Ep. #1102: Kassem Hanson on Optimizing Your Train Choice

Mike: I’m Mike Matthews, and that is Muscle for Life. Thanks for becoming a member of me at the moment for a brand new episode on the artwork and science of optimizing your train choice based mostly in your circumstances, based mostly in your targets. As a result of if you wish to get into nice form, if you wish to acquire, let’s say, a lot of the muscle and energy that’s genetically out there to you, it’s a must to do a bit extra than simply carry heavy issues and you actually start to comprehend that and expertise it firsthand if you end up nicely into your intermediate part, possibly transitioning into your superior part in your health journey.

So after you have got , let’s say two, three. 4 years of weightlifting below your belt. If you wish to preserve making progress with out getting damage, it’s a must to begin taking note of some subtler features of coaching. I suppose you might say that weren’t essential in your newbie part, and even to start with of your intermediate part, the primary one to possibly three years, you didn’t actually have to concentrate to those issues.

You may simply take note of the larger issues and make nice progress that manner. However finally, these subtler features of coaching turn into cumulatively. Extra necessary, way more necessary. And two of these issues are train choice and train execution. What workout routines are you doing and why? And the way are you doing them and why?

And people two matters are the main target of at the moment’s episode. And in at the moment’s episode, you’ll be listening to largely from my visitor, Cassem Hanssen, who’s an educator and researcher, primarily identified for his work with biomechanics. He has produced numerous instructional materials on biomechanics and the way we are able to use biomechanics to optimize our coaching.

And nicely, in at the moment’s episode, he’s in his wheelhouse as a result of that’s what we’re gonna be speaking about. Now. Cassim can also be the founding father of N one, which is an academic useful resource and training service that makes a speciality of utterly individualized coaching packages and vitamin. So when you like at the moment’s dialogue with Cassim, you’ll most likely additionally like what he’s doing over at N one.

Hiya Cassim. Thanks for approaching my podcast.

Kassem: Hey Mike, glad to be right here. Lengthy-term fan of the podcast. So I knew this one was gonna be on the record finally.

Mike: Thanks. Thanks. Properly, uh, I’m glad we’re right here to speak about train choice,

train modification. I suppose in some circumstances, a subject that, you recognize, we’re simply speaking offline will not be essential and these, that is my opinion.

And when you disagree, I might love to listen to why. However that is one thing that I, I might assume will not be essential to people who find themselves model new. So when you’re new to energy coaching, nicely, I suppose you will need to choose right workout routines. Let’s simply say when you’re in your first yr of energy coaching, It’s very exhausting to mess it up.

For those who simply have a midway intelligently designed program that simply takes you thru some primary actions, primary workout routines, you get robust on them. That’s sort of your first yr. That’s most likely gonna produce kind of the entire muscle and energy you can acquire in that first yr. However then as you progress into your second yr and past, it will get a lot tougher to proceed gaining muscle and energy.

That’s the place one thing like. What we’re gonna speak about at the moment, I feel can turn into worthwhile. It may be, it may be a productive manner to make use of your time, even when you’re, you’re the person going, okay, so how do I make my second yr maximally productive? How do I make my third, fourth, fifth yr till finally I simply can’t actually acquire a lot muscle and energy anymore?

There’s a level, I feel, the place it is smart to be taught a bit extra concerning the many alternative workout routines that you are able to do to coach your main muscle teams and perceive variations, perceive benefits, disadvantages, perceive sure modifications to make workout routines more practical. And a few individuals may say, nicely, you might level to any particular person choice alongside these strains and say, nicely, it’s probably not gonna matter whether or not you do the barbell curl otherwise you do the cable drag curl.

Uh, so long as you’ll be able to proceed getting stronger. And you then go, nicely, right here’s a bonus of possibly this cable drag curl in a sure state of affairs, and you’ll most likely perform a little bit higher and go, nicely, yeah, who cares? Okay, however. For those who make sufficient of these enhancements although cumulatively, it may add as much as one thing significant.

In order that’s why I believed this could be a, a helpful dialogue, not simply fascinating, however one thing that individuals can be taught. They’ll ideally come away from it with some concepts about how they’re going to switch. They’re programming to attempt some new workout routines or attempt doing workout routines in numerous ways in which they’ve all the time achieved a method, as a result of that’s sort of the usual technique to do it.

Kassem: Yeah. One of many methods I wish to put the nuances of these things is not one of the stuff issues till it does. And you recognize, I feel that’ll range relying, you recognize, on all people’s journey. Like on the subject of the train choice, you recognize, when you’re simply beginning off, generally these items are gonna be extra like troubleshooting issues like, Hey, I don’t have this piece of kit.

What’s one thing related? Or, this train both doesn’t match me nicely, or I’ve, you recognize, orthopedic problem once I carry out it, or one thing like that. Cool. These are options for there, however when it comes to like, you recognize, hypertrophy, yeah, it’s gonna scale with every thing else that you just do. The tougher you prepare, the extra that you just prepare, the longer you’ve been coaching, I feel.

While you take a look at these items is these items turn into extra priceless as you carry up the opposite variables, they’ve that compounding impact, proper? However when you’re, you recognize, you’re simply hitting the health club twice every week, you’re not doing numerous quantity, nicely then, like these items will not be gonna transfer the needle.

You’re not gonna be capable of choose an train that will get you twice as a lot out of the identical quantity, so to talk. However when you’re doing numerous quantity, otherwise you’re coaching actually exhausting, That’s the place these items can assist, you recognize, not simply from the her phy perspective, however they will kinda actually provide you with much more choices together with your coaching frequency and your quantity.

As a result of you can begin being extra particular and like giving your self like, Hey, usually once I skilled legs, it’d take me so many days earlier than I might do a sure motion. However now if I’m slightly bit extra particular with my actions, now hastily now I can hit legs Monday and Thursday as a result of I’m selecting actions which might be just a bit bit extra particular and divergent.

So the restoration, you recognize, between these two periods, there’s so many ways in which stuff can be utilized for apart from identical to, Hey, what is healthier for hypertrophy? And I feel it’s simply necessary that individuals look via that lens of numerous occasions getting higher. Hypertrophy is utilizing these instruments, not simply because, oh, in isolation, simply these two is sweet, but additionally what.

What do these instruments permit me to get from the opposite features of coaching, whether or not that be, you recognize, how a lot effort and proximity to failure, or how a lot quantity or how can I construction my stuff when it comes to my frequency all through the week and stuff like that as nicely?

Mike: Yeah, nice factors. So we are able to get proper into it.

Uh, wherever you need to begin. If you wish to. You, you led with simply an instance there relating to decrease physique. If you wish to soar proper in there only for people who find themselves questioning. About how which may look. How will you modify your decrease physique coaching to make it higher suited to, let’s say, coaching twice every week, which for individuals listening, you’re gonna must do, when you’re an skilled weightlifter, you’ve gained quantity of a good quantity of muscle and energy in your decrease physique, and also you’re attempting to achieve no matter’s left.

Simply the sheer quantity of quantity alone, like I, I might guess you’re gonna must most likely do at the very least 12, and that’s most likely low, most likely extra like 15 exhausting units to your decrease physique per week. And if we’re speaking about all decrease physique, we’re gonna say quads, hamstrings, glutes, possibly calves. For those who care, and also you’re not gonna do this multi functional session, you’re gonna have to do this in at the very least two periods.

And so the way you program that’s going to matter as a result of it’s not only a matter of doing the quantity. It’s a must to additionally progress. It’s a must to obtain progressive overload in a roundabout way. Finally, that ought to most likely flip into extra weight on the bar or on the dumbbells or on the machines. So how do you get there?

Virtually when it’s a must to do this a lot quantity and now you’re doing two periods per week.

Kassem: So there’s two sort of two logics that we are able to go down right here. One is, okay, how do I begin breaking apart the workout routines in order that, you recognize, possibly I might have, you recognize, possibly a quad dominant day and hip dominant day or no matter.

Two, get extra restoration all through the day. However then there’s additionally the inside session, like simply being extra particular with the train choice. ’trigger one of many issues that occurs as we begin to, you recognize, get our diversifications to coaching is, is that. The brink of stimulus that we want begins to go up.

And when you’re only a newbie and also you begin doing an train, that train could possibly be above that threshold for a complete bunch of synergistic muscle groups. However as you begin to turn into extra superior, what occurs is it’s gonna preserve the brink for sure muscle groups, however different muscle groups are gonna drop off. Like if you wish to take this to an excessive, when a newbie begins the squat could also be ample sufficient to coach their calves.

That’s how low the brink is at first,

Mike: or presumably, presumably hamstrings. Otherwise you assume that it by no means will get there with hamstrings.

Kassem: I imply, when you wanna take it to the intense of the untrained, then sure, even hamstrings. ’trigger I imply we, within the untrained strolling, Produces hypertrophy. So the brink may be very low, however most individuals listening to this most likely will not be rolling away from bed, relaxation into the health club.

So simply principally, if we’re considering like, nicely, is the squat gonna be hamstring train? Like Yeah, most likely not. Until you’re actually simply beginning on the health club and also you don’t have every other like bodily laboring exercise.

Mike: Yeah. Yeah. I ask that as a result of some individuals have excessive opinions a method or one other on that.

Kassem: I feel there’s a pair various things that, you recognize, that make individuals get misplaced on a few of these matters. And one is most individuals aren’t ever coaching only one train. So it may be exhausting for them to be like, Hey, yeah, it looks as if, you recognize, my hamstrings are rising and I’m doing squats. But it surely’s like, nicely, are you solely doing squats?

’trigger they’re most likely doing leg curls they usually’re most likely performing some type of hinge and, and no matter. So generally it’s simply, you’re simply conflating, you recognize, the general impact of your program and also you occur to have x, y, Z train in there. And the opposite is, is that your, the vertical fibers of your adductor magnus, in order that they’re principally those that.

Are the longest on the within of your leg. A whole lot of textual content, we’ll name that the hamstringing division, however it doesn’t cross the knee, however it’s proper subsequent to the hamstrings. So when you get sore in that tissue otherwise you really feel that working, it’s gonna really feel loads just like the hamstrings. Um, it truly even shares like the identical nerve root because the hamstring, so it’s gonna be an identical feeling, related sensation.

And in addition you’re gonna get soreness. And since it doesn’t cross the knee that’s gonna be extra concerned in your squatting kind motions. It’s principally gonna be concerned, you recognize, in every thing that may contain the glutes in a sagittal kind aircraft kind movement. Like a, like a squatter, a break up squat. So constructing on that, if we take a look at beginning to separate workout routines, if we take the squat is like that is the bottom train that’s sort of just like the hit every thing, proper?

