Try Alternating Sets for Faster Gains and Shorter Workouts

Rows are great for developing your upper back, but do they also work your biceps sufficiently? That certainly would be a good incentive to do more boring rows and less direct biceps work, to kill two swole birds with one stone. So, what does the science have to say about this? In today’s episode, we break down a new study in which participants trained dumbbell rows with one arm and bicep curls with the other for eight weeks, and measured how the arms grew. The results were telling. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

Longer rest times between sets typically mean larger strength and muscle gains. But what if you're short on time? Enter: alternating sets!  Don’t know what alternating sets are? No worries, we explain them in the episode, while looking into a new study that compares alternating sets with traditional sets, to see if they are the fastest route to big gains. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

Pre-exhaust training is a strength training philosophy popularized in the 1970s. Many bodybuilders still swear by it, but what does the scientific evidence say? In today’s episode, we examine a new study comparing pre-exhaust training with traditional training, and give you our thoughts on when and how to implement it in your own training. Also, here’s the bulletin on ”the pre-exhaustion principle” by Nautilus founder Arthur Jones, which we read an excerpt from during the episode (if you want to read the whole thing). *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

Getting good sleep is one of the best things you can do to increase muscle growth, strength gains, fat loss, and general performance.  In today's episode, we examine a study in which soccer players implemented different sleep hygiene tactics to improve their sleep. The tactics they had to choose from were: Avoid all electronic stimulants (TV, mobile phones, and computers) from 8 PM. If not doing the above, avoid them 30 minutes before going to bed. Change any electronic stimulants screen to the warm light setting from 7 PM. Wear SleepSpec glasses before going to bed. Minimize excess light from 9 PM to 9:30 PM by only having a bed lamp on. Change the bed lamp to a low-wattage globe. Manipulate the room temperature to 19–20 °C/66–68 °F. Avoid consuming caffeine or any supplements from 5 PM. Have the last large meal at least 2–3 hours before sleep. Consume a glass of lukewarm milk before going to bed. Consume a glass of chamomile tea before going to bed. Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed. Wear an eye mask whilst sleeping. Wear earplugs whilst sleeping. Remove any timing instruments (i.e., clock) from the room. Avoid any sleep disruptions (for instance, bathroom visits). Sleep at least eight hours. Avoid napping from 2 PM. Which of these did the soccer players choose to abide by? Did it work? What were the effects on their performance? And what might this mean for you? Let’s discuss! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

One of the best methods for being healthier and more productive is to use the power of habits. In this episode, we discuss a new review study on how long it takes to form new habits and what factors increase your likelihood of success.  *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

After working out, can you improve the strength and health of your tendons and joints by drinking a collagen shake or bone broth? And will that also help your skin look more youthful and beautiful? That’s right, we have a new study to discuss, looking into the hype and claims of collagen supplements! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

What is the correlation between grip strength and health? How do you keep yourself motivated when injured? And is muscle soreness really a good sign that your training is working? In this episode, we finish the Q&A we started last week, with five more listener questions on strength training! Timestamps: 01:30 - Question 1: Is muscle soreness a good sign that you've trained hard or just have unaccustomed muscles? And do you stop getting soreness when you reach a particular strength level/habit? 06:00 - Question 2: Is there any study on the connection between grip strength and health? 10:10—Question 3: My problem is that no matter how hard I push myself, I’m just not adding weight to the bar. Why? 17:45 - Question 4: I’d love to hear some perspectives on how to keep motivation up when you’re plateauing or injured. 24:00 - Question 5: I want suggestions for exercises/programs to prepare my body for working out at the gym again in the fall. I haven't worked out in 7–8 years, because I gave birth to 2 children and lived through the toddler years! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

Can you maintain your muscle mass with just one full-body workout per week? Are planned deload weeks necessary or overrated? How do you balance squats and deadlifts in the same training program? We’re in the midst of summer and it’s time to answer your best questions! We have five questions this week, and we’ll finish this Q&A round next week with five more. Timestamps: 01:50 - Question 1: How long can you maintain your muscle mass with just one full-body workout weekly? 07:15 - Question 2: Is there any benefit to regularly adding wall-sits to your training to increase your maximum strength in the squat? I hope the answer is no because it's a f*cking pain. 12:20—Question 3: Can you please talk about deloading? I’ve been lifting since January. Should I do deloads periodically? 17:55 - Question 4: Why do you have so many exercises in the StrengthLog app? Don't you think it might trick people into doing anything other than deadlifts? 21:15 - Question 5: I would love it if you could talk about the difficulties of balancing squats and deadlifts within a training program. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

The pull-up is one of the most classic strength training exercises you can do, and also one of the best! But how do you manage your first rep if you can’t do pull-ups today, and how should you train to progress to 10+ reps? Or should you stick to lat pulldowns instead? In this episode, we also discuss the biomechanics and muscles used in the pull-up and lat pulldown, as well as their pros and cons. This is the sixth and final episode in our series covering ”The Big 6” exercises: the bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, different kinds of rows, and pull-up/lat pulldown. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.

You don't see it, but everyone else does. Your upper back holds some of the biggest muscles in your upper body, and the way to train them is with rowing exercises. In this episode, we talk about the barbell row and other common rowing variations, which muscles they work, best technique practices, biomechanics, and more. This is the fifth episode in our series covering ”The Big 6” exercises: the bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, different kinds of rows, and pull-up/lat pulldown. Up next week: The pull-up and lat pulldown! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You’ll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community 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 want a t-shirt with ”Train hard, eat well, die anyway”, check out our shop here.