Ep. 313: What We Get WRONG About Deloads (& Overreaching) | Lee Bell, PhD
Philosophical Weightlifting PodcastShow Notes
This week, I sat down with Dr. Lee Bell — researcher, practitioner, and senior lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science — to explore one of the most misunderstood areas in strength training: how hard we should train.
Lee has spent years studying overreaching, deloading, and the messy realities of bridging science with practice. We dive into his recent squat-overreaching study, the challenges of defining terms like “overtraining,” and why the human side of training — trust, communication, and honest feedback — matters.
We talk about why some athletes feel terrible yet hit PRs, how allostatic load shapes performance, and what coaches can learn from observing training rather than chasing perfect models.
Enjoy.
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