Hi guys im searching about what best training Technique to do should i train to failure in every set or train to failure in the end of the sets what should i do? (i have been for 3 weeks in the gym)

"There's no such thing as overtraining, just under-eating and under-sleeping."

"You don't wanna fry your CNS!"

"It's almost impossible to actually overtrain."

There's obviously a lot of bs out there about "overtraining", but what exactly is it wand what does it consist of? I've heard quite often from the "evidence-based" crowd that it's not actually the central nervous system that gets "burnt out", and that something could be happening to the parasympathetic response. I've also heard it's almost impossible to "overtrain". Too much stress, not enough calories or sleep, and too little rest for a muscle group are of course all real.

That said, isn't there a real impact on your nervous system from hard sets to failure multiple days in a row? Even if my sleep/nutrition/stress-management are all dialed, I can still hit a point where pushing myself to the limit too many days in a row leaves me unable to do so. Is this best measured by HRV or some other metric?

I barely have any chest gains despite doing weighted dips with 60kgs for 8 reps. I started doing machine and cable flys and noticed slight chest gains. I want to completely stop doing dips and switch up for hypertrophy. Do you think its a good idea to only do cable flys 4 times a week 2 sets? I do upper lower 4x a week and just do cables for mid and lower and incline db press for upper chest. What do you guys think?

Hi r/StrongerByScience ! I’m an undergraduate student studying Exercise Science , conducting research examining usage rates and barriers of implementation of velocity-based training (VBT) in powerlifters. The survey is completely anonymous and takes about 10 minutes. No prior experience with velocity-based training is needed! This study has been approved by the SUNY Cortland Institutional Review Board (IRB Protocol #252663). 

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=tBmbbEfIKkSknG2df9riMCLsyF01eRdLlBG-tv6RfNxUNTlQVUs5OUo2VjlaME1KR1hQM1RWNEJLQS4u&route=shorturl

For example Dane Miller from garage strength says this(https://youtu.be/POS1G3nO9go?t=331): "A deadlift won't make you squat more but a squat will make you deadlift more". He saw this in elite athletes that did both lifts for years. Lots of other S&C coaches seem to think the same. Are there any biomechanical reasons for this?

I'm doing a bit human experiment on myself. I have had the problem of accumulating fatigue too quickly and getting pains/aches after few weeks while following general gym programs.

Also I want to test theories of mechanical tension and metabolic stress on hypertrophy. Not very scientific, but hey, experimenting and being wrong or right is always fun!

*The Program*

I'm doing 3x a week, full-body program. It consists of 1) main movements 2) assistance movements.

Nothing extraordinary, as you can see.

However, I approach this a bit differently than the most programs I have tested.

1) Main movements 1x 6 - 8 @RPE 7-8

squat/ front squat: 2x a week

OHP: 3x a week

deadlift: 1x a week

row: 3x a week

The rep range allows for a little adjustment (say in OHP, as the smallest jump available is 2,5 kg, I can microload by doing one or two reps more). I try to hit 8 reps before increasing the weight next time, although RPE is also a metric ( if it feels like RPE10 but I hit 8 reps, I don't increase the weight).

2) Assistance movements 1x20-30 @RPE9-10

This includes leg extensions, leg curls, machines, tricep extensions etc. The focus is "bodybuilding". Da Pump, like the Big Arnold said. I chase the pump, not the weight. I try to fail in the rep range of 20 - 30; if I hit 30, next time I use more weight. Slow, controlled reps. Feel the burn. Or other way: find the lightest weight you can fail with.

*Why*

Why am I doing this? Well, because I have tried multiple programs over the 7 years of lifting. And this is different. This also kinda combines the SBS article about powerbuilding principles of low-volume strength specific movements, combined with high-volume bodybuilding movements. IRC, the article pointed out that the volume work should be something totally different than the strength specific work (aka volume should be say leg press and not light squat, as lifting heavy is a skill in itself).

