Stronger with Time

Episodet

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  The History of Strength Training: What Still Works Today with Dr Connor Heffernan 16.09.2026 1h 16min

  How much of what we do in the gym today is genuinely new, and how much has been around for decades?In this episode of Stronger With Time, I speak with Dr Conor Heffernan about where many of the training ideas we now take for granted came from, how they changed over time, and what their history can teach us about how we train today.Conor is a historian and sociologist of sport at Ulster University whose work focuses on the history of strength training and physical culture. He is the author of The History of Physical Culture and When Fitness Went Global, and writes at Physical Culture Study.In this episode:How physical culture evolved into modern bodybuilding and gym cultureEugen Sandow, the first modern physique star, and why he sold light dumbbells while training heavy himselfWhere the squat, three sets of ten and body-part splits came fromWhat lifters already understood about progressive overload by the 1930sThe steroid era, and what changed in training once anabolic steroids arrivedWhere single-set and high-intensity training came fromThe history of women in strength, from calisthenics and “toning” to progressive strength trainingWhat Conor takes from more than a century of strength-training history into how he thinks about training todayTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:57 Physical culture and the origins of modern gym culture06:28 Where three sets of ten and body-part splits came from13:08 What lifters already knew by the 1930s16:50 Eugen Sandow and early fitness marketing21:39 What a 1930s lifter would recognise today31:33 Silver Era training and the pre-steroid physique39:18 When anabolic steroids entered strength sports43:01 How steroids changed training49:18 Single-set and high-intensity training52:49 The history of women in strength59:53 Where “toning” and light weights for women came from01:06:15 What Conor takes from strength-training history01:11:23 Where to learn moreDr Conor Heffernan Ulster University: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/c-heffernanPhysical Culture Study: https://physicalculturestudy.com/Physical Culture Study Substack: https://physicalculture.substack.com/BooksThe History of Physical Culture: https://cgscholar.com/publishers/books/the-history-of-physical-cultureWhen Fitness Went Global: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/when-fitness-went-global-9781350500785/Dr Tony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite: https://tonyboutagy.com/Explore Tony’s courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/This episode is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as individualised exercise advice.
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  VO2 Max, Zone 2 and What Drives Endurance, with Professor Andy Jones 07.09.2026 1h 3min

  VO2 max matters, but what else determines endurance, and how should you train for it?In this episode of Stronger With Time, I sit down with Professor Andy Jones to explore where zone two and intervals fit, what elite endurance athletes can teach us, and what this means for training, performance and healthy ageing.Andy is Professor of Applied Physiology at the University of Exeter and one of the world's leading endurance physiologists. He served as a scientific editor on Nike's Breaking2 project, worked with marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe for more than a decade, and has helped shape research on critical power, dietary nitrate and physiological resilience.In this episode:What VO2 max can and cannot tell you about enduranceWhere zone two fits within aerobic trainingWhether you should avoid the middle ground between easy work and hard intervalsHow Andy approaches intervals for improving VO2 maxHow to combine aerobic training with three weekly strength sessionsWhether men and women need different endurance trainingWhat Breaking2 and Paula Radcliffe reveal about endurance beyond VO2 maxWhat Andy's research shows about nitrate, beetroot and carbohydrate fuellingResources:Professor Andy JonesUniversity of Exeter academic profile: https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/1327-andy-jonesUniversity of Exeter Sports Physiology & Exercise Testing: https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/spet/meet-the-team/Dr Tony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite: https://tonyboutagy.com/Explore Tony's courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Follow Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.This episode is for general educational purposes only and is not a training prescription or medical advice.
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  Why Muscle Size Doesn’t Fully Explain Strength, with Professor Paul Comfort 31.08.2026 1h 16min

  Two people can have similar muscle mass and very different levels of strength. What accounts for the difference?In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Professor Paul Comfort, one of the world’s leading strength and conditioning researchers, about what influences strength beyond muscle size, and what that means for training.Paul is Professor of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford in the UK, where he leads the Master of Strength and Conditioning program. He also holds an adjunct professorship at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. His research focuses on strength training, force production and the assessment of physical performance.In this episode, they discuss:How strength is assessed, and whether a true one-repetition maximum is as fatiguing as people thinkWhether bar speed matters as much as intentWhen slow, controlled reps help, and when they may notHow psychology and neural inhibition can affect strength expressionWhat stability and unilateral work can reveal about a weak linkWhy lowering a weight is different from lifting itWhat happens when training frequency changes but weekly volume stays the same, and whether microdosing worksWhether strength, hypertrophy and power should be trained together or emphasised at different timesHow strength training priorities change with ageProfessor Paul ComfortUniversity of Salford https://www.salford.ac.uk/our-staff/paul-comfortResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-ComfortGoogle Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xukgqDQAAAAJ&hl=enORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1131-8626Instagram https://www.instagram.com/paulcomfort1975/X https://x.com/PaulComfort1975Books Advanced Strength and Conditioning https://www.routledge.com/Advanced-Strength-and-Conditioning-An-Evidence-based-Approach/Turner-Comfort/p/book/9780367491352Performance Assessment in Strength and Conditioning https://www.routledge.com/Performance-Assessment-in-Strength-and-Conditioning/Comfort-Jones/p/book/9781032831497Laboratory Manual for Strength and Conditioning https://www.routledge.com/Laboratory-Manual-for-Strength-and-Conditioning/Miller-Comfort-McMahon/p/book/9781032033259NSCA Developing Power https://us.humankinetics.com/products/developing-power-2nd-editionDr Tony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite https://tonyboutagy.com/Courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageWeak Links in Movement https://tonyboutagy.com/weak-links-movement-full-courseInstagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Follow Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.This episode is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as individualised exercise advice.
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  You Don't Get Fitter During Your Workout, with Professor John Hawley 24.08.2026 50min

