Strength Training benefits for someone who never lifted weights with Alain Kohl

Why you should strength train? What surprising benefits strength training has for people over 40 who have never done it? What is easiest way to get started with strength training?
What equipment you need to get strated with strength training and our opinion about YouTube Workouts.

Today´s FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast I talked with Strength and Conditioning Coach Alain Kohl (@alainkohl). Alain is former Professional Diver and Coach who is working and living in Innsbruck.  If you are interested to work with him, check out his website: https://www.alainkohl.at/

If you want to get started with Bodyweight exercises, download 21 FREE Workouts HERE

If you have any questions or need any help, send me DM in my Instagram (@personaltrainer_turo) and let´s chat if I can help you. 

Thank you for listening!

Turo

Transcript

Unknown: 0:56

Whatever. So welcome to this episode today I have guest Elian Cole Alaniz strength nutritionist coach. And a lot more, says the salon have a pretty interesting background. And but I don't want to tell what Alan is doing. So first of all, welcome to so well and please bill about yourself what you are doing, who you are, where you live, and, and to get started. Thanks. First of all for the invitation. I'm really looking forward to this. My name is Alan Cole. I'm originally from Luxembourg. And I live in Austria, close to innsbrook. So in total, and I started with regular diving like diving at the swimming pool, like three meters, one meter Springboard as a kid. And then at some point, I got pretty bored of that heart and super tough training because it's, it's almost like gymnastics. So and then when we went on a training camp, like when I was already 22, my coach, like at the last evening, oh, you're not having a drink? And I'm like, really? And then that was a kind of okay, I'm done with the spot. And then I went into cliff diving, because I always find Cliff Diving pretty fascinating. And then, yeah, and then I was kind of into the development of Red Bull cliff diving, like when they started in 2007 2008. And I just finished my professional world professional high diving career from 27 meters five days ago. Wow. Wow. So what were you have been? Where did you finish your career and how it went. I was in Fort Lauderdale just came back yesterday, and there was the high diving World Cup to qualify for the World Championship. But unfortunately, on my last training dive, just in the warm up before the comp, I don't know what happened, I think my legs would got split a little bit. So I probably told my doctor a little bit. So I had to pull out of the competition, which was really sad, because I planned to have a last event and like I planned to have this event to be my last one. But then it did work. So um, I was a little bit upset, but it's all good. Yeah, yeah, that's you never know, like, but it's at least that you ended your career in your own terms. And not that you had to or are you certain that this was the last one or is there still like, you keep the door open that maybe one more. Um, it is pretty official already. I'm not doing rapid lifting events anymore, because my level is not strong enough, because I'm not training enough anymore. And the World Cup events, it's just like, it's so much training for so less events. So it's like, basically you have to like in the offseason, you have to train at least 1012 hours a week just to stay in shape. And then like before the event, you have to increase that amount of almost 20 hours a week, to be just to be ready for one event a year or two events. And that's just like, you know, like, if you're self employed if you have a family, and like there's other priorities in life, so yeah, it's I think it's, it's, it was the last one. Yeah, yeah, no, obviously, it's you gotta make choices that it's not. It's not everything you can do. You probably love to do everything. But at some point, you have to make decisions, even hard ones. What is actually important for you? Or it's true and wondered from, for me in the I think the main the main problem, what happened to me I was always one of the really strong physical divers that never had an injury. But then in the lockdown two years ago, I ruptured my ACL in my left knee. And that was kind of the start over like a long journey of injuries. And because, you know, like you do some bad movements, you have like an overcompensation, overuse in some structures. And then I wrote my A holist tendon last year, two years ago. And so like, I never fully recovered, even though like I'm, I'm perfectly fit now. I'm still struggling with like, the consequences of that injury. Yeah, yeah, no injuries, injuries suck. And it's not that like, how old are you? Like 14 body? Yeah. I'm 41. And I know that if you get some injuries, it's not that you recover as fast as maybe 20 years ago or something. So it's, it's a lot different thing. And you understand that there is actually at this age, at least for me, it's staying injury free and enjoying being able to do things in life, like some normal things. They are a lot more valuable to them do, like kind of try to push yourself to for some big performance and yes, and that's it's not everything. about pushing yourself as hard as you can. Yeah, that's true. So today I wanted to talk with you about strength training as you are a strength training coach you have trained yourself and with athletes for for a very long time. And that but I want to keep it like kind of short, like you're not going too much in depth for everything. But for like this is mainly for beginners and intermediates. So if you are someone like if some advanced person, obviously, principles are always the same, but by just keeping it for simple, simple, and that or mostly, like a beginners and intermediate. People who are just, like starting with the strength training, or have been strength training for maybe a couple years, but not for decades or something. So was what is the what is the first thing what I when I get there, when people are asking me like, why why somebody should strength train, let's say that some like someone who is over 40 and have probably never done it in their life. And especially women have that kind of steel, that meat that they think that I'm not going to use some weights because I don't want to look like some bodybuilder or something. So what are the benefits of strength training. There are so many I keep forgetting how many benefits. But mostly when we talk about strength training, it's not only that you're working your muscles, you're also training, your coordination, your training, your intro, your inter muscular coordination, you're, you're working to get a better sugar compensation in your blood. So your insulin is working better you getting like, the more muscle mass you have, the more you burn, the more calories you burn in silence, like when even when