I am Scott Herman, fitness expert and the official BeFit trainer. Ask me anything!

u aware? (srs)

can you be more specific?

Are you coming to the Mr. Olympia Expo in September ?

Erica and I will be there for sure!

Are you coming by? :)

Do you still talk to any of the Real World people?

Why haven't you been on any Challenges?

Yes, actually I am going to be having a reunion soon with most of them at Chet's wedding next week! We are all very excited!

I haven't been on a challenge because since the show I have been pushing hard to build my own business and brand via YouTube and my website and you could be gone for 2 - 3 months with no phone or internet. Not good!

Did you enjoy our season? What was your favorite part? :)

Chet wearing a hat that said "CHET" on it inspired me to get a hat of my own with my name on it.

lolol.. too funny. :)

I lift 6 days a week and have been for a couple years. I can't seem to tighten my obliques. What are some oblique busting/exploding exercises? Thanks!

hey hey!

It could be for a variety of reasons! The biggest mistake I see people make is they are not on the right program. You should be circuit training and performing cardio 4-6 days a week (depending on time)

Are you doing traditional muscle splits like chest & triceps or back & biceps? Or are you doing full body workouts?

Also, do you know your macros? (Protein, Carbs, Fat?)

I normally break up muscle groups. Monday is chest, Tuesday legs, Wed arms, Thu is back and shoulders, Friday is a boxing/full body workout

As for diet, I don't have the strictest diet but do not pig out and generally eat very healthy.

oh ok, then that is why you are not seeing results as fast as you would like. You should be doing full body splits 4 - 5 times a week and performing HIIT cardio a few times a week as well.

your goal needs to be eating a calorie deficit of at least 250-500 calories LESS than what you are burning a day to help burn fat.

Not tracking your macros will greatly reduce your chances of maximizing your efforts as well.

You can "eat clean" but if you are not "eating enough", you will still suffer. For example, let's say you need to be eating 200grams of protein a day, you eat clean, but you only get about 80grams a day. You body is starving for the nutrients it needs to build muscle.

I have a video called "Building Your Meal Plan" that shows you step by step how to calculate these numbers and how to adjust them based on your goals.

Would love to keep helping you. Did this help? Did I confuse you? haha I hope not! Let me know~ :)

Hanging leg raises and a good diet!

well you can't spot reduce fat wontfixnow, but that will definitely help build the muscle in that area! :) Great advice!

I never mentioned spot reduction!

I am from the misc I know my shit!

Oh shit, get rekt scott

I am here to help people, if you are going to be immature you can leave

Hi Scott! What's your favorite muscle to train? Any affinity for chest, legs, etc?

Hey man! My favorite muscle to train is TRICEPS! Always has been my stongest muscle group as well. My favorite exercise is seated overhead tricep extensions!

You can see those in my YouTube Video: "MY TRICEP WORKOUT"

Thanks! :)

What is your favorite muscle to train?

Thanks for the reply man! I really love hitting legs. Something about heavy squats and not being able to walk out of the gym is super satisfying to me. Thanks for being such great fitness motivation. I always watch your videos to get ideas of what to do in the gym or to motivate myself!

haha thats awesome! Probably one of the few people that loves legs! #HTH to that! :)

Thanks for the support!

do you even lift, bro?

I did once, then I stopped.

Which time of the day do you prefer most to lift? Why?

I like to lift around 5pm. This is because I need A LOT of food to feel my strongest when I lift. I think I grew up watching too much DBZ.. Good ol' Goku haha

How about you?

I enjoy in the morning. Is it scientifically better to lift then?

Well, believe it or not, this can vary from person to person. My bodytype actually is supposed to respond better to lifting early in the day. I found this out with my musclegenes test. But I typically dont have the time so I need to do what works best for my schedule.

So yes, it could very well be scientific if that is what your genes are. How do you feel when training in the morning? Do you feel like this is the best time of the day for your bodytype?

When ever you make a video how many takes do you have to do before you make the final product? Also how does this affect the people in the videos?

Hey Pimpin!

Usually when I do a workout video, I only usually mess up the intros as they have the most information. I do my best to keep them short and sweet and I have a tendency to talk TOO MUCH. haha. Erica keeps me on track and tells me to start over if they are too long.

What did you mean by how they affect the people in the videos? Do you mean if someone is filming with me?

I mean when you do a workout and somebody messes up on something and you have to retake but you guys already did a huge portion of the work out. During the retakes do you guys get very tired because you have to do the work out over and over?

ohhhh... yeah actually this happened to me.. it doesnt really happen on the muscle gain lifts as you rest between each set. but one of the circuit videos I recently released "Total Body Metabolic Ignition!" if you watch the very end I have a blooper session. I messed up the workout like 3 times and I was basically DEAD at the start of round one for the final take... haha.. you learn quick to not mess up your workouts!

