SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Another set for another ng of testosterone? Does it work that way and is it worth it - not just on paper, but in terms of real gains? I know that we don't know! And among the many things we don't know the influence of the post-workout elevation in the long-thought "anabolic" hormones testosterone , growth hormone , and co. is unquestionably one of my personal favorites. You've read about it, here at the SuppVersity many times and I got to tell you in advance that the absence of convincing evidence for / against its importance will become a problem in the bottom line of today's SuppVersity article dealing with the intriguing results of an experiment that has been conducted by Lukas J. Farbiak as part of his Honors Thesis (Farbiak. 2013). "Effects of Lower- and Higher-Volume Resistance Exercise on Serum Total and Free Testosterone, Skeletal Muscle Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone Content, and Skeletal Muscle Androgen Recept...

High , not insane (!) volume training can be productive. I hope that you have already being waiting for this post, so I'll try to cut myself short and get right to the facts. In yesterday's first part of "Just One More Rep" it turned out that a higher training volume sucks, when it comes to what is often thought would be its prerogative, i.e. using strength training to induce excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and lean out. In view of these results you could argue that it would be totally logical that a higher training volume cannot be ideal for muscle gains either. After all those require energy and if the RMR does not go up, this would suggest that there was little to repair and supercompensate. A recent study (Naclerio. 2012) does yet refute this already intrinsically non-stringent considerations. High volume can work! As long as it's high , and not simply insane. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Greenwich , ...

"Ah come on, just another set!" ... "I don't know man, we've already pumped away 100,000kg today... do you really believe that's going to be productive, I mean, yeah, we are cuttin', but still... I mean I don't dig this epic!", "EPOC man, it's called EPOC!" *shakes his head* "Call it whatever you want, bro, I am out!" If you want, you can think of today's SuppVersity post as an extension to yesterday's "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" special of the On Short Notice series; to be more precise: As a practically more relevant version of the rodent study on hypertrophy vs. strength training that was part of the aforementioned post. Yep, we are "talking volume" today. How much is too much?  And though this is never-ending debate, it appears that at least as far as research goes, a little more debating certainly would not hurt. Therefore I am happy to have not one, but two studies for you which don...