Muscle fibers are cylindrical cells that can contain hundreds of nuclei called myonuclei. On the periphery of these muscle fibers, stem cells, known as satellite cells, lay dormant in a quiescent state during resting conditions. With exercise, these cells can activate, often proliferate and may fuse to muscle fibers. Historically, this fusion of satellite cells has been thought to be to mediate the repair of focal damage to the muscle fiber. Additionally, it has been suggested that a...

Historically, strength training has been prescribed based on set configurations where continuous repetitions are performed followed by inter-set rest periods, ranging from 1 to 5 min in duration. These configurations are referred to in the literature as traditional sets. However, it is unclear if these set configurations provide an optimal or advantageous stimulus compared to other techniques. Consequently, implementing intra-set rest periods, collectively known as cluster sets, is suggested...

Momentary failure can be defined as the point trainees reach where despite attempting to do so, they cannot complete the concentric portion of their current repetition without deviation from the prescribed form of the exercise. Instead of momentary "muscular" failure, the term momentary failure is used because there is no current consensus on where the lack of continued ability to carry on with the task despite attempts to do so arises. Confusing terminology, among other things, highlights...

Proximity-to-failure can be defined as the number of repetitions remaining in a set before momentary muscular failure -meaning when an individual cannot complete the concentric portion of repetition with the prescribed range of motion without deviation from the given exercise technique. At the level of one set, as one approaches failure, muscle fiber activation and, thus, mechanical tension - the key stimulus for hypertrophy progressively increases. However, the addition of neuromuscular...

Before major competitions - whether regional, national, or world championships or just you maxing out at the gym - lifters use tapering to achieve peak performance on a given day. Unfortunately, most tapering literature has focused on endurance sports, and the current literature on tapering and peaking maximal strength is scarce. Luckily, a group of researchers has taken it upon themselves to fill the literature gap; thus, one of them, Dr. Kyle Travis, is here to provide us with some...

In the final days of competition preparation, bodybuilders usually implement interventions to "peak" their body to maximize contest day aesthetics. These interventions aim to 3) maximize muscle glycogen content to enhance muscle "fullness," 2) minimize subcutaneous water to look dry, and 3) minimize abdominal bloating to maintain a small waistline. But how may one accomplish all these? - Dr. Andrew Chappell provides us with some insight! . . . _______________________ Dr. Andrew Chappell...

Most of you may know that the force production of skeletal muscle depends on many different systems and tissue properties, such as muscle size or tendon stiffness. However, specific elements within the nervous system control and manipulate our muscles' force production. But can these elements be altered via resistance exercise? - Dr. Simon Walker provides us with some insight!  . . . _______________________ Dr. Simon Walker is a Senior Researcher at the University of Jyväskylä. He's...

At this point, it's clear that males and females can increase strength and muscle mass. However, since there are several differences both between and within sexes, it begs the question: just how differently do sexes respond to training? - Dr. Brandon Roberts provides us with some insight!  . . . _______________________ Dr. Brandon Roberts is a Captain & Research Physiologist at USARIEM, doing medical research to optimize Warfighters. Brandon's ResearchGate:...

Commonly, skeletal muscle is inferred using molecular level assessments that attempt to divide our bodies' molecules into two groups: fat molecules and non-fat molecules. However, skeletal muscle can be anatomically isolated and therefore isn't assessed at a molecular level. Importantly, skeletal muscle contains multiple different categories of molecules - including molecules that would be grouped in both fat mass and fat-free mass. Therefore fat-free mass and skeletal muscle are related but...

Most of the weight loss efforts fail to provide long-term weight maintenance. Recent research has shown the value and increased likelihood of weight loss success and long-term maintenance by adopting a flexible restraint form while dieting. However, the literature regarding resistance-trained populations is scarce. In this episode, Laurin Conlin walks us through the first dietary intervention study investigating a flexible vs. rigid diet and its effect on body composition and metabolism...

There is likely no other dietary component that inspires as much debate, as far as strength & physique athletes are concerned, as protein. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This number is based on the general population's estimated average requirement (EAR). However, athletes may require protein for more than just alleviating the risk of a deficiency. The question then becomes; how much dietary protein is...

Identifying major hypertrophy stimuli and their sensors is one of the big remaining questions in exercise physiology. However, experimentally this is difficult to achieve: This partly may explain why there is still a large amount of uncertainty in the field, despite many studies. In this episode, Professor Henning Wackerhage gives us an update on potential candidates. . . . _______________________ Prof. Wackerhage studied and obtained his doctorate at the German Sport University in...

