Andrew Buchwach - Online Coach

⏰ How long should I rest between sets? Bodybuilders are notorious for taking short rest periods and chasing the pump. But is this useful? Generally speaking, no. If you want to maximize gains, you need adequate rest between sets. A good guideline is: - 3-5 minutes for compound movements - 1-3 minutes for isolation exercises These rules aren’t hard and fast; a strong squatter may rest 10 minutes after a grueling set of 8 reps. But the above is a good starting point. There are specific instances in which short rest is warranted. For example, if you’re doing a rest-pause set, you perform the first set at/near failure, rest briefly, and then do another set. Supersets, in which you perform one movement and then another, can be useful, too. These techniques, however, are typically best used as time-savers and/or as ways to make your workouts harder. In general, you want to have adequate rest for the majority of your training. How long do you rest between sets? Let me know in the comments below. #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #BenchPress #Muscle #Bodybuilding #Hypertrophy

☠️ Is it okay to train to failure? For some, this may seem like a silly question: Of course, bro. I only train to failure. But many trainees are intimidated by failure training. I get it; getting buried under a heavy squat or a bench sucks. It’s embarrassing and can be legitimately scary. It IS okay to train to failure, but it’s not necessary. Training to failure likely has the following benefits: 1. You are likely to maximize the hypertrophic stimulus on a per-set basis. Basically, going to failure means you’ll get the most gains possible out of that set. 2. Training to failure is clear. Did you fail? If so, you’ve trained to failure. There’s no ambiguity, no “I think I could have gotten another rep.” 3. Failure training can build mental toughness. Fail enough, and it will cease to scare you. Training to failure also has downsides. For example: 1. Failure training may cause undue fatigue, limiting the volume you can do. 2. Training to failure may lead to form compromises, which could lead to more injuries. 3. For power athletes, training to failure is useless, as reps to failure are, by definition, slow. So, can you train to failure? Undoubtedly, yes. Should you? It depends on your goals. DM me “failure” if you want more advice. #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Deadlift #Muscle #Bodybuilding #Hypertrophy

💪 POV: You dropped your ego, lowered the weight, and got huuuuge “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” - Frank Herbert, Dune Ego is fear. Ego is the fragile voice in our head saying: “Oh God, what if I’m not good enough? What if they all KNOW I’m not good enough.” Fuck that. Fuck that noise. Lift for yourself and against yourself. No one else. If lowering the weight gives you better gains, lift less weight. And let me tell you another secret: if you want to get super strong, it’s going to take time. Start light, build technique, add weight, and get brutally strong. You can’t force the weight: let it come to you. Looking to get jacked and strong? DM me “huge” and let’s get you growing. #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Benchpress #Muscle #Bodybuilding #Hypertrophy