So we’ll say it’s just like the least particular that you might, um, you might apply that very same precept to love leg presses and hack squats relying on the way you sit them. However we are able to begin with workout routines which might be very balanced, which is sweet once we need to prepare a complete lot of muscle with one train. However as we advance, we begin working into the purpose the place, man, A type of muscle groups is gonna be what causes you to really attain failure in that set.

And the opposite muscle groups are primarily gonna have reps within the tank nonetheless, so that you’re not coaching to the identical r i r throughout all of the muscle groups inside an train. And that separation begins to occur extra as we turn into extra superior in coaching. In order that’s the place it’s like, okay, now can I do a squat that’s extra for my quads through the use of a heel elevation, proper?

After which can I do one thing that’s extra hinge like an R D l? And so like between these two workout routines, now we’re principally getting the entire muscle groups that we had been in a squat. However I’m ensuring that my quads are actually the limiter and getting all of the stimulus once I do the squat as a result of it’s extra quad dominant and I’m ensuring my hip extensors are getting, are literally inflicting failure with the hinge motion fairly than doing a squat.

And possibly, you recognize, I’ve some reps in reserve left in my glutes and my adductors as a result of my quads are what truly failed first. So I’m turning my quads near failure, however I might need, you recognize, 6, 7, 8. 10 reps within the tank, you recognize, in my glutes, below those self same situations. You’ll be able to proceed constructing that out and that’s sort of what occurs.

And so if we take a look at this on a continuum, the very first thing that you’d do is you’d be like, okay, how do I modify my squat setup? Like probably the most relevant factor I feel there may be utilizing a heel elevation. Which lets you get your knees ahead extra. And when our knees go ahead, that primarily implies that the quantity of labor that the quads must do relative to the hipc sensors is gonna be extra.

And if we take a look at most individuals’s squats, as soon as it begins to get difficult, like later within the set, the tendency is all the time to love kick the butt again, proper? And what that does is basically takes slightly little bit of load off the quads. So once we use a heel elevation, we’re primarily doing the reverse of that.

We’re placing extra load on the quads. And it truly makes it tougher to do this cheat ’trigger now as a substitute of, you recognize, pushing your butt again slightly inch, now you actually see your type deviate like, you recognize, 4 to 6 inches of translation within the Shara aircraft, like pushing your butt again. It’d be very noticeable when you sort of begin breaking that approach.

We’re doing two issues there. One is we’re making the quads work tougher, however the different is, is we’re truly reducing how a lot work the hip extensors and the lumbar backbone and your whole erectors, the entire burden on the posterior chain is being relieved. And that opens up the chance now for us to place.

One other train in,

Mike: yeah, to do an R D L, which can not really feel nice when you had been simply doing a barbell again squat and attempt to comply with it up with heavy R dls.

Kassem: Yeah, like one of many cardinal issues is, is like if you begin placing right into a program is you gotta watch out of like when, how a lot squatting and deadlifting can you have got together?

How shut you recognize collectively can you have got these? And when you like, if we glance on the continuum from newbie, like an absolute newbie may be capable of do each of these in the identical exercise, simply wonderful. You then take the other excessive, which be like, you recognize, any person that’s like at an honest degree of energy lifting, they could must alternate weeks during which they prepare these.

Train. One week is a squat week, the opposite week is a pull week the place they do their deadlift proper? As a result of there may be a lot crossover fatigue, proper? And so relying on the place you exist on that spectrum of like how lengthy you’ve been coaching and the way a lot you’ve advancing these actions, hastily then it turns into like, okay, nicely I could not be capable of do a deadlift, however I might do different issues.

Or if I make my squat extra knee dominant, then I can truly match. Each workout routines in the identical week, and I don’t have as a lot fatigue crossover, which is probably going the trail that you just’re gonna select in case your purpose is hypertrophy, proper? Like when you’re an influence lifter, you’re, your programming is predicated round these, these lifts.

In case your focus is hypertrophy, you don’t have to remain loyal to any train, proper? Like you have got the liberty to go wherever you need. In order that implies that we are able to proceed down that continuum so far as we would like. So if step one is doing a heel elevated squat, nicely then the following step is likely to be transferring to a hack squat, proper?

As a result of now we’ve primarily eliminated the backbone, the erectors out of the motion utterly, proper? We’ve added stability, which tends to extend the quantity of output. So we’re, we’re primarily gonna be capable of prepare the muscle to a higher diploma of, you recognize, we’ll say like, Failure’s normally outlined by whether or not or not you’ll be able to full the rep.

But when we are saying physiological failure, which means identical to how a lot stress we’re in a position to impose on the muscle, when we’ve extra stability, we’re in a position to get to nearer to physiological failure. Like we’re in a position to like get slightly bit extra stimulus. We’re in a position to recruit slightly bit extra motor models as a result of our mind doesn’t must stabilize as many joints, so it’s received fewer muscle groups and to work with.

So it may principally make the muscle groups which might be working work tougher. And so including that stability part may be good. After which we are able to nonetheless do, you recognize, when you’ve got a hack squat the place the platform can permit for like, you recognize, slightly little bit of plantar flexion in order that, you recognize, ankle mobility is will not be a problem and you may nonetheless get like that full deep vary of hamstrings to calves, that’s gonna be good.

And the principle good thing about. Switching to that hack squat, in addition to it being steady, is simply that when you have got one thing behind your butt, primarily what that does is often, like on the squat, we talked about how your hips would push again if you would wanna cheat. Now, on this occasion, when your quads are pushing, they really create slightly little bit of friction ahead, like in the direction of your toes, proper?

And that pressure is now absorbed by that. Again, relaxation being behind your butt. So what that does, it means that you can principally use as a lot of your quads as you’ll be able to all through the entire rep, the place in a squat it’s a must to steadiness. So that you’re sort of restricted on how a lot you’ll be able to hearth every muscle as a result of it’s a must to go up and steadiness the place you.

You’ll fall over, proper? So that you’re eradicating that steadiness part and it’s primarily permitting you to make the most of the constraints of the machine to make use of your quads much more. And that is the place we take {that a} step additional and take a look at the pendulum, which is basically designed to enlarge that ingredient.

’trigger now that again piece, you’re truly sort of truly pushing your butt again up into it. However as a substitute of it being like a squat movement the place you’d be transferring horizontal, you’re sort of on this like swing kind movement. So if you drive again, you’re actually driving with the quants. So if we take a look at the comparability of these, we’re primarily attending to identical to slightly bit extra quad bias to slightly bit extra quad bias, slightly bit extra quad bias.

After which that shift from the hack to the pendulum is basically making it much more quads, much less hips. And for lots of people, in the event that they nonetheless battle slightly bit with vary of movement in a hack squat, they’ll discover that within the pendulum. As a result of primarily what the pendulum does is it principally pushes your butt in the direction of your heels on the backside, which that’s closing the knee joint.

That’s attending to that very stretch place, which you recognize, The increasingly analysis we see, that appears to be probably the most priceless place that you just need to be going when it comes to vary of movement and the place you truly need the train to be difficult from a hypertrophy perspective. So the pendulum principally ticks the entire containers when it comes to, okay, now we’ve stability, we’re getting deep into that vary of movement.

It’s very biased in the direction of the quads, and also you’re not gonna be capable of cheat a lot, you recognize, together with your glutes and stuff like that to get outta that place as you fatigue. So if you, you recognize, understanding what failure is to your quads is gonna be very, very obvious

Mike: and you may, you’ll be able to safely go actually as, as, so you’ll be able to go proper as much as failure if, if that is smart.

However I usually don’t do this. I on on pendulum, I’ll normally. Have yet another rep left. So, however that’s, you recognize, it’s fairly near failure. Max can be two reps left and I, and I can do this with out even having to consider it on the pendulum. I can simply take into consideration simply pushing as exhausting as I can. That’s all I’ve to consider.

Kassem: That’s truly the purpose that I used to be rolling into is these workout routines which might be extra particular. It tends to be simpler to gauge that. R i r.

Mike: Yeah. And that only for individuals listening, reps in reserve, what number of good reps left do you have got? So that you’re in a set. It’s getting exhausting and when you ask your self, alright, if I actually needed to, what number of extra reps might I do?

And when you get nearer to failure, when you’ve been coaching for a bit, you’ll have a fairly good sense of it. All of us most likely are likely to underestimate fairly than overestimate, however it’s best to, when you, when you’re considering I might do possibly two extra, possibly you might get three extra, once more when you’re skilled, however not 5 extra.

Kassem: Generally workout routines which might be extra particular, it’s simpler to know when that time is. And in addition workout routines the place there aren’t as many different parts to fatigue or problem. So there’s a extra talent, just like the extra of a talent part there may be to an train, the tougher that’s to gauge, proper? And the extra there’s a possibility for there to be, say, like a respiratory fatigue.

Like if you’re squatting, when you’re going to failure, you’re gonna be like huffing and puffing until you’re doing, you recognize, like, you recognize, three or 4 reps, proper?

Mike: Like doing units of eight, units of 10, squat, deadlift. Inside even ending these inside, let’s say one to 2, uh, one to 2, r a r. I imply, it, it seems like cardio towards the top of that set.

I imply, it’s, it’s, uh, it’s cardiovascularly demanding, that’s for positive.

Kassem: Yep. So by eradicating that part, I feel one, it makes it simpler for most individuals to really prepare a pair reps they in any other case wouldn’t have. But it surely additionally simply means that you can be extra positive that like, okay, that actually is 2 reps away, proper?

The place it’s identical to, okay, this felt actually exhausting as a result of I’m respiration exhausting and, you recognize, I’m stabilizing this with my again and I’m additionally, you recognize, sort of frightened that I would go down or not come again up. Like, all of these issues are gonna lean you, lean you, or push you in the direction of possibly reducing that set slightly sooner than you’d comparatively to, you recognize, hack or, or pendulum.

Mike: Yep. And with a few of these workout routines, uh, in my coaching, I additionally every now and then will push to failure the place like, actually I can’t get, I’ve to on the pendulum, I’m gonna be sitting down, I. Simply to maintain my sense of failure sort of calibrated, so to talk. I don’t must do it fairly often, however simply to remind myself what that really seems like and what number of grinder reps you actually can do if it’s a must to.

Kassem: Yeah, I feel that’s an important ingredient as a result of when you by no means go to failure, how are you aware that you just’re. Two reps in reserve is basically two reps in reserve. So I imply, I’m an enormous fan of, you recognize, normally it’s like, Hey, the final set of an train is gonna be taken to failure. Like, I imply, it’s not a rule, however it’s a follow that we use, I might say the vast majority of of the time now, there may be durations of time the place you particularly like say, Hey, all of those units are gonna keep like a pair reps away or whatnot.

