A deep dive into the science of muscle growth. Hosted by Chris Beardsley and Jake Doleschal, this podcast explores hypertrophy training through the lens of pre-steroid era bodybuilding and modern muscle physiology.
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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris analyse a Reg Park power-focused routine and use it as a starting point to discuss powerbuilding. The episode explores how lifters can structure training depending on whether they lean more toward bodybuilding, powerlifting, or a true middle ground. Key topics include: • Reg Park’s power routine from his Mr. Universe course • The difference between bodybuilding, powerlifting, and powerbuilding goals • How to modify a bodybuilding ...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris analyse a 1940s training routine from silver era bodybuilder George Eiferman, including his progression model. The episode explores how silver era lifters approached progression and how confusion around progression models has influenced the modern bodybuilding. Key topics include: • George Eiferman’s 1940s full body training routine • Why silver era bodybuilders often used wider rep range • Understanding progression as an input vs...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris follow up last week's episode on drop sets by diving deeper into the physiology of fatigue and rest periods. Using an extreme high-volume routine from Serge Nubret, the episode explores why different exercises, rep ranges, and proximity to failure dramatically change the amount and type of fatigue that accumulates during training. Key topics include: • Serge Nubret’s ultra high-volume, short-rest training system • The four major f...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris explore the origins and physiology of drop sets, beginning with a 1949 drop set routine from Henry J. Atkin. The episode examines how “multiple poundage system” training was originally performed in the silver era, before transitioning into a physiological breakdown of why modern drop set research may not support many of the claims made about the method today. Key topics include: • Henry J. Atkin’s 1949 “multiple poundage system” •...
Jake and Chris delve into the utility of circuit training for muscle growth, tracing its origins from 1960s routines like John McCallum's Peripheral Heart Action. They break down the physiological advantages, such as mitigating the exercise order effect and managing various fatigue mechanisms, including CNS and peripheral fatigue. The discussion covers optimal exercise pairing, integrating reps in reserve or cluster sets, and addresses practical limitations in busy gyms. They also highlight a unique application for personal training sessions and athlete tapering strategies.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris break down a 1950s weightlifting plan from Paul Anderson, one of the strongest men to ever live. The episode begins with a deep dive into Anderson’s low volume, high frequency training structure, before expanding into a physiology-first explanation of why low per session volume and high frequency training still makes sense today. Key topics include: • Paul Anderson’s 1954 weightlifting program • Why separating squats into their o...
Chris and Jake delve into a Silver Era full-body program, using it as a springboard to clarify the true definitions of intra-workout and post-workout fatigue. They explain how factors like exercise selection, rest periods, and psychological motivation impact performance, arguing that many popular beliefs about workout structure and recovery are misguided. The discussion offers a framework for flexible, physiology-informed programming that allows for higher exercise volumes than commonly assumed.
Chris and Jake dissect Arthur Jones's influential 1940s/50s full-body program, analyzing its effectiveness and historical context, especially concerning the impact of anabolics on modern training philosophies. They introduce a comprehensive framework for program design, categorizing plans into bare minimum for maintenance, minimalist for general bodybuilding, and maximalist for targeting maximum growth. The discussion emphasizes tailoring programs to individual goals, optimizing exercise selection, and avoiding common pitfalls like over-optimization of single variables.
This episode delves into how fast natural lifters can truly grow, starting with an analysis of Frank Zane's Golden Era beginner program and its principles. Chris and Jake then tackle common misunderstandings surrounding strength gains and muscle hypertrophy, emphasizing that progressive overload is proof of adaptation, not its cause. They also discuss the detrimental effects of constantly changing exercises and offer realistic benchmarks for muscle growth and strength gains based on natural potential and historical physiques.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down an often misunderstood programming question: how does full body training twice per week compare to an upper/lower split performed four times per week? The episode begins with a deep dive into a late 1960s program from Chuck Sipes, before discussing the key differences between full body and upper/lower when frequency is equated. Key topics include: • Why full body twice per week is one of the most underrated training spl...
