Yeah I can't wait to try them!

Actually that trainer suggested this 40 reps idea, what I was wondering is, if let's say I get 10, how long do I rest before trying to get the next reps...so how long do you rest between sets if you are doing 40 reps in one set? Last time I did this my reps were like 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, etc... would rest be the same even after doing only 1 rep or 2?

I think I could do inverted rows maybe at the end of pull workout sort of like a finisher exercise? The smith machine is far away from pull ups so hard to superset those 2 exercises.

Also one unrelated thing, what do you think about the leg press? I was looking to put in a second quad isolation exercise into one of the leg workouts (already got front squats in there) and the thing is stuff like Bulgarian Split Squats/Lunges/RDL etc.. don't really emphasize quads. So this what reminded me of something that trainer told me:

Trainer told me to avoid leg press because he said most people in the gym can put on like 5+ plates yet their legs are pretty bad, so he said that leg press doesn't really build quads? Also he said that leg press makes the hips bigger, is this true to any extent? Indeed after stopping leg pressing a pair of pants that had been to tight started to fit me again...? He said that to build good legs that you should stick to Squats, Lunges, etc... What is your opionon, if anyone can lift a lot on the leg press and still have small legs then is it actually a good exercise...?

If you agree with this then what quad focused exercise can I do, especially since like you said in a video leg extensions aren't that great?

Thanks as usual for all the advice!

Hello athletes

which training method is better for muscle Gain ? Burn set or Cheat and recover ?

They both work bro! If you want, you can start with the 5-Day bodybuilding split (which has the burn sets) for now until the Cheat & Recover comes out, or just run through the entire program THEN switch to Cheat & Recover.

They actually both kind of follow the same principle, because you're basically doing a burn set on the C&R program when you do the recover reps, the difference being that you don't do as many burns and that your first set you are cheating to overload.

So really.. it's whichever of the two you'd prefer to try first! And if you try them both, you can see which works best for you 😊 

There's no given time your rest between reps - just rest enough until you feel like you can jump up and do a few more reps. Like I said, it's not about how long it takes necessarily, it's about getting to a total of 40-50 reps. Inverted rows could definitely be a finisher.

Doing leg pressing does not make your hips bigger, and it definitely does build the quads if you do it right. Just because some people are 'lifting' a lot on the leg press and they have 'small' legs doesn't really matter. It could be because they are doing half reps so they're not really doing much anyway, or maybe they have strong legs that aren't huge, that's possible too.

But anyway, the leg press is a great addition to your leg workout, and I have an entire video about it for different stances to target different parts of the quads. Check it out below.

Okay great! So since I just am trying to get bigger overall I should do 2 sets wide and 2 sets narrow on the leg press then right? Also although full ROM is important as you always say, isn't locking out on leg press not good, i can't remember where I saw it but some where it said that locking out knees on leg press or locking out arms on machine dips etc... isn't good for joints unlike free weight version or that just bs? They were saying to go all the way up but keep a slight bend in the knees at the top.

Also what is your opionon on stretching after the workout, is it neccassary, and what does it do exactly? And if yes, what stretches do you do exactly for quads/hamstrings/biceps/triceps/shoulders/back/etc..?

Also speaking of quads, he also said that hack squats are bad for the knees, is this not true? Because when I used to do hack squats they put a lot of pressure on the knees so I assumed he was right. Maybe there's a safe way to do it but even if you stop before 90 degrees you still feel a lot of pressure put on the knee so I don't know.

That's up to you. You can do 2 sets of each if you like, if you don't feel like the inner or outer quad needs more work than the other. I'm not actually fully locking out on the exercise, or at least I'm not going into hyper-extension. You should use full ROM, which means going until your knees are about an inch away from going to the point where you're basically hyper-extending. Hope that makes sense.

Is stretching necessary? No. Should you do it? Yes. Keeps you mobile/flexible. It elongates the muscle again after your workout, rather than it staying tight. I have a few videos on lower body stretches you can do, and shoulders. Mostly they focus on dynamic stretching before workouts. If you do a quick search online you should be able to find plenty of static stretches you can do after a workout, such as standing on one foot and holding your heel to your butt for your quads, putting one heel on a bench/box to stretch your hamstrings, or holding one arm across your chest to stretch your shoulder.

There's nothing wrong with hack squats if they're performed correctly, just like any other movement.

Okay yes that's what I meant. Okay I will look those up.

As for hack squats, what I was asking is that even if you don't go below 90 or even exactly 90, isn't there a lot of pressure on the knees, unlike during squats/leg press/lunges/etc... you never have so much pressure there. Are you saying lots of pressure on the knee isn't a bad thing? Bascially unless I'm missing something regardless of form it seems very dengerous for the knees... Unless, are you thinking of the barbell version? Because I am talking about this one:

Again, if you use proper form, there is nothing wrong with a hack squat, and if you want to do it properly, you should be going lower than 90 degrees, just like a squat. There's no reason a hack squat would put any more pressure on your knees than a squat or leg press would my friend.

Okay I may try it at again at some point, maybe I was doing it wrong before.

Hey Scott, I have two questions about CGBP, and a suggestion,

1. Would doing CGBP on an incline be more effective than on a flat bench, just like doing skull crushers on an incline is more effective?

2. Also in your versus video you said that on CGBP to bring the bar to your torso, and it looked like you were bringing the bar to your abs so I assume those are the same thing, however when I do it, my shoulders lose tightness because the bar is so far in front of me, and feels a bit akward. Did you mean to bring it JUST below the chest? So like only a few inches further down than you would do for normal bench where you would bring it to about the middle of your chest?

