Wits & Weights | Smart Science to Build Muscle and Lose Fat
For skeptics of the fitness industry who want to work smarter and more efficiently to build muscle and lose fat. Wits & Weights cuts through the noise and deconstructs health and fitness with an engineering mindset to help you develop a strong, lean physique without wasting time.
Nutrition coach Philip Pape explores EFFICIENT strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies to optimize your body composition. Simple, science-based, and sustainable info from an engineer turned lifter (that's why they call him the Physique Engineer).
From restrictive fad diets to ineffective workouts and hyped-up supplements, there's no shortage of confusing information out there.
Getting in the best shape of your life doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. By using your WITS (mindset and systems!) and lifting WEIGHTS (efficiently!), you can build muscle, lose stubborn fat, and achieve and maintain your dream physique.
We bring you smart and efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset. You'll learn:
- Why fat loss is more important than weight loss for health and physique
- Why all the macros (protein, fats, and yes even carbs) are critical to body composition
- Why you don't need to spend more than 3 hours in the gym each week to get incredible results
- Why muscle (not weight loss) is the key to medicine, obesity, and longevity
- Why age and hormones (even in menopause) don't matter with the right lifestyle
- How the "hidden" psychology of your mind can unlock more personal (and physical) growth than you ever thought possible, and how to tap into that mindset
If you're ready to separate fact from fiction, learn what actually works, and put in the intelligent work, hit that "follow" button and let's engineer your best physique ever!
Wits & Weights | Smart Science to Build Muscle and Lose Fat
Quick Wits: Best Exercises for the Hamstrings (Lifting for Muscle Series)
The hamstrings are the often overlooked powerhouse behind your lower body. Last week we talked quads. Today we're going to talk about the hammies.
Philip (@witsandweights) reveals his 4 go-to exercises for building strength and size in your hamstrings in this special Lifting for Muscle Series of Quick Wits!
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“Quick Wits” are short, 3-5 minute episodes between full episodes to give you an actionable strategy or hit of motivation.
These mini-episodes give you practical advice on fitness, training, and mindset based on my everyday experience with clients that you can implement right away.
If you enjoy these bonus episodes or have feedback on how to make them better, just send me a message on IG @witsandweights or hit me up in the free Wits & Weights Facebook community.
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The hamstrings are the often overlooked powerhouse behind your lower body. Last week we talked quads. Today we're going to talk hamstrings. Join me on the lifting for muscle series of quick wits as I reveal my four go-to exercises for building strength and size in your hamstrings. Welcome to the Wits and Weights podcast. I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition. We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best. Let's dive right in. Welcome to quick wits, where we attempt to get straight to the point. In today's episode, we're zeroing in on the hamstrings, unoverlooked but crucial for leg strength and stability. We're going to look at four exercises that I love for this. First, of course, with a barbell, is going to be the deadlift. Deadlifts are arguably for your legs and for your back and I mentioned them on the back on the very first quick wits in this series about the back as a stabilizer, but of course they are phenomenal for hamstring development, the active muscle in the hinge movement. They engage your entire posterior chain, including your glutes and hamstrings. When someone says to me and, ladies, you know who you are, I want to get bigger glutes my first question is are you squatting and deadlifting because you want to have those in, at a minimum to load those up before you get to the other movements? The key with deadlift, as we said before, is that neutral, solid back, that slight extension in the lower back, the proper hinge and strong pull to the top. There's a lot of elements that I'm not going to be able to explain here. There's some great videos about that and if you have questions, always reach out to me.
Philip Pape:Deadlifts are number one. Number two are going to be some other hinge with a barbell, usually with a barbell, but also could be used with a dumbbell, such as Romanian deadlifts or good mornings. These isolate the hamstrings even more. I like the Romanian deadlift from the top, bringing it slowly down to the bottom, very lightly, locking the knees not locking the knees, but there's a slight bend in the knees and you're not bending them further, where it would become more of a deadlift. You're keeping them somewhat stiff or straight. Some people use the term straight leg deadlift when you do this from the ground, but a Romanian deadlift is bringing it down and feeling that tension in your hamstrings. The good morning is having the bar on your back, kind of like a high bar movement, and then hinging forward and getting the stretch in your hamstrings. Rdls focus on lifting the weight with your hips and legs and good mornings pivot around your waist. But either way, they're both really solid barbell or dumbbell movements that can give you a targeted hamstring movement and avoid some of the strain you might get from the deadlift which is going to tax other things like your back.
Philip Pape:All right. So number three is going to be, if you have access to either of these, either a glute ham raise or Nordic curls. Now, Nordic curls you can kind of rig up in your home gym. It takes some time to set it up. Look it up online. I'm not going to explain it. You're basically just you're on your knees and you're hinging forward. Most people need a band because it's so difficult to bring yourself up unless you have sufficient strength. Glute ham raises, also known as GHR or GHD machine, is often only found in a gym, unless you're lucky enough to have one at home and you're basically just locking your legs in. Your torso is upright and then you're going forward and getting a really nice tight stretch in the hamstrings, and then you're pulling yourself back up.
Philip Pape:The last one is, of course, going to be leg curls. Whether these are line seated or standing, they're very targeted isolation movement which allows you to focus on that mind muscle connection, that contraction, that control. They're great as a finisher in your leg workout or you can use them as a warmup for pre-exhaustion. So there you go. If you get these four things the barbell deadlift, the Romanian deadlift, the good mornings, the GHD or Nordic curls and the leg curls into your routine, you'll have some nice, well-developed, strong hamstrings. And there you have it, my top four exercises for hamstring strength and development. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights. If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode. Until then, stay strong.