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.
Here, we’ve compiled all of the pain, recovery, and injury prevention 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 and answers to your questions every week.
All pain, recovery, and injury prevention questions
- Pain and Injuries
- Coach’s Corner: Training around hip pain
- Why do I feel more aches and pains during a deload compared to a typical training week?
- Coach’s Corner: Modified pressing variations in response to shoulder/elbow discomfort
- How would you personally respond to a medical professional that tells you to stop squatting because it’s bad for your knees?
- Are muscle knots and trigger points “real” and worth caring about?
- What is the evidence around nutrition and injury prevention or recovery? Specifically, is there any research on prolonged cuts and effect on risk of injury?
- SBS Article Discussion: “What Factors Influence Injury Risk in Powerlifters? (Injury series, Part 3)”
- Coach’s Corner – Lifting technique and injury risk.
- Research Roundup – Which specific modes of exercise training are most effective for treating low back pain?
- What is the biopsychosocial model, as it relates to pain?
- What is the relationship between joint morphology and pain/injury?
- How should we address or deal with pain?
- Is there such a thing as “good” and “bad” movements or technique?
- When you have pain during a certain exercise, how do you decide whether it’s worth rehabbing that movement vs. picking a different exercise?
- What’s your take on long-term effects of heavy lifting on spine and joint health?
- Any recommendations for lifters with spinal loading issues?
- It seems like there’s more injuries in strongman than other strength sports. Does that match your experience? What sorts of injuries are common? What prehab work or training modifications help make training safer?
- Recovery
- Fitness-Related Applications of Mindfulness and Meditation
- Q&A: How does sauna bathing impact recovery and training adaptations?
- Research Roundup – Effects of Two Different Recovery Postures during High-Intensity Interval Training
- Profiles of Heart Rate Variability and Bar Velocity following Resistance Exercise
- If soreness isn’t a good indicator of gains, how do you know how hard to train?
- What effects can active release therapy, acupuncture, massages, stretching have on training?
- How does marijuana affect recovery from strength and hypertrophy training when it’s smoked, eaten, or vaped?
- Does pre-competition cryotherapy help for bodybuilding/physique athletes?
- How important is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)? I’ve been powerlifting for a little over 18 months and have never experienced any significant amount of soreness, but my program contains reasonably high training volume and frequency.
- What are the effects of phototherapy on exercise performance and recovery from exercise?
- Sleep
- Coach’s Corner: Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Stuff
- Simple question(s): recognizing needs will vary by person, how critical is adequate sleep to gains? To body comp? And are negative effects more acute or chronic?
- Why don’t researchers start tracking sleep and including it in their analysis?
- For people with sporadic sleep issues, what are some strategies to avoid detrimental impacts on performance, recovery, and body composition?
- Research Roundup – Sleep and Hunger
- A critical review of “Why We Sleep.”
- Why do we sleep?
- Does poor sleep impact performance or body composition?
- Are there people who simply need less sleep than others?
- What are chronotypes, and how do they matter in relation to sleep?
- Will naps help me recover from a lack of sleep?
- What is sleep debt and can it be repaid?
- How can we improve sleep to help training?
- I’ve been trying to get more sleep (at least 8-9 hours or more per night). However, I typically end up either waking up earlier or waking up more frequently throughout the night, resulting in poorer sleep than normal. Is this a sign that I shouldn’t be trying to force more sleep, and should return to my typical sleep habits?
Pain and Injuries
Coach’s Corner: Training around hip pain
Why do I feel more aches and pains during a deload compared to a typical training week?
Coach’s Corner: Modified pressing variations in response to shoulder/elbow discomfort
Episode 59: Beta-Alanine, Training Frequency, and Strength for Hypertrophy
How would you personally respond to a medical professional that tells you to stop squatting because it’s bad for your knees?
Are muscle knots and trigger points “real” and worth caring about?
Episode 48: Breakfast, Glycine, Muscle Knots, and Trigger Points
What is the evidence around nutrition and injury prevention or recovery? Specifically, is there any research on prolonged cuts and effect on risk of injury?
Episode 38: Immune Function, Home-Based Workouts, Fat Burners, and Lifting with Long Limbs
SBS Article Discussion: “What Factors Influence Injury Risk in Powerlifters? (Injury series, Part 3)”
Episode 36: Antioxidants, Injury Risk Factors, and the Conjugate Method
Coach’s Corner – Lifting technique and injury risk.
Episode 35: Metabolic Rate, Artificial Sweeteners, Electromyography, and Non-Failure Training
Research Roundup – Which specific modes of exercise training are most effective for treating low back pain?
Episode 28: Glycogen Loading, Lower Back Pain, PowerBuilding, & Physical Culture with Ben Pollack
Episode 22: Red Meat, Deloads, and Pain with Dr. Michael Ray
What is the relationship between joint morphology and pain/injury?
Episode 22: Red Meat, Deloads, and Pain with Dr. Michael Ray
How should we address or deal with pain?
