Muscle Minds 184 Pyramiding vs Straight Sets for Muscle Growth

In this livestream, Scott McNally breaks down a powerful perspective from a medical doctor who is also a bodybuilder and PED user — sharing how to actually work with your doctor instead of against them. If you’ve ever been frustrated trying to get bloodwork, labs, or testing ordered, this episode explains why doctors push back — and more importantly, how to approach the conversation so you get taken seriously. Learn how to communicate your concerns, understand the system doctors operate in, and increase your chances of getting the testing you need as an enhanced athlete. After the main topic, Scott opens the floor to a full live Q&A covering bodybuilding, PEDs, diet, training, and more. If you’re serious about your health and progress, this is a must-watch. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to the Live Stream | Scott McNally 1:30 What We’re Covering Today (Labs + Live Q&A) 3:40 Who is Scott McNally? (Coaching & Background) 5:00 How to Get Bloodwork Through Your Doctor 9:30 Why Insurance Controls Your Lab Work 11:00 The Hidden Risks of Over-Testing (False Positives, Complications) 13:15 Why Doctors Don’t Treat You Like a Customer 14:30 How to Talk to Your Doctor (What Actually Works) 16:30 Symptoms vs Strategy: What Doctors Look For 18:00 Feeling Heard vs Getting What You Want 19:15 Private Labs & Paying Out of Pocket 22:20 Best Health Markers to Check Mid Cycle 28:00 Can You Build Muscle While Dieting? (IGF-1 Explained) 32:00 E2 vs Sensitive Estradiol Test (What Matters) 33:00 Managing Estrogen on TRT (How Clearance Works) 38:00 Does TRT Between Cycles Restore Health Markers? 39:45 Testosterone Use for Wheelchair Athletes 44:15 Does More Than TRT Improve Muscle Gains? 47:45 Is Scott Into Motorsports? (Personal Q&A) 49:30 How to Introduce Fast-Acting Insulin Safely 54:30 Using Fast-Acting Insulin During a Cut 57:30 Taper Up or Jump to Full Cycle Doses? (Test + Deca) 1:00:30 Are Mini Cuts Worth It in the Offseason? 1:04:45 How to Titrate from TRT to Cycle Doses 1:08:00 How High Can Hematocrit Go Safely? 1:15:00 Site Enhancement Oils: Old School vs Hyaluronic Acid 1:29:18 Scott’s Acne Story 1:33:15 Can More Insulin Overcome Insulin Resistance? 1:35:15 Broken Bone While Cutting: How to Adjust Your Diet 1:43:00 How to Shrink Your Waist & Improve Midsection 1:56:00 Supplement Unboxing (Live) 1:59:00 How Low Can You Take Protein? 2:04:45 Does Growth Hormone Cause Hyperplasia? 2:05:15 Why Fast Food Is So Expensive Now 2:08:00 The IGF-1 Trade-Off Explained 2:12:25 Do Organs Grow on GH? (Myth vs Reality) 2:14:00 Clenbuterol & Cardio Timing (Best Approach) 2:22:00 High Dose Cialis: Is It Safe or Effective? 2:23:00 SLU-PP-332 for Chronic Fatigue (Does It Work?) 2:24:00 Shoutout to the Community (Appreciation) 2:27:30 Be Careful What Media You Consume Reach out to Scott for coaching or consultations : [email protected]

In this episode of Blood Sweat & Gear, longtime bodybuilding coaches Skip Hill, Andrew Berry, and Scott McNally break down “lifting angry” and whether it actually helps your training—or holds you back. They also cover self-coaching, injury management, T3 for fat loss, physique critiques, and real-world experience with GH and performance-enhancing compounds. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 Lifting Angry: Does Training Angry Help or Hurt Gains? 7:00 How to Self Coach Your Bodybuilding Progress Effectively 17:30 Fixing a Nagging Shoulder Injury While Training 24:30 Can You Fix Gyno on 300mg Testosterone? 33:45 Clean Bodybuilding Diet vs Junk Food for Maintaining Weight 37:45 When Should You Add T3 for Fat Loss? (Coaches Explain) 43:20 Physique Critique: Fixing Weak Points for Better Gains 53:00 Physique Critique #2: What Needs Improvement? 1:06:00 Ngenla (Long Acting Growth Hormone) Real Experiences 1:09:10 Increlex Availability: Why It’s Easier to Get Now 1:13:00 Skip Hill’s Word of the Day (Coaching Insight) 1:14:40 Behind the Scenes: Thymosin Alpha Side Effects? 🙏 Support us on Patreon. Every $5 helps! https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding 👕 Think BIG T Shirts! https://think-big.printify.me/products ✅ Presented by TRUE NUTRITION Code: THINK https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK 🇨🇦 Canadian deals on top supplements: http://www.supplementsource.ca

