The Strength Log

Does Intermittent Fasting Boost Fat Loss?

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Intermittent fasting is gaining popularity, promising weight loss and great health benefits. In today's episode, we talk about a new Cochrane review...

How Important is Progressive Overload for Muscle Growth?

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most common pieces of advice in strength training is progressive overload, most commonly in the form of gradually increasing the weights a...

Let's Party Like It's Episode 100

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dear listener, we made it! Episode 100 is here! To celebrate the occasion, we're doing a Q&A where we answer as many of your questions as we can in un...

The Minimum Effective Dose for Strength Training

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When you have limited time for training, how little can you train and still make gains? Or, if you're a beginner and don't want to invest a lot of tim...

Warming Up for Better Performance

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How much of a difference does warming up make, and how should you warm up to maximize your performance in the gym? In today's episode, we talk about t...

Combining Cardio and Strength Training

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, there's been debate about and research into the so-called interference effect between cardio and strength training. In other words, are y...

Building Muscle after 60 – the Elixir of Youth

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Strength training is more and more looking like the closest thing we have to an elixir of youth. But how do you get started building muscle when you'r...

The Key to Losing as Much Fat as Possible

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Preserving your muscle mass during a weight loss diet is critical for preventing sarcopenia and maintaining metabolic health. It also means you're go...

Should You Load up on Carbs before the Gym?

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Your body uses carbohydrates to power your muscles, organs, and brain. But how important is it to eat carbs before your strength workouts? That's the ...

Is a Full Range of Motion Always Best?

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The range of motion you use when lifting can have a profound effect on your strength and muscle-building results. In today's episode, we break down a ...

Maximal Muscle Mass in Minimum Minutes

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest hurdles to strength training is a lack of time. Luckily, there are several advanced techniques to cram a lot of training into a sh...

Fat Loss or Muscle Gain – Which Should You Focus on First?

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most popular goals this time of year is to lose some (or a lot) of fat. But how do you go about that, and is it a good idea (like so many p...

2025 in Review

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're in the final days of 2025, and it's time to wrap up this podcast year on a more personal note. What have been our wins and losses, what do we wa...

Our Cardio Experience, One Year In

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We all know that cardio is great for us. But as lifters, cardio is seldom a passion, and many of us skip it entirely. 2025 was the year this changed f...

Minimalist Strength Training While Cutting

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you're on a weight loss diet, strength training is the most effective tool for increasing your fat loss while minimizing your muscle loss. But h...

Plateau Busting

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For anyone who's been training consistently for a couple of years, the plateau is an ever-present companion. But why do we plateau in the gym, and wha...

What Deep Squats Do for Your Knee Health

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By now, it's pretty clear that deep squats are superior to half or quarter squats in basically every way: better strength gains, more hypertrophy, imp...

Groundhog Gains, a New Premium Training Program

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens if you squat, deadlift, and bench press daily for more than one hundred days? That's what Daniel's done, and in this episode, we discuss ...

Anabolic Steroids Weaken Your Tendons

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bit of a mixed bag for you today, with three unrelated topics. First, we look into why athletes on anabolic–androgenic steroids so often experience ...

Rest Time Might Be Overrated if Volume Is Matched

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How long you rest between sets is an important factor to consider, as longer rest times often lead to better training results since you can perform mo...

To Keep Getting Stronger You Probably Need to Train More

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To maximize strength and muscle growth, how many sets should you perform per week for each muscle and exercise? A year ago, we reported on a meta-stu...

How to Train the Bench Press for Big, Explosive Pecs

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to get a stronger bench press, bigger pecs, and become more explosive when pushing or punching, should you train for max strength, muscle ...

Ultra-Processed vs Unprocessed Foods – Looking past the Macros

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've all heard that we should eat healthy, specifically to avoid ultra-processed food. But why? Yes, it's easy to overeat ultra-processed food becaus...

How Do You Reduce Muscle Soreness? New Q&A!

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are there any scientifically proven methods to reduce muscle soreness after hard workouts? And if so, should you? We're back with another episode base...

This Is Why You Don't Need to Stress about Protein Timing

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have two topics for you today. First out is a new meta-analysis examining the impact of timing your protein intake immediately before or after work...

Will Fat Loss or TRT Boost Your Testosterone More?