Jake and Chris explore how to structure a training program during a dieting phase, starting with a reconstructed Reg Park "definition" routine. They delve into the physiological realities of training in a calorie deficit, emphasizing the importance of exercise variety and efficient programming over excessive volume to prevent muscle atrophy. The discussion highlights practical strategies for adjusting training variables while cutting, drawing parallels between historical wisdom and current scientific understanding.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris discuss how to build the biggest glutes possible. The episode begins with a rare Silver Era lower-body routine from a female 1940s strength athlete Abby “Pudgy” Stockton, before breaking down the most effective modern exercises for glute development. Key topics include: • Abby Stockton’s 1940s lower body routine • The difference between upper and lower regions of the gluteus maximus • Why seated hip abduction is one of the best e...
Hosts Jake and Chris break down effective strategies for arm development, starting with a historical review and critique of Chuck Sipes' Golden Era arm routine, highlighting its excessive volume and eccentric overload issues. They then provide a deep dive into exercise science, explaining voluntary activation deficits and why varied, targeted isolation exercises are crucial for maximizing growth across the brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps brachii. The episode concludes with practical recommendations for both minimalist and maximalist arm training programs.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris dive into whether more volume is always better. The episode opens in the late Silver Era with Sergio Oliva’s high-volume split, then pivots into a brand-new study that compares “high” vs “super high” volumes in trained lifters. Key topics include: Sergio Oliva’s late-Silver Era routine New study 18 vs ~32 sets per week Why “more volume” didn’t produce more hypertrophy Damage as “resource drain” vs damage as fatigue No fascicle le...
Jake and Chris delve into a recent hypertrophy study that reveals how fatigue not only makes training harder but actively diminishes the hypertrophic stimulus through decreased single-fiber mechanical tension. The discussion covers the protective functions of CNS and calcium-ion fatigue, their impact on motor unit recruitment, and practical programming implications for exercise order, rep ranges, and advanced methods like cluster sets and isometrics. The episode also critiques a 1950s training program and highlights the experimental nature of the science-based lifting community.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris break down how you can become stronger immediately - not by changing your program, but by changing your motivation. The conversation starts in the Silver Era again, comparing Clarence Ross’ 1949/50 routine to his 1952 “favourite routine”, and why the small adjustments he made make physiological sense. From there, Chris connects motivation to motor unit recruitment through Marcora’s Psychobiological Model of Fatigue. Key topics in...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris unpack periodisation for hypertrophy, including what it actually is (and isn’t), why most “periodised” bodybuilding programs end up adding complexity without adding results, and which variables you can change over time without accidentally driving atrophy or accumulating a fatigue debt. The episode opens in 1952 with Clarence Ross’ pre-steroid full-body AAA “favourite routine”. From there, Jake and Chris break down the three main ...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris tackle a surprisingly common question: what if you can only train once per week? Beginning with an early-1960s two-way split from John McCallum to discuss exercise sequencing, why multi-joint lifts paired with single-joint “finishers” can preserve recruitment better than simply adding more straight sets, and what older routines got right (and missed) due to equipment constraints. The episode then breaks down why once-weekly traini...
Chris and Jake break down Dorian Yates's pre-Olympia torso-limbs program, highlighting his intuitive exercise selection and the benefits of single-joint finishers for sustained motor unit recruitment. The discussion expands to compare "ABC" training splits with multi-exercise per session approaches, emphasizing why the latter is superior for hypertrophy by activating distinct muscle fibers. A significant portion is dedicated to explaining neuromechanical matching as the brain's efficiency-driven motor control model, thoroughly debunking common criticisms and flawed alternative theories like the active length-tension plateau and rate coding. Practical tips for implementing multi-exercise workouts and efficient warm-ups are also shared.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris break down the resurgence of “advanced” training techniques like clusters, supersets, giant sets, pre-exhaust, drop sets, and rest-pause. Using an early Chuck Sipes “heavy-light” split as an example of early bodybuilding plans that incorporated some advanced methods, the conversation then explains why most of these methods are at best time-saving rather than stimulus enhancing. The episode finishes with Jake and Chris discussing ...
