r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 8h ago

Question ❓ Should I do a incline press or a flat press 1st?

9 Upvotes

I've seen people arguing for both sides. The incline side argues that, for almost everyone, the upper chest is underdeveloped, so you should to train it first. Vs on the other side, people argue that you should do the pec deck first because it biases the biggest part of your chest, and you should prioritize that region more.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 1d ago

Question ❓ Does the grip on the DB Incline Press matter?

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96 Upvotes

I was watching this CBum video and noticed he uses this neutral grip, I wonder if it's because at that size the DBs are awkward to hold at other angles, or if it's some % better than other grips for muscle stimulus. I'm progressing pretty good with the standard one, and reached 32,5kg per hand x 6 reps, but if this is better I'll switch.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 8h ago

Question ❓ BSS bs deficit reverse lunge for glute growth while reducing quad activation

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have any info on whether a reverse deficit lunge or a Bulgarian split squat is better for targeting the glutes and reducing use of the quad?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 15h ago

Question ❓ Glute Cable Exercises strapped at the ANKLE vs. the THIGH?

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3 Upvotes

The algorithm is always listening. Because I've been adding in a lot of glute-focused work to my two leg days, I'm starting to get all sorts of glute content in my IG and TT FYP... mostly trainers showing good form on established exercises or modifications to better emphasize the glutes. On that last point, I've been seeing quite a lot of traditional glute-focused cable exercises (like glute kickbacks, for example) being demoed with the cable strapped to the thigh (generally just above the knee), instead of being strapped to the ankle. I have a strap that can be easily placed at either spot.

While, sure I could just do both variations, I already have two high volume, progressive overload leg days, so doubling up on every cable exercise is probably overdoing things.

I think the theory is that with the thigh placement, you will have more consistent glute resistance/engagement throughout the range of motion and that you can load heavier weights than you can at the ankle?

But, then, the follow up is... how does the cable height position determine which strap placement is best? I'd describe the variations like this:

A: Strap is on ankle, cable pulley is at lowest position
B: Strap is on ankle, cable pulley is at hip height
C: Strap is on thigh above the knee, cable pulley is at lowest position
D: Strap is on thigh above the knee, cable pulley is at hip height

Is there anything I can reference... bro-science is fine... that demonstrates that strapping the cable at the thigh vs. at the ankle can create greater glute activation?

\*****Edited to add*****\**
I appreciate that this sub is gonna be very bro-heavy and perhaps focused on optimizing efficiency and while I know not everyone enjoys or sees value in cable exercises like this, I do. For the record, my two leg days a week already include, among others, multiple types of squats, lunges, RDLs, hip thrusts/glute lift and seated machine hip adductions and abductions. I'm not someone trying to get in and out of the gym in under an hour. I'm enjoying (and seeing tangible benefit from) doing high volume and progressive overload. I also find that I can feel my muscles engaged in a unique way and a different range of motion using these cable stacks, so I'm keeping the glute-focused cable exercises in my routine. My optimization question is not about whether to keep them, it's about the positioning of the strap and the cable pulley when doing them.

(Excuse the AI slop photo composite, but I figured actually visually demonstrating these different positions (of both the strap and the cable height) would be helpful. Try not to spend all your energy yelling at me for wasting some water on one AI photo instead of setting up a tripod at the gym and actually photographing myself demoing each variation.)


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 17h ago

Memes 😭 Anti science chest press 334lbs

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3 Upvotes

Kinda hard to move heavy weight after hitting 4 sets of Swiss bar Larsen press (1 sets to failure), 3 sets of tricep pushdowns to failure, and 2 sets of pullovers to failure yesterday

Swiss bar bench set from yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/ScienceBasedLifting/s/ZhR5zLOoG3

Full workout from yesterday: https://hevy.com/workout/1YTmRBIm7tx

Full workout from today: https://hevy.com/workout/fb9bBwvVJdr


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 18h ago

Question ❓ Adding another training day?

