In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris begin by reviewing an early female bodybuilding routine: a six-day-per-week program. Despite some problems with the weekly structure, the relatively low number of sets per exercise and surprisingly comprehensive exercise selection make it one of the more interesting Golden-Era routines covered on so far!
The conversation then turns to a common question: do different muscles actually require different numbers of sets or different training frequencies?
Key topics include:
- An early female bodybuilding six-day-per-week routine and how it differs from modern female training programs
- Why hypertrophy being muscle-fibre specific challenges the idea that larger muscles inherently require more sets
- Whether slow-twitch dominant muscles such as the calves, quads, glutes and traps can tolerate more training volume
- Why being able to recover from additional sets does not necessarily mean those sets will produce substantially more hypertrophy
- How exercise selection changes volume tolerance, including the difference between exercises that load muscles in lengthened versus shortened positions
- How to adjust volume slightly upward or downward depending on the muscle, exercise, individual recovery and training goals
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What is Hypertrophy Past and Present?
A deep dive into the science of muscle growth. Hosted by Chris Beardsley and Jake Doleschal, this podcast explores hypertrophy training through the lens of pre-steroid era bodybuilding and modern muscle physiology.