You know it, I know it, we all know it: sleep is crucial. Sleeping less than 7 hours a night is associated with many health-related problems, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. On top of that, consistent sleep loss can affect your physical capabilities as well, including cardiovascular fitness and strength. Knowing this won't help you sleep better, though. Lifestyle factors such as working prolonged or irregular hours, social commitments, and family responsibilities can all...

When we think of the word memory, we immediately think of the brain. For example, you may use your 'memory' to recall what you ate yesterday. When we add the word 'muscle,' you may think of the memory of movement in our bodies. When you once learned how to ride a bike, you could still hop on the bike after years of not biking. Used this way, it is unfortunate because our current understanding is that learning to ride the bike is a form of motor learning in the central nervous system - not the...

Whether you are a #strength or #physique athlete, or better yet, a REAL #athlete, manipulation of #bodycomposition may be something you desire. During weight loss, the goal is to reduce fat mass while simultaneously maximizing muscle mass retention. The question is, how should you set up your #diet to accomplish this? In this episode, Carlos Ruiz-Castellano gives a comprehensive overview of dietary-nutritional strategies for optimizing the fat loss phase for trained individuals.   KEY...

What is the relationship between Fitness & Physique Sports and Eating Disorders? What are some of the reasons contributing to this relationship? How could you reduce the risk factors or enhance the protective factors to prevent the onset of eating disorders and eating disorder behaviors? Jake Linardon, Ph.D., provides answers to these questions. Jake is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. His research focuses on #eatingdisorder recovery and...

What is the relationship between hypertrophy and strength? Does muscle size contribute to muscle strength? - Answer to these questions is provided by Dr. Jeremy Loenneke, the director of the Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory. He has a BS in Health Management from the Southeast Missouri State University, an MS in Nutrition and Exercise Science from the Southeast Missouri State University, and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Oklahoma. Currently, he works at the...

What is the relationship between hypertrophy and strength? Does muscle size contribute to muscle strength? - Answer to these questions is provided by Christopher Taber, Ph.D. Christopher's Ph.D. is in Sport Physiology and Performance from East Tennessee State University. Currently, he is the graduate program director and assistant professor of Exercise Science at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. He's also the head weightlifting coach at SHU & Nation BB. Christopher has a...

How does nutrition affect circadian rhythms? What is circadian rhythm and what’s this so-called chrononutrition? The answer to these questions is provided by Greg Potter. Greg has Masters's degree in Exercise Science from Loughborough University and he did his Ph.D. on circadian rhythms, sleep, nutrition, and metabolism, at the University of Leeds. Greg is also co-founder of Resilient Nutrition and a coach. Gregs ResearchGate:...

What supplements does a lifter need? - The answer to this question is provided by Eric Trexler, Ph.D., CSCS*D, CISSN. Eric has a Ph.D. in Human Movement Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interest is the influence of exercise and nutrition interventions on body composition, metabolic function, and performance. Aside from science, Eric is a pro bodybuilder, educator, and coach. He works as the Director of Education at Stronger by Science, where he’s also...

What is Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy? - Does it happen? And if so, what's the purpose of it, and what type of exercise stimulates it? The answer to these questions is provided by Michael Roberts, Ph.D. Michael is an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University. He serves as the Director of the Molecular and Applied Sciences Laboratory (MASL) as well as the Applied Physiology Laboratory (APL). His laboratories examine how exercise and nutrition affect variables related to...

What is augmented eccentric loading or #AEL? Can you use it to improve your benchpress 1RM performance? The answer to these questions is provided by Samuel Montalvo, Ph.D., CSCS*D. Currently, Samuel works as a Research Fellow for the Rehabilitation Science department and as a Lecturer for the Kinesiology Department at the University of Texas at El Paso. He's interested in Human Exercise and Sports Performance #research. More specifically, Samuel is interested in researching novel training...

What is the effect of resistance training load on hypertrophy and strength gains? The answer to this question is provided by Martin Refalo, a Ph.D. student from Deakin University, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Martin is highly interested in the science behind exercise and nutrition and is currently researching the influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. On top of that, Martin is a Coach and Education Manager at JPS Health and Fitness...

What is overtraining, or overtraining syndrome? How about overreaching? The answer to these questions is provided by Lee Bell. Lee is a strength and conditioning lecturer and researcher based at Sheffield Hallam University. He is currently undertaking a Ph.D. investigating overreaching and overtraining in strength sports and has a general research interest in strength sports performance. Away from academia, Lee is the co-director of TRA Performance Education and continues to consult with...