If you’re not currently following a diet but want to start losing body fat, this livestream breaks down exactly how I would set up a fat loss diet from scratch. I design diets for clients every day, and in this stream I walk through the step-by-step process I use to get someone started the right way. After the main discussion we open things up to a live Q&A covering dieting, training, PEDs, and real-world bodybuilding questions. In this livestream we cover: • How I determine starting food • The first nutrition changes I make with clients • Protein, carbs, and fats for fat loss • Structuring meals for adherence • When to add cardio • When to add PEDs • The biggest mistakes people make starting a diet • How I adjust a diet when progress stalls This stream is especially helpful if you’re not following a plan yet and want to get lean for summer or start a proper fat loss phase. I work with bodybuilders and physique athletes helping them improve their training, nutrition, and PED protocols. This is the same approach I use when setting up diets for clients. If you’re watching the replay, drop your questions in the comments — what’s the biggest challenge you have when trying to lose body fat? 0:00 Fat Loss Diet Setup from Scratch (AMA Start) 4:45 How to Start a Fat Loss Diet for Beginners 13:00 Insulin + Retatrutide for Cutting (Safe or Not?) 16:15 Signs You’re Doing Too Much in the Gym 24:50 Do You Need a Dedicated Arm Day? 27:30 High Carb Diet with Insulin Around Training 35:24 Can You Build a Diet with Only 3 Meals? 40:05 Bodybuilding in Your 30s vs 20s (Key Differences) 49:00 Using Winstrol During a Cutting Phase 54:55 $100 Super Chat Reaction 1:10:55 SLU-PP-332 & BAM15 for Fat Loss Explained 1:18:20 Best Protein Deals Right Now (True Nutrition) 1:20:16 Low Dose Tren for Offseason Muscle Growth 1:22:30 Fixing Low Blood Sugar During Workouts 1:26:30 Why Poor Sleep Is Killing Your Progress 1:29:00 How to Bring Up Your Chest on Push Pull Legs 1:38:00 How Long Can You Run 300mg Testosterone? 1:41:30 How to Structure a Deload Week Properly 1:47:00 Clenbuterol Fat Loss Protocol Explained 1:53:20 Crashing Estrogen on Equipoise (What Happens) 1:55:20 How to Improve HDL Cholesterol on Cycle 2:00:00 Can You Build Muscle in a Calorie Deficit? 2:10:00 Fast Acting Insulin Pre-Workout Use 2:19:00 Growth Hormone + MK-677 Stack Explained 2:22:20 PSA Levels Increasing on Cycle (What to Know) 2:24:00 What We’re Watching Right Now 2:32:30 Best Test, EQ, Deca Ratios for Cycles 2:35:00 What Happened to the Podcast on Spotify Follow me at Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/scottmcnally1/ Reach out for coaching here : [email protected]

