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 discuss Silver-Era author Peary Rader’s “training as you get older” guidelines and dive into how to construct a modern, physiology-led template for older lifters. Key topics include: Why recovery, not “low stimulus sensitivity” likely limits muscle growth in older lifters Intra-session fatigue control in older lifters Programming for older lifters: volume, RIR, exercise selection, frequency Isometrics for older lifters...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack a Silver-Era routine passed from 1950 Mr America John Farbotnik to Gene Mozee at a time where high volume plans were taking over bodybuilding. From there they go deep into accumulating fatigue, how excitation–contraction coupling failure, muscle damage, and supraspinal CNS fatigue interact across sessions, why exercise novelty and split design can make this worse, and how to calculate and clear your “fatigue debt” without lo...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Steve Reeves’ 1947 pre-competition full-body routine, then dive into why the Silver-Era were such advocates of orange juice + honey during training. We assess the building research on carbohydrate mouth-rinsing, what this tells us about supraspinal CNS fatigue, and how the performance increase from carbohydrate mouth-rinsing differs from the performance increase from creatine supplementation. Key topics include: Steve Reeves...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris break down Dick DuBois’ 1954 full-body routine (and we finally have some pull-ups!). They then tackle the “half-set” myth, why counting half sets for secondary muscles doesn't make any sense and how to adjust multi joint exercises to bias growth in a particular muscle. Key topics include: • Dick DuBois’ 1954 full-body plan • The “Half-Set” problem • Damage in secondary muscles • Using multi joint exercises in beginner vs advanced ...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris use Peary Rader’s leg routine to outline a practical, physiology-led blueprint for muscle specialisation. Key topics include: Peary Rader’s pre-steroid era leg routine (and the changes we would make today) A framework for designing a muscle specialisation phase for any muscle When to specialise and how to integrate it into your main plan without losing your progress Writing programs using science-based (mechanisms) vs evidence-bas...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris start by discussing one of the most widely used methods of the Silver Era; the 20 rep squat. They then dive into the physiology of cluster sets: what they are, how they differ from rest-pause and drop sets, and how cluster sets can be programmed to offer benefits over traditional straight sets. Key topics include: • Reg Park chest specialisation phase (including the classic 20-rep breathing squat method) • Fatigue mechanisms in clu...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris unpack Reg Park’s calf-specialisation phase before discussing the physiology of pauses: when they work, when they don’t, and how they compare to partial reps. Key topics include: • Reg Park’s 1952 calf-specialisation program • Straight-leg vs bent-leg calf work and how they bias gastroc vs soleus • The physiology of pause fatigue: metabolite vs calcium-related mechanisms • Why static “passive” stretching isn’t the same as active p...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris discuss Sig Klein’s extensive routine and use it as a springboard to tackle one of the biggest programming questions: how much exercise variety do you really need for maximal growth? Key topics include: How neuromechanical matching explains which motor units get recruited first Voluntary activation deficits - why bigger muscles and bigger lifts mean some motor units aren't recruited How to use unilateral work to meaningfully incre...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris revisit Joe Weider’s early 1940 full-body program before breaking down the central problem that all split routines face: supraspinal CNS fatigue. Key topics include: • How calcium-ion–related fatigue and inflammation create global CNS fatigue • Why back-to-back training days reduce recruitment, even for unrelated muscles • Why full-body AAA and AB formats avoid these issues
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris explore Sig Klein’s early A/B full body routine from the pre-steroid bodybuilding era before examining the claim that elevated myofibrillar protein synthesis blunts the effectiveness of subsequent workouts. Key topics include: Sig Klein’s beginner routine The difference between myofibrillar protein synthesis and hypertrophy stimulus What comparing one vs three set studies shows us about elevated synthesis timelines Why any overlap...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake and Chris explore the lesser-known silver-era bodybuilder Floyd Page’s 1952 full-body routine before unpacking the topic of training frequency, long-term training studies, and physiological models. Key topics include: Floyd Page’s 1952 “favourite routine” and its historical context The non-linear dose-response of sets and why frequency changes the outcome Physiological models vs. long-term training study data What the Currier (2023) network...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack one of Peary Rader’s Silver Era “advanced beginner” routines, before a deep dive into the principle of Neuromechanical Matching. Key topics include: What Rader’s “advanced beginner” (intermediate) plan looked like A deep dive into the neuromechanical matching principle Common misconceptions and critiques of NMM How it interacts with the size principle and fatigue Practical implications for programming...