If youāre unfamiliar, Grease the Groove is a training technique that Pavel Tsatsouline is largely credited for. The way he explains it, if you want to build strength or add reps to an exercise you need to do that exercise often but stay far away from failure or fatigue so for example if you can do an exercise for a max of 10 reps Pavel recommends only doing 5 reps or less and have at least 15 minutes of rest between sets but the rest between sets can really be as long as you want it to be. You can even take a nap then an hour after the nap do the next set or do one set before you leave the house in morning and do the next one when you get home from work. He also doesnāt seem too bothered about how many sets you should do.==
Man, I used to think this was too good to be true.
He made it sound like, āYeah all you need to do is bang out a few easy reps here and there and youāre gonna get stronger.ā
And I was like, āThere must be more to this.ā So I thought maybe it was the volume you accumulate throughout your day that caused improvements so what I did was make sure I always did at least 10 sets and also made sure that for example if I set my reps to 5, Iād always hit 5 reps in every set no matter what. Also, because its hard to remember to do 10 sets throughout your day I set an interval timer for 30 minutes each as soon as I got home so that every 30 minutes Iād be reminded to do another set. I thought if 15 minutes was the minimum time to rest then surely Iāll get better results with twice that much rest.
But what happened? I started getting aches and pains in my muscles and joints. These didnāt feel like soreness, they felt like I had needles stuck inside my muscles and I actually got weaker and weaker because the more I went on, the more I had to struggle to hit every rep in every set that I did.
I initially tried Grease the Groove to add numbers to my chin ups which were lagging while I did my regular workouts too but I ended up being too fatigued and was eventually forced to choose between doing my regular workouts and greasing the groove so I decided to say āfuck itā and just do it exactly the way Pavel describes it.
I then took a week off of all exercise and decided when I went back to greasing the groove I wouldnāt count sets and I would go by feel on how many reps to do. If I had a pre-set number of reps like 5 then I just made that maximum number of reps per set and didnāt allow myself to go beyond that but anything below that was fine, even 1 rep. And so I did chin ups literally whenever I felt like it, there was no timer anymore and I wasnāt really counting sets. Sometimes Iād do 2 reps, sometimes one, sometimes 5 but I just went with what felt comfortable. I tried to be as lazy as possible (except of course I tried to maintain perfect form when I was doing the few reps that I did) and if there was even the slightest hesitation in me to do a set, I would just not do one.
My guess is that most days I only did 10 total reps.
What happened when I did it that way? I actually got stronger and stronger. My actual progression was doing a max of 3 reps per set then 4 then 5 then weighted chin ups (because Pavel says when greasing the groove with 5 reps is a walk in the park you should move on to adding external resistance) and that progression happened all within a month. Today I can do 30 strict bodyweight chin ups. When I was doing the 10 sets with the timer and being strict about doing every single rep I never progressed to doing 4 or 5 let alone using weights.
I was also doing a Dorian Yates style body building workout once a week and HIIT 2x a week both when I was doing āstrictā Grease the Groove and now when doing a chill Grease the Groove. With the first one I felt like shit, Iād often feel like I was bordering on getting a fever but with the second one, I always feel fresh and never felt the need to take a break. In fact, a lot of times I felt just as fresh as when I took a week off.
Turns out Pavel was being serious when he said to just do a few reps here and there.
That was a little over one year ago. Grease the Groove done properly was actually what inspired me to do more Calisthenics work and Iām proud to say that today I can do a 1 arm pushup with shoulders square and feet shoulder width apart, strict ring & bar muscle ups, ring & bar front levers, and a human flag and I never felt like I was exercising or working out when I developed those movements, I only felt like I was āpracticingā. In reality it probably wasnāt easy for me to develop all those movements because it took quite a bit of time and I had to go through a lot of easier variations before I could do the actual move but it sure as hell felt easy because not once did I ever need motivation to practice the movements, I never had to contend with my willpower, in fact when I was feeling lazy I just allowed the urge to slack off to win. I never slacked off whenever I did practice those movements though because if I felt that there was a 1% chance that Iād do a lazy rep or if while Iām doing one rep I think the next rep would be a half-ass one, I just cut the set short and move on with my day.
With ring movements I donāt think Iāve taken a single day off for more than a year now because I bring my rings with me anytime I travel and still, I always feel fresh as a daisy.
