Training volume is a never-ending topic of debate. How many reps should you do when you want to become bigger and stronger? How many working sets?

We focused on reps in episode 5, so today it’s time to focus on our favorite way to measure training volume: the number of working sets you train at or close to failure for any given lift or muscle group.

We kick things off with a new study from Brazil on football players with plenty of gym experience, that measured the effects of different weekly set volumes.

Then we broaden our discussion, by answering a handful of questions on this topic from our listeners.

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Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, please check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

There’s been much ado about bench press in this podcast. In episode 6, we talked about the mistakes you should avoid if you want to become a great bench presser.

But that episode focused on the negatives, and today we feel much more positive.

What are the best practices of training the bench press, that you should implement immediately in your own workout routine?

We’ve gathered our 10 best tips on how to increase your bench press, no matter if your goal is to build bigger pecs or to compete in powerlifting.

Enjoy!

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the best free gym workout tracker app, StrengthLog, here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, also check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

You asked, we answered. And what an amazing bunch of questions you sent in! Thank you for both listening and contributing to the podcast.

The timestamps for all questions are listed below. We’ll discuss yoga, sleeping positions, high-rep training for squats and deadlifts, rest days, and more!

Timestamps:

• 04:30 – Question 1: Do you think the sleeping position matters for muscle growth?
• 08:45 – Question 2: I want tips on calluses in the palms of my hands! What do you do to keep them at a reasonable level?
• 12:40 – Question 3: What’s your view on endurance-focused strength training such as Body pump?
• 19:25 – Question 4: If you are training for strength, would you expect better gains over time (say after 2-3 months) if you did yoga (45-minute sessions) on rest days (at least 2-3 times a week) vs. just resting?
• 23:30 – Question 5: How important are rest days really?
• 28:10 – Questions 6 and 7: If one is doing suboptimal training (at least by the definitions for what is considered optimal) but still “working hard,” can gains and/or maintenance still be made? And: If you stop progressing in weightlifting and keep on lifting the same weights (same sets, reps, and weights), what happens with your strength and muscle size?
• 38:30 – Question 8: Why does high-rep training work better for the bench press than for squats and deadlifts?
• 43:15 – Question 9: What is the body recomposition method, and does it have any credibility?
• 48:30 – Question 10: How do I train to maintain being a good runner and a great powerlifter simultaneously?
• 58:00 – Question 11: Does poor form/technique when lifting weights in the gym cause injuries?

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, please check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

How much does the lifting tempo you use in the gym matter? Well, a lot, at least according to a new meta-analysis that lays the foundation for today’s episode.

The study showed that lifting weights intentionally slowly leads to slower strength gains, while lifting them as fast as possible leads to faster ones.

But what about injury risk? The eccentric phase of the lift?

Take our hand and we’ll show you the way to faster gains!

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, please check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

Strength training and enough protein are the keys to stimulating muscle growth. Recovery and sleep matter, too, of course, and we’ll cover those subjects in future episodes. But today we’re talking about protein, buddy.

Because everybody loves protein.

How much protein should you eat daily for muscle growth? Does the amount change if you’re also trying to lose weight? How much protein can you use for hypertrophy from a single meal? And what are the best sources of high-quality protein?

In this episode, we cover all the basics about protein for anyone looking to pack on more muscle mass!

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

If your goal in the gym is to train for muscle growth, you just need to know the basics and a few core principles.

In this episode of The Strength Log, we'll break it down for you:

1. How fast can you gain muscle mass?
2. What causes your muscles to grow?
3. How often should you train a muscle group?
4. How many weekly sets should you hit your muscle groups with?
5. How many reps should you do in each set?
6. How long should you rest between sets?
7. What are the best exercises when training for muscle growth?

That’s about it. It’s not very complicated—in theory—but the more time we spend in the gym, the more we tend to forget about what actually matters.

So, here you go: our quick guide to muscle growth!

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, please check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.

Compound exercises are the closest thing you’ll ever come to a shortcut in your strength training. These lifts will not only work a single muscle group; instead hitting several at once, saving you time.

Compound lifts will enable you to train all major muscle groups quickly and with fewer exercises, compared to working each muscle separately with isolation exercises.

This episode discusses the benefits of focusing on compound exercises—and a few cons—and gives exercise suggestions for all muscle groups.

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download our free workout tracker app StrengthLog. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, check out StrengthLog Coach too, our online software for online coaching.

Which squat mistakes are actually holding you back from becoming a world-class squatter? Or even a decent one?

They might not be the ones you think (clickbait!), and in this episode of The Strength Log podcast, our mission is to make you less afraid of the stuff random squat gurus on the World Wide Web tell you that you must fix before you’re allowed to put some real weights on the barbell.

So, how much should you care about your buttwink? Your knees collapsing? Not breaking parallel?

We have around fifteen squat mistakes to discuss, so let’s get started!

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that subscribe button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our community on Facebook here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download our strength training app StrengthLog. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you are a strength and conditioning coach or a personal trainer, also check out StrengthLog Coach, our online software for online coaching.