The Strength Log

Strength training is among the best things you can do to improve your health, and that goes for both adults and children. But what kind of effects does strength training have on children who are overweight or obese? In today's episode, we're discussing a new study review looking into exactly this – and the results are encouraging! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

Starting Strength is probably the most famous strength training program in the world, and a huge reason that barbell lifting took off 15-20 years ago. But is it really a good program for beginners in the gym? And which claims by Mark Rippetoe in the Starting Strength book have aged badly? How would we improve Starting Strength? A listener on Spotify requested an episode about the pros and cons of Starting Strength, and today we deliver just that! Pour yourself a gallon of milk; this is going to be fun. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

Can you slow your aging by eating a low-protein diet? Is protein really more satiating than fat and carbs? And does an upper level of safe protein intake exist? In this episode, we discuss the evidence behind eight common protein claims, aided by a new article published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, in order to find out what we can be basically sure about – and which claims lack science to support them. Timestamps: 03:00 - Presentation of today's topic: Protein myths and truths 04:30 - Protein proposition 1: Optimal protein intake per meal is crucial for muscle growth, with upper and lower limits that affect muscle mass. 08:45 - Protein proposition 2: Higher protein intake preserves lean mass and muscle strength during weight loss. 12:00 - Protein proposition 3: Protein is the most satiating of the macronutrients and helps to reduce energy intake. 16:00 - Protein proposition 4: An appropriate protein intake can slow aging and promote longevity. 21:45 - Protein proposition 5: The theory of protein leverage, meaning that we eat until we've covered our protein needs, and that a higher-protein diet will make you consume less total energy. 24:15 - Protein proposition 6: Dietary protein benefits can be optimized equally and effectively with plant and animal proteins. 28:45 - Protein proposition 7: There is a threshold above which too much protein can be detrimental to health. 33:15 - Protein proposition 8: Protein and chrononutrition: timing of protein intake can affect health *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

How do you get big arms? In this episode, we go over the exercises, the programs, and the muscles important for developing your biceps and triceps into big guns. To help guide us, we asked for your questions on the topic of arm training – and you guys and gals delivered once again! In total, we answer seven arm-specific questions; see the timestamps below. Timestamps: 09:45 - Today's topic: How to get big arms – muscles worked, exercise selections, sets and reps, and more. 29:30 - Question 1: Are supinated lat pull-downs a good or great way to build biceps? 37:30 - Question 2: Are compound exercises enough for big arms? 42:30 - Question 3: What's a reasonable growth to expect from following a good arm routine for someone who's not a beginner? 47:15 - Question 4: I thought it was as easy as "as long as you bend your elbow, your biceps are working." But people on social media are talking about wrist angles and different grip widths, as if a 2 cm wider grip on the bar would make you an Arnold-contestant, while your current grip only activates your glutes or something. How much does it actually matter? 50:00 - Question 5: How does 'long-limbed' bloke get them to grow (or at least show more shape and width from the front, especially). Yes, yes, we know there are different muscles to train. But some of us are a shape that doesn't seem to respond, or at least doesn't show easily visually. 54:45 - Question 6: Any good ideas on how to avoid elbow pain and other issues with tendons and such on a high volume/intensity arm-focused program? 57:45 - Question 7: Should you dedicate one day or several days weekly to arms? *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

The mean age for menopause is 50, but some women enter perimenopause at 40 or even earlier. What do the hormonal changes of menopause mean for your strength training results, muscle mass, body fat levels, and quality of life? In this episode, we discuss a major new study comparing strength training outcomes before and after menopause, and give you our recommendations for how to strength train when affected by menopause. After that, we dive headfirst into your topic-related questions, including one about strength training through the different stages of the menstrual cycle! Timestamps: 00:00 - Today's topic: Strength training before and after menopause. 18:30 - Question 1: According to my own study (myself vs guys I meet at the gym), I'm clearly stronger on reps than my 1RM suggests, while all guys I meet seem to be stronger on singles than reps. Is it just me being stubborn as a donkey and a coward when it gets heavy, or is it a real male/female difference? 21:45 - Question 2: I wonder what the science says about sex differences when it comes to relative progress? For the bench press, guys who started later than I did are progressing much faster, while I stay stuck at 2.5 kg plates. I understand that there are tons of individual factors at play, but it feels like a pattern, and I'm getting frustrated. 24:45 - Question 3: Is it true that higher reps and lower weights become less effective after menopause, compared to lower reps with heavier weights? 28:00 - Question 4: Not a question about menopause, but what about pregnancy: can you strength train pretty much like usual if you feel alright? 31:00 - Question 5: What about women who lift really heavy weights and pee themselves? Why does it happen, and is it more common than people think? 37:30 - Question 6: What does recent research say about strength training and strength levels during the different phases of the menstrual cycle? And how do female sex hormones affect strength and recovery? *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

How do you get back from injuries? Balance your strength training with a competitive sport? And what is the optimal rest time between sets? We asked for questions, and as always, you guys and gals delivered! Lots of fun stuff to talk about this week. In fact, we got so many good questions that we'll probably do a mailbag next week, too. Timestamps: 04:15 - Question 1: For fat loss, which is more effective: sprints or 10k steps per day walking? I'm also lifting weights 5 days a week and in a caloric deficit. 10:20 - Question 2: What is the optimal rest time between sets when muscle building is the focus? 16:45 - Question 3: How do you balance strength training with competitive sports? 21:30 - Question 4: What should your macros be when bulking? 27:00 - Question 5: If I train bench press and lateral raises, do I also "have to" train shoulder presses? 31:00 - Question 6: Daniel talks about getting a leg pump. Which program or workout is best for building big legs? 34:00 - Question 7: Do you always follow programs when you work out, or do you do more random training mostly? 37:45 - Question 8: Do you ever go to the gym (or garage) together with your wives? Why? Why not? 40:45 - Question 9: How do you handle injuries? I'm referring to your thoughts, mindset, and getting back to your desired level of performance. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