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is becoming more common as more and more men suffer from low testosterone. But for many men, it might just trea...

8 vs 16 Sets per Week for Muscle and Strength

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How many sets should you do weekly for your muscle groups to maximize strength and muscle gains? That is the eternal question for gymgoers, and even t...

How Much Do Your Biceps Grow from Rows?

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rows are great for developing your upper back, but do they also work your biceps sufficiently? That certainly would be a good incentive to do more bo...

Try Alternating Sets for Faster Gains and Shorter Workouts

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Longer rest times between sets typically mean larger strength and muscle gains. But what if you're short on time? Enter: alternating sets!  Don't kno...

Will Pre-Exhausting Your Muscles Increase Growth?

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pre-exhaust training is a strength training philosophy popularized in the 1970s. Many bodybuilders still swear by it, but what does the scientific evi...

How to Improve Your Sleep for Better Performance

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Getting good sleep is one of the best things you can do to increase muscle growth, strength gains, fat loss, and general performance.  In today's epi...

Best Ways to Form Healthy Habits

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the best methods for being healthier and more productive is to use the power of habits. In this episode, we discuss a new review study on how l...

Will Collagen Keep Your Joints Healthy and Your Skin Young?

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After working out, can you improve the strength and health of your tendons and joints by drinking a collagen shake or bone broth? And will that also h...

Is Muscle Soreness an Indicator of a Good Workout? Q&A Part 2

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the correlation between grip strength and health? How do you keep yourself motivated when injured? And is muscle soreness really a good sign t...

How Little Can You Train and Maintain Your Mass? Q&A Part 1

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can you maintain your muscle mass with just one full-body workout per week? Are planned deload weeks necessary or overrated? How do you balance squats...

The Big 6 – Pull-Up: From First Rep to Upper Body Mastery

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The pull-up is one of the most classic strength training exercises you can do, and also one of the best! But how do you manage your first rep if you c...

The Big 6 – Row to Grow: Build an Unbreakable Back

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You don't see it, but everyone else does. Your upper back holds some of the biggest muscles in your upper body, and the way to train them is with rowi...

The Big 6 – Overhead Press: Build True Upper Body Power

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The standing barbell overhead press (also known as a military or shoulder press) is a classic strength training exercise. Before the ascent of the ben...

The Big 6 – Deadlift: Raw Strength, Real Results

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The deadlift is one of the most primal exercises in the gym and a true test of strength from head to toe. In this episode, we look into the muscles wo...

The Big 6 – Squat: King of All Exercises?

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The squat is known among gym-goers as the king of all exercises. In this episode, we talk about whether it lives up to the hype and how to perform the...

The Big 6 – Bench Press: Master the Most Popular Lift

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How should you perform the bench press if your goal is to lift a ton of weight and build big and powerful pecs, shoulders, and triceps? In this episod...

The 7 Principles of Highly Effective Strength Training

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What determines if you get great results from your strength training, or just spin your wheels without getting anywhere? In this episode, we present o...

Will Training Fasted Hurt Your Gains?

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Will training fasted hurt your muscle and strength gains? A new study had participants do full-body morning workouts for 12 weeks, with half having b...

Why Long-Distance Runners Should Strength Train

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Long-distance runners often hesitate to add strength training, for fear it will make them muscle-bound and heavy. But is that really what happens? In ...

This Is Your Brain on Strength Training

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Research is mounting that strength training is not only good for our biceps, but also for our brains, improving our learning, memory, and focus. That...

The Impact of Cardio Fitness on Strength Gains

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you improve your cardio fitness, will you also perform better in the gym and recover faster between sets? That's a common hypothesis in the gym wor...

Building Muscle After 40

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Forty might be the new twenty, and for many, life feels better than ever. But physical signs of aging are starting to creep up on us at that age. Our ...

How Many Sets per Muscle Group and Workout?

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is there too much of a good thing, or should you just keep adding sets to your workouts to grow bigger and stronger? In episode 32, we discussed a me...

Results from Maxing out in the Bench Press Every Day

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years ago we got an awesome study on powerlifters and weightlifters maxing out in the squat daily. Now, a group of physical therapy students have...

Signs You Might Be Ego Lifting – New Mailbag!

