Fitness content on YouTube has improved considerably in the last several years. Check out Jeff Nippard and Built with Science as examples. They also take a more rigorous, evidence-based approach to bodybuilding and make many of the same points that are in this post. For an individual doing training, you can't do a controlled double-blind scientific study on yourself so you ultimately have to find what works best for you. Of course, aligning yourself with empirical evidence is likely to increase efficiency.
Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
81–90 of 248 posts
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#82Please be aware that scientist brad schoenfeld that is being cited throughout the article. Has changed his opinion on some topics and other topics he even did a 180. The human body is very complex system with balances and counter balances. So almost any statement can be true and false, depending on the context. Interview with Brad schoenfeld where he explains his latests thoughts on training. https://youtu.be/SUy6HwO…
Are you making a claim that him changing his opinion is a negative (real question, I could not tell if you were making a value judgement from your post).
I don't know enough about that specific scientist, but in general, I tend to respect scientists more when they are willing to change their opinion (assuming it's in light of new evidence and not just on a whim) and admit they were wrong previously. That isn't a bad thing, IMO, that is a valuable trait to have, which is why I tend to listen to and respect those who have that trait more than those who dogmatically stick to an opinion regardless of new information.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#83They seem to be talking about bodybuilding a lot, but then (at least some) of the discussions move to muscle growth among random groups of people. The two are not the same. Bodybuilders are trying to put on muscle, sometimes in specific places, long after they have stalled in workouts most people would do. >Going on a higher carb diet increases intramuscular glycogen stores, which attracts a lot of water into the mus…
Your comment makes no sense in the context of Menno’s work. He’s a bodybuilder, coaches bodybuilders, and his content targets bodybuilders.
You’ve just built a straw man argument.
When you say “then you stop eating carbs to get shredded” is just bollocks. No real bodybuilder stops eating carbs to get shredded. We (I say we because I am a contest bodybuilder) tend to reduce carb intake during a cut or show prep because it’s the easiest way to get calories down without hitting hunger levels too bad. And keeping protein and fat at reasonable levels are needed to maintain muscle mass and okay health markers. Heck, even fat will get to an unsustainable level when you’re trying to make it to stage sub 8% of body fat
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#84[dead]
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
semantic pedantry here: "bodybuilder" refers to a sport/discipline where they literally do lift for looks or aesthetics; not performance.
>someone who regularly does special exercises to make their muscles bigger[0] [0] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/bodyb...
The difference is that how much weight they lift is a side effect - the real goal is appearance. Unlike, say, Olympic power lifting.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't eat carbs for the pump. It's right there in the paragraph -- you eat carbs to have glycogen, so you can lift more. Then you stop eating carbs to get shredded. Your own quote just says it is an effect, not that it's the purpose.
And he's saying the article is wrong. People love hate bro science but most bodybuilders go through a lot of trial and error to find the right diet. And they don't meassure success by looks* but by performance (eg. new PR). The article basically thinks that bodybuilders don't actually know what they are doing when most actually do. Maybe not all understand the exact science (although some certainly do) but they do kn…
"The article basically thinks that X don't actually know what they are doing when most actually do."
I see this everywhere (and I suspect this isn't news to anyone). "How hard can farming really be?" "We just have to disrupt with tech synergies." And whatnot. I find this mindset to be offensive and such a self-own by limiting one's understanding of the state of things.
Bodybuilding, and in general fitness, asks for a lot of your time. How can one honestly think that these people aren't constantly endeavoring to optimize?
I imagine there are cases of a local maxima (am I using this correctly?) where something works well for generations and industries get a bit stuck doing it "the good ol' way." But I think that's more an exception than a rule.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#87Please be aware that scientist brad schoenfeld that is being cited throughout the article. Has changed his opinion on some topics and other topics he even did a 180. The human body is very complex system with balances and counter balances. So almost any statement can be true and false, depending on the context. Interview with Brad schoenfeld where he explains his latests thoughts on training. https://youtu.be/SUy6HwO…
Are you making a claim that him changing his opinion is a negative (real question, I could not tell if you were making a value judgement from your post). I don't know enough about that specific scientist, but in general, I tend to respect scientists more when they are willing to change their opinion (assuming it's in light of new evidence and not just on a whim) and admit they were wrong previously. That isn't a bad…
> Are you making a claim that him changing his opinion is a negative
Actually the opposite.
The interview with Brad Schoenfeld is great and he'll explain his thinking based on the latest research.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#88Please be aware that scientist brad schoenfeld that is being cited throughout the article. Has changed his opinion on some topics and other topics he even did a 180. The human body is very complex system with balances and counter balances. So almost any statement can be true and false, depending on the context. Interview with Brad schoenfeld where he explains his latests thoughts on training. https://youtu.be/SUy6HwO…
That’s literally how science works?
Hypertrophy has largely been settled and the main mechanisms and science underneath are well known by now. Call is post-2017.
Source: up 40lb of Dexa scan muscle from 2014-2023, at 15lb greater body weight.
Not rocket science. Strongly recommend Renaissance Periodization (the hundred of hours of lectures on YouTube if that’s your thing, the two main textbooks, the training templates, the meal books, or the meal apps) as a potential vendor if you’re on the simultaneously on the brainier/geekier and more ambitious to reach intermediate or further side of humans.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't eat carbs for the pump. It's right there in the paragraph -- you eat carbs to have glycogen, so you can lift more. Then you stop eating carbs to get shredded. Your own quote just says it is an effect, not that it's the purpose.
And he's saying the article is wrong. People love hate bro science but most bodybuilders go through a lot of trial and error to find the right diet. And they don't meassure success by looks* but by performance (eg. new PR). The article basically thinks that bodybuilders don't actually know what they are doing when most actually do. Maybe not all understand the exact science (although some certainly do) but they do kn…
This reminds me of some MMO players reaction when they realize they have been minmaxing their build wrong. Having a large normative population behaving in self-evidence reporting and response is NOT a guaranteed path to the most efficient route. Especially so when the feedback loop is months and the input loop is 3 times weekly.
For instance, the groupthink meta will optimize for time/schedule efficiency, for social dynamics, for all kinds of things which aren't muscle gain per second.
Re: Why the conventional wisdom on how to grow muscles is wrong
#90This article is focused on growth in muscle _size_ over growth in muscle _strength_. The two are related, but it's pretty well-established that you can bias your training towards one or the other. You can see the difference between experienced powerlifters and bodybuilders. PLs move heavier weights than BBs, but the latter generally have more muscle mass. I think training for strength has more everyday health benefit…
It was a revelation for me that I could go in and do 5x5 Stronglift or similar and get it done in 40m 3x a week instead of adding on ever more volume, and I think that time saving is extremely helpful in terms of maintaining compliance with an exercise schedule. Incidentally, it also helped my muscle size significantly, likely exactly because it was far easier to stay motivated and consistent. In my experience the ca…
I've experienced a very similar effect. The health ROI on your time investment with strength-focused training is pretty incredible. If you could bottle it up and sell it, you'd be rich!