#078 Resistance training for time efficiency, body composition, and maximum hypertrophy | Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, professor at Lehman College, discusses the science of resistance training, covering muscle hypertrophy, bone density, body recomposition, and optimal training strategies for all ages, including recovery and specific protocols.
Deep Dive Analysis
17 Topic Outline
Indispensable Benefits of Resistance Training
Resistance Training for Bone Density and Posture
Starting Resistance Training at Any Age, Including Youth
Resistance Training for Body Recomposition and Fat Loss
Optimal Daily Protein Intake and Calculating Needs
Protein Per Meal and Leucine Threshold for Older Adults
Time-Restricted Eating and Anabolic Window Myths
Age-Related Muscle Loss and Importance of Power Training
Training to Failure: Efficacy and Practical Application
Rest Intervals, Training Volume, and Time-Efficient Methods
Strategies for Enhanced Recovery
Understanding Exercise-Induced Muscle Soreness
Concurrent Aerobic and Resistance Training
Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes
Stretching and Yoga's Role in Muscle Growth
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training Explained
Dr. Schoenfeld's Personal Training Routine
12 Key Concepts
Osteoporosis
A condition characterized by porous bones that degrade over time, particularly affecting women (80% of cases) due to factors like lower initial bone mass and the loss of osteoprotective estrogen after menopause. Resistance training helps strengthen bones by the mechanical pulling of muscles on them.
Bone Bank
An analogy for the concept that starting resistance training early in life, especially during teenage years and 20s, allows individuals to build up a greater reserve of bone mass. This 'bank' helps stave off osteoporosis later, as it's much harder to regain lost bone density than to maintain or build it when young.
Sarcopenia
The age-related loss of muscle mass, which disproportionately affects Type 2 (strength-related) muscle fibers. This leads to a significant diminishment in the ability to produce force, impacting functional capacity and increasing risks like falls in older individuals.
Recomposition (Recomp)
The process of simultaneously gaining muscle mass and losing body fat. This is generally easier for individuals with more body fat to lose and those who are new to resistance training, as they have greater potential for initial adaptations.
Leucine Threshold
The specific amount of the essential amino acid leucine required to trigger maximal muscle protein synthesis, which is the process of muscle growth. This threshold may be higher in older individuals due to anabolic resistance, meaning they need a larger dose of protein per meal to stimulate muscle growth effectively.
Anabolic Window
The period following a resistance training workout during which the body is highly receptive to nutrient intake, particularly protein, for muscle repair and growth. Research suggests this window is much broader than previously thought, extending for at least 24 hours or more, making total daily protein intake more critical than immediate post-workout consumption.
Type 1 Muscle Fibers
Also known as slow-twitch fibers, these muscle fibers are primarily responsible for endurance activities. They are highly resistant to fatigue but produce less force compared to Type 2 fibers.
Type 2 Muscle Fibers
Also known as fast-twitch fibers, these muscle fibers are crucial for strength and power activities. They produce greater force but fatigue more quickly than Type 1 fibers, and are preferentially lost with aging.
Power Training
A form of training focused on the ability to produce force rapidly, incorporating a time component into movement. It builds upon a foundation of strength and is particularly important for older individuals to maintain functional independence and prevent falls by improving their ability to react quickly.
Repetitions in Reserve (RIR)
A self-assessment scale used to gauge training intensity, indicating how many more repetitions a person could have performed before reaching muscular failure. An RIR of 0 means training to failure, while an RIR of 1-3 suggests stopping with 1-3 reps still in reserve, which is often optimal for adaptations without excessive fatigue.
Chronic Interference Hypothesis
An older theory suggesting that concurrent aerobic and resistance training could blunt muscle hypertrophy adaptations. This was based on observations in animal models where cardiovascular exercise upregulated catabolic pathways (AMPK) that could interfere with anabolic pathways (mTOR). Current research indicates this is an oversimplification, and interference is less significant than previously believed, especially at moderate training volumes.
Interset Stretch-Loaded Stretch
An advanced training method where, immediately after completing a set of resistance exercise, the trained muscle is stretched under load for a brief period (e.g., 20 seconds) during the rest interval. This technique has shown potential to promote greater muscle growth, particularly in Type 1 dominant muscle fibers like the soleus.
18 Questions Answered
Resistance training offers many of the same benefits as cardiovascular exercise but goes beyond by significantly improving muscle strength, muscle development, bone density, and posture, areas where aerobic training has minimal effects.
Yes, resistance training is the primary way to strengthen bones by the muscles pulling on them, which is particularly relevant for post-menopausal women who are at higher risk for osteoporosis. Weight-bearing, multi-joint exercises are especially beneficial for bone development.
No, it is never too late to start resistance training; individuals in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who have never lifted weights can see significant improvements in muscle strength and hypertrophy within relatively short periods.