Iām truly amazed by this simple technique. I used to be very intimidated by the calisthenics movements that I can do now, thinking Iād have to go through hell and back to achieve them but today Iām just excited for the next new movement I can play with! And Grease the Groove truly feels like Iām just playing at this point.
Comments
foshogun ā¢ 135 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I think I always start off thinking about doing gtg and then get over zealous and just over do it. The pump is seductiveā¦
So you ever feel like you are getting a pump when doing gtg? Or is it so light you feel completely fresh?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 37 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Its so light I feel completely fresh. Besides, its hard to get a pump with just 5 reps. I never go beyond 5, and thatās not 5 grinders, thatās picture perfect reps. If it becomes way too easy then I just add weight and start with 1 rep all over again with the weight.
Also, I get enough of the pumps with the Dorian Yates workout so when I GTG theres no more temptation to get more in.
[deleted] ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
One thing I used to do is I had a chin up bar in my house and Iād do 1(increased to 3 or 4 over time) rep whenever I went through that door to the hall. My bedroom and bathroom were on the other side. In a very short time I could do 20 chin ups at any given moment if I felt like it
swiskowski ā¢ 80 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I agree wholeheartedly. GTG works and it works for everything! Iāve been making a habit of GingTG with odd movements and Iāve made hella fast progress. One thing to be mindful of though is to watch out for overuse flareups/injuries. I greased the groove with chin ups and got a nasty case of elbow tendonitis.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 24 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yeah, thatās why I chose to be really lazy about it.
Sometimes the experts arenāt hiding anything when they give us advice.
donaldbino ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2019-02-13
how did you fix your tendonitis? ive been dealing with the same exact thing for almost 4 months and i feel like ive tried everything
swiskowski ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2019-02-13
The only way I was able to fix it was to stop doing any movements that made it worse. You have to let it calm down completely. From there, start working on the tissue quality by working on your forearms, tris, bis, etc with a lacrosse ball/foam roller/etc.
[deleted] ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yeah I think I have this atm. I have a physical job and on top of that Iām doing 5 days on 2 days off. Pullups, chins, dips, pike pushups, ab raises, straight bar dips and Iām having to use gel on my elbow. Iāll have a rest over christmas I think.
Rare_Cover2089 ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2022-07-11
Do guys think it is possible to train to do 200 push ups in a row with grease the groove? Or is that completely unrealistic.
Trainman_stan ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2022-11-26
Theoretically speaking, itās possible but it would take a long time to reach 200 reps with this technique since you would probably only move up to 1 additional rep per week if you were doing say 5 sets a day EHOH for 5 days a week and thatās under the ideal scenario where you donāt plateau at any point of time during that climb to 200.
[deleted] ā¢ 0 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Anecdotal report here, but my forearms never really grew until I put a chinup bar in the doorway to my basement office, and just did a quick 2-3 (or whatever I felt like) chinups whenever I walked through the doorway. This was like 15 years ago and Iād never heard of greasing the groove, but my forearms blew up doing it. Probably did 10-20 chinups a day with this method and it worked like crazy. Again, all anecdotal with an n of 1, but Iām a believer that itāll work for hypertrophy and strength.
That being said, Pavel is much more of a strength guy than a mass guy, and I wouldnāt be surprised if it wasnāt optimal for hypertrophy.
CanadianBlacon ā¢ 46 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Anecdotal report here, but my forearms never really grew until I put a chinup bar in the doorway to my basement office, and just did a quick 2-3 (or whatever I felt like) chinups whenever I walked through the doorway. This was like 15 years ago and Iād never heard of greasing the groove, but my forearms blew up doing it. Probably did 10-20 chinups a day with this method and it worked like crazy. Again, all anecdotal with an n of 1, but Iām a believer that itāll work for hypertrophy and strength.
That being said, Pavel is much more of a strength guy than a mass guy, and I wouldnāt be surprised if it wasnāt optimal for hypertrophy.
AliTheAce ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Just bought a pullup bar today, thatās exactly what I was looking to hear. Hopefully I can add some size to my 125 lbs 5ā7ā frame.
Killer_nutrias ā¢ 21 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Working out isnāt going to put size to your frame, eating will. To be more specific, drinking your calories will put size to your frame. Check out r/gainit
AliTheAce ā¢ 6 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yup, doing both and trying to bulk. Already following gainit, using MyFitnessPal to track calories and eat above TDEE. Got skinny arms (really strong triceps but almost nonexistent forearms and wrists, very small biceps) and trying to fix the imbalance. I can do about 20 diamond push-ups, but only around 5-8 dead hang pull ups and 15 ish chin ups.
