Exercise Scientist Critiques THE BEST Of All-Time Bodybuilder's Training

Summary

In this insightful video, Dr. Mike from RP Strength critiques and analyzes the training session of 10-time Miss Olympia winner, Iris Kyle. He discusses the importance of muscle structure, striations, and body fat, while offering suggestions for optimal training techniques such as deep stretches and controlled tempo. Dr. Mike also humorously touches on the use of Versa Grips and the benefits of high-rep training, encouraging viewers to learn from champions while adapting their methods to their own genetic potential.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♂️ Dr. Mike, a professor of sport exercise science, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grappler, and competitive bodybuilder, analyzes the training of Iris Kyle, a 10-time Miss Olympia winner.
• 💪 Iris Kyle's training emphasizes low body fat and high muscle definition, showcasing the dedication and discipline required to be a top bodybuilder.
• 🔍 Dr. Mike critiques Iris's training, suggesting deeper stretches and more controlled eccentric movements for optimal muscle engagement.
• 🤔 The video raises questions about the ideal rep range for hypertrophy, discussing the benefits of both high and low rep ranges in different contexts.
• 🎖️ Despite Iris Kyle's success, Dr. Mike encourages viewers to learn from her training while also considering individual differences and genetic factors.
• 👍 Versa Grips are recommended as a superior alternative to chalk and straps, ensuring a strong grip without limiting muscle performance.
• 👀 Dr. Mike highlights the importance of training partners and the use of bright colors to improve focus and motivation during workouts.
• 🚀 The video humorously discusses the use of 'alien technology' in Versa Grips, adding a light-hearted tone to the analysis.
• 🔄 Dr. Mike advocates for a training strategy involving high rep sets with short rest periods, potentially saving time and enhancing muscle growth.
• 🤷‍♂️ The script acknowledges that without the genetics of top athletes, it's crucial to make the most of available tools and scientific knowledge.
• 🌟 The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of learning from champions like Iris Kyle, while also innovating and finding what works best for individual trainees.

Q & A

Who is the primary subject of the video and why is she significant?

The primary subject is Iris Kyle, a 10-time Miss Olympia winner, recognized as one of the most dominant bodybuilders in history.

What does Dr. Mike criticize about the way Iris Kyle performs her exercises?

Dr. Mike criticizes the lack of muscle stretch in her exercises, the absence of eccentric control, and the partial range of motion she uses.

What is Dr. Mike’s opinion on using Versa grips during workouts?

Dr. Mike believes Versa grips are highly beneficial as they prevent the grip from being a limiting factor, allowing other muscles to be pushed to their limits.

Why does Dr. Mike recommend focusing on the eccentric phase of exercises?

Dr. Mike recommends focusing on the eccentric phase because it provides high-level stimulus for muscle growth, especially the last rep which is closest to failure.

What training technique does Iris Kyle use, and what are its benefits according to Dr. Mike?

Iris Kyle uses myo-reps, which involve short rest breaks and multiple sets close to failure. This technique allows for efficient training by keeping the muscles under high tension with reduced time.

What is Dr. Mike’s opinion on thick handles in gym equipment?

Dr. Mike is skeptical about the utility of thick handles, suggesting they are not optimal for most people, except perhaps for specific use cases like strongman training.

What is Dr. Mike's critique of the vertical leg press?

Dr. Mike criticizes the vertical leg press for minimizing the range of motion for the quads and for rounding the lower back excessively, which he finds suboptimal for muscle growth and safety.

Why does Dr. Mike emphasize spending more time in the lengthened position during leg curls?

He emphasizes this because spending more time in the lengthened position maximizes muscle tension and potential growth, similar to making the most out of a fun experience at an amusement park.

How does Dr. Mike suggest optimizing pull-up technique?

Dr. Mike suggests controlling the eccentric phase, pausing at the bottom for a deeper stretch, and ensuring full range of motion to maximize hypertrophic benefits.

What does Dr. Mike think about high rep ranges in training?