In this episode of Drugs N Stuff, Dave Crosland and Scott McNally break down how to manage tren side effects in the real world using practical, experience-based strategies. From dosing approaches and tolerance management to understanding where issues actually come from, this is a no-BS conversation focused on what actually works—not theory or bro science. We also cover testosterone supply issues, lab testing options, injection strategies, and answer listener questions you won’t usually hear discussed publicly. If you’re running stronger compounds—or considering it—this episode can help you avoid common mistakes and reduce trial and error. Chapters: 0:00 Tren Side Effects Explained & Estrogen Misconceptions 1:45 Testosterone Raw Shortage Update (Test E Issues) 2:25 Will Steroid Production Move to India? 7:50 How to Manage Tren Side Effects (Real Strategies) 13:00 Tapering Tren Dose Up Safely for Better Tolerance 17:00 Minimum Effective Tren Ace Cycle Length 19:45 How to Stop Tren Night Sweats 21:00 Estrogen Management for Tren Users 24:20 US vs UK “Aluminum” Debate (Quick Break) 27:50 Low Libido on Cycle (Even with Estrogen Dialed In) 31:00 Why Some Prefer Test Prop Over Test E or Cyp 37:30 At-Home Lab Testing (Mail-In Bloodwork Explained) 40:40 Mast Prop vs Mast E (Which is Better?) 43:30 What Happens After Massive Fat Loss (Hormones & Health) 51:00 Best Injection Sites for Gear (Reduce Pain & Issues) 52:00 Starting a First Cycle at 65 Years Old 53:45 Mirabegron Feedback for Side Effect Management 57:00 Are Testosterone Raw Powders the Only Supply Issue? 59:00 Life Advice After a Breakup (Uncle Dave Segment) 1:11:45 Expo Bus Plans & Event Talk 1:18:10 BPC-157 & TB-500 After Kidney Transplant 1:20:00 Behind The Scenes Wrap Up Support the Podcast Patreon — Help keep the show growing. Even $5/month makes a difference. https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding Sponsors TRUE NUTRITION — Custom supplements for serious lifters Use code THINK to save https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK STROM SPORTS — Performance supplements trusted by athletes UK: https://tinyurl.com/ydmbfa54 US: https://stromsportsus.com Supplement Source Canada — Top brand supplements with fast shipping http://www.supplementsource.ca Merch Official THINK BIG Merch — Train, represent, support the brand https://think-big.printify.me/products

Trenbolone, raw powder shortages, and real-world bodybuilding strategies—Skip Hill, Andrew Berry, and Scott McNally break down what’s changed in the industry, what still works today, and where people are getting it wrong. From old-school Finaplix conversions to modern Tren use, this episode dives into the real risks, evolving trends, and practical training insights you can actually apply. If you’ve ever wondered how dangerous Tren really is—or how today’s bodybuilding landscape compares to the past—this episode covers it all. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Tren from Finaplix Carts vs Modern Tren – What Was Worse? 0:45 Project Bodybuilding Era Stories – Old School Cycle Talk 1:50 Raw Powder Supply Issues – Are Steroids Getting Harder to Find? 5:00 Supersets vs Drop Sets – When They Actually Build More Muscle 11:00 When NOT to Use Supersets or Drop Sets (Common Mistakes) 22:30 Is Trenbolone More Toxic Than Other Steroids? 23:50 Homemade Tren from Pellets – The Real Risks Explained 26:00 Why Bodybuilders Are Using Less Tren Today 29:00 Injecting Mistakes – Can Steroids Enter the Lungs? 34:15 Genetics vs Gear – Why Some Guys Need Less to Grow 41:30 First Time Using Tren – Safest Approach & Beginner Advice 43:40 How to Stay on Diet While Traveling (No Excuses Guide) 51:20 Using Insulin at the Gym – Avoiding Attention & Mistakes 57:15 Skip’s Word of the Day 59:45 Behind the Scenes – After the Podcast 1:05:00 Behind the Scenes – Before the Show Support the podcast and get exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding Shop Think BIG apparel: https://think-big.printify.me/products Presented by TRUE NUTRITION – Use code THINK https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK Third-party tested ingredients trusted by bodybuilders. For our Canadian listeners – deals on top brand supplements: http://www.supplementsource.ca

