podcast Peter Attia 2023-04-10 topics

#250 ‒ Training principles for longevity | Andy Galpin, Ph.D. (PART II)

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Show notes

Andy Galpin is a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University at Fullerton, where he studies muscle adaptation and applies his research to work with professional athletes. In this episode, Andy returns to the podcast and continues the conversation about training for longevity. He examines the training practices of powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters, Strongmen/women, CrossFit athletes, and sprinters in order to extract insights that can be applied to the individual wanting to optimize for longevity. Andy goes into detail about exercise load and repetition, training volume, the importance of learning proper movement patterns, the advantage of working to technical failure instead of the number of reps, and much more. Andy ties the discussion together by providing a hypothetical training plan for an individual wanting to optimize for longevity and offers advice for avoiding injury.

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We discuss:

Review of the function and organization of skeletal muscle [3:15];
Review of muscle fiber types [9:30];
Hypertrophy: changes in muscle fibers and the underlying mechanisms that make a muscle grow [19:30];
Defining sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and how it relates to the number of reps in a set [30:15];
Training for maximum strength: what we can learn from powerlifters and a hypothetical training plan [32:45];
Ideal reps, volume, and load for the powerlifter [44:45];
What should powerlifters do on their off days? [56:45];
Are there consequences of powerlifting on long-term health? [1:02:00];
Defining Olympic weightlifting: a test of power [1:04:30];
Training principles of Olympic weightlifting [1:07:45];
Tracking power output when training [1:17:15];
Frequency of training for Olympic weightlifting [1:22:15];
How post-activation potentiation (and the opposite) can improve power training and speed training [1:24:30];
The Strongman competition: more breadth of movement, strength, and stamina [1:32:00];
Training principles of Strongmen and advice for someone new to the Strongman competition [1:36:45];
CrossFit: a combination of weightlifting movements, endurance, and circuit training [1:50:15];
Learning from elite athletes, heart rate recovery, V02 max, and other metrics [1:58:45];
Optimizing towards being a well-rounded athlete as opposed to a specialist [2:09:45];
What we can learn from the sprinters about speed, acceleration, peak velocity, and technique [2:17:45];
A training plan for the “centenarian athlete” [2:24:30];
Debunking some training and exercise myths [2:33:00];
The “do nots” of training and tips for avoiding injury [2:34:15]; and
More.

Show Notes

*Notes from intro :

Our returning guest this week is Dr. Andy Galpin; he was a previous guest back on e pisode #239 (January of 2023) , where we discussed the structure of muscle fibers, the difference between the different types of muscle fibers, hypertrophy, and how to start strength training
We never got to finish what we started in our first discussion This is because we went a little deeper than either of us expected into the basic physiology of muscle Our podcast is known for going deeper into subject matter than you’ll typically find in other podcasts, but the price you have to pay for that is time
We start here by providing a very quick, but important recap of the first conversation around muscle cells, functions, types of fibers, hypertrophy, things like that
Then, we use that to go into the rest of the discussion, which gets into the construction of a matrix about training
If you heard the first discussion, you will remember that we talked about the different phenotypes: the powerlifters, the weightlifters, the Strongman, the CrossFit athletes, sprinters
What we do here is we build out the principles of training in terms of frequency, intensity, volume, rest, recovery, everything that has to do with it
We then organize all of that information and ask the question, how would you tie that in for someone who’s training for the Centenarian Decathlon? For Peter personally and for his patients, they’re less interested in becoming powerlifters, weightlifters, Strongmen, CrossFit athletes, etc. They’re more interested in being the most strong, physically fit, able people who in the final decades of their life are functioning like people who are two decades younger
Andy earned his masters in Health Movement Sciences from the University of Memphis, followed by a PhD in human energetics from Ball State University
Andy is a professor of Kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, where his research spans adaptations from whole muscle to cellular level changes, which he has applied to his work with professional athletes for more than 15 years
This is because we went a little deeper than either of us expected into the basic physiology of muscle
Our podcast is known for going deeper into subject matter than you’ll typically find in other podcasts, but the price you have to pay for that is time
For Peter personally and for his patients, they’re less interested in becoming powerlifters, weightlifters, Strongmen, CrossFit athletes, etc.
They’re more interested in being the most strong, physically fit, able people who in the final decades of their life are functioning like people who are two decades younger

Review of the function and organization of skeletal muscle [3:15]

Let’s begin with a review of the major topics covered last time
The discussion last time was pretty technical; today’s discussion will be a little less so, but will assume that the viewer/ listener has some familiarity with what was talked about

What cells of muscles look like and how they function at the big, whole-muscle level

The term muscle refers to a collective group
For example, your quadriceps (thigh) is made of four muscles (that’s why it’s called a quad)
The biceps is multiple bicep muscles, orientation and insertion
In general, the way that humans move is, muscles will contract, and the end of muscles will come together to form a tendon Those tendons connect to bone When you contract muscle, it pulls that connective tissue (the tendon), that pulls the bone, and you move
You’ve got muscles throughout your body up and down, and they have different orientations, and they have different responsibilities Some are meant to be what we call antigravity; this is to keep you up all day, and they don’t produce a lot of force for speed, but they’re meant to be non-fatigable And others are the opposite, they provide explosion, power, propulsion
For example, consider the calf muscles ; the gastrocnemius , that big one in the middle; if you point your toe to your face that pops out at you That’s meant to be for power, sprinting, and jumping The one that’s actually lower near soleus is meant to be on all day, so that you can stand, walk all day, and not get fatigued This despite the fact that both of them come together to form the Achilles that wraps around the bottom of your heel, inserts the bottom of your foot, and that’s what makes your foot go up and down
In general, muscle is meant to create movement
Muscle actually does a lot of other things though that are vital to health, including pumping fluid up and down Because of gravity, blood will pull towards the lower part of your body Muscle contraction is in large part what squeezes the blood back up into your heart, and into your lung
Muscle is the amino acid reserve That’s the place where you store amino acids, so that you can use them to create red blood cells, or immune cells, or anything else
Muscle is also the primary place actually where you regulate blood glucose , including glucose/ glycogen storage
Andy could go on and on, but muscle in general has a very important function in your body for movement as well as signaling
The last part to acknowledge here is, we typically will call muscle an endocrine organ , meaning it will send signals out through the body, through what are called myokines , or what some people will call exerkines (if they’re coming out as a responsive exercise) That’s sending signal to your liver, or kidney, or brain, or lung, or anywhere else
Those tendons connect to bone
When you contract muscle, it pulls that connective tissue (the tendon), that pulls the bone, and you move
Some are meant to be what we call antigravity; this is to keep you up all day, and they don’t produce a lot of force for speed, but they’re meant to be non-fatigable
And others are the opposite, they provide explosion, power, propulsion
That’s meant to be for power, sprinting, and jumping
The one that’s actually lower near soleus is meant to be on all day, so that you can stand, walk all day, and not get fatigued
This despite the fact that both of them come together to form the Achilles that wraps around the bottom of your heel, inserts the bottom of your foot, and that’s what makes your foot go up and down
Because of gravity, blood will pull towards the lower part of your body
Muscle contraction is in large part what squeezes the blood back up into your heart, and into your lung
That’s the place where you store amino acids, so that you can use them to create red blood cells, or immune cells, or anything else
That’s sending signal to your liver, or kidney, or brain, or lung, or anywhere else

At the level of the individual muscle

Each muscle is actually made up of billions, if not more individual muscle fibers

Muscle fibers or cells, myofiber, cell fiber ‒ these can be used interchangeably

Figure 1. Diagram of a skeletal muscle fiber . Image credit: Wikipedia

Muscle fibers are basically long cylinders If you think about this like a ponytail A ponytail is nothing but a collective, a whole bunch of individual hairs; and this is how you can think of skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle is a long, long cylinder; it is very strong Cardiac , and smooth muscle are quite different
If you think about this like a ponytail A ponytail is nothing but a collective, a whole bunch of individual hairs; and this is how you can think of skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscle is a long, long cylinder; it is very strong
Cardiac , and smooth muscle are quite different
A ponytail is nothing but a collective, a whole bunch of individual hairs; and this is how you can think of skeletal muscle

The function of the muscle fiber is to contract

If you look at the whole muscle, it is surrounded by a bed of capillaries
As blood goes into a muscle , it comes in the big artery, then it’s going to go through a bunch of capillaries, and those capillaries are really surrounding, and mixing in and out that whole ponytail Capillaries all over, and so they’re circulating around the individual fibers That’s going to get you nutrients in (like glucose or anything else), and get waste products out (like carbon dioxide, etc.)
Visualize that big long cylinder, the capillaries are around it, and you have a whole bunch of organelles that do things
Probably the most pertinent is what are called nuclei , these are called myonuclei
If you remember basic biology, the nucleus is what controls any cell
Capillaries all over, and so they’re circulating around the individual fibers
That’s going to get you nutrients in (like glucose or anything else), and get waste products out (like carbon dioxide, etc.)

Most cells in the world have one nucleus, but skeletal muscle is unique, because there are an infinite number of nuclei spread throughout the duration of the muscle, and that gives you a lot of what we call plasticity

The more nuclei you have, the more control centers you have, the easier it is to respond to stressors, damage, adaptations, etc.
That’s why skeletal muscle is so adaptable to either good stimuli or bad stimuli An example of bad stimuli would be the case of spaceflight, or physical inactivity
In addition to that are your mitochondria , and that’s what’s going to be able to produce a lot of your cellular energy
An example of bad stimuli would be the case of spaceflight, or physical inactivity

Finally, you’ve got what we call the contractile units

The things that make your muscle fibers contract together and squeeze on top of each other are actin , and myosin The figure below shows actin in green and myosin in purple These are two molecules that reach up, the myosin grabs the actin, and pulls it together, smashes it literally on top of the cell That’s why, when you flex a bicep muscle, it actually gains height, because you’re stacking things on top of each other, and that requires the muscle to go vertically
The figure below shows actin in green and myosin in purple
These are two molecules that reach up, the myosin grabs the actin, and pulls it together, smashes it literally on top of the cell
That’s why, when you flex a bicep muscle, it actually gains height, because you’re stacking things on top of each other, and that requires the muscle to go vertically

Figure 2. Macro view of muscle contraction . Figure credit: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology Figure 10.10

Review of muscle fiber types [9:30]

Can you explain, at that cellular level, what the difference is between the gastrocnemius and the soleus?

Earlier Andy drew a contrast between the soleus and the gastrocnemius, and alluded that one is slow to fatigue and one is fast to fatigue (the figure below identifies these muscles in the calf)

Figure 3. Muscles of the leg. Image credit: NCI

We call muscle fibers one-on-one, but really there’s a distinction between them
All the way back to the invention of the microscope (by Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek ); one of the first things the microscope was used for was looking at individual cells He started looking at muscle in whales, in codfish, and a bunch of other stuff He started to notice that some of these cells are really small, and some of them are really big, and that’s the very first time we started to functionally distinguish between big fibers and small fibers Pretty quickly after that, he started to realize that some of them are really red and some of them are more white
For a number of centuries we distinguished muscle as these fiber types (either red cells or white cells), and it took a long time to figure out why that mattered or what that meant
Eventually, it became clear that the ones that are red are red, because they have more of capillaries, more blood flow, more mitochondria They have more iron which gives an actual look of being red The white ones have less of it
For a long time after that, we didn’t know functionally what that meant
As soon as histology came around we started to realize that we can test the individual muscle fibers for their power output (contraction) You take individual muscle fibers out of the muscle, put them in a Petri dish, tie one end to a forced transducer, try the other end to a fixed unit, and put it in a bath of calcium, ATP, and a bunch of other stuff And those fibers just start contracting unlimited, and you can actually measure how much force is being produced
This allowed us to go from distinguishing these fibers via color (red versus white), to distinguishing them by their contractile properties I.e. is it contracting with a lot of force or a small amount of force?
In fact, force wasn’t really the distinguishing factor, it was speed , and because of that, we started the nomenclature involved to now describe them as fast-twitch , or slow-twitch That really specifically describes the twitch or the contraction speed
He started looking at muscle in whales, in codfish, and a bunch of other stuff
He started to notice that some of these cells are really small, and some of them are really big, and that’s the very first time we started to functionally distinguish between big fibers and small fibers
Pretty quickly after that, he started to realize that some of them are really red and some of them are more white
They have more iron which gives an actual look of being red
The white ones have less of it
You take individual muscle fibers out of the muscle, put them in a Petri dish, tie one end to a forced transducer, try the other end to a fixed unit, and put it in a bath of calcium, ATP, and a bunch of other stuff
And those fibers just start contracting unlimited, and you can actually measure how much force is being produced
I.e. is it contracting with a lot of force or a small amount of force?
That really specifically describes the twitch or the contraction speed

Two ways to distinguish muscle fibers are by color or contractile speed

Eventually, we started to figure out their enzymatic differences (a 3rd way to categorize muscle fibers)

Muscle fibers that had more mitochondria (red fibers) were better at using aerobic metabolism This is carbohydrate and fat metabolism
The ones that were white or fast were much better at using glycolysis from the anaerobic part of the equation This occurs in the cytoplasm, outside of the mitochondria You might have heard them described as fast oxidative or fast glycolytic
Initially when this distinction was drawn, there were two types of muscle fibers ‒ Type I and Type II Type I is the slow-twitch fibers, the red fibers, the oxidative fiber Type II were the fast-twitch
In the 1950s, we started to figure out that there is a 3rd distinct fiber type This fiber type was more closely aligned to the fast-twitch fibers than the slow-twitch
So now we have Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb Type IIa and Type IIb are distinct but are more similar to each other than they are to Type I fibers
Some years passed and in 1990 we eventually realized that humans don’t have Type IIb
However, humans do have what’s called Type IIx
This is carbohydrate and fat metabolism
This occurs in the cytoplasm, outside of the mitochondria
You might have heard them described as fast oxidative or fast glycolytic
Type I is the slow-twitch fibers, the red fibers, the oxidative fiber
Type II were the fast-twitch
This fiber type was more closely aligned to the fast-twitch fibers than the slow-twitch
Type IIa and Type IIb are distinct but are more similar to each other than they are to Type I fibers

Andy’s summary of muscle fiber types:

Humans have three muscle fiber types (Type I, Type IIa, & Type IIx), while most other animals have four types (Type I, Type IIa, Type IIb, & Type IIx)
In terms of speed Type IIb are ultrafast, Type IIb > Type IIx > Type IIa > Type I
Type I muscle fibers are less fatigable; they have more mitochondria but don’t produce as much force; they’re slower
As you move from Type IIA to Type IIx they become faster but more fatigable (because they are more reliant upon glycolysis and carbohydrate metabolism)

Figure 4. Summary of muscle fiber types (Type IIb are not found in humans)

How does the soleus and gastrocnemius compare in humans?

The gastroc in most humans is around 60-70% Type IIa fibers (maybe even up to 80%), and so they’re very, very fast
The gastroc will again cause a fast contraction, but they won’t hold on for very long, because they are fatigable
The soleus can be up to 90% slow-twitch

This is a great comparison, because most muscles in your body are some combination of fast- or slow-twitch, but the soleus and the gastroc are probably the best example of the two extremes

In mice, the soleus is 100% slow-twitch
In humans, if a biopsy showed their soleus was 80% slow-twitch, that would be pretty high
Likewise, in humans if their gastroc was 70% fast-twitch, that would be pretty high
This matters functionally If you have a compromised soleus, you’re probably less likely to be standing; you’re going to sit and be less physically active If the [gastroc] is compromised, it’s hard to move fast and powerfully
If you have a compromised soleus, you’re probably less likely to be standing; you’re going to sit and be less physically active
If the [gastroc] is compromised, it’s hard to move fast and powerfully

How modifiable is that distribution? Is it purely genetic, or is there a trainable component to the ratio of fast to slow-twitch fiber in a given muscle? [16:40] tk

It is extremely trainable; it comes down to stimuli and time The more stimuli you give it, and the more time you give it, the more it will change
Like anything else, an asymptote exists here If you are untrained, physically inactive, in a cast for two months, go into space flight ‒ responsiveness to training happens faster If you are well-trained, as months and years go on, you start changing really, really slowly, because you are closer to the end of the spectrum
The more stimuli you give it, and the more time you give it, the more it will change
If you are untrained, physically inactive, in a cast for two months, go into space flight ‒ responsiveness to training happens faster
If you are well-trained, as months and years go on, you start changing really, really slowly, because you are closer to the end of the spectrum

Figure 5. Hypothetical responsiveness to training is untrained and well-trained individuals . (Asymptote from Wikipedia )

Functionally, there is no limit to how far you can go, given enough total exposure

To put some realistic numbers on the gastroc, in an untrained individual who hadn’t exercised for 5+ years, 8 weeks of exercise could cause 10-15% change in fiber type

Does this mean more type II muscle fibers are expressed and less type I? Is this change due to making new cells and apoptosis of old cells?

