Rationalism vs. Empiricism in Training Science

In this conversation, Steve Hall and Greg Nuckols delve into the complexities of training volume, its impact on hypertrophy and strength, and the nuances of scientific research in exercise science.

They discuss the definitions of training volume, the importance of understanding the differences between muscle growth types, and the implications of recent meta-analyses. The conversation also touches on the philosophical aspects of science, particularly the tension between rationalism and empiricism, and how this affects interpretations of research findings in the fitness industry. In this conversation, Greg Nuckols discusses the complexities of biological systems and the limitations of deductive reasoning in fitness science and much more!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:19 The Journey of Writing on Training Volume

05:08 Understanding Training Volume: Definitions and Importance

08:23 The Shift from Volume Load to Sets: A New Perspective

11:24 The Role of Hard Sets in Training Volume

14:33 Causation vs. Correlation: The Debate on Volume and Hypertrophy

17:13 The Misconception of Muscle Growth and Strength

20:15 Meta-Analyses: Strength vs. Hypertrophy Research

23:13 The Complexity of Causation in Strength Training

26:30 The Implications of Volume on Strength Gains

29:07 The Role of Proximity to Failure in Training Effectiveness

32:25 The Importance of Context in Training Research

47:39 Training Intensity and Volume: A Critical Analysis

01:00:11 Rationalism vs. Empiricism in Science

01:29:15 Strength Gains and Hypertrophy: Understanding the Connection

01:33:27 Ongoing Research on Hypertrophy and Strength Gains

01:37:20 Establishing Causation: Hypertrophy vs. Strength Gains

01:43:01 Understanding the Context of Research Studies

01:46:30 Extrapolating Short-Term Results to Long-Term Outcomes

01:53:50 Logarithmic Growth: Understanding Muscle Gains Over Time

02:06:00 Practical Recommendations for Training Volume

Sponsor: https://onelink.to/mfrevivestronger

References:

- Article: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/volume/\

- Logarithmic strength increases across a PL career: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38060089/

- Hypertrophy as a causal contributor to strength gains point/counterpoint –

- Hypertrophy IS a contributor: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01107-8- Hypertrophy is NOT a contributor: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01106-9

- Classic Hubal paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15947721

- Continuation providing fairly strong evidence for causality: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.13.632853v1.full

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