However then in these circumstances I say, Hey, nicely at the very least in some unspecified time in the future in an extended mezo, or when you change Mezzos extra often, like possibly each different one, you throw that again in there so that you just don’t sort of lose that. I, I don’t need to get an excessive amount of on a tangent away from the train choice, however that is an anecdote statement from simply teaching from years or no matter, uh, no matter, and dealing with, you recognize, all people from like, you recognize, individuals on the Olympia stage to, you recognize, simply your common gen pop is that r p e, which is, you recognize, rated to protect exertion.

Like how’s exhausting one thing is on a one to 10 versus reps in reserve don’t scale the identical as you get greater and stronger. Like when you attain a sure energy, like, it’s like, man, every thing over a sure load. Appears like an r p e 9 or 10. Prefer it, prefer it doesn’t matter if there’s a number of reps reserve, it turns into very exhausting to gauge that ’trigger you simply attain some extent the place it’s like, yeah, the entire masses that you just’re utilizing are actually heavy, proper?

That is largely for those that this isn’t gonna occur within the first like two years of your coaching. However you recognize, when you’re getting nearer to that decade, you recognize, of coaching, proper? And also you’re like, you’re, you’re possibly you’re getting near, you recognize, pushing two to 3 occasions your physique weight on the massive lifts, like that kind of state of affairs.

You’re most likely in a state the place r p E is principally all the time excessive and it’s now not an excellent gauge. So when you don’t sometimes calibrate that, it’s very exhausting as a result of your notion of the trouble is sort of what we’re sort of intuiting to that r i r. And if we don’t preserve that calibration, then that’s powerful.

So I feel particularly as you get extra superior

Mike: and your notion’s additionally influenced by how nicely you slept the final evening, which, which can not affect your efficiency, you could have it in you. To do precisely what you’ll want to do. However yeah, your sleep wasn’t so nice. And so every thing within the exercise is simply feeling tougher than it usually does.

Or, um, your psychological state. How targeted are you in your exercise or do you have got different issues in your thoughts? I. So there are different components that may make a exercise, uh, or an in a set really feel tougher or simpler, and it’s subjective. Whereas objectively, if we’re wanting extra at what number of reps might you do when you needed to, your performances not influenced by these components which might be making it really feel tougher or simpler.

Kassem: Yeah. For those who guys had been to see this in actual time, so we’ve these reside occasions that we educate, you recognize, we educate biomechanics, however part of what we educate can also be effort and attempting to really get individuals to calibrate to this. And the best way our occasions go is the primary day we sort of heat all people up by doing arms, proper?

As a result of it’s like, how exhausting is it to go to failure on like, you recognize, biceps and triceps and, and no matter, proper? After which the second day we’ve the squat patterns and stuff like that. And within the morning is the extra advanced workout routines the place we don’t push individuals, you recognize, as exhausting when it comes to proximity to failure.

After which within the afternoon we throw individuals in stabilized workout routines and we’ve this. Wonderful, like glute bias, leg press that we use primarily on that day. I simply, simply homicide individuals. That’s, that’s primarily what occurs. However I take them to a spot that they most likely have by no means, by no means been earlier than, and it’s an ideal alternative as a result of okay, it’s a steady train.

They’re extraordinarily protected of their, you recognize, they received good spotters and likewise the setting. In order that’s a, that’s an enormous ingredient is, is that if you’re in a room and now you have got like 20 different college students yelling and screaming for you, and you then’re additionally, you paid a complete bunch of cash to return and hang around with these nerds and speak about health for 4 days.

, having a coaching companion, having motivation, even good music, all of these issues can actually affect that, proper? Like simply the setting on the day. And so one of many issues that I, you recognize, will generally assist inform individuals is like, look, Select the place you need to put in that effort. Like set it up proper.

? Okay. Like, you recognize, put your favourite music on, you recognize, be sure you have your, you recognize, you select train the place you’re gonna be protected, assured, have a spot or no matter, you recognize, movie it, you recognize, put some pores and skin within the sport, you recognize, if you wish to or no matter. Proper. , um, no matter it takes.

And that manner. Such as you’re actually setting the bar for what you’re able to. After which when all these different issues are available like, oh, hey, I didn’t sleep that nicely, you’ll be able to sort of alter your normal relative to love, okay, that is what it might be on my finest day. Right this moment’s not my finest day. So what’s a practical expectation?

But it surely’s actually good to know what you’re able to in your finest day in the perfect scenario, you recognize, doable. Proper?

Mike: Yeah, that’s tip. It’s, my coaching is a bit completely different now. I’m simply extra in a upkeep mode. However for 2 or three years I used to be pushing for progress and a part of that programming was AM wraps, in order many reps as as doable pre dropping.

And I might do this after 4 months of coaching. I do it on the massive workout routines, and I wasn’t snug going truly to failure on a, a deadlift or a squat simply because I, I don’t need to get damage. I, I, it’s not. I’m not competing, you recognize, I’m doing this for enjoyable. To me, it simply, the, the extra danger wasn’t well worth the reward, however I used to be keen to, to push shut, like let’s say like one, you recognize, one to 2 good reps left possibly, possibly much more typically.

Once I was doing these AM reps, it was one, just like the final rep was actually a grinder. And I got here to note after doing that for a few years, that simply these factors alone of being slightly bit, uh, I used to be wanting ahead to it, like getting no matter, no matter music was, you recognize, received me fired up. Being actually targeted, understanding that, okay, that is sort of the fruits of a number of months of coaching.

Let’s see what I can do. And being prepared for that may produce, in some circumstances, surprisingly, higher performances than the place, If I, I might take a look at my coaching logs over the earlier, it was like a 4 month mesocycle. I like to trace r a r, I don’t observe rp, however take a look at my R and know that once more, you recognize, if I’m, I’m pretty correct with them.

I wasn’t, I wasn’t utterly diluting myself, however to have a look at simply my efficiency with given weights versus that amrap, there was all the time an inexplicable soar in efficiency the place it’s like, the place did that come from? Like my one RMM simply went up by 35 kilos on that sooner or later, uh, on my squad, or my deadlift or my bench press or no matter.

So it was simply an fascinating expertise and I, you recognize, I’d come to anticipate it after which I used to be okay, particularly following that was a fairly powerful week. The place I might do it was only one set of amrap and a few again units. However I might do my AM wraps in a single week, after which the next week deload after which restart.

And so for the following couple of weeks, generally I might discover, all proper, my efficiency. Particularly in that deload week, it might, it was sort of a joke the way it felt like we simply fell off a cliff after which slowly would come again and repeat the method. However I’ve skilled that firsthand. It’s fascinating.

Kassem: I made a transition much like that.

Like once I turned 35, I used to be like, you recognize what? There actually isn’t a motive for me to ever put 600 kilos on my again ever once more. Like they’re simply, you recognize, there’s not, um, but additionally excessive rep squats suck.

Mike: Yep. I nonetheless return to love, you recognize, I, I actually, I just like the 4 to possibly max eight rep vary, and I’m Okay pushing comparatively near failure on the massive workout routines with that.

I’m not murdering myself with these 10 rep, which I used to be doing beforehand. I used to be doing, so the mesocycle would begin with, um, increased quantity if we need to view it as time period when it comes to reps or, or, or identical to tonnage. And so it was increased rep ranges, in order that was units of 10 on the squad, on the deadlift. The remainder of the workout routines had been refined.

I imply, it. A ten rep bench press is nothing in comparison with a ten rep deadlift, however I hear you. After which after doing that for some time, I’m like, you recognize, I simply don’t wanna do this anymore. I, I simply wanna do units of 5 six, possibly I’ll do just a few units of eight every now and then. Yeah.

Kassem: So the answer that, that I sort of resided on is that, you recognize, there’s sure workout routines the place I’m gonna depart a pair reps within the tank and there’s no wiggle room on approach.

However then I’ve different workout routines the place then, you recognize, now it’s tremendous protected and I can go to that place. So as an example, if, you recognize, since we’re on the squat, I’ll depart a pair reps within the tank of the squat. And as quickly as I get to the purpose the place I really feel like, hey, you recognize, prefer it’s virtually like I squat as a sort of hybrid of like, that is simply to keep up my energy and approach within the motion.

However then what I’ll do is, you recognize, my second train shall be a leg press or a pendulum or, or one thing, or possibly it’s a leg extension. And on that it’ll be like, cool, this, I can take that. All the best way as a result of I, you recognize, I really like coaching exhausting like that, however you recognize, the chance to reward in a number of the massive compounds isn’t there, particularly when you don’t have a purpose that’s like actually, actually necessary.

However I imply, what’s the chance reward to love taking a set of leg extensions? I. All the best way to the place you’ll be able to’t even transfer at an inch. It’s like, you’re gonna be wonderful. I imply, it’s gonna damage, it’s gonna be, uh, it’s gonna be uncomfortable, it’s gonna burn, however you’ll be able to safely go there and you may kinda get, you recognize, that dopamine hit from that coaching expertise, you recognize?

And in addition I feel it, I really feel higher leaving the reps within the tank on these different workout routines, and I don’t get grasping as a result of I do know I’ve one other outlet, you recognize, for that effort. Yeah. Yeah.

Mike: It’s humorous. That’s precisely what I’m doing now, particularly once more, after the 2 or three years of pushing heavy and exhausting for, I imply, I made good progress, however good progress for me.

I, I couldn’t have gained a couple of or two kilos per yr of muscle in, in these couple of years. And, uh, a good quantity of energy and hit a pair prs, particularly relative to physique weight, however Okay. I used to be like, all proper, that was enjoyable. However now I’m gonna prepare, I’m gonna change my coaching a bit, and that’s one of many adjustments that I made as such as you, I like to coach exhausting.

I wish to push myself, however I don’t need to get damage. And as, because the weights get heavier, additionally, I’m 39. I’m not 25 anymore. I’m not invincible like I used to be earlier than. And so I’ll change between again squat and entrance squat. However I, I wish to preserve in a barbell squat. I’m simply not pushing as exhausting as I used to be. After which I’ll transfer to a, one thing extra quads targeted, like a leg press or a pendulum, and be keen to push even tougher there.

And similar factor with if I’m, if I’m doing any type of leg curl, um, I’m not involved about proximity to failure. It simply hurts. However you’re not gonna get damage. Your potential to achieve muscle and acquire energy is tremendously impacted by how nicely your physique can recuperate out of your coaching and the way robust you get in your coaching.

And that’s why it’s not sufficient to simply hammer away on the weights each week. It’s a must to watch your energy and watch your macros. It’s a must to preserve good sleep hygiene. It’s a must to keep away from over-training, and it’s also possible to velocity up your post-workout restoration and your muscle and energy acquire with supplementation.