Ron Partlow, Dusty Hanshaw and Scott McNally break down the Detroit Pro and the biggest early season standouts in bodybuilding. We dive into Moh Fooda’s win, Wesley Vissers’ conditioning, and take a look at the physiques making noise right now. Plus discussion on Andrew Jacked, Nick Walker, Brandon Curry and more as the season starts to heat up. 0:00 Wesley Vissers : The New Andres Munzer? 2:10 Detroit Pro 2026 Results & Review – Moo Fooda Wins 4:00 Elias McCall Conditioning vs Blessing Awodibu Size 5:30 Moh Fooda Physique Breakdown – Why He Won 7:00 Patrick Moore Improvements – What He Still Needs 9:30 Ron Partlow Rant – Judging, Trends & More 11:30 Wesley Vissers Conditioning – Best in Classic Physique? 14:15 No Shots 10 Days Out – Contest Prep Strategy 18:30 Is Wesley Vissers the New Face of Classic Physique? 20:50 Mike Sommerfeld Update – Olympia Outlook 27:00 Mr. Olympia 2026 Predictions – Is Derek the Favorite? 40:25 Andrew Jacked Arnold Strategy – Risk of Burnout? 46:10 Brandon Curry Olympia Chances – Top 5 or Decline? 58:30 Nick Walker Arnold Diet – Only 3 Foods? 1:08:00 Arnold Classic Experience – Highlights & Low Points 🔴 OFFICIAL SPONSOR MUTANT® — Born Different. Born Hardcore! Save with code: BIGRON or DUSTY https://www.iammutant.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📲 FOLLOW THE HOSTS Ron Partlow https://www.instagram.com/rep300 Dusty Hanshaw https://www.instagram.com/dustyhanshaw08 Scott McNally https://www.instagram.com/scottmcnally1 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📱 TRAIN LIKE HELL APP Ron’s official training app https://www.trainlikehell.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🙏 SUPPORT THINK BIG BODYBUILDING Patreon (Every $5 helps keep the shows going) https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding 👕 THINK BIG MERCH https://think-big.printify.me/products ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✅ ADDITIONAL SPONSOR TRUE NUTRITION Code: THINK https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK 3rd-party tested — trusted by bodybuilders ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🇨🇦 CANADIAN VIEWERS Blowout deals on top supplement brands https://www.supplementsource.ca ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THINK BIG BODYBUILDING https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrZIZSnyfieo3cX2swc36iw?sub_confirmation=1 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 AUDIO PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0RZgpBPeXPcRLmhG5rDr2X Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-big-bodybuilding/id1561623662 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 Help Us Grow 📢 Share this episode with a training partner or friend who loves bodybuilding : https://youtu.be/i-EKEdbxYKw

Dave Crosland and Scott McNally discuss the shutdown of one of the largest peptide retailers in the U.S. and what it could mean for the peptide market. We also recap the latest information surrounding raw powder supply issues before jumping into a full round of listener PED and bodybuilding Q&A. Chapters 0:00 China Raw Steroid Powder Supply Update 4:00 Major Peptide Company Forced to Shut Down 7:00 The Rise and Fall of “Research Chemical” Companies 21:00 Can Mirabegron Actually Burn Fat? 22:20 How to Reduce or Tighten Chest Fat & Gyno 27:00 Vitamin B5 for Acne — Does It Work? 30:00 Accutane Pros and Cons for Bodybuilders 34:00 Waking Up at Night to Pee — Causes 35:00 Slow Treatment for Low Testosterone (NHS Issues) 41:10 Are Any SARMs Actually Worth Using? 43:00 Arnold Classic Talk — Why Dave Wasn’t There 46:15 Hair Loss and Estrogen Levels Explained 47:45 Why First Cycles Usually Use One Compound 52:00 Equipoise Crushing Estrogen in a Client Case 53:40 Listener Feedback on Kurt Havens Episode 55:40 Edible Cannabis — Does It Affect Bloodwork? 1:03:00 Uncle Dave's Advice to Martin Fitzwater 1:19:00 Behind the Scenes Support the Podcast Patreon — Help keep the show growing. Even $5/month makes a difference. https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding Sponsors TRUE NUTRITION — Custom supplements for serious lifters Use code THINK to save https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK STROM SPORTS — Performance supplements trusted by athletes UK: https://tinyurl.com/ydmbfa54 US: https://stromsportsus.com Supplement Source Canada — Top brand supplements with fast shipping http://www.supplementsource.ca Merch Official THINK BIG Merch — Train, represent, support the brand https://think-big.printify.me/products