  Most of the attention in training goes to the workout itself. But what happens after the workout that determines the result you get from it?In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Professor John Hawley, one of the most influential figures in exercise metabolism, about what four decades of research can teach us about how we train, fuel and recover.John is a Distinguished Professor at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, where he directs the Centre for Human Metabolism and Performance. His research spans how exercise and diet regulate fat and carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle, the molecular basis of training adaptation, circadian biology and nutrient timing, and how exercise improves insulin action.John helped run some of the pioneering interval-training studies in Cape Town in the 1990s and has spent the decades since studying the mechanisms behind how training works.In this episode:What happens inside the muscle after the workout endsHow short, hard intervals compare with longer intervals for improving VO₂max and performanceWhat high-intensity training does differently from steady-state exerciseHow often to go hard, and where lower-intensity training fitsWhy carbohydrate availability matters when the work gets hardWhen training with low carbohydrate availability may have a placeWhat the carbohydrate mouth rinse reveals about the brain’s role in performanceConcurrent training, the interference effect and when it mattersHow exercise changes insulin sensitivity and glucose disposalWhat John’s research on time-restricted eating is findingWhether sex meaningfully changes the metabolic response to exerciseWhere the search for an exercise mimetic standsHow John thinks about consistency, recovery and making exercise a priorityThis conversation is for anyone who wants to train with more intent and understand what is driving the results.ResourcesProfessor John HawleyACU profile: https://www.acu.edu.au/research-and-enterprise/our-research-institutes/mary-mackillop-institute-for-health-research/our-people/professor-john-hawleyResearch and publications: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22John+Hawley%22+exercise+metabolismOn PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Hawley+JA+exercise+metabolismBook: Peak Performance: Training and Nutritional Strategies for Sport, by John Hawley and Louise Burke https://books.google.com/books/about/Peak_Performance.html?id=3P5qQgAACAAJDr Tony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite: https://tonyboutagy.com/Explore Tony’s courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.This episode is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as individualised exercise or nutrition advice.
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  Why More Sets, More Soreness and a New Program Every Month Aren't Building More Muscle 20.08.2026 1h 42min

  How many sets should you do? How often should you train a muscle? How close to failure should you go?Before answering any of those questions, I want to know what the program is trying to achieve and what the person can recover from.In this episode of Stronger With Time, I'm resharing a conversation I had with Ariel and Matt from Raise the Bar about the way I think about exercise programming after more than 30 years of coaching and studying exercise science.We start with how I moved from endurance sport into strength and conditioning, why I have remained a student of the field, and what decades of coaching have taught me about translating research into practice.From there, we get into the programming questions that matter in the gym, including several areas where I have changed my mind.We discuss:Why the goal and the person’s ability to recover come before sets and repsWhy the first sets of an exercise appear to give the most benefit, what my new meta-analysis changed about how quickly returns diminish, and what that means for how much you doWhy strength and hypertrophy are related, but not the same adaptationWhy mechanical tension is central to muscle growthWhat soreness, muscle damage and metabolic stress do, and do not, tell us about hypertrophyRep ranges, proximity to failure and muscle fibre recruitmentExercise selection and why some muscles benefit from biomechanically different movementsTraining frequency versus doing more volume in one sessionWhy I often favour total-body training two or three times per weekHow I approach strength training for women who want to get stronger without maximising muscle sizeHow long to keep a program and why changing exercises too quickly can matterProgressive overload, periodisation and where the evidence is still developingWhere research can guide programming and where coaching judgement still mattersWhy I'd question any program that needs a deload, and what a drop in performance is actually telling youThis conversation is for coaches, trainers and serious lifters who want to make better programming decisions without reducing exercise science to a set of universal rules.I am building a short course on the science of hypertrophy: I'm building a short course on the science of hypertrophy. Over the past year I've reviewed the hypertrophy research in full and spoken with many of the researchers behind it on this podcast, and that work has changed a few things about how I program for muscle. The short course covers exactly those changes. Join the interest list to be the first to hear when it opens:https://go.tonyboutagy.com/register-you-interest-pageIf you want the complete foundation on program design, that is Advanced Program Mastery. After all of this work, very little in it has needed to change:https://tonyboutagy.com/advanced-program-mastery-course-page
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  Why the Shoulder Is So Vulnerable (And What Stabilises It), with Professor Donald Neumann 10.08.2026 58min