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Use the coupon code muscle and save 20% or get 6% money again in reward factors. Strive recharge, risk-free and see what you assume. So for elevating heels on a squat, if we simply return to that, for people who find themselves questioning how ought to they finest go about that? Some individuals is likely to be considering, oh, ought to I put a pair plates beneath my toes, or ought to I get some squat footwear or a slant board to get it extra excessive or one thing else?

Kassem: Crucial factor is, is that you just select one thing that’s gonna be steady and protected, proper? That’s identical to the naked minimal. So on the subject of utilizing plates, they’re not inconceivable, however you’re not on a flat floor, you’re on like the sting of a rounded floor. So when it comes to stability, that’s most likely just like the lowest quantity of stability that you might use when it comes to elevating your heels.

So when you’ve got every other possibility, I’m gonna say most likely select that over utilizing plates, proper? But when for for no matter motive you’re identical to, look, I’m not gonna spend money on something. Then my health club doesn’t have something. It’s stand on plates or nothing. By all means. Go forward. Stand on the plates. Simply, you recognize, possibly that is a kind of situations the place it’s a must to like pull from the opposite variables the place like, hey, when you begin feeling the place like, all proper, the soundness’s possibly impacting your approach.

Possibly you don’t load it as a lot, otherwise you don’t do these couple reps that you’d had, you had a extra steady foot platform. Then on the subject of the opposite choices, so. While you’re both wanting on the particular person wedges or slant boards the place you principally have one for every toes, otherwise you’re squat footwear or inserts.

The advantage of all of these is the truth that they’re particular person to the foot, which implies that wherever your stance must be, the platform is within the aircraft of your foot, and that helps loads with stability and it additionally decreases pointless forces going via. The knee and the ankle. So what I don’t actually like is that if individuals have like a, like a toe out stance once they squat.

I don’t like them to make use of a single slant board. So when you, all you’re gonna use is a single slant board. You just about have to restrict your squat approach to no matter you are able to do the place your toes are principally gonna be simple and also you’re gonna be comparatively slim. Like every thing’s sort of transferring principally in the identical aircraft as it might be when you imagined your self on a pendulum squat kind factor the place it’s like, okay, your knees are sort of in entrance of your hips and your toes are slightly below your knees and every thing’s sort of transferring ahead and again.

You don’t have this toes and knees going out factor occurring, however when you can have the sting. Particular person to the foot, then you’ll be able to principally get that impact in quite a lot of completely different stances, which isn’t identical to higher per se. It additionally provides you choices when it comes to like, hey, you recognize, slightly bit narrower stance is gonna goal slightly bit extra of the glutes and slightly bit wider stance.

It’s gonna goal slightly bit extra of that, you recognize, adductor magnus that we had been speaking about earlier. So it additionally provides you, you recognize, variations in your setup and it permits that no matter your like pure steadiness squat is, that the wedges are proper in there. Now when it comes to, you recognize, evaluating the slant boards and wedges to both squat footwear or the inserts, numerous that’s simply gonna be magnitude proper.

And comfort, you recognize, are gonna be the factor. So like my suggestion normally is rather like, hey, if you’re competing and you’ve got squat footwear, then by all means you should utilize your squat footwear. However if you’re simply, when you don’t have something and also you’re gonna spend money on it, I might spend money on particular person wedges as a result of not solely can you utilize them for squats, however you should utilize them for quite a lot of different workout routines and also you’re not restricted to.

The footwear they gained’t put on out, so that you don’t must preserve shopping for them. Really, most squat footwear are dearer than a pair of wedges are anyway. Um, however I’d love wedges for different issues like break up squats and I’ll use ’em for all kinds of, like, you’d be stunned at what number of random makes use of you discover for a easy wedge within the health club after you have entry to it.

After which there’s additionally heel inserts. So principally it’s like a cork factor that you just put inside your shoe that may be nice for those that journey. So that you simply, you simply throw ’em in your suitcase after which cool, prefer it, like there. But when that is one thing that you might have at your health club or you might preserve in your trunk or no matter, I feel the wedges are the most suitable choice.

’trigger one, you’ll be able to select a number of sizes, you should utilize them for a number of workout routines, and also you’re not caught utilizing them for the entire session. Like when you put in your squat footwear and also you’re doing this and you then’re gonna go do a hinge, you may very well not need that heel elevation to your different workout routines.

So then it turns into, you recognize, an inconvenience. The one caveat of that’s, is that the squat footwear and the heel, uh, inserts do mean you can principally get that impact on poorly designed machines. So say you have got a leg press or a hack squat or whatnot, and it’s simply not designed very nicely. So you have got hassle getting full vary of movement in it.

You’ll be able to both do like a sissy type approach the place you come up in your toes, which is completely wonderful. Lots of people are like, oh, isn’t that gonna restrict you or, no, it’s, it’s simply wonderful. However when you needed to have the ability to preserve the strain via your complete foot, one thing like a squat shoe or the he insert would mean you can sort of get.

That kind of an impact on a leg press or a hack squat. However ideally, you recognize, in an ideal world you simply have a leg press and hack squat that’s received a well-designed foot platform to start with, proper? So there’s some professionals and cons to all of them, however, uh, if I needed to choose like, what I feel can be the perfect general, it might be the, you recognize, simply get your self a set of, you recognize, wedges or particular person slant boards and this, my second possibility can be both the footwear and the inserts.

My final possibility of one thing that you’d truly buy can be a single slant board, as a result of that offers you the fewest choices, proper? After which when you don’t need to spend money on something, sure you should utilize plates, however simply be aware of that stability issue as a result of it does change. Kinda like that danger reward equation.

Mike: Is smart. And switching then shortly to hack squat, simply as a word for individuals listening, it relies upon what kind of hack squat. Discuss a. Machines which might be nicely designed or not nicely designed. It relies upon what kind you have got. So I, uh, a few years in the past I used to be coaching in a health club that had what might be a extra conventional hack squat the place you’re extra upright.

Whereas the health club I’m in proper now, you’re nearer to laying down than you’re. I. Standing up and also you had been mentioning simply the, if you should utilize the, the, the backward pressure, put extra emphasis in your quads as a result of it’s simply pushing now again into the hack squad. I keep in mind I used to be considering again once I was within the hack squad that was extra upright.

I benefited from that. However now the hack squat that it’s okay, however the, the one which, that I’m utilizing now, sadly, since you’re, you’re virtually laying down your, your butt tends to, Come off of the again relaxation slightly bit, after which that simply feels uncomfortable. So I’ve to, I’ve to consciously preserve my butt down on it, which

isn’t superb.

I, I,

Kassem: so on the subject of the supine, you recognize, the place principally you’re, you’re not in as a lot of a hip fluxx place. Proper? Really, that’s what I might contemplate probably the most normal hack squat, or it’s most typical is, is that sort and the opposite one, it’s like, it’s sort of like a, an the other way up leg press, proper?

However numerous occasions terrible model additionally branded as hack squat, proper?

Mike: I don’t keep in mind the angle. I don’t, I, it most likely wasn’t a forty five diploma, it was extra acute than that. However possibly you’re at a 30 diploma angle the place you’re extra, you’re extra upright and now it’s sort of the opposite manner round.

Kassem: So if you end up utilizing the one the place you’re extra hip prolonged, in order that’s the, the one the place you’re extra laying down.

The way in which to have the ability to nonetheless make the most of that’s to ensure your toes are low sufficient. So in that lots of people, they will put their toes up increased and nonetheless get full knee flexion ’trigger their butt can simply come down behind it. However primarily what you need to do is, Attempt to get your toes slightly bit decrease.

And that is the place you recognize if it’s nicely designed, it’s received a platform that you recognize, permits for the ankle mobility so that you can get your heels nearer to beneath your butt, proper? And when you do this, what’s going to occur is, is then your quad pressure will find yourself pushing you extra into the again pad, particularly on the backside.

With the upper foot place, what occurs is on the backside proper and also you begin to push up, your quads aren’t gonna be pushing you into the platform fairly as a lot and also you’re gonna get to a degree the place principally as your glutes are coming in, they’re sort of like hip extending you off. So you’ll be able to try to do this with, by decreasing your toes slightly bit, you might try to mentally accomplish it by simply specializing in driving together with your quads and possibly pushing your toes ahead slightly bit.

And one other factor that you are able to do that may just about remove that. Is to go along with just like the up in your toes, like heels below your butt movement. Proper? And once more, there’s nothing incorrect with that. And it, it will get an awesome stretch and it makes the profile very, very size and bias. So from a hypertrophy perspective, it’s nice.

From an ego perspective, you’re gonna put loads much less weight on the machine. , for any person such as you that really could also be like, nice, it’s like, hey, cool, I don’t must put as very like simply stress on my physique as a complete, proper? I can actually problem my quads. So as a substitute of, you recognize, 4 plates on there, I can use two.

And I, you recognize, I’m fixing sort of two issues directly the place it’s like, okay, I moved my toes decrease. I’m getting a deep stretch in my quads, making the underside actually exhausting. And in addition now it doesn’t really feel like my butt’s coming off as a result of primarily making it close to inconceivable for my glutes to do a lot of the work.

Proper?

Mike: Yeah. Nice. Nice ideas. So these are the 2 follow-up questions. I simply, earlier than we moved on to possibly you wanna discuss higher physique, we might go in dumbbell versus cable workout routines. That’s, and I, I’ve seen increasingly dialogue about not simply shoulders, but additionally biceps and triceps and wherever else you may need to go along with that.

I feel that that is likely to be subject that, um, Could be very topical.

Kassem: Yeah. So within the health club, principally we’re simply strolling round with, you recognize, and a bunch of sources of resistance, whether or not they’re machines, dumbbells, cables or no matter. After which the query is, nicely what can I do with that? And does that really swimsuit the gold that I need?

Proper? So once we’re utilizing free weights, whether or not it’s barbells or dumbbells, principally we’ve physics to work with. So gravity’s flattening and that’s principally the course that pulls. In order that works nice in workout routines the place what we would like is one thing that’s principally pulling us straight all the way down to problem us.

However for some workout routines, like having one thing that might pull horizontal is definitely gonna work out loads higher. And that’s the place cables are available is we are able to principally, primarily what a cable does is it’ll, the cable system does, is permits us simply to alter the course of gravity, proper? So as a substitute of down like now it’s pushing again.

So, you recognize, so might we do it? We will sit and do a chest press as a substitute of laying and do a chest press. There are small particulars when it comes to like, oh, there’s friction with cables and stuff like that. However these are just like the nuances of the nuances. So when you assume that these items solely issues slightly bit, stuff issues like even much less.

While you take a look at having the ability to say, Hey, if I’m doing a lateral race proper for my center delt, an everyday dumbbell lateral race will not be gonna problem you a lot on the backside as a result of principally the burden’s simply pulling you drown. Proper? Prefer it’d be extra just like the dumbbells are extra suited so that you can do a shrug than a lateral race at that cut-off date.

