purpose. Nothing wrong with squatting tho of course.

I want to add that activating abs in various xcercises depends alot on the individual. There are people doing squats with a lack of glute activation for example, especially obvious when one sees how far they go down while loaded and how strong/stable they are on the lower end of the movement. There also should be some core/ab activation to be stable while going down on the squat.

A professional trainer/physotheraphist can easily tell wether or not someone needs more ab/core strength when assesing a client doing a variety of excercises. I agree tho that the squat on its own is not something i would call a good ab workout. Incoorperating 1-2 functional core ecercises should work well for most people.

Sometimes the abs do work or do not depending on fascial/muscular restrictions, strength in general, how habitual the excercise is executed (is the person actively focusing/activating certain muscles? How well did he learn the motion of the excercise?) etc.

 

[Sefton10]

I agree tho that the squat on its own is not something i would call a good ab workout.

Back squats no, I agree. Goblet squat or any form of front squat really, different ball game if done properly. They hit the core much harder due to the more upright position.

 

[David90]

A big miss in the programme is some form of squat. Nothing builds full body hypertrophy as well or hits the abs better. Doesn't need to be heavy either, a couple of sets of goblet squats in good form would round that programme out well and negate the need for ab specific work.

Sorry, for the Late Anwser. I got many Things to do the last couple of Weeks.

True. Although the Greek God Programm is pretty good, it still misses some sort of Squat and Deadlift (which is think it has in Workout B, at least it had 3 Sets of Squat or Deadlift in it).

In terms of Specific Ab Work i beg to differ. The Problem is, the Abs are getting trained INDIRECTLY via a Squat or Deadlift. Which is still good. But if you want to develop them, then direct Ab Work is needed. Because it is (after all) still a Muscle Group. It doesn't have to be much either. 2-3 Sets for around 15-20 Reps of a Weighted Ab Exercise can be enough to develop them over Time.

I Personally do around 9-12 Sets of Direct Ab Work per Week for a Few Years now. And mine began to show after a few Months after i started that (and with low enough Bodyfat, around 9-12% or so). Some Good Exercises would be Russian Twists (Weighted or Unweighted), Weighted Sit Ups, Weighted Psycho Crunch or Standing / Kneeling Cable Crunch.

I also think, having stronger Abs can make you better at Compound Movements especially Overhead Press, Squats and Deadlift.

I think squats activating the abs really well is a myth. Isolation exercises are superior for that purpose. Nothing wrong with squatting tho of course.

Nothing beats the Good old Squat. But i think Squatting or Deadlifting is not needed to achieve a good Physique after all.
Of Course if someone can do these Exercises good and Safely then go for it. But they are not needed. It's like with the Back Muscles. You do not have to deadlift to have a Great Back. If someone can do Plenty of Rows (Incline Dumbell Rows, Barbell Bent Over Row, Cable Row) and some Pull Ups, they can have some Great Back Muscles. There is always a way.....

I want to add that activating abs in various xcercises depends alot on the individual. There are people doing squats with a lack of glute activation for example, especially obvious when one sees how far they go down while loaded and how strong/stable they are on the lower end of the movement. There also should be some core/ab activation to be stable while going down on the squat.

A professional trainer/physotheraphist can easily tell wether or not someone needs more ab/core strength when assesing a client doing a variety of excercises. I agree tho that the squat on its own is not something i would call a good ab workout. Incoorperating 1-2 functional core ecercises should work well for most people.

Sometimes the abs do work or do not depending on fascial/muscular restrictions, strength in general, how habitual the excercise is executed (is the person actively focusing/activating certain muscles? How well did he learn the motion of the excercise?) etc.

Same here. When i do Barbell Squats i rarely feel the Glutes. Mostly Quads.
But if i do Dumbbell/Barbell Hip Thrust's and Standing Plate Hip Abductions.....boy do i feel them Working

Back squats no, I agree. Goblet squat or any form of front squat really, different ball game if done properly. They hit the core much harder due to the more upright position.

Agreed, also Kettlebell Swings seems to be good for that. I have done them a few Years ago and also felt the Core Working.

