Athlean-X hardly needs an introduction, being one of the most famous fitness YouTubers on the planet and all. But could this be what’s robbing you of your gains?!
Well, no, because this is actually a review of one of his workout videos on YouTube — “The PERFECT Home Workout (Sets and Reps Included).”
So is it really a great workout program? Let’s find out.
The PERFECT Home Workout (Sets and Reps Included)
This is the video we’re basing this review on:
In case you don’t know, Athlean X on YouTube is actually Jeff Cavaliere in real life, who happens to be the founder of the ATHLEAN-X™ Training company.
Jeff has always been interested in fitness in one way or another, and this is only proven by his education:
- Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) Physioneurobiology (from the University of Connecticut)
- Masters Physical Therapy (MSPT) Physical Therapy (also from the University of Connecticut)
He found himself as the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach at the New York Mets from 2006 to 2009, even helping them to become National League East Champions from 2006 to 2008.
By then, he’d also been a contributing writer for Men’s Fitness for two years and is still writing for them today.
But Jeff is mostly known for his antics on YouTube, where he helps millions of viewers train and progress as an athlete would. His methods are often grounded in science, but there are still those who oppose him.
He has an affinity for face pulls and telling you that [insert any task, exercise, food, activity here] will “kill your gains.”
That said, he still has more than 13 million subscribers on YouTube! He’s also one of the most famous and successful fitness YouTubers and continues to grow about as fast as his viewers do. Through Athlean X, he also has several programs, including Xero (bodyweight training), All-American Muscle, and Jacked Dumbbell Training.
The video in question (the one above) was released three years ago, and as of May 26, 2023, it has more than 12 million views. Jeff states the workout was released to try to help those stuck at home due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
While the title might make you believe only one workout program is included, there are actually two included.
There’s Workout A — which is done twice in Week 1 — and Workout B — which is done only once in Week 1. The week after, the frequency changes, etc.
For those of us that are rather crappy at taking notes while someone is talking, there’s also a nice printed version of the workout program in the description.
The Rules
“Zero equipment” — okay, I like that.
“… you can do this no matter what level you’re at…” — a bold claim.
“Beginner and advanced version!” — you had my interest, but now you have my curiosity.
All of these are stated in the beginning and do make me really excited. It’s not often we come across workouts that offer bodyweight exercises for beginners and advanced folks alike.
But as you might expect, there are some ‘rules’.
- Rule 1: The timing of workouts, which we already mentioned
- Rule 2: Focus on the functions of the body rather than the muscles
- Rule 3: Don’t rest between the exercises of a certain function, but if you need rest in the set, you can take a rest
Which movements, you might ask? Well, they’re as follows:
- Anterior lower body (squat)
- Upper push
- Posterior lower body (hinge)
- Upper pull
- Abs
- Corrective exercise
For each, you’ll do three different exercises with no rest between the exercises, and you’re supposed to perform them as a drop set. You’ll do 1 minute per exercise and perform 2 to 3 rounds in total.
Workout Program A
There isn’t any information given on a warm-up, but since these are full-body workouts, you should warm up before hitting the ‘gym.’
Anterior Lower Body
Ex. 1: Single Leg High Box Squat (Alt: Use a Higher Box)
These are some of the best bodyweight exercises you can do for the lower body. Not only does it train all the large muscles, but it’ll also help identify any problems or shortcomings you have in muscle mass or flexibility.
Ex. 2: 1 & 1/2 Bottomed Out Squats (No Alt)
Basically, it’s a squat and then another half-squat. While this might seem simple, you do place a lot of stress on the muscle without giving it time to rest.
Ex. 3: Jump Squat (No Alt)
The easiest of the three by far, and throwing in a bit of plyometric training is a nice touch. These won’t necessarily lead to more growth than regular squats, but a change in pace is quite nice.
Upper Push
Ex. 1: Handstand Push-Up (Alt: Power Push-Away)
Both of these are great movements to stimulate the shoulders, which is a muscle that’s quite hard to nail with a bodyweight training program. You’ll use your own body and gravity to provide the resistance needed to build lean muscle mass.
Ex. 2: Rotational Push-Up (Alt: Rotational Push-Up on Your Knees)
There was bound to be a push-up in here somewhere, and this is an interesting take. Since the function of the chest is to draw the arm up and across the body, you could make the argument that these would be ever-so-slightly better for chest gains than a regular push-up.
Ex. 3: Cobra Push-Up (Alt: Cobra Push-Up on Your Knees)
A ‘Judo’ push-up, as many of us know it, was put in the ‘best program’ to allow for more tricep growth, especially along the longer head. This is technically possible, but only if you actually go hard enough on your set.
