The Stronger By Science Podcast

Greg, Pak and Milo sit down for the last, at least for the foreseeable future, Stronger By Science Podcast episode.

Transcribed - Published: 30 October 2024

Greg breaks down everything you need to know about basal metabolic rate.

Transcribed - Published: 16 October 2024

In this episode, Pak and Milo break down the research around how to warm-up for maximum muscle growth and strength. What should your warm-up strategy be? Finally, they cover some questions asked by listeners.

Transcribed - Published: 2 October 2024

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo cover the research on warming-up. Does warming-up reduce injury risk? Does stretching help you stay healthy? How solid is the evidence for warming up?

Transcribed - Published: 18 September 2024

In this episode, Pak and Milo discuss popular muscle growth beliefs that are often touted as game changers but, in reality, are weaker than they seem.

Transcribed - Published: 21 August 2024

In this episode, Pak, Greg, and Milo gear up for another round of Battle Royale debates. They cover aggressive fat loss, cheat reps vs strict reps, whether studies in beginners should apply to advanced lifters, exercise stability for building muscle, optimal doesn't exist, experimenting for best progress, science vs broscience, the pump, and the overhead press being the one true lift.

Transcribed - Published: 7 August 2024

In this episode, Greg, Pak & Milo go over the current literature on bulking and whether you actually need to bulk to maximize muscle growth.

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2024

In this episode, Pak and Milo discuss time-efficient training strategies for hypertrophy and strength, debunking the myth that you need to spend countless hours in the gym to see significant gains.

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2024

In this episode, Pak and Milo break down some of the research surrounding how to powerbuild. Can you grow muscle and get stronger simultaneously? How can you best do both? What are the differences between hypertrophy training and strength training?

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2024

From back training anecdotes to practical recommendations, this episode has got your....back when it comes to back training (apologies for the pun). In this podcast episode, the SBS team goes over back training, including why the current literature directly examining changes in the back musculature is so limited.

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2024

In this podcast episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo enter the impromptu-debate arena for the first SBS Battle Royale. Mental gymnastics, science, drama, and the signature SBS banter you all know and love are all packed into a pilot episode that will either be remembered forever or forgotten in a few weeks.

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2024

Greg, Pak, and Milo review the literature on lifting for mental health. Does exercising improve your mood? How long does this last? What about lifting? Can we improve our long-term mental health through physical activity and lifting weights?

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2024

In this episode, Milo, Greg, and Pak sit down to discuss the concept of stretch-mediated hypertrophy, from the foundational animal studies, to human stretching studies, to present day hype around stretch-mediated hypertrophy and lengthened partials. They also discuss how they're currently implementing lengthened training into their workout routines.

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2024

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo delve into research on sleep's impact on lifting and sports performance, recount sleep-related anecdotes from their college days, and explore strategies to counteract poor sleep when enhancing sleep quality is not feasible. Finally, the team addresses several questions from the SBS social media communities.

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2024

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo take a deep dive in the research around sleep and health, from sleep duration to the latest data on sleep regularity and shift work.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2024

In this episode, Greg, Pak, and Milo tackle the research around body fat spot reduction. First, they tackle the research on various ointments, creams, garments, and whole body vibration. Following this, they discuss the evidence for spot reduction as an adaptation to different exercise types such as endurance and resistance training.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2024

In the second and final part of the extreme volume for hypertrophy series, Greg, Pak, and Milo delve into the research on volume for hypertrophy. They review the remainder of the evidence and practical concerns, then answer audience questions.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2024

In this episode, the SBS team begins their deep dive into the data around really high training volumes and hypertrophy, going over the history of training volume practices and research while also taking an in-depth look at the latest high volume study by Enes et al.

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2024

In this Q&A episode of the podcast, Greg and Lyndsey answer questions about how to research a new subject, the effect of diabetes or insulin resistance on hypertrophy, how a pump might affect moment arms in movements, how much is too much isolation work, and more. They also give an update on the future of the podcast and announce that Dr. Pak and Dr. Milo Wolf are teaming up with Stronger By Science.

