In this 53rd episode of "Office Hours Live" by MASS Research Review, hosts Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms celebrate the show's one-year anniversary while covering a wide range of topics in exercise science and nutrition. The episode begins with a discussion on nasal breathing and the safety of microwaving food in plastic containers, highlighting the hosts' approach to addressing topics outside their primary expertise and their skepticism regarding generalists who purport to be experts in...

In this solo episode of "Office Hours Live" by MASS Research Review, Dr. Eric Trexler covers a wide range of topics in exercise science, nutrition, and recovery. He begins by discussing the importance of step counts for health, cautioning against sacrificing sleep for increased steps. The conversation then shifts to sleep duration, exploring its effects on recovery and mortality. Dr. Trexler addresses the role of protein in muscle growth, emphasizing that its importance is often overestimated...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Mike Zourdos delve into a wide range of topics related to bodybuilding, strength training, and sports science. After a brief discussion about college football, they focus on the timing and planning of bulking and cutting phases, emphasizing the importance of long-term, intentional approaches rather than frequent switches back-and-forth. After that they address various listener questions, covering subjects such as fiber intake...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live" by MASS Research Review, Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Mike Zourdos cover a wide range of topics in exercise science and nutrition. The main focus is on volume cycling in resistance training, with Dr. Zourdos providing an in-depth explanation of its principles, implementation, and potential benefits. The discussion then shifts to a Q&A session, addressing various subjects such as the health effects of different saturated fats, the relationship...

This episode of "Office Hours Live" featuring Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple covers a wide range of topics in nutrition, exercise science, and physiology. The hosts begin with a discussion on bulking strategies, emphasizing the importance of calorie surplus for muscle growth and providing recommendations for different athletes. They then dive into an extensive Q&A session, addressing queries about dairy and inflammation, comparing various diets for longevity, and...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms delve into various aspects of muscle building and training strategies. They challenge common misconceptions about body fat levels and muscle gain, discussing how being extremely lean isn't necessary for effective bulking and may even hinder muscle growth. The conversation covers troubleshooting unsuccessful bulks, exploring factors like diet, training frequency, and exercise selection. They emphasize the importance of...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Eric Helms dive into a variety of topics in exercise science and nutrition. They begin by discussing the latest MASS Research Review, touching on sugar alcohols and cardiovascular risk, as well as the relationship between muscle mass and powerlifting performance. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to an in-depth exploration of the "p-ratio" concept in fitness and bodybuilding, including its origins,...

This episode of "Office Hours Live" features host Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple discussing a wide range of fitness and nutrition topics. The show begins with a teaser for an upcoming MASS Research Review article about sugar alcohols, addressing recent studies that have linked these substances to cardiovascular risks. Dr. Trexler explains that while the studies were well-conducted, the implications aren't as alarming as headlines suggest, emphasizing the importance of...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live" (Episode 45), Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss a range of topics related to exercise science, longevity, and training methodologies. The first segment centers on the relationship between exercise and longevity, highlighting a study on 4-minute mile runners and their increased lifespan. They explore the concept of a "U-shaped" relationship between exercise and health risks, challenging misconceptions about extreme exercise being detrimental to...

In this episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Mike Zourdos discuss the concept of flexible training templates, discussing their application in both resistance and endurance training. They explore current research, highlighting the potential benefits and limitations of these templates, and suggest ways to improve their implementation. The conversation then shifts to a wide-ranging Q&A session, covering topics such as ideal gym environments, quad-focused exercises for...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss the newest issue of the MASS Research Review, focusing on Helms' article about muscle reallocation in untrained individuals. They discuss a study examining muscle volume changes during resistance training, exploring its methodology, findings, and implications for body recomposition and protein/energy intake. The conversation covers practical applications for bodybuilders and athletes, before transitioning into...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live" hosted by Dr. Eric Trexler with guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, the experts dive into various topics related to fitness and nutrition. They begin by discussing strategies for recovering from crash diets and addressing relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), including approaches to post-diet recovery and hormone regulation. The conversation then moves to calorie management during dieting, exploring the balance between daily and weekly calorie...

