Get Jacked through Programming

Summary

Nick, a fitness enthusiast with 6 years of experience in powerlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics, and strongman training, shares his approach to creating effective workout programs. He emphasizes the importance of tracking your progress and filming your sets to improve form. Nick explains how to split training by body parts and pick exercises based on the equipment you have, whether it's basic or a full gym setup. He discusses different workout splits, like upper/lower or push/pull/legs, and demonstrates how to customize routines for your goals. Nick encourages experimentation to find the best program for you.

Takeaways

• 💪 The speaker, Nick, has trained for 6 years across various fitness disciplines, including powerlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics, and strongman training.
• 📈 Tracking your weights is essential, either with pen and paper or using an app like BoostCamp, which helps organize your program.
• 📹 Filming your sets is crucial to avoid ingraining bad form into your nervous system, allowing for progressive improvement.
• 📝 Programming begins with splitting your body into sections: legs, abs, upper body push, and upper body pull.
• ⏳ Supersetting upper body push and pull exercises can save time and enhance training efficiency.
• 🏋️ Exercise selection depends on available equipment, from basic setups (like dumbbells and pull-up bars) to full gyms.
• 🦵 Learning how to squat, deadlift, and bench press with a barbell is recommended for everyone, regardless of equipment.
• ⚖️ Not everyone needs a complex routine; even with fewer exercises, you can still achieve results depending on your goals.
• 📅 Choosing a training split (e.g., upper/lower, push/pull/legs, or full body) will determine how many days you train each week.
• 🤸 Flexibility in your routine is important; for example, integrating strongman exercises like yoke walks and atlas stones can be a unique addition.

Q & A

Who is the speaker and what is their background?

The speaker is Nick, who has been training for six years in various disciplines, including powerlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics, and strongman. He describes his approach to fitness as experimental and aims to perfect his training methods.

What are the two essential things the speaker mentions before starting programming?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of logging weights, either with pen and paper or using an app like Boostcamp, and filming sets to ensure proper form, as ingraining incorrect form can be hard to fix.

Why does the speaker recommend filming your sets?

Filming your sets allows you to identify and correct form errors that you may not notice otherwise. Since exercises get ingrained in your nervous system, doing them incorrectly repeatedly can make it difficult to unlearn bad habits.

How does the speaker suggest splitting body parts for a workout program?

The speaker suggests splitting body parts into legs, abs, upper body push, and upper body pull. They advocate supersets for upper body push and pull exercises to save time and improve training efficiency.

What is the benefit of using supersets in training?

Supersets save time and can be more advantageous in training by working opposing muscle groups back-to-back, leading to increased intensity and workout efficiency.

How does the speaker approach exercise selection for people with different equipment availability?

The speaker shows examples of exercise selections for someone with just dumbbells and a pull-up bar versus someone with access to a full gym. Regardless of equipment, they recommend learning core barbell exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

What is the speaker’s advice for people who want to minimize the number of exercises?

The speaker suggests that it's fine to focus on a few key exercises like chin-ups, dips, leg press, and Romanian deadlifts if you don't want a complex program. However, doing more exercises might lead to better overall gains.

What are some of the different workout splits the speaker mentions?

The speaker mentions various workout splits, including upper/lower body splits, push/pull/legs, Arnold split (legs, arms, chest, back), and full-body splits. The choice depends on how many days per week you want to train.

How does the choice of split affect the weekly training schedule?

The split you choose determines how many days per week you will train. For example, an upper/lower split repeated twice per week would mean four training days, while a push/pull/legs split could be done in either three or six days per week.

What does the finalized example split look like?

The finalized example split includes exercises like bench press, dumbbell rows, dips, squats, Romanian deadlifts, and even strongman exercises like yoke walks, farmer’s walks, and atlas stones. The structure combines traditional lifts with more unique exercises for variety.