This study makes no claims. But I bet other people will.

In the fitness industry, everyone’s trying to get or stay ahead. And while there are lots of ways to do that, tapping into published research is one of the more common ways to “reveal” something new and come across as being more leading edge than the next guy/girl.

I would argue that most people who post links to PubMed haven’t read the actual study, but are just browsing abstracts. I’ve written about what abstracts are good for in the past. But it’s been a while since I’ve really taken the theme up.  Read More...

Actually, yes, you can.

The amount of time one rests between sets is an often missed, or often underestimated training variable. It’s also one of the least studied variables when it comes to looking at hypertrophy as the outcome (as opposed to strength, or other performance variables, or even biochemical markers). So it is a treat to see a study where hypertrophy is the variable of interest, and where measurement of hypertrophy is truly a direct measurement. While not every investigator can measure hypertrophy in this way, it does go to show that “It can’t be done,” or “It will never get done,” are just words, because these researchers, in the words of the famous Dos Remedios, “did work.”

de Souza TP, Fleck SJ, Simao R, et al. Comparison between constant and decreasing rest intervals: Influence on maximal strength and hypertrophy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24(7) 1843-1850, 2010. Read More...

Rest vs. Active Recovery

Lots of stuff happens when you’re not doing anything. It’s amazing. Your muscles rebuild (hopefully stronger than before). Your bones deteriorate less (if you’ve been doing weight bearing exercise). Britney does something silly (again). All while you’re doing nothing! Rest is an integral part of any training program. Certainly, we know that inadequate recovery is responsible for a myriad of bad things, like decreased performance, and an increased risk of injury. But what about this thing called “active recovery”? Read More...