Greg, Pak, and Milo review the literature on lifting for mental health. Does exercising improve your mood? How long does this last? What about lifting? Can we improve our long-term mental health through physical activity and lifting weights?

TIME STAMPS

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com here

00:10:02 - Impact of exercise on mood overview

00:38:55 - Best forms of exercise for mood improvement

00:47:00 - Long-term effects of exercise on mental health

01:26:04 - Lifting impacts on mental health

01:41:17 - Audience questions

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Milo, Greg, and Pak sit down to discuss the concept of stretch-mediated hypertrophy, from the foundational animal studies, to human stretching studies, to present day hype around stretch-mediated hypertrophy and lengthened partials. They also discuss how they're currently implementing lengthened training into their workout routines.

TIME STAMPS

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-132 here

00:00:00 - Intro and Plugs

00:11:33 - Stretch-mediated hypertrophy and hyperplasia in animals

00:44:59 - Stretch-mediated hypertrophy in humans/how muscle fibers grow

00:56:08 - Impact of stretching interventions on hypertrophy in humans

01:44:28 - Results vs lengthened resistance training

02:11:08 - Recap/takeaways from resistance training literature

02:42:47 - Audience questions

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo delve into research on sleep's impact on lifting and sports performance, recount sleep-related anecdotes from their college days, and explore strategies to counteract poor sleep when enhancing sleep quality is not feasible.
 

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-131

TIME STAMPS:

00:06:34 - Effects of acute sleep loss on physical performance

00:22:20 - Sleep anecdotes from our time at College

00:54:23 - Impact of sleep interventions on athletic performance

01:11:19 - Napping

01:25:42 - Mitigating some of the damage caused by poor sleep

01:40:37 - Sleep impact on protein synthesis

01:51:11 - Can exercise offset the cognitive impacts of sleep deprivation?

02:00:50 - QnA & closing thoughts

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo take a deep dive in the research around sleep and health, from sleep duration to the latest data on sleep regularity and shift work. 

00:00:00 - Intro & Plugs

00:20:48 - Sleep duration and all-cause mortality

00:42:58 - Sleep regularity and all-cause mortality

01:15:13 - Shift work & sleeping irregular hours

01:26:40 - Chronotypes & health

01:41:47 - The effect of sleep on weight regulation

02:23:24 - Practical takeaways

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-130

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo tackle the research around body fat spot reduction. First, they tackle the research on various ointments, creams, garments, and whole body vibration. Following this, they discuss the evidence for spot reduction as an adaptation to different exercise types such as endurance and resistance training.

TIME STAMPS

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com here

00:00:00 - Intro & plugs

00:17:41 - Spot reduction history, whole body vibration, garments & ointments

00:46:04 - Training & spot reduction: the first studies

00:58:09 - Recent evidence on training and spot reduction

01:32:42 - Studies not supporting spot-reduction

01:52:52 - Practical takeaways

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected] 

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In the second and final part of the extreme volume for hypertrophy series, Greg, Pak, and Milo delve into the research on volume for hypertrophy. They review the remainder of the evidence and practical concerns, then answer audience questions.

TIME STAMPS

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-128 here.

00:00:00 - Intro

00:11:13 - Evidence for high volumes

01:02:53 - Evidence with neutral outcomes

02:04:51 - Discussing other volume review papers

02:33:07 - Diminishing Returns of Volume for Hypertrophy

02:48:58 - Can you use high volumes for multiple muscles at once?

03:04:07 - Are participants really training hard in these studies?

03:18:27 - Hypertrophy vs. Muscle Swelling

03:35:25 - What role does rest time play?

03:46:01 - Practical Strategies to Increase Training Volume

04:24:35 - Audience Questions

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, the SBS team begins their deep dive into the data around really high training volumes and hypertrophy, going over the history of training volume practices and research while also taking an in-depth look at the latest high volume study by Enes et al.

