Does Muscle Growth Increase Your Potential for Strength Gains?
Short answer: I think so. Longer answer: probably, but there’s less direct evidence supporting this idea than you’d likely expect.
Greg Nuckols
January 10, 2022
Hypertrophy archive
Stronger By Science publishes articles on topics like lifting technique (squat, bench, and deadlift), body composition and hypertrophy, programming, nutrition, prehab and rehab, and cardio.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our Complete Strength Training Guide or the How to Squat, How to Bench, and How to Deadlift guides.
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Reverse Nordic Curls: How to Perform and Progress this Bodyweight Exercise for Quad Strength and Hypertrophy
The reverse Nordic curl is a great bodyweight exercise for building both strength and hypertrophy in the quads. Read the article to learn the benefits of this exercise, as well as how to progress to more difficult variations.
Cameron Gill
October 18, 2021
Ribosome Biogenesis Influences Whether High Volumes Cause More Growth
Higher volumes tend to lead to more muscle growth and larger strength gains, but not everyone responds to higher volumes in the same way. A recent study found that people who respond better to higher volumes may do so due to an increase in ribosomal content of their muscle fibers.
Greg Nuckols
April 19, 2021
Modest Glycogen Depletion May Impact Lifting Performance More Than You Think
Some fitness professionals have questioned the importance of dietary carbohydrate, given that resistance training only depletes 24-40% of muscle glycogen. New data suggest that small reductions in muscle glycogen might have bigger performance impacts than once thought. Read on to learn about some very important carbohydrate research.
Eric Trexler
April 19, 2021
Body-Fat and P-Ratios: A Rebuttal To The Rebuttal To The Rebuttal
We published articles that questioned the popular belief that high body-fat levels impair p-ratios. Menno Henselmans published a rebuttal on his site shortly thereafter. We responded to his rebuttal, and shortly after our rebuttal was posted, Menno added to his article to respond to it. Unfortunately we feel the need to respond yet again, as his response lacked substance and was pretty misleading.
Eric Trexler and Greg Nuckols
March 17, 2021
Body-Fat and P-Ratios: A Rebuttal To The Rebuttal
We recently published an article on how body-fat levels affect your p-ratio. After a rebuttal to that article was published, we want to respond to some of the claims and counter-evidence presented and to reiterate the general lack of evidence to substantiate the popular p-ratio hypothesis.
Eric Trexler and Greg Nuckols
March 1, 2021
Should You Cut Before You Bulk?: How Body-Fat Levels Affect Your P-Ratio
Many people believe that if you get lean before you start a bulk, you’ll gain muscle more efficiently. Their reasoning often relates to concerns about insulin sensitivity: if you have more body fat, your insulin sensitivity will be lower, so you’ll gain more fat and less muscle in a calorie surplus. However, the evidence for this concept is surprisingly thin and shaky. In this article, we delve into what the science really says on the topic.
Eric Trexler
February 8, 2021
The Evidence for Myonuclear Muscle Memory May be Murkier Than Commonly Believed
It’s commonly believed that myonuclei – the “control centers” of muscle fibers – are added to muscle fibers when fibers grow, but aren’t lost by fibers when they shrink, facilitating muscle re-growth. This is a proposed mechanism for the phenomenon of “muscle memory.” However, a recent review suggests that the data is less conclusive than people may realize.
Greg Nuckols
November 24, 2020
Betaine: The Other Beet Supplement
Betaine is a lesser-known ingredient that warrants further exploration. This article will review what betaine does in the body and discuss studies evaluating the effects of betaine supplementation on body composition and performance.
Eric Trexler
June 1, 2020
The First Clear Evidence of Delayed Hypertrophic Supercompensation
The idea of delayed hypertrophic supercompensation – the idea that your muscles can keep growing for several days after you complete a grueling block of training – is very contentious. A recent study provides us with the first evidence that it’s possible. However, there’s quite a bit more to the story.
Greg Nuckols
April 20, 2020
Bench Press Range of Motion: An Exception to the Principle of Specificity?
Much of what we know about range of motion specificity comes from single-joint studies and squat studies. When we branch out to the bench press, things get more complicated.
Greg Nuckols
March 2, 2020
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy is Real, but is it Relevant?
After years of people claiming that it was bro science, a recent study provides further evidence that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is a real phenomenon. The details, however, are still murky.
Greg Nuckols
November 26, 2019