Mike Israetel has always maintained a no-nonsense attitude towards various public figures and fitness influencers trying to get their training routines sold. Through scientific evidence and logic, he aims to debunk popular exercise fads that float around on the internet. His recent target was Canadian fitness influencer Kinobody, a.k.a. Gregory O’Gallagher.
Known for his whacky fitness advice and lavish lifestyle that earned him the moniker ‘Real-life Bruce Wayne’, Gallagher has often faced the ire of exercise enthusiasts. His resurfaced video showcasing his mansion and daily routine caught Israetel’s eye, who decided to dissect the influencer’s habits.
Right off the bat, the sports physiology expert was baffled at his routine, which began with an eight-hour fast upon waking up. While Gallagher claimed it boosted mental alertness, Israetel clarified that it only kicked in a flight/fight response and worked for a select few. In fact, intermittent fasting wasn’t ideal for muscle growth or muscle retention since that would require small portions of protein evenly distributed throughout the day.
He then criticized Gallagher’s choice of exercise, which was a heavy-weight shoulder press with 100 lbs dumbbells. Israetel noted that the exercise wouldn’t be optimal to grow most of the muscles, save for the front delts and some parts of the upper chest. Instead, he recommended fitness enthusiasts to opt for incline dumbbell presses for better results.
“He could get almost the same stimulus for his front delts, same stimulus for his triceps, and an added full pec stimulus.”
Amidst criticism, he did appreciate Gallagher’s ‘heavy first’ approach, explaining how picking up heavy weights before lighter ones helped with a faster fiber stimulus. However, he did not approve of the influencer’s incomplete range of motion.
“He’s really good at shoulder pressing, I think. He likes to do it a lot…again, it’s a bit of a waste of a movement economically…”
Israetel then went on to debunk his ideas on increasing testosterone, revealing all one needed to do was maintain body fat percentage at around 10-20%, consume a balanced diet, train sustainably, and have healthy relationships. He slammed Gallagher’s supplement plug in the end, making sure to tease his ad as well. However, he maintained that throughout the influencer’s training routine, technique reigned supreme over power.
Mike Israetel once revealed the importance of good technique for workouts
In a conversation with popular podcast host Chris Williamson, the exercise scientist had a lot of science-backed information to share. One of the subjects he focused on was the role of technique while performing exercises and how it contributed to muscle growth.
To nail down the correct way of performing an exercise, Israetel suggested keeping in mind stability, control, and using a full range of motion. These three factors ensured that the concerned muscles were fully engaged and got the best stretch while maximizing output with each rep.