you sleep, you're burning more calories than the normal, you're stronger, you have a better posture, you're better like in the physiotherapy in German, we always say like this saying like, if something is painful over a long period of time, the structure is too hard, it's too soft. So you need to train it. So if you have back pain, of course, it can be really complicated back pain, especially back pain. Whatever pain you have, in some way in the muscles, like it can come just like from overusing that structure. But also like that structure is not strong enough. So basically, we have a lot of trouble with your neck, you have to look at your posture, you have to look well as many other customary conditions as well. But you also have to look at the strength of your neck. Because if that muscle has to work 24/7 Just to keep your head straight, of course, that Mark was gonna say at some point like, Hey, listen, I'm tired, I'm gonna send you a pain that you finally realized you have to do something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's this is that kind of cycle. Like what I say that most people, they are struggling like that, who are not strength training, you know, they get, let's say, using back pain or neck pain. And and it's coming, it's something what comes over and over again. And then you know, the solution is always like that short term solution of many of them that they are going into some massage or physiotherapy to fix it. And then it's like, if you can have your appointments, they're booked already for a year in advance, because you know, that maybe somebody's fixing it. And then you know, it's next month to if everything is going well, you are able to be pain free, and then it's coming again. And that is that is like unfortunate that so many people are using that kind of short term solution to fix it. And, and if you if you start strength training, you might never have those. You don't need to go to physical therapy as, as everything is kind of you fix that underlying issue. Yes. And that's, I think, especially back pain and neck pain, they're a little bit more complicated than, than most people think it can also like, I think more than 50% of the back pain comes from psychological reasons or stress reasons. So it doesn't even have to do something with your structure. But if it comes from that the structure is overused that your muscles are not strong enough or whatsoever, like strength training is definitely the method to help. Because doing a lot of cardio is not building any muscle. And that starts still. People think like, oh, I'm doing a lot of cardio. I'm doing fine. Like Yeah, but what is that going to do with your muscles? Nothing like you have to think like your muscles are protecting your joints and your bones like it's protecting your body. So muscles are actually really important. And one thing is I recently found out a reason like a friend of mine who has been a bodybuilder, he told me that the like the muscles when you do strength training, they send out hormones they call milkins and They are really like the strongest influence like on anti inflammatory anti like keeping insulin low controlling your insulin but also like the best you can do against cancer. Like we said you're still not fine enough to really say okay it's done they're good but they already know it's helping so strength training is also like if you want to be proactive against cancer league should do strength training like your whole life yeah, yeah no there are there are so many like what I what we haven't even talked like this that insulin since it is in CTV sensitivity how to tell it that like and it's it's improving that sensitivity and also glucose metabolism and so so it means in like an adverse that your body can use insulin more effectively promoting like, better blood sugar control and reducing risk of developing diabetes to and other thing would we even didn't even that says that increasing bone density. So, those are like kind of when you are getting older, like there are so many benefits not only about that, what most people think that there is it says the muscle mass and how do you are looking obviously those are you are going to look and feel a lot better, how you are how, like, you know, your muscles are like women, women are telling that they are feeling and looking a lot more toned. And it says the simply it's not like in fitness terms, like it says that it means that you want to get toned muscles or more defined muscles. But it's it's just in other words, it just means that you are getting stronger and you are doing some strength training. So there are no specific workouts to get don't muscles or something and other things like it. So there is no only for for mental health. Other benefits what I still like stress relieving, like it takes a brain off. And even like one study found out that like most studies, there's one researcher who found out it's the best thing you can do against Alzheimer to prevent Alzheimer strength training like seriously because it keeps a brain so active, you can think about something else and something in your brain happens that is the best prevention against Alzheimer ever strength training. So it was like, only that is like, Okay, you should move your ass once a week and do some strength training and also like that bulky mass message like, oh, I want to I don't want to be bulky have a biceps like that. And then I'll tell the people like, do I look like a bodybuilder? Like, I know, I look strong. But um, I don't look like a bodybuilder and I go to the gym at least four times a week, so and I lift pretty fucking heavy weights. So I'm like, yeah. Depends on your training. Like, if you're only going to work on installation exercises, only on machines, of course, you're going to have big muscles. But if you work in, if you just do compound exercises that mostly work your coordination, like, you're not going to be that big. You just got to be better at everything. Yeah, no, I totally agree. And it's for me like other benefits of strength training, what I would still add like I know that we have now hopefully listed so many benefits that if you are not doing it already, you should definitely get started. But other benefits is what I what I see a lot like especially for myself also like I had a thin nears break from strength training and it's like it's really it takes a lot of time and therefore to get stronger to build muscle. But then also on the opposite side, it takes a lot of time to lose that your progress so it's totally different. If you think like for example cardio, you are running regularly for a couple years. And then for some reason you have to stop running, you can do cardio, it's not that when you restart you are basically back in zero and with strength training, you have still that muscle memory, what is like for me like I was when I was professionalized with the player, I did pretty a lot of strength training up to I turned 30 And then