The Strongest Mindset | Interview with Emily Duncan

In this episode, I sit down with exercise scientist Dr. Martin Refalo to discuss his research on reps in reserve (RIR) and what it reveals about how close to failure you need to train to maximize muscle growth. We also explore how exercise selection and fatigue influence your training, and whether low-volume training can be effective for building muscle. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 2:32 - What Is Reps in Reserve (RIR)? 6:21 - My Favorite Study on RIR 27:54 - Should You Train to Failure? 37:43 - Does Exercise Selection Affect RIR? 45:53 - Should You Be Concerned About Fatigue? 1:01:16 - What RIR Maximizes Muscle Growth? 1:08:40 - How Effective Is Low-Volume Training? 1:19:51 - Martin's Hot Take References: Martin's RIR Paper https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38393985/ RIR Meta-Analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38970765/ Social Media and Mental Fatigue https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34000894/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11235674/ Low-Volume Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40249908/

In this podcast episode, I talk with Dr. Conor Heffernan, a historian of sport, fitness, and physical culture, about how lifting and fitness have evolved over the past 140 years. We trace the history decade by decade, starting with Eugen Sandow in the 1890s and going all the way up to the modern social media era of bodybuilding. We discuss how physique standards, nutrition, and training itself have changed along the way.

In this podcast episode, I talk with Dr. Josh Pelland and Dr. Zac Robinson, two individuals who I think are on the cutting edge of exercise science research. They both co-authored two of the most widely cited meta-analyses published in the past few years: one on training volume and the other on proximity to failure. We take a deep dive into those findings while also touching on topics like individual training responses, "the stretch," and the limitations of research more broadly.

In this episode, I talk with fellow YouTuber Jeremy Ethier about a new study that he co-authored that compared muscle growth when training with more tension in the lengthened position versus with more tension in the shortened position. We'll cover what these new findings mean, if this changes our thoughts on "the stretch", and how these findings should be applied to training. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro and Jeremy's new study overview 2:54 - What Jeremy's study did really well 3:56 - Were these results surprising? 7:17 - How much does the stretch actually matter? 9:23 - Stretch implications for exercise selection 13:30 - Big picture takeaways on the stretch 15:25 - Does training experience change the results? 16:52 - Which stretch-biased exercises are worth it? 18:23 - Does science-based lifting keep flip-flopping? 19:20 - Jeremy's main takeaways 20:36 - Final thoughts Jeremy Ethier's video on the study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJHeGGSp1tQ References: Jeremy Ethier's Study: https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/660 New Long vs Short Muscle Length Meta-Analysis: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399455789 DB vs Cable Lateral Raises: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40692697/ My Lengthened Partials Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39959841/ Squats vs Hip Thrusts: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10349977/ Standing vs Seated Calf Raises: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38156065/ Calf Lengthened Partials vs Full ROM: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37015016/ Seated vs Lying Hamstring Curls: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33009197/ Leg Extension Seat Angle: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380457955 Overhead Triceps Extension vs Pressdowns: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35819335/

Watch the youtube video of our muscle gain journey together here: https://youtu.be/PiYSbR2B85w