Episode 22: Red Meat, Deloads, and Pain with Dr. Michael Ray
Is there such a thing as “good” and “bad” movements or technique?
Episode 22: Red Meat, Deloads, and Pain with Dr. Michael Ray
When you have pain during a certain exercise, how do you decide whether it’s worth rehabbing that movement vs. picking a different exercise?
Episode 5: Q&A: Dropping Weight, Building Strength to Promote Hypertrophy, and Training Around Pain
What’s your take on long-term effects of heavy lifting on spine and joint health?
Episode 3: Q&A: Beltless Training, Leucine, and the Health Benefits of Strength
Any recommendations for lifters with spinal loading issues?
Episode 3: Q&A: Beltless Training, Leucine, and the Health Benefits of Strength
It seems like there’s more injuries in strongman than other strength sports. Does that match your experience? What sorts of injuries are common? What prehab work or training modifications help make training safer?
Episode 26: Protein, Fiber, Phototherapy, and Intro to Strongman with James Deffinbaugh
Recovery
Fitness-Related Applications of Mindfulness and Meditation
Q&A: How does sauna bathing impact recovery and training adaptations?
- Acute Neuromuscular and Hormonal Responses to Different Exercise Loadings Followed by a Sauna
- Effects of Postexercise Sauna Bathing on Recovery of Swim Performance
- Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners
- Intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing improves markers of exercise capacity in hot and temperate conditions in trained middle-distance runners
- The Prevalence of Use of Various Post-Exercise Recovery Methods after Training among Elite Endurance Athletes
Episode 94: Intuitive Eating, Plyometrics for Hypertrophy, and a Sauna Update
Research Roundup – Effects of Two Different Recovery Postures during High-Intensity Interval Training
Study reviewed: Michaelson et al.
Episode 44: Caffeine Genes, Brown Adipose Tissue, Concurrent Training, and Hangovers
Profiles of Heart Rate Variability and Bar Velocity following Resistance Exercise
Episode 37: Heart Rate Variability, Antagonist Stretching, and Chrononutrition
If soreness isn’t a good indicator of gains, how do you know how hard to train?
Episode 17: Q&A: Dreamer Bulks, Concurrent Training, Recovery Modalities, and Valuing Research
What effects can active release therapy, acupuncture, massages, stretching have on training?
Episode 17: Q&A: Dreamer Bulks, Concurrent Training, Recovery Modalities, and Valuing Research
How does marijuana affect recovery from strength and hypertrophy training when it’s smoked, eaten, or vaped?
Episode 13: Q&A: Warming Up, Calculating Volume, Assessing Fatigue, and Creatine Non-Responders
Does pre-competition cryotherapy help for bodybuilding/physique athletes?
Episode 2: Sex Differences in Fatigue and Recovery, and Dr. Jason Cholewa
How important is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)? I’ve been powerlifting for a little over 18 months and have never experienced any significant amount of soreness, but my program contains reasonably high training volume and frequency.
Episode 23: Q&A: Carbs, Sodium, and Experimenting with Your Training
What are the effects of phototherapy on exercise performance and recovery from exercise?
Episode 26: Protein, Fiber, Phototherapy, and Intro to Strongman with James Deffinbaugh
Sleep
Coach’s Corner: Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Stuff
- Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood
- Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations
Episode 70: Reverse Dieting, Bodybuilding Mortality, and Optimizing Biomechanics
Simple question(s): recognizing needs will vary by person, how critical is adequate sleep to gains? To body comp? And are negative effects more acute or chronic?
Episode 66: Refeeds, Diet Breaks, Fructose, and Sodium
Why don’t researchers start tracking sleep and including it in their analysis?
For people with sporadic sleep issues, what are some strategies to avoid detrimental impacts on performance, recovery, and body composition?
Research Roundup – Sleep and Hunger
Episode 52: Protein, Lactate, and Strength Phases to Boost Hypertrophy
A critical review of “Why We Sleep.”
Episode 35: Metabolic Rate, Artificial Sweeteners, Electromyography, and Non-Failure Training
Why do we sleep?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
Does poor sleep impact performance or body composition?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
Are there people who simply need less sleep than others?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
What are chronotypes, and how do they matter in relation to sleep?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
Will naps help me recover from a lack of sleep?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
What is sleep debt and can it be repaid?
Episode 14: Sleep, Response Heterogeneity, and Dr. Brandon Roberts
How can we improve sleep to help training?
Study discussed: 1
Episode 17: Q&A: Dreamer Bulks, Concurrent Training, Recovery Modalities, and Valuing Research
I’ve been trying to get more sleep (at least 8-9 hours or more per night). However, I typically end up either waking up earlier or waking up more frequently throughout the night, resulting in poorer sleep than normal. Is this a sign that I shouldn’t be trying to force more sleep, and should return to my typical sleep habits?
Episode 25: Q&A: Rest Periods, Deadlifts, Bulking, and Hypertrophy for Powerlifters