Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew Coates #359 Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis - Muscle Building: Evidence Vs Social Media Hype
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Apr 29, 2025 Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis, a PhD in sports science and researcher in muscle development, dives into muscle hypertrophy, debunking myths surrounding 'strict' technique versus 'cheat reps.' He discusses the intricate balance of training volume and its impact on growth, confronting misconceptions fueled by social media. The role of fatigue in training is examined, along with the effectiveness of both free weights and machines. With a focus on individual preferences and realistic expectations, Dr. Pak provides a nuanced perspective on what truly drives muscle building.
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Technique Flexibility in Hypertrophy
- Slight deviations from strict exercise technique, including use of momentum, do not hurt muscle growth when training near failure.
- Strict form is less critical if you train close to failure, but cheating extensively is not advisable.
Volume-Growth Dose Relationship
- Muscle growth shows a dose-response relationship with training volume, with more volume generally yielding more gains.
- Diminishing returns occur around 10-15 working sets per muscle group per week, without observed muscle loss at high volumes.
Low Volume Limits Muscle Growth
- Very low volumes like those promoted by Mike Mentzer do not maximize muscle growth according to current evidence.
- Low volume training can still produce substantial muscle gain, but usually not the maximum possible.