almost a decade without kind of touching any weights or anything and now starting it again and it was obviously it was shocking like to get back on first training like I was was I remember the problem is that especially all athletes or if you have done it once that you remember exactly what you have done in the past and then you know that Holy See now I have to I'm starting basically from zero but it's it took like it's it was a couple of months to three months I would say and I was almost at the level I was when I when I stopped doing it so you get it. Strength is something with that muscle because of muscle memory that you get it pretty fast back up to a point where you have been at least some point in your life and that is one more benefit that You don't need to do it a lot like to maintain where you are, then if you want to improve it, then it's, then obviously you need to read a bit more about it more more on it. That's true. And it's like, also, like I even have, like, I just opened it on my phone, I have like a note, there's like, two three pages does or just have the advantages of strength training? Because there's so many I keep forgetting them. Like when people ask me why, why should I train us like, oh, man, just like, coordination, what he said, the muscle memory, it's like, basically, in the strength training, if you have a good coach, or you have a good plan, you're going to learn how to organize your body. Like, let's, let's say, let's take an really easy example of a squat, you have to learn, your legs are working while your upper while your body is staying straight, you have to learn like in the split lunge the same, you have to look both legs have different, they have to do something different. And the upper body has to stay stable or whatsoever, like you're trying to get better, like your connection between your brain and your muscles gets better every exercise, you learn, you're getting better at something. And when I started doing way more strength training in like 2015 16, I realized that I got better in my diving, because of strength training, my coordination got better, I could organize my body better. And I was like, did I really make like a push after 15 years of diving? And I did like one more like step and I'm like, fuck I could I could do maneuvers I could not do before. And I think it's not only because of strength training, but strengthening you are definitely part of this. Yeah, no, absolutely. And if you still one more thing before we move forward is that when you get older, what I see a lot like who people who don't do like you know you are walking you are there is a big chance that you are failing, you get injured because you are not, you're not able to hold your balance. And actually, it's a strength training, what helps you like, if there is something like I was I love going hiking and ice I go with my parents in law, and they are 70, around 70 years old, and they have like huge problems already. Like obviously, it's not, I can't I don't compare myself for them as they are a lot older. But if you are not like stay started late, especially mum from my wife started to do some kind of strength training and see have already like improved so much, just with the normal activities like hiking and season earlier, she was failing, and having huge issues to especially to go down from some mountains as she didn't have those muscles. And now when doing strength training is doing it, it's everything is going a lot easier. So it's preventing also those injuries, like a lot more than you believe so, so especially when we are getting older we are if you don't fight against it, you will lose automatically muscle mass. So so that is that is something what you should be doing at any age, right? There is no limit that when you are turning, it's only for younger people like up the 50s or 60s or you are too old doing it no you should be doing it's just about how you modify those exercises and what kind of stuff you are doing when you are getting older. We had at the university, we were looked at some studies over that strength training. And basically the the study said like, after 70 years, the draft, the fitness of most people drastically goes down. But on the other hand, most people stopped doing, like any exercises for 70 years. So the result was like, we still don't know if the physical abilities go down really fast, because they stopped working out or the other way around. But most people that keep working out, are gonna stay longer fit. It's not like I don't want to be 200 years old, I want to get 100 But I want to be as young as possible when I'm 100 sure I was like I want to be the same person that I am now or like 10 years ago. So and then and that's the goal and also like the soft tissue, your training your soft tissue, so much it's as good for the skin, it's good for your joints, it's good for your ligaments for your tendons and so on. So it's like the advantage of strength training or like endless and osteoporosis it's 1530 minutes apart advantages. So I hope you're convinced now that you should definitely start doing it at least in some form, and about how we are getting into it now. And so for someone let's say who is a little bit older over 40 Or I don't know if it's we are both over 40 You don't probably feel like old but maybe for someone else it's old. How, how you would recommend to get started if you have never string trained While higher, you owe me as a personal coach. Now, um, for the beginning, I would say, look into a class, like some strength relate to training cross CrossFit, if the coach is good, yes. Look into strength to relate to training, and just sign up and go to that class. Because if you go to the gym, most studies show that after three months, you will drop out, just you're going to pay, but you're not going to go anymore. So that's why look for a class because the social aspect is really important in the class. The professional aspect that somebody looks after you is really important, and it's some kind of regular law. So the three most important aspects I'm giving you going on a weekly basis. So and then, like, the basic should be, you have to learn how to move your body. And then you can add weight, like me can add weight from the first day, but also only under professional supervision like no problem. Yeah, no, I love would you say that? I would, I would. I personally would say like that, for someone who is just starting, like classes are great, great way to get started, like, what is important from the beginning is just that your form like that you are able like, if you are somebody's watching you, either it's a goat, either you hire a personal trainer, you both for classes will have a good instructor, right? That they can take you that you are doing actually things right and correctly. And your form is that you are not hurting yourself. And then after that, like like you said that first goal is, is just to get started and being like kind of