 

[Inaut]

Hey. I have a friend that was blessed with a pretty flat butt... she has some back problems but wants to train her glutes to get more of a booty. Is there any specific exercises she can do that will allow her to grow her muscles without sacrificing her back? I think she has problems with core and glute activation and week hip flexors from years of high level dance.. I know hip thrusts are probably a good exercise but may not be ideal for her back @Hans or anybody else care to chime in?

here’s her issues:
“My ribs apparently have a hump that’s common with scoliosis... I also have a tipping scapula and lower cross syndrome that’s opposite from like everyone in da world.”

 

[David90]

Hey. I have a friend that was blessed with a pretty flat butt... she has some back problems but wants to train her glutes to get more of a booty. Is there any specific exercises she can do that will allow her to grow her muscles without sacrificing her back? I think she has problems with core and glute activation and weak hip flexors from years of high level dance.. I know hip thrusts are probably a good exercise but may not be ideal for her back @Hans or anybody else care to chime in?

here’s her issues:
“My ribs apparently have a hump that’s common with scoliosis... I also have a tipping scapula and lower cross syndrome that’s opposite from like everyone in da world.”

Good Exercises in General to train the Glutes would be:

-Dumbell / Barbell Hip Thrusts
- Dumbell / Barbell Glute Bridge
- Dumbell Courtesy Lunge
- Standing Plate Hip Abduction or Hip Abduction Machine
-Lateral Band Walks
- Cable Pull Through
-Extra Range Side Lying Hip Abduction
-Back Extensions
-Frog Pumps
-Side Lying Hip Raises
-Romanian Deadlift
-Sumo Deadlift
-Bulgarian Split Squat

​

This should help, bringing a little more Flexibility and variety to the Workouts.
Best bet would be in her Case to do plenty of Hip Thrusts and/or Glute Bridges (if she safely can). Also i would incorporate Plenty of Standing Plate Hip Abduction or the Hip Abduction Machine. Because it trains the often neglected Gluteus Medius and the Upper Portion of the Glutes and will surely contribute to a nice looking Booty, especially from the Side and Rear View.

I also think that Athlean-X talked about that in the Past. As he thinks, Low Back Pain has something to do with Underdeveloped Glutes or Weak Gluteus Maximus. He said ''The reason is simple, when your glutes are weak your lumbar extensors are being asked to perform too much of a job that they should be sharing responsibilities with the glutes for. This leads to an overactivation of the lower back muscles and an eventual breakdown and injury.''

I Personally done (before GYM Closing due to Lockdown) Barbell Glute Bridges at least 2x per Week for around 3-5 Sets of 6-20 Reps (Depends on Working Weight). Best Maximal Weight was around 396 Pounds/180 KG for 6 Reps. And The Glutes really began to show at around 120 KG Working Weight. So there is something to the Hip Thrust / Glute Bridge.

Also she will need a slight Caloric Surplus to Build Muscle and Glutes in general. around +100-300kcal in a surplus should be Enough. And Sets for the Glutes should be around 4-12 Sets per Week to build them. Since they are easily Maintained by getting trained Indirectly (via Squat, Rows, Deadlift and so forth). But to build them, she will surely need around 4-12 Sets per Week for Glutes.

She can do it like this:

Monday: 5 Sets of Hip Thrust / Glute Bridges x 6-20 Reps
Wednesday: 4 Sets of Standing Plate Hip Abduction x 15-30 Reps
Friday: 3 Sets of Courtesy Lunge / Cable Pull Through x 8-10 Reps​

Easy as that.

 

[Sapien]

This is a topic I have been pondering as of late, as a peaty young male looking to build muscle safely and effectively. Ray mentions that muscle mass is beneficial as it increases RMB, and also cited studies that show bodybuilders live longer. However, he has concerns with the eccentric stuff and lactic acid production.

So in summary- a good training routine is one that builds muscle, avoids eccentric movements, and minimizes muscle oxygen debt (i.e, "the pump) as it increases lactic acid.

He once said something along the lines of "brief, infrequent use of muscle is good" (probably butchered the quote but something along those line)

His advice reminded me of a famous bodybuilder in the 80's, Mike Mentzer, who postulated that all bodybuilders are overtraining, and the principals of muscle growth only required a brief and infrequent session to momentary muscular failure. Interestingly, in Synchronicity fashion, I discovered Ray's work just weeks after discovering Mentzer. I noticed great crossover between the two. Mentzer actually cited Hans Selyes "the stress of life" in one of his books about the harms of overtraining, which blew me away. Even Mikes nutritional advice was peaty, emphasizing the importance of (simple) carbohydrates and sugar, and dispelling the myth of the whey(ste product) protein industry that you needed to overload the body with protein to build muscle.