Generally no
There’s this idea called hyperplasia ; hyperplasia is when you would grow a new cell That is very, very uncommon in normal human situations It can happen with extreme eccentric training It looks like it probably happens with a lot of exogenous testosterone use over many, many years You can get it in cell culture, and you can get it in animal models But in normal human situations, hyperplasia is very uncommon
In humans, what more commonly happens is the current fiber type will transition its type
That is very, very uncommon in normal human situations
It can happen with extreme eccentric training
It looks like it probably happens with a lot of exogenous testosterone use over many, many years
You can get it in cell culture, and you can get it in animal models
But in normal human situations, hyperplasia is very uncommon

Remember there are three fiber types in humans; that’s not actually true either; there’s a whole combination of what we call hybrids

If you were to take any one individual muscle cell, it might be entirely IIa on one end of the cell, but it might be what we call a I-IIa, and this is a single muscle fiber that expresses both Type I and Type II Depending on the length of the cell, it may be different fiber types in different spots The same thing happens in IIa, IIx; you have have a triple hybrid and have Type I-IIa-IIx (where all three muscle fibers are expressed)
These muscle fibers are expressed in response to stimulus, or lack thereof
Depending on the length of the cell, it may be different fiber types in different spots
The same thing happens in IIa, IIx; you have have a triple hybrid and have Type I-IIa-IIx (where all three muscle fibers are expressed)

Hypertrophy: changes in muscle fibers and the underlying mechanisms that make a muscle grow [19:30]

If you compared a biopsy of Peter’s biceps to that of a professional bodybuilder, how do the muscle fibers look different?

Let’s use the VL ( vastus lateralis ), the outside quad muscle as an example, just because we have thousands of biopsy studies from there
There are a couple of things to understand 1 – Counting muscle fibers total is a very challenging thing, because the only true way to do it is to take your entire muscle, cut it in half, and count it 2 – Estimates involve taking the whole muscle size, average size of the muscle fibers, accounting for fluid and stuff; that’s tricky at best 3 – We have good data from animal models but humans are more challenging
1 – Counting muscle fibers total is a very challenging thing, because the only true way to do it is to take your entire muscle, cut it in half, and count it
2 – Estimates involve taking the whole muscle size, average size of the muscle fibers, accounting for fluid and stuff; that’s tricky at best
3 – We have good data from animal models but humans are more challenging

In general, fast-twitch fibers are bigger than slow-twitch fibers by diameter (they’re wider)

But, when you throw training in the equation, that all goes out the window
Andy has analyzed thousands of slow-twitch fibers that are bigger than fast-twitch fibers in that individual person

Does that tell us anything about the individual?

If you look at an extreme endurance athlete who is getting as much potential out of their slow-twitch muscle fibers as possible, you will see remarkable hypertrophy of the Type I fiber Classic endurance training results in fiber-type-specific hypertrophy Steady-state runner, cyclist, swimmer, rower, things like that Their slow-twitch muscle fibers (Type I) are large, as large as or larger than their fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type II) Don’t consider intervals and other things because scientifically, that’s hard to do There can be exceptions; when you’re actually pulling out one muscle fiber at a time, you’ll see some really wild stuff
If you were to invoke any strength training, the difference at the level of the cell between powerlifters, or bodybuilders is not that different; but it is different from steady-state cycling or something With strength training, the IIa fibers are going to be very large However, you wouldn’t be able to pull a IIa fiber and distinguish between a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, or a weightlifter
Exogenous testosterone throws a wrench into this Satellite cells will be changed, and total muscle buffer size is probably going to get exceptionally large
Classic endurance training results in fiber-type-specific hypertrophy Steady-state runner, cyclist, swimmer, rower, things like that Their slow-twitch muscle fibers (Type I) are large, as large as or larger than their fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type II)
Don’t consider intervals and other things because scientifically, that’s hard to do
There can be exceptions; when you’re actually pulling out one muscle fiber at a time, you’ll see some really wild stuff
Steady-state runner, cyclist, swimmer, rower, things like that
Their slow-twitch muscle fibers (Type I) are large, as large as or larger than their fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type II)
With strength training, the IIa fibers are going to be very large
However, you wouldn’t be able to pull a IIa fiber and distinguish between a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, or a weightlifter
Satellite cells will be changed, and total muscle buffer size is probably going to get exceptionally large

Peter’s takeaway ‒ So if you compare Peter’s VLO to the VLO of Jay Cutler (a world-class bodybuilder), if you do an ultrasound, there’s no question that the total size of his muscle is so much bigger, he probably has more fibers because he’s using exogenous testosterone (Peter is not), and his type II fibers are bigger than Peter’s

Andy agrees, the type II fibers would be very, very large He biopsied one individual powerlifter/ bodybuilder., and some of his fibers were so large, they were comparable to rhinoceros muscle fibers (not all of them, but a handful) The size would be fairly similar to a hair; you could see it with your naked eye But even smaller skeletal muscle fibers in humans can be seen with the naked eye, in the VL especially
Peter notes, “ There is no other cell in the body that we spend so much time thinking about the actual size of the cellular unit. We don’t really care about the size of your hepatocytes, we care about the functional units, and how they integrate. We care about the function… ” He has never given much thought to, “ Are my hepatocytes the same size as your hepatocytes? If mine get bigger or smaller, what’s happening? ” In the case of NAFLD , he guesses there would be changes in intra, and extracellular fat accumulation
He biopsied one individual powerlifter/ bodybuilder., and some of his fibers were so large, they were comparable to rhinoceros muscle fibers (not all of them, but a handful)
The size would be fairly similar to a hair; you could see it with your naked eye But even smaller skeletal muscle fibers in humans can be seen with the naked eye, in the VL especially
But even smaller skeletal muscle fibers in humans can be seen with the naked eye, in the VL especially
He has never given much thought to, “ Are my hepatocytes the same size as your hepatocytes? If mine get bigger or smaller, what’s happening? ”
In the case of NAFLD , he guesses there would be changes in intra, and extracellular fat accumulation

What happens with hypertrophy training? What actually causes the enlargement of a muscle? [24:10] tk

Let’s keep this simple and not consider the use of exogenous testosterone; we’re not talking about hyperplasia (the creation of new cells)
By definition, we know that the myofibril has gotten larger; it has expanded in diameter

What led to that?

How much of that is intracellular water?

How much of that is the synthesis of new organic matter (amino acids or something else)?

We’re going to distinguish chronic hypertrophy (permanent hypertrophy) from acute hypertrophy and focus on chronic hypertrophy An example of acute hypertrophy would be you just left the gym and your muscles are bigger, full of fluid Chronic hypertrophy refers to sustained muscle growth over time
Chronic hypertrophy is either going to be a result of either contractile hypertrophy or sarcoplasmic hypertrophy In either case, the muscle cell got larger; the diameter is expanded
An example of acute hypertrophy would be you just left the gym and your muscles are bigger, full of fluid
Chronic hypertrophy refers to sustained muscle growth over time
In either case, the muscle cell got larger; the diameter is expanded

The question now is, what actually changed inside that cell that caused it, or allowed it to be permanently larger?

In the case of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy , this is very new that we even thought it existed Folks have been talking about this from the bodybuilding perspective in those communities for a very long time, and we always called it broscience Mike Roberts , in his lab at Auburn, started looking into it and found that actually was happening [increases in metabolic enzymes and muscle tissue fluid]
A contractile hypertrophy happens as a result of increasing proteins on those myosin and actin That may or may not be important For the myofilaments here, you don’t add more actin or myosin, you just add more protein, globulin to them and this increases their diameter
Imagine myosin and actin working like a circle of friends If you were to extend your arms out to the side, grab your friend’s hand, and bring your hands closer to your midline, then your friends would come closer to you If everybody did it at the same time, the entire diameter of that circle would get much smaller, than expand Well, if you were to double your size, but your friends stayed the same distance away from, and then a friend doubled her size, all of a sudden, when you reach your hand out to grab them, you’re already touching them When everyone becomes larger, the whole circle can expand; and this is called lattice spacing
Lattice spacing is the spacing between actin and myosins; this is very, very important
Back to the circle of friends analogy, if you continue to get larger, eventually, you would tell the friend next to you, “Hey, you scoot over a few inches, because you’re crowding on my personal space.” And then that friend would say the same thing to their neighbor Now the standing circle starts to expand This is probably the biggest explanation for why muscles increase in diameter
Folks have been talking about this from the bodybuilding perspective in those communities for a very long time, and we always called it broscience
Mike Roberts , in his lab at Auburn, started looking into it and found that actually was happening [increases in metabolic enzymes and muscle tissue fluid]
That may or may not be important
For the myofilaments here, you don’t add more actin or myosin, you just add more protein, globulin to them and this increases their diameter
If you were to extend your arms out to the side, grab your friend’s hand, and bring your hands closer to your midline, then your friends would come closer to you
If everybody did it at the same time, the entire diameter of that circle would get much smaller, than expand
Well, if you were to double your size, but your friends stayed the same distance away from, and then a friend doubled her size, all of a sudden, when you reach your hand out to grab them, you’re already touching them
When everyone becomes larger, the whole circle can expand; and this is called lattice spacing
And then that friend would say the same thing to their neighbor
Now the standing circle starts to expand
This is probably the biggest explanation for why muscles increase in diameter

As you put more proteins in the contractile units, the muscle fiber diameter need to increase to maintain optimal spacing [contractile hypertrophy]

Does contractile hypertrophy come with increased contractile force as well?

Peter thinks because you’re putting more “hooks,” you’re creating more actin and myosin filaments to grab and contract
Andy explain this is true, “ Number one, in general, especially early in someone’s exercising career, as you get stronger, you’ll add more muscle mass ” That R score is not 99 or 100%
Optimizing for muscle growth is not the same as optimizing for strength (and visa versa): at some point they will start to diverge, but at the very beginning they are tightly linked
As you continue with your training career, you get stronger and stronger, but the link between muscle size and strength starts to go away It never goes away entirely because if you’re tacking on contractile units, it’s going to come with some increase in force (even if it’s not optimizing strength)
Think of powerlifting, strongman, wrestling, MMA ‒ generally, as you go up in physical size, you go up in strength This doesn’t mean you couldn’t find a 155-pound athlete who’s stronger than a 170-pound athlete
If you add on some muscle, you’re going to get stronger
If you just strength train, you’re probably going to tack on some muscle as well; they’re both going to come along for the ride
That R score is not 99 or 100%
It never goes away entirely because if you’re tacking on contractile units, it’s going to come with some increase in force (even if it’s not optimizing strength)
This doesn’t mean you couldn’t find a 155-pound athlete who’s stronger than a 170-pound athlete

Defining sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and how it relates to the number of reps in a set [30:15]

Going back to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, what was it that the bodybuilding community was proposing that science only recently came to recognize?

For a long time, exercise scientists proposed an optimal range of 8-12 repetitions for maximizing muscle hypertrophy
But, if you look at bodybuilders, they were doing all kinds of other stuff Sets of 20-30 Different styles of training Scientists considered that muscular endurance or strength but not hypertrophy
Further research, much of it by Brad Schoenfeld showed that hypertrophy is pretty much equal anywhere between 5 reps to 30 reps per set, if other things are equated for (see studies listed under selected links)
Sets of 20-30
Different styles of training
Scientists considered that muscular endurance or strength but not hypertrophy

Do the reps in reserve have to get close to failure in both low reps per set and high reps per set (so the RPE gets to the same point)?

Yes, at then end of 30, you need to be hurting as much as you would be at the end of 7 That’s very hard, because you’re going to start hurting at 15 reps Higher reps are more time under tension and can be more taxing to your cardiovascular system
What the bodybuilding community would say is, if you lift in this fashion 5-10 reps, you might increase contractile units, and that’s why you’re getting stronger
That’s very hard, because you’re going to start hurting at 15 reps
Higher reps are more time under tension and can be more taxing to your cardiovascular system

Higher repetition ranges produce sarcoplasmic hypertrophy ‒ this is exclusively explained by increases in fluid retention (non-contractile hypertrophy), and this is why you can get bigger but you’re not getting stronger

This was something that the science community didn’t recognize; the technology wasn’t there to measure it
Mike developed technology to distinguish between cytoplasmic hypertrophy [sarcoplasmic hypertrophy] and contractile hypertrophy [myofibril number], and see how this changes over the course of training His review paper shows a graph he’s developed that shows what happens over the course of your training experience (below) This shows changes in cytoplasmic hypertrophy [the green line below shows muscle fiber CSA, cross sectional area or volume] and contractile hypertrophy [the blue line below shows myofibril number] over years of training
His review paper shows a graph he’s developed that shows what happens over the course of your training experience (below)
This shows changes in cytoplasmic hypertrophy [the green line below shows muscle fiber CSA, cross sectional area or volume] and contractile hypertrophy [the blue line below shows myofibril number] over years of training

Figure 6. Changes in sarcoplasmic hypertrophy with years of resistance training . Image credit: Frontiers in Physiology 2020

Figure 7. Two proposed mechanisms of muscle fiber hypertrophy . Image credit: Image credit: Frontiers in Physiology 2020

Training for maximum strength: what we can learn from powerlifters and a hypothetical training plan [32:45]

Let’s compile a matrix of different athletes and training variable by comparing training of a powerlifter, an Olympic weightlifter, a Strongman, a bodybuilder, a CrossFit athlete, a track and field athlete in terms of training frequency, volume, and intensity (as a % of 1RM or VO 2 max)

Peter’s ultimate goal in doing this is to extract from each of these phenotypes how to train to be the best Centenarian Decathlete

In other words, Peter is training for the 90-year-old version of himself to be like a very fit 70-year-old

The powerlifter

Powerlifting definition ‒ it consists of only only three lifts, and you are scored on the basis of the total amount of weight you move in a deadlift , a bench press , and a squat Nobody cares what you look like, how fast you can do it, or how many reps you can do Those guys are strong
Andy will use the terms strength and force interchangeable
Technically, maximal strength is what’s the maximal amount you can do one time
The difference between force and power is speed
Nobody cares what you look like, how fast you can do it, or how many reps you can do
Those guys are strong

In powerlifting, there is no speed component; it is explicitly a test of pure and absolute strength

What can a human deadlift?