In theory, it's simple: just exercise more to lose weight. In practice, that is rarely what we see happen. Why is that? In this episode, we discuss a new, really cool study that looked into one of the many ways our bodies adapt and react when we suddenly start burning more calories than we eat. There is more going on than us becoming more lazy the rest of the day, or simply compensating by eating more calories—and these are the kind of insights we're here for! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

One of the most common pieces of advice in strength training is progressive overload, most commonly in the form of gradually increasing the weights as you get stronger. But how big a difference does it actually make for your muscle growth? That's what a new study sought to investigate, and that's our main topic today. We end the episode with two listener questions; see the timestamps below. Timestamps: 00:00 - Philip's lower leg injury and the death of a walking streak. 11:00 - The study on progressive overload and muscle growth. 37:15 - Listener question: One thing I've been thinking about more and more is how important technique and angles are when training. If you listen to different people in bodybuilding, everyone usually has similar opinions about diet, sleep, set rest, and various performance-enhancing drugs. But even at the highest level, the approach to technique and training differs quite a bit. For me, who has been training since the 90s, it also feels like a lot of what was said back then, which has been out of fashion for quite a while, is starting to come back into fashion. I'm starting to believe that the most important thing is to train hard, activate the muscles through the lift, and train in a way that doesn't hurt you. Then, beyond that, technique feels less important than what experts say when they want to sell programs. Thoughts? 45:45 - Listener question: Is it true that he who drinks alcohol and lifts will be stronger than he who does neither? *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

When you have limited time for training, how little can you train and still make gains? Or, if you're a beginner and don't want to invest a lot of time getting started in the gym, will your efforts be worthwhile if you strength train only once weekly? In today's episode, we're talking about the minimum effective dose for strength training. To kick things off, we have an overview study covering different strategies for minimalist strength training. After that, we discuss practical takeaways and our recommendations for when you're short on time but still want to make gains or maintain the muscle mass and strength you already have! We finish the episode by answering a handful of your questions on this topic. Timestamps: 02:30 - Study breakdown: "Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview." 35:45 - Listener question 1: Give me the sweet spot for time, sets & intensity for muscle growth. Where more only adds a few gains. 39:30 - Listener question 2: For experienced lifters who've been on a bro-split for a long time, can gains still be made on a minimalistic routine? 45:45 - Listener question 3: If strength is my goal, why shouldn't I do as much as my body can handle? 50:30 - Listener question 4: When you're weak like me, every workout is minimalistic. 53:30 - Listener question 5: What do you think about same-muscle supersets, for instance squats followed by sissy squats, for time efficiency? If you want to ask a question for episode 100, here's our thread on Reddit for that! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

For decades, there's been debate about and research into the so-called interference effect between cardio and strength training. In other words, are you setting yourself up to fail in the gym if you do too much cardio? In today's episode, we take a look at the current scientific picture on combining cardio and strength training. How much of an issue is it really, and how can you work around it when you want to do both? After the main discussion, we answer questions on this topic from our listeners. See the timestamps below. Timestamps: 00:00 - How to combine cardio and strength training 18:30 - Do we really need more than walking as cardio if getting stronger is the main goal? 22:30 - If running and strength training on the same day, which workout should you do first? 26:00 - Which type of cardio is the least stressful and easiest to recover from? 30:00 - Is it possible to progress in both if you're already at a high level? And is a sub 3:30 marathon and a 180 kg squat a reasonable goal? 34:30 - How much do walks do for your cardio? 38:30 - I have a hard time recovering from cycling and strength training. Am I eating too little? I also want to lose weight. Most of these questions came in through our Subreddit. You should join the conversation over there, if you haven't already! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

Preserving your muscle mass during a weight loss diet is critical for preventing sarcopenia and maintaining metabolic health. It also means you're going to look better both clothed and naked, which is kind of sweet. So, what's the best strategy to lose mainly fat? In today's episode, we're diving headfirst into a brand-new study showing what you can do to massively increase the amount of fat you lose when dieting, while minimizing muscle loss. The study had participants do either strength training, cardio, or nothing at all – and the differences were remarkable! *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

The range of motion you use when lifting can have a profound effect on your strength and muscle-building results. In today's episode, we break down a brand-new meta-analysis that compares the effects of strength training at short versus long muscle lengths. By now, we're really starting to get a clearer picture of what range of motion you should aim for most of the time – and with the help of this study, we give you our recommendations regarding full range of motion, when you might benefit from doing partial repetitions, and at what muscle length those partials should be performed. Nerdy but important stuff. *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

One of the most popular goals this time of year is to lose some (or a lot) of fat. But how do you go about that, and is it a good idea (like so many people do) to put off the strength training until after you've lost your fat? If you're looking to make healthy changes to your lifestyle this year, this is the episode for you. We cover the basics of losing fat and building muscle mass, and explain why it's better to focus on both goals simultaneously. Here are three helpful guides from our website: Strength Training for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide How to Cut: Lose Fat and Keep Your Muscle Mass How to Build Muscle: Sets, Reps & Exercises *** Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button! You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam. Become a part of our Reddit community here. *** This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden. To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life. If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.