The MASS crew is taking a week off from live episodes, but we hope you'll enjoy this pre-recorded video from the MASS Research Review. Rest redistribution sets and cluster sets are both referred to as alternative set structures. What exactly are these alternative set structures and are they beneficial? This video reviews the research on the advanced concepts and discuss when and how to implement them. You can download the MASS time-efficient training guide...

In this episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Mike Zourdos discuss a variety of topics related to strength training and nutrition. They begin by announcing the successful dissertation defense of Dr. Zourdos' PhD student, Zach Robinson. Dr. Zourdos then discusses a new study on training beyond muscular failure using partial repetitions. The Q&A portion includes questions on optimal training frequency and split routines, the benefits of a strong upper back for...

In this episode of the MASS Research Review podcast, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss a recent article on the effects of saturated fat on body composition and dive into a variety of listener questions related to nutrition and training. The episode covers topics such as the ideal ranges for fat intake, the potential downsides of high saturated fat consumption, and the difficulty of adhering to very low-fat diets. The hosts also address questions about optimizing training and nutrition...

In this solo episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler discusses some myths and misconceptions about hydration. He previews his upcoming article in MASS Research Review, which examines the extremely common claim that drinking more water can facilitate fat loss. Trexler reviews a new meta-analysis on water intake interventions and body composition, debunks common myths about hydration, and provides practical guidelines for daily water intake. He also clarifies that coffee and beer don't...

The MASS team is taking this week off, so we’re bringing you a special pre-recorded episode of Office Hours. This video comes from Volume 7 of the MASS Research Review. It’s long been said that multi-joint exercises should be performed before single-joint exercise to maximize strength and hypertrophy. But is that old adage true? This two-part video provides a comprehensive exploration of exercise order and its impact on strength and hypertrophy outcomes. You can download the MASS...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, hosts Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss a variety of fitness and nutrition topics, with a main focus on the concept of metabolic adaptation. They explore whether metabolic adaptation is a myth or an illusion, explaining that most of the adaptive decrease in total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) comes from reduced non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) rather than resting metabolic rate (RMR). The hosts also answer various listener...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Mike Zourdos kick off the show by discussing a recent controversial Instagram post about a retracted cold bath/cold shower study, emphasizing the importance of understanding the hierarchy of evidence and the challenges of effectively communicating retractions to the public. The hosts then share some of their past fitness and nutrition recommendations they now wish they could retract. The episode then transitions into a...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler welcomes special guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, who recently defended her PhD dissertation on the influence of ovarian hormones on skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise. Trexler first discusses the importance of properly interpreting scientific evidence and understanding the hierarchy of evidence, using recent MASS articles on time-restricted eating and apple cider vinegar for weight loss as examples. The episode then transitions...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into a comprehensive discussion on the topic of mini cuts, exploring their definition, common justifications for their use, and the hosts' perspectives on their potential benefits and drawbacks. The conversation then shifts to answering a variety of listener questions from the live chat, covering nutrition-related topics such as blood sugar management in healthy individuals, the necessity of a "maintenance"...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and special guest Dr. Mike Zourdos celebrate the 7th anniversary of MASS by walking viewers through a new (free) training guide on time-efficient upper body training techniques, including rest-pause sets, supersets, and drop sets. Trexler then delves into a thorough discussion of weight loss mechanisms, the role of calorie balance, the importance of overall dietary patterns, and how the gut microbiome may impact energy extraction...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into a recent study exploring the use of expandable gel capsules taken before meals as a strategy to reduce energy intake and promote weight loss. The duo then discusses potential ways to apply these findings in practice, such as utilizing whole food, protein shake, or water preloads before meals to enhance satiety and reduce overall food intake. The conversation then shifts to protein intake recommendations...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into the psychology of refeeds in bodybuilding, discussing a recent study that found relationships between intuitive eating skills, emotional coping ability, and controlled calorie intake during refeed meals. They also touch on the evolving research on physiological benefits of refeeds and diet breaks, and the importance of individualization in approach. Listener questions are addressed, including the viability of...