And my suggestion is if you could make a video on dumbest mistakes for CGBP? :)

1. Probably not for a CGBP. If anything it might actually shorten the ROM because of how you're pressing the weight. I would just stick to doing CGBP on a flat bench.

2. Your torso is your stomach (basically the area between your hips and chest), so yes it's the same thing. It's basically coming to your top abs, which is just below your chest anyway. Remember this isn't an exercise for your shoulders, so it should mainly be your triceps that are working anyway. Your shoulders might not be super tight, but they, along with your triceps (and core), should still be giving you enough stability to control the weight and press it.

I might be able to make a dumbest mistakes video for it! Thanks for the suggestion!

Hey Scott,

Got a few really important questions I need your advice on:

I'm kind of stuck on hanging knee/leg raises. As a beginner I of course started out on Captain's Chair doing knee raises, I hit 15+ reps and started doing hanging knee raises. This didn't get me anywhere since my grip would always fail first and ended up not training abs that much. So I went back to doing captains chair knee raises and I can do it with a 15 lb dumbbell however it's still a bit akward even if I hold it above my knees because it makes it hard to bring your knees all the way up and it also moves around a bit during reps. I tried doing straight leg on captain's chair but I can't do it without bending my knees and using some momentum. So my question is what should I do? I want to progress to doing toe to bar, and eventually around the worlds (one day lol!). How did you progress from knee raises on captains chair to toe to bar and around the worlds?

Also, how did you get your grip to not fatigue before your abs? I can do pull ups no problem, and rack pulls with 185, and doesn't happen on other exercises either, yet my grip seems to tire out so fast on hanging knee raises...strangly also happens when doing RDL's even when I am not going heavy...?

Lastly, I'm wondering, since I hit 185 on rack pulls, that trainer told me that at that point to start doing deadlifts, should I use a free session I have with him to learn the deadlift, because I know it's quite a technical movement and also you have to be careful to not mess up your back? He also said that after 185 to use straps because he said that at that point your grip is already pretty strong and won't keep up with your back, do you agree? If yes then should I put deadlifts on my pull or leg day? From what I see everyone has different opionons on this however to me it seems to make more sense to do it on back day since I already have heavy squats and RDL's on leg day. If I do add the deadlift then I'm thinking to put it on the heavy pull day and put rack pulls on the high volume pull day?

Thanks as usual for the help Scott!

If you want to progress with your ab movements, doing them with weights is a great way to progress. Hold the dumbbell between your feet, not your knees. This should make it much more comfortable. Also, if you can't quite keep your legs entirely straight, that's OK, you can still try your best to do at least 1-2 reps with mostly straight legs (as straight as you can get them for now) and that will still be harder.

Each week you can try to do more reps like that and eventually you should work up the strength do have those legs straight, and continue to progress through the movements. Increase strength in your core and practice the movements you want to get better at.

I worked on grip strength by literally gripping everything as hard as I could when doing my exercises. You just have to push through the burning sensation in your forearms and they will eventually get stronger. If you need to, use a hook grip when your regular grip starts to fatigue. Again, the best way to get better at something is to practice - maybe even just practice hanging off the pull-up bar for as long as you can to increase grip strength.

It's up to you if you take the session with your trainer. Either that or you can post a video here in the @forums and we'll check your form for you - I'm guessing you have watched, or will watch, my video on how to deadlift correctly?

The point your trainer made about straps is ridiculous though - only use straps when you need to, don't just randomly decide to use straps when you get to a certain weight. If you want to work on grip strength, relying on straps all the time isn't going to help you - I just made a video about this last week. You can do deadlifts on back day or leg day. There's no right or wrong answer. Whatever works best with your program!

1. Are you saying to start the ab workout with doing 1 set of as many straight leg raises I can do, and then for the rest of my sets doing it with knees and a dumbbell, OR are you saying to start each set with as many straight leg raises as I can and then for the rest of the reps do it with knees and a dumbbell?

2. For hanging off the pull-up bar, I should do it on a rest day right? And should I do it just once or how many sets? After getting a certain amount of time should I add weight, and if yes, then after 1 min or how long?

3. I watched your deadlift video, so is it correct that I should start by doing a deficit deadlift for 6ish weeks and then do it without a deficit. Also since I don't have flat shoes I should just go in socks right? Also are you supposed to feel it in your lower back or is feeling it in lower back mean you are doing it wrong?

4. As for straps my question is then at what weight should I use them for Rack Pull/Deadlift/RDLs etc..? Or do you only start using them when you grip gave out before your back/legs or whatever on the previous set, so on remaining sets you do use them for that exercise?

1. If you want to get better at straight leg raises, then yes, start your workout with them and each set.

2. Just do it at the end of your workout when your grip is already fatigued. Or on a rest day. Or both! You can add weight over time for sure, like in my weighted dead hang video I made.

3. There's no need to start with a deficit deadlift. Just do a regular deadlift, and if you are weak pulling off the floor, then do deficit deadlifts. I would go in socks or barefeet yes. You should feel it throughout your legs - maybe a little bit in your lower back but not much.

4. You answered your own question - when your grip starts to give out. Like I said before, there is no number in terms of weight for when you have to use them. Did you watch the video? It explains everything.

Hey Scott I was able to barely get 30 sec dead hang and actually on my first set of leg raises I got 15 with straight leg, guess my abs were already quite fatigued when I tried it before.

Quick question, on the pull up, are you elbows supposed to be flared out at 90 degrees? I see some people performing the pull up with there arms more in front of them and not completely to the side which I thought was wrong.