He has some great lectures on youtube on the topic of HIT, specifically, his audio tapes: The logical path to successful bodybuilding are a MUST watch for anyone interested in the topic of building muscle. He was a very intelligent man, many regarded him as a philosopher, and after watching these tapes you will realize why. His articulate speaking manner and use of logic is extremely impressive. He dispels much of the authoritarian dogma in the fitness industry, and like Peat, attempts to teach one about the science behind the topic rather than just giving a protocol. In other words, he was a proponent of "Perceive, Think, Act".

In my opinion, the theory of High Intensity Training is the most logical, science backed theory of effective exercise, and is the antithesis of the current state of bodybuilding- high volume "pump" style workouts popularized by Arnold (Mentzer's arch nemesis).

His training was based on the work of a man named Arthur jones, the inventor of Nautilus equipment proved that brief exercise to failure is the optimal way to build muscle

There is a book titled "body by science" that goes into this in more detail for anyone interested. Mentzer also has serval books of his own

As peaty as all of this sounds, minimizing the amount of stress to the organism and only doing the bare minimum required, there is still the concern of both eccentric movements and lactic acid, albeit to a DRASTICALLY lower degree.

Coauthor of body by science, John Little (a friend and disciple of Mentzer), has a program that implements these principals of brief, infrequent maximal effort training, AND eliminates these two issues. I present to you: Max contraction training (link). He talks about how a scientist in the 50s proved great results simply by a maximal muscular contraction of just 1-6 seconds.

I have applied this routine to a degree, simply contracting a muscle as hard as possible either on its own or against an immovable object (isometric), briefly and infrequently, and I honestly have had better results doing this the past 2 months than in years of traditional bodybuilding. Each day I wake up in amazement of my progress. I will see muscles that I never knew I had; a couple days after a single pull up I noticed new muscles in my upper back that I had never seen before; after a single rep of a chest contraction I grew my stubborn upper chest more in one workout that I never seemed to build with years of bench press (
"Why I never bench press and you shouldn't either" ) .

Some examples of exercises I will do are: flexing bicep in maximal contracted position as hard as possible by using a doorknob, doing the concentric part of a pull up and maximally contracting for a few seconds at the top then dropping, contracting hamstring by lying down placing heel against the ground, holding the contracted portion of a "mountain climber" pose or sit up for abs, simply contracting my rhomboids or rear delts super hard, doing a "lateral raise" against the bottom of my work desk to provide an immovable resistance, placing my forearm against the back of my (opposite) hamstring and contracting my chest across my body, etc etc. Pretty much anything that you feel a contraction will be effective, you can play around yourself. Using weights in a manner shown in the max contraction video is probably just as if not more viable, but I have seen great results even without going to the gym. The many forms of Isometrics I mentioned, contracting against an immovable object, will provide great stimulation as it will recruit ALL of the possible muscle fibers MAXIMALLY. This is a key principal of HIT (henemens size principal), fatiguing the fast twitch muscle fibers. It can be achieved in any rep range by simply training to failure, but isometrics allow you to do so with minimal/no lactic acid as only one contraction is required.

There was a wrestler named the great gama, who is famous for going 5000-0 in his bouts (yes you read that right) , who touted the benefits of maximal isometric contractions that inspired me to use immovable objects instead of the weights shown in the max contraction video. (that and I don't have a training partner crazy enough to train this way with me lol) Essentially it is the same concept, providing maximal resistance, stimulating the fast twitch muscle fibers ( henemens size principal).

'One day after defeating an opponent much larger than he, someone asked him how he was able to get so strong.' "
“It’s really quite simple,” the Indian said good-naturedly. “In the Punjab, where I lived there was a large tree behind my house. Each morning I would rise up early, tie my belt around it, and try to throw it down.” “A tree?” the boy marveled. “For twenty years.” “And you did it?” “No, little one,” Gama smiled, “but after a tree…a man is easy.” Great gama (link) .

