Every week on the podcast, Greg Nuckols and Eric Trexler discuss recent research and answer listeners’ questions about anything and everything related to training, nutrition, science, and life in general.

On these database pages, we’ve compiled all of the topics discussed and questions answered on the podcast along with time-stamped links, so you can quickly jump around and find the content you’re most interested in.

You should also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you’re getting new episodes every week.

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Overview

Click any of the links below to jump to all questions and answers on that topic. 

Q&A Database: Training

• Programming and Exercise Selection
• General Training Questions
• Coaching
• Belts, Shoes, and Lifting Gear
• Sex Differences
• Concurrent Training and Cardio
• Muscle Physiology
• Women’s Health

Nutrition and Body Composition

• Contest or Meet Preparation
• Cutting
• Bulking
• Fasting
• Metabolic Adaptation
• Protein
• Keto
• Gut Health
• General Nutrition Questions
• General Body Composition Questions

Supplements and Steroids

• Caffeine
• Creatine
• HMB
• CBD
• General Supplement Questions
• Steroids

Pain, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

• Pain and Injuries
• Recovery
• Sleep

Misc: Education, Interpreting Research, Building a Business, and Cooking Tips

• Education and Building a Business
• Reading and Interpreting Research
• Cooking
• On the Rise
• Extremely Miscellaneous

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All Questions

Click any of the questions below to jump to the answer for that question. 

