Brains and Gains with Dr. David Maconi Eric Helms (Part 2) - AtlasPowerShrugged Debate, How Hard To Push, Scientific Evidence
Feb 22, 2025
In this discussion, Eric Helms, a bodybuilding coach and science communicator from 3D Muscle Journey, dives into the evolving fitness landscape. He explains how some athletes thrive on lower training volume while emphasizing intensity. The conversation critiques the oversimplification of exercise science in media and highlights the importance of context. Additionally, they explore new research on muscle length effects on growth and stress the need for personalized training strategies that balance anecdotal experiences with scientific evidence.
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Volume Trade-offs and Quality
- Increasing training volume often causes people to pace themselves, reducing intensity and movement quality.
- High volume is only effective if it doesn't reduce proximity to failure or execution quality.
Volume Shouldn't Sacrifice Quality
- Increase training volume only if you maintain recovery and quality across sets.
- Dropping volume can increase hypertrophy by improving exercise quality and proximity to failure.
Rest-Pause Set Guidelines
- Rest-pause sets should yield at least 4-5 reps per drop to ensure effectiveness.
- Go to failure and adjust rest or load to maintain rep quality in rest-pause training.