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2024

In this episode, Greg sits down with Dr. Milo Wolf to discuss long muscle length training. Long-length partials are a hot topic, and Dr. Wolf is one of the folks doing research in this area and popularizing long-length partials as a training method to increase muscle growth.

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2024

In this episode, Greg is joined by Dr. Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis (Dr. Pak) to discuss his research on minimum effective dose training, and his recent narrative review on optimizing exercise technique for muscle growth. While this episode does dig into the research, the lads tried to keep a clear focus on actionable takeaways to help you improve your training results.

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2024

Greg was recently on the Data Driven Strength podcast to chat about their meta-regression on proximity to failure and hypertrophy. In the episode, Greg, Zac, and Josh discuss what we know about the mechanisms underpinning muscle growth and the weaknesses of the "effective reps" model. We think it's a conversation worth sharing, so we're re-releasing it in our feeds today as a special bonus episode.

Transcribed - Published: 27 December 2023

In this episode, Greg and Lyndsey sit down for a discussion about cortisol with Beth Skwarecki, the senior health editor at Lifehacker. The dangers of high cortisol are a persistent topic of conversation in social media content, so the discussion focuses on the types of claims that are being made, the dubious methods of self-diagnosis and “treatment” being recommended, and the potential risks and dangers associated with letting social media convince you that you’re basically an endocrinologist.

Transcribed - Published: 13 December 2023

In this Q&A episode, Greg and Lyndsey answer listener questions about how close you should be to your macro targets, the relationship between muscle size and muscle strength, advice for minimalistic workout routines, training to failure, and the benefits of CrossFit. To submit your question for a future episode, email a 30- to 60-second voice memo to podcast@strongerbyscience.com.

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2023

In the final episode of our micronutrient series, Greg and Lyndsey discuss which micronutrients are most worth monitoring and good food sources for the micronutrients you may be under-consuming. Then, we talk more broadly about why you shouldn’t allow a focus on micronutrients specifically to detract from the pursuit of a generally healthy diet.

Transcribed - Published: 4 October 2023

In this episode (which is Part 2 of our micronutrient series), Greg and Lyndsey discuss nutrient targets: where they come from, what they mean, and how to think about them. They also talk about the relative imprecision of micronutrient tracking, why micronutrient content can differ so much within a single food, and why it can be challenging to track your micronutrient intake in the first place.

Transcribed - Published: 13 September 2023

Micronutrients deserve more attention. There's very little content about micronutrients, and the content that *is* out there is often full of fear-mongering or wild claims about wonder drugs and super foods. In this episode, we aim to provide a solid foundation for building a better understanding of micronutrients. Along the way, Greg also shares some fun facts that prove that micronutrients are way more interesting than you may have thought. This is the first part of a micronutrient series we'll be doing on the podcast.

Transcribed - Published: 30 August 2023

The industry for pre-sleep supplements, foods, and products is booming. But what actually works, and how much does our diet actually impact our sleep quality and quantity? Greg and Lyndsey talk about how pre-sleep products are marketed, break down the science behind popular sleep supplements (like melatonin, magnesium, lavender, and more), and discuss how macronutrient distributions influence sleep. They also answer a few listener questions about pre-sleep protein and about the impact of eating meals right before bedtime.

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 2023

Does creatine cause hair loss? What about bloating? In this episode, Greg and Lyndsey bust myths and misconceptions about creatine, one of the most popular supplements on the market. Greg also explains how creatine actually works to increase muscle growth and discusses myths related to creatine dosing (is 5g per day enough?). Then, they play a few listener calls about creatine and answer questions about creatine's impact on individual genetic potential for muscularity, different forms of creatine, and the interaction between caffeine and creatine.

Transcribed - Published: 2 August 2023

Greg and Lyndsey dive into the history, conspiracies, science, and media coverage of aspartame to present a thorough overview of the recent WHO reports linking aspartame and cancer risk. Is this one of the longest "podcast episodes" ever? Probably. But it's packed with fascinating history, relevant research breakdowns and media criticism, and takeaways for interpreting and navigating our society's abundance of health warnings.

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2023

In this episode, Greg and Lyndsey delve into the history and science behind vibration plates. Are there legitimate, scientific purposes for this trendy piece of equipment, or is it just a total scam? Then, they discuss a new study that investigated the impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes. That discussion leads to a larger conversation about how exercise guidelines evolve.

