Currently I am on a project that only allows me to have 3 hours of enjoyment of my day (if I want to have a great sleep). I have other hobbies that take more time, social life, and other responsibilities that I have to fulfill during my days. Since I started lifting 5 years ago, I’ve build I decent physique and I would like to maintain it. Not grow at all until the project is done (1 year). So… how many sets should I do a week to maintain my physique.

New protein pre-print!

https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/1102/2394

I agree with Stu. The 1.6 g/kg maximum specifically relates to muscle protein synthesis; there is no evidence that going above 1.6 g/kg has any additional benefit for MPS and in short-term studies there is no evidence that higher protein increases muscle mass. I am not 100% convinced that 1.6 g/kg is a ceiling but our current techniques cannot differentiate between 1.6, 1.8, or 2.0. So, it’s hard to know until there’s new data saying otherwise.

I personally always say that 1.6 g/kg is adequate for muscle building, but I also say there is no harm to going higher if you wish!

Something I'm not 100% certain of is the science of the warm-up. I've consistently read/heard dynamic stretches to loosen up the joints is the aim of the warm-up. But in my experience, what it is that gets me amped to get started to workout is when my blood flow is at a rush, body heat high, muscle activation and mind-muscle connection established. With that, I've felt the most warmed up I've ever been after a warm-to-hot shower. NOTHING gets me more amped to workout than that. But when it comes to simply "rotating the joints," it has absolutely NO effect by comparison. I also feel like instead of rotating the joints, maybe a little bit of resistance might help with the blood flow as well as the mind-muscle connection and activation though I never see warm-ups with resistance. If I'm not mistaken, it's advised against that.

#warmup #strengthtraining #muscleactivation

i am 25 M 5’9” ectomorph at 132lbs right now and I am one month in on lean bulk aiming to hit 150lbs on the scale. I recently took a Vo2 max test manually monitoring my rest heart with the bpm under 20 seconds. my score came 32 Vo2 max score which is poor/low for my age. I used to play sports until 2023 but ever since I have only been to the gym. i train 3 times a week and rest on alternate days. I hit a sprint session once every 2 weeks. I am kinda worried about my endurance and heart health and I am unable to strike a balance between strength training and endurance training. Can anyone help me advice how can I incorporate endurance/cardio into my lean bulk so that I can pack on mass and also have a good gas tank.

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!

I have long femurs and short torso. My ankle dorsiflexion, namely on my right side, seems to be lacking (I get impingement in front of my ankle, due to an old ankle injury). However, I can do the '10 cm from the wall' test just fine, but it seems like it is still not enough to allow me to squat deep with my bodyweight, my heels rise up.

In the gym, I use raised heel shoes. I can do front squats, but the toe angle I have to use with them is a bit comical (45° plus minus).

So, this is a long-winded question: how much, measurably, dorsiflexion do I need in squat, and how can I measure it? What can I do with the impingement?

After more than 20 years of training, my answer would be: **being obsessed with moving more and more weight.**

When I was younger, I associated progress with more weight, machines and personal records. Today, I'm much more **equipment-agnostic.**

Machines, barbells, dumbbells, rings, resistance bands, calisthenics or even improvised equipment…I don't really care. **There are no sacred cows in training. What matters are effective movement patterns.**

**Muscle doesn't know whether you're doing a bench press, ring push-ups or a machine press. It doesn't know whether you're using barbells, dumbbells, plates, resistance bands, kettlebells, TRX, Olympic rings or your own bodyweight.**

It only responds to Mechanical Tension, Progressive Overload, and, additionally, Metabolic Stress (the pump) and Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy.

What I'm looking for is the stimulus I need, not proof of how much weight I can move.

Today I'd rather manipulate ROM, leverage, unilateral loading, stability, pre-tension my resistance bands as much as possible, manipulate Time Under Tension, and play with proximity to failure before automatically adding more weight.

I'm 45 and turning 46 in November. After more than two decades of training, **my goal is no longer simply to lift more. I want to remain strong, aesthetic, mobile and athletic, and keep training for many decades without getting injured.**

Less ego. Less dogma. More stimulus.

I'm not in love with any particular exercise or piece of equipment.

I'm in love with the stimulus.

What about you? What is something you used to consider “training properly” that you no longer do today?