^ This may sound like "bro science", but it actually is an example of "Heneman's size principal" in action. When contracting against an immovable object, you are using ALL of your possible effort, thus stimulating fast twitch muscle fibers.

This all may sound unbelievable, too good to be true; is it really not only possible but OPTIMAL to train this brief and infrequently?; but when one considers the biochemistry of the subject, it makes sense. Muscles are ANEROBIC, the opposite of AEROBIC exercise. This is why sprinters have very muscular legs, while a marathon runner is almost always frail. High intensity, short duration exercise such as sprinting uses predominantly fast twitch, carbohydrate burning fibers, while jogging uses slow twitch fibers that rely on fat. It is the fast twitch muscle fibers that are a lot more prone to growth

While the principals of HIT have been demonstrated scientifically ( View: https://youtu.be/ag5YMTcAudw, View: https://youtu.be/NndeNFVf9eU , View: https://youtu.be/wVYEjFZAERw ), and shown to work in practice by the success of Mentzer and Dorian Yates, these principals have been all but forgotten. It was only through an unrelenting, thorough search for a logical approach to building muscle that I discovered HIT. I have always been unconvinced of the science of traditional bodybuilding; I would follow routines and wonder WHY 3 sets of 10 ( View: https://youtu.be/hddsfYdaZ1k ), why 2 minutes of rest, why not 53 seconds of rest? All of these arbitrary decrees never sat right with me. In science, there is no room for the arbitrary, The principals of HIT initially defined by Arthur Jones and popularized by Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates use science and logic, rather than the arbitrary tradition based programs that are popular today.

As to why it's unknown and forgotten, I don't really have a good answer other than the fact that we live in a "dark age" to some degree, with sheeple believing whatever the popular opinion is, rather than using the logical principals created by Aristotle to cultivate knowledge. It is through the use of logic and reason that I was able to discover ray peat and the community, rather than believing whatever info the dietary guidelines told me, and these same principals of logic led me to discover HIT. As a group of logic based people who Perceive, Think, Act; rather than cultivating information simply because an authority figure told you something, I know you all will really appreciate the science based approach of HIT.

The implications of this are staggering. The entire fitness industry is following the high volume approach simply out of tradition, not logic or science. I wonder how many people's lives would be changed with a proper approach to building muscle, how many more people would take up the sport if only minutes a week were necessary. Hell, a gym membership isn't even required! If anyone decided to try these principals out for themselves (after thorough evaluation of the logic of the theory, not per my advice , {Perceive Think Act!}), please update us with your results!

(P.S , I probably did a poor job explaining the exact science behind HIT, Henemens size principal, fast twitch muscles etc., I recommend reading the works of Dr Doug mcguff, Mike mentzer, Arthur jones and the content of Jay Vincent. This post was a spur of the moment thing after seeing this forum on the home page, I just did my best based on my knowledge of the topic)

(this is a copy of the post I made to the thread "exercise the ray peat way?")

 

[Inaut]

This is a topic I have been pondering as of late, as a peaty young male looking to build muscle safely and effectively. Ray mentions that muscle mass is beneficial as it increases RMB, and also cited studies that show bodybuilders live longer. However, he has concerns with the eccentric stuff and lactic acid production.

So in summary- a good training routine is one that builds muscle, avoids eccentric movements, and minimizes muscle oxygen debt (i.e, "the pump) as it increases lactic acid.

He once said something along the lines of "brief, infrequent use of muscle is good" (probably butchered the quote but something along those line)

His advice reminded me of a famous bodybuilder in the 80's, Mike Mentzer, who postulated that all bodybuilders are overtraining, and the principals of muscle growth only required a brief and infrequent session to momentary muscular failure. Interestingly, in Synchronicity fashion, I discovered Ray's work just weeks after discovering Mentzer. I noticed great crossover between the two. Mentzer actually cited Hans Selyes "the stress of life" in one of his books about the harms of overtraining, which blew me away. Even Mikes nutritional advice was peaty, emphasizing the importance of (simple) carbohydrates and sugar, and dispelling the myth of the whey(ste product) protein industry that you needed to overload the body with protein to build muscle.

