Key insights

• 💪 Science-based lifting emphasizes optimized exercises and controlled muscle stimulus
• ⏬ Slowing down the negative phase enhances safety and mind-muscle connection
• 📉 Lifting cues and techniques have minor impact on gains
• 🤝 Coaching is a blend of science and experience
• 🎓 Exercise selection tiers are based on indirect evidence and personal experience
• 📈 More volume leads to more muscle growth, with a sweet spot of 8-20 sets per week per muscle
• ⚙️ Consistency and hard training are crucial for effective workouts
• 📚 New book 'The Muscle Ladder' emphasizes sustainability and mindset

Q&A

• How does training volume affect muscle growth?

  Research shows that more volume leads to more muscle growth, with a sweet spot of 8-20 sets per week per muscle. High volume can be beneficial in the short term and for lagging body parts. Consistency and hard training are key, and sustainability and mindset are important principles in training.

• What is the importance of exercise selection based on tiers?

  Exercise selection is not based on science but on indirect evidence and personal experience. Training hard, reaching the right volume, and managing failure training are crucial for muscle growth. Training volume, measured in hard sets per muscle per week, is also essential.

• Do lifting cues and techniques significantly impact muscle gains?

  Lifting cues and techniques have a relatively minor impact on gains, and the concept of 'science-based lifting' can be misleading as some techniques lack scientific backing. Basic technique guidelines for exercises should be followed, but specific cues and stances have minimal impact on gains.

• Does slowing down the negative phase of lifting directly cause more muscle growth?

  Slowing down the negative phase of lifting may not directly cause more muscle growth, but it can enhance safety and improve mind-muscle connection. The optimal speed for negatives is between 1 to 7 seconds.

• What is science-based lifting?

  Science-based lifting involves optimized exercises and controlled muscle stimulus, addressing criticisms and debunking myths while considering expert opinions and nuanced scientific advice.

• 00:00 Science-based lifting involves optimized exercises, controlled muscle stimulus, and not always pushing muscles to the limit. Criticisms of science-based lifting are addressed, slow negatives may not be better for muscle growth, and expert opinions are considered. Some science-based advice is agreed with while others are dismissed.
• 02:58 Slowing down the negative phase of lifting doesn't directly cause more muscle growth, but it can enhance safety and improve mind-muscle connection. The optimal speed for negatives is between 1 to 7 seconds. Tips and tweaks in exercise techniques may have varying levels of scientific evidence to support their effectiveness.
• 05:51 Many lifting cues and techniques, including those based on science, have a relatively minor impact on gains. The concept of 'science-based lifting' can be misleading as there are often no studies to back up certain techniques. Basic technique guidelines for exercises should be followed, but specific cues and stances have a minimal impact on gains.
• 08:39 Coaching is a blend of science and experience, unrealistic perfection in technique should be avoided, science-based lifting emphasizes optimal exercises, but different exercises serve different purposes and can be beneficial in different situations.
• 11:15 The importance of exercise selection based on tiers was misunderstood. Exercise selection is not based on science but on indirect evidence and personal experience. Training hard and reaching the right volume are crucial for muscle growth. Going close to failure leads to more muscle growth, but excessive failure training can cause recovery issues. Training volume, measured in hard sets per muscle per week, is crucial for muscle growth.
• 14:25 Research shows that more volume leads to more muscle growth, with a sweet spot of 8-20 sets per week per muscle. High volume can be beneficial in the short term and for lagging body parts. Consistency and hard training are key to effective workouts. Sustainability and mindset are important principles in training. The new book 'The Muscle Ladder' and nutrition app 'Mcor Factor' are also mentioned.