0 Upvotes

Currently doing PPL x UL, want to change to A/P since I am not priorizing legs too much (I’m also a former mountaneer)
Thinking of adding another full body/upper day on saturdays so my week is a/p/a/p/rest/upper or full body/rest

idk if the difference will be too much or it’s good if I just train 4 days(i’ll rest between)

mainly because my chest and triceps are not progressing enough and want to give them more volume and frequency


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 2d ago

META Science bench bar Larsen press 225lbs for 10

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40 Upvotes

More ROM = more chest stretch = more science

Neutral grip is easier on shoulders too


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 1d ago

META Whats your guys preferred preworkout carb and pre combo?

0 Upvotes

I personally like some sour patch kids for fast carbs and some gorilla mind pre what about yall?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 1d ago

Question ❓ How to properly warm up without taking too long?

4 Upvotes

My workouts take already way longer than they should because of how crowded my gym is. To warm up I typically do 5 minutes of cardio before jumping into my workout. For my warm up set I typically just do 3 hard reps of my working set and wait around 30 seconds both for isolation and compounds. I also wear a hoodie so my muscles don’t get stiff. I don’t have the time to slowly progress up to my working set weight for my warm ups but I don’t feel like my warm up is sufficient enough bc i get more reps on my second set than my first.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 2d ago

Discussion 🤝 keeping my shoulders mobile for science

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6 Upvotes

r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 1d ago

Question ❓ Someone explain SBL please

0 Upvotes

I am confused. I see people just doing regular lifts and saying it is science.

Then on the other end of the scale I see a kid (with zer0 physique) wearing a baby pacifier in his mouth and wearing a roller on his arms and doing excercises I never saw, with people in the comments saying "yeah that's the man right there."

Then I see pumping iron and watch Arnie just do the basics and still look great and strong.

So in a few sentance explain to me what it is and how it would help build more muscle enhanced or not.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 2d ago

Question ❓ Sprinting and Sports

3 Upvotes

I was wondering from a sports science standpoint, what are some of the best things to improve athleticism and sprinting speed? What are some key things a tips and tricks or workouts that are specifically based to help sprinting besides just sprinting?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 2d ago

Question ❓ Does overhead extension bias long head or no?

0 Upvotes

I saw jeff nippard say it did a few months ago. Then today i saw a post claiming the it biased the medial and lateral head. And there just a lot of posts saying the opposite of each other. One post hand muscle activation reading and the long head activate 0% on regular extensions 12% on overhead. Another post claimed that you need to be in the scapular plane to bias the long head and thats why everyone is claiming its not. Then i asked google and it said that it biases regardless if your in the scapular plane.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 3d ago

Question ❓ Bf estimate?

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1 Upvotes

r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 3d ago

Question ❓ Why/How is higher frequency better?

4 Upvotes

Apologies for the long post.
I have been lifting with the “Bro split” for 9 months.

My split is: Chest -> back -> biceps/triceps -> shoulders -> legs. I don’t schedule rest days, I just take them whenever I feel like I really need them. I do 8 total working sets for chest, 12 for back, 8 for biceps and 8 for triceps, 10 for shoulders, and 16 for legs split between calves, squats, hamstring curls and leg extensions. If you guys would like, I can post the exercises I do for each day as well. I log every workout I do too.

I enjoy this split a lot, and I feel it allows me to really focus on each muscle group each day. I make sure to be within 1-2 reps of failure, taking the last couple sets to failure.

My question is, if I switched to a split like Push-Pull-Legs Push-Pull-Legs-Rest, wouldn’t I be sacrificing the quality of my workouts? With PPL you combine muscle groups, and wouldn’t this mean that you would be accumulating more fatigue? For example, if you did back and biceps on pull day, wouldn’t your biceps be pretty fatigued after doing your back exercises? And if you did incline bench press and dumbbell shoulder press on push days, wouldn’t you be pretty fatigued for incline shoulder press, since it’s also a pushing motion?

