Get Jacked through Programming

Nicholas Angelo

29 Aug 202404:50

Summary

TLDRNick, 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.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Introduction to Nick and His Fitness Journey

Nick introduces himself, highlighting his 6-year journey in various fitness disciplines such as powerlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics, and strongman training. He emphasizes that he has dedicated years to perfecting his fitness approach and is not a novice. The goal of this video is to explain how to create personalized workout programs for different fitness levels and equipment availability.

📝 Importance of Logging and Filming Workouts

Before diving into programming, Nick emphasizes two essential practices: logging workouts and filming sets. He suggests using an app like BoostCamp to track weights and workouts. Filming workouts helps in correcting form and avoiding ingraining incorrect movements in the nervous system, which is harder to fix later.

📊 Splitting Body Parts for Effective Programming

Nick introduces the first aspect of programming: splitting body parts. He lists major muscle groups such as legs, abs, and upper body push/pull and advocates for supersetting upper body push and pull exercises to save time and enhance training efficiency. He humorously admits to forgetting the spelling of 'abs' but stresses the importance of covering all muscle groups.

🏋️ Choosing Exercises Based on Available Equipment

Nick explains how to pick exercises for different body parts based on equipment availability. He provides examples of two individuals, one with minimal equipment (dumbbells and pull-up bar) and another with a fully equipped gym. He advises everyone to learn essential compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses with a barbell for optimal results.

🤔 Simplified Workout Plan Example

To ease concerns about workout complexity, Nick presents a simplified workout plan for someone who prefers minimal exercises. This person only does chin-ups, dips, leg presses, and Romanian deadlifts. While acknowledging that this approach won’t yield maximal gains, Nick reassures that it’s fine if the goal isn’t to spend hours in the gym with a complex program.

📅 Deciding Your Workout Split

Nick discusses different workout splits (e.g., upper/lower, push/pull/legs, Arnold split, full-body) and how they affect the number of training days per week. He explains that your choice of split will dictate which body parts you train each day, allowing you to copy and paste exercises accordingly. He provides examples of how to structure a split based on workout preferences.

✅ Example of a Finalized Workout Split

Nick showcases an example of a finalized workout split, where someone combines traditional lifts like bench press and squats with strongman exercises like yoke walks and atlas stones. He emphasizes flexibility in workout design, encouraging viewers to experiment with different splits and see what works best for their goals. He invites viewers to request more information on rep ranges and promises to make additional videos if needed.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Program writing

Program writing refers to the process of designing a workout plan tailored to an individual's fitness goals, equipment, and schedule. In the video, the speaker explains how anyone, regardless of fitness level or available equipment, can create their own workout program by understanding their goals, logging their weights, and splitting their exercises effectively.

💡Log your weights

Logging your weights means keeping a record of the weights you use for each exercise, whether through a pen-and-paper method or using an app. This concept is critical for tracking progress and adjusting your program over time. In the video, the speaker recommends the BoostCamp app as a tool for recording workouts and building programs.

💡Film your sets

Filming your sets involves recording yourself while performing exercises to assess your form. The speaker emphasizes this step to avoid ingraining improper technique, which can lead to imbalances or injuries. By filming, one can visually catch mistakes and progressively build better form.

💡Body part split

Body part split refers to how one divides training sessions based on specific muscle groups. The speaker highlights different ways to split training, such as legs, abs, upper body push (chest, triceps, shoulders), and upper body pull (back, biceps). This approach helps organize a workout program and ensure balanced muscle development.

💡Super sets

Super sets involve performing two exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between, typically targeting opposing muscle groups like upper body push (chest, triceps) and upper body pull (back, biceps). The speaker advocates for super sets as a time-efficient method that can improve training intensity and productivity.

💡Exercises selection

Exercise selection refers to the process of choosing which movements to include in your workout for each body part. The video explains that this decision depends on one's available equipment and fitness level. The speaker presents different examples of exercise selection, ranging from simple bodyweight exercises to complex gym-based movements.

💡Barbell movements

Barbell movements, like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, are core compound exercises involving a barbell, which the speaker encourages everyone to learn. These exercises are fundamental for building strength across multiple muscle groups and form the foundation of many fitness programs.

💡Training split

A training split is a way to organize a workout schedule based on specific body parts or movements for each day. Different splits mentioned in the video include upper-lower, push-pull-legs, and full body, all of which determine how often one trains each muscle group. Choosing the right split depends on how many days per week one can commit to training.

💡Rep ranges

Rep ranges refer to the number of repetitions one performs during a set of exercises. Different rep ranges serve different goals—lower reps with heavier weights build strength, while higher reps with lighter weights build endurance. The speaker briefly mentions rep ranges and offers to make another video detailing how to use them in a program.

💡Strongman exercises

Strongman exercises are high-intensity, functional movements used in strength sports, such as yoke walks, farmer's walks, and atlas stones. The speaker mentions incorporating these exercises into a split to add variety and challenge to a workout. They emphasize that while these movements are demanding, they can build significant strength and endurance.

Highlights

Nick introduces himself, explaining his 6 years of training across multiple disciplines including powerlifting, bodybuilding, and strongman, emphasizing his experience and expertise in fitness.

Nick emphasizes the importance of logging your weights, either using pen and paper or with an app like Boost Camp, which he recommends for managing your program.

Filming your sets is highlighted as critical to improving form, as improper form can be ingrained if not corrected early.

The first aspect of programming involves splitting body parts, focusing on legs, abs, upper body push, and upper body pull, with super setting push and pull exercises to save time.

Nick explains how to choose exercises based on available equipment, demonstrating that different setups (from minimal equipment like dumbbells to full gym access) require different exercises.

While recommending foundational barbell exercises like the squat, deadlift, and bench press, Nick acknowledges that not everyone wants or needs a highly complex workout routine.

Nick demonstrates a minimalist approach to programming with only four exercises: chin-ups, dips, leg press, and Romanian deadlift, showing it's possible to simplify routines.

The importance of choosing your split is discussed, with examples of various splits such as upper-lower, push-pull-legs, and full body splits, depending on how many days per week you want to train.

Nick illustrates how to assign exercises to different days based on your split, using an example split featuring exercises like bench press, dumbbell rows, squats, and pull-ups.

Nick encourages creativity in programming, mentioning how you can incorporate strongman exercises like yoke walks, farmers walks, and atlas stones into a traditional program.

Nick emphasizes the flexibility of programming, allowing for personalized splits based on preferences and goals, while encouraging experimentation with different routines.

He concludes by inviting viewers to try out their own customized split, reminding them to adjust according to their progress and needs.

Nick hints at the possibility of future videos covering topics like rep ranges, sets, and more advanced programming tips.

Throughout the video, Nick’s approach encourages simplicity and practicality in program design, making it accessible to people of all fitness levels.

Nick uses a light-hearted tone, making jokes about not being literate because he lifts weights, which adds to the relatability of his presentation.