keeping those promises would you make yourself of course, it's, it's what I see, like you said that if you go to gym, sign up for three months, you get there, you may be you, somebody's giving you a plan, go for it, and then you are all by yourself, you run you are missing kind of that accountability part. And like, it's for that way, I think that group to group workouts or someone like that you have kind of what is important that you have appointment for yourself like, it's we all need need it like because there will be always days that you don't feel like doing it. And when you have kind of appointment for yourself or if it's in a group session, if it's for yourself. But that says that you first to get out to get started, what I would always say that you have to start keeping your promises that you make to yourself, even the small ones, it could be really like changing your workout clothes, going to a gym door that's in it going away. And and but just making keeping that promise what you make to yourself, it's going to be two or three times a week or one time per week, it doesn't matter. And then after that, if you are, let's say one month consistent, then it's time to start adding things before but not like that. But most people are starting when they start. It's starting from zero and then it's going to be five, six times a week. And after a couple of weeks you quit. Yeah, overload over uses. Yeah, yeah. No, it's it is it is it is actually that is like it feels and it's it's if you want to build it part of your life, it's rather you start a bit less what originally you think you would be able to do. So it feels simple. And there is also that kind of fishy like a mental difference. Like what I when I talk with some people who start working out with me, and how many times per week is your call to workout and then they're like, I would love to do it four times a week, but I'm not sure and then answered Okay, we are not going to go for three times or we go the start with a two or three. But then because there's a difference. If you are doing let's say that your goal is to work out two times a week. You do those two times per week, but then you are able to add because there is nobody telling you that you can't work out do the third or fourth session. But if your goal is like that if you like someone whose goal is to work out four times a week you are able to do only two three times for most people they are not happy that they did actually three times but they are they feel silly about themselves that they missed the fourth one is that goal was to workout two times a week you are able to do three times you feel so good about yourself because you are you were doing even some extra work was your plan. And this is just the this the mental aspect how to how to actually make it feeling better about yourself and and how to get started. It's better to start small and then aim higher after long after our time. Yeah, it's true. Yeah. And I was I always say like on my website, if you go to my website, I think the first sentence is it has to be fun. Like I would never strength train, like every session I remember in training. It was always fun in my life. Every training in diving, I had fun. So it's like I would never train something that does make fun and sometimes a psdp Asleep People at the gym, working out doing their curls doing the squats whatsoever they like. It's the same shit. Yeah, because you do the same fucking workout, sorry, you do the same workout for like, eight, nine months a year. So. And that's why that's why you have coaches, that's why you have expertise. So it's my job to tell you on the exercise do first of all, so you have fun. Second of all, that your body has to learn that new exercise. Like for me, I do like in the summer, I do like outdoor trainings, and like few three sessions a week, and people can come as as much as they want. And one rule of myself is, if I do this exercise for that, let's say like, like, push, like a squat, this exercise is gone for the rest of the month, I'm not allowed to use that exercise for the other sessions anymore. So next session, I have to use another exercise for the legs. Yeah. Like to make my people as like flexible as possible. Yeah, no, I love it. I do. Likewise, I do outdoor training in summer group other systems during the winter, and I like I love using, like, it's always going to be fooled by the workout. But I'm using different exercises, it might not be the most optimal way how to do like how to plan your strength training. But for people like it's, it's kind of keeping you interested, like if I would do like if I, if it's an individual plan, like if I if I someone who is working with me, No, I haven't used my online coaching client, or if I what I do for myself, I have the same plan for let's say, four weeks, I'd say it's my optic objective, like it's one month, it's going to be heavier weights, some one month, it's more like endurance training, like lower weights, higher reps, then I'd say it's month by month, different kinds of goals might be it's one month, it's more like kind of performance based goals. And this is like our long term I feel it's it's like that you have kind of some kind of repetitive goals, but it's it's always it's changing. But for group workouts, how do you get started? It's, it's for that kind of people, it's even, it's not the most optimal, maybe how you make most progress, but it keeps it interesting. So people are coming more often. Because if I if you go as a as a, having a outdoor training or something and you say that, okay, this month, it's this, this workout and we are doing it whole month. People don't want to do it. Like it's, it's, it's totally different. Depending on your goal. That's why like, that's why we talk to the people at the beginning of the session, like, Okay, what's your goal? What do you want to achieve with that, and if the person is saying like, Okay, I want to have maximal gains, oh, then obviously, you have to stick with the same schedule. But if the goal is to have fun in training and to make progress, you can make a different exercise. Like I say to him, like, I don't tell the people my exact received of my class. But like, every class, there's something for the core, every class has something for the leg, something for the chest, something for the lats, but it's a different exercise every time. So to keep personal first of all, to keep the people versatile, to keep them flexible as much as they can, and to work their coordination as much as they can. And that's like when that's why I tell the people in LA like I went, I remember I went to the gym one time with a client. And I saw a friend coaching a friend at the gym. And I saw the friend like the guy that coach the other one. He was not a trainer, he was just a guy that went to the gym a lot. And I looked at the exercise, I'm like, What the hell are you teaching this guy like you pushing your your, your workout to this guy, this guy this, this guy is so far away from me being capable to do that exercise, like first exercise 20 kilo, with the bar, chairs, press, shoulder press. What the hell this guy can't even stand straight. Like he has to learn to care to brace his core, and like bring his arms even up and then we can talk about weight and there's like, but there's like what I'm telling people like our job is is really easy. time it's really complicated, because you have to look at so many different factors. Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. And it's not it's not that it's not same for it depends always where you are starting from what how much you're training histories. And that is what you have to kind of individual individualized that work on workouts for every person. Yeah, goal posts, feedback, like injuries, like so many so much stops, goes into a personal fitness plan or like even in my group trainings, I know like okay, I have a couple of people that have trouble with that. Okay, probably not doing that exercise then because it's going to make too much trouble in that group. I'm like, avoiding certain stuff. Yeah. And that's that is I think its advantage like if it's either it doesn't matter if it's a personal training, if it's a group Even when the trainer is like that you can you can modify those exercises for each individual like it's same, like what do sets are set in, in a group workout like it's same, same same for me, if one person is not able to do that exercise, then it for some easier option, or if they have injuries, that the something is hurting, is that okay? It's not an excuse to rest or to not do some not do anything, then we work for some other muscle or some other exercise what is not actually hurting? So you can always do something, but it's it's, and that is like if you take some YouTube workouts, they have no idea they eat system, maybe looking fun, but but not not. They have no idea who is actually doing it and what what kind of goals the person have. So what is what is What's your opinion about right now, when I started to talk about you to workouts? What is what is like what I see a lot of people like they think that why should why I should take a coach, why I should hire a trainer. If you can find everything from internet, YouTube or Instagram or whatever social media I would say, because the people that look at the videos, when they have no knowledge in fitness and strength training, they don't know how to apply the filters we apply. We have filters that we say, okay, I can use this exercise because this is the reason. And we train those filters over 10 years, over 20 years in our coaching license due to get in touch with so much stuff like, Oh, if you have that problem, this exercise is not suitable for the moment. So and people they just try to push through that exercise. And maybe that exercise is not, first of all, because the form is not good. The risk of injury might be there. The second of all, you're not training that muscle group because you're doing it wrong. So it's like so what is the goal of doing that exercise then? And maybe like, all the conditions are not set to do that exercise, let's say deadlift, and deadlift, everybody can do a deadlift. Yes and no, many people are not flexible enough to do and deadlift. So, like we can like a professional coaches. Okay, how are we going to adjust the deadlift to this person? Well, do you know how to provide the plates are so big in the gym, because of the deadlift? Most people say is like, No, that's wrong. But it's a different reason. But we can still work on it and put another plate on it. So you don't have to be that flexible to do a deadlift, because you call it you don't have to reach that much down. So there's like a constraint you put into training. But that's like in an online training. You don't have constraints, either you can you achieve the exercise or you don't, and especially like, whoo, when you know a little bit about training, there's like the three big How do you say repetitions, like you can do muscle endurance hypertrophy, or maximum max power on like, one to five reps. And if we say like, Okay, everybody does a little bit into training like one to five repetitions, like max power training is like a maximum max strength training is like your palm, your form has to be perfect. We only do the basic exercises, so the six big lifts. And that's it. And then you go into bodyweight exercise where you're only able to do five repetitions, like oh, cool you and Max rep in max strength training, but your form is actually super bad. So like, what are we what is the result of that exercise? First of all, like there's almost no hypertrophy happening. And second of all, you're struggling to do the exercise, which is really, really bad for your structure. So let's take a push up, for example, you're struggling to do five push ups, that means you're in max strength training. But your form is really bad, you probably the elbow is somewhere here. So the risk of doing something bad for your body is high. But the benefits of the exercise is super, super low. And that's why you should have a strength trainer because he's going to show you and an easier version of that exercise you're going to look at your form would have to take care of. And in an online workout, you don't have that feedback. It's it's really difficult. I did online workouts in the lockdown. And my clients didn't want didn't want to have zoom classes. So I did it on YouTube life. I only give the people the link that paid for it. So but I knew everybody that kind of joined the class. And I did the whole class. Like I did every exercise like I lay down on the ground. I said, Okay, you have to do this with your shot like this with your chest and you put your arms here so I was trying to eliminate as many mistakes as possible in the online workout. And that kind of work good but like I did that for like seven months and that long lockdown and it was really exhausting for me. Yeah, no, I first of all, I had to do every repetition but also like I was speaking the whole time. I was like thinking okay, how do I set this exercise up for somebody that's not like as versatile Unless me, so it was actually really, really complicated and that only work because I have, I guess meanwhile I have quite some experience with coaching and being in touch with other people. Yeah, no, absolutely this is this is like, what I what I like I did exactly same same I still do like outdoor training if it's if there is a bad weather or something I still do it too but in a COVID time I did so many of them. But if you do it in a YouTube if you do it in the Facebook, obviously with experience like when you know your people you have done it for so long, you know what is the most common mistakes and you can still avoid those but if you are not able to see like in tomb, you might able to see how the format's released, and then you can say that be careful with that. Be careful with that