Hey Scott, I'm starting to get pretty heavy in my squats (I'm repping 4x8 at 315lbs at the moment) and am noticing slight knee pain. I've obviously dropped the weight substantially since then to prevent injury, but I wasn't wrapping my knees at all. ARE knee wraps necessary to go heavy (in your opinion), and if they are, what are some good brands to shop for? My muscles are fine; I can actually go quite a bit heavier, but I don't want to risk any damage to my joints. Thanks!

Hey man!! That is pretty strong!

Few questions

1. Are you going ATG (ass-to-grass)
2. Where is the pain and do you high bar or low bar squat?

Howmuchyabench.net makes some amazing knee wraps. Mark Bell's company. :)

Hi Scott, I remember the first time I saw you. It was on some new website that was like chatroulette for college students and you were one of the people who I stumbled across and you were playing Xbox lol. You then introduced me to your website after talking about random shit. I just wanted to share my memory of you :)

Now for the question

I have been trying to increase my chest strength but I have not been able to go past 135 pounds for bench press. I have been stuck at this weight for a very long time. What can I do to improve my upper body strength?

awwww yeah! Campusonline or something like that.. I forget, that was so long ago! Too funny man!

Bench has always been a tough one for me as well. What helped me break through plateaus was having a spotter help me FORCE reps out. For example, if my goal was 8 reps but I died at 6. my spotter would push me through 7 and 8. Another method if your body responds well to strong lfits is to focus on 5x5 training (5 reps of 5 sets)

For me personally, I get more out of high volume and force reps.

Hope this helps and so cool to chat again man! I still need to get XBOX ONE.. went for the WiiU... can't resist Super Smash Bros... :)

Hi Scott! What part of NH are you from? I live near Burlington, VT! Never knew my fitness hero was so close by!

oh so cool! I am in Salem, NH! I come to Vermont for Tough Mudder all the time! I love it!

Hi, what rep range do you usually train in?

I stick to burn sets and go in the 8 - 10 rep range.

A burn set is when you do 3 - 4 drops in the same working sets. for example if I were to do a burn set with a dumbbell bench press it would be like this

Set 1: 105lbs for 8 reps 80lbs for 8 reps 55lbs for 8 reps 35lbs for 12 reps

On my final "burn" I always try to do a few extra. But in all, I train with a lot of volume as I have seen the best results training this way for my body type.

How do you train normally?

Do you ever put on a shirt or do you remain shirtless for all of eternity?

I had a shirt once.. but then I made gains and shredded it to pieces :/

Hey man I love your videos, sometimes I get discouraged because basically I don't have enough money to buy protein or supplements or even a lot of food, but I keep going to the gym everyday and watching your videos has helped me to keep reaching for the body I want 3 years now, my bro says that all youtubers are on juice but I tell him I trust you, anyway, I want my biceps and shoulders to grow is there any exercise you recommend as the best for this purpose?

Hey Tony! So happy to have you hear my friend. Unfortunately your brother is right and to be honest it really pisses me off when juicers give advice and lie about it because it sends the wrong message and often can lead to people quitting because they are not seeing the same results.

However, I will never juice. I promised my Dad when I was 14 the first day he dropped me off at work at Gold Gym's that I would never do it and honoring that promise is worth more to me than looking a little bigger for a couple years.

You need to start buying in bulk. focus on chicken and plain greek yogut to get as much protein as possible. not sure where you are from, but you can get 5 pounds of chicken for 10$ at walmart.

As far as biceps and shoulders... how many exercises and how many sets are you doing? reps? and are you training in full range of motion?

I do eat as much chicken as I can haha, I do 5 exercises from one of your workouts with 4 sets full range, sometimes I do 4 exercises to combine it with my back workout 4 and 4, do you think it's better to dedicate a day to just one muscle group?

no, 2 a day is totally fine. That is what I do. Keep up the great work!

What do you typically eat during the week? What's you favorite meal?

I eat around 280grams of protein, 150carbs and 100grams fat.

I eat things like

Protein Pancakes made with BSN SYNTHA-6 ISOLATE LOTS of Chicken Black Beans Plain Greek Yogurt sweet potatoes LOTS of eggs broccoli Asparagus Almonds

Pretty clean diet!

Hi scott :) thanks for making this AMA i was wondering if white rice is bad to eat while dieting?

Of course! We are happy to help!

I eat white rice all the time. Not a bad thing at all. However, my bodytype doesnt respond well to eating carbs late at night. I learned this from my MuscleGenes results. So I always eat the majority of my carbs before 4 - 5pm as I go to the gym soon after.

Hope this helps!

Thanks scott :) my body doesnt respond well to eat carbs late at night either and i keep doing it :/ i'll start eating healthier thanks again for making videos and being such a nice guy :D keep up the good work

Happy to help! I go for greek yogurt and almonds at night. Seems to do the trick. Have a great week!

What gives you your determination and drive? I find so many issues with my own ability to stay focused and determined on my goal for lifting. One day I'll PR and the next I get so little of a workout that I feel ashamed. Any tips?

Having a CORE main focus is the key to being able to stay determined. Most people only set small goals and when they accomplish them... it's hard to stay on track as they are not trying to achieve anything else.

