Mike Israetel

Starting out with low weight. There is no movement the human body can do which unloaded and not pushing the muscles and tendons to their extreme has any higher risk probability than any other movement. So you can start with a deadlift or a squat that's body weight or less. You can brace your arms on a Smith machine and unload yourself while you squat. That may be where you have to start.

You take multiple sets like that that are very submaximal. Ideally, you're there with a personal trainer. If not, you can just go to YouTube and type in the name of your exercise and it'll pop up. We have a huge library for free on YouTube. Actually, the RP hypertrophy app, which is one of our apps in our app suite, every exercise you'll ever see in there has a video demonstration one click away.

You take multiple sets like that that are very submaximal. Ideally, you're there with a personal trainer. If not, you can just go to YouTube and type in the name of your exercise and it'll pop up. We have a huge library for free on YouTube. Actually, the RP hypertrophy app, which is one of our apps in our app suite, every exercise you'll ever see in there has a video demonstration one click away.

So you look at that. Ideally, you would have a personal trainer because live communication about how to exercise is irreplaceable. Because on a video, we're assuming that your assessment of what that is is your assessment of what you're doing, which is very difficult. Oh my God, you walk into a gym and they're like, I'm squatting. You're like, that's not a squat.

So you look at that. Ideally, you would have a personal trainer because live communication about how to exercise is irreplaceable. Because on a video, we're assuming that your assessment of what that is is your assessment of what you're doing, which is very difficult. Oh my God, you walk into a gym and they're like, I'm squatting. You're like, that's not a squat.

I don't know what the hell someone told you or what video you're looking at. That ain't it. If you have a personal trainer, they can be like, ooh, that's really good, but I want you to move your hips back more. I want you to move down more, so on and so forth. But basically, the first time you're ever with someone in a session,

I don't know what the hell someone told you or what video you're looking at. That ain't it. If you have a personal trainer, they can be like, ooh, that's really good, but I want you to move your hips back more. I want you to move down more, so on and so forth. But basically, the first time you're ever with someone in a session,

All you do is you take them through those movement patterns, fine-tune their technique with lots of encouragement, and you're not seeking perfection, you're just seeking basic competency. Get your heels on the ground, get you squatting all the way down, get your back nice and straight. Listen, that's all we want.

All you do is you take them through those movement patterns, fine-tune their technique with lots of encouragement, and you're not seeking perfection, you're just seeking basic competency. Get your heels on the ground, get you squatting all the way down, get your back nice and straight. Listen, that's all we want.

And you'll do three or four of those, what are really warm-up sets, and you'll just kick them out of the gym. Three or four warm-up sets per exercise. It's a teaching session. They never even lifted heavy. They never pushed to failure. But because they're so unaccustomed to lifting, they'll get sore. And it's enough tension and disruption that they will grow muscle.

And you'll do three or four of those, what are really warm-up sets, and you'll just kick them out of the gym. Three or four warm-up sets per exercise. It's a teaching session. They never even lifted heavy. They never pushed to failure. But because they're so unaccustomed to lifting, they'll get sore. And it's enough tension and disruption that they will grow muscle.

The next time they come in, you work them through a different series of movements. Let's call it Monday-Thursday movements. The next week, they come in, and you do the same workout, except maybe that last set of every movement, after a few technique-oriented sets. Ask them to go for slightly more repetitions, maybe not five, but now ten.

The next time they come in, you work them through a different series of movements. Let's call it Monday-Thursday movements. The next week, they come in, and you do the same workout, except maybe that last set of every movement, after a few technique-oriented sets. Ask them to go for slightly more repetitions, maybe not five, but now ten.

Or you put a little bit of weight on the bar, something that gets them like, ooh, okay, I feel it, this is a challenge. And then over time, slowly every week, you increase the weight a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more until several weeks later, their technique looks real good, which most people can learn really good techniques. It's not that complicated in a few weeks.

Or you put a little bit of weight on the bar, something that gets them like, ooh, okay, I feel it, this is a challenge. And then over time, slowly every week, you increase the weight a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more until several weeks later, their technique looks real good, which most people can learn really good techniques. It's not that complicated in a few weeks.

And now they're like kind of struggling with their weights. We're finally up to a weight and rep combination that's challenging them physiologically every set, not just neurologically for how to do the technique.

And now they're like kind of struggling with their weights. We're finally up to a weight and rep combination that's challenging them physiologically every set, not just neurologically for how to do the technique.

That three or four week sort of entry period is amazing because it takes the probability of injury and just almost completely eliminates it because you're not just going in there and seeing how strong you are on the first day, which believe it or not, a lot of people are inclined to do profoundly stupid as reserved for like high school or junior high kids.

That three or four week sort of entry period is amazing because it takes the probability of injury and just almost completely eliminates it because you're not just going in there and seeing how strong you are on the first day, which believe it or not, a lot of people are inclined to do profoundly stupid as reserved for like high school or junior high kids.

Whatever, your ninth grade, fucking max out. Don't do that when you're an adult. It's profoundly stupid, especially if you're in your 40s and 50s and 60s and like you don't want a torn pec. You drive a truck for a living. Your pec is required for that sort of thing. After that easing in period, you're now competent at the movements. You feel yourself competent as a member of general gym culture.