It’s no secret that I’ve advocated for the use of mixed repetition ranges for the optimal development of strength and hypertrophy, contrary to the rather rigid fixed hypertrophy guidelines that abound. Unfortunately, while I’ve been able to make a case based on the scientific literature for why loading variation is ideal, my practical arguments have […]
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy revisited
I’ve made it no secret that I think we’ve put the cart way too far in front of the horse when it comes to training for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. What started out as a theory to explain increased muscle hypertrophy in the absence of strength gains in some early training texts (1,2) has morphed into complete […]
Is light the new heavy?
The recent study that training at 30%-1RM promoted hypertrophy to a similar extent as 80%-1RM (1) has definitely generated some discussion, and I’ve written some of my initial thoughts on it in another post. If you haven’t read the original article, or my thoughts on it, definitely set aside some time if you’re interested in […]
30 percent
The large, hypertrophied feathers of the bodybuilding world have certainly been ruffled over the past few weeks. The fitness blogosphere has slowly been set ablaze with news that training at 30% of 1RM produced similar hypertrophy over ten weeks as training at 80% 1RM (1). The idea that such a light training load can be […]
Massage, mitochondria, inflammation
I’ve received some good questions after the release of our recent study on the interaction of exercise and massage (1), but the question most relevant to this site is whether or not we would anticipate a similar result if we used strength training instead of endurance exercise. Definitely a good question, and to address it […]
11 lessons from my first pec tear
This post is from 2012 and is in need of an update regarding icing, muscle balance, and concepts of tissue quality I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was the second rep of a heavy set, not my working weight, but a heavy set on the bench press nonetheless. Lowering the bar to […]
Non-functional nonsense
So I’ll close out my unofficial Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy month with one more short post then call it a day before the traffic on the site drops off completely. If you search the net for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy articles, it won’t take you long to notice that a functional distinction is made between sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar hypertrophy. […]
Sarcoplasm, women & weights
So after yet another post on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy I think it is safe to declare September Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy month, at least on this site. For those that have read my previous posts on the topic (are bodybuilders really weak and just glycogen), it’s probably apparent that I think that we’ve put the cart before the […]
Are bodybuilders really weak?
You can’t log onto a strength training site without seeing someone criticize how weak bodybuilders are and offer up complicated molecular explanations for their lack of strength (sarcoplasmic vs myofibrillar hypertrophy). I’m not sure where these guys are training, but I’ve seen my fair share bodybuilders in the gym, not to mention various examples all […]
Are bodybuilders just glycogen?
In order to explain how bodybuilders have large, yet seemingly weak muscles, the concept of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy has been thrown around the strength training sites and has appeared in early editions of some strength training texts (1,2). Under this theory, muscle growth (hypertrophy) can occur through three ways: one where the myofibrillar proteins increase in […]