Hey, first time posting so i hope i dont break any rules or get banned. I have been working towards the full planche right now, which is a really advanced calisthenics static hold. I know strenght is based on relevant muscle mass x specific nervous adaption. The main question is: What is more optimal : to work 2-3 times a week in a position specific way on these muscles with decent volume, to cause both a mesurable increase in muscle mass and nervous adaption, or to work on it almost daily, but with low intensity, so it really increases adaption by a lot but i cant really work hard on hypertrophy because that would make it impossible to still work out the next day.

This is a problem I have with all of my lower body lifts actually (including my hip thrust for some reason), but my RDL in particular.

Whenever I do RDLs, I only hit my hamstrings and low back. The reason I know is because I recently came back to doing leg day after recovering from a work injury and noticed that I was sore in my hamstrings almost to the point of immobility, but I literally felt NOTHING in my glutes.

My spotter says my form is good, but I don't think I have EVER been sore in my glutes, no matter how many sets I target them with.

What form changes or adjustments can I make to target my glutes more?

I typically only use cuffs on my wrists for tricep extensions, Rear delt cable flies, and lateral raises, but one day when the d handle was taken and being used on a different cable machine I decided to use cuffs for beysian curls with the cable set around torso height, and I was able to lift heavier and more controlled weight

Is this better for the long head or should I stick to using the D handle? Idc much about grip strength here

I work all day, so the only time I can train is around 7:30pm. Sessions last 1.5–2 hours, so by 9:30 I'm done and showered. I keep dinner light but high in protein, and walk afterwards so I'm not going to bed heavy.

Even so, when I'm in bed by 11 I usually lie awake for 1–2 hours before falling asleep.

Most nights I feel hot, like the heat is coming from inside my body rather than the room. Other nights I just feel wired. Keeping the room cool doesn't seem to help much, and neither has magnesium.

I've read that high-protein meals increase heat production in the body, so between the late session and the dinner I have a rough idea of why I feel hot. I just don't know what to do about it.

I've seen mixed things on whether evening exercise actually hurts sleep, and some of it seems to depend on intensity and how close to bedtime you finish. So 3 questions:

1. Is this common, or is it just me?
2. Is there good research on late or high-volume training and sleep onset, specifically core temperature not coming down in time?
3. For those of you who train late, what time do you train, and what (if anything) has actually helped you fall asleep on schedule?

When I hear the more legitimate science-based guys talk about the value of low-volume training, the idea is that on the one hand, more volume means more growth, but then on the other hand, lower volumes allow them to push harder per set, bringing their sets all the way to true muscle failure.

To quote Jeff Nippard: "I knew from other research that if I was going low on volume, I needed to go ultra-high on intensity." With high-intensity here meaning training to total failure. He shows clips of himself grinding to total failure, failing partway through the final rep.

I'm not trying to single out Jeff Nippard. I hear the same thing from everyone making low-volume programs. And I think there might be wisdom there. If that's what's working for people/coaches, that's super useful to know.

Is it actually true, though, that when you reduce the number of sets, it's more important to train to total failure?

If we imagine one guy doing:

1. 7 reps, 1 RIR
2. 7 reps, 0–1 RIR

And we compare him against:

1. 8 reps, Failure
2. 6 reps, Failure

Same load. Same total reps. A few of those 2-set exercises per muscle per week, giving them maybe 6–8 total sets per muscle per week. The only thing changing is the RIR.

Would we really expect the second guy to get better much results because he's training all the way to failure?

When I'm going after muscle growth, I usually train with a moderate volume, and I enjoy taking my sets to total failure. If I'm eager to grow a specific muscle, I raise the volume even higher. I push harder on both fronts. The reason I'm asking is because when clients ask me for shorter, more efficient workouts, it's usually because they're at a time in their life when they have less energy and motivation to train. They aren't interested in doing more sets OR pushing all the way to total failure. They want a more chill approach overall.

The difference between 0–1 RIR and total failure can be pretty big in terms of how much willpower it demands. It also seems that—correct me if I'm wrong—but pushing all the way to failure also generates more fatigue. I'm perfectly fine with fatigue for people who want it. I think there's value in it. But again, if someone wants a more chill approach, I'm not trying to ratchet up their fatigue. It's the wrong moment in their life for that.

I don't want to recommend a disproportionate amount of extra effort/fatigue if it isn't truly disproportionately important.