Jake and Chris analyze a Golden Era training plan attributed to Larry Scott and Vince Gironda, exploring how hypertrophy programming evolved after the introduction of anabolic drugs. The conversation delves into modern debates on exercise selection, "redundant" movements, and single vs. multi-joint training, alongside discussions on training form. Chris introduces the concept of voluntary activation deficits as the unifying physiological principle that explains how these elements impact muscle growth and motor unit recruitment.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris kick off 2026 with a Part 2 follow-up aimed at coaches. Last episode was about the mistakes lifters make when they return to the gym, this week is about the mistakes coaches make when they design and deliver programs to clients. The conversation starts with Bob Hoffman’s time-efficient “working man” full-body routine and why the plan made sense for its context, while also pointing out where it falls short. From there, the episode...
Jake and Chris explore common gym mistakes as people return after holidays or start new routines, drawing lessons from George Eiferman's 1952 full-body regimen. They highlight pitfalls like unstable exercise selection, cardio-driven workouts, changing exercises too frequently, and inadequate progress tracking. The discussion emphasizes fundamental principles for effective hypertrophy, contrasting these errors with historical best practices and providing practical advice for optimizing training for sustainable gains and injury prevention.
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down Mike Mentzer’s “most productive” routine and use it as a turning point to discuss how training trends shifted across the Golden Era. From there, the conversation shifts to how anabolic steroid use increases tendon and ligament rupture risk and whether the rise of higher-rep training, shorter rest periods, machines, slower eccentrics, and lower frequency in the post-steroid bodybuilding era might partly reflect an uncons...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present , Jake and Chris shift from the Silver Era into the early anabolic era by analysing a Golden Era training plan from Ken Waller. Using Waller’s 1975 routine as a case study, they explore how bodybuilding training changed as anabolic use became more common. The discussion then transitions into a deep dive on the Weekly Net Stimulus model and why hypertrophy must be understood at the muscle fibre level. Key topics include: Ken Waller’s 1975 Golden E...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris revisit the Silver Era through one of the most iconic Silver Era bodybuilders, John Grimek, and his bulking plan. They then discuss what muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB) really mean, dismantling the idea that “elevated MPS = muscle growth”. Key topics include: -John Grimek’s full-body gaining routine and the practical logic of Silver Era plans -MPS vs MPB and net protein balance -Why you can’t assu...
In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris go back to 1945 and break down Clancy Ross’ pre-contest “definition” routine to show how Silver Era lifters tried to get lean using their gym programming. From there they pivot into dieting and how caloric restriction, stress, glycogen, and glucocorticoids actually affect muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown. Key topics include: Clancy Ross’ 1945 full-body “reducing routine” and why even this questionable plan sti...
Jake and Chris examine Bill Pearl's 1967 high-volume, six-day split, revealing how anabolic steroid use shifted training practices by breaking the natural feedback loop for growth. They then pivot to a new study that directly compares heavy versus light loads in trained lifters, providing crucial insights that challenge the long-held "volume load" hypothesis and prompt a re-evaluation of the stimulating reps model for hypertrophy. The discussion emphasizes the importance of physiological understanding over statistical similarities and practical considerations in training.
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris dive into a Bill Pearl full-body routine, using it as a bridge between the pre-steroid silver era and the early anabolic era. From there, they shift into part two of their sleep series, unpacking how sleep loss influences muscle atrophy and recovery in natural lifters. Key topics include: Bill Pearl’s 1957 full-body plan The difference between immobilisation/diet-induced atrophy vs stress/sleep-loss-induced atrophy Practical prog...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present , Jake and Chris break down Bob Hoffman’s basic athletic program through a modern physiology lens and unpack how insufficient sleep impacts training performance. Key topics include: Bob Hoffman’s silver era full-body athlete hypertrophy program Sleep deprivation vs restriction vs cumulative sleep debt How insufficient sleep affects hypertrophy training performance Practical strategies for adjusting a workout after poor sleep...