😴 Should I pause my bench reps? The answer here isn’t obvious. Let’s set a few ground rules first… 1️⃣ You should never bounce reps off your chest This accomplishes nothing. You’re cheating yourself, shortchanging your gains, and you look ridiculous. 2️⃣ You should touch your chest If your shoulder mobility is truly so limited that you cannot touch your chest, stop benching. It’s not a great lift for you. Use dumbbells, machines, etc. For the rest of us, the bar should touch your chest. 3️⃣ Reps should always be controlled Even if you’re not pausing your reps, you should control the eccentric movement. Don’t just let the bar drop onto your chest. Slowing your eccentric will maximize gains. So, to actually answer your question: You should pause your reps if you’re a powerlifter, as that’s required by your sport. For the rest of us, I recommend a short, semi-pause to ensure you’re truly controlling the bar. The pause is advantageous because it allows you to spend more time in the stretch position, which will likely lead to greater gains. Pausing may also reduce the risk of acute injury. However, it does mean you may need to reduce the load. I don’t think a strict pause is necessary, but I do think all trainees should strive to control their reps. How do you bench? Let me know in the comments below. #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #BenchPress #Muscle #Bodybuilding #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 30/30 Conventional Pull 525x0 This sucked, obviously. I warmed up with 405, 465, and 505. 465 moved great, but 505 was aaaaawful. I had been hoping for 535 today, but given how hard 505 was, I went for 525. And I barely got it off the ground. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. However, let’s look at the upside: - I pulled 520 last week, which was a PR. - Prior to this, the heaviest weight I had ever touched in my life was 462 for 5. - Before last month, I hadn’t deadlifted in about a year. - I got to try all kinds of deadlift variations. - I didn’t get hurt. - I deadlifted every day for 30 days. So, though this isn’t the result I wanted, I’m okay with it. Looking back, I do think I could have done better here and achieved a heavier PR. A couple of things stand out: - Pause deadlifts seemed very useful, but they beat me up. - Sumos did not seem to help with anything. - Rack pulls were counterproductive. - I definitely should have kept my non-primary days lighter. - I likely should have done slightly less volume overall. Will I be repeating this experiment any time soon? Definitely not. But I’m still grateful for it and the lessons I learned so that I can apply them to my training and my clients’. Thanks to those of you who followed along. Appreciate you all. Total sets: 78 Total reps: 173 Total pounds moved: 52820 #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 29/30 Conventional Pulls: 315x3 Deload Tomorrow, we max. This has been a wild ride. I love training, and this experiment has been no different. For people like me, who have trained for over a decade, taking little side quests can be rejuvenative. It’s also been fun to try and troubleshoot this i.e. how can I do this without killing myself. I don’t try extreme protocols like this with my clients…but knowing how to train like this is valuable to me and the people I work with. Deadlifting every day is a complex, multifaceted problem; getting you jacked and strong, by comparison, is much easier. Wish me luck for tomorrow. Even if I don’t hit a new a PR, this has still been a huge win. Total sets: 77 Total reps: 173 Total pounds moved: 52820 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 28/30 Conventional Pulls: 405 x1 455x1 Taper The 455 didn’t move quiiite as fast as I’d have liked, but that’s okay. Tomorrow will be easy and I should be fresh to max the following day. Hip is still tight, but I will continue to work it out. When dealing with prolonged soreness/tightness, I always recommend clients MOVE–motion is lotion. I am doing the same here. Total sets: 76 Total reps: 170 Total pounds moved: 51875 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 27/30 Conventional Pulls: 405 2x1 415x1 Taper The goal here for today and tomorrow is to get in quality reps while shedding fatigue. I think my 415 moved as fast, if not faster, than my reps of 405, so that’s a good sign. Tomorrow, I’ll likely go up/near 455 and call it there. Next day, a little deload, and then we max. I’m feeling pretty solid. Some lingering lat fatigue and my right hip is a little tight, but I think I’m in a good place. I ripped a callus a few days ago but it’s been healing. Shins are wrecked, but that’s been the case for weeks. Starting to feel excited AND nervous for the end. Total sets: 74 Total reps: 168 Total pounds moved: 51015 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 26/30 Jefferson Curls: 205x8 +20 pounds from last week Really focused on trying to keep my hams tighter today. These felt much harder than last week, largely due to my improved form (and some lingering fatigue). The next few days will likely be rather boring. I’ll pull a few singles on days 27 and 28, with the goal of having day 28 a bit heavier than day 27. Day 29 will be a very light day, and then I’ll max out on day 30. Almost there. Total sets: 71 Total reps: 165 Total pounds moved: 49790 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 25/30 Uneven Deadlift: 270 2x3 (one side 2 45s, a 25, and a 10, other side 2 45s and a 10) +20 pounds from last week Rounding the finish line here. Just did uneven deads today and will do jeffersons tomorrow as I’m trying to reduce fatigue. These felt noticeably harder when I had to lift the heavier side with my right hand. I don’t think it’s a grip issue, but probably some kind of hip imbalance. I’ve really enjoyed these and would recommend them to anyone interested in bulletproofing their spine/low back. Total sets: 70 Total reps: 157 Total pounds moved: 48150 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 24/30 Double Pause Deadlift: 455x1 +20 pounds from last week More success. I would have liked a longer pause on the concentric, but I’ll take it. Fatigue is high, I am definitely feeling it. I’m going to scale back the next few days with the goal of feeling fresh and limber for day 30. I’m not totally sure what I’ll do yet; I think it will largely depend on how my legs are feeling on a given day. My lats continue to be really, really sore, so I will likely also scale back my back (pun) training for these next 7 days. Managing fatigue is key for this kind of training. For my clients (who are doing comparatively saner protocols), this process is much, much easier. Total sets: 68 Total reps: 151 Total pounds moved: 47340 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy

💀 Deadlift Every Day, Day 23/30 Sumo Deadlift: 455x1 +20 pounds from last week Success. I’m shifting the days around this week to better manage fatigue. This set moved…slowly, but I was very happy with how well I maintained low back positioning. That being said, I need to do a better job of grounding my feet; it almost looks like I could have fallen over here. My legs are sore. They hurt in a way I’ve never experienced before from lifting. They felt fine when I woke up, but they’ve been aaaaaching since I finished today’s workout. I’m not stressed or concerned about injury. It’s clearly just accumulated fatigue. We will see what tomorrow brings. The goal is still a PR on day 30, so I will absolutely scale down beforehand if necessary (though I won’t be taking any days off, of course). Total sets: 67 Total reps: 150 Total pounds moved: 46885 Follow along for the ride! #Gym #Lifting #Fitness #Strength #Muscle #DeadliftEveryDay #Hypertrophy