For me, my core focus has always been to help others so what drives me to keep doing this is the fact that I can continue to learn to coach others such as yourself. You might not be a fitness trainer, or maybe you are, but you need to find that CORE reason that will keep you going forever.

I hope this helps my friend!

Hey Scott, Im a 14 year old girl and I just want to lose 2-3 pounds..At night e.g. 9 p.m. a get ravenous and an hour after dinner I eat whole grain cereal with skim milk. Will this hurt my goal?

HeyTeenathlete57!

So happy to see you getting into fitness at such a young age. I actually started working at a gym when I was 14. :)

If I were you I would try to eat something high in protein at night. I too suffer from getting really hungry at night so I go for a handful of almonds and a cup to cup and a half of plain greek yogurt. It usually does the trick!

Also, Water will help fill you up too!

Hope this helps! Keep up the great work! #HTH

Hi scott! Big Fan of all your stuff! Im in the industry as well though distinctly still a novice. What would you say are the best avenues to go down regarding furthering my knowledge in the industry with : health, fitness, nutrition and business?

Hey elpt!

Well let me say that even I am still learning new things all the time. So overall its always best to keep your eyes open and absorb as much information as possible. Online, books, blogs, etc.

As far as the industry. First thing is to keep in mind that this is in fact an "industry" which means you are in the public eye.

Most people try to turn their brand into a "reality show" about themselves with having the majority of their content being "vlog" style. Which is fine and works for some, but if you want to make it in this industry and be around forever you need to think big picture. For example, most people don't know that Lionsgate is behind all of the major fitness brands. Shows like Biggest Loser and fitness personalities like Jane Fonda. Lionsgate recognized the industry was moving into digital media and that is when they started BeFit and gave me the opportunity to be the head trainer.

BeFit is all about provide results to our subscribers and filling them with information with very little fluff. I am always looking to help others and host relevant content on my site as well. IF you check out the forum sections of my site I have a section that gives directions on how to submit content. Always looking for good hearted people who want to help others!

I hope this helps!

Hey Scott,

you have been my go to when i want to learn proper form for different exercises because you are always clear and you explain better than most other trainers on youtube. whats the history with the monkey mascot? your idea? how did it come about?

in general how many reps per muscle group do you suggest per week and over how many days? ex for chest....how many reps per week and do you do them all in one day or more days?

with the goal in mind of strength and hypertrophy.

also my hamstrings and calves are tighter than id like....do you have a good stretchign program youd suggest?

thanks

hey man! thanks! My nickname was "Monkey" when I was a kid so I ran with it. But he has "evolved" in a giant ape. He had to make gains someday right? :)

I do 20-30working sets per muscle group with 8-10 reps per set and do them all on one day. My goal is muscle gain.

For tightness. You need to be stretching in the AM and PM! do dynamic and static stretching. 15-30 second holds :)

Hope this helps :)

Hey Scott, new to lifting here. So Lets say for example, I'm eating my normal style (Maybe just a bit more protein than average) but I started lifting. If I continued to do a 5x5 SL program but eat the same, will I lose fat and gain muscle, but still stay around the same weight? Or do I have to eat healthy to achieve this?

What goes in is what you get out... Eating clean is crucial... but most importantly, you need to make sure you are eating enough protein, carbs and fat to reach your goals.. You can eat clean.. but if you dont eat enough.. you wont see results still.

IS your goal to lose fat? Or gain muscle.. you need to pick one or else your results will be very slow.. not good.

Hi Scott! Thanks for doing this AMA. My question is to do with arm growth and more specifically the shorter head of the tricep. Are there any particular exercises that really blast this area for growth, and what kind of rep range/sets should I apply to it?

Thanks very much! You're an inspiration.

hey man!! happy to help. So there is the Long head, medial head, and lateral head of the tricep. Which one were you referring? :)

I guess Scott isn't online anymore?

what do you mean?

Hi scott, huge fan, I love how you respond to your fanbase, I once asked you a question on facebook, and I was really glad to get a reply from you, you're amazing. Do you have any guidance or tips for a young lad (15) who's looking to become a fitness model in a few years? Keep doing what you do, you're amazing, best of luck in the future! :)

Hey brotha! Welcome! There are A LOT of Hermanites, but I do my best to help as many as possible :)

Now, fitness modeling. I did a bit of it myself. You need to keep in mind a few things. fitness modeling is a lot of fun, but it's not something you can make a living off of unless you get a major deal with a major brand which IS possible if you work hard.

You want to make sure that you are very picky about what you model for. For example, if you face is everywhere on everything.. a brand can't hire you until all your other photos with other brands become obsolete. This is over exposure. Also, most magazine shoots only pay around 250$ for a day shoot so it is more supplemental income.

If I were you I would focus on building an amazing portfolio with great pictures and document your progress via social media (youtube, facebook, instagram, twitter). Build a following to help you gain the exposure you need for bigger opportunities.

Also, don't ever do anything that goes against your morals and values. It's a tricky business full of a lot of creeps. Stay grounded and you will rise above the rest!