My main sport is road cycling but some upper body during the off season is needed, especially because I donāt have an indoor trainer for my bike :(
Bot_Metric ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
125.0 lbs ā 56.7 kilograms 1 pound ā 0.45kg
Iām a bot. Downvote to remove.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 6 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Strength through neurological adaptations but you can use that strength to lift more weight when doing hypertrophy work. Neurological adaptations for strength mean youāre developing the ability to recruit more muscle fibers which means when you do your hypertrophy work you stimulate more of the muscle than you used to before doing something like GTG.
toxicazn ā¢ 10 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Basically no hypertrophy benefits. But the increased work capacity and strength might help workouts indirectly in the long run.
pananana1 ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Basically no hypertrophy benefits
How do you know this?
toxicazn ā¢ 12 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Hypertrophy needs muscle fatigue and for fibres to be damaged when the muscles are worked hard enough so that they can then grow larger. While greasing the groove the muscles are not overloaded like in a typical workout. Instead, you are increasing efficiency of the neural pathways for the exercise which is nerve related by performing the excercise frequently, but not to failure to prevent muscle fatiuge.
pananana1 ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Well 2 people responded saying they gained a lot of hypertrophy with it.
If I had to guess, your analysis is probably wrong.
coffee_snake ā¢ 16 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
those 2 people also couldāve been small to start with so any exercise increase resulted in hypertrophy.
toxicazn ā¢ 20 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Well if you carry out some research you may not have to guess. This is just what I have gathered from various sources, and FitnessFAQs in his grease the groove video supports that it is not optimal for hypertrophy. I shouldnāt have said ābasically no hypertrophyā though.
pananana1 ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Not optimal for hypertrophy doesnāt mean no hypertrophy, and it also doesnāt mean ābasically no hypertrophyā.
toxicazn ā¢ 13 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Well to answer the original question Iād say greasing the groove has a lot more emphasis on improving at the excercise rather than hypertrophy, and that greasing the groove just for hypertrophy isnāt ideal.
Loveyourwives ā¢ 6 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Is grease the groove any use for hypertrophy?
It has been for me. Iāve made astounding progress in the last four months.
Antranik ā¢ 22 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I have been using a variation of GTG by Pavel known as the fighter pull-up program (descending ladder rep scheme with 2 to 2 hours of rest between each set) and applied it for pull-ups and had obscene progress and applied the same concept to pike pushups for the past month and towel assisted one arm pull-ups for the past 3 months.
Hereās my log for the one arm pull-ups.
OAPU log 1) towel assisted, holding top of towel, easiest version started August 3 with 15 reps in a day (5,4,3,2,1) ended Sept 30 with 30 reps (8,7,6,5,4) 2) one fist lower, a little bit harder started Sept 21 with 15 reps ended Oct 3 with 18 reps took long break due to traveling 3) one fist lower (lowest part of towel) started Oct 22 with 18 reps ended Nov 17 with 36 reps (9,8,7,6,6) 4) one fist lower (got a longer towel) started 11/20 with 15 reps (5,4,3,2.1) today is 11/22 so i started around 15 reps, build it to 30, then go one fist lower, repeat. Done that a few times now got a partial ROM negative on the left arm, almost there on the right.I think a lot of people have insecurity with not doing enough, yet doing less is more when you methodically track and increase the reps slowly but surely, you will progress. The trick is to start with low numbers of reps and bring it up slowly. I am the strongest I have ever been. There are obvious hypetrophy effects. I donāt warm up for any of my sets, but then again I warmed up and did joint preparation for years so I wouldnāt recommend it if thereās any hesitation about needing a warm up.
p-u-g ā¢ 13 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I want to try something like this, but what the heck would the programming look like? If I were to GTG daily with pull-ups, should I continue working out 3x/wk and just skip pull-ups during the regular routine?
Antranik ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-26
Yea just skip the pull ups since youāre already doing them
[deleted] ā¢ 0 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
jbloodfc ā¢ 17 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Quick question, OP: did you also use the GTG technique to learn skill progressions? Thanks for sharing!
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 27 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Like when doing the turn for the muscle up? Yes.