No, there is zero evidence to support the myth that resistance training stunts growth in children. When done in a supervised environment and tailored to the child's maturity, it is safe and beneficial.
Yes, recomposition is possible, especially for individuals who have more body fat to lose and are new to training. However, you cannot maximize muscle mass gains while in a caloric deficit; maximizing muscle growth generally requires being at maintenance or in a slight caloric surplus.
Resistance-trained individuals generally need around 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is roughly double the RDA for sedentary individuals, with an upper confidence interval of about 2.2 grams per kilogram.
Overweight or obese individuals should calculate their protein needs based on their targeted lean body weight, rather than their current total body weight, as protein requirements are based on relatively lean individuals.
For most people, time-restricted eating, especially within a 10-hour window, does not significantly undermine muscle hypertrophy, provided total daily protein intake is met. However, extreme forms like 4-hour eating windows might diminish muscle gains.
No, the 'anabolic window' is much broader than previously thought, extending for at least 24 hours or more after a workout. The most important factor for muscle growth is meeting total daily protein intake, rather than stressing about immediate post-workout protein consumption.
No, you can gain similar amounts of muscle regardless of the load, across a wide spectrum of repetitions (up to 30-40 reps), as long as the sets are taken with a high degree of effort, meaning the last few repetitions are difficult to complete.
No, training every set to muscular failure does not show additional benefits for hypertrophy and may even be detrimental for strength. Stopping a couple of reps short of failure (1-3 RIR) is generally sufficient and often more effective for maximizing strength.
Longer rest intervals (e.g., 2-3 minutes) between sets are generally better for hypertrophy because they allow for greater volume load (total weight lifted) in a session. Shorter rest periods can compromise hypertrophy by reducing the amount of work performed.
To optimize hypertrophy, a general guideline is 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week. However, a minimal effective dose of roughly 4 sets per muscle per week can still yield very good results for most people.
At moderate volumes, concurrent aerobic and resistance training does not seem to blunt anabolic effects, even when performed on the same day. However, very high volumes of aerobic training (e.g., marathon running) can interfere with muscle development, likely due to overtraining effects.
Yes, endurance athletes should incorporate resistance training to optimize their endurance capacity. They should focus on lower volume programs with heavier loads (e.g., 3-5 reps for a few sets) to maximize strength development without substantially increasing muscle mass, which could be detrimental to their sport.
Stretching can increase flexibility, and resistance training through a full range of motion provides similar flexibility benefits to static stretching. Long-duration, intense stretching has also been shown in some studies to promote muscle hypertrophy, as muscle tension is a mechanism of growth.
Yoga can certainly build some muscle, especially for beginners, as holding poses creates tension. However, it is generally not optimal for maximizing muscle growth because it typically does not sufficiently challenge the muscles over time to continue adapting, leading to a plateau relatively quickly.
BFR training involves using a cuff on the upper portion of a limb to restrict blood flow while performing very light-load resistance exercises (20-30% 1RM). It causes muscles to fatigue quickly and has been shown to promote similar muscle development to traditional resistance training, with less joint stress, but strength gains are somewhat compromised compared to heavy lifting.
36 Actionable Insights
1. Resistance Training: Indispensable Health
Engage in resistance training regularly as it is considered indispensable for overall health. It uniquely strengthens muscles, bone density, and improves posture, benefits not primarily gained from aerobic training alone.
2. Start Resistance Training Anytime
Begin resistance training regardless of your current age, as individuals in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who have never lifted weights can still achieve profound improvements in muscle strength and hypertrophy within 8-12 weeks.
3. Strengthen Bones with Resistance Training
Incorporate resistance training into your routine, focusing on multi-joint movements like squats, rows, and presses, to significantly strengthen bones. This is particularly crucial for preventing osteoporosis, especially in post-menopausal women, as muscle pulling on bones stimulates bone strengthening.
4. Build Early Bone Bank
Start resistance training early, ideally in your teens and 20s, to build a strong ‘bone bank.’ This proactive approach is vital for women to stave off osteoporosis later in life, as it’s harder to regain lost bone density.
5. Recomp with Resistance Training
Combine resistance training with a caloric deficit to effectively lose fat and preserve or gain muscle (recomposition). Without resistance training, 25-30% of lost weight can come from muscle, whereas lifting helps maintain lean mass during fat loss.
6. Optimal Protein for Training
Aim for 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily if you engage in resistance training. This intake is roughly double the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and is required to maintain or promote muscle anabolism and maximize gains.
7. High Protein in Caloric Deficit
When in a caloric deficit, increase your protein intake to the upper range of 2.0-2.2 grams per kilogram per day. This higher intake is crucial to preserve lean muscle mass, as protein needs increase during energy restriction.