You can always join the community and I in the forums on my site for more help as you go down your journey! Best of luck! :)

Hey Scott, what is your favorite guilty pleasure meal or desert? Thanks, and I've enjoyed watching your videos!

hey brotha!! Thanks for stopping by!

I LOVE Jack Daniels Chicken Strips from TGI FRIDAYS. Wish I could eat them every day!

Which videos have you liked the most? Appreciate the support!

Hey Scott, huge fan. Do you work out at a local gym, or do you have your own set up? If local, do you tend to go when it is busy or empty?

Hey man!

I actually go to a local gym and have my own studio. I like going to the gym when it is medium packed. I like being around people. I train at my studio as well, but the gym has more stuff for like leg day.

But I can yell as loud as I want in my studio.. lol

Hi Scott,

Your videos have been a great resource for getting me started on my fitness goals. This is an unrelated fitness question, but I happen to notice you like to nerd out to some cool stuff. What're your favorite movie, TV show, book, and video game franchises, if I may ask?

Hey BlueDestiny88!

My favorite movie? I am a HUGE movie buff so to pick one is EXTREMELY hard.. I am way into all the Marvel Movies, The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Expendables, Transformers, Men Who Built America, etc.. but Mel Gibson movies really hit hard for me. Especially "The Patriot". If you havent seen it, you need to. The one moment when his first son is killed gets me everytime.

TV shows.. I watch basically everything on ADULT SWIM haha, all kinds of anime.. DBZ, Bleach, Naruto, Deathnote, soul eater, black lagoon, samuri shamploo, space dandy, one piece, blood+, Inuyasha..

and for video games.. Zelda and Super Smash bros... All time favorites!

how about you?

1.What are some tips for cutting down fat?

I can provide many my friend :)

First things first. Meal plan.. you should be on high protein diet. Do you know your current daily macros in grams? (protein, carbs, fat)?

Hey Scott!

You have been a huge help through YouTube throughout my lifting adventure this past year and I'm a huge fan!

Now for my question, if you could do one exercise for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

Hey man!! I am honored! Which videos helped you the most? Have you seen any of my BeFit videos?

If I could do one exercise for the rest of my life, it would be POWER BOMBS!!!!!! (Seated Overhead Tricep Extensions)

I just feel like I have so much power with this movement. I love it and can't wait for arm day just to do it! haha

What about you?

What's your favorite low-calorie food when you're on a cut?

Well I am never on a cut. I train for lean gains my friend. High protein diet.

With that being said I go for greek yogurt, chicken, beans, veggies, white rice, sweet potatoes, etc. Makes it easy to stay lean!

how about you?

Thanks man! I intermittent fast as well, but I still like having cutting/bulking cycles. I agree 100% on the Greek yogurt, stuff is amazing.

yeah man. GREEK YOGURT IS LIFE! :) 20grams of protein per cup! :)

Hi Scott. I watch your videos every week!

I am qualified and about to start practicing as a personal trainer, what piece(s) of advice or tips could you give me and what would you say the best way of getting clients is especially in the gym?

Hey Jim! Thanks for the support! :) Congrats on becoming a trainer!

I would say the best advice is to be open minded. The worst trolls online are the ones who think EVERYTHING they see that isnt what they do is wrong.. its pathetic. You should always be learning. The fitness industry is always changing, especially with digital media giving it out anytime. That is why Lionsgate stared their YouTube channel BeFit. We are always doing our best to provide new workouts, routines, and programs to keep our subscribers guessing. I urge you to check out these videos so that you can always be showing your clients something new. They will be very happy with that.

I can't tell you how many trainers I have seen just give the SAME workout to every client! Not cool!

Hope this helps!

how would you counsel someone with rapid weight loss to taper to a sustainable rate?

I would ask them for their daily macro numbers and then increase them accordingly :)

How did being on the real world Brooklyn effect your life?

It was a great experience. I introduced me to this crazy world of social media and gave me the idea to start my YouTube channel :)

What up bruh?!

yoyoyoyooyoyoyooy!

Hey Scott, your videos are fantastic and I've learned tons of great workouts and movements.

One question is I've developed wrist pain, especially when doing push-ups variations. Any tips?

Hey man!

Sorry to hear about that. Do you type at a computer all day long? You could be building up scar tissue in the area. If you can find a sports massage therapist that knows what they are doing, they can release tension in your shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and wrist that might be causing the pain as generally wrist pain isn't just because the "wrist" hurts.

Hope this helps!

Hi Scott,

I'm training for a marathon in September. Should I be cutting down on the usual 3 times a week gym routine? Here is my current routine:

Monday: Legs, Abs Tuesday: 10km Wednesday: Back, Shoulders, Triceps Thursday: 10km Friday: Chest, Biceps Saturday: 30km Sunday: rest

(I tend to do 3 exercise per body part. 8-12 reps of 3 sets. 1st set is usually a drop set)

General diet Breakfast: Cereal + milk + fruits Lunch: Salad + chicken breast Dinner: Chicken/meat + vegetables

Stats: 77kg 175cm

Thing is I feel rubbish and fatigued after two weeks of following this routine. Runs are getting slower and have no energy to lift during gym days. Any thoughts? Thanks!