And there’s a mess of results that may have, proper? So one is, you recognize, the resistance problem, which that principally is only a fancy phrase for the place is that this train exhausting will not be the place we’d need it to be for hypertrophy as a result of. For her perch weave. We usually need it to be exhausting when the muscle’s being stretched at its lengthy size.

So for a lateral elevate, the delta is in a extra stretched place when your arm is down and it’s getting shorter as we’re developing. The opposite factor is when we’ve workout routines which might be, we’ll say very gentle on the backside, and we’re transferring an enormous piece of mass like a dumbbell, it encourages us to need to swing it and do different issues.

, you incorporate different motions that aren’t essentially helpful to the hypertrophy stimulus we’re going for.

Mike: And it’s exhausting to not do this with a dumbbell sideways as you get stronger until you’re simply gonna do units. And generally you’ll see people who they’ll attempt to do tremendous gradual reps or tremendous excessive rep units, however if you wish to do a set of eight reps or 10 reps with sufficient weight that.

Feels difficult and also you need to finish near failure. I’ve discovered it simply troublesome to steadiness the coaching load and approach and never permit myself to swing round an excessive amount of.

Kassem: Have you ever ever seen like a really younger athlete, you recognize that very new to the health club, however it’s only a bodily specimen when it comes to energy after which they go into the health club, you see them carry and all of their methods are that manner, proper?

They’re accelerating and swinging issues. The humorous factor is, is like that’s truly the extra, we’ll say, the extra environment friendly manner for us to maneuver that mass, proper? So intuitively that’s what our physique desires to do. And numerous occasions for hypertrophy, what we’re doing is we’re primarily working, you recognize, away from the entire athleticism that’s wired in us to say, Hey, let’s not do that probably the most simplest way.

Let’s do that in the best way that really is probably the most difficult and struggling for that muscle. , evolutionarily, if we did this again within the caveman days, all of us would’ve simply starved as a result of we’ve simply been losing vitality to perform little or no, you recognize, energy will not be, you recognize, will not be exhausting to seek out.

Um, so we, we’ve vitality to waste, proper? Yeah. Uh, so we’ve like flipped to the other aspect of the spectrum in order that, that could be a studying curve to know like, hey, The purpose will not be for me to simply transfer weight via area. The purpose is for me to problem this muscle in a manner that’s gonna produce hypertrophy.

Properly, what we’re leaning extra in the direction of of that’s it’s like, okay, I need this train to get that muscle groups into nearer, you recognize, to a stretch place. I need it to be exhausting there and once I, once I select to maneuver the load, I wanna transfer it in a manner the place principally this muscle’s doing the vast majority of the work all through no matter vary of movement I’m utilizing, proper?

Not let anything take over. So if we arrange a cable, what we are able to do is we are able to set the cable to principally be pulling horizontal from like our hand top. And what that does then is that’s truly gonna make the train pulling us right into a deeper stretch and likewise making it more difficult the place the muscle is longer.

So principally it’s like sort of flipping the resistance problem, whereas an everyday Dumbo lateral race, when you truly did it gradual and managed, it’s very simple on the backside, very exhausting on the high. If we take that very same tempo and do this with a cable, it now turns into difficult on the backside and simpler on the high.

And I’m saying backside and high, however actually what issues is on the lengthen versus the quick place. And so on the subject of dumbbells versus cables, numerous occasions we’re simply is like, okay. Does the cable provide me the chance to get nearer to getting that muscle both to a greater stretch and making it more difficult there than I can with the dumbbells.

But when we take a look at one thing like, say a dumbbell press, then the dumbbells do only a wonderful job at that as a result of you recognize, as you’re decreasing the dumbbells into the stretch place, the dumbbells are, they’re loading your chest like as a lot as they will there. After which as you get to the highest, that’s, you recognize, the place it will get simpler.

Proper now there’s a small little caveat that I’ll simply throw in there. ’trigger any person shall be like, nicely then how can I battle to lock it out? We all the time fatigue. In direction of the quick place, no matter the place the train is hardest with at first. So simply perceive that that’s all the time gonna be a component, proper?

So when you attain failure on a barbell press, all people normally will get the bar a pair inches off their chest earlier than then they get caught, proper? And there’s loads that goes into why that’s. And I don’t assume that’s necessary. I simply needed to let individuals know like that is a component of fatigue, not essentially the problem of the train.

’trigger in just about most workout routines, no matter the place they’re difficult from the start, you’ll fail on the lockout or the quick place. Re regardless. So for workout routines like dumbbell presses, you recognize, and even issues like squats, you recognize, I do know we’re speaking about, uh, decrease physique, however like squats are exhausting on the backside, simple on the high.

So the free weight movement and gravity, you recognize, does a wonderful job of constructing these workout routines tougher, greater than muscle is longer. However delta are an enormous one as a result of principally your whole delts get shorter by bringing the arm into the physique in some unspecified time in the future, proper? So your lateral delts, it’s extra of a frontal aircraft, which means like, you recognize, pulling in the direction of like your hand, like coming into the aspect of your butt.

So, okay, so I would wish a load like primarily pulling via my physique and you might argue that, nicely, might I lay sideways and do a dumbbell lateral? In principle it’s like, nicely, yeah, that’s sort of doing it, however. The issues of orientating that manner after which having to steadiness the mass. Lots of people shall be like, that is unnecessarily troublesome and exhausting to coordinate.

And that’s ’trigger ideally we wouldn’t be lifting straight out to the aspect, however we’d be lifting slightly bit extra within the scapular aircraft, which the scapular aircraft is basically the angle that matches the bottom of our ribs. So it’s like, it’s not straight out to the aspect. It’s slightly bit in entrance and it’ll range between particular person and the place your arm path is, however it’s simply not straight out to the aspect.

It’s a, it’s slightly in entrance. And so when you’re simply lifting a dumbbell and also you begin going out in entrance, nicely then hastily it’s gonna wanna like fall in entrance of you and you recognize, so there’s a balancing act there that it’s not excellent with a cable. We’re not restricted to that. So like, A cable, I can pull straight out to the aspect or I can pull barely in entrance.

I can pull extra particular to the muscle that I need. And that’s the opposite ingredient that’s actually necessary for, you recognize, hypertrophy is it’s not simply the vary of movement and having it difficult there, but additionally that the precise movement may be very particular to that muscle. So this similar factor applies to entrance delts and rear delts.

Like, okay, nicely your entrance delts principally come into your physique. Virtually consider it like, it’s like when you had been sort of like attempting to shorten your lat and push your arm behind you, that’s primarily stretching your entrance delts, you recognize, within the entrance. So when you might have a weight that was pulling.

Backwards that you might then pull up versus a dumbbell, that may be exhausting when your hand was like in entrance of your face, proper? Properly, then the cable’s gonna be slightly bit higher, after which that very same factor occurs. Properly, we might lay on a bench, like on an incline bench and do entrance raises with dumbbells.

That might make it tougher on the backside and slightly bit simpler on the high. However once more, you’re gonna discover that the movement will not be fairly excellent. ’trigger possible what you’re gonna need to do is go slightly out to in together with your cable entrance dealt elevate. Whereas with the dumbbell, you’re just about simply gonna go straight up and down.

Or when you do resolve to tug your arms in, there’s no resistance to coming in. So that you’re not truly doing any, you’re not creating any additional mechanical stress actually to get the the burden there, as a result of the resistance doesn’t pull sideways with a dumbbell, it solely pulls down in the direction of gravity. So cables simply permit us to be extra particular.

And loads, numerous occasions it’s additionally simply extra handy, proper? So, ’trigger it’s such as you speak about like, okay, I might set a bench sideways after which try to like straddle it, you recognize, and wrap my toes round it and by some means steadiness after which carry the dumbbell. Be like, cool. For those who’re at residence and all you have got is free weights, by all means, then you are able to do that stuff.

However when you do this standing subsequent to a practical coach, you recognize, at your health club, I’m gonna be like, why are you making this harder than it must be? Proper? You’ve a wonderfully nicely designed machine proper there to make it so that you just don’t have to love, you recognize, break your fingernails off into the underside of the bench whilst you’re attempting to carry onto it.

Doing a aspect lateral race. For hypertrophy, we’re attempting to select motions which might be more and more extra particular to the muscle as we sort of advance in our coaching age. And cables give us the, we’ll say, a bigger library of motions than free weights do.

Mike: Yeah. Simply so as to add to that, it turns into increasingly necessary as you, uh, and I do know you recognize this, however for individuals listening, as you acquire extra muscle and energy, if you wish to preserve gaining muscle and energy, it’s a must to do extra quantity.

It’s a must to work, it’s a must to make these muscle groups work tougher. And if you’re not doing, let’s say, sufficient direct quantity for particular person main muscle teams, they’re simply not going to progress a lot, if in any respect. So for individuals listening in, consider the way you’re performing some, some rowing. Is that quantity to your biceps?

To some extent. Not direct quantity, that’s oblique, however that one set of, uh, Any kind of row will not be gonna be as efficient for rising your biceps as one set of a biceps curl. And in order that applies to. Particular person delta, it applies to each main muscle group. And to your level, cassim, if you end up programming and you’re an intermediate or superior weightlifter and you’re keen to place within the time and the trouble that it’s gonna take to proceed gaining muscle, you do should be enthusiastic about these items due to simply the sheer quantity of systemic fatigue that comes from an train like a squat or a deadlift or an overhead press that was in a position to present an efficient coaching stimulus to many muscle teams.

And also you had talked about this earlier within the podcast, so simply sort of tying it again into, into that. But it surely is a crucial level and it may appear sort of counterintuitive, the place I’ve had individuals attain out to me they usually’ve seen how my coaching has sort of modified over time and, they usually comply with different good individuals on social media and see that you’ve got these very match individuals who have been coaching for a very long time and.

Their coaching seems to be extra like bro coaching, they might say, than every other break up, actually, truly, like some individuals, they, they’re simply stunned to see, oh, all these, all these sort of bodybuilding physique half actions as a isn’t that sort of inefficient. Why aren’t you doing extra compound workout routines? Why do you achieve this many machines?

Why do you utilize cables? And so that you’re answering a few of these questions now, if it’s purely for the aim of upkeep, nicely then we truly kinda go within the different course. That’s, that’s the place I’ve gone now with my coaching. I’m lifting three days every week so I can spend much less time within the health club, make some extra time for cardio, make some extra time for work and so forth.

And in these 70, 80 minute exercises, I’m attempting to profit from a few of that oblique quantity. ’trigger I, I don’t have the time to. To do a bunch of direct quantity for all the person muscle teams that may require that if I had been attempting to get greater and stronger. However proper now, I’m pleased the place I’m at.