Andy has worked with Stefi Cohen a little; she has 25 world records In one of her competitions she weighed around 119 lbs and deadlift 525 [ 545 lbs in 2019 , 4.4x her bodyweight) Deadlift is her thing, but she’s still probably benching 200-something and squatting well over the 400s, and for a 120 lb female, that’s pretty strong
This is unbelievable; at Peter’s strongest he couldn’t deadlift 525 lbs (this was at his peak, age 18, and he weighed 160 lbs)
Peter deadlifted today, and the main set was four rounds of 1-minute, as many reps as possible with 315 lbs, with a 3-minute rest in between rounds It’s a different stress; it hurts in a totally different way Andy notes, “ You’ve got good leverage for pulling. You’ve got long arms. You’re probably pretty efficient at deadlifting. ” Peter agrees, deadlifting was his best of the three powerlifting exercises, by far Bench was his worst; 270 was his best (at a weight of 160, which is not that good)
Powerlifting is a little complicated because you have to consider tested versus untested athletes (it’s a big difference)
In one of her competitions she weighed around 119 lbs and deadlift 525 [ 545 lbs in 2019 , 4.4x her bodyweight)
Deadlift is her thing, but she’s still probably benching 200-something and squatting well over the 400s, and for a 120 lb female, that’s pretty strong
It’s a different stress; it hurts in a totally different way
Andy notes, “ You’ve got good leverage for pulling. You’ve got long arms. You’re probably pretty efficient at deadlifting. ”
Peter agrees, deadlifting was his best of the three powerlifting exercises, by far Bench was his worst; 270 was his best (at a weight of 160, which is not that good)
Bench was his worst; 270 was his best (at a weight of 160, which is not that good)
The maximal human potential (on all the steroids) is AJ Roberts ; his best squat was 1,250 or 1,240 lbs He was 308 lbs for that meet; so this is a 4x squat
The all-time record is north of 1,300 lbs
It’s not common, but a handful of people have deadlifted 1,000 lbs or benched 1,000
A lot more people have squatted 1,100+
He was 308 lbs for that meet; so this is a 4x squat

These people are insanely strong

Peter has no desire to ever do a maximum rep deadlift, bench press or squat ever again
Instead, he’s interested in the principles of how powerlifters train

Training for strength like a powerlifter: [40:00] tk

Hypothetical person

Let’s assume this is not a world-class athlete with an enormous training age, nor is it someone who has never lifted a finger
Let’s assume this person has some exercise exposure, but not specific to this endeavor Maybe they grew up playing sports They’re reasonably fit They understand what lifts are but have never been to a powerlifting meet
Andy make distinguishes between what is theoretically optimal and what is technical optimal The latter being what is more realistic and practical Peter distinguishes these as efficacy versus effectiveness With max efficacy , in theory you can do everything perfectly and will get the best results Effectiveness is what happens in the real world ‒ you might stay up late because your kids are sick or you may have a deadline at work that cuts into your training time
In either case, specificity is always the answer If you want to get better at writing, you need to write If you want to get better at sprinting, you need to sprint
Maybe they grew up playing sports
They’re reasonably fit
They understand what lifts are but have never been to a powerlifting meet
The latter being what is more realistic and practical
Peter distinguishes these as efficacy versus effectiveness With max efficacy , in theory you can do everything perfectly and will get the best results Effectiveness is what happens in the real world ‒ you might stay up late because your kids are sick or you may have a deadline at work that cuts into your training time
With max efficacy , in theory you can do everything perfectly and will get the best results
Effectiveness is what happens in the real world ‒ you might stay up late because your kids are sick or you may have a deadline at work that cuts into your training time
If you want to get better at writing, you need to write
If you want to get better at sprinting, you need to sprint

Theoretically, if you want to get stronger, you should practice picking up 100% of your max every single day; but that’s not realistic because the frequency of injury is too high

An elite athlete might be able to do something close to that
For example, the Bulgarian method (this would be weightlifters, not powerlifters) uses a one-rep max in the snatch, clean and jerk, and squat every day These people probably have assistance; they are 5-9 years into their training career, and in between they’re getting massages Naim Suleymanoglu , aka Pocket Hercules, he didn’t train this way all-year round, but he did for certain phases of his training
These people probably have assistance; they are 5-9 years into their training career, and in between they’re getting massages
Naim Suleymanoglu , aka Pocket Hercules, he didn’t train this way all-year round, but he did for certain phases of his training

If you train at high specificity, you’re going to get better at those things; and what you want to do is get as close to that as you can while not inducing overload injury

Realistic scenario :

A realistic scenario is to work on that movement pattern for 1-5 days per week; two days would be good for a lot of people If you want to get stronger at squatting, squat twice a week If you recover well, squat well, your mechanics are good, then squatting three days a week would be a really, really good program
If you wanted to do all three (like in powerlifting) ‒ bench twice a week, deadlift once a week, and squat once a week If you wanted to squat twice a week and deadlift twice a week, you could maybe get away with that, depending on other variables
This could be as little as two days a week of training, because you could do a bench, squat day and a bench, deadlift day For this person they’re describing (and a lot of people), they would get stronger This wouldn’t be optimal, but it would be effective for a lot of folks
If you want to get stronger at squatting, squat twice a week If you recover well, squat well, your mechanics are good, then squatting three days a week would be a really, really good program
If you recover well, squat well, your mechanics are good, then squatting three days a week would be a really, really good program
If you wanted to squat twice a week and deadlift twice a week, you could maybe get away with that, depending on other variables
For this person they’re describing (and a lot of people), they would get stronger
This wouldn’t be optimal, but it would be effective for a lot of folks

Ideal reps, volume, and load for the powerlifter [44:45]

What do you recommend for the person who is willing to be in the weight room four days a week?

Look into what’s called conjugate ; there are many forms of this The Westside Barbell Louie Simmons form of conjugate is a little bit of pure strength work at the beginning, there’s a muscular endurance phase, there’s a speed phase, and it rotates through each week They power through: bench, squat, deadlift, bench squat… One day you’re going to do a max deadlift and some assistance work in your low back/ glutes/ hamstrings/ etc. The next day, maybe it’s a max bench and work on your triceps/ shoulder/ rear delts/ neck/ etc. It’s a very easy model See more in the selected links section
The Westside Barbell Louie Simmons form of conjugate is a little bit of pure strength work at the beginning, there’s a muscular endurance phase, there’s a speed phase, and it rotates through each week They power through: bench, squat, deadlift, bench squat… One day you’re going to do a max deadlift and some assistance work in your low back/ glutes/ hamstrings/ etc. The next day, maybe it’s a max bench and work on your triceps/ shoulder/ rear delts/ neck/ etc. It’s a very easy model See more in the selected links section
They power through: bench, squat, deadlift, bench squat…
One day you’re going to do a max deadlift and some assistance work in your low back/ glutes/ hamstrings/ etc.
The next day, maybe it’s a max bench and work on your triceps/ shoulder/ rear delts/ neck/ etc.
It’s a very easy model
See more in the selected links section

Is the only time you’re going to have this athlete moving insanely heavy weights in the three formal lifts?

Andy would stick mostly to the lift because specificity wins here
This person is not a professional athlete, so you can make the argument that they need more variation Variation will give you a push toward overall safety because it’s less overuse of the same movement pattern and loading pattern
However the more variation there is, the less specificity There is also less direct direct adaptation and less likelihood of overuse
For this person, the core of the day will focus on that exact movement ‒ a barbell back squat This is the focus for 8 weeks prior to competition On the off-season, he might introduce variation and do other stuff
In the specificity phase, you would focus on the primary lift and do a ton of accessories If the hard work was focused on the barbell back squat, then maybe add a goblet squat , split squat , lateral lunges , reverse hypers , etc. For the accessories, use a higher repetition range not a max-effort set-up
Variation will give you a push toward overall safety because it’s less overuse of the same movement pattern and loading pattern
There is also less direct direct adaptation and less likelihood of overuse
This is the focus for 8 weeks prior to competition
On the off-season, he might introduce variation and do other stuff
If the hard work was focused on the barbell back squat, then maybe add a goblet squat , split squat , lateral lunges , reverse hypers , etc.
For the accessories, use a higher repetition range not a max-effort set-up

“ You might do sets of five, eight, something like that, to really support the joints and make everything feel good, but you’d keep your pure, pure strength work for that core lift .”‒ Andy Galpin

Let’s pick the deadlift, for example. What’s the rep range you’re going to have them working in? Is there a number of reps that is so high that it’s getting you too far away from max strength?

Five and less
When you get past five, you start losing force production

Are you recommending 5 reps at 85% of the 1RM ?

This depends a lot on fiber type and movement The same is not true for a deadlift versus a bench
It’s a roughish number
The Prilepin chart (shown below) tells you how many total reps to do throughout the week at a given percentage of your 1RM It give an idea of the max effort you can get away with and how much supporting work you need to do To do this you need to know your 1RM
The same is not true for a deadlift versus a bench
It give an idea of the max effort you can get away with and how much supporting work you need to do
To do this you need to know your 1RM

Figure 8. Prilepin’s Chart of reps at % 1RM . Image credit: Power Athlete

Velocity transducers can project your 1RM

Peter has a velocity transducer; it’s a device that sits on the ground and has a strap that goes on the bar One example is Gym Aware This will measure the speed of the exercise, you input the weight, and it tells you your projected 1RM based on the speed you’re doing the exercise and your level of fatigue
Peter finds it is less accurate with lower weight For example, if he’s warming-up with 135 lbs on the bar, there’s no amount of speed you can put on it that will get you anywhere within the range of what it’s prediction is But, it’s pretty accurate once you get into that five rep range
One example is Gym Aware
This will measure the speed of the exercise, you input the weight, and it tells you your projected 1RM based on the speed you’re doing the exercise and your level of fatigue
For example, if he’s warming-up with 135 lbs on the bar, there’s no amount of speed you can put on it that will get you anywhere within the range of what it’s prediction is
But, it’s pretty accurate once you get into that five rep range

Is a velocity transducer accurate enough for someone who doesn’t want to do a 1RM?

There are a number of online calculators to do a one-rep max test Use a weight you’re comfortable with, and do it anywhere between 3-10 reps The estimates that go up to 20 reps per set are not very accurate; so stay below 8 reps when you do this
Peter reflects, “ You said something earlier that now I think kind of resonates. I have never found those calculators to work for me .” They’re not accurate for a slow-twitch guy Andy notes, “ Whatever you’re doing at your 85%, you’re doing 15 reps. I’m going to do four. I’m a super fast-twitch guy. ”
You also need to take into consideration your genetics and training history
Use a weight you’re comfortable with, and do it anywhere between 3-10 reps
The estimates that go up to 20 reps per set are not very accurate; so stay below 8 reps when you do this
They’re not accurate for a slow-twitch guy
Andy notes, “ Whatever you’re doing at your 85%, you’re doing 15 reps. I’m going to do four. I’m a super fast-twitch guy. ”

How many working sets do you need to do in a day?

Let’s say you’re doing the Westside Barbell approach where the working sets are around the deadlift (the main set of the day), and you’ll do accessory and endurance stuff later
Begin with a warmup
Andy said earlier not to go over 5 reps
In the beginning, you can maximize strength using the 3 to 5 concept : 3-5 days per week 3-5 exercises at 3-5 reps per set 3-5 total sets with 3-5 minutes rest between each set This only works if you’re loading heavy; if you’re going light, it’s not going to work
If you go as low as 3 days per week, you’re going to do 3 exercises for 3 sets of 3; and the intensity will be high
If you go all the way to 5 days a week, 5 exercises, 5 sets of 5; that volume is going to be really taxing if your loading it appropriately under the powerlifting category
Another method that is super easy to understand is the 1 to 5 concept Andy didn’t invent this; you can find it in books from the 1990s and earlier This is also in the powerlifting matrix for optimizing strength
3-5 days per week
3-5 exercises at 3-5 reps per set
3-5 total sets with 3-5 minutes rest between each set
This only works if you’re loading heavy; if you’re going light, it’s not going to work
Andy didn’t invent this; you can find it in books from the 1990s and earlier
This is also in the powerlifting matrix for optimizing strength

Evaluating intensity of effort [53:15] tk new section?

RPE (rating of perceived exertion) and reps in reserve (RIR).) are two ways to think about this
RPE is a scale of 6-20 (the original Borg scale ); the top of the scale (20) is the hardest repetition you could ever do If you use a scale of 1-5, 4 is probably the sweet spot
Reps in reserve is a similar idea; if you thought you could do 10 reps and you wanted to do 2 reps in reserve, you would stop at 8 reps (so there are 2 reps left in reserve) You would do a set of 4 and have 1 rep in reserve; so you get to the end of that 4 and maybe have 1-2 reps in reserve
Peter thinks that reps in reserve is easier to explain to people, but at the same time, you have to know what failure is This is not something you can figure out by yourself You have to have the experience of dropping a bar on your chest and having the guys run across the gym to pick it up
Andy suggests using a machine to safely determine RPE and RIR People who are not highly trained fail epically when trying to determine RPE and RIR People will think they are at a RIR of 2 but it is really more like a 7 People are way stronger than they realize
If you use a scale of 1-5, 4 is probably the sweet spot
You would do a set of 4 and have 1 rep in reserve; so you get to the end of that 4 and maybe have 1-2 reps in reserve
This is not something you can figure out by yourself You have to have the experience of dropping a bar on your chest and having the guys run across the gym to pick it up
You have to have the experience of dropping a bar on your chest and having the guys run across the gym to pick it up
People who are not highly trained fail epically when trying to determine RPE and RIR People will think they are at a RIR of 2 but it is really more like a 7 People are way stronger than they realize
People will think they are at a RIR of 2 but it is really more like a 7
People are way stronger than they realize

For the 3 to 5 system to work, are you aiming for 1-2 reps in reserve?

Closer to 1 rep in reserve

“ Remember, you’re not going to get stronger by going at sub-maximum weights; you’re not going to optimize. ”‒ Andy Galpin

The whole idea of getting stronger, you’ve got to test the limits of where you’re at, within a safe range
If you’re just starting, take your time to ramp up Take 6-8 weeks
Another caveat Andy always adds is, if you want to get stronger and you’re really untrained, you don’t have to go this heavy You can get very strong doing sets of 20 But this avatar was someone who was past that point, and they needed to really get closer to optimal strength (this is why they’re going heavier)
Take 6-8 weeks
You can get very strong doing sets of 20
But this avatar was someone who was past that point, and they needed to really get closer to optimal strength (this is why they’re going heavier)

What should powerlifters do on their off days? [56:45]

Last question for the powerlifter, will doing a bunch of cardio on the other 3 days a week make them a better powerlifter?

What do you advise they do on their off days if the objective is maximizing strength?

Powerlifters are notorious for being lazy If they’re not lifting one at max, they’re going to be circling Walmart for two and a half hours to get a closer parking spot
More recently, people in that community have started to realize the need for some level of fitness simply to handle the training volume
If you’re pouring sweat getting through your warmup and tying your shoes, you probably shouldn’t be doing one rep maxes all day
You need to get fit first
If they’re not lifting one at max, they’re going to be circling Walmart for two and a half hours to get a closer parking spot

Andy’s advice

Do the training discussed and finish each workout with a set of 8-12; that little bit of volume will help to add fitness
To maximize strength, rest on the off days if you’re fit Do recovery stuff, maintenance, mobility, breath work Zone 2 or lower movement Just don’t do much work, because every amount of work contributes to systemic fatigue
Preserving muscle glycogen is not a huge deal if you’re doing 3 sets of 3
But your nervous system requires carbohydrates for metabolism, and it takes time to recover To restore muscle glycogen, phosphocreatine, and ATP
Do recovery stuff, maintenance, mobility, breath work
Zone 2 or lower movement
Just don’t do much work, because every amount of work contributes to systemic fatigue
To restore muscle glycogen, phosphocreatine, and ATP

As long as you have some baseline fitness, there is no reason it would give you an advantage to do more endurance work in-between days at the gym, lifting weights

Peter remembers training in high school and seeing how powerlifters train

The gym he went to was a powerlifting gym (which is why he got into it)
His primary goal was to train for boxing
He was doing infinitely more volume than the powerlifters
Two things stand out to him 32 years later: how incredibly and insanely strong these men were and how little they did They would come in, they would put their slippers on, put their suits on, chalk up, do a set, rest for what seemed like an hour, do another set, rest for what seemed like an hour, do another set, and leave Admittedly, they were lifting cars Peter remembers thinking, “ How can you do so little? ” Now he understands “ Every single match has to go into burning for that flame ”
They would come in, they would put their slippers on, put their suits on, chalk up, do a set, rest for what seemed like an hour, do another set, rest for what seemed like an hour, do another set, and leave
Admittedly, they were lifting cars
Peter remembers thinking, “ How can you do so little? ”
Now he understands “ Every single match has to go into burning for that flame ”

Why powerlifters need recovery time

Andy agrees, “ You’re trying to put 1,000 pounds on your back. There’s just no room for a percentage of fatigue… The consequences are quite dire .”
Think about it this way: even though 1,000 pounds may represent their one-rep max, and you could do 250 pounds (your one rep max); this is not the same thing Even though both are 100% of your one-rep max, there’s an absolute load that is on a physical human body that does not scale, and that’s the major difference The connective tissue is not scaling linearly
When they go do their heavy squat day or their deadlift day, if they can squat 1,000 pounds, their 70% day is squatting 700 lbs And those are their light reps, their maintenance reps
That load just takes so much more rest than when you do your 70% and you can come back tomorrow and squat and be fine, because it was 220 pounds
That relativeness doesn’t scale
Even if you’re talking about people that aren’t crazy strong (a 700-pound squatter); that’s still absurdly heavy Their practice reps are 520 pounds
Even though both are 100% of your one-rep max, there’s an absolute load that is on a physical human body that does not scale, and that’s the major difference
The connective tissue is not scaling linearly
And those are their light reps, their maintenance reps
Their practice reps are 520 pounds

That’s a ton of load on a human body, and that takes a lot to recover from

Are there consequences of powerlifting on long-term health? [1:02:00]

If they have good mechanics, can they live a long, healthy life that is free of orthopedic disability in their final decade of life?

