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After finishing my dissertation on the topic I do have a few opinions on the matter. ;)

Here's the thing about the P-ratio. It constantly changes as the amount of muscle and fat (and activity level) you have on your body changes. Think of it this way, lets say you have a large sink with three drains. One drain goes to muscle, another drain goes to fat, and the last drain literally...

So great to see you again Blade! My life circumstances have changed for the better recently and I hope to have more time to spend on the board. Hopefully we can attract some new readers as well.

Rather than thinking of RBE as something you want to avoid, understand that muscle hypertrophy is part of the RBE! Trying to reduce the frequency to reduce RBE is the same as reducing frequency to reduce growth. The muscle grows larger in order to better withstand the stress of resistance...

I might also recommend that as things get heavy, that you stick with movements that lend themselves to heavier loads. Its the muscle that we're focused on, not the specific exercise.

Welcome Rob! Glad to have you on the board. You've obviously got a lot of experience that we hope you will share.

Not much to add here, but here goes. If your goal is size before your next strength program, I would spend more time in the higher reps (maybe add another week), and focus on creating hypoxia/ache/burn in muscles you want to grow. I would skip the 2s, and singles and go no lower than 6-8 reps.

I'll do my best to answer what I can... The repeated bout effect (RBE) is an adaptive process that reduces the strength of the exercise stimulus (whatever it may be). So, with metabolic stress, the cell/body adapts by increasing its ability to both reduce inefficiency of energy delivery and...

In order to make your training strength-specific (aside from lifting heavy) you need to manipulate volume and frequency in order to ensure that the neuromuscular stimulus is appropriate. If your volume and frequency aren't dialed in your strength will stagnate or even decline. There is probably...

I think the term "quality" is a bit misleading. A muscle either contracts or it doesn't. Here is a list of the ways a muscle contraction can vary: Intensity (how many motor units are firing at once) Duration Speed Type (concentric/isometric/eccentric) As for feeling the muscle you want to grow...

Lol hit the nail on the head on this one. Forced reps does not create a unique stimulus just because someone is helping you lift the weight. At best, forced reps increase the duration of time under tension (i.e. volume), and/or you own effort (and subsequent fatigue), both of which can be...

_Simon_ yes, all you have to do is stretch a muscle and it will turn on anabolic signaling including the activation of satellite cells. As mentioned in the other thread, mechanosensors in the cell membrane sense stretch and distortion of the cell membrane and they respond by activating anabolic...

Hey NWlifter. I understand your thinking. I may not be able to answer this question fully, but I think I can shed some light on what really happening to relieve you of some stress. :) Does a fiber generate its own "load"? Yes, but its more complicated than that. Keep in mind that all the...

[Warning, long post] The question of why HST works requires us to consider what is it that the muscle cell is responding to. There are essentially three systems that resistance exercise stresses, neuromuscular, metabolic, and mechanical. The principles of HST take into consideration how these...

Wow, great thread! I just wanted to add one thing. When thinking about load vs work, it should not be overlooked that mechanical strain triggers anabolic signaling whether the muscle is actively contracting or not. Cellular components such as membrane and extracellular matrix bound proteins...

In short, I think monitoring heart rate is more useful for cardiovascular performance/trianing measures than resistance exercise. Loss of strength (i.e. training to frequently) will not necessarily show up as a change in heart rate. Nor will loss of motivation, etc.

All great replies! One rule of thumb, the lower your total protein intake, the greater emphasis on high biological value sources. On the other hand, if you are eating a lot of protein like most bodybuilders, it matters much less. What it comes to isolate vs concentrate, go with concentrate. Its...

Thanks for reposting mickc1965. My background in metabolism comes both from 40 years of bodybuilding (no, I'm no exaggerating) as well as several years of graduate school focusing on type-II diabetes. From this, I've come to believe that it really does come down to insulin levels. Let's...

cjasonpa, both _Simon_ and Browner have given some good advice so I just want to reiterate a couple things that were said. _Simon_ briefly mentioned nutrition. I know this isn't the nutrition forum but let me expound on what he was eluding to. Make sure you know what and how much you are eating...

Well, technically that should go in the Diet & Nutrition forum. Ask it there and we'll start a discussion.