I simply wanna preserve it. So such as you, I’m doing a number of the massive workout routines ’trigger I like them and I simply wanna preserve a baseline degree of efficiency, however I’m additionally performing some, uh, of the rows, for instance, understanding that like, okay, I’ll do these eight units of rows plus 4 units of biceps. That’s it, that’s my biceps quantity for the week.

Figuring out that, that’s loads to keep up.

Kassem: So I feel, you recognize, you’ll be able to take a look at units as like a foreign money and so the extra units it’s a must to work with, then that opens up the train choice. However when you solely have just a few, when you’ve got a small variety of units to work with all through every week or for a physique half, you then want every of these units to be much less particular.

’trigger you want it to cowl, cowl extra. The opposite side is like, if it’s not a set. Forex factor, however it’s simply merely a time factor. Be like, Hey, I received, you recognize, one hour, 3 times, or no matter it’s. Lots of people assume that that’s the one route you can go, however it’s not, it simply is determined by how a lot creativity do you wanna put into your program.

And are a few of these like sort of extra, we’ll say like bouncing round kind packages the place you recognize you’re doing a number of workout routines in a circuit kind style, is that really possible to do the place you prepare? Proper, as a result of you recognize, when you’re leaping in a busy health club at 5 o’clock, nicely that’s most likely not, you’re most likely not gonna be capable of do like, you recognize, a large set.

However when you’ve got the time, prefer it’s like, okay, it, when you had been speaking about, hey, I’m gonna do a barbell press, you recognize, and try to rely that as some triceps, some delts or no matter, it’s like, nicely you might match a, you recognize, a fly and a tricep extension and possibly a shoulder press or one thing. Do a circuit via that and take the identical period of time as like doing all your barbell press after which taking your compulsory relaxation interval or no matter.

So I feel one of many issues that makes good coaches, good coaches is, is that they’re in a position to like actually maximize each. Time financial system and set financial system by selecting and organizing their train. I imply, ’trigger it’s, these are instruments. A shopper is principally an issue that you’ll want to resolve with these instruments and simply determine, okay, they’ve entry to this, this, and this.

How can I exploit that? Not solely from a hypertrophy perspective, but additionally identical to, Hey, if we’ve a couple of technique to go at this, which means we’re not having to be caught to the identical boring kind of routine on a regular basis. And a few routines will favor completely different stimulus, you recognize, whether or not you’re focusing extra on physique comp or energy or whatnot than others.

So having the ability to have that flexibility and understanding, hey, right here’s a manner that, you recognize, let’s say this particular person actually loves having extra direct arm work of their program. Proper? Cool. Like we might discover a technique to design that in there, or this different particular person. Completely desires to do probably the most naked minimal quantity of direct arm.

, we, you might, you might primarily, you recognize, simply reverse engineer that’s like, okay, cool. Properly, since they don’t like doing that, I’m gonna select workout routines the place, such as you stated, we’re getting extra of that oblique quantity so we are able to decrease the precise quantity of direct works they would wish to do.

Proper. We’re getting away from like, speaking about like optimum hypertrophy, however very a lot so like sensible for people that finally, like you’ll be able to argue like, hey, there’s an enormous part to really making packages that persons are gonna take pleasure in and be in step with. And that having a higher magnitude when it comes to just like the outcomes over time versus like, Hey, physiologically, I’ve written you probably the most excellent program ever, however possibly you’ll hate it.

Or, you recognize, you, you gained’t truly do it, otherwise you gained’t push exhausting otherwise you gained’t be in step with it, et cetera. Proper. , so having the ability to discover that steadiness is, is superb. However I feel an necessary message is that like, when you’re keen to be inventive, the extra instruments you have got, the extra methods you’ll determine the right way to use them.

However going again to the bro break up, what I’ll say is lots of people take a look at the bro break up as like, Hey, that’s the very we’ll say it’s the the most secure manner of programming. As a result of primarily you’re like, look, I received a complete week to recuperate from no matter I do, proper? So if I do an excessive amount of or you recognize, I don’t select good workout routines or no matter, that’s not gonna affect the following part that a lot.

However if you’re attempting to coach a muscle group or a, you recognize, a sample two or 3 times every week, you don’t have the luxurious of constructing numerous unhealthy selections when it comes to train choice and quantity, as a result of now it’s a must to be recovered inside applicable timeframe. So I feel lots of people simply do the bro break up, and I’m, I’m not in opposition to bro splits, like I feel, you recognize, there’s some ways you can go at this, however I feel lots of people respect the shortage of, we’ll say mental effort.

That it takes to put in writing a bro break up versus one other break up. ’trigger I’m identical to, okay, the entire push issues, simply throw them on that day. There we go. For those who’re doing different issues, prefer it does take slightly bit extra thought, proper? And once more, that’s the place you recognize, both when you’re placing extra thought into your coaching otherwise you’re hiring a coach or no matter, like these are the issues that you just get that you need to be actually good at fixing.

And that’s the place you’ll be able to ship numerous numerous worth. As a result of I do assume that for most individuals, particularly earlier on or whatnot, I feel lots of people are gonna profit from. Dividing up their quantity to coaching most issues, like twice every week. For those who’re within the part the place you’re like, man, I’m actually attempting to get hypertrophy, evidently man, like two occasions every week appears to be like that candy spot since you’re sort of attending to that time the place it’s virtually a battle to suit all that quantity on sooner or later you’re like reaching some extent of diminishing return.

So it’s like, what am I actually getting out of those later units within the exercise? , if you recognize I’m doing, you recognize, 20 some units of, you recognize, no matter physique half or whatnot, you recognize, and likewise then the identical to, you recognize, it turns into, we’ll say a, uh, a logistical downside generally, or a sensible downside generally too.

’trigger it’s like, okay, now what it’s a must to do is you’re gonna be like, you’re, one thing is all the time gonna be like both crippling, sore, um, and you recognize, for sure days it is likely to be a two hour exercise after which one other day it’s a forty five minute exercise and you recognize, so like, it simply, you find yourself with numerous logistical issues.

However when you simply need to be like, Hey, how do I ensure that I’m gonna be prepared for chest once more the following time I prepare it? Cool. Practice it as soon as every week. Proper. , when you’re writing a program and 7 days later you’re. Chest continues to be sore, you then do, you most likely have to make some, like, that’s, you’ve actually botched that the quantity and stuff on that program.

If, when you can’t meet efficiency after, you recognize, a complete week of restoration.

Mike: Nice factors. Coming again briefly to cables versus, let’s simply say different choices, are you able to communicate briefly about, I simply wanna hear your ideas on cables for biceps, cables for triceps versus free waste versus machines. Additionally cables for glutes, simply because I see lots of people, normally ladies doing pull throughs and, and different workout routines that they’ve heard are, are, are more practical in the event that they use a cable versus a machine or a free weight.

Kassem: So the biceps are much like chest in that, you recognize, there’s extra choices for kinda loading that stretch with a free weight than there, than there may be for triceps.

Mike: Like, generally individuals will ask, okay, what do you consider an incline dumbbell curl versus possibly a cable drag curl, for instance,

Kassem: with an incline curl, we’re going into shoulder extension, proper?

So that you’re getting the biceps longer. The place is a, a drag curl? You’re truly like, you’re sort of pulling your elbows again as you do the motion. And so mockingly, lots of people are like, oh yeah, I do drag curls for biceps. However truly a drag curl can be higher for the quick elbow flexors that don’t cross the shoulder.

’trigger you’re lengthening the biceps by doing the shoulder extension, pushing the elbows again and shortening them on the elbows. So the the brachialis and the brachial radis, that are the elbow flexors that simply cross the elbow, that don’t cross the shoulder, these are literally gonna be slightly bit higher skilled with the drag curl ’trigger you’re doing the other perform.

Of the biceps at one joint, you recognize? So when you’re gonna do this, you might do it with like a impartial or a pronated grip and sort of intensify that slightly bit extra, versus doing one thing like an incline curl. You’re lengthening the muscle. However apparently, there was a latest research that really in contrast the preacher curl to the incline dumbbell curl, and what they discovered is, is that the preacher curl, though it’s at a shorter muscle size, as a result of a preacher curl is difficult on the backside, whereas an incline dumbbell curl, though you’re in a stretch place, it’s nonetheless simple the place the muscle is stretched, that the preacher curl is slightly bit higher.

So we are able to’t essentially identical to rely on like, Hey, we’re, we’re in a stretch place, and that’s ok. It additionally must be difficult there. So an train I actually like higher than a incline dumbbell curl. Is both to do a cable curl the place the cables are pulling behind you in order that principally your shoulders are prolonged, however you additionally, the train is difficult in that stretch.

So you might simply, you recognize, you set the cables, you recognize, slightly under your hand and you then simply stroll away from them. And you are able to do it that manner. However you are able to do an identical train with dumbbells by primarily laying on the slanted a part of a preacher curl. So principally like now you’re not fairly as stretched as an incline curl, however the profit is, is now your higher arm is supported.

Mike: And, and simply so individuals perceive, so that you’re saying not seated on the preach, however you’re like standing and sort of draped over it together with your, am I listening to that proper?

Kassem: Your again is on it supine. So your chest is up within the air. Yeah. So the, the reverse preacher the place your, your chest is down, proper? That’d be transferring the bicep into a brief place.

However primarily what we’re doing is like in an incline bench, it’s solely supporting our again after which our arms simply grasp down and so subsequently we’re simply straight up and down. But when we lay on our preacher, principally what it does is it helps our humus and it picks it up. So, however what that does is it, Makes it in order that the train is gonna be exhausting on the backside as a result of your humorous is gonna be at like a forty five diploma angle on the backside as a substitute of straight up and down.

And in addition it’s supporting it. So between these two, individuals ask me like, nicely, however which one is healthier? And I don’t know. ’trigger that is the, we’re within the case of the a number of variables the place it’s like, hey, the cable curls get is slightly bit extra of a stretch, proper? ’trigger you’re gonna be in sho extra shoulder extension, however the preacher curl the place you’re mendacity on it.

So I simply name it a supine preacher curl. Like, you recognize, so when you’re in search of it, that one has extra stability, proper? And so my, my suggestion is, hey, attempt each when you like yet another than the opposite. Cool. Or alternate them. As a result of once we get to love a few of these degree of nuances of like, okay, we’re speaking about vary of movement, we’re speaking concerning the resistance problem, we’re speaking about issues like stability and specificity.

A whole lot of occasions there gained’t be an train that’s excellent. And I feel that’s the place understanding these items slightly bit is like, okay, I selected an train that I actually preferred and it was actually good ’trigger it was steady, however possibly this subsequent meso I’m gonna select this different train ’trigger it will get me to a spread of movement or a resistance problem that that different one didn’t fairly get.

