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If 'Size' is Your Goal, 30s Rest & 20 Reps Beat 3 Min Rest & 8 Reps to Failure -- Extra 100% Biceps Gains in 8 Week Study

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Do women have to complain that training makes them "bulky", because they're doing it right (high rep, low weight, short rest) while their boyfriends don't?... What? Don't worry, I am just kiddin'. As a loyal  SuppVersity  readers, you will remember my 2016 article: "Not Resting Long Enough May Ruin Your Gains! 1 vs. 5 min Cut Post-Workout Increase in Protein Synthesis by 50%!" ( read it ). Now, back in the day I already pointed out that "the study at hand only proves what we already knew - training volume is more important than metabolic stress when it comes to hypertrophy gains" ( SV. 2016 ) and still many people (mis-)interpreted the results in their black-and-white world as "final evidence" that you'd have to turn your workout into a coffee (or intra-workout) party to make the gains you feel you deserve. That's a mistake you should not repeat by taking the publication of a recent study from the  Nippon Sport Science...

GVT -- Too Much Volume!? Only Trunk / Legs, and Triceps, not Pecs, Biceps or Back Benefit from Doing 10 vs. 5 Sets

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Bad news, bros. The biceps suffers when you increase your volume. Your legs, however, need extra hammering. German Volume Training (GVT) , or the "10 sets method", has been used for decades by weightlifters to increase muscle mass. I've used it before and I guess many of you will have tried this allegedly tried and proven method, as well. "Allegedly proven"? Yes, you read me right. In spite of the fact that it has been around for decades, Amirthalingam et al., the authors of a soon-to-be-published paper in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research claim that, "to date, no study has directly examined the training adaptations following GVT" (Amirthalingam. 2016). The purpose of Amirthalingam's latest study was thus to investigate the effect of a modified GVT intervention on muscular hypertrophy and strength. Looking for more cutting edge exercise and supplementation science? Vitargo, Red Bull, Creatine & More | ISSN'15 #...

Full-Body vs. Split Workouts: Body Composition Changes Favor Volume-Equated FB Workouts in Trained Athletes

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I guess that most of you will be training according to a split workout, right? You can do so many great bench press and biceps curl variations on "International Chest + Biceps"-Monday... awesome, right? Ok, enough of the sarcasm and back to the science. In this case, a recent study by scientists from the  National Research Institute in Warsaw , the  Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand , the Bond University in Australia and the University of the Sunshine Coast . Said study was conducted by Crewther et al. and published recently in the Biology of Sport . It examined the effects of two equal-volume resistance-training protocols upon strength, body composition and salivary hormones in male rugby union players. You can also incorporate full body training into your  periodization schemes. 30% More on the Big Three: Squat, DL, BP! Mix Things Up to Make Extra-Gains Linear vs. Undulating Periodizationt 12% Body Fat in 12 Weeks W/ Periodizatoi...

Creatine and Bicarbonate - A Worthwhile Combination: Supplements Exert Great Individual and Small Combined Effects on HIIT Performance Test in Nine Well-Trained Men

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The results of a Wingate test cannot be translated 1:1 to any sports. You will probably remember my article about the combination of creatine and bicarbonate. Mixing both is basically what the producers of "buffered creatine" supplements do. Albeit with amounts of bicarbonate that may affect the uptake of the latter and offer benefits if you have to load as fast as possible, but won't have individual performance effects ( learn more ). Other studies I've likewise covered in the SuppVersity   News in the past showed both significant as well as borderline significant and non-significant beneficial effects of combining creatine and bicarbonate for a performance enhancing double-whammy in trained individuals. You can learn more about bicarbonate and pH-buffers at the SuppVersity The Hazards of Acidosis Build Bigger Legs W/ Bicarbonate HIIT it Hard W/ NaCHO3 Creatine + BA = Perfect Match Bicarb Buffers Creatine Bicarbonate Works for Most(!) A...

Explosive Reps May Pay Off - At Least on the Bench: Fast Reps = Higher Muscle Activity, Higher Volume... Gains?

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Explosive training can, but it does not have to involve medicine balls and plyometric exercises. You can also do the regular bench press as fast as possible and will - as the study at hand says - achieve higher levels of muscle activity and an increase in rep volume. You will probably have heard the acronyms EMG = electromyography and TUT = time under tension before, but did you know how they go together? The simple assumption that a higher time under tension would yield greater EMG values and thus higher muscle activations is - as a recent study confirmed, once more - as far from being correct as it is from being logical. Think of it: It's simple physics. The force you apply is the product of the mass you move and the acceleration you exert on that mass. It's F = m · a - Force equals mass times acceleration. If you go slow to achieve a maximal time under tension, the acceleration will be low and so will be the force. Since my friends from the exercise physiological depar...
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