Training

Programming and Exercise Selection

• How important is “optimizing” biomechanics for hypertrophy?
• Partial Range of Motion Training Might Increase Muscle Growth (If You Do the Right Type of Partials)
• Does Eccentric Training Always Cause More Muscle Damage?
• If I’m not in a hurry to get somewhere in my fitness journey, what would happen if I just progress incrementally by adding half (or even a quarter of) a pound to the bar each week, and concentrate on good form, technique, and contraction?
• In terms of training, what’s the most I can get done in the least amount of time?
• I’m on a 2-week vacation. How bad could fat gain/muscle loss be? 
• If there is to be another major breakthrough in powerlifting training, which area of training do you see it being? 
• SBS Article Discussion: Reverse Nordic curls 
• Research Roundup: Blood flow restricted training 
• If you aren’t primarily focused on increasing 1RM, should you still arch your back while bench pressing? 
• Is training volume the main driver for hypertrophy? 
• Research Review: Training frequency for strength gains
• How should older folks train if their goal is maintaining/improving daily functioning and mitigating bone/muscle loss?
• Better for hypertrophy: straight sets with final set to failure, or target RPE with variable rep number?
• Best tendon strengthening protocol?
• What’s the most ludicrous programming or workout you’ve ever heard of or seen with your own eyes?
• Research Roundup: Effects of strength on hypertrophy potential
• Research Roundup: Squat sticking point
• Research Roundup: Training frequency
• How hard should you train?
• How do you periodize bodybuilding training?
• Is training for strength and hypertrophy simultaneously really useless? 
• Do the triceps become the prime movers when you get near maximal bench press loads? 
• Should volume, intensity, and/or frequency of training be titrated based on whether one is cutting or bulking?
• Research Review: Ischemic Preconditioning
• Research Roundup – Strength blocks to enhance hypertrophy
• Research Roundup – Preceding a Hypertrophy Phase with a Strength Phase
• How can we re-sensitize our muscles to hypertrophy? 
• Why is deadlifting considered more fatiguing than squatting? 
• A Progression Framework for Hypertrophy
• Is flywheel training good for hypertrophy?
• Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men
• How to progress load throughout a mesocycle
• How should we approach kids/adolescents and resistance training? How young is too young? Are there additional safety concerns?
• Can I spread my training throughout the entire day instead of doing everything within a 60-90 minute “workout” period?
• High-frequency training (with Jeff Nippard)
• What’s the latest on strength and isometrics? Given gym closures and my limited home equipment, I’m thinking of using isometrics to help maintain strength on the squat, bench, and deadlift.
• I have been squatting 2 or 3 times a week for the last year. Is it reasonable to expect to continue progressing while only squatting once a week? How should I structure it to get the most out of it?
• Effect of acute antagonist static stretching on upper-body agonist power
• Are programs limited by our natural tendency to think in weeks? Could it be beneficial to have microcycles that last, for example, 5 days or 9 days?
• Home-based workouts with no (or minimal) equipment.
• Should long-limbed lifters train differently than lifters with more typical proportions? Does this advice change if the focus is strength versus hypertrophy?
• Is there enough evidence to justify modifying training to include some bench pressing with a particularly long range of motion? For example, adding in some bench pressing with a flatter back arch and narrower grip?
• What is Greg’s stance on the conjugate method for raw lifters? How would he adjust it, if necessary, for a raw lifter?
• Research Roundup – Non-failure training for strength
• When combining unilateral and bilateral training in the same session, is it more advantageous to do unilateral or bilateral first?
• Coach’s Corner – Programming your training during weight loss
• What do you think about Brian Minor’s theory that being able to lift more is a result of hypertrophy, rather than hypertrophy being a result of lifting heavier?
• RPE (rating of perceived exertion) and RIR (repetitions in reserve) have become increasingly popular training concepts in recent years. Is this a double-edged sword? Are people using them in ways you didn’t foresee, or misusing them in ways that you find frustrating? (with Mike Tuchscherer)
• Hot Off the Presses: Effective Reps
• Is there any reason to believe that changing exercises circumvents the diminishing returns observed with completing several sets of the same exercise?
• Are machines better or worse than free weights for hypertrophy?
• We know that bone mineral density improves with weight training. Is there any reason to believe that purposefully improving bone mass could be a way to improve muscle mass and strength? Is it even possible to prioritize bone mass accretion in this manner?
• Do you think most bodybuilders would benefit from adopting certain aspects of powerlifting training? (With Ben Pollack)
• Do you think most powerlifters would benefit from adopting certain aspects of bodybuilding training? (With Ben Pollack)
• As someone who has a foot in both communities, what are things that bodybuilders don’t understand about powerlifting? What are things that powerlifters don’t understand about bodybuilders? (With Ben Pollack)
• How do you generally set up a powerbuilding program? How does it change as short-term focus shifts from one sport to the other? (With Ben Pollack)
• How do you ease into a high volume, hypertrophy-focused mesocycle after a powerlifting meet without losing your strength gains?
• How do you tweak a lifting program to break through plateaus and ensure continued progress?
• What’s your take on accommodating resistance for absolute strength?
• What are the technique requirements in powerlifting versus strongman?
• How do you balance general strength training versus event training in strongman?
• Most powerlifters and bodybuilders think in terms of sets and reps. How do you program for events like carries and holds in strongman?
• In a good powerlifting program, how much time or volume should be spent on hypertrophy work, and how should this change based on training experience and in-season versus off-season training?
• I want to look jacked. How do I know if I am strong enough to be messing with bodybuilding-style training and accessory work? Should I just be focused on getting stronger until my main lifts are more competitive?
• How do Greg and Eric approach deloads? What do deloads look like? How often do we do them? Why do we do them?
• Do either of you have any recommendations for someone preparing for their first powerlifting meet?
• I have two powerlifting meets, separated four weeks apart. How do I train to be peaked for both of them?
• What are the best exercises for increasing quadriceps size and strength to help with squatting?
• Which training approach is preferable for strength: daily undulating periodization (DUP) within blocks, or high-frequency Norwegian-style training?
• What do the data say about training frequency for strength development?
• What exercise would you use for mechanical tension/overload for the chest when not doing the bench press?
• Do weighted thrusts help squats much?
• In terms of hypertrophy, how do routines with sets of 20-30 repetitions differ in comparison to a similar volume of sets in the 8-12 rep range?
• Do you have to squat to reach your ultimate deadlift potential?
• What exercises would you base a routine around for non-powerlifters?
• Do you still believe that planks increase hip mobility?
• What is the best resource for someone looking for corrective exercises for their particular faulty movement pattern?
• What is the best way to calculate volume for hypertrophy training?
• How important are warm-ups, and what constitutes an effective warm-up? What are some common misconceptions about warm-ups?
• Is it beneficial to include incline chest exercises in your program?
• How is the concept of functional overreaching applicable in a hypertrophy training block and how often would you advise to use this technique? How would you best reap the benefits of supercompensation following a successful overreaching period?
• What is the most pragmatic and valid way to objectively measure fatigue?
• Is there any benefit of adding electromyostimulation (EMS) to your training for strength or hypertrophy? If so, how should it be used?
• How do I prevent my traps from getting too big?
• Can we train to intentionally change the fiber type of a muscle?
• Which exercises are overrated? Which exercises are underrated?
• For the folks with anterior pelvic tilt, what are some tips for maintaining a neutral pelvis while squatting and deadlifting?
• Greg has previously talked about turning a good hypertrophy program into a good strength program by adding some singles. Practically speaking, how do you implement this strategy?
• Does volume or intensity drive strength gains?
• Is ‘junk volume’ a real thing?
• Is there any carry over or need to develop strength in the 1-5 rep range in order for that strength to be carried over into the 8-12 rep range for hypertrophy promotion?
• When in a caloric deficit, should you reduce training volume, or training intensity?
• How should you train for explosive activities, such as parkour?
• Should you change the way you train as you approach the age of 40 (and beyond)? How and why do performance and recovery change as we age?
• What does the research say about blood flow restriction training?
• What are some different strategies for peaking for a bodybuilding competition?
• How hard is it to transition from raw to equipped powerlifting? How long does it take to learn to use the equipment effectively and refine your technique?
• Which muscle groups are really targeted by the back squat?
• What are a lot of bodybuilders getting wrong these days? (Discussion: Ideal training frequency for bodybuilding)
• Is bodybuilding unhealthy? Should it be encouraged?
• What is the evidence for “effective reps”?
• What lifts do you use for training vs. competition?
• What is the best approach for increasing strength endurance (that is, increasing maximum reps for a given exercise)?
• What is the relationship between training frequency and recoverable volume? Spreading work across more sessions seems as if it would allow more to be done, but is a minimum volume per session necessary to get sufficient stimulus?
• What are the best ways to improve speed using resistance training?
• How important is it for trainees to experiment with different training styles to see what methods may work best for them? How would you recommend organizing an experimental period of training to see if for example you respond better to speed or power training and what should be measured/benchmarked against?
• What things have contributed most to your success in powerlifting/bodybuilding?
• What glaring weaknesses would a typical powerlifter or bodybuilder have if they wanted to transition to strongman?