Scientifically, there is no data
Anecdotally, “ I don’t think you would find a very highly competitive powerlifter who is under the illusion that this is great for their health ”
Andy can name a ton of people who are world record holders (or close) who feel fine
He can also name a ton of people who lift recreationally in the gym who are beat to hell
You can find examples on both sides
It depends on how they train
Peter points out, “ Because we don’t have randomization, we don’t know if the people who are just doing great would be doing great no matter what they did, and the people who are all beat up to hell are going to be beat up regardless of what they do ”
Andy doesn’t even count people like Louie Simmons trained with a broken back That’s not normal
All the people trying to break world records are training hurt The same is true about professional fighters, “ It’s a hurt sport ” Here too, a bunch of them are wrecked for their whole life afterwards, and a bunch are okay
If you push to extremes in any sport, you’re asking to not be able to use your shoulders [insert body part] for the rest of your life; it’s the extremity not the sport per se that is the issue
That’s not normal
The same is true about professional fighters, “ It’s a hurt sport ” Here too, a bunch of them are wrecked for their whole life afterwards, and a bunch are okay
Here too, a bunch of them are wrecked for their whole life afterwards, and a bunch are okay

Defining Olympic weightlifting: a test of power [1:04:30]

Remind people what Olympic weightlifting is, and why they are among the most powerful athletes in the world

Olympic weightlifting is a competition of who can lift the most amount of weight one time, and there are two exercises: The snatch The clean and jerk has two parts but it’s one exercise
You add up the weight lifted in the snatch and the clean and jerk and the person with the highest total gets the goal medal
It’s one rep, your best score in one repetition, and it’s the most amount of weight you can put on the bar
Why this is not truly a maximum strength test (like powerlifting) is because both movements require you to take the bar from the ground and throw it over your head and catch it There is a speed requirement You can’t do it slowly, while you can deadlift/ bench/ squat slowly
The snatch is the single highest power-producing exercise that has ever been studied Nothing else produces more power per exercise than a snatch, and that’s because you have to take the bar from the ground and throw it over your head and try to catch it You can’t do it slowly
The snatch
The clean and jerk has two parts but it’s one exercise
There is a speed requirement
You can’t do it slowly, while you can deadlift/ bench/ squat slowly
Nothing else produces more power per exercise than a snatch, and that’s because you have to take the bar from the ground and throw it over your head and try to catch it
You can’t do it slowly

Power = strength x speed (or force x velocity)

If you did a speed squat and you jump in the air, the bar would smash you in the back of your neck and your head
In a bench press, you can’t accelerate through the end of the range of motion, because the bar would leave you You actually decelerate towards the end of a bench.
Things like throwing a medicine ball are great, and they are very powerful, but they’re not as powerful as a snatch, because the load is so low (6, 8, or 20 lb ball)
A snatch might be 100, 300 lbs; it’s a lot heavier so the force component is higher and the power output is higher
You actually decelerate towards the end of a bench.

Olympic weightlifter are the most powerful athletes because they’re doing the most powerful movements

If you were to look at the vertical jump height on these individuals, it’s absurd how high they can jump while still being exceptionally strong
These are people who aren’t squatting 1,000 pounds, but at the same weight, they might be squatting seven or 800, 900 pounds They’re not jumping as high as a basketball player, but they’re doing it with 600 pounds, 400 pounds, 500 pounds They’re doing it at speed
They’re not jumping as high as a basketball player, but they’re doing it with 600 pounds, 400 pounds, 500 pounds
They’re doing it at speed

You could find higher jumpers, and you could find higher squatters, but Olympic weightlifters have this wonderful combination of being really strong and really fast, and that’s why they produce so much power

Training principles of Olympic weightlifting [1:07:45]

Let’s say our avatar now is the middle-aged woman who was an athlete in college and wants to try a new sport (Olympic weightlifting). How should she train for strength in these movements?

She’s trained and not a stranger to exercise, but she’s never done Olympic weightlifting (these two movements)
Going back to what was said earlier, to optimize for strength, they’re not doing 12 reps; they’re doing less than 5 reps
You would first learn the movement with a light load, use a broomstick the first time you do a clean and jerk (or a snatch)
There is a ton of technical work to learn these movements (we’re not going to get into this) If you are simply snatching a PVC pipe, you’re not going to generate any strength; you’re not going to produce any power because the load is way to light It’s super fast; it’s hard; it’s awkward You can’t throw a PVC pipe over your head very fast You can’t jerk it overhead
Step 1: Build the technical skills
Step 2: Then build strength doing, for example, a front squat , a push press , an overhead press (stuff like that)
You won’t have the technical ability to get heavy enough on the snatch and clean and jerk for quite some time because you’re going to be so limited by technique rather than strength or speed That’s going to hold you back for a long time This is why a lot of folks will not use these movements (which Andy thinks is a mistake)
Andy puts this in perspective, “ If you were the classic personal trainer and you got a client coming in once a week, are you really going to invest three months in teaching them how to snatch before they actually burn any calories, gain any muscle or get stronger? It’s probably a losing endeavor. ”
If someone is committed to invest 5 or 10 years, then it’s probably worthwhile because it’s total body
If you are simply snatching a PVC pipe, you’re not going to generate any strength; you’re not going to produce any power because the load is way to light
It’s super fast; it’s hard; it’s awkward
You can’t throw a PVC pipe over your head very fast
You can’t jerk it overhead
That’s going to hold you back for a long time
This is why a lot of folks will not use these movements (which Andy thinks is a mistake)

“ It’s a deadlift mixed with a vertical jump, mixed with an overhead press and a catch, mixed with an overhead squat ”‒ Andy Galpin

You’re jumping up and then down
Then, you’re catching yourself; this requires balance and proprioception
Your lats are going to go to keep your position in the back
Your core has to be there for the overhead squat

With the exception of horizontal pressing, it covers just about everything else, and so it’s a very economical, well-rounded movement

It’s peak concentric and eccentric because the amount of deceleration you have to do in that movement is insane Whereas, in powerlifting, you don’t really get to test the eccentric phase to the same extent There’s no landing, no absorption, no movement in space (which is very important for neural control and keeping your brain healthy
Whereas, in powerlifting, you don’t really get to test the eccentric phase to the same extent There’s no landing, no absorption, no movement in space (which is very important for neural control and keeping your brain healthy
There’s no landing, no absorption, no movement in space (which is very important for neural control and keeping your brain healthy

Peter’s brother’s experience with Olympic weightlifting

In law school he became obsessed with setting his school record He played football, and one of the tests they put the team through was the clean and jerk and he won He weighed about 185 lbs and he lifted about twice his body weight
What was interesting was how he trained He would put 135 on the bar as the max amount and do that as perfectly and quickly as possible He would film himself to make sure elbow/ bar travel was perfectly straight Then he would do insanely heavy front squats and shrugs and all sorts of other accessory movements On the day of the competition, he just went up There was three and a half plates on the bar (350 lbs) and he just did it that one time and that was it He never had trained above 135
Andy would take a different training strategy
Andy guesses he could probably front squat 450 at that time and back squat 500 He was probably limited by his technique rather than his strength
He played football, and one of the tests they put the team through was the clean and jerk and he won
He weighed about 185 lbs and he lifted about twice his body weight
He would put 135 on the bar as the max amount and do that as perfectly and quickly as possible He would film himself to make sure elbow/ bar travel was perfectly straight
Then he would do insanely heavy front squats and shrugs and all sorts of other accessory movements
On the day of the competition, he just went up There was three and a half plates on the bar (350 lbs) and he just did it that one time and that was it
He never had trained above 135
He would film himself to make sure elbow/ bar travel was perfectly straight
There was three and a half plates on the bar (350 lbs) and he just did it that one time and that was it
He was probably limited by his technique rather than his strength
It’s a smart idea to invest in technical proficiency
You have technique and horsepower and he had way more horsepower than technique

Example of Olympic weightlifting at the lower weight classes

A few people can manage triple their body weight
Realize that this doesn’t scale with size For example, Lasha (the best guy on the planet for the last 6-8 years), he lifts about 265 kilos (585 lbs) and probably weighs 350 lbs; he’s never going to double his body weight But the guys who are 140 lbs can get to three times their body weight
Andy was able to clean and jerk double his body weight and that got him 7th in the nation Now it wouldn’t even get you to the competition (not even close) National level competition as a male requires 2-2.5x bodyweight To place internationally, it’s closer to 3x bodyweight
For example, Lasha (the best guy on the planet for the last 6-8 years), he lifts about 265 kilos (585 lbs) and probably weighs 350 lbs; he’s never going to double his body weight
But the guys who are 140 lbs can get to three times their body weight
Now it wouldn’t even get you to the competition (not even close)
National level competition as a male requires 2-2.5x bodyweight
To place internationally, it’s closer to 3x bodyweight

How are we going to train this woman?

Peter’s starting point:

We’re not going to load her up on the clean and jerk and on the snatch
She’s going to be using more weight than a PVC pipe and an empty bar
She’s using 10-pound bumpers for most of the time until we she gets that working just right

How are you training her strength so that she’s building up the horsepower to match the technique she’s building?

She’s using reps and sets based on the 3 to 5

What exercises should she do to meet the needs of what she’s ultimately going to do when her technique is good enough?

Consider peak power production (the red line in the graph below) Force is how much load is on the bar Plot force against velocity At some point, if the load is too light, but very, very heavy, it’s not powerful At the opposite end of the spectrum, the same thing happens
Force is how much load is on the bar
Plot force against velocity
At some point, if the load is too light, but very, very heavy, it’s not powerful
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the same thing happens

Figure 9. The relationship between force, velocity,and power . Image credit: Wikipedia

So where is the crossover point where there is enough velocity and enough mass ?

This is hyper-specific to the exercise
Andy notes, “ The more trained you are, the more that curve gets shifted to the right, so you can produce more power at a higher load, relative load. ” (shown below)

Figure 10. Shift in the force versus velocity curve after training . Image credit: Thirst Training

For an exercise like a bench press or even a tricep extension , that’s probably going to happen at somewhere 30 to 40% of your one rep max This is where you’ll have peak power For example, if you can bench press 200 lbs and you want to train power on the bench press, you should probably put 80 pounds on the bar (30%)
If you move to a more compound movement like a squat , instead of training at 30-40% of your peak, train at 40-50% For example, if your max in the squat is 200 lbs, maybe put on 100 lbs
If you go to a clean and jerk (or a snatch ), that number gets much higher (80-90%) A lot of folks won’t hit peak power in a snatch until they get to 90% of their max If you do 90% of your 1RM on a bench press, you’re going to be moving super slow and you will not be producing any power
This person is not going to get stronger from these exercises if there is a technical limitation You may have to do a heavy kettlebell swing Maybe you want to do an RDL (Roman deadlift), a deadlift , a step-up , or any number of exercises like that until they can get to a technical proficiency to where they can get 50, 60, 70% (or higher) You’re not really going to be truly testing strength because you’re still going to be super limited by technique, and you’re not at the peak power yet
Peter has never thought of peak power through the lens of how it varies so much by exercise Maybe you’re going to hit peak power at 30-40% of your 1RM for the bench press, tricep press down, or bicep curl (a super low load) If you did a leg press, squat or deadlift it might be 40-50% of your 1RM This also depends on the person
Once you move to something insanely technical, you’ve got to get close got 80-90% of the 1RM This is because of the nature of the exercise The triple extension allows you to explode ‒ it’s an explosive hip, knee, and ankle extension This will solely be limited by skill You’ve got to go heavy before you’re getting to peak power, let alone peak strength
This is where you’ll have peak power
For example, if you can bench press 200 lbs and you want to train power on the bench press, you should probably put 80 pounds on the bar (30%)
For example, if your max in the squat is 200 lbs, maybe put on 100 lbs
A lot of folks won’t hit peak power in a snatch until they get to 90% of their max
If you do 90% of your 1RM on a bench press, you’re going to be moving super slow and you will not be producing any power
You may have to do a heavy kettlebell swing
Maybe you want to do an RDL (Roman deadlift), a deadlift , a step-up , or any number of exercises like that until they can get to a technical proficiency to where they can get 50, 60, 70% (or higher)
You’re not really going to be truly testing strength because you’re still going to be super limited by technique, and you’re not at the peak power yet
Maybe you’re going to hit peak power at 30-40% of your 1RM for the bench press, tricep press down, or bicep curl (a super low load)
If you did a leg press, squat or deadlift it might be 40-50% of your 1RM
This also depends on the person
This is because of the nature of the exercise
The triple extension allows you to explode ‒ it’s an explosive hip, knee, and ankle extension
This will solely be limited by skill
You’ve got to go heavy before you’re getting to peak power, let alone peak strength

Tracking power output when training [1:17:15]

Peter’s leg press machine

Last year, Peter swapped out his seated-leg press machine for a Keiser one It’s a pneumatic device that gives power by rep
Peter uses power as the metric he’s training to He’s able to see fall off and fatigue
Now he’s going to pay more attention to when he hits peak power (is it 50% of his 1RM?) In Andy’s experience, if you’re pretty trained it might be 60% 1RM
It’s a pneumatic device that gives power by rep
He’s able to see fall off and fatigue
In Andy’s experience, if you’re pretty trained it might be 60% 1RM

Andy’s experience with a Keiser leg press machine

20+ years ago, Andy spent 6-8 weeks training to hit the highest watt output he could (to optimize power output) He didn’t care how many reps or sets it took He would take a break and rest, then try again and go until he got a higher number
He didn’t care how many reps or sets it took
He would take a break and rest, then try again and go until he got a higher number

Training with a velocity transducer

The velocity transducer is another way of training for strength or power that is velocity-based training
Instead of worrying about the weight or the rep ranges, you’re simply trying to hit the largest power output possible You do as many reps as you can (with breaks) and maximize power output
You do as many reps as you can (with breaks) and maximize power output

You simply go up to peak power output instead of an arbitrary number of reps

Peter has a target meters/sec for a particular load, and when he can’t do that twice consecutively, the set is over Sometimes the set ends at 5 and sometimes it end at 8
Sometimes the set ends at 5 and sometimes it end at 8

Are you better off resting and coming back and doing it again faster and harder in three minutes than eeking out more slow reps?

Yes, there is strong science to support that
Bryan Mann at the University of Miami has done a ton of great stuff on velocity-based training

There’s a training concept called cluster sets

Clusters have been shown to be highly effective for strength, power, and even hypertrophy
Let’s say you were to do 5 repetitions in your set; you could do 5 reps with no breaks in between
A cluster set says you’re going to do 1 rep then take a 5-20-second rest, then repeat the rep and rest a total of five times You’re still doing 5 reps, but you might accumulate it You have micro breaks
Cluster sets are extremely effective because the quality of output (in power, velocity, etc.) is much higher You reduce fatigue as compared to reps of 3, 4, or 5 You’ll get 5 first reps It’s more important to get 5 higher quality reps
You’re still doing 5 reps, but you might accumulate it
You have micro breaks
You reduce fatigue as compared to reps of 3, 4, or 5
You’ll get 5 first reps
It’s more important to get 5 higher quality reps

In cluster sets, the aggregate quality, force output, and total achieved velocity is much higher so it’s very, very effective for pure strength; it may not be optimal for hypertrophy or other things

Olympic weightlifters have done this naturally for 50 years When they do a set of triples of a clean (or a snatch), no one ever goes, boom, boom, boom They drop it, reset, shake their hands, regrip, take a breath, reset It takes 5-10 seconds before they do it again Their 3 reps take a minute
When they do a set of triples of a clean (or a snatch), no one ever goes, boom, boom, boom
They drop it, reset, shake their hands, regrip, take a breath, reset
It takes 5-10 seconds before they do it again
Their 3 reps take a minute

Would you advocate this if you’re trying to increase your deadlift?

“ Oh, yeah ”
If you’re going for pure strength, and are going to do 5 reps on a deadlift, it would be better to do 5 ones with a 10-second break in between
A little caveat, if your goal was not simply pure strength, but was to increase strength and accumulate a little muscular endurance, then you may not want to take that break This is what Andy loves about coaching, everything matters ‒ the goal of what you’re trying to achieve matters
This is what Andy loves about coaching, everything matters ‒ the goal of what you’re trying to achieve matters

Frequency of training for Olympic weightlifting [1:22:15]

How often do you want this woman in the gym?

Because the load is low, you can do this every day
You’re talking about a small number of reps, not to fatigue (light weight)
There’s no reason why you couldn’t do some power training every day This is no different than playing a sport every day (basketball)
Keep the training high quality
If you’re doing 2 fatigue sets of 20, with 5 seconds rest in between, then that’s a whole different thing
Non-fatiguing sets are what you need to develop power and skill
This is no different than playing a sport every day (basketball)

“ This is a very important point, for power and skill development, they need to be non-fatiguing. If you’re getting to fatigue, you’re not doing either one of those things. ”‒ Andy Galpin

You can get to fatigue if you’re trying to produce a different adaptation Such as maintenance of power through fatigue, but that’s not the same thing as improving peak power You’re not going to improve your peak power by fatigue
Power training/ power development sessions are going to be a little boring, and this is why they are not very popular You’re not going to get a big sweat You’re not going to throw up on the floor afterwards
People will become more powerful but they won’t look any different, despite the fact that it is very high quality training
Such as maintenance of power through fatigue, but that’s not the same thing as improving peak power
You’re not going to improve your peak power by fatigue
You’re not going to get a big sweat
You’re not going to throw up on the floor afterwards

Which type of athletes that are not weightlifters do you have doing these exercises?

