Hypertrophy Past and Present 027 Are 4 reps optimal?! New study: stimulating reps vs volume load
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Nov 23, 2025 Dive into the contrasting training philosophies of Bill Pearl from 1967, highlighting his high-volume six-day split that paved the way for modern routines. Discover how anabolic steroids transformed recovery and training volume, breaking traditional feedback loops. A new study uncovers that both heavy and light loads yield similar hypertrophy, challenging the volume load hypothesis. Join the discussion on practical programming for beginners versus advanced lifters and the real-world challenges of implementing these findings.
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Bill Pearl's Training Changed With Anabolics
- Jake describes Bill Pearl's career shift from natural to using anabolics and how his physique changed dramatically over the decade.
- He uses Pearl as a case study to compare pre- and post-anabolic training approaches and their effects.
1967 Six‑Day High‑Volume Split
- Jake reads Bill Pearl's 1967 six-day split with extremely high set counts and many 100-rep ab sets.
- The program stacks many four-set exercises per bodypart across alternating days, creating massive weekly volume.
Steroids Broke The Training Feedback Loop
- Chris argues the surge in high‑volume bodybuilding coincided with anabolic steroid adoption and likely stems from a broken empirical feedback loop.
- He suggests anabolics masked ineffective training choices because growth occurred regardless of training quality.