  When you raise your arm, which muscles produce the movement, and which keep the shoulder stable enough for it to happen?In this episode of Stronger With Time, I speak with Professor Donald Neumann, PT, PhD, FAPTA, about how muscles produce, control and stabilise movement as part of a coordinated system, using the shoulder as the primary example.Don is Professor Emeritus of Physical Therapy at Marquette University and the author of Neumann’s Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System.We discuss:What it means for a muscle to be functioning wellWhy few muscles perform a meaningful action independentlyHow muscular force couples produce and control movementWhy the shoulder’s mobility places greater demands on muscular controlHow the deltoid and rotator cuff share the work of raising the armHow the serratus anterior and trapezius contribute to scapular movementWhat the commonly cited two-to-one scapulohumeral rhythm describesWhen scapular dyskinesis may warrant closer attentionWhy external-rotation strength depends partly on the muscles anchoring the scapulaWhether the lower trapezius and serratus anterior should be trained separately or within larger movementsHow anatomical variation influences the way we assess the shoulder and hipWhat Don’s current research may reveal about the actions of individual scapular musclesThis conversation is for coaches, trainers, physiotherapists and serious lifters who want a clearer understanding of what produces, controls and stabilises shoulder movement, and what this means for assessment and training.See how these principles apply to movement assessment and program design in Weak Links & Movement:https://tonyboutagy.com/weak-links-movement-full-courseProfessor Donald NeumannMarquette University profile:https://www.marquette.edu/physical-therapy/directory/donald-neumann.phpNeumann’s Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System, Fourth Edition:https://shop.elsevier.com/books/neumann-s-kinesiology-of-the-musculoskeletal-system/neumann/978-0-323-71859-2Review of the serratus anterior:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30737019/Review of the trapezius:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30797676/Professor Neumann’s publications on PubMed:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Neumann+DA%5BAuthor%5DTony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite:https://tonyboutagy.com/Explore the courses:https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stronger-with-time/id1815428150Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJON
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  Training to Failure: How Close Is Close Enough? with Dr Martin Refalo 20.07.2026 1h 11min

  How close to failure do you need to train to build muscle?And how accurately can you judge how many repetitions you still have in reserve?In this episode of Stronger With Time, I speak with Dr Martin Refalo about how accurately lifters can judge repetitions in reserve, how close to failure a set needs to be, and when training to failure may be useful.Martin is Co-Owner and Education Manager at JPS Health & Fitness. He holds a PhD in Exercise Science, has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and has more than a decade of practical coaching experience. Proximity to failure and its relationship with hypertrophy, fatigue and discomfort have been central areas of his research.We discuss:Why lifters can misjudge how close they are to failureHow to develop a more accurate sense of repetitions in reserveHow close to failure Martin generally recommends trainingWhen recording a set may help calibrate effortHow fatigue across a session can affect performanceWhen training to failure may be more appropriate in lower-volume programmesWhether load and repetition range affect muscle growthWhy higher-repetition sets can be more difficult to judgeWhat the evidence suggests about sex differences in fatigue, recovery and hypertrophyWhether women require fundamentally different resistance-training programmesHow Martin designs studies around practical training questionsThis conversation is for coaches and serious lifters who want to prescribe effort with greater accuracy and understand how proximity-to-failure research applies in the gym.Timestamps:00:05 Introduction to Dr. Martin Rafalo and His Expertise01:03 Exploring Resistance Training and Training to Failure01:31 Practical Applications of Exercise Science01:56 Introduction and guest introduction02:30 Why study training to failure? The research focus05:10 Context-dependent nature of training intensity08:39 The strike zone: 2 reps shy of failure09:45 Is it worth pushing to true failure? Practical tips12:02 Perception of effort and actual proximity to failure13:46 Muscle tension, fatigue, and hypertrophy mechanisms18:04 Monitoring progress and fatigue through performance20:40 Fatigue impact across sessions and exercises25:17 Research findings on proximity to failure and growth27:31 Programming considerations: volume, load, and recovery30:54 Training to failure in beginners vs. advanced33:42 Sex differences in fatigue and recovery36:25 Applying science to coaching practice47:04 Designing research studies in exercise science51:05 Within-subject vs. group studies on failure54:08 Gender responses to resistance training58:22 Hormonal influences and muscle growth in females01:01:27 Bridging science and coaching practice01:05:10 Program design for different athlete goals01:08:10 Program duration and auto-regulation01:10:26 Where to find more about Martin RefaloDr Martin RefaloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrfitness__/JPS profile: https://www.jpshealthandfitness.com.au/team/martin-refalo/JPS Education: https://www.instagram.com/jps_education/JPS Health & Fitness: https://www.jpshealthandfitness.com.au/JPS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi6aTw95QXJHjv8ucdxnL7QTony Boutagy / Stronger With TimeWebsite: https://tonyboutagy.com/Explore Tony’s courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.This episode is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualised training advice.
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  Zone 2, Fuelling and Bone Health for Women in Midlife, with Olympian Rachel Neylan 15.07.2026 1h 6min

  There is a lot of conflicting advice about how women should train and fuel through midlife.Should they prioritise high-intensity work over Zone 2? Train around the menstrual cycle? Cut back on carbohydrates?In this episode of Stronger With Time, I speak with Rachel Neylan, Olympic cyclist, world championship silver medallist, physiotherapist and high-performance coaching psychologist.We discuss under-fuelling and carbohydrate fear, bone health after years of cycling, and whether Zone 2 is really overrated for women. Rachel explains why the aerobic base that supported her professional career also helped her absorb harder training and recover from it.We also talk about training around the menstrual cycle without rigid rules, rebuilding after serious injury, the difference between motivation and identity, and creating systems around training, nutrition, sleep, recovery and community.This conversation is for women who want to stay strong, fit and capable through midlife, and for the coaches and health professionals who work with them.Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:40 Rapid-fire cycling questions06:30 Leaving physiotherapy for professional cycling09:45 Matching your physiology to the right sport14:15 Why children need variety before specialisation17:00 Movement variety for healthy ageing19:25 What endurance sport teaches you about doing hard things21:40 Motivation versus identity24:35 Training after retiring from professional sport26:15 Bone density and the hidden cost of cycling29:25 Recovering from a major crash33:15 Resilience and training around injury37:30 Under-fuelling and fear of carbohydrate42:45 Fuelling around a one-hour training session44:55 Why every workout should not be hard47:15 Is Zone 2 overrated for women?52:00 Why an aerobic base supports high-intensity training55:05 Female physiology and training differences57:50 Menstrual-cycle tracking without rigid rules01:01:25 Building a personal performance ecosystem01:04:00 Rachel’s current work in performance coaching01:06:20 Closing thoughtsResourcesRachel Neylan’s websitehttps://www.rachelneylan.com/Rachel Neylan’s Australian Olympic profilehttps://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/rachel-neylan/Tony’s websitehttps://tonyboutagy.com/Explore Tony’s courseshttps://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageFollow Tony on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.This episode is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
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  Stretching Before Training: When It Helps and How Much with Professor Dave Behm 07.07.2026 1h