==Another thing Pavel emphasizes is shifting your mindset from āworking outā to āpracticingā so every time I do GTG I donāt look at it like working out or exercising, I look at it like Iām practicing how to do a weighted chin up, muscle up, or front lever.==
jbloodfc ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Thanks for the post, and for replying. I am a former fat kid, so I need to work on moving from an exercise/work out mindset to a practice mindset. I am getting there, and calisthenics really helps with that because of its focus on progression, but it takes time to reprogram a lifetime of insecurity!
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
No problem man. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step so just be happy that youāre moving in the right direction.
toxicazn ā¢ 5 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Not OP but I use GTG for the front lever and am getting great results in my hold times and overall work capacity, and can now fit in front lever sets at the end of my workouts. I use a percentage of my max hold instead of reps but I also grease the groove with front lever raises to mix up the statics with dynamic reps (using easier progressions otherwise the intensity would be too high).
FitnessFAQs has a great video on GTG for skills too revolving around hold times. https://youtu.be/rGjtPtXXWCg
coffee_snake ā¢ 10 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I think it needs to be stressed that GTG is not the only way to increase reps and/or strength for any given skill - Itās one of many ways. The whole idea behind the program is that youāre practicing the skill and developing a neural connection that helps you move more efficiently and ultimately perform the skill better. That being said, ANY time youāre performing a skill, youāre practicing, albeit the biggest advantage of GTG is that youāre practicing in a fresh state every time. This is why skill exercises usually take place before a workout or on a rest day. This is, of course, my opinion and I improved my pullup rep count without GTG. Although I do really like the idea of treating strength-based exercises the same way you would a skill exercise like a handstand.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 5 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yes. The way I see it, you can increase strength by either building a bigger engine or making sure that engine is functioning as effectively as possible.
I think if youāre chasing movements, you can probably get everything with GTG but if youāre chasing reps or a certain amount of weight that you want to lift then you will eventually hit a glass ceiling because you might max out how effectively you can get your muscles to contract so you may need to focus on more hypertrophy work to build a bigger engine then go back to making that engine effective and keep alternating between training your nerves and training your muscles until you reach the target youāre aiming for.
[deleted] ā¢ 19 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I tried this with pushups and chinups and ended up with tendonitis of the elbows and had to stop. Thatās a shame too because I believe it was helping with my bench and chinups
QueenFlynnster ā¢ 9 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yeah GTG is great for improving reps/strength in certain moves, but its main issue is that itās so easy to do too much and overtrain
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Pushups are kinda hard to GTG because you can easily go beyond 30 but if you can just add weight, so much weight that you can only do 10 at your max and only do 5 then get really lazy about it like I describe in my OP.
Alternatively, you can just do dips and weight it as soon as 5 reps becomes too easy. When I was developing chin ups and 5 reps became easy I put so much weight on that I could only do one rep comfortably. I always smiled to myself at night thinking, āI only did 3 total reps today and thatās ok.ā
Basically don't try to do too much, just put your comfort above everything else and you should be fine. On days when I just feel completely run down I even do just one set.
RickTarded1 ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Did you do any warming up?
snattattack ā¢ 8 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Do you think this method would be effective for improving flexibility skills such as the splits?
newbornbabynoob ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
split
Yes. Read Pavel's book Relax Into Stretch. The entire concept is exactly the same as his strength training: mastering muscle tension through frequent practice throughout the day.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 5 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Woah. Another one of Pavelās books that Iām gonna read now.
bearlyinteresting ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I didnāt know āgrease the grooveā was a thing, but I was getting sick of not being able to do enough push ups or pull ups, so I started doing push ups daily, just banging out a few whenever I felt like it (like 3-5 sets a day) got a pull up bar and do a few when I walk past the bar. I didnāt know it was a thing, but my reasoning was that you get good at what you do, and that I canāt over train if I donāt exert myself. It has helped tremendously with my push ups and I hope it will help my pull ups just as much!
Ackory ā¢ 8 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Iām just going to say this, it is excellent for some movements that are of lower intensity. It allows you to build upon exercises that are relatively simple to achieve and do not cause too much stress to the joints. Doing this, for example, with one arm chin ups is a risk because trying it daily and working on say, negatives can increase the risk of developing elbow tendonitis or other issues (I did this specifically many years ago and resulted in horrible elbow pain). I think GTG is good for basic movements such as pull ups, push ups, dips, handstand holds, front lever work, and even some basic tuck planche holds. They are risky to do with higher level movements such as planches, maltese, iron cross, oac, etc. The basic idea is correct though, more volume means you get better at that movement.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
The volume is the thing that messed me up man. When I decided to chill out I probably only did 3 sets a day on average.