So understanding like, hey, how is that this completely different than that? However they’re each good, however only for barely completely different causes. I feel that’s extraordinarily priceless as a result of numerous occasions we speak about workout routines, in the event that they’re the one train that that’s all you’re gonna do ceaselessly. When in actuality such as you’re gonna rotate via workout routines.

So understanding like, hey, how do I choose workout routines? , three or 4 of them which might be all the time gonna be like actually massive hitters for my bicep. And I’m like, okay, these are like two good choices they usually’re so shut. However in numerous ways in which I might be utterly guessing on what the result was if we had been truly to do a research on which a kind of can be higher for her prophy.

However I might enterprise to say each of them would do considerably higher than an incline dumbbell curl, as a result of they’re each difficult they usually’re on the similar or longer muscle size.

Mike: Proper. Is smart. After which what are your ideas on triceps? I imply there’s clearly, there’s simply the standard, any, any type of push down you are able to do overhead or every other.

Cable versus free weight or or train. Would love to listen to your ideas.

Kassem: So I just about do virtually completely cable tricep work, proper? Whereas with biceps, it’s most likely near 50 50, proper? As a result of there’s numerous good workout routines the place I can problem the size of place, like a preacher curl or verse preacher curl, issues like that.

However on the subject of triceps, principally in an effort to load the tricep within the stretch place, like your hand must be getting pushed to the identical shoulder, which doesn’t actually depart room for a dumbbell. It’s very exhausting to additionally like place your physique into the shoulder positions that you really want after which be capable of sort of push in opposition to it.

So what I have a tendency to seek out is that, you recognize, if we’re speaking concerning the niggles or the elbow ache that individuals get, numerous occasions when the important thing aggravators. Is fastened grip tricep work since you’re primarily caught in a width and a aircraft and also you’re additionally not in a position to load the tricep as nicely in its stretch place.

Whereas with a cable now, primarily we are able to principally place our shoulder nevertheless we would like it, and we are able to try to get the cable pulling in the direction of the shoulder as a lot as doable. Now once we take a look at a standard push down the place the cable’s in entrance of you, if you come to the highest, it’s gonna be fairly simple.

’trigger primarily the cable would should be like pulling via your physique. Like when you drilled a gap via your chest and ran the cable behind you, nicely cool, then that may be nice. In all probability some sensible challenges there, proper? However we are able to do issues the place we are able to sort of place it so {that a} cable may be pulling both behind our again or over our shoulder.

And in these situations, we are able to get that problem within the size and place, proper? And nonetheless sort of line that up. And so my favourite tricep cable workout routines is one principally is the place just like the cable is like behind you sort of working over your traps. And you are able to do that as a pressy kind movement, virtually sort of like a JM kind, you recognize, press the place it’s a really elbow extension dominant press there.

Or you are able to do it as a partial extension solely. After which I additionally like a model the place you, you attain over the other lure, so the cable’s over the other lure, and so your arm’s sort of coming throughout the physique. And that’s gonna stretch slightly bit extra of the lateral head. ’trigger the lateral head sort of ties into the posterior delta within the fascia there.

After which for the lengthy head, that’s the one the place principally if the cable is gonna be like behind you flattening. In order that’s what most individuals will do. An overhead, you recognize, overhead helps getting the muscle lengthy. However the principle profit that you just need to have there on high of that’s you need that cable to principally be pulling you down like in the direction of your butt.

So that you’re most likely gonna set the pulley behind you, sort of like near the underside of your shoulder blades. And you then’re gonna be good and near that with the intention to get principally a problem within the lengthened place in quite a lot of shoulder positions. However anytime the cable is out in entrance of you, then possible that’s gonna problem the quick place extra.

It’s gonna be tougher nearer to the lockout, proper? And simpler and the stretch. And it’s not that these are unhealthy workout routines by any means, proper? It’s not prefer it’s you do lengthened workout routines otherwise you get no hypertrophy. But when we’re speaking about like, hey, when you’re gonna, when you’re truly gonna take into consideration these workout routines, For her phy, these workout routines are just a few proportion factors higher.

If in case you have the cable, may as nicely use the cable in the best way. That’s just a few proportion factors higher.

Mike: Yeah. And I, I personally, I really feel the distinction in an overhead versus only a conventional push down. And I favor an overhead, that cross physique, I’m gonna attempt that, that I like that, um, that makes numerous sense.

However I can really feel that distinction when, once I’m coaching, whereas most likely I, I might not discover a distinction as a lot between simply a regular dumbbell curl and absolutely anything else that I’ve tried for dumbbells. I imply, possibly I’m simply not, it’s not standing out to me now. Possibly our buddy within the health club doing it, I might discover it, however it simply, the distinction within the stimulus to the triceps may be very noticeable to me by making that change, I.

Kassem: Yeah, nicely you have got two issues occurring there. ’trigger the opposite factor is, is that you just’re principally taking the scapula near its finish vary. And so for the reason that lengthy head sort of anchors there, once we get the bone, that’s sort of the anchor near its finish vary. It’s a extra steady place too. So that you are likely to really feel a greater contraction and get slightly bit extra out of it.

Um, versus when it’s down, you recognize, the scapula can transfer in every single place, you recognize, and the tricep can also be gonna be a part of what’s serving to handle that shoulder extension. So, It’s slightly bit extra of a fancy motion, which suggests, you recognize, the trouble relative to the stimulus is likely to be thrown off slightly bit.

And the quantity of motor recruitment, like all these little, these little issues, they begin to construct up. , it’s like, oh, nicely it’s simply this, however it’s like, oh, nicely there’s stability, there’s positioning, there’s motor unit recruitment, and particular, all these issues. And like, oh, if you add all them to bump, it is likely to be a really, say, noticeable change in coaching expertise.

Mike: Yeah. Yeah. Good level. After which lastly, when you’ve got just a few extra minutes, I needed to the touch on glutes simply because it, it’s widespread. I see a, once more, it’s largely ladies, however doing numerous, numerous glute quantity, numerous completely different workout routines, numerous completely different variations and cables are undoubtedly within the combine.

Kassem: One of many issues that’s difficult for the decrease physique versus the higher physique is, you recognize, for our higher physique we’re utilizing our arms and connected to our arms as palms, which suggests we are able to seize issues and we are able to push and we are able to pull and we are able to do all these good issues.

After which on the subject of decrease physique, we’re just about principally identical to, nicely, our shin is pushing right into a blunt object, or our foot is on one thing, however we’re probably not in a position to like articulate that factor round, proper? Like there’s not a leg press the place you’ll be able to kinda like transfer the factor sideways and no matter, proper?

It simply strikes on a predetermined path. Cables afford us to maneuver in numerous motions that we are able to’t get with workout routines the place we both standing on the bottom or utilizing machines the place we’ve a set footpath. So particularly like issues the place we’re doing abduction and stuff like that. Now, when it comes to particular to the glutes, one factor since we’re sort of have hit this button of like vary of movement appears to matter, is that the glutes are literally stretched.

Each by doing hip flexion, which is, you recognize, bringing your knee up, but additionally with a deduction, which might be bringing your knee, like throughout, like in the direction of midline. So the, the completely different divisions of the glutes are gonna be completely different variations of these. Like every thing from like, you recognize, like when you simply kind in like Google stretch into Google, what you’re gonna see is principally any person with like 90 levels of hip flexion after which a deducting, like pulling their leg throughout their physique.

Proper? Otherwise you may see the ground model proper. Okay, in order that’s gonna work one side, however then additionally developing increased, however not as far throughout is gonna work decrease parts of the glute max. So on the subject of cables, I might say trade as a complete, lots of people are doing workout routines that actually give attention to the quick place, proper?

So that they’re simply doing kickbacks, you recognize, or they’re doing AB deductions and whatnot. In comparison with doing, when you needed to go from doing no ab deduction work to doing cable abductions, however solely doing the quick place, for positive, that’s gonna be an enchancment to your glute development, however it’s not gonna max out the potential development that you might be getting versus doing AB deduction workout routines the place you’re truly making the most of the stretch place as nicely.

So train is the place you principally are coming throughout the physique in a roundabout way, form, or type. So, For those who actually needed to capitalize on the abductions, like we’ve an train that, most individuals name it a glute mead kickback, however it’s primarily, it’s like a 30 diploma aircraft. So it’s largely abduction with some hip extension.

Proper? Like I feel the, the best way that I normally describe the distinction between the glute max, which is the massive muscle on the again versus the glute mead, which is on just like the again quarter, proper? So it sort of, you recognize, some individuals seek advice from it as higher booty ’trigger it sort of helps like the highest again quarter stick out slightly bit extra.

The glute max is especially hip extension and a few abduction. So all of the actions are gonna be largely entrance to again, however just a bit little bit of that aspect to aspect. When you get to the glute meat, you flip that and it’s largely aspect to aspect with slightly again, proper? So when you’re doing cable motions and also you’re specializing in that, I feel that when you’re trying to get like a spherical, you recognize, peach wanting booty, you then most likely ought to be incorporating some AB deduction work.

That’s most likely the very first thing to incorporate since you’re possible getting sagittal work when you’re doing leg presses and lunges and break up squats and you recognize, all of these issues. You’re working hip extension in some unspecified time in the future, or possibly you’re doing, you recognize, hip thrusts and bridges and issues like that. However all of these are like, these are good for glute max.

’trigger we’re working primarily hip extension, however you’re not working numerous the kidnapping. So first a kind of, I might say that when you had been gonna add one thing in can be one thing that’s extra abduction bias. So utilizing a cable that principally would pull your leg throughout. And what I principally inform individuals is like, it’s virtually such as you wanna take the adductor of 1 leg and scrape it throughout the quads of the opposite leg.

Properly, it’s a must to go ahead to get in entrance of the quads, however you’re largely gonna be going horizontal. After which primarily you’re simply gonna preserve following that leg path as you do the. The kickback or out if you’ll. And in order that’s a most likely place to start out when it comes to like, Hey, I wanna begin suing one thing there, however set it up in a manner the place that cable is making it problem when the muscle is stretched.

Proper when the leg is pulled throughout you. Proper. As a result of what, what I see numerous is individuals simply stand subsequent to the machine and principally they’re ranging from simply standing after which simply pushing their leg out from there and like, nicely, you’re lacking just like the 30% most lengthened portion of the vary of movement by not letting your leg cross over.

So we’re actually specializing in her per feed. We could possibly be much more environment friendly, getting much more stimulus per set, getting that additional stretch in there on the subject of the glute max, when you needed so as to add one thing in, that’s the place it’s like, okay, most likely the superficial higher portion of that, which is commonly known as the iliac glute max.