Posterior Lower Body (Hinge)
Ex. 1: Alt Heel Touch Squats (Alt: Alt Heel Touch Kickstand Squats)
Jeff Cavaliere claims these are hip hinge movements, but the truth is, it’s very hard to do a hip hinge movement without a lot of weight because (get this) your butt is just that strong.
Most folks can RDL a decent amount despite not training a ton, which just shows how strong (and large) the glutes are. These will train the glutes and hams, sure, but not that well.
Ex. 2: Alt Sprinter Lunge (No Alt)
An interesting concept, but I would have gone for a split squat using that box we used only a moment ago. Again, this is supposed to be the hinge section, and there’s minimal hip flexion in this movement.
Ex. 3: Plyo (Jumping) Sprinter Lunge (No Alt)
This is another plyometric movement to end things off, similar to the jump squats we did earlier. These might use more of the glutes in a hinged manner, but once again, there’s no way of doing hinges easily at home…
Upper Pull
Ex. 1: Pull-Up (Alt: Seated Pull-Up)
The daddy, really. Anyone who wants to lose body fat or build muscle will know that the pull-up is in almost every good program on the market — it’s because they work. Pulling the elbows towards the base of the spine is the best way to train the lats (for width), and the pull-up is kinda the only way you can do this with only your body weight.
Ex. 2: Human Pullovers (Alt: BW Sliding Pulldowns)
Moving over to abs (didn’t expect that), what Jeff calls human pullovers are what many refer to as dragon flags. It’s one of the most challenging core movements you can do and is incredibly hard to do with good form; it’s something that’ll be hard to progress on as well.
The alternative is quite a lot easier! You’ll simply do a variation of a jackknife with the use of a towel or shirt or something. These are a lot easier, and it’s nice to see them in Jeff’s program (no gatekeeping!).
Ex. 3: Inverted Chin Curls (No Alt)
This is a great exercise to train the biceps, and I’m willing to go as far as to say it’s the best, barring the regular chin-up. For some, this might be a bit much, but there really isn’t an easier version.
Abdominals
Ex. 1: Reverse Corkscrews (No Alt)
Starting off with the lower abs isn’t some personal trainer secret but just a good and practical movement to start the ab session.
Ex. 2: Black Widow Knee Slides (No Alt)
A name that’ll strike fear into even Thanos’ heart, but it’s basically just an elevated version of a mountain climber and a great movement to train all the abdominals.
Ex. 3: Levitation Crunches (No Alt)
Crunches — simple, easy, works.
Corrective Exercise (Angels and Devils)
This is kind of like the finisher and will help you really finish the session strongly. It’s not really something we see often in strength training, but it’s certainly welcome in the bodyweight exercise world.
Now, this might be inaccessible to most due to mobility issues, so an easier alternative would’ve been nice.
Workout Program B
We don’t wanna give away all of the information Jeff is giving us in the video, but workout B is structured the same as workout A, just simply using different movements.
This is crucial, seeing as training routines that don’t alternate workouts can lead to some serious problems, such as:
- Wear and tear around joints due to the overuse of certain movements
- Getting emotionally attached to some movements, which can lead to injuries in the future
- Leading to muscle imbalances due to only doing certain movements
- Getting really boring
The last might not seem like a good reason, but an inability to enjoy the program will only lead to an ability to hate it and eventually skip it…
The example Jeff gives is another great Athlean X home workout and one you can even mix and match with A to find the perfect training program for yourself.
The only drawback of workout B is that some movements aren’t quite as good as A. But hey, you’re training at home with no equipment… you take what you can get to gain muscle.
Unfortunately, there’s also no talk of cardio — ever. While cardio isn’t always spoken about when it comes to muscle growth, it’s still great for overall health.
Also, if you’re fitter, you can work out for longer and harder, which isn’t always helpful with 400lb, but with bodyweight training, it’ll come in handy real soon…
Should You Listen to Athlean X?
He’s an incredibly smart person, educator, and personal trainer. Overall, I would trust Jeff Cavaliere on most things, to be completely honest with you. He’s honest and gets the job done.
Sure, like others in the fitness industry, he does do a lot of clickbait content, but I do understand it’s also a business. The character he has and the personal training he offers are great.
This program, on the other hand, is excellent.
It’s one of the best at-home workouts I’ve seen (ever), and there are only a couple of things I would change, like:
- Some inclusion of cardiovascular training, seeing as being fitter can help you gain muscle mass, especially with bodyweight exercises
- If he spoke more about how to make the workouts harder with time, this would be a home run
And that second reason is the big one.
Bodyweight training has a huge problem, and that’s the limiting factor of resistance. Workouts can only get so hard before you start doing hundreds of reps and sets. And at that point, the same program that helped in the beginning might make you worse.
You need to add resistance with time (while maintaining good form), or you won’t really progress.
Jeff also doesn’t mention anything about a diet plan. Wishful thinking, but come on. It was COVID, bro, give the people some help…