Dr. Mike believes high rep ranges can still be productive for muscle growth if combined with heavy training and that they should not be dismissed just because they exceed traditional hypertrophic rep ranges.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♀️ Bodybuilding Analysis with Iris Kyle

Dr. Mike from RP Strength critiques and analyzes the training of Iris Kyle, a 10-time Miss Olympia winner and arguably the most dominant bodybuilder in history. He discusses her muscle structure, particularly noting her striated glutes and low body fat. Dr. Mike suggests that while her training methods are not ideal for everyone, there are lessons to be learned, such as the importance of training partners and the use of Versa grips to enhance grip strength. He also touches on the value of high-rep training for hypertrophy and the concept of training to failure.

05:01

🤸‍♂️ Optimizing Training with Technique and Strategy

The video script continues with Dr. Mike providing detailed feedback on Iris Kyle's exercise techniques, emphasizing the importance of full range of motion and proper form. He suggests improvements such as deeper stretches and more eccentric control in pull-ups, and discusses the benefits of chest-supported rows and their impact on the midback muscles. Dr. Mike also introduces a training strategy involving high-rep sets with short rest periods to maximize muscle growth in a shorter time frame.

10:05

💪 Equipment Critique and Advanced Training Techniques

Dr. Mike critiques various training equipment, questioning the practicality of oversized handles and advocating for thinner grips like Versa grips. He provides a detailed analysis of cable row and lat pull-down techniques, recommending specific body positioning for optimal muscle engagement. The script also covers advanced training techniques such as incorporating concentric momentum to enhance eccentric load and the strategic use of pauses at the top of leg curls to improve mind-muscle connection.

15:05

🏋️‍♀️ Champion's Training Insights and Personal Impressions

In the final paragraph, Dr. Mike reflects on the insights gained from observing Iris Kyle's training, acknowledging her status as a 10-time Miss Olympia champion and the limitations of criticizing her methods. He encourages viewers to learn from champions like Iris, even if they don't possess the same genetics or resources, and to apply those lessons to their own training. Dr. Mike also shares personal anecdotes about meeting Iris and gives his impression of her personality, ending the video on a light-hearted note.

Keywords

💡Iris Kyle

Iris Kyle is the main focus of the video, described as the greatest bodybuilder of all time with ten Miss Olympia titles. The video discusses her training techniques and her dominance in the sport, highlighting her impressive muscle structure and dedication.

💡Miss Olympia

Miss Olympia is a prestigious bodybuilding competition that Iris Kyle has won ten times, making her the most dominant bodybuilder in history. The video's theme revolves around analyzing and learning from her training methods.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy refers to the enlargement of muscles through exercise. The video emphasizes the importance of different rep ranges and training techniques to stimulate hypertrophy, using Iris Kyle's workouts as examples.

💡Eccentric Control

Eccentric control involves controlling the downward phase of a lift, which is crucial for muscle growth. The video critiques and suggests improvements to Iris Kyle's eccentric control in her pull-ups and other exercises to maximize hypertrophic benefits.

💡Stimulus to Fatigue Ratio

The stimulus to fatigue ratio is a concept used to measure the effectiveness of an exercise relative to the fatigue it generates. The video discusses how Iris Kyle might train to optimize this ratio, even if her methods differ from typical recommendations.

💡Versa Grips

Versa Grips are advanced lifting straps that improve grip strength. The video humorously explains their importance in preventing grip from being a limiting factor during heavy lifts and recommends their use for serious lifters.

💡Partial Reps

Partial reps are exercises where the range of motion is not fully extended. The video notes that Iris Kyle uses partial reps in her training, suggesting that while they may have benefits, full range of motion is generally more effective for muscle growth.

💡Training Partners

Training partners provide support and motivation during workouts. The video mentions Iris Kyle's use of training partners, including her significant other Hidetada Yamagishi, and highlights the role they play in effective training.

💡Myoreps

Myoreps are a training method involving short rest periods between sets to increase muscle activation. The video explains how Iris Kyle incorporates myoreps into her routine to enhance hypertrophy and save time during workouts.

💡Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldown is an exercise targeting the latissimus dorsi muscles. The video critiques Iris Kyle's form on this exercise, suggesting improvements for better muscle engagement and growth.

Highlights

Dr. Mike introduces himself as a professor of sport exercise science, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler, and competitive bodybuilder.