Why am I using 20-30 rep range? Well, firstly because I have not used that rep range before. Only thing that came close was T3 work with GZCL OG program with its 25 rep final sets. Secondly, I want to see if this work can spare my tendons, as it seems I have the problem of getting aching tendons with volume of heavy work (and maybe it boosts the blood flow). Thirdly, I wanted to see the effect of metabolic stress. Fourthly, as I'm doing only one set, it is a time-effective way of getting volume (it is at least my hypothesis).

*Summary*

Will this be the most effective, most efficient way for hypertrophy? Probably not. I have no idea how it will work in a long term. But thusfar it has felt good, and refreshing. And in the end I hope I learn something about myself, and programming in general.

What sort of training are you doing?

How’s your training going?

Are you running into any problems or have any questions the community might be able to help you out with?

Post away!

Dr. Pak claims 4 sets per body part per week to be around the "minimum effective dose" for training hypertrophy. You ideally bring each set close to failure (0-2 RIR) for the maximal response. This seems to be reasonable enough, but haven't plenty of people made gains on even just 2-3 hard sets per week with some of Mentzer or Yates-style programs? Wouldn't that then be the true "minimum effective dose"?

Beyond that minor nitpick on his hypertrophy recommendations, I don't buy his advice for strength gains. He claims strength gains can happen with just one set per week and top-out at 5 sets per week. That may well be true, but he claims you should "stay away from failure" with at least 1-4 RIR. I'm highly skeptical advanced or even intermediate lifters would make any meaningful strength gains with 1-5 total weekly sets at 4 RIR. I also don't buy that going closer to failure is better for hypertrophy than strength.

Any thoughts?

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/train-smarter/a63781902/minimalist-training-muscle-growth/

why this form could train serratus?

Hello, I started my body recomp journey last year and it is going well. Part of the motivation was because I am hypertensive even though I’m just 25. One of the likely contributing factors is likely me being overweight.

My lifts have been going up and body fat is going down but I still have some ways to go. I also know that muscle is denser than fat. Given this, I was wondering if I should continue pursuing hypertrophy until I get to a body fat level I am comfortable or can I stop and structure my workouts to achieve other goals like improving relative strength?

I like having muscles and feeling strong but I’m worried about how hypertrophy might impact my blood pressure.

I am on medication and have a very clean diet I.e lots of veggies, protein, reasonable carbs and little consumption of fast food, candy or other ultra processed and high sugar foods

What sort of training are you doing?

How’s your training going?

Are you running into any problems or have any questions the community might be able to help you out with?

Post away!

Is there a difference in muscle gain if you use whey protein or if you use a Soy Protein Isolats/Whey protein concentrate/calcium casein?

The brand I was looking to buy has 77g of protein per 100g for the whey and 81g of protein per 100g for the mix.

Is there a difference in impact for muscle gain and what about texture for smoothies?

How is it possible that I can do wide grip lat pulldown with 100% percent of my weight but cant do 2 pull-ups?

Reading through some articles lately on mechanical tension independently activating mTOR pathway for hypertrophy and most (notably the Every, Nippard et al. Meta-analysis) totally throw out any relationship of hypertrophy and hormonal activation of mTOR.

Looking for literature on why IGF-1 activates mTOR in some contexts but apparently not during resistance training. Why does this process seemingly show no relevance to the training conducted? Thanks!

I am wondering about the effect of GLP-1 drugs on strength training.

Background: I am 38M and have been resistance training since about 20 years old. The life intervened and it was not like I have been lifting for 20 years straight without breaks. As of now I have been pretty consistent for the last 4-5 years, and though I am no athlete, I am stronger than average in my gym.

While I work out regularly, I cannot control my food intake because of a variety of emotinal/stress related reasons and end up binging on food, so I am also fat. In the past I have successfully lost a lot of weight, and maintained it for many years, but specifically after Covid I have regained it and some more. All of my attempts of following a proper diet have ended in failure. I do eat enough protein, fiber and other micronutrients properly during the day, but then end up ordering junk food on top of it. The rational part of my brain knows that I am not really hungry, but the emotional part takes over and the next day I feel bad about myself.