PS: I used your videos, lost 15kg, and ran my first half marathon two years ago :)

Hey Stanleyliew!

That is so awesome! But how long? A Full marathon? If so, you might want to cut wayyy back on the lifting. Marathon running if you have noticed are not that big, especially the FAST ones!

I recently posted an article on my website all about marathon running and how to prepare. It is very in depth and I think you will get a lot out of it. Just go to www.ScottHermanFitness.com and click ARTICLES and it should be on the first page.

Keep in mind, for training you need to EASE into it or you will burn out quick! Good luck!

Hey Scott love your videos how can i get traps like tom hardy in warrior? That physique even?

Damn, he bulked BIG TIME for that role!

It all comes down to training and meal plan. You can do it with the right diet and program. I would focus on 500-1000 calorie surplus and high volume training. 20-30 working sets per muscle group with rep ranges of 10-12 reps!

I'm a 36M, 250#, and I've lost 35# thanks to a non-shitty diet and walking 4 miles a day every day, and am looking to start a workout routine. I'm still a bit on the chunky side, though, and am looking for a good plan to get me into a regular exercise routine. Any recommendations? I've looked into C25K, for example, and I'm looking more towards building strength and endurance.

Hey man! Congrats on the weight loss!! That is geat! Glad you have the diet down! Be sure to go on a high protein to keep as much muscle as possible.

Check out the BeFit in EXTREME series on YouTube. There are three levels and they are each a 30 day program. They get harder as you go from 1 to 2 to 3. That will definitely help you shred more fat while building healthy muscle! Hope this helps! :)

Hey Scott! How long did it take you to achieve your current physique? As a fairly new beginner, your type of physique would be a target for me (no homo).

And thank you for an extensive AMA with plenty of well-informed replies.

Well, its hard to say as I have been lifting since I was 12. But with a clean diet and healthy training you can put on a good 30 - 35 pounds of muscle in your first two years.

I can help you with your program in the forums on my site of you want. They are free and you are very welcome! I love helping people! :)

I'm beginning to train to be a pro wrestler, and I was wondering what would be the best type of cardio/conditioning to prepare myself for wrestling school training?

So cool man!!! My cousin is a huge fan! He won a raffle at a local John Cena event and got the real gyro championship belt and Cena signed it. Was pretty cool!

IF I were you I would do a bit of HIIT and a few days of long runs as well. 3 - 4 miles minimum. Wrestling school is no joke. You need to always be on your A game or someone can get badly injured.

Good luck my friend! Hope this helped!

Is it healthy to eat pizza after a long run?

I wouldnt go for it if the run was super late at night... but if I did a long run in the morning, I wouldn't mind as long as it wasnt full of grease. Pizza is just dough, cheese and sauce. Can be a healthy meal :)

Hey Scott! What are your thoughts on creatine? While trying to build muscle and also while trying to lose fat? Thanks!

It's great no matter what your goal is! All it does it help give you more energy for your workouts! :)

[deleted]

You could be raising your calories with the wrong macro ratios.

I have a video called "Building Your Meal Plan" on YouTube. It will show you how to calculate your protein, carbs, and fat intake.

then , check out the BeFit in EXTREME series on YouTube. These total body conditioning workouts will help you burn off some of that unwanted fat.

Hope this helps! :)

Hey Scott what is your opinion on the stronglifts 5x5 program? (for beginners).

It's great for building strength. Are you currently on it?

Hi Scott, The problem area I have most difficulty on is my diet. I'm 27, weigh roughly 200lbs, 6ft, and workout 7 days a week. I have trouble coming up with a daily meal plan. Even though there are dozens out there, I wanted to have one that specifically caters to my macros (i.e. how many grams of each do I eat). Would love some help to point me in the right direction?

Hey Chucknorris,

this happens to most people.. but I can help! Check out this video on YouTube called "How to build your meal plan" on my YouTube channel. If you search for it in the search bar it will pop up. It will show you how to break down all your macros for whatever goal you have.

This should get you on track and if you need more help you can always join the community and I in the forums on my site. They are free :)

Hey, Scott! I see you mentioning a MuscleGenes test in your replies a few times. Could you tell us a little bit about it, what the results tell you, and who it's for?

Sure! the company is www.MuscleGenes.com and it is for anyone. A basic description is that they get a swab sample of your cheek and then analyze the cheek cells to tell you all kinds of stuff about your bodytype based on your genetics.

I posted an indepth video about my results on my YouTube channel. Erica and I actually both did it. Just search on YouTube "Scott Herman Muscle Genes" and it will pop up. Definitely something worth watching. You might be surprised at my gene results... I know I was! :)

Hi Scott! So much of the supplement industry seems like BS, so when I see something like gene testing it naturally makes me a little weary. How do I know something like this works? And if it does work why aren't other (bigger) companies doing this?

