Here are questions I am often asked. If you have a question about strength training, please write a comment below. To see a list of long articles, please click HERE. To buy my books, click HERE. To listen to my podcast with Paul, click HERE.

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#1. What are the mechanisms of maximum strength and speed?

1.1 BACKGROUND

• What stimulates gains in strength and gains in speed?

• Are higher training volumes always better for strength and speed?

• Why does fast movement training increase speed more than strength?

• Why does strength training increase strength more than speed?

• Are improvements in coordination the same as gains in motor unit recruitment?

• What is antagonist coactivation?

• How can we target improvements in coordination during strength training?

• What is voluntary activation?

• What causes increases in motor unit recruitment after strength training?

• What exercises maximize gains in motor unit recruitment? 

• When are increases in the ability to recruit high-threshold motor units specific?

• How can we achieve speed gains with heavy strength training? 

• Why are increases in motor unit firing rates greater after fast movement training?

• Do increases in lateral force transmission increase speed as well as strength?

• Why is it important to retain type IIX fiber proportions in athletes?

• How does velocity-based training enhance gains in athletic performance?

• How can we use force-velocity profiling to write strength training programs?

• Why does training with lighter loads cause smaller gains in strength?

• How do strength gains develop over time? 

• How rapidly does hypertrophy happen?

• How does rate coding affect muscle force? 

• Why are lower volumes often better for increasing speed?

• What is repetition strength?

• What causes sarcoplasmic hypertrophy to occur?

• What can studies involving electrically-stimulated contractions teach us?

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1.2 ACTIVE MECHANICAL TENSION

• How does mechanical tension stimulate hypertrophy?

• Does more muscle force mean more mechanical tension?

• Does concentric-only training cause hypertrophy?

• How does light load strength training to failure cause hypertrophy?

• How does blood flow restriction (BFR) training cause hypertrophy?

• Why does very light load training to failure cause less hypertrophy?

• Can flexing cause hypertrophy?

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1.3 DISCARDED HYPOTHESES REGARDING HYPERTROPHY

• Does lactate stimulate hypertrophy?

• Does hypoxia stimulate hypertrophy?

• Does fatigue stimulate hypertrophy?

• Does metabolic stress cause hypertrophy?

• Does metabolic stress cause hypertrophy (REDUX)?

• Does muscle swelling (the pump) cause hypertrophy?

• Does muscle damage cause hypertrophy? (first version)

• Does muscle damage cause hypertrophy? (second version)

• Does satellite cell activation cause hypertrophy?

• Do reactive oxygen species cause hypertrophy?

• Does volume load predict hypertrophy?

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#2. How does passive tension cause hypertrophy?

• What is stretch-mediated hypertrophy?

• What is stretch-mediated hypertrophy (REDUX)?

• Why do muscle fibers need to be activated to produce sarcomerogenesis during strength training?

• How does static stretching cause hypertrophy?

• Why does static stretching not always cause hypertrophy?

• Should bodybuilders use static stretching in their workouts?

• How does full range of motion training cause more hypertrophy?

• Why do full ranges of motion not always cause more hypertrophy?

• How does titin signaling cause hypertrophy?

• How do we know that titin signaling causes hypertrophy?

• How does eccentric training differ from normal strength training?

• What is the relationship between eccentric training volume and hypertrophy?

• What is the residual force enhancement effect?

• How do fascicle lengths increase during strength training?

• What do changes in the angle of peak torque tell us about sarcomerogenesis?

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#3. How does fatigue work during exercise?

• What is fatigue?

• How does fatigue affect adaptations?

• How does fatigue affect adaptations (REDUX)?

• What is the oxygen conforming response?

• Does fatigue work the same way during eccentric and concentric phases?

• Does fatigue work the same way during and after a workout?

• Does fatigue impair motor learning?

• Does fatigue enhance motor unit recruitment?

• What causes CNS fatigue?

• What causes supraspinal CNS fatigue?

• How do perceptions cause supraspinal CNS fatigue?

• How does CNS fatigue occur during strength training workouts?

• What is the difference between a stimulating rep and a high effort rep? 

• Does fatigue impair hypertrophy by causing interference effects? 

• What is excitation-contraction coupling failure?

• What is calcium ion-related fatigue?

• How does muscle length affect fatigue?

• What causes muscle fiber type shifts?

• What causes muscular failure?

• What causes muscular failure (REDUX)?

• What causes muscular failure during light load strength training?

• Can static stretching cause fatigue?

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#4. How does fatigue work after exercise?

• What is sustained (post-workout) fatigue?

• What is sustained (post-workout) fatigue (REDUX)?

• How does sustained (post-workout) fatigue interfere with adaptations?

• What training variables contribute to sustained (post-workout) fatigue?

• Does mechanical tension cause muscle damage?

• What causes muscle damage?

• How does muscle damage increase with increasing volume?

• Does muscle damage occur in specific muscle regions?