Oh and I forgot to mention, I try to avoid negatives as much as possible. GTG is a neurological stimulus and negatives are better for causing microtrauma and getting strength gains via your muscle getting bigger so I donāt see a lot of value in negatives for GTG. They also cause more damage than just focusing on positives/concentric.
With 1 arm chin ups I would rather do assisted work with bands or with my other hand and on the way down Iād let my other hand help me a lot to minimize the negative as much as possible.
[deleted] ā¢ 7 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Does it work with squats?
Rabh ā¢ 11 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I have gtgāed with pistol squats yeah
[deleted] ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-12-09
Did you have a leg stronger than the other? I can fully pistol squat maybe 1-3 reps with my right leg but left one, barely even half-squat.
Rabh ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-12-09
No, i have an impingement issue on one side that limits mobility, but i can crank out 8 each side (at 68 kg). I gtged them for the month to break the plateau into full pistols after about 5 months in the progressions
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Yes.
Calibretto9 ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Been using GTG for the first time on overhead press. Got sick of constantly hitting the same ceiling with various methods. Guess weāll see if this works.
punchitchewy ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Thatās some impressive progress on the skill work. Iām inspired and have some questions.
Did you gtg with muscle ups/human flag/front and back lever too? Do you have a pull up bar suitable for muscle ups and some kind of pole in your house or yard to practice human flags on?
Sorry to bombard you with questions, just want to incorporate some of your wisdom in to my routine since my Progress is glacial!
[deleted] ā¢ 0 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Iām still wondering what groove is being greased tbh.
WeLiveInaBubble ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Iām still wondering what groove is being greased tbh.
poopfeet1470 ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
This is great. Have you tried this with push ups?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
No. I developed pushups when I was in high school doing something a crazy friend recommended which was to start at day 1 with 1 pushup, day 2 with 2, day 3 with 3, and you get the point. I got to 50 doing that but those last few reps were real grinders and I felt pretty beat up everyday. Sure as hell made my chest look nice though which made the big body builders in the first gym I went to compliment me on my chest and told me I had potential.
I tried it with 1 arm pushups. Works just fine. I donāt see why it wouldnāt work with 2 arm pushups as long as youāre putting your comfort at top priority and trying to have as perfect form as you can when doing reps. Absolutely no grinders allowed too.
RhetoricallyCorrect ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Itās been 4 days of gtg and I already see my pull up form has been better then it has ever been in months. Zero swing, the legs are kept completely tight(something I havenāt been able to do), and I can feel the back activating as I pull my self up. Itās really really effective.
[deleted] ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Wait. Can someone explain this to me in a simpler way?
Iāve been doing strength training over the last year and am Very excited to get into calisthenics (maybe eventually only that instead of hitting the gym lifting weights).
I currently lift 3 times a week. Bench-squat-deadlift and accessories and would LOVE to have a lean STRONG (not at all looking to get ābigā) body.
Female here. 33.
Thanks.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Grease the Groove is only great for developing strength and competence in movements, it doesnāt affect how you look very much.
That said basically just do a few easy reps a day of an exercise/s that youāre working on. If you donāt have a movement thatās lagging, it helps to have a big move youāre developing like a muscle up. Just research easier progressions and work on those until you can do the actual movement, developing that one move should be enough to give you a lot of strength gains.
The way I get a sense of when its time to make things harder is I watch my speed. I try to go as fast as possible with each rep and if I slow down even a bit I end the set. If I set my max reps to 5 and I can do 5 reps throughout each day for 2-3 days very easily with the same speed then Iāll move on to a harder progression or add weight.
I try to avoid negatives/eccentric too because those cause muscles damage and GTG is centered around being as fresh as possible so for example I did some grip work with a hand gripper and I only squeezed down but when it was time to release my grip I just let go all the way so that its almost like the gripper would fall off my hand. Basically I didnāt resist it during the negative.
With the muscle up for example there is a progression called the baby muscle up where you basically do the whole move on lowered rings or a lower bar so that you can put your feet on the ground enough to help push you into the move. When I did that I only did the concentric then let go of the rings/bar and just positioned myself back on the bottom position for every rep.