Most of the research discussed in this episode can be found here:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27433992/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37796222/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35291645/

Note: The full list of sources and notes can be found on the episode page on strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-127

TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 - Intro

00:20:18 - Historical context: High Volume vs. High Intensity

00:48:53 - An overview of the volume research

01:14:11 - The recent study by Enes & Colleagues

01:39:15 - Interpretations of Study, Context Dependency, Applications and Criticism

Want to get your question answered on the show? Send a voice memo to [email protected]

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this Q&A episode of the podcast, Greg and Lyndsey answer questions about how to research a new subject, the effect of diabetes or insulin resistance on hypertrophy, how a pump might affect moment arms in movements, how much is too much isolation work, and more. They also give an update on the future of the podcast and announce that Dr Pak and Dr Milo Wolf are teaming up with Stronger By Science.

TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 – Podcast Updates

• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/future/

00:21:29 – Q&A Intro and "How do you go about researching a whole new subject?" (Q1 from Teo)

00:39:29 – "Does T2DM make hypertrophy impossible?" (Q2 from Jon) 

• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/p-ratios/
• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/p-ratios-rebuttal/
• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/p-ratios-rebuttal-2/
• For more direct data on diabetic populations: Beyond general resistance training. Hypertrophy versus muscular endurance training as therapeutic interventions in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acosta-Manzano et al. (2020)
• Another 2020 systematic review: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Resistance Training on Whole-Body Muscle Growth in Healthy Adult Males. Benito et al. Average increase of about 1.51kg.
• Metformin: optimism that it would help with hypertrophy: Metformin to Augment Strength Training Effective Response in Seniors (MASTERS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
• But, that didn’t pan out. Didn’t stop hypertrophy altogether, but did seem to reduce it: Metformin blunts muscle hypertrophy in response to progressive resistance exercise training in older adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial: The MASTERS trial

00:55:18 – "Does getting a pump increase strength?" (Q3 from Alexander) 

• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/size-vs-strength/
• https://peerj.com/articles/1462/

01:05:20 –  Stimulant metabolism (Q4 from Connor Smith)

01:17:40 – "How much can BMR vary between individuals?" (Q5 from Jon) 

• Do People Really Have “Fast Metabolisms” or “Slow Metabolisms”?

01:29:35 – "Is it possible to taper down activity levels (steps) without reducing calories?" (Q6 from Angela) 

• Constrained energy expenditure

01:41:10 – "How do you incorporate plyometrics and explosive training for jump height" (Q8 from trugor) 

01:54:29 – "Is there any research showing damage to the blood vessels or whatnot in the longer term due to the blood pressure increase, because of bracing/Valsalva maneuver?" (Q9 from No_Performer_8133)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23231790/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33737330/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38142405/  

02:00:51 – "How much isolation work is too much?" (Q10 from tompa01) 

02:10:05 – "Favorite and least favorite things I’ve cooked" (Q11 from Ali Shah) 

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Greg sits down with Dr. Milo Wolf to discuss long muscle length training. Long-length partials are a hot topic, and Dr. Wolf is one of the folks doing research in this area, and popularizing long-length partials as a training method to increase muscle growth. Enjoy! 

TIME STAMPS AND NOTES

Most of the research discussed in this episode can be found here:

• https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/182
• https://www.strongerbyscience.com/rom/

00:00:00 - Episode Intro - Einstein, Toothpaste, and Plugs

00:18:18 - Intro - Dr. Milo Wolf

00:31:03 - Research: Impact of Muscle Length and Range of Motion on Hypertrophic Response

00:54:49 - Mechanisms / Explanation of Research

01:24:23 - Implications for Different Muscle Groups and Exercises

01:40:39 - Long Muscle Length Training Myths

01:56:17 - Limits of Long Muscle Length Training/Effects Over Time/Novelty

02:33:16 - Analysis of Existing Studies / Conflicting Results / Criticism

02:47:20 - Application of Results in Training

02:53:45 - Audience Questions and Final Thoughts

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

In this episode, Greg is joined by Dr. Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis (Dr. Pak) to discuss his research on minimum effective dose training, and his recent narrative review on optimizing exercise technique for muscle growth. While this episode does dig into the research, the lads tried to keep a clear focus on actionable takeaways to help you improve your training results.