Basically everyone
It’s hard to pick a sport where power development is not important

How post-activation potentiation (and the opposite) can improve power training and speed training [1:24:30]

Peter recalls something he used to do that ties into both weightlifting and powerlifting He really enjoyed doing it, and empirically, it seemed to work It was 2-4 reps of a heavy deadlift, and it was super setted with a plyometric (jump or drop) in between The empirical observation was both helped each other, and it seemed to make him stronger Maybe that was psychological There was a “bro science” belief that he was getting the muscle fiber ready for the heavy lift
There is science to support this experience; you’re referring to a phenomenon called post-activation potentiation
This is a very classic Elwood Henneman size principle ; there was a series of publications about this in the mid-50s
Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers were discussed earlier
There are things called motor units When a nerve comes down and goes into a muscle, it goes into a whole bunch of muscle fibers That nerve and all the fibers collected together is called the motor unit, and they are all the same fiber type (all fast-twitch or all slow-twitch)
When you do a low velocity movement, you use low threshold motor units, and these tend to be slow-twitch fibers For example, if you go to scratch your eye, you don’t want to produce max force
The best strategy is to start with the lowest force output humanly possible and then work your way up
Muscle contraction follows an “all or none” principle When a muscle contracts, it contracts with 100% effort You can’t regulate it up or down; there’s no dimmer switch
The only way you regulate force production is to increase (or decrease) the total amount of motor units that are activated When you activate a motor unit, all the fibers get activated, and all of them contract at 100% The motor units that are activated first are the smallest and weakest
When you do a deadlift, because of the size principle and you’re requiring force production, you are activating higher threshold motor units
Then when you put the barbell down, you go to do your jump, those are still engaged and activated So now you can actually jump with more force and velocity
The work of Lee Brown on this is legendary; he’s a Lifetime Achievement Award winner
Training can also go the other way (this is fun)
When it comes to power training or speed training , people think about resistance For example if your sprinting and dragging a sled (or have a parachute on) If you’re doing vertical jump training and you have bands that hold you down Added resistance is fine for teaching your acceleration (or moving over inertia quickly), however, if you want to get fast, you want to practice moving faster than you can currently move
Peter had a friend in college who was a sprinter and would do downhill sprints A 40-yard dash down an inclined of 6% Andy thinks 6% is pretty aggressive Either way, it’s overspeed Their legs were turning over at a speed they would not normally be used to turning over
So instead of dragging a parachute, you turn around and have the bungee cord pull you a little bit
Andy has a device in his lab that is a harness that comes down to you, and you can reduce your body weight by 5-20% It’s great for vertical jump training, which they did with the volleyball team for one semester This is the same as post-activation potentiation (PAP) just in reverse
He really enjoyed doing it, and empirically, it seemed to work
It was 2-4 reps of a heavy deadlift, and it was super setted with a plyometric (jump or drop) in between
The empirical observation was both helped each other, and it seemed to make him stronger Maybe that was psychological There was a “bro science” belief that he was getting the muscle fiber ready for the heavy lift
Maybe that was psychological
There was a “bro science” belief that he was getting the muscle fiber ready for the heavy lift
When a nerve comes down and goes into a muscle, it goes into a whole bunch of muscle fibers
That nerve and all the fibers collected together is called the motor unit, and they are all the same fiber type (all fast-twitch or all slow-twitch)
For example, if you go to scratch your eye, you don’t want to produce max force
When a muscle contracts, it contracts with 100% effort
You can’t regulate it up or down; there’s no dimmer switch
When you activate a motor unit, all the fibers get activated, and all of them contract at 100%
The motor units that are activated first are the smallest and weakest
So now you can actually jump with more force and velocity
For example if your sprinting and dragging a sled (or have a parachute on)
If you’re doing vertical jump training and you have bands that hold you down
Added resistance is fine for teaching your acceleration (or moving over inertia quickly), however, if you want to get fast, you want to practice moving faster than you can currently move
A 40-yard dash down an inclined of 6% Andy thinks 6% is pretty aggressive Either way, it’s overspeed
Their legs were turning over at a speed they would not normally be used to turning over
Andy thinks 6% is pretty aggressive
Either way, it’s overspeed
It’s great for vertical jump training, which they did with the volleyball team for one semester
This is the same as post-activation potentiation (PAP) just in reverse

You’re learning to move faster than you could possible move, so then when you go to actually do your work, you move faster

For example, you’ve seen baseball players swing a bat before they go up to play, or they go up to their bat and put what’s called a donut on it (to add weight) The bat feels heavy when you swing it with the donut on it; then, you take it off and your bat feels light and it’s awesome
Lee Brown compared swinging a wiffle ball bat (super light, plastic bat) to swinging a baseball bat with a donut, and which one improved baseball bat velocity more The wiffle ball bat actually improved baseball bat velocity more so than the donut did
Using the donut is an example of PAP (post-activation potentiation), and it’s super effective, but an unloaded super fast swing is equally effective
The bat feels heavy when you swing it with the donut on it; then, you take it off and your bat feels light and it’s awesome
The wiffle ball bat actually improved baseball bat velocity more so than the donut did

If you want to maximize velocity, you should play a little with both ends of the spectrum

You can do this with bands and chains Take a heavy band that you deadlift with and put it underneath your lap and hook it to a thing above you to do assisted vertical jump training
This is the reason why when Peter did deadlifts and plyo, he felt that combination helped both exercises Plyo helped the deadlift because of the overspeed thing This is called complex training (aka post-activation potentiation)
If you’re going to do this, you need to stick within the same principles: The total reps should still be 3-5 You could do 2 deadlifts and 3 vertical jumps, but don’t do 5 deadlifts and 5 vertical jumps (a set total of 10)
You can do this all kinds of ways: A bench press then medicine ball shot put or rotational movements
At the time, Peter thought why doesn’t a sprinter do a heavy set of 3 deadlifts before they hit the blocks Andy points out that they do, when they can You don’t see it often because of the logistics Depending on the facility, they’ll be in the back doing deadlifts, then walk out, put on their spikes, and go There’s a window that you have to do this in You can’t do the deadlift then 1.5 hours later go and run and go faster
Take a heavy band that you deadlift with and put it underneath your lap and hook it to a thing above you to do assisted vertical jump training
Plyo helped the deadlift because of the overspeed thing
This is called complex training (aka post-activation potentiation)
The total reps should still be 3-5
You could do 2 deadlifts and 3 vertical jumps, but don’t do 5 deadlifts and 5 vertical jumps (a set total of 10)
A bench press then medicine ball shot put or rotational movements
Andy points out that they do, when they can
You don’t see it often because of the logistics
Depending on the facility, they’ll be in the back doing deadlifts, then walk out, put on their spikes, and go There’s a window that you have to do this in You can’t do the deadlift then 1.5 hours later go and run and go faster
There’s a window that you have to do this in
You can’t do the deadlift then 1.5 hours later go and run and go faster

The Strongman competition: more breadth of movement, strength, and stamina [1:32:00]

The feats of a Strongman competition require a lot of stamina
Peter’s favorite is tire flipping There was a 450-lb tire at the gym he used to belong to, and how long it would take you to do 25 slips was a metric of your insane stamina
Andy loves farmer carries ; there’s tons of rope poles
There was a 450-lb tire at the gym he used to belong to, and how long it would take you to do 25 slips was a metric of your insane stamina

We are going from the highly specific powerlifter (where there are 3 exercises), to the weightlifter (where there are 2 exercises), to the Strongman where there is more breadth

You could argue that the Strongman is more functional, more versatile, and more engaging
At the outset Andy said the three things that mattered most were specificity, specificity, and specificity

When you’re dealing with something that has so many components, how do you wrap your mind around specificity versus generality?

Andy got into this because the Strongman was played on ESPN at three in the morning in the 90s
There is still some specificity when you get into those competitions because they know which events they’re going to do Someone who has optimized grip strength for holding atlas stones is not going to be the person who is optimized for the deadlift carry or overhead press You’ll see people who win three straight events and they’ll get dead last in another one CrossFit has a very similar feel; you’re tested in a bunch of different planes If you’re great at deadlift, your probably going to be poor at pressing
Someone who has optimized grip strength for holding atlas stones is not going to be the person who is optimized for the deadlift carry or overhead press
You’ll see people who win three straight events and they’ll get dead last in another one CrossFit has a very similar feel; you’re tested in a bunch of different planes
If you’re great at deadlift, your probably going to be poor at pressing
CrossFit has a very similar feel; you’re tested in a bunch of different planes

The way you win the Strongman (or woman) is how many reps you can do at a very heavy load; you’re not technically the “strongest” in the world

The Strongman is a global feat of strength, but it’s not to the same level of high precision
If you were to take everyone from a strongwoman competition in the same weight class as everyone from an equivalent level of powerlifting competition, the squat would probably be higher on aggregate in the powerlifting competition
However, if you asked the winner to see how many reps they could do at 95% max, the strongwoman would smash the powerlifter
The Strongman takes extremely heavy loads and does them to fatigue They do it a little bit safer; you generally don’t see a bench press to fatigue (or deadlift) They do something like a car lift, and the reason is because you can actually load the bar a lot higher in the air It becomes closer to a RDL (Roman deadlift) When you take that knee cross out of it, it allows you to do a lot more reps They do a farmer’s carry as heavy as possible and drop it when they’re done, to hedge in that direction A snatch (or a clean and jerk) is way to risky; they do a log press overhead
They do it a little bit safer; you generally don’t see a bench press to fatigue (or deadlift)
They do something like a car lift, and the reason is because you can actually load the bar a lot higher in the air It becomes closer to a RDL (Roman deadlift) When you take that knee cross out of it, it allows you to do a lot more reps
They do a farmer’s carry as heavy as possible and drop it when they’re done, to hedge in that direction
A snatch (or a clean and jerk) is way to risky; they do a log press overhead
It becomes closer to a RDL (Roman deadlift)
When you take that knee cross out of it, it allows you to do a lot more reps

“ It’s still brutal, still insane. That’s why they do some funky stuff like that. ”‒ Andy Galpin

For a tire flip, you’re never fully lifting a 450 lb thing off the ground The first movement of the deadlift, it might be 250 lbs that you’re lifting up Then by the time you’re pushing it, you’ve got the momentum helping you It’s infinitely safer Your cardiorespiratory and muscular fatigue hit almost at the same time
Five to six years ago they started putting heart rate monitors on people in these competitions and broadcasting them They’re pegged the whole time, at 180 (max heart rate); it’s insane
This is one reason you could argue the Strongman is better for global health It’s human movement It’s varied It requires stabilization and all kinds of random movements It’s super heavy You work to high levels of fatigue
The first movement of the deadlift, it might be 250 lbs that you’re lifting up
Then by the time you’re pushing it, you’ve got the momentum helping you
It’s infinitely safer
Your cardiorespiratory and muscular fatigue hit almost at the same time
They’re pegged the whole time, at 180 (max heart rate); it’s insane
It’s human movement
It’s varied
It requires stabilization and all kinds of random movements
It’s super heavy
You work to high levels of fatigue

Training principles of Strongmen and advice for someone new to the Strongman competition [1:36:45]

The next avatar ‒ how would you train a person who is new to this?

A guy who has never powerlifted, never weightlifted, never done a Strongman
He goes to the gym and does a little bit of cardio and a little bit of strength training, but there’s never been specificity to the training
He doesn’t have any injuries that we need to worry about
Nothing is truly off limits, but he has no technique He has no foundation of knowing what it’s like to deadlift at least twice his body weight
He thinks the Strongman competition would be fun and it’s inline with his health goals But he doesn’t want to get injured, and he wants to be able to do this for quite some time
First, build a week of frequency and exercises you do throughout the week so you are not doing too many things too often in the same matter For example, if you’re going to work on farmer’s carries one day, you wouldn’t want to work on a movement like a deadlift the next day because your grip is going to be fatigued The next day pick something like a yolk walk Be conscious of how many day in a row are you hinging or holding or pressing directly overhead
He has no foundation of knowing what it’s like to deadlift at least twice his body weight
But he doesn’t want to get injured, and he wants to be able to do this for quite some time
For example, if you’re going to work on farmer’s carries one day, you wouldn’t want to work on a movement like a deadlift the next day because your grip is going to be fatigued
The next day pick something like a yolk walk
Be conscious of how many day in a row are you hinging or holding or pressing directly overhead

The first step is to vary the movement patterns

In terms of repetition range, stick to 5-8 initially In the beginning, it’s heavy and you’re practicing
In the beginning, it’s heavy and you’re practicing

You want to practice perfect repetition; instead of going to a RER (or RPE), go to technical failure

For example, do a goblet squat with a 100-150 lb sandbag (or medicine ball) in front of you
Do front squats
As soon as you break technical, you’re done

That’s going to get this person a lot of fatigue, a lot of strength, but also keep them very safe, and they’re going to learn to hold technique/ hold position

If you start to get into bad positions in your lower back, you’re done; so working to technical failure is the way to go This is also true for overhead pressing
This is also true for overhead pressing

Comparing the avatar of the Strongman to powerlifting and weightlifting

You can do these exercises more frequently than the same avatar could in powerlifting because the movements are more varied The recovery is going to be a little bit higher because you’re not locked in position and moving in just one plane, and this will allow you to do more volume
You will get sore but there is not as much eccentric landing demand as there is in weightlifting
The recovery is going to be a little bit higher because you’re not locked in position and moving in just one plane, and this will allow you to do more volume

Going back to the powerlifter and weightlifter, why would we also not force technical failure into the mix?

In Olympic weightlifting, if you have a break in position, you’re probably going to miss the lift It’s self-limiting, especially when you get past a certain load You could do 30% of your 1RM with very poor technique, but this becomes more self-limiting at higher loads
The technical demands of something like a bench press are fairly low There are only a couple of joints that need to be taken care of
When you do a snatch , every joint has to be in the right spot or it can go wonky A deadlift is the same thing (just not as complicated)
A squat is fairly complicated, and there are also variations that you’re going to do A box squat or chair squat is going to limit the range of motion
Lastly, since the goal of powerlifting is to achieve a one-rep max, you’re actually not trying to achieve optimal range of motion In fact, you go the opposite Physics-wise, work = force x distance In maximizing force you want to minimize distance because this minimizes the amount of work you have to do Powerlifters intentionally limit the range of motion Powerlifters don’t maximize human strength, they maximize the score on the barbell
It’s self-limiting, especially when you get past a certain load
You could do 30% of your 1RM with very poor technique, but this becomes more self-limiting at higher loads
There are only a couple of joints that need to be taken care of
A deadlift is the same thing (just not as complicated)
A box squat or chair squat is going to limit the range of motion
In fact, you go the opposite
Physics-wise, work = force x distance
In maximizing force you want to minimize distance because this minimizes the amount of work you have to do
Powerlifters intentionally limit the range of motion
Powerlifters don’t maximize human strength, they maximize the score on the barbell

What percentage of powerlifters deadlift with a traditional narrow grip versus a sumo?

Andy doesn’t know an actual number
For Peter, sumo is more comfortable than a narrow grip
Andy notes that sumo is easier on the low back
The grip depends on three factors: 1 – Shank to femur ratio 2 – Femur to upper back 3 – Arm length 4 – Hip versus back strength; strong hips do well with sumo
1 – Shank to femur ratio
2 – Femur to upper back
3 – Arm length
4 – Hip versus back strength; strong hips do well with sumo

Peter’s takeaway ‒ the Strongman is training frequently; it’s highly varied; they’re doing more reps; they’re training to technical failure

The reason Andy brought up technical failure is because you’re doing a combination of high load and high fatigue It’s too risky to break form
It’s too risky to break form

How many hours a day is the Strongman training?