Finally, put your comfort at top priority. Donāt feel bad if you donāt feel like youāre working hard, working hard actually means your failing, comfort means youāre succeeding.
Fionnabhair ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I had somehow never heard of this technique, but it seems to be somewhat in line with what Iāve been going for lately. This just blew my mind and I must delve into the details of GTG now - it sounds perfect for me. Thanks for sharing!!!
gamingtrent ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Something that has worked absurdly well for me is maxing out once every two weeks with a given exercise, and then doing sets of 50% of that for the next two weeks at my convenience (while aiming to complete a certain number over that period) with at least a minimum rest of fifteen minutes between those sets. For me, I aim for 25 sets over those two weeks.
So, letās say on Monday the 1st I am working on a side plank and I get 100 seconds on my left and 120 seconds on my right. Over the next two weeks, Iām committing to 25 left side planks for 50 seconds each and 25 right side planks for 60 seconds each, however I feel like organizing them, as long as I take at least 15 minutes between them.
Then, on Monday the 15th, Iāll max out my side planks again. This time, it might be 120 on my let and 150 on my right. Then, Iām aiming for 60 on my left and 75 on my right for the next two weeks.
Just have a healthy list of different exercises that target different areas of the body and youāre good to go.
Auraaaaa ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-25
huh. I guess Iāve been training grease the groove this entire time without actually knowing what it means. I never really train to failure.
A11_Retro ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2024-03-15
So quick question. Should I just be greasing the groove for my pull ups instead of doing dedicated pullup workout sessions?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2024-03-15
If your only goal is to increase the number of your pullups, all you need to do is GTG and periodically testing your max in my opinion.
Thatās all I did when that was my goal.
NotSoCrazyHuman ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2025-01-05
I agree, doing it rn to bump up my numbers
[deleted] ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Joe Rogan did a video on that, how to train smart
[deleted] ā¢ 0 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
Should this/can this be tied into the RR? Or are they two conflicting things?
artezul ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Should this/can this be tied into the RR? Or are they two conflicting things?
Panketow ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
I canāt bring myself to even try greasing the groove with anything for fear of injury. And if you were to properly warm up every time then rip your whole day.
Tite_Reddit_Name ā¢ 8 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I think you have to be careful which exercise you do. I donāt need any warm up for half my rep count of push ups or pull ups beyond a few arm and wrist circles. Something like planche leans or lever training id be careful
BartyTwang ā¢ 5 points ā¢ 2018-11-23
But do you have to warm up every time? Isnāt the point that youāre kind of training-by-stealth?
OneDougUnderPar ā¢ 4 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I do a warmup before the first set, and thatās it. Iāve also lost the pains in my right shoulder since I started a program similar to this.
The reason a warm up isnāt as necessary (I hypothesize), is because you arenāt going to the point of exhaustion, and you arenāt starting super hard. This way you can keep form perfectly and you arenāt pushing the muscles beyond a casual limit. Pretty much every injury Iāve ever had, hit when I was exhausted and pushing myself.
But donāt take this as me saying you should absolutely try it. Iām a big believer in everyone being different, you do you. The most important thing is finding a routine that you can stick with. Just listen to your body and all that.
Tel-aran-rhiod ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I think itās probably useful in certain contexts (ie in people who still have significant room for further gains in nervous system efficiency/adaptation on a particular movement), but itās not a miracle. In my experience I only got moderate returns from it, not much more than I would have gotten progress-wise from conventional programming over the same period
MisterLamb ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Wow thatās interesting. Do you think you could GTG would work for stuff like planks and L-sits?
[deleted] ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Do you do any warmup before each time you do reps or straight into chin ups?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
I just go straight into chin ups. Do you really need to warm up if youāre being really strict about form and only doing half of what you can actually do?
If youāre having issues with overhead mobility, try rolling out your pecs on a wall with a lacrosse ball or a baseball. I find that your arm can just pop straight up after you do a few seconds of that and you can keep the ball close to your chin up bar/gymnastic rings so itāll be convenient.
Brondog ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Sorry if I missed something but is there such a thing like a rest day in GtG or can/should I do it whenever I can?
Because I have my bar installed in a place I cross several times a day and Iām thinking about doing my reps whenever I walk there.
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Just go based on your comfort. If you arenāt feeling completely fresh then thatās a sign to stop doing reps for the day. You shouldnāt need to take an actual day off if youāre just going easy every day.