  Static stretching before training is one of the most debated habits in the gym.For years, many coaches were told to avoid it because it could impair performance. But as Professor Dave Behm explains in this episode of Stronger With Time, the real answer is more nuanced than simply saying stretching is good or bad.Dave is a university research professor in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and one of the most cited neuromuscular scientists in the world. His work directly inspired Tony’s own PhD on stretching back in 2003.In this conversation, Tony and Dave discuss when stretching before training may help, when it may be unnecessary, and why around 60 seconds total per muscle group tends to be a useful guideline when stretching is included in a warm-up.From there, the conversation opens into many of the practices coaches and trainers use every day: foam rolling, full-range resistance training for mobility, post-activation potentiation, unstable surface training, unilateral versus bilateral work, the bilateral deficit, and how movement speed shapes power and training intent as we age.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Professor Dave Behm’s influence on Tony’s PhD02:00 Dave’s background and why he started testing common training practices06:00 The question behind Dave’s career: does it actually work?07:00 How Dave’s view on stretching changed over time09:30 Static stretching, performance impairments and context10:30 Why 60 seconds per muscle group is a useful guideline12:00 How to use stretching inside a warm-up13:30 Foam rolling before static stretching14:30 General warm-ups and tissue viscoelasticity16:00 Do you need stretching before resistance training?17:00 Full-range resistance training as loaded mobility work18:00 Stretching for tight areas before lifting20:00 Foam rolling, range of motion and where it came from21:30 Foam rolling versus static stretching over time24:00 Why stiff and flexible clients respond differently25:30 How often to stretch for flexibility27:00 How long to stretch outside a training session28:00 How far should a stretch be taken?29:30 Static stretching versus dynamic stretching and mobility work31:00 Post-activation potentiation and post-activation performance enhancement34:30 How to use a heavy warm-up set in training36:30 Isometrics and potentiation37:30 How long the potentiation effect lasts38:30 Unstable surface training and muscle recruitment40:00 Why unstable training reduces load42:00 Where unstable surface training may still be useful43:30 Strength and hypertrophy under stable versus unstable conditions45:00 Trained lifters and instability46:30 Unilateral versus bilateral training47:30 The bilateral deficit explained49:30 Why unilateral work may matter more in trained people51:00 How the brain organises movement and intent55:00 Movement speed, motor unit recruitment and rate coding56:30 Slow versus explosive lifting intent58:00 Power, speed and ageing58:30 Dave’s book on stretching01:00:00 Closing thoughtsResourcesProfessor Dave BehmProfessor Dave Behm research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22David+Behm%22+stretchingProfessor Dave Behm on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=David+Behm+stretchingStretching and performance research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+static+stretching+performanceFoam rolling and range of motion research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+foam+rolling+range+of+motionUnstable surface training research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+unstable+surface+trainingTony Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageTony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  Hypertrophy Advice: What to Trust and What to Question with Dr Gerard McMahon 30.06.2026 1h 7min

  If you train for hypertrophy, you are probably not short on advice.The harder part is knowing which advice is worth trusting.In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Dr Gerard McMahon, a muscle physiology and biomechanics researcher and applied practitioner who has worked with elite athletes across Olympic, Para Games and Commonwealth Games environments.Gerard brings together research and applied practice: what drives muscle growth, and what that means when you are programming for real people over months and years.Together, Tony and Gerard work through some of the most common claims in hypertrophy training, from mechanical tension and effective reps to volume, activation drills, lengthened partials, periodisation and tendon training.In this episode, they discuss:Why research and real-world coaching both matterWhat actually triggers muscle hypertrophyMechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stressWhy “effective reps” and “stimulating reps” are often misunderstoodHow training volume should change with training statusWhy more sets in one session are not always betterWhat muscle activation drills can and cannot doLengthened partials, lengthened range and where they may be usefulWhy lengthened training does not apply equally to every muscleSocial media echo chambers in hypertrophy advicePeriodisation and long-term programming for muscle and strengthTendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loadingThis conversation is for coaches, personal trainers and experienced lifters who want to think more clearly about hypertrophy training and build programs from principles rather than trends.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and the social media problem in hypertrophy advice00:55 Dr Gerard McMahon’s background in sport science, research and elite sport04:00 Research, coaching and how to judge training advice06:00 Short-term hypertrophy studies versus long-term programming08:35 Training volume claims and real-world constraints10:10 What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy?13:40 Mechanical tension, load and training to failure15:30 Proximity to failure and motor unit recruitment17:20 Effective reps and stimulating reps21:20 Training volume and training status23:40 Beginner versus advanced weekly volume25:10 Signs you may be doing too much volume26:40 Frequency and dividing weekly training volume29:40 Muscle activation drills and warm-ups33:30 Glute activation drills and warm-up specificity35:20 Habitual movement patterns and activation drills37:45 Lengthened partials and lengthened range40:30 Which muscles benefit from lengthened range?44:30 Quads, hamstrings, calves and lengthened work47:45 Glutes and the best range for hip thrusts48:45 Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy51:00 Neuromechanical matching and exercise selection53:30 Drop sets, supersets and overload techniques56:10 Periodisation for hypertrophy and strength58:25 How long to stay on a program59:30 Tendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loading01:02:45 How to learn more from Dr Gerard McMahonResources:Dr Gerard McMahon research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Gerard+McMahon%22+hypertrophyDr Gerard McMahon on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Gerard%20McMahon%22%20hypertrophyLengthened partials and hypertrophy research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=lengthened+partials+hypertrophy+McMahonNo Strain, No Gain tendon research search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22No+Strain%2C+No+Gain%22+tendon+McMahonNeuromechanical matching review search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hudson+Gandevia+Butler+2019+neuromechanical+matchingTony’s website https://tonyboutagy.com/Tony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  How to Keep Your Strength, Power and Endurance as You Age with Professor Peter Reaburn 22.06.2026 55min

