Mike Israetel on How to Find the Best Weightlifting Exercises for Your Body

Published: Jan. 6, 2021, 8 a.m.

Have you ever done an exercise and just not \u201cfelt\u201d it? Sure, you performed the lift, but your target muscles don\u2019t feel like they worked very hard.

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Or maybe you felt it in the \u201cwrong\u201d areas? Like your forearms feeling zapped after barbell curls while your biceps still feel fresh.

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Or maybe you felt it, but in a bad way. For example, bench pressing started bothering your elbows and you never really felt it in your chest before your triceps started giving out.

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These sorts of problems aren\u2019t uncommon.

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And the good news is there are often modifications and tweaks you can fine-tune to make exercises more effective and work better for you.

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These aren\u2019t necessarily obvious fixes you can discover intuitively, read about in a textbook, or even hear about by word of mouth either. Sometimes you have to experiment.

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Of course, this is a double-edged sword, because you can end up \u201cfixing your form\u201d for months on end, without ever really settling on anything.

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This is where experience and intelligent methodology come into play and that\u2019s why I invited Dr. Mike Israetel back on the podcast.

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In case you\u2019re not familiar with Dr. Israetel, not only does he hold a PhD in Sport Physiology, but he\u2019s the co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, a successful blog, coaching program, and fitness platform, so he\u2019s worked with thousands of people and definitely knows his stuff.

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In this episode, Mike covers . . .

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  • The importance of having a checklist for evaluating a muscle building stimulus
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  • "Feeling" exercises and the difference between tension perception and "the burn"
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  • The benefits of getting a pump
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  • Criteria for judging whether an exercise is worthwhile
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  • Why you might want to experience soreness
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  • Stimulus to fatigue ratio and sustainability
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  • The importance of experimentation to account for biomechanical diversity among people
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  • A magic skullcrusher tip for those with elbow pain
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  • And more . . .
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So if you want to learn about a methodological approach to tweaking your own form and exercise choices to find what works practically for you, you\u2019ll love this episode!

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Timestamps:

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8:21 - What are some common form mistakes that people make that are not obvious?

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28:13 - What is the stimulus to fatigue ratio?

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34:26 - What are some exercises that you can improve on?

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41:58 - What are some tips to help your biceps and triceps?

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46:19 - Do you have any barbell preferences?

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Mentioned on The Show:

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Mike Israetel\u2019s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RenaissancePeriodization

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Mike Israetel\u2019s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rpdrmike/

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Mike Israetel\u2019s Website: https://renaissanceperiodization.com/

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Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/