How to gain muscle and strength if you're untrained and out of shape | Peter Attia and Andy Galpin

Man, I am glad I started weight lifting in my 20's and continued through my 40's. I'm 70 now and can sweep my 4 and 6 year old grand kids up in my arms with no problem. I babysit them weekdays and it helps to be chasing them up and down the stairs and around the house all day.

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🏋️ Designing a Training Program for an Untrained Individual - Initial discussion on designing a training program for an untrained individual. - Importance of focusing on hypertrophy as the foundation for strength gains. - Incorporating steady-state cycling initially for muscle growth without interference. 04:40 💪 Preserving Muscle Power for Longevity - Discussion on the importance of preserving muscle power for longevity and physical function. - Focus on fast-twitch fiber atrophy as a significant concern with aging. - Need for specific training protocols to target fast-twitch muscle fibers. 08:36 🔄 Progression and Movement Patterns - Importance of starting with low volume and optimizing movement patterns for beginners. - Gradual progression over time while being cautious of soreness. - Building movement patterns and foundational skills for long-term progress. 14:20 ⬆️ Advancing Training Intensity - Transitioning to higher intensity and diversifying workouts for continued progress. - Introduction of power and speed training alongside muscle growth. - Addressing concerns about injury prevention and functional fitness for long-term health.- 00:00 💪 Initial Training Program Design - Designing a training program for an untrained individual with goals of gaining muscle and strength. - Hypothetical case study discussing goals, commitment, and program design considerations. - Focus on addressing muscle insufficiency, untrained status, and long-term functional goals. 02:35 🏋️‍♂️ Training Strategy for Untrained Individuals - Prioritizing hypertrophy as the foundation for strength development. - Highlighting the potential for concurrent training with steady-state cycling to induce muscle growth. - Emphasizing the importance of longevity and physical function in designing the training regimen. 05:23 🕰️ Longevity and Physical Function - Discussing the significance of preserving muscle power for long-term functional abilities. - Explaining the decline in muscle power with aging and the importance of addressing it. - Highlighting the role of specific training protocols in preserving fast twitch muscle fibers. 08:10 🔄 Movement Patterns and Muscle Fiber Preservation - Emphasizing the necessity of targeting fast twitch muscle fibers for long-term functional health. - Addressing misconceptions about accidental muscle growth and the importance of intentional training. - Focusing on optimizing movement patterns and preventing injuries through foundational exercises. 14:20 ⏭️ Progression and Advanced Training - Transitioning to advanced training phases focusing on power, speed, and muscular endurance. - Introducing exercises to improve power and movement efficiency. - Emphasizing the role of training in maintaining mobility and preventing falls for long-term health. 18:19 🏞️ Focus on maintaining physical abilities for daily activities and enjoyment with family, - Aging gracefully involves maintaining physical capabilities for daily activities and spontaneity. - Activities like hiking, climbing, and playing with kids require functional strength and agility. - Long-term goals should include being able to travel and actively engage with family members. 19:42 🎯 Incorporating explosive movements and plyometrics into workouts, - Adding plyometric exercises like box jumps, bounds, and medicine ball throws helps develop explosive power. - Plyometrics aid in maintaining fast-twitch muscle fibers crucial for agility and quick movements. - Including short bursts of sprinting or jump rope sessions enhances athleticism and overall fitness. 24:30 💪 Structuring strength training with varying rep ranges and intensity levels, - Implementing full-body workouts ensures consistency even with occasional missed sessions. - Varying rep ranges (e.g., 5-7 reps, 15-20 reps) and intensities (e.g., RP 7-8) targets different muscle fibers and adaptations. - Incorporating isometric exercises on certain days enhances joint stability and connective tis

Thumbs up for Attia's shirt!

This content deserves a bigger audience. Well done to both guys - both legends.

What blew my mind was the fact that in the first 5 minutes of the video I felt Peter was talking about me. 10 years ago I was that active guy, I was even participating in triathlons, now I hardly ever go on the bike, I rarely swim, I never run, I just do zone 2 on the bike in the gym 4 hr/week.