The greatest bodybuilder of all time is Iris Kyle, a 10-time Miss Olympia winner.

Dr. Mike critiques Iris Kyle's partial mid-range training, noting that it might be due to injury limitations or optimized fatigue ratio.

Inverted upright row grip is beneficial for side delts but may not be suitable for everyone's shoulder mobility.

Ultra-high reps, such as 40 reps, can still be productive in certain contexts despite the common belief that 5 to 30 reps are most hypertrophic.

Versa grips are highlighted as superior to straps and chalk, allowing for better grip stability during workouts.

Critique of Iris Kyle's pull-ups, suggesting deeper stretch and eccentric control for optimal muscle growth.

Chest-supported rows should involve full range of motion with a deep stretch at the bottom to maximize mid-back muscle hypertrophy.

Discussion of myo-reps, a training method involving short rest breaks to maximize muscle stimulation in a shorter workout time.

Dr. Mike critiques the use of oversized handles in equipment, questioning their practicality and benefit.

Lat prayers technique should maximize tension by keeping the chest parallel to the ground to maintain tension on lats during the stretch.

Emphasizing the importance of eccentric control and stretch under load in leg curls and other exercises for better muscle growth.

Vertical leg press is criticized for being poorly designed, offering limited range of motion for quads and excessive lower back strain.

Hack squats should ideally have feet positioned lower and turned out slightly for better quad engagement.

Iris Kyle's training methods and success are discussed, with an emphasis on learning from champions and optimizing techniques for individual needs.

Transcripts

I do like the slow Ecentric that works

all right and that ends at 17 R anyone

want to claim that all top Pros go to

failure

categorically either lying or making

things up I can't quite tell

[Music]

which hey folks Dr Mike here for RP

strength I am a longtime professor of

sport exercise science Brazilian Jitsu

Grappler and a competitive bodybuilder

but the number of rungs on the ladder of

competitive bodybuilding is incredibly

High I'm very very far down on that list

however there is one person at the very

very top of the list the greatest

bodybuilder of all

time the Haney no Ronnie of course no

still no what well my God who is it Dr

Mike stop stop playing with us it is

none other than Iris Kyle T 10 time Miss

Olympia winner technically speaking the

most dominant bodybuilder of History

let's take a look at how she's training

let's uh see if we can offer any polite

critiques and see if we can learn some

stuff 3 2 1 Iris Kyle unbelievable

absolutely phenomenal muscle structure

look at the striations in her glutes

definitely has some glutes that is not

easy to obtain and shows extremely low

body fat if I met her in a dark alley

Dan I would be scared

was kind of an odd comment I suppose

it's your general comment about all very

lean and muscular people that

potentially they have a lot of force

production they could but I don't know

odd comment moving on all right so let's

look at how we're

training one more one

[Music]