  Training hard may have built your fitness.But should you keep training the same way as you age?In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Dr Peter Reaburn, a researcher, author and lifelong masters athlete who has spent decades studying performance and ageing.Peter is a retired Professor and former Head of Exercise and Sport Science at Bond University. He has authored and edited multiple books on masters athletes, published peer-reviewed research on masters athletes, and continues to work closely with the masters sporting community.He also practises what he teaches. Peter was the Australian Ironman Triathlon Champion in the 50–54 age group in 2005 and is the current Australian Masters Swimming Champion in the 70–74 years 400m individual medley.At 71, Peter brings both the research and lived experience to the question of how to keep training for strength, power and endurance as recovery and physical capacities begin to change.In this episode:Which aspects of fitness decline fastest with ageWhy older endurance athletes still need resistance and sprint trainingThe role of fast-twitch muscle fibres in later-life performanceHow to balance hard sessions with lower-intensity workThe hard-easy principle and the 80/20 approachAtrial fibrillation risk in lifelong endurance athletesProtein and recovery needs as we ageMenopause and the research gap in female masters athletesWhen to replace a planned hard session with active recoveryThe physical, cognitive, psychological and social sides of successful ageingThis conversation is for coaches, masters athletes and active adults who still care about performance, but recognise that training harder is not always the same as training better.Timestamps00:00 What fitness means across the lifespan 01:45 How strength, power and endurance decline with age 04:00 What masters athletes teach us about ageing 06:20 Why older athletes need resistance training 09:45 Fast-twitch muscle fibres and endurance performance 11:20 What we know about hybrid masters athletes 12:35 Menopause, muscle mass and performance 16:00 The research gap in female masters athletes 18:40 Continuous athletes, rekindlers and late bloomers 20:20 The hard-easy principle 22:00 Atrial fibrillation and endurance training 24:15 Why high-intensity-only training lacks nuance 27:10 The 80/20 approach to endurance training 30:10 Muscle protein synthesis as we age 31:50 How much protein older athletes may need 35:10 Why recovery changes with age 39:40 High-intensity training and neural fatigue 41:10 Listening to your body and changing the session 43:20 Active recovery versus complete rest 44:20 Flexibility and maintaining range of motion 46:30 The four domains of successful ageing 51:30 Peter’s books and work on masters athletesResourcesThe Masters Athlete by Dr Peter Reaburn https://books.google.com/books?q=%22The+Masters+Athlete%22+%22Peter+Reaburn%22Nutrition and Performance in Masters Athletes, edited by Dr Peter Reaburn https://www.routledge.com/search?kw=Nutrition%20and%20Performance%20in%20Masters%20AthletesPeter Reaburn’s research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Peter+Reaburn%22Tony’s website https://tonyboutagy.com/Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-pageTony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Stronger With Time on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stronger-with-time/id1815428150Stronger With Time on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJONSubscribe to Stronger With Time for more conversations on evidence-informed training, health and performance.All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  Zone 2, HRV and Concurrent Training: How Elite Endurance Science Applies to Everyday Training — Dr Dan Plews 08.06.2026 1h 13min

  🌐 Visit → tonyboutagy.com 📲 Follow us on Instagram → @tonyboutagyThe principles that drive adaptation in the world's best endurance athletes are the same principles that drive adaptation in people who train seriously but are not competing. The application changes. The fundamentals do not.Dr Dan Plews is an applied sports scientist, coach and world-class endurance athlete. He holds a doctorate in applied heart rate variability from Auckland University of Technology, has coached athletes to more than 30 world and Olympic titles, and has set records at both the Ironman World Championship and in HYROX.In this episode, we discuss:Why the gap between elite endurance science and everyday training is smaller than most people think. The framework Dr Plews uses with Olympic athletes, identifying the gap between current capacity and the target and then designing training to close it, applies equally to someone training six hours a week for health and longevity.Whether the concurrent training interference effect actually matters for non-athletes. Dr Plews explains that while the interference effect is real, it primarily matters at the highest levels of performance. For most people training six or fewer hours a week, getting the work done in a recovered state matters more than the sequencing of strength and endurance sessions.What zone two training actually is and where the common misconceptions come from. Zone two is defined by physiological markers, not by feel or a percentage of maximum heart rate, and most people who think they are training in zone two are working considerably harder than the research supports.How heart rate variability reflects the state of the autonomic nervous system and why it is one of the most useful tools available for managing training load and recovery. Dr Plews explains how to interpret HRV trends over time, what a suppressed morning reading actually tells you, and how to use it to make better daily training decisions.How low carbohydrate approaches and fueling strategies affect endurance adaptation, why metabolic flexibility matters for both performance and long-term health, and what the evidence shows about carbohydrate availability during training and competition.Why Dr Plews shifted his focus from long-course triathlon to HYROX, and what that shift reflects about building a broader fitness base for longevity rather than optimising for a single performance output.Key insight:Elite endurance athletes succeed by applying the right stimulus at the right time and recovering properly between sessions. That principle does not change when you have six hours a week instead of thirty. The gap between what the best coaches in the world know and what everyday people apply is smaller than it looks, and this episode closes it.Topics: zone two training, concurrent training, interference effect, heart rate variability, HRV, endurance training, polarised training, low carbohydrate training, metabolic flexibility, fueling for endurance, HYROX, triathlon, longevity and exercise, training load management, strength and endurance, applied sports science
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  Female Athlete Health, RED-S and the Research Gap in Women’s Sport with Dr Kate Ackerman 01.06.2026 52min