General Training Questions

• “How big of a deal are the negative effects of NSAIDs on hypertrophy?” 
• Research Roundup: Modeling muscle growth, ankle mobility for squats, caffeine for women
• Is it possible to make “beginner gains” after years of training if you spent your first years of training with an ineffective approach to exercise and nutrition?
• Any thoughts about Pontzer’s “constrained energy model” and its implications for folks trying to use exercise to increase calorie burn?
• Research Review: Training Responders and Non-Responders
• Coach’s Corner: Vacation and time off from the gym
• Research Roundup: Impact of COVID-19 on training behaviors
• What are the connections between flexibility and hypertrophy or strength training?
• Does neck strength influence concussion risk?
• Do you think that new lifters might be better off by initially avoiding an “evidence-based” approach to training and nutrition?
• Do “altitude masks” enhance training adaptations?  
• Should people generally do minimalist, barbell-only warmups before their workouts? Are more extensive warmups a waste of time and energy?  
• Will blood tests for an avid lifter or natural bodybuilder reveal any expected abnormalities?  
• Acute effects of cannabis consumption on exercise performance: a systematic and umbrella review
• Does being younger (16-19 years old) affect strength negatively?
• Categorizing lifters as “beginner,” “intermediate,” and beyond.
• Greg reviews several recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews
• If I was born with poor lifting genes, yet continued to perform resistance exercises out of passion, and then give birth to a child who inherited my poor genes, who also performed resistance exercise…how many generations of children would be needed before a noticeable difference in lifting-specific genes was present?
• Do you have any evidence based suggestions for a female who is looking to maintain muscle and gain strength without inducing further hypertrophy?
• What are your thoughts on touch-and-go deadlifts versus resetting every rep?
• What is the best way to achieve/plan for lifting goals going into the new year?
• Coach’s Corner: Changing health-related habits and behaviors
• What is physical culture? (With Ben Pollack)
• Why pursue physical culture as an academic pursuit? Why is it important? (With Ben Pollack)
• What are the roots of physical culture in the West? What are some major physical culture traditions elsewhere that people may not be aware of? (With Ben Pollack)
• How have opinions on strength training changed over time? How has media portrayal of strength training changed over time? (With Ben Pollack)
• “The Other Eric” (Helms) doesn’t appear to lift his chin all the way to the bar when doing pull-ups. For strength and hypertrophy goals, is it important to do so?
• How does chronological age affect potential training status? Do you limit your potential by starting to lift later in life?
• What’s the best and most accurate way to track daily energy expenditure? Are Fitbits the best option?
• I’ve been lifting for many years, but I’m still far from my “genetic potential,” according to an online calculator. Am I advanced or intermediate?
• What are the chronic effects of resistance training on hormone levels?
• Do connective tissues display a delayed response to resistance training? If so, what does Greg know about it?
• When we do resistance exercise, how long does it take for hypertrophy to manifest?
• Do you know how intra-abdominal pressure is measured?
• I’ve read that having a lower body fat percentage is more conducive to building muscle/strength. Is there truth to this, or is the change in body function/hormones negligible between high and low body fat percentage?
• How possible is it that eccentric overload causes preferential hypertrophy of titin, meaning that people who only perform conventional training get a percentage of the available gains? What study designs/tools (blood markers, biopsies) would you use to test? If true, what kind of difference do you feel it would amount to?
• At what point do you see diminished returns when it comes to the health benefits of getting stronger?
• How do your genes, and even just knowing about your genes, affect your performance and physiology?
• Which makes a bigger difference: your actual genes, or your perception of your genetic predisposition? Is direct-to-consumer genetic testing a good idea for determining your athletic potential?
• How variable are responses to resistance training (strength, hypertrophy)?
• How do you find a strongman gym? How can you train for strongman if there’s not a strongman gym nearby? How do you find competitions in your area?

Coaching

• Coach’s Corner: Vacation and time off from the gym
• Coach’s Corner: Sticking Points
• Coach’s Corner
• How do you go about helping athletes find the best technique for themselves? (with Mike Tuchscherer)
• Since you’ve coached so many world-class lifters, what are signs a lifter is nearing their ultimate limits? What do you think ultimately limits progress? (with Mike Tuchscherer)
• How do you help clients that struggle with motivation, emotional decision-making, or taking responsibility for their decisions?
• Can you improve your lifting technique by overexaggerating cues?
• What are some mistakes that coaches make when working with beginners?

Belts, Shoes, and Lifting Gear

• Research Review: Cooling gloves
• Research Review: Technologies for measuring bar velocity
• Do mouthguards impact performance?
• Lifting belts
• What is your take on using chains or bands, specifically when the goal is hypertrophy?
• Hot Off The Press (Research Roundup) – Greg’s knee sleeve hypothesis.
• What are the benefits of using weightlifting shoes (with an elevated heel) for squat and leg press?
• Which is better: 10mm or 13mm belt?
• For an advanced lifter, is beltless training useless?

Sex Differences

• Much of sport science studies are conducted on young males. Are there any studies/areas in particular that we have reasons to think female physiology would give different results? 
• Most research uses men as a sample population. Do you think that the findings apply to women in equal measure?
• How do birth control and menstrual cycle hormones affect periodization? Should I program with that in mind?
• Do men and women experience the same performance effects from caffeine?
• What is the gap between male research and female research in exercise science?
• What are some unique challenges or social pressures that women experience in strength sports?
• What are some steps that people can take to help shift attitudes and help women feel more comfortable in strength sports and other fitness communities?
• What did Greg uncover doing his master’s research on sex differences in fatigue and recovery?

Concurrent Training and Cardio

• What are your personal and professional opinions on designated bouts of low-intensity cardio at a certain percentage of maximum heart rate versus step counts? Would either option be superior to the other?
• Does the Interference Effect Get Larger as Training Status Increases? 
• Positive aspects of cardio and physical activity
• What do Greg and Eric’s cardio routines look like? Have they ever competed in endurance sports?
• Can you HIIT yourself into marathon shape?
• What are some indicators that one needs extra conditioning for strength and hypertrophy?
• Penalty: Reduction in Gains for Interference (with Mike Zourdos)  
• Research Roundup – Adaptations to strength training differ between endurance-trained and untrained women
• Advice for reducing the interference effect for recreational lifters?
• Can your aerobic fitness level hinder your progress in a strength training program?
• What are the best ways to do concurrent training (i.e., combining cardio with resistance training)?