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2023

Fireside chats are a collection of conversational, off-topic episodes hosted by Greg Nuckols. In this Fireside Chat, Greg sits down with a special guest: his business partner and wife Lyndsey Nuckols. They discuss who's a better cook, their most underwhelming talents, trolley problems, their recent foray into reality TV, and their experiences transitioning into tech product people.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2023

While we continue preparing to get our next season up and running, we’re replaying Episode 77, which is all about troubleshooting weight loss plateaus. In this episode from the SBSPOD archive, Eric and Greg discuss topics including metabolic adaptation, energy compensation, and a long list of factors that may lead us to overestimate energy expenditure or underestimate energy intake. The discussion yields several practical, evidence-based tips for overcoming challenges and breaking through plateaus when pursuing a weight loss goal.

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2023

In today’s episode, Eric Trexler discusses the relationships between sleep, health, and fitness. First, he discusses how sleep impairments can negatively impact health-related outcomes and impede progress toward a variety of fitness-related goals. After that, he describes a number of practical strategies to get better sleep and to mitigate the negative impacts of insufficient sleep.

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2023

Whether you’re trying to gain, lose, or maintain weight, strategic management of hunger and appetite can come in handy. In today’s episode, Eric Trexler discusses a variety of practical strategies for managing hunger and appetite to support a more successful and enjoyable dieting experience.

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2023

In today’s episode, Eric takes a comprehensive look at how physical activity and cardiovascular exercise can impact general health and weight management. Specific topics of discussion include non-exercise physical activity, exercise snacks, step counts, appetite, exercise energy compensation, interval versus steady-state cardio, the interference effect, and practical ways to incorporate non-exercise physical activity or structured cardio into your daily or weekly schedule.

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2023

In today’s episode, Eric responds to a few pieces of listener feedback, then covers two popular nutrition topics. In the first, he discusses the utility of calorie counting or diet tracking, and how to make the process as feasible and effective as possible. After that, he provides a thorough overview of mindful eating, while addressing some common misconceptions along the way. While many people think that mindful eating is the same thing as intuitive eating, or that mindful eating is incompatible with weight loss goals or diet tracking, neither of these popular perspectives are true. In reality, mindful eating and diet tracking can be used synergistically when pursuing a variety of goals, including weight loss. Today’s episode discusses how to use both of these evidence-based strategies in a complementary fashion.

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2023

In today’s episode, Eric Trexler continues his discussion about some of the advantages and disadvantages of popular diets, and explores some common misconceptions in the world of nutrition. Topics include low-fat diets, the Ornish diet, vegetarian diets, vegan diets, cleanses, detoxes, single-food diets, time-restricted feeding, intermittent fasting, the Mediterranean diet, seed oils, and the DASH diet.

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2023

In today’s episode, Eric Trexler discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of popular diets, and explores some common misconceptions in the world of nutrition. Topics include low-carb diets, the Zone diet, the South Beach diet, the glycemic index, continuous glucose monitors, gluten-free diets, “eating clean,” ketogenic diets, the Atkins diet, the Paleo diet, and the carnivore diet.

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2022

Today’s show is a continuation of our series leading into the New Year. Weight loss is one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions, so this episode explores and answers some of the most common questions about weight loss diets.

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2022

In today’s episode, Greg and Eric discuss a new study reporting that 85% of highly cited meta-analyses in the field of strength and conditioning research contain at least one statistical error. The conversation covers common meta-analysis errors, how to spot them, and how to critically interpret meta-analyses. After that, Eric presents a segment on motivation and behavior change. He begins by reviewing evidence-based goal setting strategies, then discusses how we can leverage self-determination theory to get motivated to pursue our goals, and how we can lean on the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation, behavior) model to change behaviors in accordance with our goals. This leads to a unified, comprehensive, evidence-based model that covers goal setting, motivation, and behavior change from start to finish.