  Female athlete health is often discussed in extremes: either physiology is underplayed, or every difference gets turned into a rule.This conversation sits in the middle, where evidence, clinical context and nuance matter.In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Dr Kathryn “Kate” Ackerman, a former elite rower, sports medicine physician, endocrinologist and leading researcher in female athlete health.Kate’s work sits at the intersection of sport, medicine, endocrinology and performance. She explains how her own experience as an athlete shaped her career, why the data gap in female athletes still matters, and how better research can improve both health and performance.Tony and Kate discuss RED-S, low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, bone stress injuries, fueling, carbohydrate availability, hormone therapy, menopause, and how to think about female athlete health without turning every difference into a rule.They also explore the nuance often missing from online discussions: not every calorie deficit is RED-S, not every female athlete needs a bespoke training plan based on physiology alone, and the goal is not to create fear, but to understand what the evidence can and cannot tell us.In this episode, they cover:The evolution from the Female Athlete Triad to RED-SWhat low energy availability means, and when it becomes a problemWhy RED-S requires clinical nuance, not just symptom countingScreening tools, clinical markers and medical contextBone stress injuries, DEXA, HR-pQCT and delayed bone recoveryTransdermal estrogen, oral contraceptives and bone health in amenorrheic athletesAdolescent athletes, loading, fueling, calcium, vitamin D and stress injury riskCarbohydrate availability, meal timing and recoveryMenopause, HRT and the gaps still left in women’s health researchWhy female physiology matters, without turning everything into a sex-specific ruleThis conversation is for coaches, clinicians, female athletes, parents of young athletes, and active women who want a clearer, evidence-informed understanding of female athlete health.Resources:WHSP Institute: https://whspinstitute.org/WHSP Medical: https://www.whspmedical.com/Dr Kate Ackerman bio: https://www.whspmedical.com/dr-kate-ackermanIOC REDs CAT2 / BJSM article: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/17/1068Dr Kate Ackerman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkateackerman/WHSP Institute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whsp_institute/Tony’s website: https://tonyboutagy.com/Tony Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  Hypertrophy Advice: What to Trust and What to Question with Dr Gerard McMahon 31.05.2026 1h 7min

  If you train for hypertrophy, you are probably not short on advice.The harder part is knowing which advice is worth trusting.In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Dr Gerard McMahon, a muscle physiology and biomechanics researcher and applied practitioner who has worked with elite athletes across Olympic, Para Games and Commonwealth Games environments.Gerard brings together research and applied practice: what drives muscle growth, and what that means when you are programming for real people over months and years.Together, Tony and Gerard work through some of the most common claims in hypertrophy training, from mechanical tension and effective reps to volume, activation drills, lengthened partials, periodisation and tendon training.In this episode, they discuss:Why research and real-world coaching both matterWhat actually triggers muscle hypertrophyMechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stressWhy “effective reps” and “stimulating reps” are often misunderstoodHow training volume should change with training statusWhy more sets in one session are not always betterWhat muscle activation drills can and cannot doLengthened partials, lengthened range and where they may be usefulWhy lengthened training does not apply equally to every muscleSocial media echo chambers in hypertrophy adviceDrop sets, supersets and high-fatigue methodsPeriodisation and long-term programming for muscle and strengthThis conversation is for coaches, personal trainers and experienced lifters who want to think more clearly about hypertrophy training and build programs from principles rather than trends.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and the social media problem in hypertrophy advice00:55 Dr Gerard McMahon’s background in sport science, research and elite sport04:00 Research, coaching and how to judge training advice06:00 Short-term hypertrophy studies versus long-term programming08:35 Training volume claims and real-world constraints10:10 What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy?13:40 Mechanical tension, load and training to failure15:30 Proximity to failure and motor unit recruitment17:20 Effective reps and stimulating reps21:20 Training volume and training status23:40 Beginner versus advanced weekly volume25:10 Signs you may be doing too much volume26:40 Frequency and dividing weekly training volume29:40 Muscle activation drills and warm-ups33:30 Glute activation drills and warm-up specificity35:20 Habitual movement patterns and activation drills37:45 Lengthened partials and lengthened range40:30 Which muscles benefit from lengthened range?44:30 Quads, hamstrings, calves and lengthened work47:45 Glutes and the best range for hip thrusts48:45 Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy51:00 Neuromechanical matching and exercise selection53:30 Drop sets, supersets and overload techniques56:10 Periodisation for hypertrophy and strength58:25 How long to stay on a program59:30 Tendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loading01:02:45 How to learn more from Dr Gerard McMahonResources:Dr Gerard McMahon research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Gerard+McMahon%22+hypertrophyDr Gerard McMahon on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Gerard%20McMahon%22%20hypertrophyLengthened partials and hypertrophy research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=lengthened+partials+hypertrophy+McMahonNo Strain, No Gain tendon research search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22No+Strain%2C+No+Gain%22+tendon+McMahonNeuromechanical matching review search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hudson+Gandevia+Butler+2019+neuromechanical+matchingTony’s website https://tonyboutagy.com/Tony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance.All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  Hypertrophy Research in Practice: What Matters for Muscle Growth 18.05.2026 55min