He has some great lectures on youtube on the topic of HIT, specifically, his audio tapes: The logical path to successful bodybuilding are a MUST watch for anyone interested in the topic of building muscle. He was a very intelligent man, many regarded him as a philosopher, and after watching these tapes you will realize why. His articulate speaking manner and use of logic is extremely impressive. He dispels much of the authoritarian dogma in the fitness industry, and like Peat, attempts to teach one about the science behind the topic rather than just giving a protocol. In other words, he was a proponent of "Perceive, Think, Act".

In my opinion, the theory of High Intensity Training is the most logical, science backed theory of effective exercise, and is the antithesis of the current state of bodybuilding- high volume "pump" style workouts popularized by Arnold (Mentzer's arch nemesis).

His training was based on the work of a man named Arthur jones, the inventor of Nautilus equipment proved that brief exercise to failure is the optimal way to build muscle

There is a book titled "body by science" that goes into this in more detail for anyone interested. Mentzer also has serval books of his own

As peaty as all of this sounds, minimizing the amount of stress to the organism and only doing the bare minimum required, there is still the concern of both eccentric movements and lactic acid, albeit to a DRASTICALLY lower degree.

Coauthor of body by science, John Little (a friend and disciple of Mentzer), has a program that implements these principals of brief, infrequent maximal effort training, AND eliminates these two issues. I present to you: Max contraction training (link). He talks about how a scientist in the 50s proved great results simply by a maximal muscular contraction of just 1-6 seconds.

I have applied this routine to a degree, simply contracting a muscle as hard as possible either on its own or against an immovable object (isometric), briefly and infrequently, and I honestly have had better results doing this the past 2 months than in years of traditional bodybuilding. Each day I wake up in amazement of my progress. I will see muscles that I never knew I had; a couple days after a single pull up I noticed new muscles in my upper back that I had never seen before; after a single rep of a chest contraction I grew my stubborn upper chest more in one workout that I never seemed to build with years of bench press (
"Why I never bench press and you shouldn't either" ) .

Some examples of exercises I will do are: flexing bicep in maximal contracted position as hard as possible by using a doorknob, doing the concentric part of a pull up and maximally contracting for a few seconds at the top then dropping, contracting hamstring by lying down placing heel against the ground, holding the contracted portion of a "mountain climber" pose or sit up for abs, simply contracting my rhomboids or rear delts super hard, doing a "lateral raise" against the bottom of my work desk to provide an immovable resistance, placing my forearm against the back of my (opposite) hamstring and contracting my chest across my body, etc etc. Pretty much anything that you feel a contraction will be effective, you can play around yourself. Using weights in a manner shown in the max contraction video is probably just as if not more viable, but I have seen great results even without going to the gym. The many forms of Isometrics I mentioned, contracting against an immovable object, will provide great stimulation as it will recruit ALL of the possible muscle fibers MAXIMALLY. This is a key principal of HIT (henemens size principal), fatiguing the fast twitch muscle fibers. It can be achieved in any rep range by simply training to failure, but isometrics allow you to do so with minimal/no lactic acid as only one contraction is required.

There was a wrestler named the great gama, who is famous for going 5000-0 in his bouts (yes you read that right) , who touted the benefits of maximal isometric contractions that inspired me to use immovable objects instead of the weights shown in the max contraction video. (that and I don't have a training partner crazy enough to train this way with me lol) Essentially it is the same concept, providing maximal resistance, stimulating the fast twitch muscle fibers ( henemens size principal).

'One day after defeating an opponent much larger than he, someone asked him how he was able to get so strong.' "
“It’s really quite simple,” the Indian said good-naturedly. “In the Punjab, where I lived there was a large tree behind my house. Each morning I would rise up early, tie my belt around it, and try to throw it down.” “A tree?” the boy marveled. “For twenty years.” “And you did it?” “No, little one,” Gama smiled, “but after a tree…a man is easy.” Great gama (link) .

^ This may sound like "bro science", but it actually is an example of "Heneman's size principal" in action. When contracting against an immovable object, you are using ALL of your possible effort, thus stimulating fast twitch muscle fibers.