TIME STAMPS

Intro and Plugs (00:00:00)

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Get a two-minute breakdown of one recent study every Wednesday. Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.
• Send your Q&A questions to [email protected]

 Dr. Pak Intro, Bio and Projects (00:15:49)

 Dr. Pak's Paper: Optimizing Resistance Training Technique to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy (00:34:14)

• Narrative review: https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/349/718
• Bench vs. incline study mentioned: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32922646/

 Technique: Tempo/Eccentric and Concentric Movement (00:59:14)

 Minimum Effective Dose - Overview (01:16:14)

 Dr. Pak's PhD Research - Implications for MED (01:24:51)

• Pak’s meta: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31797219/
• Pak’s doctoral research: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.713655/full

 Why Should We Care about MED? (01:41:18)

 How Does MED Change Over Time? (01:52:01)

Q&A (01:59:53)

• Bickel study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21131862/

 Social Media Q&A (02:13:22)

 Outro (02:30:47)
 

Follow Pak: 

• https://www.minimumdosetraining.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/dr__pak
• https://www.youtube.com/@Dr__Pak

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.

Greg was recently on the Data Driven Strength Podcast to chat about their meta-regression on proximity to failure and hypertrophy. In the episode, Greg, Zac, and Josh discuss what we know about the mechanisms underpinning muscle growth and the weaknesses of the "effective reps" model. We think it's a conversation worth sharing, so we're re-releasing it in our feeds today as a special bonus episode.

TIME STAMPS AND NOTES

Intro (0:00:00)

Overview of New Proximity to Failure Meta-Regression (0:07:31)

Common Misinterpretations of the Results (0:19:41)

The Resurgence of the Effective Reps Model (0:22:41)

The Desire for a Proxy Metric of Hypertrophy (0:42:41)

The Mechanistic Rationale of Effective Reps (1:20:41)

Other Factors Influencing Muscle Growth (1:52:41)

Metabolic Stress as a Mediator (2:11:41)

Is Force on the Fiber Level High at the End of a Set? (3:07:41)

Practical Applications (3:42:41)
 

PAPERS MENTIONED

Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy : A Series of Meta-Regressions | SportRxiv

Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise

Can cardio (eventually) make you bigger?

Mechanisms of mechanical overload-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy: current understanding and future directions

Different load intensity transition schemes to avoid plateau and no-response in lean body mass gain in postmenopausal women | SpringerLink

A motor unit-based model of muscle fatigue | PLOS Computational Biology

Skeletal muscle models composed of motor units: A review - ScienceDirect

Neural Drive is Greater for a High-Intensity Contraction Tha... : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

Effects of fatiguing, submaximal high‐ versus low‐torque isometric exercise on motor unit recruitment and firing behavior

Surface electromyographic frequency characteristics of the quadriceps differ between continuous high- and low-torque isometric knee extension to momentary failure - ScienceDirect

Different neuromuscular recruitment patterns during eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions

(PDF) Neuromuscular responses to isometric, concentric and eccentric contractions of the knee extensors at the same torque-time integral

Neuromuscular fatigue development during maximal concentric and isometric knee extensions

Improvements in skeletal muscle fiber size with resistance training are age-dependent in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC
 

MORE ABOUT DDS

YouTube channel

Training Takeaway Newsletter — Data Driven Strength

IG: @datadrivenstrength @zac.datadrivenstrength @josh.datadrivenstrength @jake.datadrivenstrength @drake.datadrivenstrength  

(Credit: Their intro music is by Joystock)

MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM

• Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
• Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
• Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

• Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.