  Hypertrophy advice can become confusing fast.Different studies, different coaches, different physiological models and different claims online can point to slightly different answers. Sets, reps, frequency, failure, soreness, exercise selection and periodisation are all debated, often with more certainty than the evidence allows.In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony brings together close to four hours of conversations with leading hypertrophy researchers and turns them into a practical framework for coaches and serious lifters.Across the series, Tony explored muscle hypertrophy through three lenses: the history of strength and hypertrophy training with Professor William Kraemer, the molecular and mechanistic side of muscle growth with Professor Michael Roberts, and practical programming decisions with Dr Eric Helms.This episode is the synthesis.Tony distills the key takeaways into what current evidence suggests about how muscle grows, which variables deserve the most attention, and how that translates into real-world program design.In this episode, we discuss:The three main worldviews coaches use to program hypertrophyWhy outcome-based research can be difficult to apply directly to long-term trainingWhat muscle hypertrophy is, including radial and longitudinal growthWhy mechanical tension sits at the centre of current hypertrophy thinkingWhere DOMS, “the burn” and acute hormonal spikes fit inMinimalist vs maximalist approaches to training volumeWhy no single exercise can train every fibre within a complex muscle groupPractical implications for pec, delt and glute exercise selectionTraining frequency, weekly sets and proximity to failureHow to think about drop sets, supersets, rest intervals and rep rangesPeriodisation, fatigue management and training at longer muscle lengthsWho this is for:Coaches, PTs and S&C coaches programming hypertrophy for clients or athletesSerious lifters who want their training aligned with current evidence, not trendsPractitioners who care about long-term strength, muscle and joint healthGym owners who want clear hypertrophy principles their teams can apply consistentlyAbout Dr Tony Boutagy:Dr Tony Boutagy is an exercise scientist and strength coach with over 30 years of in-the-trenches experience. He is known for bridging hypertrophy and strength research with real-world programming for athletes, general population clients and serious lifters, with a focus on sustainable strength, hypertrophy and conditioning grounded in solid science.About Stronger With Time:Stronger With Time is Tony’s podcast on evidence-informed strength, hypertrophy and conditioning across the lifespan, helping coaches and lifters turn complex research into practical training decisions.Resources:Advanced Program MasteryTony’s course on long-term program design, periodisation and building training systems that get clients results across years, not weeks: https://tonyboutagy.com/advanced-program-mastery-course-pageFat Loss FundamentalsTony’s course on designing fat loss phases that preserve muscle, manage energy availability and produce results that hold: https://tonyboutagy.com/fat-loss-fundamentals-course-pageFollow Tony on Instagram: @tonyboutagyAll content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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  How to Program for Hypertrophy: Volume, Frequency & Exercise Selection (with Dr Eric Helms - Part 2) 11.05.2026 54min

  Hypertrophy programming comes back to a few practical decisions: how close to failure, how much volume, how often, and how much variety.In this episode, I speak with Dr Eric Helms about how to make those decisions with better judgment, and where popular models claim more than the evidence supports.Dr Helms is a PhD researcher in strength and hypertrophy, a coach of physique and strength athletes, and a high-level natural bodybuilder.In Part 1, we discussed how to think about training advice when coaches, research, and physiology models do not point in the same direction. In this episode, we apply that thinking to programming.Some of what we discuss:How close to failure you actually need to train, and when it matters more or lessWhy “only the last 5 reps count” doesn’t hold upWhy estimating reps in reserve gets harder at higher repsHow much volume to use, and how frequency changes that decisionWhy fatigue matters, but may be overweighted in programming decisionsVariety vs variation, and why hypertrophy may not need strength-style periodisationWhere drop sets, rest-pause, and myo-reps actually fit, as time-saving tools rather than superior methodsWho this is for:Coaches programming hypertrophy for general population or athletes, and experienced lifters trying to make defensible decisions about failure, volume, frequency, and exercise selection without chasing every new trend.Guest and ResourcesDr Eric Helms3D Muscle Journey: https://www.3dmusclejourney.com/about/The Muscle and Strength Pyramids: https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/Research profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eric-Helms-2MASS Research Review: https://massresearchreview.com/about-us-2/Host: Dr Tony BoutagyExercise scientist and coach translating exercise science into practical training and programming decisions.Instagram: @tonyboutagyCourses, seminars, and resources: https://tonyboutagy.com/
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  How To Think About Training Advice (with Dr Eric Helms – Part 1) 04.05.2026 1h 15min

  If you coach or train seriously, you have probably had to weigh different sources of training advice against each other.A successful coach recommends one approach. A research paper seems to suggest another. A physiology-based explanation points somewhere else.In this episode, I speak with Dr Eric Helms about how to think through those conflicts without becoming dogmatic about any one source.Dr Helms is a PhD researcher in strength and hypertrophy, a coach of physique and strength athletes, and a high-level natural bodybuilder.Some of what we discuss:Why success leaves clues, not answersWhat we can and can’t learn from successful athletes and coachesWhy individual hypertrophy studies can seem to conflictHow to use reviews and position stands without outsourcing your judgementWhen physiology-based explanations sound more certain than the evidence allowsThis is the first part of a longer conversation with Eric. The second part moves further into the practical programming questions.Guest and ResourcesDr Eric Helms3D Muscle Journey: https://www.3dmusclejourney.com/about/The Muscle and Strength Pyramids: https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/Research profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eric-Helms-2Resources mentioned:Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports: https://starkcenter.org/Iron Game History journal: https://starkcenter.org/research/iron-game-historyHost:Dr Tony BoutagyExercise scientist and coach translating exercise science into practical training and programming decisions.Instagram: @tonyboutagyCourses, seminars, and resources: https://tonyboutagy.com/
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  The Science of Muscle Growth - and What It Means in Practice, with Professor Michael Roberts 27.04.2026 55min