This all may sound unbelievable, too good to be true; is it really not only possible but OPTIMAL to train this brief and infrequently?; but when one considers the biochemistry of the subject, it makes sense. Muscles are ANEROBIC, the opposite of AEROBIC exercise. This is why sprinters have very muscular legs, while a marathon runner is almost always frail. High intensity, short duration exercise such as sprinting uses predominantly fast twitch, carbohydrate burning fibers, while jogging uses slow twitch fibers that rely on fat. It is the fast twitch muscle fibers that are a lot more prone to growth

While the principals of HIT have been demonstrated scientifically ( View: https://youtu.be/ag5YMTcAudw, View: https://youtu.be/NndeNFVf9eU , View: https://youtu.be/wVYEjFZAERw ), and shown to work in practice by the success of Mentzer and Dorian Yates, these principals have been all but forgotten. It was only through an unrelenting, thorough search for a logical approach to building muscle that I discovered HIT. I have always been unconvinced of the science of traditional bodybuilding; I would follow routines and wonder WHY 3 sets of 10 ( View: https://youtu.be/hddsfYdaZ1k ), why 2 minutes of rest, why not 53 seconds of rest? All of these arbitrary decrees never sat right with me. In science, there is no room for the arbitrary, The principals of HIT initially defined by Arthur Jones and popularized by Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates use science and logic, rather than the arbitrary tradition based programs that are popular today.

As to why it's unknown and forgotten, I don't really have a good answer other than the fact that we live in a "dark age" to some degree, with sheeple believing whatever the popular opinion is, rather than using the logical principals created by Aristotle to cultivate knowledge. It is through the use of logic and reason that I was able to discover ray peat and the community, rather than believing whatever info the dietary guidelines told me, and these same principals of logic led me to discover HIT. As a group of logic based people who Perceive, Think, Act; rather than cultivating information simply because an authority figure told you something, I know you all will really appreciate the science based approach of HIT.

The implications of this are staggering. The entire fitness industry is following the high volume approach simply out of tradition, not logic or science. I wonder how many people's lives would be changed with a proper approach to building muscle, how many more people would take up the sport if only minutes a week were necessary. Hell, a gym membership isn't even required! If anyone decided to try these principals out for themselves (after thorough evaluation of the logic of the theory, not per my advice , {Perceive Think Act!}), please update us with your results!

(P.S , I probably did a poor job explaining the exact science behind HIT, Henemens size principal, fast twitch muscles etc., I recommend reading the works of Dr Doug mcguff, Mike mentzer, Arthur jones and the content of Jay Vincent. This post was a spur of the moment thing after seeing this forum on the home page, I just did my best based on my knowledge of the topic)

(this is a copy of the post I made to the thread "exercise the ray peat way?")

Really good post and fascinating stuff. Thank you very much!

 

[Inaut]

@AllHailHaidut hows your physique now? Still doing max contraction?

 

[Sapien]

@AllHailHaidut hows your physique now? Still doing max contraction?

i recently changed my mind about max contraction. I regret having posted misinformation on the forum about it. I did see good results at first using it but after delving deeper into the science I no longer think it is the optimal training routine

. Drewbaye.com s "HIT LIST" group ($10 a month, highly recommend buying a month subscription and binging all the content. I learned so much from the "HIT LIST". He is like peat in that he seeks to have you understand the logic/science rather than just making claims that he expects you to take at face value.) has excellent series videos going over what Arthur jones was wrong about in natilus bullitin. One of which being that a muscle is only active in its max contracted state. in reality, circa 90 degrees is where you are using 100% of the muscle. Much of the other topics in my post i still stand by. Going along with the evidence of intensity being the driver of fast twitch muscle growth, (rather than muscle damage, a pump, volume etc.,), statics are very effective as they allow you to exert maximal effort. Contrary to popular belief, statics are just as effective as full rom, according to Drew Baye. He himself, as well as the aforementioned Doug Mcguff, uses/ trains clients with a static program he calls "timed static contraction", in which you statically contract against an immovable object at midway point in the ROM for about 90 seconds, slowly ramping up your effort until you are exerting maximal force. He keeps total volume to one set and the workouts infrequent.