This is not the guy who’s driving around Walmart for two hours trying to find a parking spot
This person is fit; they’re burning matches all day
There is no science on this, because how do you quantify holding a 100 pound medicine ball in your chest and see how many steps you’re going to take? In weightlifting, you can quantify how many reps you did over 70% of your 1RM, and there are two exercises, so it’s very easy With the Strongman, how do you equate time? How do you equate the fact that you did one exercise and you did it for 40 yards? With the other exercise, you did it for seven reps, and Andy would give you a basic progression recommendation of 10%
In weightlifting, you can quantify how many reps you did over 70% of your 1RM, and there are two exercises, so it’s very easy
With the Strongman, how do you equate time?
How do you equate the fact that you did one exercise and you did it for 40 yards? With the other exercise, you did it for seven reps, and Andy would give you a basic progression recommendation of 10%
With the other exercise, you did it for seven reps, and Andy would give you a basic progression recommendation of 10%

Andy’s advice for progression

Keep it below 10% progression per week
Start lower than you think

“ In general, regardless of physical exertion, if you increase your total volume by more than 10% per week, you tend to start getting into problems. ”‒ Andy Galpin

Measuring progress in Strongman training is difficult

In lifting, you can keep a tally of sets and reps per body part
How do you do that with a 100 lb medicine ball for 7 steps, versus a 50 lb medicine ball for 25 steps? They both hurt about the same
This is the problem exercise science has for comparing lifting to endurance
Peter recalls that cycling uses what’s called the TSS (Training Stress Score) There is a chronic and acute TSS As a cyclist, he used to take the date from his power meter : maximum heart rate, FTP (Functional Threshold Power, which is the highest number of wattage average for 60 minutes), kilojoules of energy utilized, average power and normalized power (in watts) With this data, the algorithms are so good at telling where you are in terms of overtraining/ undertraining
If only there were some way you could get that out of more complicated movements
Obviously, you can get heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV)
You could probably get that out of ventilation, if there were a way to capture ventilatory rate
Other than that, we’ just don’t have the metric for power
Andy suggests looking at physiology Heart rate would not be a great one
They both hurt about the same
There is a chronic and acute TSS
As a cyclist, he used to take the date from his power meter : maximum heart rate, FTP (Functional Threshold Power, which is the highest number of wattage average for 60 minutes), kilojoules of energy utilized, average power and normalized power (in watts)
With this data, the algorithms are so good at telling where you are in terms of overtraining/ undertraining
Heart rate would not be a great one

“ Who cares if you’re at X amount of reps per week if your physiology is fantastic ”‒ Andy Galpin

People who spend their career coaching in this area probably have a better answer
Andy would look at physiology metrics
One of the things Peter used to look at before we had HRV was resting heart rate in the morning and basically the willingness to train It sounds silly, but it turns out to be very highly correlated with burnout Andy agrees, “ It’s still the single best metric you can take ”
Peter used a score of 0 to 3
It ties in very tightly to HRV
Resting heart rate is okay, but it’s too slow, and the magnitude of change is too little HRV is much more sensitive You’re not going to see a change in resting heart rate until you get far down the road, and you’re getting cooked With HRV you can see in a matter of days, certainly within a week
There are a number of ways you can assess mood and how much you want to train Andy has done this with giant data sets That number alone is going to run the same as HRV There will be outliers day to day, but it will give you a pretty good sense
It sounds silly, but it turns out to be very highly correlated with burnout
Andy agrees, “ It’s still the single best metric you can take ”
HRV is much more sensitive
You’re not going to see a change in resting heart rate until you get far down the road, and you’re getting cooked
With HRV you can see in a matter of days, certainly within a week
Andy has done this with giant data sets
That number alone is going to run the same as HRV
There will be outliers day to day, but it will give you a pretty good sense

Peter’s takeaway ‒ knowing how you feel the day of and listening is really important; if you do not feel like pushing yourself hard in the gym on a given day, that’s a really good sign that you shouldn’t

Give it until after the warmup phase before you make the decision and get on to the working sets
Just because you feel crappy doesn’t mean you don’t exercise that day; it’s a question of how hard are you going to push that day
Peter would argue, “ There’s no day you shouldn’t be doing something ”

This is where autoregulation training becomes awesome

If you use a velocity transducer and you know that when your at 50% you’re typically 1 m/s (etc); knowing your metrics is a pretty good indicator if “this is not today”

CrossFit: a combination of weightlifting movements, endurance, and circuit training [1:50:15]

There is a pretty decent overlap between CrossFit and Strongman; these are events that take a really long time
There are certain sets that can take 20 minutes that are metabolically as demanding as what most people could barely do in an hour

Tell folks how CrossFit works

We’ll call it competitive circuit training
One of the really cool things about sports is we get to invent new ones all the time and continue to test human capability
CrossFit is a nice combination There are some weightlifting movements One of the competitions might be a one-rep max snatch There is endurance; you might have to run/ cycle a marathon You might see more circuit training, where you do as many rounds a you can in 10 minutes ‒ 20 kettlebell swings , plus 3 snatches , plus a vertical jump , plus 20 pull-ups
The idea is you combine a bunch of these things, and every event gets scored (just like Strongman), and at then end of the competition, whoever has the highest amount of points wins Just like the Strongman, it’s not a single, structured exercise, it’s a combination of many exercises
Similar to weightlifting in tech, CrossFit uses barbell movements Big, complex movements
It’s similar to powerlifting in that sometimes max rep matters
Compared to Strongman, the absolute loads are lower
The winner of a Strongman competition might with with 5-15 reps If it’s a log press, you’re not doing 100 reps
The volume of reps in a CrossFit competition tends to be way higher Sometimes it’s hundreds of repetitions per event
Athletes in CrossFit are still very, very strong and powerful, but you won’t see anybody ever touch 600 lbs Every Strongman is 600+ lbs; you might see 1,600 lbs But you won’t see Strongman ever reach 65 reps in an exercise
The avatar for a highly competitive male CrossFitter is 5’9” to 5’11”, 190-210 lbs For the Strongman, it’s 6’2” to 6’6”, 330-400 lbs
There are some weight classes in Strongman now ‒ big, medium, and little
Gender and age are the only distinction you have in CrossFit
In CrossFit, you’re going to get punished for being heavier in some of the endurance events and punished for being lighter in some of the strength events There are also a lot of gymnastics-based movements (hanging and pulling), and you’re going to get hammered if you’re over 200 lbs and you have to do 100 pull-ups in 5 minutes
There are some weightlifting movements
One of the competitions might be a one-rep max snatch
There is endurance; you might have to run/ cycle a marathon
You might see more circuit training, where you do as many rounds a you can in 10 minutes ‒ 20 kettlebell swings , plus 3 snatches , plus a vertical jump , plus 20 pull-ups
Just like the Strongman, it’s not a single, structured exercise, it’s a combination of many exercises
Big, complex movements
If it’s a log press, you’re not doing 100 reps
Sometimes it’s hundreds of repetitions per event
Every Strongman is 600+ lbs; you might see 1,600 lbs
But you won’t see Strongman ever reach 65 reps in an exercise
For the Strongman, it’s 6’2” to 6’6”, 330-400 lbs
There are also a lot of gymnastics-based movements (hanging and pulling), and you’re going to get hammered if you’re over 200 lbs and you have to do 100 pull-ups in 5 minutes

The misconception about elite athletes in any of these categories

CrossFitters are way more cardiovascularly fit than Strongman, and certainly way more than powerlifters and weightlifters
But you’re not going to find the average Crossfitter that has the same VO 2 max as the average, equivalently high-level cyclist

What you’re misrepresenting here is not that they have done something that we have never seen before, it’s the fact that they’re just phenomenal athletes

If you were to take a high-level cyclist, their peak power is astronomically high despite the fact that these are “pure endurance” athletes The wattage they can kick out on a 20-second peak burst on a bike would torch anything you have ever seen
Peter’s greatest regret in speaking about this stuff is that he has yet to come up with a way to explain what wattage feels like People have an intuitive understanding of what 500 lbs feels like You’ve been to Home Depot and picked up the 50 lb bag of salt and can say, “ Wow, deadlifting 500 pounds would be like picking up 10 of these at once. ”
When Bradley Wiggins absolutely smashed the one hour record (which is generally regarded as the most pain a human being can endure in any sport), he held 440 watts for one hour, crunched in a tuck position with his iliac vessels folded on top of each other Peter adds, “ I can’t tell you what that’s like if you’ve never pedaled. ” If you put the average person on a bike set to 440 watts, they’re going to be dead at 20 seconds The average person might weigh 180 lbs, Bradley probably weighed 138 lbs (maybe 145) Wiggins was tall (probably 6’1”), but he looked like a bean pole, and the force he could generate for 60 minutes is more than you could generate for 30 seconds
Andy adds, 1,000 watts is a big, big number, but that wouldn’t be crazy for a cyclist to do in a 20-second burst Further a cyclist could do that after riding for 6 hours at an average of 250 watts Again, most people can’t hold 250 watts for 2 minutes
The wattage they can kick out on a 20-second peak burst on a bike would torch anything you have ever seen
People have an intuitive understanding of what 500 lbs feels like You’ve been to Home Depot and picked up the 50 lb bag of salt and can say, “ Wow, deadlifting 500 pounds would be like picking up 10 of these at once. ”
You’ve been to Home Depot and picked up the 50 lb bag of salt and can say, “ Wow, deadlifting 500 pounds would be like picking up 10 of these at once. ”
Peter adds, “ I can’t tell you what that’s like if you’ve never pedaled. ”
If you put the average person on a bike set to 440 watts, they’re going to be dead at 20 seconds
The average person might weigh 180 lbs, Bradley probably weighed 138 lbs (maybe 145)
Wiggins was tall (probably 6’1”), but he looked like a bean pole, and the force he could generate for 60 minutes is more than you could generate for 30 seconds
Further a cyclist could do that after riding for 6 hours at an average of 250 watts
Again, most people can’t hold 250 watts for 2 minutes

This is not suggesting that cycling training is great for power development, instead world-caliber athletes are good at a lot of things

A highly power-trained person could kick out 1,200/ 1,300 watts for sure

“ When you say these CrossFitters are a miracle, they’re not. They’re just so fit. They’re so strong. They’re unreal. ”‒ Andy Galpin

Peter thinks what makes them special is, how good they are at so many things They’re great generalists; there’s nothing they are the best at The gymnast is better at gymnastics The weightlifter is better at weightlifting The powerlifter is better at powerlifting The Strongman is better at Strongman The endurance athlete is better at endurance
You also hear the comment that they could do a CrossFit competition and then go do a weightlifting competition the next day
Back in the original days, they would come up with all kinds of stuff to try to get Rich Froning to lose; it didn’t matter, he smashed everything
They’re great generalists; there’s nothing they are the best at
The gymnast is better at gymnastics
The weightlifter is better at weightlifting
The powerlifter is better at powerlifting
The Strongman is better at Strongman
The endurance athlete is better at endurance

You can’t come up with enough accolades to describe how talented these people are…. The men, the women, what they can do is phenomenal

Learning from elite athletes, heart rate recovery, V02 max, and other metrics [1:58:45]

Peter thinks it comes back to what Andy said at the outset, “ Ultimately specificity wins ”
Peter wrote about this in his book ‒ when he was cycling, it was all he was doing He was a one-dimensional athlete His upper body was useless He wasn’t even good at running, even though he had the engine If he was sprinting, he couldn’t get his heart rate over 130 because he didn’t have the leg-pounding strength to cope with it No lateral movement, no flexibility, no balance There was no other dimension to it, other than turning pedals over quickly Not to take anything away from the best cyclists in the world, they’re marvels of human physiology But it’s super, super specific
He thinks this is true for all the athletes they’re talking about
Once you get into these Strongmen and CrossFit athletes though you start to see remarkable feats of strength and endurance across the great range In some ways this is more impressive
Think about elite marathon time; let’s call it 2 hours to make the math easy Technically Kipochoge did it once, unofficially If you break that down, it’s a 4:40 mile, maybe even quicker (it’s insane) Hardly anyone could hold that pace for a quarter of a mile Break it down further, it’s a 65 second 400-meter dash or a 12 second 100-meter dash
He was a one-dimensional athlete
His upper body was useless
He wasn’t even good at running, even though he had the engine
If he was sprinting, he couldn’t get his heart rate over 130 because he didn’t have the leg-pounding strength to cope with it No lateral movement, no flexibility, no balance
There was no other dimension to it, other than turning pedals over quickly
Not to take anything away from the best cyclists in the world, they’re marvels of human physiology But it’s super, super specific
No lateral movement, no flexibility, no balance
But it’s super, super specific
In some ways this is more impressive
Technically Kipochoge did it once, unofficially
If you break that down, it’s a 4:40 mile, maybe even quicker (it’s insane)
Hardly anyone could hold that pace for a quarter of a mile
Break it down further, it’s a 65 second 400-meter dash or a 12 second 100-meter dash

“ The best marathoners in the world would smash almost everyone you know in a 100-meter dash. They’re blazingly fast .”‒ Andy Galpin

The same is true for cycling, with Bradley Wiggins
The difference in running is most people can understand, they can remember back to high school gym class how hard it was to run a quarter mile in 66 seconds
Andy tells people all the time to go run a 400-meter dash and see how long it takes them They think they can do it in 60, then they come in at 85 seconds
They think they can do it in 60, then they come in at 85 seconds

Don’t conflate world-class/ best we’ve ever know athletes to thinking these concepts are wrong, because we’re talking about general concepts

How is the CrossFit athlete able to balance the volume as they’re pushing the envelope between strength, power, and endurance?

We don’t have any science on this stuff
Andy has never coached CrossFitters, but there are some really, really smart people coaching CrossFitters
In general though, if you just look at physiology, specificity does matter
If you’re going to optimize for strength , you could have one of two philosophies 1 – We’re really strong, good at this stuff, and we recover well from it, so we’re going to keep doing more of these strength-type things (we’ll get in more total volume) Maximize strength 2 – We’re going to do a lot of strength because that’s our weakest part, and we’re going to try to bring our weakness up Minimize your biggest limitation Everyone does it differently Andy doesn’t have any numbers on standard amount of volume these people do
What is beautiful about CrossFit is you need to have a ton of baseline aerobic capacity You need to have some peak power You need to have some strength You need to be highly anaerobic You need to have real high recovery from anaerobic efforts
The most fascinating thing is, how do you train for this? Nobody had an answer It’s just strategy
The other strategy is just to hammer everyone and see who’s left
1 – We’re really strong, good at this stuff, and we recover well from it, so we’re going to keep doing more of these strength-type things (we’ll get in more total volume) Maximize strength
2 – We’re going to do a lot of strength because that’s our weakest part, and we’re going to try to bring our weakness up Minimize your biggest limitation
Everyone does it differently
Andy doesn’t have any numbers on standard amount of volume these people do
Maximize strength
Minimize your biggest limitation
You need to have some peak power
You need to have some strength
You need to be highly anaerobic
You need to have real high recovery from anaerobic efforts
Nobody had an answer
It’s just strategy

What do we know about heart rate recovery as a model of fitness?

Heart rate recovery is a strong metric of fitness
There are a number of places where you can get a VO 2 max test done for around $100, and if they’re good, they’ll give you the 1-, 2-, and 3-minute heart rate recovery as well You can glean a lot of insight from that
You can glean a lot of insight from that

What are the metrics we care about for the 30-, 60-, 120-second recovery?

80% in 2 minutes
Say you are at 200, after 2 minutes of recovery, you should be well below 160 beats If your max was 200, then 160 would be 80% This is a minimum Although, there’s no reason you should be above 160, 2 minutes in
That’s slower than Peter expected
If your max was 200, then 160 would be 80%
This is a minimum
Although, there’s no reason you should be above 160, 2 minutes in

What is considered excellent?

60%
In the example of a max of 200, you would go down to 120 beats in 2 minutes (almost resting)
If you’re above 80% after 2 minutes of recovery, sound the alarm ‒ this is a big problem; walk yourself down

Do we care what an athlete’s maximum heart rate is? Or heart rate recovery? Or what they can do at their max heart rate?

Surprisingly, VO2 max is not correlated with speed vVO 2 max is (velocity at VO 2 max)
In running, vVO 2 max matters more than VO 2 max
In cycling, VO 2 max is not nearly as important a pVO 2 max (power at VO 2 max)
When Peter was training in cycling, they were not looking at heart rate recovery, but he wonders if that was a metric he should have been paying more attention to In addition to pVO 2 max and FTP and all those other metrics
Andy can’t comment on cycling, he doesn’t know that literature
In the running literature, there are 3 main components that are going to predict endurance 1 – VO 2 max 2 – Running economy 3 – Lactate threshold VO 2 max is only one of these Any one of these, on the face of it is not going to get you anywhere, and all 3 of them are still not going to get you everywhere
Andy predicts that movement economy on a bike is probably similar It’s probably your power ratio
Peter adds, FTP to weight is important
Which is efficiency, “ How far you can travel on a bike per push ”
For Peter, that’s what makes cycling such a remarkable feat of engineering, “ It’s basically just machines ” It depends on your functional threshold power (FTP) divided by how many kg you are If you line up everybody at the beginning of the Tour de France and rank them in that order, that is the order they will finish Barring an accident or a strategic blunder
This is because efficiency on a bike is super high, whereas efficiency in human movement is around 20%
Are you going to find max heart rate to be a predictor of performance? No, with the exception of whether people stop way prior to hitting a max heart rate The same is true for VO 2 max, people stop before their actual max
Andy has had a lot of high-level athletes, very fit championship fighters who have a max heart rate of 172-175 In UFC there are 5-minute rounds They can cruise at 158 for a whole round, take a 1-minute rest and do that again Their ability to hand on at 95-98% for minutes is amazing
When most people get to 98%, they have seconds of life before they’re gasping for something Andy includes himself in this and his max heart rate is well over 200
vVO 2 max is (velocity at VO 2 max)
In addition to pVO 2 max and FTP and all those other metrics
1 – VO 2 max
2 – Running economy
3 – Lactate threshold
VO 2 max is only one of these
Any one of these, on the face of it is not going to get you anywhere, and all 3 of them are still not going to get you everywhere
It’s probably your power ratio
It depends on your functional threshold power (FTP) divided by how many kg you are
If you line up everybody at the beginning of the Tour de France and rank them in that order, that is the order they will finish Barring an accident or a strategic blunder
Barring an accident or a strategic blunder
No, with the exception of whether people stop way prior to hitting a max heart rate
The same is true for VO 2 max, people stop before their actual max
In UFC there are 5-minute rounds
They can cruise at 158 for a whole round, take a 1-minute rest and do that again
Their ability to hand on at 95-98% for minutes is amazing
Andy includes himself in this and his max heart rate is well over 200

Andy’s stats

If Andy does a VO 2 max test and he’s lower than 1.3, he knows it was not a max text Technically, you’re not supposed to get over 1.1, 1.35, 1.38 Those are not crazy numbers for him to hit He just handles that stuff super well
Technically, you’re not supposed to get over 1.1, 1.35, 1.38 Those are not crazy numbers for him to hit He just handles that stuff super well
Those are not crazy numbers for him to hit
He just handles that stuff super well

What’s your resting RER (respiratory exchange ratio) ?