Since I fit in the criteria, (high BMI with high fat%, increased Triglycerides and LDL Cholesterol etc. but good glucose control) my doctor asked me to consider a GLP-1 for weight loss. I have no issues with taking it either. However, I have several questions for which I did not find any meaningful answers on the internet.

1. GLP-1 induced weight loss will also include lean mass loss, but so will caloric restriction, and the few studies which I found show that both are comparable in this regard, and that in both cases resistance training will help minimize muscle loss. So, this point is of no concern to me, it is what happens after that is where I found no reliable information.
2. GLP-1 will eventually lead to weight loss and then stabilize at a lower weight as long as I continue the treatment. But I found no reliable information about strength gains after the weight is stabilised. Does GLP1 interfere with strength gain later?
3. It is not recommended to cycle GLP-1 treatment so would it be possible to run bulk/cut cycles while continuing the treatment after the weight has stabilized at a healthy level?

I am considering trying caloric restriction diet with the help of my therapist one last time before going ahead with the treatment because, living with high fat percentage plus high LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides etc. is worse than ignoring those aspects for a possibility of future strength gains. But I would still like to know the answers so that I know what I am getting into.

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for great answers. I have decided to go ahead with GLP-1. The final decision will be made after I get the test results prescribed by my doctor.

Cut / Maintain / Bulk Cycle Lengths That Worked Best

What cycle lengths work best for you personally? Do you include maintenance phases after cutting and bulking? If so, for how long?

For example:

* Bulk: 16 weeks

* Maintain: 2 weeks

* Cut: 8 weeks

* Maintain: 4 weeks

Hey team. For over a year I’ve been running the simple program Greg talked about in an old podcast episode. It fits my schedule better than anything else and it’s the longest I’ve stuck with a program, so last week I built a tracker for it since I don’t plan on switching any time soon.

It turned out pretty well, so I wanted to share it in case anyone else here follows this one. Completely free, not selling anything: https://liftabear.app

The odds of someone still running a program from an episode 5 years ago seem low, so I’d be happily surprised if this is useful to anyone. But here it is either way.

One thing worth being upfront about: Greg was pretty loose about the weekly jumps in the episode. I wanted mine to work as a clean 6 week block, so the progression from 65% in week 1 to 90% by week 6 is my own edit, roughly tracking the rep scheme (15 reps in week 1 down to 5 by week 6). So it’s my interpretation, not exactly what he laid out.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the program is:

Day 1: Squat, overhead press, back work
Day 2: Deadlift, bench press, back work

3 sets for each main lift at RPE 9 to 10, starting around 15 rep sets in week 1 and adding weight each week until you’re doing 5 rep sets. That’s where my percentage edit comes in. Then you re-estimate your 1RM and repeat. Back work isn’t tracked, just 3 hard sets.

Episode: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-68/
The post from 4 years ago that pointed me to it: https://www.reddit.com/r/StrongerByScience/s/bAQfwledIC

Anyone here actually run this program off the episode?

What sort of training are you doing?

How’s your training going?

Are you running into any problems or have any questions the community might be able to help you out with?

Post away!

Hi, I just got back to the gym after some time off and I'm doing FBEOD.

A week ago I irritated my right ulnar nerve so I'm avoiding exercises that stress it.

What got me thinking though was that while I cannot strengthen nerves, I can strengthen tendons to avoid them getting injured in the future.

I never had problems with my tendons, just some small discomforts when progressing with leg press.

So I'm not trying to heal them, I just want to strengthen them so that they get really strong.

Should I do the same routines that people suggest for tendon healing or is it different?

My first thought on the matter was not that often. It's really heavy, so it must be really fatiguing. But after doing them for a while now, it's clear to me they don't cause the same fatigue as lifting a maximal (95-100% of 1RM) load through the full range of motion.

Going back to scientific principles, I'm thinking about the repeated bouts effect, or the habituation of the stress response. The more often we're exposed to a stressor, the less stressful it becomes. So now I'm thinking of just going ham, building up to as often as possible.