and point those people but that it's really hard. Like if you say that if you just go to YouTube and you could get to get over about what is the what is like the it's not that coach, proper strength training program. It's it's kind of boring, there is not many like you do basic exercises like shoulder presses, squats, bench presses, rolls, and it's kind of slow. Yeah, yeah, or somebody right? And if you look like if you would put the program together, but it's actually working in YouTube, it's not getting basically any attention. That's why like those creators they have to be really creative finding some new kind of workouts like funny looking exercises. And those are not probably the best ones and there is missing like that you have no idea how to do it, it looks like kind of funny, like kind of cool but it's not it's not what is actually changing your body what is the most effective? And then you know, you you are watching that kind of exercises and you might get hurt. And then what is the point of doing it and and in the online world, like you said that you it's not it's impossible how I do it like obviously it's it's only for my one on one clients, if I if I'm not I have I work with people from all over the world. And obviously I am not there with them when they do exercise but there is no possibility with the online work that if they are not sure about their form, I'm asking them to send a video for me and I can take the form give tips to improve it and this is the way how you do it in online online world with with the clients who you are not with in there but I think still the best way especially in the beginning is to either attend some group coaching sessions or have a personal trainer who is actually showing you those exercises how to do it but in online world, you know, you can you can work it that way but if it from you to doing it, nobody's going to check you and that is so valuable. True. And I always tell the people like if somebody is really good at something like coaching, then how many 1000s of hours we invested in this how much money we invested in all the apprentice chips we did and blah blah blah and all the weekends, seminars and all that stuff. If I'm really good at something Why should I give it on YouTube for free like to people I don't even know like, don't get me wrong, I like you can come to free from for the first class and I can explain you my my philosophy but after that, like this is my professional expertise you have to pay for it sorry because you're not working for free I'm not working for free that's how the world works and that's like somebody that's doing it online on YouTube he like he's probably want to sell something views or whatsoever so it's like the I don't know like I always say the influence that have the most followers are probably not the best ones. Like this this like a group of German sports scientists that are really really good and they're working so hard online, but they have like 15,000 followers on the Instagram and then you look like somebody that has super fancy cool exercises and he had 2000 200,000 followers were like oh that's not quite the same Yeah, no it's not amount of followers doesn't tell how to actually coach this and and it's but I have I'm a little bit different like I tried to like basically I'm not I'm not doing some like obviously what people are paying for me I try to give all information I have for free. But the problem is that why why then people somebody would pay for me it's that then that having somebody who is keeping you accountable who is doing your programming, who is updating like you are having you have some individual problems, it's the time like knowledge is not it's not that you will find every information if you are searching from internet there is nothing nothing you can find so I'm not trying to hide something what I know that it's this is only for my clients what they are then what often happens like it's for me also if I invest my So if I invest for some boating program, it's even I probably know what I should be doing, but I'm not doing it. But if I hire a coach, or someone who is telling me that now this is this is your plan, this is what to do, then I'm more likely to actually do it than just having that starting that I started shirts from YouTube, what to do, or who to follow where to get program, you get, you can get everything, there is no information. But then if you want it somebody's, like you said that if you wanted, I'm taking your form, I'm messaging you individually, keeping you accountable, that is constantly that is costing my time that is costing that is what is what we get paid for. Yeah. And that's also like, let's say you do the first session with a new personal training client in person, like in real. And then, for me, I don't do an assessment. For me, the training is the assessment less so I look at the form in every exercise, I, I know exactly how I explain the exercises, how much I talk about the exercise. So if I explain the squat, it's basically stand up, right, go down, push your knees forward, try to keep your toes, Alright, done. And then I look how the people react to that. And then then like, I write down all the stuff I need to know. But my decision is like, as I said before that filter, like how much information I'm going to give my client, because if I'm gonna give him too much information, like all the information you can find online, like, at some point, he's gonna get killed with the information. And he doesn't know what to think about like so. And that's like the filters like sometimes, or very often I decide not to say something, even if I saw a mistake, I'm deciding, okay, now is not the time because we're already high on information. Like at some point, he's going to blink out, and he's not going to listen to me anymore, which is normal, because he's, he's getting into a complete new world. So I have to be careful how much information I share with him. And that's the problem with the Internet. Like, if you don't know, like, like, recently, I hired a friend to do all my marketing stuff, because I can find everything online, but it's gonna be costs 1000s of hours of work and another site, okay, I rather pay her 2000 bucks than I do it on my own. Because if I calculate all the hours that are put into it, probably the same amount of money. So I'm like, you do it. Thank you. It's good for you. It's good for me. And the next morning, she sent me an email oh, here's like, couple of pictures, some flyers blah, blah, blah, see, but then five hours? No, no, it's exactly the same way why people hire coaches, like, you know, it's something you outsource something like that, why I should start digging my own coaching my own program, like I just wanted you do it. This is amount of time I have equipment they have sent me sent me a program, and then we accessed it on time when you know, there's a vacation or something. So you have all the time. Like, obviously you could you could be