Typically, 0.75
Those numbers are all over the place
His CO 2 tolerance is also very, very high (55 or 58; he’s never crossed 60) His VO 2 max is not particularly high relative to these things
The problem is, when heart rate gets too high, you start limiting time to fill Your preload is low and your stroke volume goes down It’s not always the best thing to be super high There are some other factors to pay attention to in terms of accuracy and measure
Andy did a study in Sweden with cross-country skiers in their 80s and 90s He talked about this last time Their average max heartbeat at their age was 150, 148 They were lifelong athletes; these guys never got out of shape They were world champions in the 40s and 50s and never stopped Their VO 2 maxes are probably still in the mid-30s If Andy remembers correctly, one 92-year-old, his VO 2 max was 38 Several of them age 86, 88 had a VO 2 max of over 40
Andy was in Stockholm doing this study, and he doesn’t speak Swedish and they didn’t speak English They were in a hospital with cardiologists During a VO 2 max test, you’re yelling and encouraging, “ Go, go go ” while they are cycline One finishes, he sat and took three breaths, then said he didn’t understand the instructions and wants to try again He go up and started getting back on the bike in 15 seconds, ready to go The cardiologist said, “ No ”
His VO 2 max is not particularly high relative to these things
Your preload is low and your stroke volume goes down
It’s not always the best thing to be super high
There are some other factors to pay attention to in terms of accuracy and measure
He talked about this last time
Their average max heartbeat at their age was 150, 148
They were lifelong athletes; these guys never got out of shape
They were world champions in the 40s and 50s and never stopped
Their VO 2 maxes are probably still in the mid-30s
If Andy remembers correctly, one 92-year-old, his VO 2 max was 38
Several of them age 86, 88 had a VO 2 max of over 40
They were in a hospital with cardiologists
During a VO 2 max test, you’re yelling and encouraging, “ Go, go go ” while they are cycline
One finishes, he sat and took three breaths, then said he didn’t understand the instructions and wants to try again
He go up and started getting back on the bike in 15 seconds, ready to go The cardiologist said, “ No ”
The cardiologist said, “ No ”

Optimizing towards being a well-rounded athlete as opposed to a specialist [2:09:45]

Peter thinks of all the athletes discussed, the CrossFit athlete in some ways is the most representative of our long-term goal Not necessarily at that extreme, but in terms of being a generalist
Not necessarily at that extreme, but in terms of being a generalist

Is there anything that is off limits? How much of your time and energy is going into max rep powerlifting movements given that you need to do so much other stuff to build a base of endurance?

Let’s assume you’re optimizing for being the most well-rounded athlete , not a spike in one domain over another
Excluding pre-existing injury We’re not talking about someone with a labral injury who can’t do power cleans and snatches
We’re not talking about someone with a labral injury who can’t do power cleans and snatches

The number to aim for is 70, 20, 10

This is a number Andy got from his friend Kenny Kane who ran CrossFit LA (one of the original ones) He’s in Santa Monica and still coaches He doesn’t have a lot of CrossFit competitors The avatar described is pretty much his client; people age 30-50
70% of the time you’re in the gym is for practice You’re doing a full workout, but the core here is practicing technical proficiency with a little bit of fatigue You’re getting better at hip hinging, breath mechanics, pressing overheat Use fatigue and load to get better at something 100% emphasis on quality without caring about the score
20% of the time, you’re going to compete You’re going to try to get your best score on that workout For example, in 10 minutes, how many rounds can you get to? If you’re doing a box jung, you aiming for the most reps not jumping as high as you can every time You’re doing the minimum amount of work to get up and back down; trying to get the highest score
10% of the time, you’re basically going to death “Balls to the wall” You’re trying to get to death’s door as fast as you can and live in the suck
Let’s say the average person is going to the gym 12 times per month (3x a week for 4 weeks) 8 of those workouts (twice a week) will be focused on practicing 3 of those workouts are competition ones 1 of those workouts, you go absolutely nuts You’re not holding back You’re going to lay on the ground for an hour afterwards because it was just awful
He’s in Santa Monica and still coaches
He doesn’t have a lot of CrossFit competitors
The avatar described is pretty much his client; people age 30-50
You’re doing a full workout, but the core here is practicing technical proficiency with a little bit of fatigue
You’re getting better at hip hinging, breath mechanics, pressing overheat
Use fatigue and load to get better at something
100% emphasis on quality without caring about the score
You’re going to try to get your best score on that workout
For example, in 10 minutes, how many rounds can you get to?
If you’re doing a box jung, you aiming for the most reps not jumping as high as you can every time
You’re doing the minimum amount of work to get up and back down; trying to get the highest score
“Balls to the wall”
You’re trying to get to death’s door as fast as you can and live in the suck
8 of those workouts (twice a week) will be focused on practicing
3 of those workouts are competition ones
1 of those workouts, you go absolutely nuts You’re not holding back You’re going to lay on the ground for an hour afterwards because it was just awful
You’re not holding back
You’re going to lay on the ground for an hour afterwards because it was just awful

One big problem we see with people that also have real jobs, is how much time they spend in sympathetic drive

They end up just torching themselves
It’s too much high intensity too often, and they don’t understand when to dial it back
In this model, 2 days a week, you’re working out, blood pumping, feeling good; in recovery, you’re going to feel great
Only 1 day a week are you going to push it harder
Then only 1 of those days in 4 weeks are you going to push really, really, really hard That’s enough for most people that have other life stressors You’ll be able to recover from that You’ll also feel that you’re getting something out of your training
Peter is glad he brought up this point about the sympathetic drive When he was 18, he was physiologically much stronger and fitter, but a big part of it was there was no other sympathetic drive Anyone who’s got a teenager knows, they’re the singularly most selfish creatures on the face of the earth; they’re incapable of caring about anything that is not themselves At 18, everything in his life revolved around his workouts Everyday had 4 workouts in it One day when he came home from school to do the 3rd of 4 workouts, he forgot his key and couldn’t get in the house He smashed a window to break into the house to make sure he could do the workout It didn’t strike him as a weird thing to do He didn’t bother to clean it up, and was in the basement hammering the weights when his mom came home and thought there was a break-in There was no other stress in his life; nothing else mattered other than training It’s different when you’re 50 and all of a sudden, life is stressful
That’s enough for most people that have other life stressors
You’ll be able to recover from that
You’ll also feel that you’re getting something out of your training
When he was 18, he was physiologically much stronger and fitter, but a big part of it was there was no other sympathetic drive
Anyone who’s got a teenager knows, they’re the singularly most selfish creatures on the face of the earth; they’re incapable of caring about anything that is not themselves
At 18, everything in his life revolved around his workouts
Everyday had 4 workouts in it
One day when he came home from school to do the 3rd of 4 workouts, he forgot his key and couldn’t get in the house He smashed a window to break into the house to make sure he could do the workout It didn’t strike him as a weird thing to do He didn’t bother to clean it up, and was in the basement hammering the weights when his mom came home and thought there was a break-in
There was no other stress in his life; nothing else mattered other than training
It’s different when you’re 50 and all of a sudden, life is stressful
He smashed a window to break into the house to make sure he could do the workout
It didn’t strike him as a weird thing to do
He didn’t bother to clean it up, and was in the basement hammering the weights when his mom came home and thought there was a break-in

Is there a way to quantify and help people think about that as it factors into the training load equation?

There’s a scientific name for it called allostatic load or allostasis This refers to all stressors combined
Andy has his own algorithm that he uses to factor in everything He breaks it up into visible and hidden stressors
Visible stressors are things you see or feel For example, you know if you didn’t sleep well last night You know if your thirsty You know if you ate food that was not the best choice, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
Hidden stressors are things you won’t necessarily feel in the moment For example, maybe your carbohydrate or protein ratio is off Maybe you have some medical condition ‒ pathogen, micronutrient deficiency, excessive inflammation You’re doing all the right things but your recovery sucks
Andy’s algorithm scores all of these things and factors this into a training program
Adaptation in the body happen because of stress, but that stress bucket can be overfilled What you want to do is fill that bucket with the type of stress you want, and dump out as much of the stress that you don’t want If you’re already pre-filled with other stuff, and then you add a little bit of training stress, you start overfilling this bucket
This refers to all stressors combined
He breaks it up into visible and hidden stressors
For example, you know if you didn’t sleep well last night
You know if your thirsty
You know if you ate food that was not the best choice, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
For example, maybe your carbohydrate or protein ratio is off
Maybe you have some medical condition ‒ pathogen, micronutrient deficiency, excessive inflammation
You’re doing all the right things but your recovery sucks
What you want to do is fill that bucket with the type of stress you want, and dump out as much of the stress that you don’t want
If you’re already pre-filled with other stuff, and then you add a little bit of training stress, you start overfilling this bucket

“ You just want it filled with the right stresses that go in the right direction. Specificity, right? The more specific the stress can get, the more specific the outcome can get. ”‒ Andy Galpin

What we can learn from the sprinters about speed, acceleration, peak velocity, and technique [2:17:45]

Sprinters are insanely strong if you put them on a force plate treadmill Peter has heard that Usain Bolt hit at 4x his body weight
This is highly technical; technique and efficiency really, really matter
Force is not the real driver here, speed is
You have to have absolute acceleration, and then you have peak velocity
When Usain comes out of the gate, that’s acceleration , and he’s not particularly strong relative to other folks (his force production is not exceptionally high) However, once he gets vertical, his peak velocity is outrageous, and he is able to maintain peak velocity What really separates him from others is his ability to maintain peak velocity so much longer than anyone else This made it look like he was passing everybody, but he wasn’t; they were just slowing down
For other field sports, you have change of direction and agility
There is a fallacy of thinking that an elite athlete is good at a lot of things That doesn’t mean they are optimized for a lot of things
They need to be strong because they have to overcome force for a 100- or 200-meter dash There’s the acceleration piece They have to have true elite speed, which is a function of how fast you can turn your feet over in running, as well as stride length
When training for peak speed target strength and peak velocity Use light resistance, 30% or less; lighter than training for power To train peak velocity use normal or overspeed training
Peter has heard that Usain Bolt hit at 4x his body weight
However, once he gets vertical, his peak velocity is outrageous, and he is able to maintain peak velocity
What really separates him from others is his ability to maintain peak velocity so much longer than anyone else This made it look like he was passing everybody, but he wasn’t; they were just slowing down
This made it look like he was passing everybody, but he wasn’t; they were just slowing down
That doesn’t mean they are optimized for a lot of things
There’s the acceleration piece
They have to have true elite speed, which is a function of how fast you can turn your feet over in running, as well as stride length
Use light resistance, 30% or less; lighter than training for power
To train peak velocity use normal or overspeed training

Speed training and power training are almost identical

You can do them at a very high frequency
You want to do complex movements You don’t want to do isolation, single joint movements
If you’re an elite sprinter, you’ve got to be careful of your hamstrings, etc.
For the most part physiological fatigue is low
It’s low volume, high quality
You’re going lighter so you can move faster
You don’t want to do isolation, single joint movements

Are you saying that the running workout using a slight tag run, for example, can be done frequently?

Yes, there’s not fatigue really, no joint beat up
This is in contrast to CrossFit training CrossFit has the most systemic fatigue associated with it because you’re doing high-intensity stuff so often CrossFit is whole muscle, cardiovascularly driven, there’s a massive endocrine response Training for the other athletes discussed is pretty much localized Strongman might have some systemic fatigue
CrossFit has the most systemic fatigue associated with it because you’re doing high-intensity stuff so often
CrossFit is whole muscle, cardiovascularly driven, there’s a massive endocrine response
Training for the other athletes discussed is pretty much localized
Strongman might have some systemic fatigue

When we discussed the powerlifter/ weightlifter, we talked about the neurologic component of this, can you say a bit more about that?

In powerlifting, more in weightlifting, and certainly in true speed stuff with the sprinter, there is such a high component to neural activation
We need to make sure that we’re optimize all the motor units we need And in the case of speed, you have to do it in the right sequence
Movement mechanics, being smooth, and having the rhythm to move fast is very, very challenging
This is called synchronization ‒ you have to fire the right muscles in the right group, in the right order, throughout your gait while running This is not necessary in powerlifting because everything is on maximally You’ll commonly hear sprinters say, “ You got to be in the right rhythm ” You might get faster without actually improving your velocity ability by just getting in better rhythm This means learning what to fire, what to relax, so a joint can move, and then be ready to strike again, and again It can be both autonomic and conscious The idea would be to make this as subconscious as possible, so in the moment you’re relaxed and moving Initially when you learn it, it’s going to be very conscious
And in the case of speed, you have to do it in the right sequence
This is not necessary in powerlifting because everything is on maximally
You’ll commonly hear sprinters say, “ You got to be in the right rhythm ”
You might get faster without actually improving your velocity ability by just getting in better rhythm
This means learning what to fire, what to relax, so a joint can move, and then be ready to strike again, and again It can be both autonomic and conscious The idea would be to make this as subconscious as possible, so in the moment you’re relaxed and moving Initially when you learn it, it’s going to be very conscious
It can be both autonomic and conscious
The idea would be to make this as subconscious as possible, so in the moment you’re relaxed and moving
Initially when you learn it, it’s going to be very conscious

What is the most taxing workout that the sprinter is doing during the week?

What is the workout from which they need a recovery?

True peak speed stuff
If you’re trying to train maximum speed, and you’re 5% slower tomorrow, then we’re not trying maximum speed anymore
To hit a new peak velocity, the level of recovery has to be higher It’s not that you’re super sore, generally you’re going to feel fine But your numbers are 3% slower, and you know you’re not recovered enough
It’s not that you’re super sore, generally you’re going to feel fine
But your numbers are 3% slower, and you know you’re not recovered enough

A training plan for the “centenarian athlete” [2:24:30]

Let’s now tie this all together for a totally different type of athlete: the centenarian athlete

We’re not starting with people who were world-class Olympic cross-country skiers in their 20s who never stopped
We’re talking about somebody in their 40s who has the epiphany that says, “ Wait a minute, it’s cool to be a powerlifter. It’s cool to be a weightlifter. It’s cool to be a CrossFitter, a Strongman, an elite runner, cyclist, swimmer, whatever, but I’m going to pick a different sport. I’m going to pick a sport where the optimization is around my ability to be as physically robust as possible in the last decade of my life, which means I want to be able to do a bunch of things that most people can’t even fathom when they’re 80 or 90 years old. ” That means being able to run up an escalator if it’s broken, carrying luggage Put a 25 lb bag in the overhead compartment of the airplane Pick up a grandchild out of a crib Play on the floor and stand up on your own with no issues Go for a hike on rocky terrain and not slip and fall These are all things you would do blindfolded today, but few people in the last decade of their life can do this
One of the biggest trade-offs you have to make is optimizing against getting injured Because the compounding effect of training is so strong that it’s rivaled only by the compounding effect of not training
That means being able to run up an escalator if it’s broken, carrying luggage
Put a 25 lb bag in the overhead compartment of the airplane
Pick up a grandchild out of a crib
Play on the floor and stand up on your own with no issues
Go for a hike on rocky terrain and not slip and fall
These are all things you would do blindfolded today, but few people in the last decade of their life can do this
Because the compounding effect of training is so strong that it’s rivaled only by the compounding effect of not training

“ You will lose it way faster than you will gain it, and therefore, you could argue rule number one of what I’m proposing is, you can’t ever stop training ”‒ Peter Attia

What would we take from training for each of these phenotypes into our centenarian decathlon?