Muscle Physiology

• Are there types of muscles that are resistant to hypertrophy?
• Research Roundup – Biological factors that may limit muscle fiber growth
• Research Roundup – Modest Glycogen Depletion May Impact Lifting Performance More Than You Think
• Research Roundup – Muscle Memory
• Research Roundup – Lactate
• The Evidence for Myonuclear Muscle Memory May be Murkier Than Commonly Believed  
• When we talk about CNS fatigue, what are we actually talking about mechanistically? Is there anything we can specifically do to improve CNS recovery? 
• Applications and limitations of EMG research (with Jeff Nippard)
• Do you need to worry about your muscle fiber type when it comes to power and rate of force development? From a training perspective, what can be done to improve power and rate of force development? 
• Does mouthwash affect blood pressure and muscle pumps by altering nitric oxide production?
• Research Review about factors influencing muscle protein synthesis
• Questions about EMG, stemming from the recent Barbalho study.
• Resistance Exercise-induced Changes in Muscle Phenotype Are Load Dependent.
• Passive muscle tension increases in proportion to intramuscular fluid volume.
• Is anyone looking into how we can increase our overall potential for muscle growth by boosting hyperplasia?
• What is Greg’s take on the current state of the literature regarding the myonuclear domain theory and hypertrophy? Has he updated his position or recommendations since he published his “Grow Like a Newbie” article back in 2015?
• Is it possible to speculate that the diminished return from ‘training too hard’ can partly be explained by the magnitude of muscle protein breakdown exceeding the maximum magnitude of muscle protein synthesis that your body can stimulate in a single training session?
• How do you feel about recent opinion papers suggesting that the change in muscle size over a training career is virtually unrelated to changes in strength? (With Ben Pollack)
• Research Roundup – Phototherapy
• Research Roundup – Muscle Glycogen Replenishment
• Why are satellite cells and myonuclei important for muscle physiology?
• Why do so many studies measure satellite cells instead of myonuclei?
• What is muscle memory?
• To what degree is satellite cell activation predictive of the accumulation of myonuclei? What are the mechanisms that contribute to myonuclear accretion? Are there important physiological roles of satellite cells that do not become activated?
• Why do muscles eventually stop growing?
• What are the implications of the recent news about histone lactylation linking metabolism and gene regulation?
• What are the effects of phototherapy on exercise performance and recovery from exercise?

Women’s Health

• Does hypothalamic amenorrhea impact hypertrophy? If eating at maintenance (or in a caloric surplus), does hypothalamic amenorrhea still have a negative impact on hypertrophy and athletic performance?
• Pelvic health (incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic floor dysfunction, and more) with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith
• Unbelievable prevalence statistics related to pelvic health in female athletes (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)
• Lifting and pregnancy: First trimester (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)
• Lifting and pregnancy: Second trimester (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)
• Lifting and pregnancy: Third trimester (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)
• Lifting and pregnancy: After childbirth (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)
• Other “blind spots” that male coaches should know about (with Marika Hart and Molly Galbraith)

Nutrition and Body Composition

Contest or Meet Preparation

• Eric has mentioned a couple times that he’s gotten down to 1500 calories during prep. Other than copious amounts of shredded chicken, what would the most nutritionally-complete 1500 calorie meal plan look like?
• What’s the best way to cut weight for powerlifting, in terms of performance?
• What are some different strategies for making weight for strength sports?
• How do you decide when to bump up or down a weight class?
• Is there a big focus on nutrition among higher-level strongman competitors? Are there any specific diets that are currently popular or trending?
• What is Eric Helms’ approach to prepping for bodybuilding competitions?
• When you get late into a weight loss phase, do you cut down training volume or intensity?
• Is Eric Helms doing anything to proactively address reductions in non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) during contest prep?

Cutting

• Can Greg elaborate on his hypothesis that strength loss during weight loss may be due to upper body glycogen loss? How long does it take to restore glycogen once you go back to maintenance? 
• What’s your take on short bulk/cut cycles?
• Should athletes focused on cutting weight in a caloric deficit be worried about micronutrient deficiency?
• If strength/size gains come back relatively quickly after a cut, is there any benefit to cutting at a less conservative pace in order to spend a higher percentage of the year in a lean bulking phase?
• Can cold exposure be used as a fat loss strategy?
• When experiencing strength loss while cutting, how can you tell if the loss in strength is a natural part of being in a caloric deficit, or a result of overreaching?
• Coach’s Corner – Programming your training during weight loss
• Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and weight loss/weight regain (With James Krieger)
• Research Roundup – Weight loss success is highly, highly individual
• There has been a lot of discussion about bulking on recent shows. I would be interested in hearing about practical recommendations regarding the frequency of bulking and cutting. How often is common? Is there a ceiling where it’s no longer effective, or even harmful, over a given time period?
• What is your opinion on mini cuts during an extended gaining phase? How long a mini cut should be, how aggressive should the caloric deficit be, and what should be training like?
• What are the repercussions of rapid fat loss? How can you achieve rapid fat loss while minimizing the repercussions as much as possible?
• If you’re trying to lose fat but maintain performance, what is the “optimal” rate of weight loss?
• What should you do after a weight loss goal is achieved?

Bulking

• What’s your take on short bulk/cut cycles?
• Is there a simple way to judge if I’m gaining too much fat during a bulk?
• Do you think it would be beneficial to implement “diet breaks” while bulking?
• Do “hardgainers” benefit from exceeding one gram of protein per pound of body weight? Do you see much in the literature about “hardgainers” who are female?
• What is your opinion on mass gainers?
• There has been a lot of discussion about bulking on recent shows. I would be interested in hearing about practical recommendations regarding the frequency of bulking and cutting. How often is common? Is there a ceiling where it’s no longer effective, or even harmful, over a given time period?
• When bulking, what are the pros and cons of utilizing a rapid rate of weight gain?
• When bulking, should you continuously re-calculate your maintenance calorie requirements as you go?

Fasting

• How much does fasted training impair performance? How much does this actually matter for goals related to health and body composition (rather than performance goals)?
• How your Myers-Briggs score dictates your intermittent fasting protocol.
• Are there any merits to this study (https://tinyurl.com/y2mzemnw)? Are its conclusions accurate?
• Are there benefits of fasted cardio for performance?
• Is fasting more effective than normal calorie restriction when it comes to retaining muscle mass whilst losing body fat?
• What is the history of intermittent fasting in the fitness industry?
• What has the research taught us about intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding?
• What are the potential mechanisms by which time-restricted feeding could be superior?
• Is it ever beneficial to lift weights in a fasted state?
• I train very early in the morning and drink a protein shake prior to training. Anything else you recommend to do or eat before working out in a fasted state?

