Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Ep. #684: Mike Israetel on How to Find the “Best” Weightlifting Exercises for Your Body


Listen Later

Have you ever done an exercise and just not “felt” it? Sure, you performed the lift, but your target muscles don’t feel like they worked very hard.

Or maybe you felt it in the “wrong” areas? Like your forearms feeling zapped after barbell curls while your biceps still feel fresh.

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.

These sorts of problems aren’t uncommon.

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.

These aren’t 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.

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

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

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

In this episode, Mike covers . . .

  • The importance of having a checklist for evaluating a muscle building stimulus
  • "Feeling" exercises and the difference between tension perception and "the burn"
  • The benefits of getting a pump
  • Criteria for judging whether an exercise is worthwhile
  • Why you might want to experience soreness
  • Stimulus to fatigue ratio and sustainability
  • The importance of experimentation to account for biomechanical diversity among people
  • A magic skullcrusher tip for those with elbow pain
  • And more . . .
  • 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’ll love this episode!


    ---

    Timestamps:

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

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

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

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

    46:19 - Do you have any barbell preferences?

    ---

    Mentioned on The Show:

    Mike Israetel’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RenaissancePeriodization

    Mike Israetel’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rpdrmike/

    Mike Israetel’s Website: https://renaissanceperiodization.com/

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

    ---

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

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Muscle for Life with Mike MatthewsBy Mike Matthews

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    4,537 ratings


    More shows like Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

    View all
    Boundless Life by Ben Greenfield

    Boundless Life

    5,002 Listeners

    The Model Health Show by Shawn Stevenson

    The Model Health Show

    7,258 Listeners

    Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth by Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge

    Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

    12,057 Listeners

    Muscle Science for Women by Ashleigh VanHouten & Rachel Gregory

    Muscle Science for Women

    470 Listeners

    High Intensity Health with Mike Mutzel, MS by Mike Mutzel shares interviews with Peter Attia, Jason Fung, Stan Efferding,

    High Intensity Health with Mike Mutzel, MS

    1,224 Listeners

    Choose Hard with Cody McBroom by Cody McBroom

    Choose Hard with Cody McBroom

    784 Listeners

    Mark Bell's Power Project by Power Project Studios

    Mark Bell's Power Project

    1,559 Listeners

    Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina by Vanessa Spina

    Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

    782 Listeners

    The Genius Life by Max Lugavere

    The Genius Life

    4,887 Listeners

    The Jordan Syatt Podcast by Jordan Syatt

    The Jordan Syatt Podcast

    3,780 Listeners

    The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

    The Peter Attia Drive

    8,521 Listeners

    Muscle Intelligence by Ben Pakulski

    Muscle Intelligence

    16 Listeners

    Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

    Huberman Lab

    29,185 Listeners

    The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

    The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show

    1,200 Listeners

    The Macro Hour by Nikkiey Stott

    The Macro Hour

    585 Listeners