Let’s work backwards, beginning with physiology
There are 3 things you need to train, and you can mix and match from any of those areas
1 – High-quality functioning muscle
2 – Nervous system (peripheral and central), our motor control needs to be very, very astute The distinction of the brain is important because if you go into something like powerlifting, the lack of variation and lack of range of motion is a problem
3 – Cardiopulmonary system needs to be high functioning
The distinction of the brain is important because if you go into something like powerlifting, the lack of variation and lack of range of motion is a problem

Maintaining brain health

Andy mentions Tommy Wood’s paper on late-onset dementia
One of the key components to maintaining brain function throughout life is proprioceptive innervation, so you need to be moving in space and learning You need to have some physical activity that is uncontrolled You don’t want to be moving up and down, same foot positions all the time This could be an outdoor hike where you are engaging with the environment, and the steps are non-uniform,the terrain is slippy It could be a sport such as surfing, badminton, etc.
You need to have some physical activity that is uncontrolled
You don’t want to be moving up and down, same foot positions all the time
This could be an outdoor hike where you are engaging with the environment, and the steps are non-uniform,the terrain is slippy
It could be a sport such as surfing, badminton, etc.

You need one physical activity in your plan that requires you to react to the world; this is the first thing that’s needed

Strongman probably checks that box a little, maybe not maximally
Olympic weightlifting checks that box
Running, sprinting checks that box
Cycling probably wouldn’t check that box very well

The second thing that’s needed is high force production

This preserves your nerves by asking them to do a lot of different things
Tommy’s paper speaks to asking all the motor units to work

Something throughout your week has to be high force production, > 80% of your max

This could be powerlifting, weightlifting, Strongman, CrossFit

The cardiovascular system

1 – It needs to be able to sustain consistent work output over a minimum of 30 minutes with no interval, no break (call this zone)
Weightlifting does not check that, nor does powerlifting
You might be able to do a 25-minute CrossFit workout with almost no dip, but you may actually need to integrate more classic stead-state stuff
This might be an Air Bike, a sled push, a jog, a swim
2 – You need to get to max heart rate
CrossFit, Strongman, powerlifting (if you go heavy enough) are all going to get you there You can get blood pressures of 450/ 350 during a max deadlift, but this is probably not the place to start max heart rate training
You can get blood pressures of 450/ 350 during a max deadlift, but this is probably not the place to start max heart rate training

How many times a week do we think a person needs to experience their max heart rate for this athlete?

A minimum of once a week would take the systemic fatigue out of it
Twice a week would be really, really good
The same is true for the steady state piece, once a week is good and twice a week might be better It depends on what you’re doing If you’re doing a lot of long walking, you might want to hedge your bets
3 – Recovery from high-intensity exercise
Being able to get your heart rate up high, come back down, regulate and go back up and then regulate yourself back down
This could be done with CrossFit or Strongman
It depends on what you’re doing
If you’re doing a lot of long walking, you might want to hedge your bets

Weekly plan to strengthen cardiovascular health and neurological health

1 day a week playing an uncontrolled activity/ sport
1 day high-force
1 day max heart rate
1 day sustained heart rate
Those could all be combined There’s no reason you can do 10 minutes of pure strength training, then go play some pickleball, do max strength stuff for 10 minutes, do a CrossFit/ 20-minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) You can do this whole thing in 40 minutes
There’s no reason you can do 10 minutes of pure strength training, then go play some pickleball, do max strength stuff for 10 minutes, do a CrossFit/ 20-minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
You can do this whole thing in 40 minutes

Muscular health

The muscle needs to be able to do a handful of things
It needs to be sufficiently strong
It needs to be a sufficient size There is some minimum requirement as we age
There is some minimum requirement as we age

Do you think about that from a standpoint of ALMI?

Peter holds patients to a very high standard, he wants them above the 75th percentile for ALMI (appendicular lean mass index) You see a big step up in mortality benefit above that
Andy thinks FFMI (fat free mass index ) is okay, if you get into the above average (or higher)
The idea that too much muscle mass is detrimental to your health as you age is a giant misnomer
You see a big step up in mortality benefit above that

Debunking some training and exercise myths [2:33:00]

Peter still has 9 other topics that he wants to discuss that they will discuss in part 3

Such as, exploring the myth that strength is paradoxically harmful as you age; that strength athletes struggle with age
Uncoupling of size and strength Both are highly correlated with longevity The literature suggests that strength trumps size
One of the arguments that size does matter goes back to the non-structural component of muscle (the metabolic component) We can never lose sight of the fact that muscle is our greatest glucose reservoir, and the metabolic benefits of having a huge glucose sink are enormous This is a key component if you want to keep your inflammation low
Muscular endurance is also important for walking up 15-20 steps You need to be able to do something for 20 repetitions in a row This is not going to be cardiovascularly limited, but limited by local muscular endurance and strength When people are out of breath because they walked up a flight of stairs, they think, “ Wow, I’m so out of shape ” No, you’re weak because what happened is every step was 85% of your one rep max, and you just did 12 steps at 85% If you were stronger and that was 50%, you wouldn’t be out of breath The strength to weight ratio factors into fatigue
People think there is a J-shaped curve of too much muscle mass as you age being linked to higher mortality when in reality, it’s a U-shaped curve
Both are highly correlated with longevity
The literature suggests that strength trumps size
We can never lose sight of the fact that muscle is our greatest glucose reservoir, and the metabolic benefits of having a huge glucose sink are enormous This is a key component if you want to keep your inflammation low
This is a key component if you want to keep your inflammation low
You need to be able to do something for 20 repetitions in a row
This is not going to be cardiovascularly limited, but limited by local muscular endurance and strength
When people are out of breath because they walked up a flight of stairs, they think, “ Wow, I’m so out of shape ” No, you’re weak because what happened is every step was 85% of your one rep max, and you just did 12 steps at 85% If you were stronger and that was 50%, you wouldn’t be out of breath The strength to weight ratio factors into fatigue
No, you’re weak because what happened is every step was 85% of your one rep max, and you just did 12 steps at 85%
If you were stronger and that was 50%, you wouldn’t be out of breath
The strength to weight ratio factors into fatigue

The “do nots” of training and tips for avoiding injury [2:34:15]

They talked about some of the things you need to do for training, but also want to discuss some of the “do nots” Peter does not want to see people getting injured He wants to make sure there is no interruption of training The older we get, anytime we have interruptions in training, the cost of regain is so high
Peter does not want to see people getting injured
He wants to make sure there is no interruption of training The older we get, anytime we have interruptions in training, the cost of regain is so high
The older we get, anytime we have interruptions in training, the cost of regain is so high

Exercise-induced injuries happen in a couple of ways

Rarely is muscle the problem
The only problem you have with the cardiopulmonary system or cardiovascular system is systemic fatigue, and this is systemic fatigue
So, if you’re not overdoing it globally, then you won’t feel rundown or get sick often
Overdoing it globally can be associated with any number of hormone cascades Out of whack cortisol, testosterone, estrogen This affects mood, appetite, makes it difficult to sleep ‒ these are markers of systemic fatigue
If you talk about your knee hurts, you threw out your back, your neck, etc. ‒ this is joint pain
Out of whack cortisol, testosterone, estrogen
This affects mood, appetite, makes it difficult to sleep ‒ these are markers of systemic fatigue

The only reason joints really get hurt is repetition over bad movement patterns

“ So as long as you’re moving well in those joints… then you can really do unlimited amounts of volume theoretically, until the point you hit systemic fatigue, because it’s not going to be muscle that’s going to be the problem. ”‒ Andy Galpin

You will have some muscle strains, but this is not going to put you off for 3 months Unless you tear something off the bone, tear connective tissue
You need to move properly to keep connective tissue and joints integrated
Unless you tear something off the bone, tear connective tissue

If you had a 40-year timeframe, Andy would invest heavily in understanding proper movement patterns, then he would load them very specifically

1 – Make sure you can do the movement pattern perfectly with assistance Do a squat with your hands under the rail; squat all the way down and up Use a band for assistance
2 – Move on to bodyweight only squat
3 – Add a little bit of eccentric load; lower down in a full range of motion
Do a squat with your hands under the rail; squat all the way down and up
Use a band for assistance

If you can do things eccentrically, you’re holding proper position

Andy doesn’t care what the load is, it could be your body weight
You can control the descent of the push up and hold the proper position of shoulder, neck, low back, all the spine ‒ this is great; now fall on the floor, then start back at the beginning
Once you’ve mastered it with two limbs, then you can look into doing it unilaterally Can you do it great with your left side? Can you do it great with your right side?
Given enough time, volume, and repetition, we’re going to start seeing a weakness, which means we’re going to have a compensation movement This is why all of the sudden your low back might start hurting, or your left knee, or your right ankle Something was probably moving slightly wrong in one position (in either an unloaded or loaded exercise)
Can you do it great with your left side?
Can you do it great with your right side?
This is why all of the sudden your low back might start hurting, or your left knee, or your right ankle
Something was probably moving slightly wrong in one position (in either an unloaded or loaded exercise)

Introduce load next, then speed

Once you master the movement, then you can introduce load
Once you can do all those things with load, then you can add speed into the equation Can you do these things in the exact same positions as fast as possible?
Can you do these things in the exact same positions as fast as possible?

Second to the last step is to add fatigue

When most people start a new workout, the majority of the way they progress is by adding volume If someone hasn’t run in forever, they may start out by running 1 mile today and 1.5 miles tomorrow
If someone hasn’t run in forever, they may start out by running 1 mile today and 1.5 miles tomorrow

When you add volume on top of dysfunctional movement, what do you expect to happen in week 6?

Good form will allow you to move perfectly well both eccentrically and concentrically
You want to be able to do it in both a bilateral and unilateral position
You want to be able to do it with load
You want to be able to go fast
You want to go through a variety of movement positions ‒ overhead pressing, overhead pulling, horizontal pressing and pulling, lower body hinging, lower body pressing, rotational, unilateral support, diagonal

Improving the cardiovascular system first is a good strategy

There is data to suggest that 45-minutes of steady state endurance training (such as cycling) before hypertrophy training (aka strength training) results in more muscle growth
So being in good aerobic fitness is quite powerful and important, even if you’re trying to get muscle mass

In that study, was it because the cycling trained group had a higher work capacity when they were doing the hypertrophy training?

Andy recalls that the total workload accomplished was the same, but he would have to look at this study again (he might be wrong)

Injuries

One of the injuries Peter sees a lot is a torn Achilles This seems to happen to the athlete who has been inactive for a while, then he goes right back to that indoor soccer match and boom, it’s so loud you can hear it across the gym
This occurs when you ask connective tissue (the Achilles tendon) to do maximum contraction on a hyper loaded eccentric stop and change when it’s never contracted more than 50% of it’s max for years You’re going to tear something somewhere It’s probably not going to be an ACL , the Achilles is going to go first
In pro sports it’s the opposite, the Achilles is going to handle the load and the ACL will tear first
This is easy to avoid with some tissue tolerance, which is a fancy way of saying expose that tissue to demand slowly, and slowly increase the demand over time
One thing Peter finds is great for this is warming up with some sort of jumping Especially as he is getting older It’s multiplanar It’s simple back and forth, side to side, and then one leg out Like doing the clock, one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock, five o’clock, and by five and six o’clock, you’re actually having to spin yourself backwards, and you’re always coming back to the center of the clock, if that makes sense These aren’t huge jumps The goal is to introduce lower leg variability and tension with the tendons and connective tissue at unusual angles
This is why Andy is now more of a proponent of running for health than he used to be Initially he wa apprehensive because of the high rate of injury from running But now he has changed his thoughts on that because a small amount of running is enough to keep tissue tolerance through most of the lower half A few miles a week; a normal human should be able to run a mile A little bit of sprinting in the straightaways is good too; do two laps and walk the corners This will help you stay away from a lot of foot- and Achilles-related injuries
This seems to happen to the athlete who has been inactive for a while, then he goes right back to that indoor soccer match and boom, it’s so loud you can hear it across the gym
You’re going to tear something somewhere
It’s probably not going to be an ACL , the Achilles is going to go first
Especially as he is getting older
It’s multiplanar
It’s simple back and forth, side to side, and then one leg out Like doing the clock, one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock, five o’clock, and by five and six o’clock, you’re actually having to spin yourself backwards, and you’re always coming back to the center of the clock, if that makes sense
These aren’t huge jumps
The goal is to introduce lower leg variability and tension with the tendons and connective tissue at unusual angles
Like doing the clock, one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock, five o’clock, and by five and six o’clock, you’re actually having to spin yourself backwards, and you’re always coming back to the center of the clock, if that makes sense
Initially he wa apprehensive because of the high rate of injury from running
But now he has changed his thoughts on that because a small amount of running is enough to keep tissue tolerance through most of the lower half
A few miles a week; a normal human should be able to run a mile
A little bit of sprinting in the straightaways is good too; do two laps and walk the corners
This will help you stay away from a lot of foot- and Achilles-related injuries

Selected Links / Related Material

Previous episode of The Drive with Andy Galpin : #239 ‒ The science of strength, muscle, and training for longevity | Andy Galpin, Ph.D. (PART I) | Host Peter Attia, The Peter Attia Drive Podcast (January 23, 2023) | [0:45]

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy reported by Mike Roberts : Skeletal Muscle Protein Composition Adaptations to 10 Weeks of High-Load Resistance Training in Previously-Trained Males | Frontiers in Physiology (C Vann et al. 2020) | [26:15]

Hypertrophy is equal between 5 and 30 reps per set :

Muscle hypertrophy and strength gains after resistance training with different volume-matched loads: a systematic review and meta-analysis | Applied Physiology, Nutrition, & Metabolism (L Carvalho et al. 2022) | [31:15]
Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum | Sports (B Schoenfeld et al. 2021) | [31:15]
Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men | Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (B Shoenfeld et al. 2015) | [31:15]

Mike Roberts review showing changes in muscle protein gains over time : Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy in Skeletal Muscle: A Scientific “Unicorn” or Resistance Training Adaptation? | Frontiers in Physiology (M Roberts et al. 2020) | [32:30]

Westside Barbell Louie Simmons form of conjugate training :

The Conjugate Method | Louie Simmons, Westside Barbell (Oct 18, 2016) | [45:00]
Understanding the Standard Template | Burley Hawk, Westside Barbell (Aug 8, 2022) | [45:00]
Using the Conjugate System | Louie Simmons, Westside Barbell (Oct 18, 2016) | [45:00]

Prelepin’s chart : Strength 101- Reverse Engineering with Prilepin’s Chart | Cal Hinzman, Power Athlete (July 2014) |

Andy’s study of life long skiers now over 80 years old : New records in aerobic power among octogenarian lifelong endurance athletes | Journal of Applied Physiology (S Trappe et al. 2013) | [2:08:30]

Tommy Wood’s paper on late-onset dementia : Demand Coupling Drives Neurodegeneration: A Model of Age-Related Cognitive Decline and Dementia | Cells (J turknett & T Wood 2022)| | [2:28:00]

45 minutes of endurance training before resistance training enhances hypertrophy : Aerobic exercise does not compromise muscle hypertrophy response to short-term resistance training | Journal of Applied Physiology (T Lundberg et al. 2013) | [2:40:00]

People Mentioned

Michael (Mike) Roberts (Professor of Kinesiology, Auburn University) [26:15]
Brad Schoenfeld (Professor of Exercise science, Lehman College) [31:00]
Stefi Cohen (25x world record holding powerlifter) [37:00]
AJ Roberts (Powerlifter) [39:15]
Naim Suleymanoglu (46 world recording holding weightlifting champion) [43:15]
Louie Simmons (powerlifter and coach for more than 50 years) [1:03:45]
Lasha Talakhadze (two-time Olympic champion weightlifter and six-time world champion in the super heavyweight category) [1:13:00]
Bryan Mann (Director of Olympic Performance Sports Science)
Elwood Henneman (neurophysiologist who studied motor neurons) [1:25:45]
Lee Brown (Professor of Kinesiology, California State University, Fullerton) [1:28:00, 1:29:30]
Bradley Wiggins (cycling legend, winner of both World and Olympic championships and the Tour de France) [1:55:30]
Rich Froning (professional CrossFit athlete, won “Fittest Man on Earth” four times) [1:58:30]
Eliud Kipchoge (Elite long-distance runner, holds the world record for fastest marathon) [1:59:45]
Usain Bolt (Elite sprinter, holds the world record for 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 meters relay) [2:18:00]
Thomas Wood (Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UW Medicine) [2:28:00]

Andy Galpin earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Linfield College where he played football and won a DIII National Championship. He earned his Master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences from the University of Memphis and his Ph.D. in Human Bioenergetics from Ball State University. Andy is a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton where he is also the Director for the Center for Sport Performance. He is an active member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association & American College of Sports Medicine. He serves on the advisory board of many private and non-profit companies in the area of human performance. He is the author of the best-selling book Unplugged and routinely speaks at conferences, clinics, and podcasts around the globe. Andy also works as a high performance coach and consultant to numerous professional athletes (MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, BJJ, MLB, NFL, etc.). [ CSU Fullerton ]

Website: andygalpin.com

Instagram: @drandygalpin

Twitter: @DrAndyGalpin

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