more kind of partial in the mid-range

very partial very mid-range not a lot of

stretch to the muscles not ideal I would

love to see most people go lower maybe

she has some injury limitations or

figured out that her stimulus to fatigue

ratio is best training like that um and

also make sure you have training

partners that wear insanely bright

colors ooh all right so that inverted

upright row grip is something a lot of

people just won't be able to do your

shoulder Mobility will not allow you to

do it in many cases but if you can pull

it off it's a great exercise it really

points your elbows up for you which

allows your side bels to really take

over the movement which is great also

look at the size of this girl traps holy

shit what you store of them shits girl

but seriously this is a really excellent

version of upright Rose give it a shot

with light weight if it feels weird on

your wrists or your elbows or your

shoulders mess with the technique a

little bit maybe reconsider if it feels

good get you a watermelon flavor

training partner and get to town on

these shits OJ and watermelon Scot the

video guy that's what we doing

today 36 37 good 38 we doing ultra high

w

godamn so I don't know if they were

counting totals and then taking breaks

that could be the case but even if they

did 40 reps in one set and one go this

at the end of the world mostly what we

hear is sets of five to sets of 30 are

the most hypertrophic the most anabolic

rep range and that's not wrong but

difficult sets all the way to 40 and 50

reps in some contexts in many context

produce decent levels of hypertrophy and

this is just one feature of your plan

you do plenty of heavy training but also

you do this kind of thing then it's

totally fine it doesn't immediately it's

not like when you cross from 30 to 31

reps it's a total red flag there's

relative trade-offs here and especially

towards the end of a workout Ultra High

Reps like this if you really focus on

that burn can be

productive oh snap we got back and we

got Versa grips so a couple things why

would you use vers grips what the hell

are they they're like straps but better

they're made out of a new space age

material which scientists have not yet

been able to identify and I know that

sounds strange that even though they

couldn't identify it they would be

licensed by the government to produce

these things but it's one of those 1950s

weird glowing goop from the spaceship

kind of thing so thank you aliens for

the Versa grip and that crazy high

friction material in there means that if

you wrap it around any Implement War bar

your arm is probably going to tear off

before your grip goes which is a really

really big deal because what's our

number one priority of the gym to tear

our limbs

off no that's not not it to make sure

our grip is not limiting factor so our

shoulders and our backs and our legs all

the other muscles that we have are

pushed to the Limit and grip is still

steady and stable vers grips are

absolutely the way to go for this

they're better than straps they're

better than chalk and I think chalk and

straps are awesome and I love them ver

grips are just kind of Next Level give

some thought to getting them we have a

code here on the screen for you if you

want to save some money Link in the

description ha got your muff cuz that

was an ad read I'm sure you knew that by

now but ha in any case let's take a look

at Iris Kyle lifting a little bit more

[Music]

someone must be helping her or no yes oh

it's hiani yamagishi the best Japanese

bodybuilder of all time and Iris Kyle's

significant other husband maybe I'm just

not in the loop on uh bodybuilding

relations so but they are somehow

Associated heata is really nice he came

up to me once and spoke to me for what I

discerned was no reason at all and uh

shout out shouted out some mad respect

to me I was like he you're 10 times the

man that I'll ever be please consider me

irrelevant I began to cry and I ran away

he thought that was normal and never

spoke to me again not terrible technique

here I would like to see a deep hang

stretch at the bottom for that stretch

underload effect for that lengthened

tension and uh she's coming up plenty

high but I would like to see some

ecentral control on the way down and

some lower positions so being super

nitpicky here these are good pull-ups

the last pull-up I would recommend you

to slowly ride out out that Ecentric

pause at the bottom and then jump off

that gives you that last reps really

high level stimulus remember the last

rep is the one where you're closest to

failure it is probably going to be the

rep that causes the most hypertrophic

signaling you might as well do that rep

and milk everything out of it that you

can imagine you're eating a cake that

you're just like dude I need more of

this this is the greatest ever the last

piece of cake that you eat you're

unlikely to be like oh you're savoring

every bite you're chewing it you're

swallowing it and that last piece you're

like no leave people would be like I

thought he was enjoying that cake I

guess he just got bored and kind of

decided to finish it quickly no that's

nonsense you would eat that last little

piece you would savor every morsel of it

same in lifting that last WP now this

isn't a huge deal at all but if you want

to optimize your lifting just a little

bit more make sure you lift that last

rep as if you have another one after

slow controlled milking the Ecentric

full in of motion don't just pop off the

machine I do that all the time I pop off

the machine all the time and I could be

doing better all right got some chest

supported

rows this is good generally full range

of motion I would love to see Iris

extend out at the bottom super deep

stretch and then come pulse back up at

the top you can tell her chest is still

upright at the bottom and her shoulders

haven't sank down that prevents all of

the muscles of the midback from really

getting stretched like crazy in that

deep position for the scapular

protraction and it does prevent them

from hypertrophying as much as they

could if you have Iris Kyle back

genetics you don't need to worry about a

goddamn thing if you have your back

genetics try protracting it'll

help a lot of short rest breaks kind of

10-second breaks and then going this is

my training and this is awesome I didn't

know Irish KY trained like this but I

also didn't know where babies came from

until yesterday Scott the video guy

explained it to

me it's very physical

I wish I hadn't heard

[Music]

it these are good reps there's a person

doing upside down crunches behind her

with no hands and and and that person's

rushing the Ecentric also how's that

I'll critique anybody God damn it I'll

critique myself my parents my sister my

dog that random person bring them all

[Music]