Gene Testing isnt a supplement brotha. It's your genes. It is science, and the reason why no one else is doing it is because it is cutting edge science and they are the first. :)

A friend of mine is trying to break into the fitness industry as a trainer/nutritionist. He really knows his stuff, but he lacks experience as a coach. Any suggestions?

Hey my friend!

The key is to be relevant. People love learning new things and you need to understand they want to learn it as easy as possible. So use the method my Dad used to always tell me as a kid: KISS (keep it simple stupid)

lol... and dont worry I wasnt calling you stupid! lol It is just what my Dad used to say to me to keep me on track.

HE needs to just start NOW.

Think about it... if you start next year.. thats a whole year wasted.. even if he only makes a few videos or articles in his first year, it is better than nothing.

I hope this helps!

Thanks, I'll pass that along!

/u/skydivingdan get in here!

Happy to help!

Is it more beneficial to do strength training (sit ups, push ups, etc) for 30 minutes three days a week or ten or so minutes every day?

Well, its very hard for me to say without knowing what your goal is.

Are you trying to build muscle? Lose fat? What is your goal?

Also, what kind f condition are you in now? Been training for a while? Newbie?

What are your thoughts on alcohol/beer affecting your workouts? Meaning if you hit up the gym for an hour then grab a few drinks at the bar - how badly does that affect your gains?

I rarely drink, especially after a workout.

I just posted an article about this on my website.

Without getting into too much detail. Your body considers alcohol a toxin and will basically stop trying to digest food you ate to get rid of the alcohol and this can cause the food you ate throughout the day to be stored as fat. BEER BELLY is a term for a reason you know?

But if you dont abuse drinking, you can for sure have a few drinks from time to time.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Scott! I'll check out the article.

Happy to help!

Hi Scott, i'm in the gym 5 times a week for 4 years now and my chest is not growing as much as i want it to, i've tried every routine on the internet but nothing quite works for me, do you have any advise on getting a pumped chest? Thank you!

What's your diet? How long is your time in the gym and what specific exercises do you focus on?

I used to have a diet to eat 6 times a day, 150 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbs (kinda) and low fat.

I spend One hour in the gym each workout and for the chest i focus on the dumbbell presses.

College starts in 2 months and in a few weeks i'm starting with my dietplan again (vacationmode lol xD)

i'm at 83kg, height: 1m87 and Bf% of 14%

If I were you I would boost protein to 200 grams MIN, lower the carbs to under 250 and make sure fat is around 80-90. You need fat to build muscle, so don't go to low. Cholesterol is the main ingredient for producing testosterone!

Make sure you are doing at least 20 - 30 total working sets on all muscle grops, including chest and keep the rep range around 8-10 reps per set.

So if you do 20 working sets... thats 4 exercises of 5 sets, or 5 exercises of 4 sets.. however you want to split it.

Do you think rack pulls are helpful? I'm not that confident in my dead lift form yet and don't know if i should just stick to the bar for dead lifts or use heavier weights and do a rack pull for now?

I would use a rack pull to increase my overall weight in my deadlift. IF the focus is form I would drop the weight and focus on form. It takes time, took me a good 6 months to finally fall into the forum I use now. A bit of it is learning and the other is increasing your hip flexibility.

I have an article on my site called :DEADLIFT: Why you are not lifting as much as you could! and it has a ton of content and videos to go over form and variations that could help you out.

Let me know if you need anything else! :) #HTH

Hey Scott, Just want to say first that I think you're the only fitness guy on YouTube that seems sincere and to actually care about their audience, and that you really helped me a lot!

My question is... My bench press and overhead press seem to be lagging behind, whereas my squats and deadlifts are getting stronger every week. What would you suggest to help my presses increase?

Thanks man.

Can you clarify your whole routine? Thanks!

Monday - Legs (High bar Squats 5-3-1, Calf Raises 3x10, Leg Extensions & Leg Curls (Superset 3x10)) & Abs

Tuesday - Chest (Bench Press 5-3-1, Incline Bench 3x10, Flyes 3x10) & Triceps (Skull Crushers 3x10, Pulldowns 3x10)

Wednesday - Back (Deadlifts 5-3-1, Rows 3x10, Pull Ups, Lat Pulldown 3x10) & Biceps (Curls 3x10, Hammer Curls 3x10)

Thursday - Shoulders (Overhead Press 5-3-1, Barbell Upright Row 3x10, Front and Lateral Raises (Superset 3x10), Shrugs 3x10)

Friday - Cardio

Your program looks fine. Keep in mind that the squat and deadlift requires more muscle engagement than the bench and overhead press. The form can be harder to learn as well. So as you continue with your training you are probably perfecting your deadlift and squat form allowing you to reach your full potential on the lift whereas most people already have a decent bench and overhead press.

Are you keeping your core tight during your bench and overhead press? check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8L_tS2NJgE

Hi, I am trying to get skinny ripped. I currently do 5x5 strong lifts 3 times a week (tues/thurs/sat), and cardio/circuit training 3 time a week (mon/wed/fri) if my legs are still up for it. Sunday is a complete rest day.

