Cold water immersion (a.k.a., “ice baths”) has become a popular method amongst exercise enthusiasts and athletes to enhance recovery after an intense training bout. The strategy involves exposing either the trained limb or the whole body to very cold liquid temperatures. According to p...
Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D, C.S.C.S., is an internationally renowned fitness expert and widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on body composition training (muscle development and fat loss). He is a lifetime drug-free bodybuilder, and has won numerous natural bodybuilding titles.
Happy to report that I’ll be doing regular fitcasts with my brother-from-another-mother, Bret Contreras, which we somewhat unoriginally call the B & B Connection (what’s in a name, right?). We’ll be discussing the practical application of research on a variety of fitness topics, objectively delving into some of the more controversial issues that currently exist. Each fitcast will be limited to 30 minutes (translation: we’ll cut right to the meat of the topic without any fluff).
Our inaugural fitcast covered the mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy. We explored my review paper, The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training, with specific emphasis on the roles of mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and myodamage on muscle development. For anyone interested in maximizing their muscle mass, this fitcast will serve as a primer to help with optimizing exercise program design.
In our second fitcast we tackled the hotly debated topic of high-intensity resistance training (HIT). For those who don’t know, HIT is a catch-all for single-set training. The discussion was spurred by a recent research study showing that single set training was equally as effective as multi-set training in improving measures of upper body strength. As is often the case, however, the devil is in the details. What does not get mentioned in the abstract (or anywhere in the discussion, for that matter), is that the “single set” group actually performed one set of three exercises for each muscle group. Given that the subjects trained three times per week, this amounted to nine sets per muscle per week. Not exactly what I would consider a “single set” routine, and certainly not consistent with what HIT pioneers such as Ellington Darden have prescribed as optimal for muscular adaptations. Understand that this by no means invalidates HIT as a potentially viable approach. As Bret and I discuss, the issue on training volume ultimately comes down to your personal goals. I highly encourage you to give this one a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topic.
Suffice to say, I’m very much looking forward to our future B & B fitcasts. Stay tuned.
In addition to my collaboration with Bret, I’ve been interviewed on a number of other sites recently. Here’s a rundown of each:
Most recently, I had the pleasure to chat about bodybuilding with Ben Pakulski and John Meadows. In case you don’t know, these two guys are at the pinnacle of the profession. Ben is an elite bodybuilder who placed second in the Arnold Classic this past year; I feel confident in saying he is destined to be an Olympia champion one day. John is a highly ranked NPC competitor who also trains many of the top pros. Listen to the interview and you can tell the level of commitment and understanding these guys have about the practical application of scientific principles; they certainly dispel the frequent notion that bodybuilders simply rely on genetics and gear. Whether you’re a bodybuilding fan or not, this is a must listen for those interested in maximizing muscle development.
Next, I spoke with Carl Lenore on Super Human Radio about whether muscle soreness is a good way to gauge the success of your workout. Carl always does a great job allowing for scientific discussion of fitness topics, and this was no exception. If you’re caught up in how sore you after a workout you should definitely check this one out.
My interview onJay Scott’s Full Disclosure Fitness Podcast provided wide-ranging questions spanning a variety of fitness topics. Rep ranges, diet, and supplements were just a few of the issues covered. Jay did a great job of keeping the interview focused and interesting.
I spoke with Scott Tousignant on the premier episode of his Fitness Frontier podcast. Scott is a natural bodybuilder who shows a true passion for the sport. In addition to discussing training for physique enhancement, I got to recollect on my past experiences as a competitive bodybuilder.
Last but certainly not least, I was interviewed by two top English fitness pros, Luke Johnson and Joseph Agu. Luke and Joseph are organizing my upcoming seminar series in the United Kingdom this January. Lots of interesting topics discussed. As a bonus, they have really cool English accents! This one is a videocast; I’ve embedded the video below.
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Okay, gotta get back to work on my dissertation now. In the meantime, hope this provides you with enough listening enjoyment for the time being!
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