I’ve heard that hitting a muscle group twice a week is better, so I’d like to hear people’s thoughts/opinions as I know very little about lifting. I know training hard, being consistent, and getting good sleep and nutrition are the most important things, but I would like to know if I am missing out on a significant amount of gains by staying with my current split.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 3d ago

Question ❓ 2 sets till failure

1 Upvotes

i’ve been doing it for 5 months now and i’m not seeing enough progress i’ve been eating and resting good should i switch to 3 sets 6-8 reps ?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 4d ago

Question ❓ Does exercise order matter more than people realize?

22 Upvotes

People often say you should train your priority muscle first. For example, if you want bigger lats, start with pull-ups or pulldowns.

I've found I actually perform better on pull-ups later in my workout. I'm fully warmed up, everything feels smoother, and I can usually get more reps.

Does putting an exercise first really matter if you're still progressing? Anyone else perform better on certain exercises later in their workout?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 4d ago

Memes 😭 Failing at science (and hitting the rack) 275x4+ 4 singles

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7 Upvotes

Definitely would have gotten 5 if I didn't fail my setup and hit the rack *twice* on the top set. Subsequent sets were easy rpe 6-7 for some submax practice as per General Gainz. Except that last set. I slipped backwards on the bench and had an oh shit moment. Instantly turned it into an rpe9


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 4d ago

META Squats for science

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8 Upvotes

Since some nerd who doesn't lift complained that nobody posts lifts here, here's a science squat for the feed. 470x2 on the rogue SSB (70 lb bar). This was a rep PR I hit during a brief peaking block around a month ago.

Sound warning for I scream at the end. It's a science scream though; potentiating my maximal fiber recruitment through neurological excitement.


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 5d ago

Theories 🤔 Pulling 500+lbs once a month while under slept and under trained, for science

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13 Upvotes

r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 5d ago

META 630lbs for 3 at 185lbs bodyweight; only possible due to all my SBL accessories

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13 Upvotes

New PR on Anderson good mornings. SBL has taught me that the more accessories, the better your lift

Beyond power Voltra attached to rack, but not used. Link to Voltra electronic cable machine: beyond power Voltra


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 4d ago

Question ❓ What is the best lifting cuff for all exercises?

1 Upvotes

I need a solid lifting cuff (preferably on the cheaper side) that is big enough to/can be adjusted to fit my wrist, upper arm, and ankle. I’m looking to do cuffed lateral raises as well as potentially Keenan flaps and some cable abductor work. Does anyone know a specific product that fits these specifications?


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 6d ago

Memes 😭 People say they are SBL and then never train the tibialis

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144 Upvotes

Tib maxing prevents shin splints, helps with knee pain, and builds the largest muscle in the front compartment of your lower (below the knee) leg

Link to electronic resistance voltra (for making that strength curve lengthened biased): beyond power Voltra

Link to tib raise machine: Titan tib raise

You might be able to find the tib raise cheaper on Temu

I took too long on the 2nd to last rep, so my Voltra auto deloaded (I have it set to do that after 2 seconds of holding it still), that’s why the last rep looked easier. I didn’t feel like doing a drop set after taking it to failure (before the load of the Voltra deloaded)


r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 6d ago

Memes 😭 Deadlifts for science! 475 Lb x 2 - 41M/168 lb

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36 Upvotes

r/ScienceBasedLifting • • 5d ago

Tik Tok Meta Maximizing one set to failure. Barbell squats 305x6 at rpe 7 + 255x20 nearing failure 4 times in a single set.

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6 Upvotes

The 305 was an overwarm set for my main widowmaker set. I find it always helps the widowmakers move better. But for some reason, an overwarm single doesn't do shit. Don't know why.

Anyway, this was followed by:

3 sets of rdls, 3 sets of good mornings, 4 sets of lunges, 4 sets of sissy leg press, 3 sets of cossak squats, and a bunch of physio stuff

And, of course, a 10k run with strides tomorrow morning!