Using bodybuilding.com and IIFYM calculators. I have averaged my calorie intake to maintain to be 2800, and my target is 2250 (~20% off). I am currently trying to carb cycle and do intermittent fasting. my macros on my weight lifting days (high carb diet) is p:190 c:220 f:70, and my macros on my cardio/circuit days is p:141 c:56 f:162.

I can handle my diet, although I need to work in my timing. I'm trying to eat high carb low protein meals (mainly fruit) before work out) and eat the rest of my calories after the gym (I find it a bit difficult to fit everything in within a 6 hour window but I will get there.

Do you think this is the most efficient way to low body fat and try and maintain existing muscle? I have currently lost 35kg of fat over the last 3 years doing cardio, and last June (of last year) I picked up the (bro) weights. Last December is when I started lifting seriously. I am making some progress, but I really want to stop wasting time i.e. I don'r want to hit my targets at X time, when I could have done the same thing in half the time if I optimised myself

Thanks for any help you could give

Hey man! Happy to help.

first off, if your goal is to keep as much muscle as possible you should NEVER cut your protein. Keep it the same everyday. You need protein everyday. Your body is constantly repairing itself.

If I were you I would incorporate some total body circuit training a few times a week. Once thing I used to do if I needed to shred but wanted to maintain strength would be doing a 5x5 and then go into a full body HARDCORE circuit.

For example, I would do a 5x5 of deadlifts, then wait a few minutes and then start my circuit. Worked well for me.

So what would your workout on say Monday look like?

Also, keep in mind that you WILL LOSE STRENGTH when cutting, so dont be so focused on it. Once you get your body where you want it, then focus back on strength. If you try to do both goals, your results will be much slower! Not good!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for replying.

My circuit training days are based on my university's gym challenge: cycling 1.5km, 50 bench jumps, 50 crunches, row 500m, shoulder press 20x20kg, step ups 30x10kg, bench press 30x30kg, and running 800m on treadmill on 5% incline. I have to try and do all these exercises one after the other, in the least amount of time. Currently at 14 minutes 5 seconds (this is the intermediate challenge, if I can hit under 12 minutes, I'll go do the extreme version, same exercises but longer distances/reps and heavier weights)

My weightlifting days consist of Jason Blaha's 5x5 ICF: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout

Fair enough, it will be sad to lose strength, but my fatloss takes priority :(

Wow man! That sounds like a hardcore challenge!! Nice!

But yea, it comes down to what you really want to do. But don't worry, a few months of fat loss and then as long as you keep your diet clean and do a few days of HIIT cardio for 25-30 minutes, you can go to those strength lifts and keep your gains and stay shredded! :)

Hey Scott, I've been watching you for a few years and I always wanted to know if you wanted to be a body builder, a fitness guru, strength person or a physique person, which have you wanted to be when you started lifting?

Well to be honest when I first started lifting I wanted to be a Super Hero.. haha But that was my motivation. I was huge into comics at a very young age and nothing made me feel better than helping people. So I wanted to build muscle to be like Superman, Captain America, Wolverine, etc.

But now that I am an adult... yeah I still want to be a superhero.. lol.. still trying! :) But my overall goal is to be a fitness coach. However, I would like to enter a physique show soon!

How about you?

Scott, I only have 45 minutes to train, around 4 days a week. I'm 5'8, 155lb with goals of putting on more muscle and simply looking better. Any specific program you recommend?

i can help you out for sure! but what is your goal? fat loss? muscle gain? etc?

Best advice for skinnyfat men?

this is very common. I would focus on a high protein diet and start off with total body training. You can choose to do a full body workout, rest, then repeat, or split into upper body workouts, full body workout, rest repeat. :)

Hope this helps!

For how long? I've gone about 4 months and gained about 22 lbs. It's working, but at what point do I switch to something else?

when you lose as much fat as you want.. then switch to muscle gain. It is up to you!

Hey Scott! Thanks for doing the AMA! I love all the info and advice you share with the community and your fans. I'm currently trying to bulk up. I'm doing a typical 4 day split: Chest/tris; back/bis, legs, shoulders/core. Do you think this makes sense, or would you recommend a routine like Stronglifts that focuses on complex exercises and ignores isolation? Thanks in advance!

Hey Hewkeye! Thanks for stopping by my friend and thanks for the kind words!

This depends. For example, my bodytype doesn't respond well to strongman lifts. I see my most gains from high volume training (20-30 working sets per muscle groups with around 8-10 reps per set)

The best thing to do is to try the split you have now for 4 - 6 weeks.. then try the strongman lifts and see which one yielded the best results.

One note though, I would split legs into TWO DAYS. Legs are a big muscle group. Think of your hamstrings as your biceps and your quads as your triceps but much bigger! They need their own separate days in my opinion.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Scott! That's awesome advice and I'll incorporate it into my workouts. I've got a follow up question for you. If I split legs into two days, do you think it should look something like:

Quads: front squat, seated leg extension, step-ups

Hamstrings: back squat, Romanian deadlifts, lunges

Thanks again for for the hep and advice! God bless!