on damn she's really putting in work man

tons of myia reps here this is a smart

training strategy so here's what my reps

basically are you do a set of 10 to 20

reps taking the muscle pretty close to

failure can be three reps in reserve can

be all the way to failure doesn't much

matter you rest 5 to 10 seconds and then

you hit that again for another 5 to 10

reps you rest another 5 to 10 seconds

and then you hit that exercise again for

another hopefully 5 to 10 reps what that

allows you to do is spend a lot less

time training but allow a lot of the

volume to be in high proximity to

failure more of that volume is now

closer to your muscle breaking point and

potentially stimulating just as much

gains of straight sets do for that same

amount of total reps completed but you

can complete the total reps in a much

shorter time arguably saving in the

systemic fatigue of having to be in the

gym for for goddamn ever so this is a

really really cool way to train it's not

Superior to straight sets it does save

time with probably no trade-offs on the

other end so it is cool for that how do

you keep my reps together how do you

program them how do you keep keep them

consistent how do you log them well I

wish there was an app for that that

actually just has a new function install

that takes care of mys and my matchet

for you maybe I'll have a a Daydream and

think about real hard what that app

is training for muscle

growth is never going to be the

same holy handle all right all right

what do I say that's not

here this a grotesque gigantic handle

it's fun it's cool for strongman or

whatever or 8ot tall people with 30 in

Long middle fingers but I just I don't

get the oversized shit and whatever

company made that you guys are great

I've seen you shit around it's really

hardcore but God damn and the handles

are so thick what is exactly the point

of thick handles on on rolling

implements I just got to talk some shit

all due respect folks vers grubs come in

real clutch there but but with thinner

handles and Versa grips could be even

better all I'm

saying this is very good technique for

the cable row she's not doing some kind

of crazy momentum she's just arching

back getting that PE contraction and

then notice she's milking that Ecentric

she pauses and then lets it slide down

really slow I can't tell if that was a

warm-up set or not Scott was that

working weight or was that just like

okay well it's one of those ifb Pros

never can tell how far they are from

failure type of

videos all right do doing some lat

prayers so this is a good technique we

want the lats hit as much as possible at

their lengthened position at their

stretched position so what I would love

to see you guys do when you try this is

to bend your hips even further such that

your chest and your hips are roughly at

the same level basically parallel to the

ground and at the very top you get

maximum tension for your lats at the

maximum stretch when you come back down

you'll notice it's actually really easy

you might have to come up a little bit

just so your face doesn't get scra by

the cable but then just come up only far

enough for the cable not to hit you and

then as you reach back out and Arc back

out you're going to bring your whole

chest down and your face can go back to

normal because the cable's out of the

way if you do that that's probably one

of the better ways to do this exercise

this is a fine way but uh when you're

coming up with the bar and your body

Rises up you're no longer applying

tension to the lats at their most

lengthen position which means you're

losing some degree of optimality for

muscle

growth so she's kind of kind of throwing

the weight down which I usually hate on

but in this case it's a little bit smart

because she's riding that eccentric a

ton so she's using getting to reps with

weights she normally would not be able

to on a strict concentric to be able to

ride out that strict Ecentric and yes

you get excessive fatigue from throwing

the weight down like that and using

other muscles in your body not just your

lats but you get probably a little bit

less fatigue per the stimulus on the

Ecentric so if you get more Ecentric to

make up for this the stimulus to fatigue

ratio might work out just fine for you

definitely something to try as a more

advanced lifter when you have the basic

standard technique really really figured

out then you can incorporate a little

bit of this kind of concentric momentum

to milk that Ecentric load now if you do

the concentric momentum but the Ecentric

you drop really quick anyway you're just

around at that point you must earn that

concentric cheating in a sense that

momentum Generation by going real slow

on the Ecentric on the way back up

notice how slow she's going that's the

way to do this right little bit of a

throw on the way down slow and

controlled hand

strength all right I need one of these

uh Better

Bodies pant

outfits damn Scott what's up with that

watch yo I'm saying that Olympia money

hit damn girl got a Lamborghini on her

wrist I'm feeling that 100 and her Under

Armour shit looks like she's about to

get on the space shuttle goddamn

astronauts outfit I love it you can tell