8. Calculate Protein on Lean Weight
If you are overweight or obese, calculate your protein needs based on your target lean body weight (e.g., 10-15% body fat for men, 20% for women). This ensures an appropriate protein target for muscle preservation without excessively high intake.
9. Higher Protein for Older Adults
Older individuals, due to anabolic resistance, should aim for higher protein intake per meal to meet the leucine threshold for muscle growth. Prioritize animal-based protein sources or use supplements if whole foods are difficult to consume.
10. High Effort, Not Just Heavy
You can achieve similar muscle gains regardless of the load (heavy or light, up to 30-40 repetitions) as long as you train with a high degree of effort. The key is that the last few repetitions should be difficult to complete, challenging your muscles beyond their present capacity.
11. Minimal Effective Training Dose
For most people, a minimal effective dose of resistance training, around four sets per muscle group per week, can yield very good results. This can be achieved through two to three half-hour resistance training sessions per week, provided you train hard.
12. Optimize Hypertrophy with Volume
To optimize muscle hypertrophy, aim for 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week. Volume is a key driver of muscle growth, showing a dose-response relationship up to a certain point.
13. Longer Rest for Better Gains
Rest for at least 2-3 minutes between sets, especially for compound movements, to allow for sufficient recovery and maintain volume load. Shorter rest periods can compromise the total amount of weight lifted, which is more important for hypertrophy than acute hormonal responses.
14. Train Near, Not To, Failure
For the general population, it is not necessary to train every set to muscular failure; instead, aim to stop 1-3 repetitions short of complete failure (1-3 RIR). This approach promotes optimal adaptations for hypertrophy and strength without excessive fatigue or potential detriments.
15. Power Training for Fall Prevention
Older individuals should incorporate some power training into their routines to improve functional capacity and reduce the risk of falls. This involves exercises that move weights quickly or explosively, such as medicine ball throws, to enhance rapid force production.
16. Target Type 2 Fibers for Aging
Focus on training that targets both Type 1 and Type 2 muscle fibers, which occurs when training hard regardless of load. Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) primarily affects Type 2 (strength-related) fibers, making their preservation crucial for functional capacity.
17. Concurrent Training Optimization
When combining aerobic and resistance training, space them out on separate days if possible, or always perform resistance training first in the same session. This prevents fatigue from aerobic exercise from compromising strength training performance and allows for optimal adaptation.
18. Active Recovery for Blood Flow
Engage in light recreational activities, such as walking, after resistance training to promote blood flow and aid recovery. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle helps optimize nutrient delivery and expedite muscle repair, reducing soreness.
19. Listen to Your Body, Deload
Be in tune with your body and take rest days or deload periods (reduced training frequency, volume, or intensity) when needed. This intuitive approach is crucial for preventing overtraining and ensuring long-term, sustainable progress.
20. Individualize Evidence-Based Training
Apply research findings as general guidelines, then tailor them to your unique individual circumstances, including genetics, lifestyle, stress levels, sleep, nutritional status, and specific goals. Research provides a starting point, but personalization is key for effective program design.
21. Supervised Resistance Training for Kids
Introduce supervised resistance training to children as young as six or seven, starting with lighter loads and making it fun. This practice is safe, does not stunt growth, improves self-esteem, reduces bullying, and enhances athletic performance.
22. Protein Shakes for Convenience
Utilize protein shakes as a practical means to meet daily protein requirements, especially for older individuals who may have difficulty chewing or for women who may not be accustomed to high protein intake through whole foods.
23. Time Training with Eating Window
If practicing time-restricted eating, schedule your resistance training within the earlier part of your eating window. This allows for post-workout protein intake, leveraging the anabolic window to optimize muscle gains.
24. Anabolic Window is Broad
Do not stress about consuming protein immediately after a workout, as the ‘anabolic window’ is a broader period, not a narrow, critical timeframe. The much more important factor is achieving your total daily protein intake.
25. Lighter Loads for Joint Health
Opt for lighter loads and higher repetitions if heavy lifting is contraindicated due to injuries or joint-related issues, such as osteoarthritis. This approach allows for effective muscle challenge without excessive joint stress, providing training flexibility.
26. Combine Diverse Training Concepts
Optimize your training by combining different concepts rather than adhering to a single, rigid method. Integrating approaches like lighter and heavier loads, or power training with moderate training, can lead to better overall adaptations for your specific goals.
27. Failure Training for Advanced
For very high-level athletes or bodybuilders who are close to their genetic ceiling, incorporating some failure training (e.g., taking the last set of single-joint or machine-based exercises to failure) might be beneficial. This provides an additional challenge with lower injury risk on isolated movements.
28. Women’s Training Similar to Men’s
Women should generally follow similar resistance training programs as men, as there is no significant evidence for fundamentally different protocols. Women may have a slightly faster recovery rate, potentially allowing for shorter rest intervals or higher frequency.