I would do the back squat on your quad day and also target glutes as well.

For hamstrings I would do romanian or stiff-leg dedlifts, seated leg curls, prone leg curls and my favorite finisher the dumbbell single-leg stiff-leg deadlift.

Have a great day! :)

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I would recommend total body training. You can certainly do cardio, but it can't be all you do. In fact, you can do 25-30 minutes of HIIT training 3 - 4 times a week.

Check out the BeFit in 30 EXTREME program on YouTube. There are 3 levels. Start with level 1 and introduce cardio as well with that program and you will see amazing results! Meal plan is super important as well. Stick to a high protein diet.

Lastly, I have all the BEFIT workouts listed in the "workout" tab on my site scotthermanfitness.com. They are all free and this might make it easier for you as you can download the workout calendar as well. :)

Hope this helps!

Hi Scott! I have been following you for about 5 years now, big fan. I have a couple questions. I've played volleyball for about 8 years so it requires me to have a pretty strong core, however, whenever I have an abs day I just get very sore for the next day or two. I am not working them out really hard, I only do about 3-4 exercises a session, then focus on a little lower back. But it really tends to make my other workouts a lot more difficult the following days. So I was wondering, do you suggest I do about 10-20 minutes of abs at the end of every workout? or should I just continue to dedicate a day to abs?

-Clay Santa Barbara

Hey Clay! First off, thank you s much for the long time support! You rock!

Your abs actually are one of the muscle groups that can take the most beating. I personally workout 2 days of abs, rest, then repeat and do them at the end of my workut

Usually I do day 1: upper and lower focua, day 2: lower and oblique focus

What kind of ab exercises are you doing and what is the set and rep range?

Looking forward to helping you out!

Hi scott, another question Why were you never present at the BSN-booth at FIBO convention Germany? I would love to meet you there next year. And i would love to see you dominate a challenge on mtv, teach them rookies a lesson :D

Greetings from Belgium

Hey man! BSN actually has a FIBO GERMANY team.. but I may be making an appearance there with MUSCLEGENES with Erica! Would definitely be awesome as we are both half German!

and yeah it looks like Marcel will be there too! Nice!

No challenges for me, even those I would love to pwn those noobs!!! haha

Hope you have a great time next year! :)

As far as I know he will be at the FiBo in 2015.... I planned also to visit this event

as long as you get that Hotel Marcel!! :)

Hey Mr. Herman, What is your favorite comfort food?

I go for ICE CREAM SUNDAYS!!! Don't even care if it is winter! haha.. How about you!

Thanks for the AMA Scott. Big fan.

What are some of your go to shitty foods to eat? You know, your cheat meals?

Also, what's your favorite book?

My goto shit food is WENDYS!

Number 7: Spicy Chicken Sandwhich, Large Fries, water, 6 piece spicy nuggest... DAMN.. now I want one.... not cool!!! haha

My favorite book. When I was a kid I read "The Red Badge Of Courage" a lot. Definitely a classic!

Hi, Scott. I have three questions : 1.) Do i have to count my macros with my actual weight or with the desired weight? 2.)I have often pain in my rotator cuff's, and elbow's.I do not know the reason why,beacuse every time before I train, I warmup my upper body,especially r.cuffs and elbows. 3.)I just bought a protein,2.27kg HYPERWHEY. It contains 20g protein per scoop.71 servings.So it is better to take it twice a day for 35 days,or three times a day for 23 days.My goal is to gain muscle. Thank you for your time. I hope you'll answer. p.s I learn a lot from you. I lost 21kg for 1month and 20 days.

Hey man!

1) your ACTUAL weight, then eat 250-500 calories more a day to focus on muscle gain.

2) What kind of warm-ups are you doing?

3) What is your protein goal for the day? How much are you getting from food? This will determine how much protein powder you need.

What are your honest opinions on cross fit?

its just circuit training.. been around forever :)

How do you feel about the Healthy At Every Size and Fat Acceptance movements?

I think it's horrible actually. We are telling our youth that it is ok to be obese and sit around all day never trying to better ourselves.

It's not ok and to be honest I see it as a form of child abuse by the parents. You can't raise your hand to your kids, but you can let them grow up with all kinds of health conditions. I just think it is out of control.

I don't think it's ok to judge others and put people down. However, it should be ok to be concerned about the health of someone which could leader to major problems in their future.

What about you?

Hey Brotha! :) What was (in your opinion) the best video game you have ever played? And why?

I would say Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. This game was just so epic. It had so much to do, all kinds of items to get, you had a total 3D environment and it had the most epic boss fight of all time.

So awesome!

Hey Scott!

I have been lifting for around 3 months but the problem is there is only a smith machine available so i haven't done any squats and nobody else in my gym does deadlifts so nobody to help me with my form. What would you do?

Oh no!!!!

Can you take the bar from the bench and place it on the ground? Are their rules? What's going on at this gym?