  Every programme rests on some idea of what drives muscle growth. This episode looks at where the molecular and applied research supports that thinking - and where it does not.Professor Michael Roberts is a professor at Auburn University and one of the world's leading researchers on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with a laboratory spanning cell culture, rodent models, and applied human research.In this episode, you will learn:What is happening inside a muscle cell when it growsWhy mechanical tension appears to be central to hypertrophyWhat the evidence shows about testosterone and the androgen receptor in muscleWhy women with much lower testosterone than men can still make similar relative gains with resistance trainingWhere the evidence lands on rep ranges and weekly set volumeWhy drop sets are unlikely to add much once sufficient tension and volume are already in placeWhat sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is, and when it may occurWhy recent research suggests muscle fibres may grow by adding more myofibrils, not just by making existing ones biggerKey insight: Consistent mechanical tension, applied through a moderate rep range and sufficient weekly volume, appears to be a central driver of hypertrophy. The more complex the technique, the less likely it is to add much on top of that foundation.Resources & Links Dr. Tony Boutagy - https://tonyboutagy.com Follow on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/ Professor Michael Roberts - https://education.auburn.edu/directory/profile.php?id=mdr0024Molecular and Applied Sciences Laboratory - https://education.auburn.edu/kinesiology/research/molecular-applied-sciences/index.phpRoberts Lab eLife paper on myofibril adaptations - https://elifesciences.org/articles/92674
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  What Still Works for Building Muscle (After 50 Years of Research) – with Professor William Kraemer 20.04.2026 1h 16min

  After more than five decades of resistance training research, Professor William Kraemer returns to Stronger With Time to deliver a masterclass in what drives muscle growth, what the training protocols actually need to look like, and what has remained constant across every decade of evidence.Professor Kraemer has published over 600 peer reviewed papers and 15 books on resistance training, held professorships at four major universities, and been ranked the number one sports scientist in his field. His career spans both deep laboratory science and applied coaching with elite athletes across dozens of sports.In this episode, you will learn:Why the size principle remains the governing factor for muscle hypertrophy, and why fibres that are not recruited cannot growHow the anabolic hormonal response to resistance training actually works, and why testosterone does not act until it hits a receptorWhy excessive cortisol from poorly designed training may inhibit the very anabolic processes it was meant to stimulateWhy the eight to ten rep range at shorter rest periods of two to three minutes creates the most significant physiological stressorWhy 4×10 at moderate loads is often a bigger recovery demand than 3×3–5 heavy, and what that means for your weekWhy normative exercises form the foundation of any complete programme, and why angle variation is a necessary strategy for complete motor unit coverageWhat the evidence suggests for women navigating the menopause transition, and why the distinction between muscle function and muscle mass may be less meaningful than it appearsKey insight: After 50 years and over 600 papers, Professor Kraemer keeps returning to the same ground: load the muscle, recruit the fibres, manage the recovery. Everything else is context.Resources & LinksDr. Tony Boutagy → https://tonyboutagy.comFollow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/Professor William J. Kraemer Google Scholar → https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=-HjoaV8AAAAJ
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  Dementia Prevention, Brain Training, and What Actually Works - with Dr. Tommy Wood 13.04.2026 1h 13min

  The same principles that drive physical adaptation also drive brain health. The difference is that, for the brain, the key buckets are stimulus, supply, and support. And the training that coaches and fitness enthusiasts are already doing may be among the most evidence-based interventions available for protecting cognitive function across a lifetime.Dr. Tommy Wood is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington, a medical doctor trained at Oxford, author of THE STIMULATED MIND, and has worked as a performance consultant to Olympians and world champions. His research focuses on brain health across the lifespan, from neonatal brain injury through to long-term dementia prevention.In this episode, you will learn:Why dementia risk begins in midlife, and what the research shows about modifiable risk factorsHow the 3S model - stimulus, supply, and support - helps make sense of brain healthWhat the evidence actually supports when it comes to omega-3s, B vitamins, vitamin D, and other supplementsWhy resistance training, high intensity interval training, and coordination-based exercise may benefit different aspects of brain functionWhat the evidence shows about menopausal hormone therapy and cognitive functionWhat current research suggests about alcohol, statins, lithium, melatonin, and cognitive healthKey insight - The brain responds to training the same way the body does. Use it, fuel it, and support its ability to adapt. Coaches and fitness enthusiasts already prioritising their physical health may be doing more for their cognitive future than they realise.Resources & Links - Dr. Tommy Wood - https://www.drtommywood.com/Dr. Tommy Wood on Instagram - @drtommywoodTHE STIMULATED MIND - https://www.drtommywood.com/stimulated-mindFood for the Brain (free cognitive function test) - https://foodforthebrain.org/the-cognitive-function-test/Better Brain Fitness podcast - https://www.betterbrain.fitness/Dr. Tony Boutagy - https://tonyboutagy.com/Follow on Instagram - @tonyboutagy