On this episode of Muscle Minds, Scott McNally and Dr. Scott Stevenson discuss one of the most common training questions in bodybuilding: pyramiding vs straight sets for muscle growth. Dr. Stevenson breaks down the science behind hypertrophy training, including neurological adaptations, fatigue management, exercise selection, and how to properly distribute training volume. They also dive into back training biomechanics, progressive overload under fatigue, and practical ways to improve muscle activation and long-term progress in the gym. If you want to better understand how to train smarter for hypertrophy, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply to your own training. Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to effective hypertrophy strategies 02:27 Pyramiding vs straight sets for muscle growth 04:34 Neurological adaptations and building strength 06:33 Heavy loads, nervous system effects, and post-activation potentiation 08:39 Managing fatigue and rest intervals for optimal progress 10:41 Mount Saint Hypertrophy and volume distribution 13:08 Training weak muscles vs strong muscles 14:55 Exercise selection and biomechanics for back training 17:43 Joint health and injury risk with heavy training 19:42 Progressive overload when training under fatigue 22:47 Back training for width vs thickness 25:53 Mobility issues and activation patterns for back development 33:37 Single-arm pulldowns and improving muscle activation 40:56 Pump sets and hypertrophy-focused training 44:22 Lightheadedness and blood flow issues during squats 46:19 Neck and vascular considerations in heavy lifting 54:48 Bracing, core stability, and breathing techniques 60:03 Evolution of bodybuilding standards and physique aesthetics Support THINK BIG Bodybuilding Support the podcast on Patreon and help us keep the episodes coming. Even $5 per month makes a difference. https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding Get Dr. Scott Stevenson's Book https://drscottstevenson.com/byobbcoach.html Hardcover linked through Scott's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fortitude_training/ THINK BIG Bodybuilding Apparel Official THINK BIG T-Shirts and merch https://think-big.printify.me/products Official Sponsor: TRUE NUTRITION Custom supplements trusted by bodybuilders Save with code THINK https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK Canadian listeners — Supplements Made Easy Huge deals on top brand supplements in Canada http://www.supplementsource.ca

Dave Crosland and Scott McNally have new information about the suspected testosterone raw powder situation. After speaking with several labs and contacts in China, we're seeing lab reports showing underdosed products and hearing that raw production may currently be restricted. This is a short breaking update episode with the latest information. Chapters below. 0:00 Important Update — Don’t Panic, But Know What’s Happening 1:00 Contaminated or Underdosed Testosterone Raw Powders 1:40 Bloodwork Showing Unexpectedly Low Testosterone 4:30 “No Steroid Raw Production in China Right Now” ? 7:50 Why 92% Purity Can Be a Big Problem 9:45 Source Board Supermod Reports Returning Market Instability 15:00 Have You Experienced This? Let Us Know 17:30 What Happens If the Raw Powder Supply Is Disrupted? 22:50 Why You Should Be More Careful Right Now Support the Podcast Patreon — Help keep the show growing. Even $5/month makes a difference. https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding Sponsors TRUE NUTRITION — Custom supplements for serious lifters Use code THINK to save https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK STROM SPORTS — Performance supplements trusted by athletes UK: https://tinyurl.com/ydmbfa54 US: https://stromsportsus.com Supplement Source Canada — Top brand supplements with fast shipping http://www.supplementsource.ca Merch Official THINK BIG Merch — Train, represent, support the brand https://think-big.printify.me/products

If you’re not getting bigger, something is wrong. 3 experienced bodybuilding coaches break down the biggest reasons lifters stop making progress. Find your mistake in the chapters below. 00:00 Why Bodybuilders Stop Growing 01:15 Diminishing Returns in Bodybuilding 03:00 You Think Your Diet and Training Are Dialed In 06:00 Everyone Thinks Their Training Is Optimal 09:30 Recovery Is the Missing Piece for Muscle Growth 16:45 Should You Raise Testosterone on Vacation? 19:00 Doing Great on TRT — Should You Go Higher? 22:10 Traveling Internationally With Testosterone 28:00 Standing Out as a Bodybuilder in Public 29:00 Skip Hill Gets Called Out for Steroid Use 35:45 Is More Than 8 IU of GH Worth It? 37:15 Great Natural Genetics vs Using Gear 40:15 Struggling to Eat More After Being Fat 42:45 Alcohol and Bodybuilding Don’t Mix 49:15 Skip Hill and Scott McNally: 10 Years of Podcasting