DR. SCOTT STEVENSON: ARE YOU REALLY TRAINING HARD ENOUGH TO MAXIMIZE MUSCLE GROWTH? | WHY SOME PEOPLE TRAIN FOR YEARS & STILL LOOK THE SAME

One of the biggest bottlenecks holding many back from reaching their ideal physique is that many people overestimate how hard they’re actually training.They believe they’re pushing their sets to failure…But in reality they often still have several reps left in the tank.When this happens, the training stimulus they think they’re creating doesn’t match the stimulus their muscles are actually receiving, which is one of the reasons so many people train for years yet still look the same.In this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined once again by Dr. Scott Stevenson to explore whether the average trainee is truly pushing their sets hard enough to maximize muscle growth.We examine the research on load selection, effort regulation, reps in reserve accuracy, and training volume, and discuss why many lifters may unknowingly be training further from failure than they think.We also explore Dr. Stevenson’s hypothesis of there being a potential central governor in resistance training, and whether subconscious pacing may influence effort during high-volume training sessions.In this episode we cover:WHY MOST TRAINEES SELECT LOADS THAT ARE TOO LIGHTRESEARCH SHOWING LIFTERS CHOOSE ~53% OF THEIR 1RM WHEN SELF-SELECTING WEIGHTSWHY LOW-LOAD TRAINING REQUIRES PUSHING CLOSER TO FAILURE TO STIMULATE HYPERTROPHYTHE LIMITATIONS OF USING RIR AND HOW INACCURATE FAILURE PREDICTION CAN BEWHY MANY LIFTERS BELIEVE THEY’RE TRAINING TO FAILURE WHEN THEY AREN’TWHY META-ANALYSES SHOW A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VOLUME AND MUSCLE GROWTHTHE PELLAND META-REGRESSION AND WHY HIGHER VOLUMES DON’T SHOW A CLEAR INVERTED UHOW EFFORT PER SET MAY CHANGE AS TRAINING VOLUME INCREASESBEHAVIORAL CHANGES THAT MAY OCCUR DURING HIGH-VOLUME TRAINING SESSIONSSANDBAGGING, PACING, AND KEEPING REPS IN RESERVETHE POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNOR THEORY IN REGULATING EFFORTWHY RPE OFTEN TOPS OUT AROUND 7-8 IN MANY TRAINING STUDIESWHETHER THIS REFLECTS EFFORT REGULATION OR ADAPTATION TO HIGH WORKLOADSPRACTICAL COACHING INSIGHTS ON HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU’RE TRULY TRAINING HARD ENOUGHUltimately, the goal of this episode is to encourage you to ask yourself one honest question:Am I really training as hard as I think I am?Because sometimes the biggest breakthroughs in physique development don’t come from adding more exercises or more volume…They come from learning how to push the sets you’re already doing to a higher level of effort.WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/Email: [email protected] Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiryBrandon’s Website: https://www.brandondacruzfit.comMy Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccwThe Central Governor Model of Exercise Regulation:https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Central-Governor-Model-of-Exercise-Regulation-proposes-that-the-brain-regulates_fig2_224709105