For those who, when you comply with our stuff, you recognize, you’ll see individuals tagging the iliac glute. Kickback, and that’s primarily gonna be slightly bit extra hip extension. However primarily what you’re gonna do, like when you think about that nicely, in a leg press, you might break your knee in the direction of your chest and straight again down, however that’s so far as you may get it when an iliac kickback is, it’s bringing you into flexion, but additionally bringing your knee sort of in the direction of your reverse pec, proper?

So it’s a sort of cross physique hip flexion. So it’s, it’s extra hip extension than the glute mead kickback, proper? In flexion and rather less abduction. And for that one, what I actually like is for individuals to arrange, to load the stretch of that one, you’re gonna must have a excessive cable so that you just’re primarily doing like a, like a foot pressed down, virtually like when you, like, when you had been doing a step up.

So what’s actually priceless is when you’ve got a cuff that goes below the foot, proper? Not simply the factor that goes across the ankle. ’trigger when you get robust you’re simply gonna, one, you’re gonna most likely gonna rip out of that. But it surely’s additionally simply gonna be like, you recognize, choking your. Half when you wanna do these, I counsel that you just try to discover the, the cuffs the place you have got a chunk that goes below the foot.

’trigger in an effort to make it difficult within the stretch, you want it principally to be pulling you up proper at first so that you just’re principally sort of pushing extra down. So we’ve sort of known as these press backs as a substitute of kickbacks. ’trigger that’s sort of what it’s, is it’s sort of like a leg press beginning place.

Proper? And being in that sort of like a deducted place once more, is one thing that you just’re probably not gonna be capable of get with a machine or a free weight. So usually these are the primary two parts that I add in for any person that desires to sort of up their glute sport on high of the entire different stuff.

Now I’ll say that, you recognize, doing issues like leg presses and drop lunges, break up squats and stuff like that, I feel these are nonetheless most likely an important factor for identical to general glutes. As a result of one, they’re focusing on the glute max, which is the largest one, and we’re in a position to load them within the size of place.

And issues like a leg press are extraordinarily steady. However as a result of we are able to’t be as particular to these different areas, and normally these areas will say extremely correlated to the look that persons are going for. I feel that including in one thing for the iliac, the higher portion of the glute max, or the glute meat, which is gonna be extra of a abduction train, these are nice issues so as to add on.

And also you usually have a tendency to have the ability to do this with out actually impacting the quantity of your different work due to the specificity of these workout routines. Since you’re probably not fatiguing these divisions of the glutes together with your different workout routines. So that you have a tendency to have the ability to slot these in and slot in that quantity comparatively nicely with out it actually taking away from the opposite stuff that you just’re doing.

Mike: You may also take quads out, which, uh, I say that as a result of I’ve had many ladies over time attain out and say that. The butt that they need. In the event that they had been to simply do quad dominant workout routines like leg press and various kinds of squats and so forth, would require them making their legs greater than they need them to be.

So that they need to do solely a lot of the of the quad stuff to have good muscle, muscle definition and the look they need there, however they need a butt that solely will get their butt thus far. And so, These are some, some good methods to get some additional quantity in focused that aren’t going to require your decrease physique as a complete to simply get greater.

Kassem: Yeah. With regards to isolating the glutes over different issues, you are able to do some issues to make a few of these greater compound workout routines. Much less quad or much less hamstring or much less adductor. Proper? And that is the place understanding, like the right way to place your toes on a leg press comes into play. Proper? So, you recognize, if we transfer our toes slightly bit increased on a leg press, we’re gonna use slightly bit much less quads, proper?

If we carry our toes slightly bit narrower, we’re gonna use rather less adductor, proper? So we’re slowly getting to creating it slightly bit extra, extra glute biased, proper? , when you’re doing R DLS and also you permit slightly bit extra knee bend, it’s gonna be slightly bit extra glute, rather less hamstringing.

So there are issues that we are able to achieve this that you just don’t essentially must remove these different issues. However what it’s best to do is it’s best to use probably the most glute particular model of these. After which what you could have to do is you could have to. Like say, Hey, there’s a specific amount of quantity that I can use these as a result of they’re gonna be quantity of stimulus, however I’m not gonna go over that.

As a result of when you preserve driving up the quantity of these, finally it should attain a threshold for a few of these muscle groups that you just don’t need to develop. And so you then fill in all of that additional quantity with then your hip thrust, your bridges, your cable motions and whatnot which might be much more particular, however possibly aren’t as robust of a stimulus on a per set foundation in some circumstances, as a result of both you’re dropping some stability otherwise you’re not in a position to load the vary of movement that you just need to as a lot and stuff like that.

Like you’ll be able to load the size and place of a glute max rather well in a leg press, however doing it in a cable. The soundness problem is considerably increased, particularly as you get stronger, and particularly as you’re like, you recognize, ’trigger a few of these individuals, they’re comparatively small people with, you recognize, simply cannon balls connected to their pelvis now, proper?

So that they don’t have numerous physique weight to carry them down relative to how robust their glutes are, which implies that, okay, now if we’re doing these workout routines, they both must be increased reps or I’ve to make use of pauses, or possibly I do tremendous units or submit exhausts or, you recognize, clusters. Like it’s a must to discover methods to make it difficult with out simply having the ability to simply apply, you recognize, common, like, simply progressive load and go near failure.

As a result of now the, the loading of the train creates an excessive amount of of a stability and a setup problem as a result of the train is simply too unstable and the particular person doesn’t have, you recognize, sufficient physique weight. Proper?

Mike: So, I’ve seen that with cable pull throughs with ladies who’re too robust for the setup and don’t weigh sufficient.

It simply doesn’t work nicely.

Kassem: Yeah. So that is the place once more, you recognize, being inventive and understanding, hey, when can I exploit this? The place to, the place to make use of it? So once I was in my prime when it comes to, you recognize, working with bikini opponents, like we used submit exhaust methods and stuff like that on a regular basis. So as an example, like if we had been doing an R D L or a leg press or one thing like that, you recognize, submit exhausting that with a glute bridge hip thrust cable factor was a good way to lower the loading demand on that second train.

And it allowed us to not additionally must go to as near failure on the opposite one, we have a tendency to make use of extra of the synergist muscle groups in these compound workout routines. The nearer we get to failure, even in a glute dominant leg press, you’ll use extra quads. As you get nearer to failure, ’trigger your physique shall be reaching out to extra, we’ll say, inefficient synergies to assist nevertheless a lot it may.

So having the ability to say, Hey, we’re gonna miss out on slightly little bit of stimulus magnitude if we don’t go as near failure on this train, however we’re gonna take that muscle nonetheless near failure, however in additional isolation by tremendous setting it or submit exhausting it with an train that’s extra particular. However we’re gonna nonetheless get a number of the advantages out of, you recognize, coaching it as much as, you recognize, Three two r i r.

Proper. After which we’re simply gonna soar out of it earlier than our quads would actually begin to kick in. After which we’re gonna do, you recognize, thrust bridges, kickbacks, you recognize, one thing that may be slightly bit extra remoted, drop lunges or drop lunges or like, when it comes to these kind of actions, they’re, they’re one of many ones the place it actually takes out the quads within the hamstrings.

So like, when you want one thing that’s not cable, however may be very, very glute biased, a reverse drop lunge is an excellent free weight various when you don’t have entry to do like cable press backs, kickbacks and issues like that as nicely.

Mike: Superior. Yeah. Nice recommendation. Numerous, a lot of info. I adore it. Spend an hour and a half.

I, I can preserve going, however I, I feel that is most likely level to wrap up what could possibly be a primary dialogue and it might, I’m positive we might discover different issues to, to speak about in a follow-up interview. So why don’t we wrap up right here and why don’t we let individuals know the place they will discover you and discover your work.

If there’s something particularly that you really want them to find out about.

Kassem: Um, so you’ll find us on YouTube and Instagram. It’s N one, the primary, uh, training. And you’ll find me personally if you wish to like hearken to slightly little bit of my bss. It’s simply Coach Casm. However a lot of the train stuff we put out is on our train platforms.

Mike: And that’s the place I’m guessing they will discover numerous demonstrations of numerous the stuff that you just’ve been speaking about.

Kassem: Yeah, so the, we’ve programs for those that actually need to get into the nuances, however then we even have a membership website that has principally identical to train tutorials. So you’ll be able to actually like, Hey, I wanna see, you recognize, glute max lengthened workout routines and it, you’ll be able to, you’ll be able to filter by vary of movement and, and stuff like that.

Um, which is, you recognize, I feel for the individuals which might be in search of that degree of nuance, it’s sort of cool to have the ability to filter the workout routines like that. On that subject, I’m within the strategy of ending up, hopefully possibly by the point that is launched, our lengthened bias coaching guides. So principally we’re doing every thing from protecting the science part to the sensible part and the alternative ways you can sort of transfer issues slightly bit extra into that size and bias coaching to get simply, you recognize, get these additional proportion factors you recognize, of hypertrophy.

So if this can be a subject that pursuits you, We’re principally making a complete guidebook on that to sort of capitalize on numerous the latest analysis that’s been popping out. And really Milo Wolf, who has been doing or intimately concerned in a lot of that analysis has truly been, uh, contributing to the, the science portion of that.

So I feel when you like these items, that’ll be an excellent information to, you recognize, making use of these items in, you recognize, throughout the physique and understanding the ideas behind that. So if it’s not the precise train, you’ll be able to nonetheless apply it to no matter you have got.

Mike: That’s nice. And the place can individuals, in the event that they’re all for that course, let’s say it’s out by the point that is out or the place can they discover it?

Kassem: So that you’ll be capable of discover that on N one coaching or when you’re following us on socials, I’m positive as quickly because it’s launched we’ll be spamming all, all around the locations there. Proper. And if it’s, you recognize, if we get it achieved in time, I’ll shoot you the hyperlink and you may throw it within the YouTube model of this if, if it’s achieved.

Mike: Yeah, completely. Alright, Cassem, nicely thanks once more for taking your time. I actually respect it. It was an awesome dialogue.

Kassem: Yeah, that’s nice, Mike. Let’s do it once more.

Mike: Properly, I hope you preferred this episode. I hope you discovered it useful. And when you did subscribe to the present as a result of it makes positive that you just don’t miss new episodes.

And it additionally helps me as a result of it will increase the rankings of the present slightly bit, which after all then makes it slightly bit extra simply discovered by different individuals who could prefer it simply as a lot as you. And when you didn’t like one thing about this episode or concerning the present generally, or when you’ve got, uh, concepts or ideas or simply suggestions to share, shoot me an electronic mail, [email protected], muscle f fo r life.com, and let me know what I might do higher or simply, uh, what your ideas are about possibly what you’d wish to see me do sooner or later.

I learn every thing myself. I’m all the time in search of new concepts and constructive suggestions. So thanks once more for listening to this episode, and I hope to listen to from you quickly.