In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include bulking calories, pursuing fat loss in the context of negative body image, creatine, contaminants in protein powders, sleep, pre-exercise stretching, optimal training frequency for hypertrophy, a comprehensive approach to volume progression, and much more.

The MASS crew goes live for Office Hours every Wednesday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join us for a future episode!

If you'd like to submit a question ahead of time, please use this link:

https://forms.gle/9Ah39mefs8cuVa9H7

Time stamps: 0:00 Introduction 2:16 Optimal caloric surplus for hypertrophy 20:19 Pursuing fat loss in the context of negative body image 37:34 Creatine hydrochloride versus creatine monohydrate 40:37 Contaminants in animal-based and plant-based protein powders 45:28 Diet versus exercise for weight loss 50:26 Splits versus whole-body training 58:56 Cortisol blockers 1:00:05 Impact of reduced sleep after a tough workout 1:01:09 Effects of pre-exercise stretching 1:03:11 Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) versus “malnutrition” 1:10:31 Optimal training frequency for hypertrophy 1:13:08 A comprehensive approach to volume progression