doing it by yourself, but are you then really actually doing it? Like, it's, it's like in everything in life that even you could be doing it by yourself? Is it really worth it? Doing it? That's it, and that instead of just outsourcing it and say, Okay, I don't have to do that. And I don't have to deal with that anymore. Like, he's telling me what to do. He's telling me what to take care of. And even like the formula exercises, like, I know, other coaches that came to my class just for interest, because they're friends or whatever. And they like, then you correct him? No, I don't see a reason at the moment to correct him. But Denise are going in in the squat. So yeah, it's the knees are moving naturally, I don't see a reason to correct him. Like, I know, I have quite a different opinion. Because many, many people have a different opinion, meanwhile, like what the knees allowed to do in a squat and whatnot. But I mean, like, I decided very often like, I don't see danger to men, because there's no study actually in the world that showed a squat where the key does valgus because inside that an injury can happen. There's no study in the world, not one. So you can like if the knee does that, that's okay. I don't, I can deal with that. Like, imagine he's not even able to do that. And he's going to like land, he's going to fall down somewhere and his knees are going inward, the injury rate the injury risk is actually higher because the leg is not prepared for this movement. So that's why the strength training in the last time was really fragile, like you have to move move in a very, very proper form, like your pack has to be straight and squats, blah, blah, blah, blah. And now the trend is going in the complete opposite direction like basically, when I looked it up. Resilient body resilience comes through load. So he can do like even the squat with holding 100 kilo bar in your arms and you can round your back. If your body is able to take it. You're not gonna get injured while you have to prepare your body for it. But if you only keep your body super straight, your body is not going to be ready zilliant Sounds like a new trend in training that's coming from Germany. They're pushing really hard. I mean, but then it's also the trainer again, like, how far can I go? And how far can I let things happen in the training? Like another slide? Because also like, oh, man, you should do this is super bad for your knees. I never use words like that. Like, I like yeah, if you did maybe 2 million times at some point you can get injured. That's true. But yeah, yeah. No, it's, it's, I totally understand. It's not like, like, most people are scared. Like, obviously, if they asked, Am I doing it right? As I don't need to also like exactly the same thing. You don't need to call it like, say everything. Like I said, it's maybe it's not the most optimal, but it's you are not getting injured, even you are not doing it perfectly. So this is the test. That is the difference. If you do some exercises that even it's not perfect for like what you find some, some perfect explanation, from best coaches, how it should be according them. But it's, it don't have to be really perfect. It's just that what is important to understand is that you are not hurting yourself. And, and it's, it's, that's totally fine. And that's what I think matters the most, especially if you work in a range with 15 reputations, or more like the load is not that big, but something actually could happen and like, and that's why you should hire a professional coach, he's going to look at the exercise. And he's gonna say, all right, like, even this morning, in my, in my back, gymnastic. Like my health spine class, we had the discussion about knees over toes. And I'm like, if you're going to start with 100 kilos on your back, and you're going to push your knees over your toes, and you need does know that movement, at some point is going to say, Oh, I'm gonna send you some pain. So you know, that was too fast and too much load for me. But if you do it with your bodyweight, you can go as much further as you can, as far as you can, like, nothing is gonna happen. And so, yeah, sorry. No, no, I wanted to talk like about equipment, like what equipment you are recommending for strength training, ladies. It's like, I think the most common ones are like either bodyweight, or maybe some bands or, or using some weights. What are your what is your opinion of those equipment? What is the best one or like most people want to know what is the best one. So what is the best one is always tough to say. I would say the easiest one is a bodyweight because you're always carrying it with you. So if you're traveling a lot, or if your work, like if your work is you have to travel, your body weight and some resistance band are probably the easiest because you can take it anywhere resistance band, like even when I go to the to the cliff diving events, I always have two or three resistance bands with me. I prefer to work with weights, like free weights, mostly kettlebells because they're really cool. Because you do a lot of swing, you can do so much variations with them. But machines are also good. It depends on your goal. It depends on your time, it depends on your motivation. It depends on your status. So whatever works for you, like you can use everything. The downside on bodyweight is most exercises are really complicated. Like let's say you want to train your chest with a bodyweight exercise, of course, it's going to be a push up. But the pushup is actually quite complicated, complex exercise, like you have to keep your body straight. You have to be tight in your abs, you have to be tight in your butt in your legs and then your your your arms have to do movement, you have to put your arms in the proper way to actually achieve love like to get to your chest muscle, because if you're too close, you're gonna work your triceps mostly. So it's like bodyweight is easy to take with but it's a complicated to deal with. Because like especially in that seven period, seven month periods of online training, we did only only online workouts because everybody had different material. So I really looked into bodyweight exercises and I find out it's it's really complicated. Yeah, like how are you going to train your legs when when you're able to do 100 squats? It's then you know what I do a lot like I love started with with bodyweight squats but now for example in my group coaching obviously I can't have some weights with me so it's now it's going to beat in one leg squats like and that is that is like kind of what is progressing is then doing you start with the two leg squats then you go for one leg squats or different kinds of variations with one leg squats or or are stepping like and those are like that is Pradesh most for most people, it's going to be enough. And but what I what I find with the with the bodyweight I obviously they are super convenient, it's easy to do kind of everywhere, what is