• Do muscles always repair themselves perfectly after being damaged?

• How does the repeated bout effect work? 

• How does the multiple repeated bout effect work?

• What causes DOMS? 

• Does fascia damage cause DOMS?

• What is perceived recovery?

• How does fiber type affect post-workout fatigue?

• How does CNS fatigue occur after strength training workouts?

• How does post-workout inflammation cause CNS fatigue?

• How can we detect and monitor CNS fatigue?

• Why does training with light loads cause more post-workout fatigue?

• How does low muscle glycogen cause fatigue?

• Why do the recovery rates of individual muscles differ?

• How does muscle damage reduce glycogen replenishment?

• How might low carbohydrate diets affect adaptations?

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#5. What is the best way to train muscles for bodybuilding?

5.1 BACKGROUND

• What is the principle of neuromechanical matching?

• What is the principle of neuromechanical matching (REDUX)?

• How does exercise selection affect hypertrophy?

• How does the amount of muscle mass used in an exercise affect recruitment?

• How do two-joint muscles work during multi-joint exercises?

• What is the physiological difference between single-joint and multi-joint exercises?

• How do the effects of exercise selection on hypertrophy change over time?

• Does hypertrophy occur in specific regions after training?

• How does exercise variety affect adaptations?

• Why is exercise periodization better than load periodization?

• How do the recovery rates of each muscle group differ?

• How does posture affect the effects of an exercise?

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5.2 VARYING EXERCISES

• How can we alter pressing variations to target different muscles?

• How can we alter squat variations to target different muscles?

• How can we alter lunge variations to target different muscles?

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5.3 EXERCISES FOR EACH MUSCLE GROUP

• What is the best way to train the gluteus maximus?

• What is the best way to train the upper and lower gluteus maximus?

• How do glute bridges and hip thrusts differ?

• What is the best way to train the hamstrings? 

• What is the best way to train the quadriceps?

• What is the best way to train the calves?

• What is the best way to train the latissimus dorsi?

• What is the best way to train the trapezius?

• What is the best way to train the triceps brachii?

• What is the best way to train the biceps brachii?

• What is the best way to train the pectoralis major?

• What is the best way to train the deltoids?

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#6. How do plyometrics work?

• How do plyometrics alter stretch-shortening cycle function?

• What stimulates increases in tendon stiffness? 

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#7. How can we train athletic movements?

• How can we train to improve throwing?

• What is power?

• Are slow lowering phases useful for athletes?

• What neural adaptations cause increases in eccentric strength?

• Why are proximal-to-distal sequences important?

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#8. How can we program strength training workouts?

8.1 VOLUME

• How can we define training volume?

• Does increasing volume load always increase hypertrophy?

• Does increasing volume always increase hypertrophy?

• When happens when volume becomes excessive?

• How can we maximize the effects of higher volumes?

• How does training status affect optimal training volume?

• Does junk volume exist?

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8.2 OTHER TRAINING VARIABLES

• Do different rep ranges produce different effects? 

• Do different rep ranges produce different effects (again)?

• Do light loads reach maximal motor unit recruitment at muscular failure?

• What does lifting tempo do?

• What does lowering tempo do?

• How does stability affect adaptations?

• How does exercise order affect adaptations?

• How is isometric training useful? 

• How does training to failure affect hypertrophy?

• How can we maximize hypertrophy while minimizing fatigue?

• How does rest period duration affect hypertrophy?

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8.3 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

• How does pre-exhaustion affect hypertrophy?

• How do drop sets affect hypertrophy?

• How do antagonist supersets affect hypertrophy?

• Are back-off sets with very light loads valuable for hypertrophy?

• Why is cluster training valuable for athletes?

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8.4 USEFUL CUES AND INTERVENTIONS

• How can we best use an external focus of attention?

• How do internal cues enhance hypertrophy?

• How can we instantly increase strength?

• How does the sympathetic nervous system affect adaptations?

• How can we program using percentages of 1RM?

• What are repetitions in reserve (RIR)? 

• How can we maximize motor unit recruitment?

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#9. How does training frequency work?

• How does frequency affect hypertrophy? (first version)

• How does frequency affect hypertrophy (second version)

• Why does training too frequently not work for hypertrophy?

• What can volume dose-response studies teach us about training frequency?

• How can we interpret post-workout myofibrillar protein synthesis rate elevations?

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#10. How can we implement periodization?

• How does block periodization work?

• Can block periodization be used to manage fatigue?

• What causes the concurrent training interference effect?

• What is post-activation potentiation, and how does it work?

• What is priming?

• What are cross-over effects?

• Are strength training workouts stressors?

• How does sleep affect recovery during strength training?

• What is muscle memory?

• What is detraining?

• When does muscle loss occur?

• How quickly does muscle loss occur?

• Does overreaching increase hypertrophy?

• Why does muscle not always grow back after inactivity?

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If you have any other questions, please leave a comment below!