Metabolic Adaptation

• Contextualized Clarifications: Reverse Dieting
• Research Review: Age, sex, and energy expenditure
• Coach’s Corner: Estimating total daily energy expenditure 
• Research Review: Constrained energy model, hot dogs & lifespan. 
• Energy compensation and energy constraint model (Pontzer study)  
• Can surplus calories eventually become maintenance calories? 
• Research Review: Recovering from a diet or relative energy deficiency
• Research Roundup – Metabolic adaptation
• The First Bodybuilding Refeed Research (with Eric Helms)
• Metabolic adaptation is an illusion, only present when participants are in negative energy balance
• Can you cover the (in)accuracy of online RMR calculators?
• How long does it take to metabolically recover from long-duration diets?
• What are the best strategies to reverse the effects of metabolic adaptation from a fat loss phase, while minimizing fat gain?
• In regards to re-feeds and/or diet breaks, from what I understand at least 2 consecutive days of re-feeding is needed to have any impact on the metabolic adaptations of a prolonged calorie deficit (3 days is probably better). That being said, how much of an effect does it really have, and is the cost to benefit ratio really worth it?
• Is starvation mode a real thing?

Protein

• When tracking macros, how should we account for low-quality proteins like collagen? 
• Age-related protein considerations
• Any concerns regarding upper limits for soy intake?
• What’s the lowest protein intake someone could eat while still building an appreciable amount of muscle? 
• How does MPS caused by protein consumption compare to the magnitude of MPS caused by resistance training?
• You’ve already met your calorie intake target for the day, but you haven’t reached your protein target yet. Should you eat more protein and go over your calorie target?
• Research Review: Plant proteins revisited
• Research Roundup – Protein
• Research Roundup – Optimal Protein Intake
• Research Review: High-protein diets and kidney function
• What is the optimal speed for consumption of a protein bolus?
• Is there a link between high-protein diets and kidney stones?
• Two protein questions. 1) There are huge discrepancies with protein recommendations. Some organizations recommend as low as 0.36g per pound, but some bodybuilders eat 400-500g per day. Where is the sweet spot, and is it possible to over-do it? 2) For my total daily protein intake, should I only count proteins from animal and dairy sources, since they are considered “high-quality” or “complete” proteins?
• Research Roundup – Differential Responses of Blood Essential Amino Acid Levels Following Ingestion of High-Quality Plant-Based Protein Blends Compared to Whey Protein-A Double-Blind Randomized, Cross-Over, Clinical Trial.
• How does my pre-workout meal look? 2 scoops of whey, 10g of dextrose, 30-45 minutes before working out. Also, would there be any benefit of a post-workout shake?
• Research Roundup – Effects of Dietary Protein Quantity on Bone Quantity following Weight Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
• High Compared with Moderate Protein Intake Reduces Adaptive Thermogenesis and Induces a Negative Energy Balance during Long-term Weight-Loss Maintenance in Participants with Prediabetes in the Postobese State: A PREVIEW Study.
• Are there any downsides associated with high protein diets? Is the “one gram per pound of body weight” rule good?
• Research Roundup – Castro et al: Comparative Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Concentrated, Hydrolyzed, and Isolated Whey Protein Supplementation on Body Composition of Physical Activity Practitioners
• Is there any benefit to a “personalized” protein supplement blend, or is it just an excuse to increase the price?
• Considering the result of this 2014 study, would you see similar long-term results from eating a normal amount of a whole protein source, or a smaller protein dose that is supplemented with extra leucine?
• What does the research say about protein and overfeeding?
• Research suggests there is a refractory period for muscle protein synthesis following protein ingestion. Will eating a snack with protein between meals disrupt protein synthesis?

Keto

• Keto for hypertrophy
• How do you define a ketogenic diet?
• What are the potential benefits of adopting a ketogenic diet?
• For a ketogenic diet, how low do carbs need to be? Does it vary from person to person?
• Does high protein intake kick you out of ketosis?
• How do you know if you’re in ketosis or not?
• Do you really need to have high fat intake, or is carb restriction sufficient?
• How good or bad is the adherence rate in keto diet studies?
• What are the potential drawbacks of a ketogenic diet? What micronutrients might be missing?
• Do ketogenic diets have negative effects on cholesterol/blood lipids or hair loss?
• Is it possible to predict who will respond relatively well (or poorly) to a ketogenic diet?
• What are the effects of keto on fat loss, muscle gain, and muscle retention?
• What are the effects of keto on physical performance?
• Is keto potentially helpful for any conditions other than certain types of epilepsy?
• Are there any applications for ketone supplements?
• Who is keto good for?

Gut Health

• What exactly is “gut health”? (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Are “enterotypes” legit? (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Fiber (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Meat (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Fermentable foods (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Prebiotics and probiotics (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Antibiotics (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)
• Fecal transplants (With Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro)