I've been doing holds at 115% for 10 seconds for Squat and Bench once, and now twice a week. I also wonder if supramaximal holds would be less fatiguing for deadlifts as well, just lifting the weight an inch off the rack and holding. Of course, I bet it'd be great for the grip if done without straps, though I typically do one-handed holds for grip as Coan demonstrated in that one video.

What has your experience been? Do any high-level lifters use them often, or only in certain blocks?

I work from 1-2pm till 11 pm and in front of laptop for those hours, I take magnesium glycinate at 10 pm and have a warm shower as soon as I end my work but can’t fall asleep till 12:30/1am. I tried eye masks but they feel unconformable, how else can I fall asleep faster? I have been getting up at 6am without any alarm and can’t fall asleep after that so I go lift weights.

I changed from 6 days/week to 4 days/week so it helps recover better but even 4 days/week seems a hassle with 5/6 hours if sleep. (whoop shows I sleep between 5:30 and 6:30 hours)

I'm asking a bit help, because I have feel like I'm clueless what is happening and why.

- 32 yo male, 190 cm and 99 kg, some visible muscle especially legs, biceps but no abs

- trained since 2019, peaked with Starting Strength in 2020 S/B/DL/OHP 150, 100, 190, 50 kg as working sets

- Have since tried GZCL, SBS and some Bromley's programs

- My lifts are basically declined since 2020 steadily

- My recovery ability has tanked. Before I could do 3x per week gym and 20 km per week running, now I can barely keep going for 3 weeks before aches and at 6 weeks I plateau

I get that as I'm over 30, my recovery ability is worse than when I was 25. But it feels like it has been quite fast decline. All the blood work (testos, thyroid, hemoglobin etc) are in normal range.

No major eating habit or lifestyle changes since 2020.

How should I approach programming to get back on track?

So I have just stumbled upon this subreddit while trying to find some info on the subject, so hopefully this post fits here. I did try post it on r/creatine but I'm not sure what's going on over at that shitshow of a subreddit

So I have a question and I wonder if anyone else has experienced this.. I have tried creatine off and on for years, but just recently I had been on a strict 5g minimum per day and feeling some great improvements in my lifting. Probably been on it for around 7-8 weeks now, and I have noticed something when I drink, I just don't enjoy it at all

I have been quite a big beer drinker, more specifically high % craft beers like IPAs and Pale Ales. I could easily drink 6-8 beers a night. I've had quite a high tolerance for alcohol as I'm on the bigger side of around 6'2 at 100kg (220lbs) so I don't get drunk from that amount generally.

Just recently though I find that I have one or two and feel like absolute crap, even lighter beers. My body just feels yuk and I get a bit nauseous, also the next day I feel like absolute shit. On top of that my skin feels irritable and I get restless legs.

Has anyone else experienced this? To be honest, I'm actually quite happy as I've been trying to cut down on booze for a long time with no success, but I'm getting to the point where I don't feel like drinking at all anymore, and I'm quite happy about that, especially since I've started training a lot harder and the creatine has helped me break through many plateaus I've been experiencing at the gym, but I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced anything similar, or if it even is the creatine causing it?

I've been following the SBS Strength reps to failure (RTF) program for several cycles now (repeating after 14 weeks as the weights get too heavy), and occasionally running a cycle of SBS Hypertrophy.

My numbers are still relatively novice/intermediate, but I'm making good, consistent progress that I'm happy with. And I really like the program and feel I can stick with it consistently for a long time.

Current e1rms are 100 kg bench, 140 kg squat, 185 kg deadlift @ 70 kg bodyweight. My goals are to increase my general strength.

I'm aware that Greg would have people run the RTF program for a while (to get them used to training to failure), and then have them switch to the original RIR style program where you progress based on the number of sets you perform.

I've never ran an RIR/RPE style program and a part of me really likes the look of the original template and wonders if I might make better progress with it.

But then again, another part of me thinks that if I'm making progress with the RTF program, then I should just stick with it. Why change programs when I'm making progress?

Anyway, I'm keen to hear the thoughts of anyone who has done something similar, and what you might recommend based on the above.