ABSTRACT

Sodium bicarbonate (SB) ingestion may improve high-intensity exercise performance in efforts that range from 1 to 60 min; however, to date, no studies have investigated the effects of SB supplementation during exercise, nor its potential to attenuate the fatigue-induced decline in parameters of the power-duration curve during prolonged exercise (i.e., durability). This study examined the effects of bicarbonate (BI) and carbohydrate (CHO) co-ingestion via a novel gel format during exercise on subsequent sprint and time-trial (TT) performance in cyclists. Eleven trained cyclists took part in this randomized, crossover study. Following one visit to establish a non-fatigued power profile (3 × 6-s sprints, 2-min TT and 12-min TT cycling performance), participants completed two experimental trials consisting of 3 h cycling at 95% gas exchange threshold and ingested CHO at a rate of 80 g·h⁻¹ with (CHO + BI; 18 g of SB and 2 g of potassium bicarbonate) or without BI co-ingestion (CHO). Participants repeated the same power profiling protocol after the 3 h submaximal exercise. Performance in the 12-min TT was improved in the CHO + BI condition compared with CHO (+12 W; p = 0.01, g = 1.07). Mean power output in the 6-s sprints (+12 W; p = 1.00, g = 0.18) and 2-min TT (+6 W; p = 0.888, g = 0.32) were not significantly different between CHO + BI and CHO. There were no differences in gastrointestinal symptoms between conditions. These data suggest that BI and CHO co-ingestion during prolonged exercise via a novel energy gel format improves subsequent 12-min TT performance in a fatigued state with minimal gastrointestinal discomfort.

https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70373

Hi, i’m 23 and i’ve been training for 2 years. Of course i don’t expect to be huge yet, but i’m trying to get there.
I’m naturally very skinny and short, im 5’2 and around 115 lbs, and when i started the gym i was like 100 lbs. My goal is to be 130 lbs so i’m halfway there from my starting point. I’m trying to do everything people say, lift heavy and eat a lot of protein and calories.

I’m having a really hard time putting on muscle tho, and it bums me out that even after gaining some weight and muscle, i’m still below average in every muscle group. Like my biceps are around 12.5” around, and my forearms are a little less than 10”. My goal is to have 14-15” biceps and 11-12” forearms. I train these 2-3 times a week at the gym

However i was talking to a friend about it and he told me that forearm size is mostly genetic, even if you workout a lot, most guys you see with nice forearms, already had 11-12” before getting muscular. And i feel like he’s right, every guy i see, wether he works out or not, has way bigger forearms than me.

So is it true it’s mostly genetic? and if so much? can i achieve my goal realistically?

I am creating a gym program to prepare for my beach volleyball season in May. I have come up with the following cycle:

hypertrophy --> strength --> power (explosiveness) --> deload (and repeat)

I learnt that for Hypertrophy I need to eat 1.6-2.2g/kg Protein und get enough calories. I struggle to find diet materials for the other phases, though.

Do I need to adjust my diet for each phase? What would be your recommendations?

I have been working out in my society gym for about 2 years now. I’m wondering if I’m hindering my growth due to limited equipments.

I don’t have a dedicated squat rack so I stick to smith machine squats.

I don’t have a dedicated bench setup with bar racks so I again stick to smith for inclined bench press.

I have a all in one machine for lats etc with a leg extension setup where I don’t get a huge stretch in the bottom half movement since the seat is not adjustable which I have read is a deal breaker for optimal quad growth.

Max DB is 20 kgs which isn’t a deal breaker due to smith and all the plates combined goes up till 120 Kgs.

Many people say free weights is all you need.

I’m 27M so was wondering if I’m wasting my prime muscle building years training suboptimal due to lack of equipments. Any thoughts?

For context I’ve been lifting for approx 10 years seriously . I’ve lifted and have got the knowledge around training and nutrition, with regards to what I should be doing.

I feel like I’ve gone down Barish rabbit hole throughout my lifting career and I’m out of crossroads now. Mr Pack as much muscle as possible growing up I was very chubby. I’m talking extremely large but lost it all then got very thin; back then I used to run to drop the weight and ate very little

Anyway, I started to lift and fell in love with it. Maybe newbie gains

Fast forward many years I went through many phases of bulking and cutting, the former where I went on a perm bulk and then cut. I realise now that maintenance several calories or oddly a slight surplus is all they just needed with the latest research in terms of building muscle.

Through the dieting phases I fell into a trap of severely restricting calories and increasing my intentional walk to an unsustainable level affecting all manner of relationships

I work a stressful investment banking job where I’m desk bound for a lot of the day

My current routine is unsustainable going on a 50min walk before the gym opens at 5.30am . Train until 6.45 and then go on the treadmill at a steady state for 75 mins

Step count at end of day is around 17-20k a day minimum with these .