General Nutrition Questions

• Do artificial sweeteners increase appetite, food cravings, or caloric intake at a subsequent meal?
• How’s the transition from a meat-heavy omnivorous diet to a vegetarian diet? 
• On the topic of intra-workout carbohydrate beverages: are fancy carb sources actually better, or would a traditional sports beverage be equally effective? 
• Low-calorie diets 
• Research Review: Carbohydrate-insulin model versus energy balance model 
• SBS Article Discussion: The Definitive Diet Setup Guide 
• Research Review: Revisiting Diet Breaks and Refeeds 
• Thoughts on high sodium for strength sports? 
• Can athletes get around the negative effects of high sugar consumption because they are more active?
• I am a fitness instructor, and I have a female client who wishes to lose weight. I tried putting her on a caloric deficit, but she is not losing weight. Is it because she is lying about her diet or there might be other external factors? 
• Research Review: Calorie restriction and protein restriction for longevity 
• Does alkaline water increase blood pH? Is it possible to eat or drink anything that would change blood pH? Does it matter? 
• Coach’s Corner: How to set calorie targets 
• What is a normal creatine kinase level for people who are lifting? 
• Research Review: Carbohydrate-insulin model versus energy balance model 
• SBS Article Discussion: The Definitive Diet Setup Guide
• Thoughts on the OMAD (one-meal-a-day) diet? How important is it to get protein and leucine right before sleep to continue muscle protein synthesis throughout the night?
• It is often said that one pound of fat loss corresponds to a deficit of around 3500 kilocalories. What about one pound of muscle loss? Is it possible to gain weight in an energy deficit, or to lose weight in an energy surplus?
• I have an upcoming surgery that will require 3-4 weeks without training. How should I eat to maintain my gains? How quickly can I return to lifting?
• Research Roundup: Effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on body weight
• Research Roundup – Intuitive eating
• How important is good food, really?
• Are sugar-sweetened beverages inherently bad for health?
• Research Roundup – Meal timing
• Research Review: Dietary cholesterol and training adaptations
• Should people be worried about “anti-nutrients?”
• How much water does the typical lifter need? Does timing of ingestion matter? Should water intake be reduced at night?
• What are the risks and benefits of using nicotine to suppress appetite and increase energy?
• Optimal breakfast to fuel training
• Appetitive traits as targets for weight loss: The role of food cue responsiveness and satiety responsiveness
• Based on its mercury content, how much canned tuna can you eat on a weekly basis?
• Research Roundup – Four Weeks of Time-Restricted Feeding Combined With Resistance Training Does Not Differentially Influence Measures of Body Composition, Muscle Performance, Resting Energy Expenditure, and Blood Biomarkers
• Should nutrition be altered during a deload?
• Best hangover cure/prevention tips?
• What exactly influences our relationship with food, and how might we go about improving it? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• What are some big or common mistakes that nutrition coaches make with their clients? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• I’ve heard meal timing throughout the day is fairly inconsequential, but does the literature show any meaningful benefits to having high calorie workout days and low calorie rest days? Specifically for limiting fat accumulation?
• Do you try to limit things like caffeine, artificial sweeteners, diet soda, or any calorie-free things, either during a weight loss diet or during maintenance or bulking phases?
• Research Review: Twice as High Diet-Induced Thermogenesis After Breakfast vs Dinner On High-Calorie as Well as Low-Calorie Meals
• Research Roundup – Artificial Sweeteners and Risk of Stroke and Dementia
• Article Discussion: “Antioxidants for Lifters: A Review of the Evidence”
• Research Roundup – Artificial sweeteners. Effects of Stevia Extract on Postprandial Glucose Response, Satiety and Energy Intake: A Three-Arm Crossover Trial.
• Research Roundup – Short-Term Impact of Sucralose Consumption on the Metabolic Response and Gut Microbiome of Healthy Adults. Study Coach’s Corner: Changing health-related habits and behaviors
• Coach’s Corner: Changing health-related habits and behaviors
• Hot Off the Presses: Antioxidants. Studies discussed:
• Can Eric discuss the recent “Game Changers” debate on the Joe Rogan podcast? Can he defend his indefensible review of the “Game Changers” movie, and defend his honor and integrity in the process?
• Insulin hypothesis: Definition and shortcomings (With James Krieger)
• Hot Off The Press (Research Roundup) – High fructose diets
• More and more studies show that a plant based diet is healthier than one that includes meat and other animal products. How does this relate to gains and weight loss?
• What are the evidence-based recommendations for red meat and processed meat consumption?
• What is your take on intuitive eating? Does our body have a built in mechanism which will increase hunger when our body registers the necessity for muscle growth?
• Is keto the best diet for weight loss?
• What are the effects of alcohol consumption on body composition?
• Can you eat fruit during a contest prep (or weight loss) diet?
• Is there any benefit to manipulating dietary fat distribution throughout the week (in essence, “fat cycling”)?
• Does blending your food render it less nutritious?
• A recent paper came out stating that people who drink diet soda are more likely to have a stroke… is this actually true? Are there any legit concerns about artificial sweeteners?
• What effect does processed food have on total daily calorie intake?
• There was recently a debate between Gary Taubes and Stephan Guyenet. To use the prompt from this debate… What is the REAL cause of obesity?
• What are the theoretical reasons for favoring high meal frequency?
• What effects does sugar intake have on performance and composition?
• Does the relative split of daily dietary intake of carbs and fat really matter for hypertrophy, strength, and body composition?

General Body Composition Questions

• What factors seem to be predictive of successful weight loss maintenance?
• Date in 3 days: Anything you can do to enhance your physique? 
• What is brown adipose tissue? 
• How do excessively low body-fat percentages impact strength and hypertrophy gains?
• Research Review: Relation of body fat mass and fat-free mass to total mortality
• Very brief p-ratio update
• Can you gain muscle while eating at maintenance calories if you’re getting adequate protein and have body fat to spare?
• Research Review: P-Ratios and Hypertrophy
• For body comp and performance purposes, what are your thoughts on “behavior based” dietary interventions, rather than focusing solely on macro targets?
• Does cortisol really impact body composition and fat storage?
• Do you buy the idea that certain ethnicities have a genetic tendency to store fat in different places?
• What are the biggest mistakes you see people make when they have an unsuccessful diet attempt? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• Are eating habits particularly hard to change? How do we successfully change them? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• Discussion on bulking, post-cut weight gain, and diet history (with Jeff Nippard)
• Discussion on FFMI and genetics (with Jeff Nippard)
• Are standing desks scientifically any better for athletes then sitting all day and how is that quantifiable?
• I’ve heard that having additional muscle mass can have effects on metabolism. Is this true?
• What percentage of guys do you think can achieve a fat-free mass index above 25?
• Body composition measurement: What are the most accurate methods? How bad is too bad for individual use? (With James Krieger)
• Is body mass index (BMI) still accurate for people who are much taller (or shorter) than average?
• What is a “set point” for body fat or body weight? Can we reset it?
• How can a person get their body fat percentage accurately estimated?
• Are body composition tests useful for the typical lifter? If so, how can people get their body composition tested in a reliable manner?
• What’s up with these new 3-D body composition scanners? What are some potential uses?