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down an isometric method from bodybuilding legend and first Mr Universe, John Grimek. They explore how maximal-effort isometrics can stimulate muscle growth and the key differences between overcoming and yielding isometrics. Key topics include: How isometrics produce hypertrophy The role of joint angle specificity Yielding isometrics versus overcoming isometrics Practical ways to program isometrics...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dive into a 1955 arm specialization routine from Peary Rader and use it as a launchpad to challenge one of the most common misconceptions in hypertrophy programming today. They explore whether exercises can “bias” specific muscle regions, and what the implications are for hypertrophy programming. Key topics include: What it really means to “bias” a region of a muscle Why the idea that a single exercise can trai...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack the very first York Barbell course, discussing its warm-up approach and how it compares to other silver era routines. The second half of the episode zooms out to explore warm-ups more broadly, what they actually do (and don’t do), whether they affect hypertrophy, and why most warm-up advice might be misguided. Key topics: The three physiological effects of warming up: temperature, PAP, and PAPE Why most ...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down a pre-steroid bulking routine from Alan Stephen, an underrated Silver Era bodybuilder who trained with a pretty unique method. They explore how this high volume, low rep program makes sense with the stimulating reps model, and use it as a springboard to unpack one of the most misunderstood training concepts: work capacity . Key Topics: • The three definitions of “work capacity” and which one actually...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley explore whether full body training can be done every day, and what that really looks like. Drawing inspiration from Bronze Era strongman George Hackenschmidt, they unpack creative strategies for making high frequency training work. Key Topics: How training every day differs from traditional 3x per week programming How MYOPS behaves and whether it must return to baseline before training again What programming va...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley return to Reg Park, but this time explore one of his most advanced programs. They compare this higher volume plan to Park’s earlier abbreviated routine before exploring whether all training programs eventually lead to the same outcome, and which variables actually determine your muscular potential. Key Topics: How Reg Park’s exercise selection evolved from bulk to shape The physiology behind fibre-specific musc...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley discuss one of the strongest bodybuilders of the Silver Era, and the third man to ever bench 500 pounds, Marvin Eder's training routine. The second half of the episode takes a deep dive into the mechanisms of strength, why strength isn’t a single adaptation, and why hypertrophy does contribute to strength. Key Topics: The alignment between old-school programming and recoverability data Why strength isn’t one thi...
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dissect Reg Park’s 1950s “Mr. Universe Bulk Course”. Unlike the high-variation, single-set approach of Steve Reeves discussed in the previous episdoe, Reg Park’s plan featured fewer exercises but high set volume, low reps, and heavy loads. The second half of the episode shifts into a deep dive on post-workout fatigue; what it actually is, what causes it, and why the common beliefs about fatigue and recovery mig...
This episode delves into Steve Reeves' 1950s full-body training routine, highlighting his unique multi-exercise, single-set approach. The hosts explore the physiological basis of muscle fiber-specific hypertrophy and neuromechanical matching, explaining how exercise variation impacts overall muscle development. They discuss how to efficiently program for growth, the limitations of traditional splits for advanced lifters, and the importance of exercise selection over fixed training schedules.
In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present , Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley examine Clancy Ross’ 1940s split set routine - an early experiment in dividing upper and lower body training that predated modern training splits. They break down how Ross evolved his training by splitting full-body workouts into AM/PM upper/lower sessions and discuss what this teaches us about fatigue management, muscle damage, and cardiovascular recovery. Key topics: How Clancy Ross experimented with splittin...
In this second episode, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down the York Barbell Mr America Course, a program from 1951 that evolved from the earlier Milo Barbell plan. They explore what changed in the decades following the first mass-produced bodybuilding programs, including the introduction of sets, improved exercise selection, and targeted variations. They then connect these historical shifts to modern muscle physiology, focusing on how long the hypertrophy stimulus lasts after a workou...
In this debut episode, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dissect the very first mass-produced bodybuilding program: the Milo Barbell Course. They explore how early bodybuilders trained before steroids existed and what their exercise choices reveal about muscle understanding. They then connect these historical methods to modern muscle physiology, focusing on the stimulating reps model and the critical role of training frequency. You'll learn why full-body training 3x per week was not just a prod...