Aras821 ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Anyone had success with L Sit by doing GTG method, because in my regular training I am usually too exhausted for holding perfect form either legs or bracing abs after heavy squats/deads or dips/presses.
sasukevietnan ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
GTG is the key of legend! Man People dont stand out by doing what they need to do 3x a week lol
AmberHarvest ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-24
Which book from Pavel does he talk about GTG?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-25
Naked Warrior.
But Iāve looked into a lot of Pavelās stuff so Iāve picked up more details on it here and there.
[deleted] ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-25
u/BurnItDownSR have you ever gotten tendonitis in your elbows from pull ups? Would you be able to share any tips regarding that?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2018-11-25
Yes, I have. First back off for a while. Donāt do any pulling movements at all for two weeks or however long it takes for your elbow to feel better then go back and do a lazy GTG. I talk about it in my OP when I transition from counting sets and trying to accumulate volume to just doing a set when I feel like it.
Of course, there will be days when youāll just be pumped for some reason and youāll want to do a hundred sets, on those days you need to check yourself and make a conscious effort to back off. If youāve already had tendinitis then you should be very good at telling based on how you feel when youāve gone too far.
Finally, donāt worry about your pulling movements not getting any attention for a few weeks. It takes a hell of a lot longer to lose your gains. Based on research you keep your gains for 3 months but I used to work as a personal trainer and I recorded every clientās numbers in terms of weights and reps, once I had my best friend train under me, he quit working out for 9 months and in those 9 months we always hung out so I could see that he wasnāt doing any exercise at all but when he finally decided to go back to training I had him lift his maxes from 9 months ago, he PRāed every exercise!
LegatusDivinae ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-25
I have a question for people that have done Grease the groove:
Can I do it in conjunction with an āoppositeā exercise? So when Iām āgreasingā pullups, can I also do a proportional number of push ups in same set?
Reason Iām asking is because Iāve heard GtG adds a lot of strain and increases tendonitis risk drastically - and I know from personal experience when I focused on pulling exercises during RR while I was really bad at pushing exercises, my elbows suffered.
[deleted] ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-26
So OP how did you progress with GtG? I have a whiteboard next to my pullup bar and I tick off a set I co.plete. right now Iām doing 7 sets of 4 reps thought the day. When Iām fresh Iām able to do 8 neutral grip chinups which is what Iām trying to improve. How should I plan my progression with GTG?
[deleted] ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-26
I donāt get it then. From where Iām at what should I do? Is it okay if i just use my whiteboard to mark down how many reps i did instead of my phone?
LegendaryLGD ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-27
Would this work for basic exercises like pushups?
Youād do 5 or so pushups instead of the usual 8-10 one set at a time several times a day?
BurnItDownSR ā¢ 3 points ā¢ 2018-11-27
Yes, it does.
brainjiujitsu ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-28
For the more advanced: Couldnāt you possibly use the recommended routine everyday in a GTG format? I mean, spread the 3 sets through out the day, everyday (taking a day off) and work at a 50/60% of your max rep? I started GTG with pushups and got up to diamond push ups with good form pretty fast. I started the RR yesterday and was wondering if there would be better results by applying it in a GTG way.
BjuiiBomb ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2018-11-28
So if I can do 25 push ups max
Doing 5 every couple of minutes increases how many I can do and ACTUALLY Makes me stronger????
TotesMessenger ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2019-05-13
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muffinsandtomatoes ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2023-01-11
have you tried gtg with heavy weights? iām wondering how heavy weights would affect results
Capital-Ad1390 ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2024-04-06
I am inspired to try this. Thanks for the post, although its 5 years old.
redditor_bro ā¢ 2 points ā¢ 2024-04-25
Hey, same, lol
A-Tiny-PewDiePie-Fan ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2024-06-23
Reading this has given me a bit of inspiration haha. If I just focusing on gtg for push ups and pull ups, at what point do I move on to a more challenging movement and do I need to worry about push to pull strength ratio? What about gtg for legs? Iām also curious if overall flexibility is improved indirectly.
No-Butterscotch-6889 ā¢ 1 points ā¢ 2024-06-23
Im doing pushups/squats this way. Bang out ten. Do something else etc then bang out another ten later. They are inclined as Iām overweight. But Iām doing it about four five times a day.
It helps because some days I donāt have the energy to do multiple sets in succession