EP 205: What Works and What Doesn’t When It Comes to Muscle Building; Science and Practical w/ Brad Schoenfeld
Vigor Life Podcast
Rep Ranges: Wide Range Works If Near Failure
Brad says 5–30+ reps can produce hypertrophy when sets are near failure and suggests mixing rep ranges for slight benefit.
Was great to finally have Brad on the show and chat about muscle building, strength, what studies show and what coaches know. We dive into what matters in building muscle and what doesn’t, as well as what research may not have caught up with but anecdotally works.
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, is an internationally renowned fitness expert and a leading authority on muscle hypertrophy and body composition training. He is a professor of exercise science at Lehman College and has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He is also the author of the seminal textbook, "Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy.”
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
=> What we know what works for sure when it comes to muscle building.
=> Is it true that metabolic stress isn’t nearly as much of a factor when it comes to building muscle (but why you should do it).
=> Two things you MUST do regardless of the methods to muscle building.
=> The higher level of muscle building you want to pursue, the more you’ll have to pay attention to the intricacies of science in muscle building.
=> Why beginners shouldn’t switch up exercises nearly as much as an intermediate or advanced trainee.
=> Volume vs intensity - which one is more important and why.
=> Volume works but an increase in volume does not increase linear in increase in muscle; which means you should do THIS.
=> How much do genetics and lifestyle factors influence individual response to recovery and muscle building.
=> General guidelines for sets per week per muscle group and why you shouldn’t pay that much attention to it.
=> Training splits, frequency and volumes per muscle group - what does the science show and what is practical.
=> What we had wrong about rep ranges and what we know for sure you have to do if you want to build serious muscle.
=> Recovering from certain rep ranges and why it may make sense to not do higher reps with compound lifts.
=> Frequency is a more important variable when it comes to strength training then muscle building since strength is a skill.
=> More than 15 reps per set is NOT glorified cardio, but here’s what it does do (and what happened in a research study).
=> What Brad believes the rep range most people should use for building muscle.
=> Science shows there just isn’t a magical range for hypertrophy.
=> Can you spike hormones with shorter rest periods and whether that’s true and how it affects actual muscle building.
=> Why super sets are so effective and also practical and what the studies showed.
=> How long should you actually rest between sets and exercises for optimal muscle and strength gains.
=> How little it takes to maintain muscle and strength after you’ve spent years building it.
=> How much does tempo and time under tension matter when it comes to training.
=> What does progressive overload really mean (most people got this wrong!).
=> What is Brad excited about studying and researching right now and the future of fitness and performance.
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