I do something similar but modified a bit:

In my attempt to find a "peaty",yet effective, workout program, i was originally focused on removing the eccentric (statics are perfect for this), and following HIT principals of keeping intensity high but volume low. however I think I overlooked Peats teachings on lactic acid. To train to failure with a set lasting 60-90 seconds as most in the HIT space suggest produces a lot of lactic acid, something I hadnt considered until hearing Georgi on a podcast with Liam Pinson. To my surprise, Liam is actually really into the HIT stuff as well, and asked Haidut if this is an effective and peaty means of training. Haidut said yes except for the lactic acid part of it, he said a better way would be like Olympic style weightlifting (concentric only, picking up weights and dropping them), where they do one rep and then rest. Currently I am doing "static contractions" similar to Drew Baye timed static contraction protocol, except I am limiting the sets to no longer than 5 seconds to keep lactic acid, or "the burn: at bay. His reasoning for the longer set and the "ramp up" stage from my interpretation is soley to reduce injury risk of a muscle strain, and I see no reason why skipping to a maximal contraction from the get go would not be equally as effective.

I also have abandoned the " HIT one set to failure" approach as it is my belief that without the eccentric portion of the movement, there is no such thing as "overtraining". I found a paper that showed concentric only training to build muscle without any muscle damage. Also, the entire concept of training to failure is to exude 100% of momentary muscular ability, which can be done with statics more efficiently. Instead as of late I have been doing several sets per muscle group

I still do identify with the "HIT" theory of weightlifting, which essentially states that one should not overtrain, and that only a small amount of intense exercise is required to optimally build muscle, yet I choose to follow these principals by eliminating eccentric movements and doing intense statics rather than limiting my sets to one and going to failure (too much lactic acid)



I am very passionate about this topic as Peats has said many times the health, hormonal, and longevity benefits of building muscle. Peat once said "everything that kills a person, shreds their muscle first" (paraphrased). I hesitate to comment on the cause of his death, and have been appalled at some of the threads that have, however I wonder if a muscle building routine such as the one I proposed would not have added some years to his life. This seems to be the one area in which Peat did not take his own advice.


The current paradigm in the mainstream is that to achieve a visually appealing physique, with a low body fat and large amount of muscle mass, one must religiously track calories, eat bland chicken and rice every meal with whey protein shakes in between, beat themself up in the gym 6 days a week with hour long workouts of brutal eccentric, soreness causing exercise, take exogenous hormones, and if all that doesn't work, you must just be genetically inferior.

It is my belief that doing the right things, mainly keeping cortisol low (which shreds your muscles to produce glucose for brain when blood sugar is low), restricting pufa and other metabolic inhibitors, keeping steroid hormones adequate with optimal nutrition and lifestyle practices, and of course concentric muscle activity, will allow someone to almost effortlessly attain the physique of their dreams.

(feel free to reply/dm me with any questions about this style of training, I can provide futher references/reading material.)

 

[Warrior]

Lifting weights pales in comparison to calisthenics in so many ways its not even funny. The former seems constructive but is actually destructive to your body as any old timer wrapped in bandages whilst smelling like joint cream who slams down painkillers after a session will attest with a grimace as he wishes he'd made better decisions as a youngun. It's all cumulative.

On the flip those who've done primarily body weight training create a very functional and aesthetic frame that endures throughout the game with far better ranges of motion and development of tendons, ligaments, supporting muscles and (best of all) neuromotor activation patterns. I realized this quite a while ago and flipped the script and feel way better now than I did in areas mentioned.

Sure you're not as big due to the change in method but it just feels so much more efficient. Not to mention you can get it in wherever you wish with no subscription. Throw in a martial art or yoga to keep flowing and you'll look great, feel amazing and won't be wheezing when you can barely bend over to tie your laces or have to scratch your back against a door frame because you're so big.

Add in totally incorrect methods of eating, over reliance on stims and pre-workouts that would make a hippo tap dance as well as so many other bad habits that are pushed as common sense on the circuit and you'll see how weight training is a quick way to wreck yourself as it emphasizes outer strength whilst hiding deeper weaknesses whereas calisthenics does the opposite and is far more balanced and generates long term dividends that speak for themselves.

One is about training the strongest links via artificial stimulus. The other brings you face to face with your weakness, up close and personal.

Its as much about mind as it is about flesh. Make your own decision and don't forget to question your resistance to another perspective as thats when it gets interesting.