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2022

In preparation for the new year (and the resolutions that come with it), we’re replaying Episode 71, which is all about goal setting and behavior change. In this episode from the SBSPOD archive, Eric and Greg have a long, evidence-based conversation about the research on setting effective goals and successfully changing health behaviors. The discussion yields several evidence-based tips for setting better goals and maximally supporting your ability to achieve them.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2022

In today’s episode, Greg and Eric field listener questions about exercise selection for general strength purposes, testing protocols for overall fitness levels, vegan diets, optimizing exercise selection and execution based on anatomical principles, incline bench pressing, deadlifting on an uneven floor, and work-life balance.

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2022

In today’s episode, Greg and Eric field listener questions about dietary fat targets, future competition plans, ergogenic effects of music, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), statistics-focused content, and the circulation of misinformation and disinformation in the world of health, fitness, and nutrition.

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2022

In today’s episode, Greg and Eric field listener questions about insulin, maintenance phases, controversial fitness opinions, maintaining muscle while cutting, the effects of NSAIDs on training adaptations, deltoid training, ashwagandha supplementation, content creation, social media, and the best gauge of overall strength.

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2022

After Eric’s first earthquake experience, today’s episode begins with a brief discussion of natural disasters. That’s followed by Greg’s segment, which covers popular weight loss advice that may do more harm than good. While most of the ideas that catch on and get popular originate with bodybuilders and physique athletes, they are often misapplied when generalized to other populations (that is, most people). Finally, Eric presents a segment that addresses a very common question: what is the healthiest diet? This yields a discussion about evidence-based guidelines for structuring a diet that supports general health, wellbeing, and longevity, while addressing some common misconceptions along the way.

Transcribed - Published: 7 November 2022

Today’s episode begins with a discussion about an ambitious experiment in the world of academic publishing, and the real-world costs of striving for bench press excellence. After that, Greg presents a segment about partial range-of-motion (ROM) training for strength outcomes. Greg digs into the available research about whether or not partial reps can be used to facilitate greater strength gains, and provides practical recommendations about when and how to incorporate this style of training. That’s followed by Eric’s segment that tackles a fairly widespread misconception about protein requirements for muscle growth. Many people believe that 1.6 g/kg/day is a very clear minimum requirement for supporting hypertrophy, and that falling a little bit short of this target severely limits muscle growth. However, the data suggest otherwise. He explores the available research and discusses some protein target recommendations for people who are prioritizing muscle growth or retention.

Transcribed - Published: 31 October 2022

Today’s episode begins with a discussion about the very predictable scandal that rocked Fat Bear Week. After that, Greg presents a segment about accommodating resistance (that is, training with bands and chains). Greg digs into the available research and explains why accommodating resistance is beneficial for power development and explosive muscle actions, while failing to meaningfully impact maximal strength. That’s followed by Eric’s segment that clears up some misconceptions about the actual net energy cost of exercise. He explores how physical activity impacts total daily energy expenditure, describes some key characteristics that influence inter-individual differences in the net energy cost of exercise, and explains why and how to estimate the net energy cost of exercise using a new tool developed by the Stronger By Science team.

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2022

In today's episode, Greg and Eric pat themselves on the back for breaking the 100 episode barrier, in addition to sharing their picks for Fat Bear Week 2022. After that, Greg encroaches on Eric’s territory with a segment about body composition assessments. In the segment, Greg discusses what common body composition devices actually measure, how accurate (or inaccurate) they are for individuals (rather than groups), and some better strategies for monitoring progress toward fitness goals. After that, Eric steers others toward the Road to Enlightenment with a segment on the fitness-related applications of mindfulness and meditation. He specifically looks at the research evaluating mindfulness-based interventions for mental fatigue, sleep, pain management, and eating behaviors. Eric also discusses scenarios in which mindfulness-based interventions might be contraindicated, and provides some resources for people who want to give meditation or other mindfulness-based interventions a shot.

Transcribed - Published: 17 October 2022

In today's episode, Eric briefly addresses some feedback and responses to his previous article and segment about reverse dieting. After that, it’s all about differences in gains between individuals. Greg begins by exploring research that describes the degree to which training-induced improvements in strength, muscularity, and aerobic fitness vary from person to person. After that, Greg leans on the available research to provide evidence-based advice about what you can actually do about it, particularly if you suspect that you’re experiencing below-average gains.

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2022