“Renaissance periodization has jumped the shark” - Alex Bromley. Any thoughts on this video?

@piescko Well I guess it can depend on your definition then. He's not a "professional" bodybuilder but he's certainly a bodybuilder in my eyes at least. Let's be honest both this sub and bodybuilding sub is not full of competing bodybuilders but just gym goes who want to bodybuild.
 
@tennille Yea, but aren’t they in here to learn about the sport? I wouldn’t go to a CrossFit forum to learn to Olympic lift nor would I come here to learn how to powerlift. All lift weights. I honestly wouldn’t go to Dr Mike if I wanted to turn pro - he is actually more mainstream and his methods would work for a lot of people but he is definitely bodybuilding and GVS is just about building muscle to what he thinks looks good/feels good. Which is perfectly fine but it’s not the actual sport of bodybuilding. You want to look aesthetic, run (or cardio) do calisthenics, isolations for shoulders and arms and squat. Eat/drink within reason and you’ll look good. No need for all that lengthen partials, bodybuilding, power building, optimization of nutrition stuff…it’s more about doing it consistently over years. That new research where you stretch the muscle or chest to get that extra couple reps on a curl isn’t the secret when you can’t even go to the gym unbroken for 90 days and not cheat on the diet every other day.
 
@tennille Yea, same as weightlifting right? You lift weights so you can snatch, clean and jerk because you lift weights right? No one would call Bromley or GVS weightlifters…they lift weights. They are not capable of competing in those sports at a decent level. GVS doesn’t have a clue what it’s like to compete in a bodybuilding show. Neither does Bromley but Bromley knows a ton about powerlifting! Same can be said about figure skating vs ice hockey players, casual runners vs cross country runners etc etc
 
@alexandria281 The issue is that the novices are mixing up more advanced techniques with the basics. Lift, don’t skip workouts, in 4-5 yrs you will be freaking jacked compared to people that don’t lift. Do basic shit like starting strength for 2-3 yrs then add some isolation stuff for shoulders/arms and you will look Hollywood unless you eat too much…that’s it. Done.
GVS works hard, 99% of people cannot do what he does.
 
@piescko OK? But this video and thread have nothing to do with the sport of bodybuilding. Almost no one here actually cares about the sport of bodybuilding, no one gives a fuck what bodybuilding judges like. We (or almost all of us) care about the best ways to grow muscle and GVS is pretty experienced and knowledgeable in that regard, if you don't want to call that bodybuilding, that's fine, but that's irrelevant to the discussion, so I don't know why you took it in that direction.
 
@kanyen Then create a channel - I want to look good and help me. That’s all you want,formula to do that is unbelievably simple. You do not need to bodybuild! You just need to work out a bit and don’t get fat or skinny. It’s so freaking easy if you actually have the mindset but if you don’t then try bodybuilding, oh shit, I can’t then powerbuilding..
 
@piescko You are missing the point completely. (Almost) no one cares about the sport of bodybuilding here, but (almost) everyone here cares about getting as big as possible, as fast as possible, not just looking "kinda good".

Getting as big as possible, as fast as possible is what we call bodybuilding, you are the one attaching bodybuilding to the compettions and judges, which is fine, but completely irrelevant to the discussion of if GVS gives good advice for "getting as big as possible, as fast as possible" or not.
 
@kanyen You really want to get big fast or build muscle so you have a chance (or perception of a chance at procreation) u get big by eating a lot, eat whatever, fat is best cause it’s fast. Thats not going to pass your genes on. That’s about as far away from bodybuilding as it can be. No cutting, just stuff your face and don’t move cause movement burns calories and you wanna get big. You want to look good cause you feel insecure? You will still feel insecure no matter what cause there is always someone that looks better! It’s a sport, like figure skating, ice hockey, sprinting etc. There is a technique that will give you a chance to get ahead of the person you are close to. That’s a sport, looking good isn’t a sport, it’s just looking good…wth is wrong with you people. Getting jacked is not going to improve your life unless you were unfit before and that’s marginal…
 
@piescko Your mind is all over the place.