getting when it's getting challenging. It's like, for example, especially especially for your upper body, it's it's really hard to find exercises. So it's getting often boring, right? If you if you are doing like what you can do with your bodyweight, if you have only your bodyweight, it's going to be push ups, different variations, maybe dips, but a lot of like a solar verb or something, it's it's really hard to do some kind of, kind of, either without any resistance band or weights. So it's, that is the what I find, like if you do it in a shorter, it's a great tool, a great way to do it. But often what I find is that it's getting just simply boring. Yeah, that's true. And the other thing is also your coordination. Like, I think, if you start with any workout, let's say you have like the person 40 Plus has never done a workout before. I think he's going to struggle the most with body workouts, because the coordination is so high in bodyweight exercises, let's say, yeah, like a push up. And then you get well, how are you going to target your shoulder? You have to do like a shoulder press somehow. So you're going to do like, I don't know, what's that, like, down looking dog? And then and then try to do a push up maybe at the edge of the stairs. So to get more more range of motion. So it's going to be really challenging for your coordination. Yeah, yeah. No, and this is what is then advanced for PAMPs. Like, this is like, bands, what I love using bands, it's also like what is harder, like, it's not that if you do use all the time, if you use either bodyweight, or pants, it's, it's that kind of finding that progressive overload, it's a lot harder. So it's, it's with the weights, it's so much easier to add. Like, let's say you add one two kilos per each exercise, it's so much easier to do something more. And you can do, you can do lower references. So principals should always they say meter, you do bodyweight weights or pants that you should Brooke kind of different kinds of references from let's say, I don't know, maybe one rep maximum, I don't recommend to do basically for anyone as advantages is not they are not so big that you there is a big chance of risking injury or something, but it's a lower, lower reps. And it's basically the simplest way is using some kind of dumbbells, accessible examples. And, and those, those are not costing a lot of money and they are easy. If you show you don't have to do it at home. I can show you that. I have the mattress on it. Wait, give me a second. I'll show you my homework guide. So it's so sorry for the mess. We have We definitely yeah, that was 222 kilograms, dumbbells, and two adjustable dumbbells from two kilos to 12 kilos. So that's that's all I have. And that's under have like a BA that awakens pull ups. And that's basically where do my all my workouts? Yeah, yeah, no, I haven't I have made that thing because like 300 bucks, that's it. I started I had only access double dampers. And then when I got like, it's got the barbell, basically squat rack, where I can do pull ups and bends. So this is everything what I have and and, or what I do most of my work. So it's not complicated. It's but basically, if you have to dump enough able to do a weight, it's going to be more than enough to do basically everything you need to do. Yeah, and there's also like, what do you say with that overload, it's so much easier with dumbbells, you can do more repetitions, you can do different tempo. And that's, that's something most people don't underestimate the tempo. Like they always do working out in the same tempo like if you want to do like some progression, you have to do different loads from time to time and that does not only mean changing the exercise, that means changing the tempo, changing the time on the tension, changing the complete different exercise. So it's like so especially tempo, four seconds down, one up, four seconds down, one up that gives us such a big change in the muscle and the muscle. The muscle has to adapt on a complete new way. And this is by the way, this is a great point and and what I I love to use it is in a bodyweight like if you use your bodyweight and if it's if you don't want to do let's say 100 squats at go lower state various kinds of exercises hardest or push ups. If you don't want to if you are someone who say able to do like, let's say 5060 Boost ups and you don't want to do 5060 Push Ups hold slower and add some holes there. And it's not that you don't, you don't need to do it as long as probably without that. Holding, holding on to the tempo. So what about dating sites? I have to I have four more minutes. And so then then let's don't, we don't I don't want to keep this too long. We had already recovered kind of everything what I wanted to talk about this split, what kind of split full bodied, upper lower, but it's time for another conversation. So Alan, where people can find you how to work with you. And, and they'll where you can. You can find me either on Instagram, just Alan cole.at. This my website, or on Instagram, sorry, Instagram at Alan Cole. And you can always write me a message and we'll see how we can work together. Yeah. But there was one more thing I wanted to say about the repetitions range, what people mostly think like, all I'm doing between eight and 12 reps. Working hypertrophy, yes. But you're working everything else as well, then that's what people don't underestimate. Like, oh, if I do more than 15 reps, I work muscle endurance. Yes, you do muscular endurance, but also hypertrophy. Because, like that's what that's like the dominant factor as muscular endurance that works in that rep range, but you're also working hypertrophy but less than the other one. You're also working your max strength, coordination and blah, blah, blah. And it's like, there's always a thing that I tell the people like, yeah, just because you work in that rep range doesn't mean that all the other adaptations are not happening. And that's, that's, that's really important to say, because many people, yeah, I do 1515 reps because they want to biceps like that, well, if you're doing 15 reps, the chances are pretty high, your biceps is gonna grow. Ya know, it's basically what matters is that you are going close to failure and using enough that it's if you let's say you do 12 reps, that it's those last reps, you should kind of make some kind of face, but it feels so heavy. And you can't imagine to do let's say, two more reps, one or two more reps. That's totally fine. But if one or two in the tank, yeah, yeah, but not, not to me if you can, if you are talking and smiling as it adult 12 I'm done. And you could be deploying like another 10. It's, it's you would be you are not getting most out of your workouts. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Awesome. I will add to all our notes for how to combat LM to show notes. So thank you, Alan, again, coming to myself and Dr. Chu. Thank you very much. It was really awesome. Thank you. Thank you.