 

Supplements and Steroids

Caffeine

• Is it a good idea to use caffeine as an ergogenic aid if you can only train in the evening?
• Research Roundup – Caffeine naps
• Is it necessary to cycle caffeine for its ergogenic effects?
• Caffeine increases strength and power performance in resistance‐trained females during early follicular phase
• Research Roundup – Caffeine and genetics
• Research Roundup – Effects of acute caffeine, theanine and tyrosine supplementation on mental and physical performance in athletes.
• Research Roundup – Is Coffee a Useful Source of Caffeine Preexercise?
• What is the interaction between caffeine and creatine, and gastrointestinal discomfort associated with creatine supplementation?
• How does habitual coffee consumption affect arterial stiffness?
• Is caffeine bad for heart health?
• What’s the highest daily caffeine dose that seems to be okay?
• What factors affect caffeine metabolism and the relationship between caffeine and health? (Genes, diet, hormones, etc.)
• What is the relationship between caffeine, theacrine, and sleep issues?
• Do men and women experience the same performance effects from caffeine?

Creatine

• Should you stop taking creatine before and/or during a water cut? 
• Is there any benefit regarding creatine cycling?
• Creatine Supplementation Does Not Influence the Ratio Between Intracellular Water and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Resistance-Trained Men
• Is it okay to mix your creatine drink the night before you drink it?
• Can you tell if you’re a creatine non-responder by whether or not you gain weight when you start taking it?
• What is the link between creatine and hair loss?
• What is the interaction between caffeine and creatine, and gastrointestinal discomfort associated with creatine supplementation?
• Are you ever concerned about a client having high creatinine levels?

HMB

• What does the research say about HMB supplementation?
• What does the research say about how HMB supplementation affects hypertrophy?

CBD

• Is CBD oil actually a supplement, legally speaking?
• What is your opinion on CBD?

General Supplement Questions

• Q&A: Turkesterone supplementation 
• Evidence for Rhodiola usage as a pre-workout supplement 
• Does mouthwash blunt the ergogenic effect of nitrate supplements? 
• Research Review: Fish Oil and Recovery
• Is there any validity to the idea that athletes should avoid things like NSAIDs or fish oil in order to better realize training adaptations?
• Research Roundup: Capsaicin for performance
• Multivitamins: good or bad?
• Research Roundup: Beta-Alanine
• Is combined supplementation with glucosamine and chondroitin an efficacious strategy for older lifters? Will it prevent or repair any joint wear and tear?
• Research Roundup – Vitamin D
• Research Review: Testosterone boosters
• Is ATP supplementation effective for performance enhancement?
• Is phosphatidic acid supplementation effective?
• Research Roundup – Fish oil
• Research Roundup – Essential Amino Acids
• What’s your take on supplementing with leucine at every meal to optimize MPS?
• Does the effect of citrulline malate decrease with continuous use?
• If you are supplementing with collagen to help repair soft tissue and possibly mitigate pain, do you think it would be beneficial to antagonize the problem areas during your workouts to elicit an inflammatory response?
• Shedding Some Light on Vitamin D Supplementation: Does It Increase Strength In Athletes?
• Glycine supplementation for tendons and ligaments
• L-theanine: purpose and dosing guidelines
• Does acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) blunt hypertrophy or strength gains?
• Is it likely that habitual intake of nitrate-rich vegetables can induce the same ergogenic benefits that highly-concentrated supplements can?
• L-citrulline dosing guidelines
• Eric reviews several recent supplement meta-analyses and systematic reviews
• SBS Article Discussion: Betaine
• Vitamin C and recovery
• Sodium bicarbonate supplementation and strength/muscular endurance
• Given its osmolytic properties, could taking trimethylglycine (betaine) during “peak week” be a good idea for natural bodybuilders? Has it been tried before?
• I am currently taking a stim-free fat burner with several ingredients, and I feel like it helps curb my appetite. Are these ingredients actually doing anything, or am I just wasting my money?
• Do either of you guys still see a point in vitamin D and fish oil supplementation?
• Does collagen or glycine supplementation provide any benefit to connective tissue, muscle, or skin, beyond simply increasing protein quantity?
• What are your thoughts on sodium bicarbonate supplementation for the enhancement of sprint performance?
• Which supplements don’t suck?
• Are essential amino acids (EAAs) more useful than branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)?
• If we say that metabolite accumulation may play a causative role in hypertrophy, shouldn’t that mean that supplements designed to enhance the pump actually increase hypertrophy?
• How do combinations of dietary supplements work when consumed together?
• How does betaine supplementation affect body composition and strength performance?
• How exactly are dietary supplements regulated by the government?
• What is the history of prohormones on the supplement market?
• What exactly counts as a “dietary supplement,” according to the law? How do new ingredients find their way onto the market?
• How can consumers make safe, informed decisions about which supplements to take?
• How does the government regulate dietary supplements?
• What are “current good manufacturing practices” for supplements?
• Do new supplement ingredients require “approval” from the government?
• What is the history of non-supplement ingredients being sold as supplements (pro-hormones, stimulants, etc.)?
• Are “designer stimulants” still prevalent on the supplement market?
• People often blame failed drug tests on tainted supplements. Are they being truthful, or is that just a convenient excuse?
• Do we need more laws to help regulate the supplement industry?
• What does the research say about ecdysterone supplementation?
• What are your thoughts on sodium intake for lifters, whether in absolute terms or relative to potassium intake?