she's pausing at the top of some of her

leg curls that definitely really gets

the Mind muscle connection going can let

you feel the tension in your hamstrings

unfortunately pausing at the top seeps

away your energy to do more reps and the

most muscle growth promoting part of the

rep is actually down closer to the

stretch of the muscle it's almost like

let's say you went to an amusement park

with just like a super awesome uh

girlfriend she's new girlfriend you're

the new boyfriend and you're just having

the most amazing time you have8 hours in

the amusement park any amount of time

you spend on the shitter checking your

DMs while she waits outside is

definitely technically time at the

amusement park technically with her but

you're not there spending it in the best

possible way the best possible way to

spend that time is be on that roller

coaster that's not that scary and just

make out while it does Loops Scott you

ever made out with anyone on a roller

coaster before uh consenting person that

you knew beforehand oh then no then no

um in kind of the same way yes at the P

contraction is a place to spend your

hamstring curl time and it's a fine

place it does grow muscle just like

checking your DMs in a shitty porta

potty and Cedar Point can be a way to

exist but uh better to be making out and

having Young Love somewhere in a a

little corner of the park and better to

be spending more time in that lengthened

position really exaggerating the entric

or even spending a second or two at that

bottom stretch waiting until you go up

again for the concentric gently touching

your butt with that pad and then coming

back slow under control very nitpicky

but nonetheless you know what I'm saying

Young Love Is in the Air why do I keep

saying young that makes me seem like an

old creep wait accurate folks if you

like how this is going there's still

more video to come but if you want the

extra super unrated uncut Edition it's

in our members area give some thought to

joining there's tons of other videos

there all the time maybe you'll see you

there

got some forc reps going help on the

concentric notice there's no help on the

Ecentric very good this is a great way

to train and then she's doing some

bottom end partials too sort of ah the

vertical leg press is back the vertical

I press is one of the worst possible

pieces of equipment to design as you can

tell it minimizes the range of motion

that the quads can exert at the KN which

is what black pressing is for it is a

fine glute exercise in reality but it

ALS so rounds living shit out of your

lower back for any given amount of

stretch that it puts on your muscles not

ideal not even

close all right we got some uh hack

squats can't tell if this is a work set

or not I guess it might be very good

ental control decent depth you guys

notice her feet are up really high on

the platform for Quad emphasis I'd love

for folks to bring their feet down a

little and in just a little bit with

their toes turned out that usually hits

your quads a little bit better than this

St and this isn't a terrible stance just

again got to be nitpicky or I don't have

a job to do on this channel they all

works they're all work

sets all right ifbb work sets never can

quite tell if it's a work set or people

just moving around thank you genetics I

do like the slow Ecentric that

works way to milk that shit

out all right and that ends at 17 R

anyone want to claim that all top Pros

go to failure

categorically either lying or making

things up I can't quite tell the truth

all

right

folks couple things Iris Kyle 10 time

Miss Olympia

Champion she is completely free from

being able to be criticized because once

you win everything 10 times once you win

anything at all certainly the Miss

Olympia and certainly 10 times people

like me talking that shit uh it just

don't matter I just want to remind

everyone that I'm wholly irrelevant

however we can learn from Champions if

we don't have their genetics we don't

have all the tools they do in their

toolbox but we have the desire we have

modern science we can look at what they

did and what they do and see if we can't

take a lot of the good lessons away and

use those and maybe optimize on the

margins and try some stuff even that

they didn't try that could be a little

bit better more of a controlled Tempo

more of a deep stretch and getting

pretty godamn close to failure in most

sets would be a super smart idea and

give that some thought take away what

you will from Iris Call's training

there's tons more of it on the internet

go check her out check out her social

media and this is like a living legend

of the sport you win something 10 times

in a row man that's a whole that's a

Whole Decade of you just being the shit

must get old or some shit like that

anyway I've talked to Iris in real life

a few times and she seems really sweet

so if you're in Las Vegas she does have

a gym go check that out and

um yeah yeah I give this an iris Kyle is

an immortal goddess out of 10 and I'll

see you guys next

time all right that was fun right here

is another video that maybe you should

click on Maybe not maybe not give it

some thought