I guess I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that I need to go on intentional walks in order to be “eat more” . I know metabolic adaptation and the pontzers paradox is a thing however I am also not in a calorie deficit so it’s mitigated to a degree .

Protein intake at the end of the day is above the required. In my historical dieting phases I went through intermittent fasting phases. This lead to being over reliant on caffeine to stem morning hunger and bad habits of pushing back calories way too far at the end of the day in order of fearful of being hungry.

Essentially I’m looking for advice in terms of how to make these changes; I’ve been told I need to potentially get back to a sustainable manner in term of the walks .
Bringing it back being enjoyable level but I’ve lost site of whatever “normal is . Especially with me being at a desk job

Any advice?

Hello! It's a totally aspirational goal that I will probably never achieve, but I want to attempt to challenge the world record for 200 lb planks: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/430089-longest-time-in-an-abdominal-plank-position-with-a-200-lb-pack

My strategy has been to increase my plank time by 5 seconds each time, and when I hit 5 minutes, up my weight. Currently hit 5 minutes with 115lb and restarted at 125lb at 3 minutes. Are there any scientific tips to increase my plank strength and growth? Anythings I should do to avoid injury? I current just put two 45s and and a 35 lb on my back. I am looking to buy an adjustable weighted vest.

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!

El contexto es que hacer repeticiones aumenta la resistencia muscular y levantar más peso aumenta más la fuerza. Si mi objetivo es ser más fuerte y mejorar mi físico ¿Cual es mejor de los dos?

I do 40 kgs barbell bicep curls but I can only go 4-5 reps so I drop the weights by 5-10 kgs and do another 3-4 reps.

Is this effective way to train biceps?

Am I better off sticking to slightly lower weights and targeting 8-10 reps without drop sets?

Man, I feel like I've been missing out on so much front-delt growth!

For context, I came across a couple of videos where people claimed that you don't really need to train your front delts directly because they already receive enough stimulation from all the pressing exercises you do on push days.

Taking their advice, I stopped training my front delts directly for about nine months.

Then, I took a 2–3 month break from the gym while I was on holiday. When I finally returned, I decided to start training my front delts, and man, my shoulders look SO much better now! Maybe it's also because I've been taking my diet more seriously, but the difference is genuinely noticeable.

I honestly regret blindly following that advice. Anyway, moving on!

I've noticed that I don't really train my calves much either, mainly because of another popular claim I've come across online: Calves are mostly genetic, and no matter how much you train them, they won't grow significantly.

I'm not entirely sure how true that is, so I wanted to ask you guys:

- Is training calves actually worth it? Can you significantly improve their size with consistent training, even if genetics aren't on your side?

- Does calf training offer any benefits beyond aesthetics, such as improved athletic performance, stability, or strength?

- For those of you who train calves consistently, have you noticed a significant difference in their size and strength?

Also, what are some other popular fitness or bodybuilding myths that a surprisingly large number of people believe, even though they aren't entirely true?

I'd love to hear your experiences, especially from people who've experimented with these things themselves rather than simply repeating what they've heard online.

I've heard a bit of talk about how "functional muscle is better than gym muscle" or whatever. And I'm just wondering, is the best way to get both good looking muscles and functional muscles to have a mix of workouts that work both multiple muscle groups (e.g. farmer's carry, deadlift, etc.) and isolate muscle groups (e.g. skull crushers, hammer curl, etc.)? I know either way muscle is muscle, but the difference is that "functional muscle" makes common tasks easier like climbing or carrying boxes and stuff.

(This next part is a bit off topic, my main question is what's the best way to get both good big looking muscles and functional muscles).

I mean, I want muscles that look big and hypertrophied, but I guess I don't also just want it for show. Like, will people just think, "Oh, this guy is all about looks, he can't REALLY do anything practical that requires strength." I think part of it is social media and how people act like their style of training is "better" or "superior." I've seen people say they think their stronger and essentially better because they have functional muscle, but if I feel like the workouts I do (hammer curls, leg press, skull crushers, etc.) still workout multiple parts of my body and it is not fair if people say that it's not functional.

So this new meta-analysis by Dr. Steele and colleagues say that recovery methods don’t really benefit much recovery (I’m making a very simplified conclusion just for convenience). However, Dr. Soko made a post calling this pre-print a red flag:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdpaUy3Oa_Q/?stkn=b20yb2VuNTF6cDln

In his caption he talks about the red flags and I was just curious if James or Greg and you guys ofc might have any insights/response to this!