Just watched an interview with the OG Hannibal For King

[pete8455]

First thing I have to say is he is a very interesting, inspirational and humble guy. Wasn't coming at it like he was the be all and end of training he had a very measured and respectful conversation about his training philosophy.

What really interested me was he focus and commitment to high rep basic exercises that for the most part got him to where he was. There is other voices in the space such as K Boges who have sasimilar approach in the sense they use the basics in a high frequency.

Then you have guys like Iron wolf that fire's out 1000's of reps and has many workouts in a circuit style as well.

I wonder if many of us are leaving gains on the table by not focusing on high rep basic circuits.

Edit:

The interview in question

 

[jessicarobertso07]

@pete8455 Could you possibly be so kind as to share with us which interview you watched with Hannibal and where we could watch it?

Edit:

(the links in the comments don't work but the one at top does!)

Thanks OP!

 

[chanjcw]

@jessicarobertso07 Yeah drop the link matey!

 

[pete8455]

@chanjcw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M\_gCKQTKzus

 

[pete8455]

@jessicarobertso07

Hannibal For King.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M\_gCKQTKzus

 

[raykay]

@pete8455 I've personally switched to lots of high rep "old-school" style training and it has a ton of benefits. It's not especially good for one thing, but you're able to develop many athletic qualities with a few high carryover movements. Mobility, cardio, and strength can all be combined into one session. It is extremely time-efficient, especially when you work on decreasing rest times between sets.

My muscle mass has been maintained from the hypertrophy stimulus of all the metabolic fatigue, and I'm leaner and more vascular than I was previously. As a bonus, I am working with loads that are less strenuous on my joints and connective tissues, and the recovery demands are not that high.

The other thing worth considering is that humans have a much higher threshold for strength-endurance than absolute strength. The average person could train their whole life and maybe crank out a few one armed chinups in a workout, or they could spend a few years building up to being able to do dozens of high quality pullups in a few sets. Which of these things has a better return for your time and effort?

Beyond reaching an acceptable level of absolute strength, which I already achieved a long time ago, it's no longer useful for my general fitness to keep pushing through diminishing returns on absolute strength. Instead, I chose to take my current numbers and increase my repetitions and volume methodically. It is the simplest metric of progress, keeps me motivated, and I can continue improving for years to come. I still do some absolute strength work, but not much is needed to maintain what I already have built.

 

[atheautistic]

@raykay Interesting stuff here.

 

[pete8455]

@raykay K boges has claimed to have reached a one arm pull up by high rep pull ups. He said he got to 32 and then had the strength. A mate of mine can also do one his thing is 5x5 weighted pullups.

I think it comes down to personal goals tbh. some dudes just want to be jacked or just simply workout for fun.

 

[raykay]

@pete8455 The tendon strength and neuromuscular efficiency is my guess as to why they can achieve it. There are many paths to the same goal, which is what makes training fun. I'd interested to see if I end up pulling one off from the higher reps.

 

[pete8455]

@raykay Tbh as long as you get good stimulation and train close to failure you will build muscle and strength. Jeff Nippard did a video on a new study that proved the hypertrophy occurs from 5-35 reps.

It just goes to show you can train in many ways and the same results.

 

[hafizsana]

@raykay Do you feel like you've gained mass from it? Perhaps not the most optimal for that but certainly a factor.

 

[goldnagel]

@pete8455 If you look at all the strongest calisthenics athletes, they have at one point (at the very least) focussed on high reps. Zef from Bar-barians is the same (and similar age/time in the game to Hannibal). Here in the UK all the strongest guys and girls have done so and keep high rep training as a base.

Honestly I think a huge factor is that injury risk is lower. These are people that LOVE training (me too) and as you get older the most important thing is to not be broken so you can carry on doing what you love. So bodyweight reps don't put a huge strain on tendons and ligaments. Most branch into statics or powerlifting ay some point too, or mobility stuff

 

[88lance]

@goldnagel That seems to be Marcus Bondi’s strategy too - he is still doing multiple OAP and OAC and like 30 sec front lever etc ..at 180lbd bw and he’s broken official open Guinness world records in pulls and chins and rope climb even in his 50s

He and Zef trained together a lot in New York in the early 2000s, even before the barbarians

 

[goldnagel]

@88lance Yes I'd forgotten about him! He came over to the UK too. The guys who were first on the UK scene were all Bar-barians - Lee Wade Turner, San Ngo, Jay Anthony... They went on to inspire others who follow a similar philosophy. The whole street workout spins and flips thing caused a bit of a split, with the "strict form" crew staying on one side and the others doing competitions and more gymnastic high bar style stuff

 

[mordinsky]

@pete8455 Makes you wonder why this sub is so much more focused on chasing progressions

 

[pete8455]

@mordinsky Its important to note that Alex Leonidas one of the best YouTube naturals built his foundation and did high rep body rep stuff for 4 or 5 years.

 

[joseph474]

@pete8455 I do high rep and only 4 exercises and have been doing so for years

The idea high reps do not produce hypertrophy and only is good for endurance is not only wrong but at this point, an outright falsehood.

 

[dominusvobiscum]

@pete8455 Hannibal for King is a legend in the game and his physique is unreal

I disagree slightly with certain things he does/says, like with positioning and how low you should go on dips etc, but each body's mechanics works differently so it's not that he's doing anything wrong

 

[emiliierase]

@pete8455 Why are we never having also the genetics discussion when talking about different ranges of reps?

Some people will gain mass with high reps, some will don't.

 

[pete8455]

@emiliierase Jeff Nippard did a video where the new research shows the range is 5-35 reps for a majority of people. No point worrying about genetic potential tbh. Just get out and work out hard.