29. Mild Soreness: Positive Indicator
While soreness is not necessary for muscle gains, experiencing mild soreness after a workout can be a positive indicator. It suggests that your muscles have received a novel stimulus and have been challenged beyond their current state, prompting adaptation.
30. Alleviate Excessive Soreness
If you experience very intense soreness, which can impair your ability to train hard again, consider strategies like warm water baths, active recovery (light movement to increase blood flow), or temporarily sticking to familiar exercises. These methods can alleviate discomfort without blunting hypertrophy.
31. Limit Cold Water Post-Training
Limit frequent cold water immersion (cryotherapy) immediately after resistance training if your goal is to optimize muscle hypertrophy. Emerging evidence suggests it can blunt anabolic signaling, muscle protein synthesis, and circulatory response, which are important for muscle development.
32. Endurance Athletes: Low Volume Heavy
Endurance athletes should adopt a minimalist resistance training approach, focusing on heavy loads with low volume (e.g., 3-5 repetitions for a few sets). This strategy maximizes strength for endurance capacity while minimizing unwanted muscle mass development that could hinder performance.
33. Resistance Training for Flexibility
Perform resistance exercises through a full range of motion to improve or maintain flexibility, as resistance training itself is an active form of flexibility training. This can provide similar benefits to static stretching, and combining both can yield even better results.
34. Time-Efficient Resistance Training Strategies
To make resistance training more time-efficient, utilize multi-joint exercises (squats, presses, rows), supersets (performing two different exercises back-to-back), or drop sets (reducing weight immediately after a set to continue reps). These methods minimize rest time and work multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
35. Loaded Stretching for Growth
Advanced trainees might consider incorporating intense, loaded stretches (e.g., holding a stretch with weight for 20 seconds between sets) to potentially enhance muscle growth. Muscle tension during stretching is a mechanism of hypertrophy, and this technique can provide that stimulus.
36. BFR for Light Load Growth
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training, using a cuff proximally on arms or legs with very light loads (20-30% of 1RM), can achieve similar muscle development to traditional resistance training. Ensure proper technique and safety, as incorrect application can cause damage.
11 Key Quotes
If I were to pick one activity that is indispensable, it would be resistance training.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
It's always better to start when you're... The earlier you start, the better. Because once you start losing, to get it back is hard.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
I want to dispel the myth now that it stunts growth. I mean, there's been this myth around forever that, you know, that training, if you do resistance training early on, it will stunt your growth. There's zero evidence.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
You cannot, however, maximize muscle mass while you are losing fat.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
The much more important thing is getting your total daily protein intake.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
The reason that the body adapts to strength training is survival. The reason that the body adapts to anything is through a survival mechanism.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
If you are training hard, regardless of heavy light, you're going to be targeting both 1 and 2 fibers.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
If you feel you need extra time off, you're probably overdoing it.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
Chronic inflammation bad, acute inflammation good, at least that's the extent of what we we see from the literature.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
Resistance training itself is an active form of flexibility training and there's been studies that show that compared to static stretching you get similar benefits doing resistance training protocols provided that you're training through a full range of motion.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
If you can only do one, my objective somewhat biased of you is that resistance training is irreplaceable.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
3 Protocols
Power Training for Older Individuals
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld- Incorporate some power training into your overall program.
- Focus on moving the concentric (lifting) action of exercises quickly.
- Perform a controlled eccentric (lowering) action during exercises.
- Choose weights that are relatively light, allowing for a minimum of 8-10 repetitions.
- Consider plyometric training or throwing a medicine ball for upper body power development.
Time-Efficient Resistance Training (General Population)
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld- Prioritize multi-joint exercises such as presses, rows, squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and chin-ups, as they engage multiple muscle groups and stabilizers.
- Utilize supersets by performing two different exercises back-to-back without rest (e.g., an upper body exercise followed by a lower body exercise, or agonist-antagonist movements like biceps curls and triceps press-downs).
- Employ drop sets by performing a set to failure or near failure, immediately reducing the load, and continuing for more repetitions without rest, potentially doing multiple 'drops' (e.g., 20lbs to 15lbs to 10lbs).
Dr. Schoenfeld's Personal Resistance Training Routine
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld- Train 4 days a week using a 'two on, one off, two on' schedule (e.g., Monday/Tuesday training, Wednesday rest, Thursday/Friday training, weekend rest).
- Follow an upper/lower body split, training upper body one day and lower body the next.
- Keep workouts to 45 minutes to an hour per session.
- Train quite hard, with most sets within 1-2 reps of failure, and occasionally take a set to absolute failure.
- Aim for a daily step count of 12,000 steps for overall health.