Mike Israetel

And technique is so exercise specific and so individual that you really should get a on your own analysis to go like, okay, am I really doing this right? Because you think, oh, I'm hack squatting. And then you see an RP strength video about hack squats. And you're like, I have never hack squatted a day in my life. You try it our way and you're like, oh my God, my legs.

For the first time in months or years, they get sore, they get tired. And you're like, oh wow. A couple of weeks later, your quads are visibly bigger. Okay, now finally I fixed my technique. Another question you have to ask is volume-wise. I mean, I suppose you already said they're doing one or two reps in reserve, so we're not going to question that.

For the first time in months or years, they get sore, they get tired. And you're like, oh wow. A couple of weeks later, your quads are visibly bigger. Okay, now finally I fixed my technique. Another question you have to ask is volume-wise. I mean, I suppose you already said they're doing one or two reps in reserve, so we're not going to question that.

We'll say they're training hard, which is good. That's another thing to ask if someone is getting great results.

We'll say they're training hard, which is good. That's another thing to ask if someone is getting great results.

Yeah, 100%. Like, am I really pushing hard? How hard? If I think I'm pushing hard enough, I should push a little harder and see what happens.

Yeah, 100%. Like, am I really pushing hard? How hard? If I think I'm pushing hard enough, I should push a little harder and see what happens.

Yeah, that's largely true. So every now and again, you have to test the waters. There's actually a really good system of doing that. And it's incorporated into our hypertrophy app. The app will ask you to put in your weights, roughly 10 to 20 remaxes. And you'll do as many reps as you think is three reps or four reps to failure, depending on what it's wanting you to do.

Yeah, that's largely true. So every now and again, you have to test the waters. There's actually a really good system of doing that. And it's incorporated into our hypertrophy app. The app will ask you to put in your weights, roughly 10 to 20 remaxes. And you'll do as many reps as you think is three reps or four reps to failure, depending on what it's wanting you to do.

And you'll write your repetitions in for every single set. I got 16 reps at 90 pounds on this exercise. The next week, the app auto-programs a progression for you. So it'll either ask you to do 17 reps at 90 pounds, something like that, Or it'll ask you to do 95 pounds again, or 95 pounds anew for the 16 reps you did last time. It does that every single session. It pushes you a little bit ahead.

And you'll write your repetitions in for every single set. I got 16 reps at 90 pounds on this exercise. The next week, the app auto-programs a progression for you. So it'll either ask you to do 17 reps at 90 pounds, something like that, Or it'll ask you to do 95 pounds again, or 95 pounds anew for the 16 reps you did last time. It does that every single session. It pushes you a little bit ahead.

Your only job is to do what is written. If you consistently do what is written, and at the end of your cycle, before you have one week of easy training called a deload, and you start a new cycle, At the end of your cycle, you never actually failed at a weight. Like you tried to get 17, but you got 16. The 17 wouldn't move when you put the bar down. You're like, oh crap, hopefully nobody saw that.

Your only job is to do what is written. If you consistently do what is written, and at the end of your cycle, before you have one week of easy training called a deload, and you start a new cycle, At the end of your cycle, you never actually failed at a weight. Like you tried to get 17, but you got 16. The 17 wouldn't move when you put the bar down. You're like, oh crap, hopefully nobody saw that.

That never happens to you. You've never trained close to failure, but that's okay. The next time you program in your weights and you do three reps in reserve for that first week, go a little harder than you think you should be or you typically did. And then at some point during the middle or end of that cycle, you will actually hit failure trying to get to those objective targets.

That never happens to you. You've never trained close to failure, but that's okay. The next time you program in your weights and you do three reps in reserve for that first week, go a little harder than you think you should be or you typically did. And then at some point during the middle or end of that cycle, you will actually hit failure trying to get to those objective targets.

Because here's a big problem with trying to estimate failure. If you go based on how hard something feels, it's kind of different like you said. You had a tough day at work versus easy day at work. You ate well versus you didn't. Slept well versus you didn't. And it's all perceptual, which is nuts.

Because here's a big problem with trying to estimate failure. If you go based on how hard something feels, it's kind of different like you said. You had a tough day at work versus easy day at work. You ate well versus you didn't. Slept well versus you didn't. And it's all perceptual, which is nuts.

It's kind of like not having a mirror, but asking someone to stand in front of you and help you put on makeup. Thanks for your input, but I need a friggin' mirror because I don't know if you're just messing with me. I look like a clown. I put lipstick over here instead of on my lips. Who knows?

It's kind of like not having a mirror, but asking someone to stand in front of you and help you put on makeup. Thanks for your input, but I need a friggin' mirror because I don't know if you're just messing with me. I look like a clown. I put lipstick over here instead of on my lips. Who knows?

But if you have objective criteria of this is what I did last week and I just want to go a little bit beyond, it is inevitable that one of two things happen over the long term. One, you will reach muscular failure and you will be unable to do a repetition. Or the other is you'll get infinitely strong forever and now you're Superman. One of those is more realistic than the other.