The accidentally muscle line is brilliant in so many ways 😂

An 18" box jump for the out of shape, let alone an out of shape person over 60 made me almost turn this off in discouragement and failure the minute I heard it. Along with the sprinting. I'm not overnourished, I fit what exercises I can in during the day because I still work a 70 hour week. But, I wanted to cry when I heard this. Was recently diagnosed with cancer and want to keep myself as strong as possible. I persevered in watching, and found some useful takeaway information, although it is hard to push through.

This is so informative, I'm a 42 yr old female mother and started training 10 months ago after no exercise for many years! I started with interval cardio, pilates and resistance. I slowly increased strength and cardio fitness. I've now transitioned to F45 with a bit more intensity. I'm also thinking long term even though I have arthritis and bulging discs, I can deadlift 30kgs with 10 reps and it hasn't caused any back issues. I'm still in the process of mastering box jumps and skipping this is a slow process for me but will hopefully be able to do it! Great vid thanks

You provided motivation to ask why I want health? What I want to do at 101 - 20 years from now. Plan, prepare, and serve holiday meals to my growing family! I need to plan, budget, shop, stir, walk, drive, chop, coordinate, bend, carry , reach, stand, lift, get up and down off floor with my great grand kids, etc etc! All things that I do now! And want to continue to be able to do. 😊 Love it😊 I was surprised, but it was clearly my truth. Thank you.

I'm a physiotherapist who is turning 60 this year, so not only is this personally amazing info, but I will be applying it to my patient rehab programs for those over 50 yo, as they hit stage 3 of their treatment!

Great talk, but provide a sample routine, as the talk is above the level for consumption for the general public who were the target audience for this episode

Thank you, at 69 and noticing the loss of muscle mass and speed, these give me a place to expand beyond the treadmill and bike. Dead weight on the weight machine is being constantly skipped. Try, get sore, stop, rinse & repeat.

Love the content Peter, I’m in my mid 20’s and have become and avid listener. Your talks and advice has been extremely helpful in allowing me to adjust my mindset and get into a much healthier routine than where I was a few years ago. Thank you! 💪👏🙏

Good morning to you both and Thankyou so much for thiis gold interview. I am 62 and was a gymnast and dancer in my youth. I had 5 children worked as an orderly for 25 years in orthopaedic surgery and stroke n medicine. I retired at 60 to take care of my immobile elderly mother for 3 years. This interview is a gift. as I am feeling crippled somewhat and full of osteoarthritis stiffness spinal stenosis degenerative. Disc disease, muscle imbalance and pain. I recently had a fitness evaluation to get a baseline of my overall athletic wellness. At 116 pds I have 71% skeletal muscle and 28.5 percent body fat. Multiple imbalances to work on. I will put these recommendations into action so I can enjoy movement with my three grandsons, and be able to enjoy my necks 40 years. Thankyou to you both for sharing your wealth.❤💪🏽🌟🙏🏽

I wish they would make it easier to understand for the general public.

Love the science behind all this! Glad for my background to apply this to.

This podcast was on another level. Great, brilliant stuff. So much knowledge.

Great stuff Peter. I am a 61 yr old male. Used to be athletic. Here's a fun routine I do that has produced TONS of these benefits (I think). I take a tennis ball and baseball glove. I pitch it (literally like a pitcher on a mound movement) and then have to scramble to field it. I explode off the "mound". I then have to squat and explode laterally. I bend, I twist, I extend, etc, etc. I also get a fairly good cardio wo. It is fun, it is a ton of movement in one combo exercise routine.

You defined me to a T, Peter. Literally, exactly who I am, where I’m at, and my mindset. Thank you for this.

I think what's probably not clear to many people is that this is what everyone should be doing, not just middle-aged super busy people. And THEN if you have very specific goals like a certain amount of hypertrophy, an athletic goal - do you train how people envision training (how specifically people try to train).