First, "getting as big as possible, as fast as possible", I'm obviously referring to MUSCLES, but I didn't think it needed to be said lol.

The psychology part, thanks for the lesson dad, I guess?

And yes, looking good isn't a sport. No one said it was?
 
@lovely_krystal86 Not related to the video, but I see a lot of comments here flat out misrepresenting anything Dr. Mike has claimed or advocated. Some with some pretty weird takeaways.

Some examples:

Some said Dr. Mike says not to do cardio.
  • he doesn’t say that at all. He says you should try to keep lifting and cardio as separate as possible as to not risk diminishing the benefits to the muscles you want to build. Going too hard on cardio may end up driving recovery towards the muscles you worked with the cardio.
Someone was saying that Dr. Mike thinks he’s going to failure.
  • Dr. Mike usually doesn’t go to true failure, knowingly. He’s a big advocate for leaving 2-3 RIR and stopping once he cant do more with good form. Thats his choice and he doesn’t say you should not ever go to failure. There just isn’t much more benefit to doing so or there may be difficulties with recovery if you take every set to failure.
Some said Dr. Mike doesn’t have his own bodybuilding accolades or successful coaching history.
  • He is a professor and sport scientist primarily, he isn’t aiming to be a personal coach. He competes, but that’s not his full-time gig like a lot of other guys in the BB influencer sphere.
Some claimed his full ROM emphasis comes from it looking “pretty”? Or he’s just BSing.
  • He may not always source his info down to the study like Nippard does, but he studies this stuff himself, professionally. He’s published a lot of studies.
Someone claimed that he only preaches perfect technique that doesn’t accommodate people being different.
  • This absolutely isn’t true. He routinely says that different things work differently for other people. Good technique is vital, he does place it as the most important thing in his opinion. He has stated however, that if you make a change to your technique and it works better for you, that is your new perfect technique to abide by. You have to try different things to see what works for you.
Someone said he only emphasizes using low weights
  • This isn’t true, he advocates lowering the weights if you can’t perform the movement to its full ROM, control the weight, or have to use poor technique. He also says you still have to lift heavy and utilize progressive overload. If you are just throwing around heavy weight like 1/3 the full ROM, you risk injury to your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. He emphasizes optimizing your workout. Yeah just lifting heavy weights in whatever uncontrolled way will build muscle. Dr. Mike wants people to balance lifting heavy with injury minimization. If you can lift 3/4 the weight and gain more for less wear and tear to your body, that’s great. The point here being that just lifting is great, but you can get more out of less if you aim to be efficient and controlled. Not every lift has to be self-destructive.
Someone said that the videos where he trains an athlete for a session shows them never going to failure, just til they get out of breath.
  • He posted a video today titled “Worlds hardest one set leg workout”
    . I think you need a refresher. I don’t think the guy who made this claim has actually seen these videos lol.
I didn’t want to sit around and reply to all these people individually. Some of these claims are absurd and it shows that the people making these claims don’t watch his videos. There are more valid reasons to critique Dr. Mike, but making false statements isn’t it.
 
@lovely_krystal86 PED users will never be a good source of information for a natural.

Maybe those who were at a high level naturally prior (which Mike wasn't) for a bit but after a few years the juice will blur it and they will start giving so-so advice.
 
@alexandria281 Really? So you think that because Lance took PEDs, he can’t coach you to be faster on a bicycle…Bodybuilding is a freaking sport with judges looking at certain criteria. You think GVS knows a lot about that criteria? He knows how to work out and build muscle, great coach for someone trying to look good so he can get his GF back. Win a bodybuilding show? How many wins has he coached! It’s different! Like tennis is different from
Badminton…similar concept but so different
 
@piescko I am talking about recreational bodybuilding.

And yes, having seen the lackluster results of many coaches who are also successful bodybuilders, I am certain that a regular bro is a much better source of information.
 
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