Steroids

• Research Review: Bodybuilding Mortality
• µ-Opioid receptor–induced synaptic plasticity in dopamine neurons mediates the rewarding properties of anabolic androgenic steroids
• How much of a difference do steroids make for muscle growth?
• New documentary about doping in weightlifting
• I once heard Greg say that one reason he’s never taken anabolic steroids is their potential impact on cognition, but I’ve never seen anyone else reference that as a side effect. Could he elaborate?
• How strong do people get when they think they’re on steroids, but actually aren’t?
• What do Greg and Eric think about drug testing in sport?
• How do anabolic steroids affect myonuclei? Do myonuclear changes revert back to normal when people stop using steroids?
• How long should someone be banned from sport when they’re caught using steroids?
• Does an increase in DHT necessarily mean more rapid hair loss? And how does this relate to anabolic steroids and hair loss?
• What percentage of strongman competitors do you think are drug-free? How’s the plan for drug-tested nationals coming along?

 

Pain, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Education, Interpreting Research, Building a Business, and Cooking Tips

Education and Building a Business

• I am a newly certified personal trainer, and I am planning to submit applications for personal trainer positions at commercial facilities in a couple weeks. How does a new trainer know when they are “ready” to take on clients?
• I’m a first year psychology student. We recently had a class on how to read research articles, and many course materials laid out processes that would take about 5-6 hours for every single paper. What is your process for reading research? Does this change when you’re trying to get acquainted with a whole new body of literature versus evaluating a single paper on a familiar topic?
• Discussion about creating fitness content (with Jeff Nippard)
• Do either of you have any recommendations on how to seek out a quality academic reference, without being a complete jerk about it? How can someone with aspirations of becoming a researcher get their start in the research world?
• I was wondering if you guys could provide any advice for students looking to improve their writing skills for science-based fitness articles. Related to that, what would be a useful approach for getting published on well-known websites?
• In a recent podcast you suggested buying an exercise physiology textbook. Is an old edition of a textbook worth reading, or would there be too much outdated information?
• What are some of the best reading materials you’d recommend for a trainer that is just starting out?
• What are some of the biggest tips you would give someone who wants to get into an exercise science program at a university and excel academically?
• What would happen if Terry Tao started studying exercise science? What kind of progress would the field make?
• A few scientific fields have recently identified issues with replication, reproducibility, and transparency in research. How prevalent are these issues in exercise science?
• How did you (Greg) build a following in the fitness industry?
• What advice do Greg and Eric have for students pursuing a degree in exercise science?
• What are some big things that you’ve changed your mind about over the years?
• What what were the early days of evidence-based fitness like?
• As someone who went the standard business route after college and is getting minimal satisfaction from their current career, how possible is it to get proper certifications for nutrition and personal training to make a career out of something I am more passionate about?

Reading and Interpreting Research

• What are some studies you would like to see conducted? 
• Is the Dunning-Kruger effect based on legit evidence?
• What are the most common errors that you see people make when interpreting statistics?
• Research Roundup: History of strength training research
• If ethics and money were no concern, what’s a study you’d love to see?
• Correlation doesn’t imply causation. But what does?
• Research Roundup – Masks
• Replication in science
• Call to increase statistical collaboration in sports science, sport and exercise medicine and sports physiotherapy
• Are questionable research practices facilitating new discoveries in sport and exercise medicine? The proportion of supported hypotheses is implausibly high
• Broader discussion on research interpretation
• Effect size discussion
• How much evidence and research would it take for you to implement new findings into your own practice? One study with a large effect size, or multiple replicated studies?
• How do you reconcile value for research, with the likelihood that there’s some degree of really bad research out there, and that many people can’t tell the difference between good and bad research?
• What is the state of research in exercise science and sports nutrition?
• Training studies are often quite short, and in relatively untrained people. Do the results from these short-term studies translate to long-term differences over a training career?
• What is response heterogeneity, and why is it important?
• What tips do Greg and Eric have for reading and interpreting research?
• Do you think that Bayesian Statistics will be used in future studies for analysis?

Cooking

• To Play Us Out: Scacce ragusana 
• To Play Us Out: Fruit bars 
• To Play Us Out: Olive oil blondies of Sohla El-Waylly
• What are some recipes for high-volume, low-calorie foods for limiting hunger when you’re trying to get shredded?
• Can you rank cooking methods from best to worst in terms of how they impact micronutrient content?
• To play us out: football season barbecue tips
• The importance of cooking (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• Chef Eric’s Easy Lentil Soup
• How to make risotto
• Sous vide cooking tips
• How to bake the perfect loaf of sourdough bread
• Homemade caramels
• Turkey roasting tips
• How do you make really, really good homemade ice cream?
• Does pineapple belong on pizza?
• Which is best: chicken wing, chicken thigh, or chicken breast?

On the Rise

• Evan Peikon
• Daniel DeBrocke
• Marco Sterpa
• Travis Pollen
• Meghan Callaway

Extremely Miscellaneous

• Is there anything within the industry that Greg and Eric fundamentally disagree on? 
• Preferred body hair removal techniques
• Biggest fitness myths on Instagram these days
• If you could redesign the Presidential Fitness Test to be science-based, what exercises would you select to assess physical fitness?
• What are some (fitness) topics where your opinion is firmly against the common wisdom and why?
• What is Ant-Man’s Wilks score?
• How do you make behavior change seem “sexy” or “exciting” to people? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• Why is it so difficult to change behavior? (with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon)
• Research Roundup – The stress of chess players as a model to study the effects of psychological stimuli on physiological responses: an example of substrate oxidation and heart rate variability in man
• Supporting immune function