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which type of bicep curl is best if you want to grow your biceps? How do you know if you are applying progressive overload and pushing yourself, or ju...

You Should Do More Than One Type of Bicep Curl

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which type of bicep curl is best if you want to grow your biceps? A new, impressive bicep study adds to the evidence that just doing regular curls mig...

Why Cycle between Bulking and Cutting?

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to build more muscle mass, is it a good strategy to bulk up first before cutting down to the same weight again, hopefully with more quali...

Does Slow Lifting Boost Muscle Growth?

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you lower the weights slowly when training, will that boost your muscle growth and strength gains? In today's episode, we're discussing a new meta-...

Will Late-Night Carbs Make You Fat?

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you eat carbs before bedtime, you'll become fat. At least, that's what people have been claiming for decades—but is it true or just another fitne...

Cardio or Strength Training for Fat Loss and Health?

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which type of training is better for fat loss and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease: cardio or strength training? Today's topic is a new, i...

How to Deal with Plateaus in Your Training – New Mailbag

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can you measure progress without testing your 1RMs? How do you best deal with plateaus in your training? And what do we think about low-volume, hi...

Do You Benefit from Carbs during Workouts?

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How important are carbohydrates for your strength training results? And if you're planning for a long, grueling workout—should you even bring carbs ...

Best Ways to Save Time in the Gym

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can you save time in the gym while still building muscle and getting stronger? Today, we're discussing time-saving training techniques like drop-...

Your Training Journey from Beginner to Advanced

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does a training journey look like, going from being a beginner to intermediate to advanced? And how should your training change so that you ke...

Weight Loss from Exercise: A Myth?

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it a myth that you lose weight from exercise? A huge new study looked into how much weight you lose for every 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (card...

How Many Calories Do You Burn Lifting Weights?

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How many calories do you burn lifting weights, and do you burn more calories if you use light or heavy weights? Also, should you even care about that ...

Are Unilateral Exercises Superior to Bilateral?

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which is better for muscle growth and strength gains: unilateral exercises, where you work one side at a time, allowing for more focus on that particu...

Common Beginner Questions About Strength Training

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, we gave beginners to the world of strength training our ten best insights and tips, to make the journey to success in the gym easier. Today...

Ten Things Every Beginner Should Know

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you are a beginner in the gym, wanting to learn how to lift weights, get stronger, and become more muscular, this is the episode for you. How shoul...

How to Set Goals (and Reach Them)

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a New Year's resolution prepared? Setting and chasing goals can be fun and inspire you to become better, but it's way too easy to set the ...

How Do You Bench Press 200 kg? New Mailbag!

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We have a great episode for you today, powered by awesome listener questions! How about planning the road from a 100 kg bench press to a 200 kg bench ...

The Overhead Press – Best Practices for Success

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The standing overhead press (also known as a shoulder press or a military press) is one of the most popular barbell lifts in gyms all over the world. ...

How to Choose the Right Training Program

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your training is not following a training program. Today, we're discussing why this is the case and how to...

Squats vs Hip Thrusts for Booty Gains and Performance

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Which exercise is better for building your glutes and quadriceps, the barbell squat or the hip thrust? And which is better for improving your jumping ...

Get Big to Get Strong

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to become really strong, you'll also need to become bigger. But how much does your muscle mass correlate with your strength levels? And ho...

Is More Training Always Better?

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How many sets should you do weekly for the biggest and fastest gains in strength and muscle size? How many workouts per week? Is the sky the limit, w...

How Long Can You Be in a Caloric Deficit? Mailbag!

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last episode, we established that you can build more muscle mass while losing fat—even if you're not a beginner in the gym. Let's follow tha...

Build Muscle While Losing Fat!

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've already done three episodes on fat loss (see episodes 20, 21, and 22). Now it's time to tackle the holy grail: How to build more muscle mass ...

How Often Should You Change Exercises?

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you gain more muscle and strength when you change your exercises regularly, or can you keep doing the same ones all the time? That's the topic for ...

Mailbag: Your Best Questions on Arm Training!

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to wrap up the mini-series on training for bigger arms, with your best questions on how to succeed. Should you, for instance, train your arm...

How to Train for Thicc Triceps

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The triceps are one of the biggest muscles in the upper body, and for big-looking arms, they are more important than your biceps—making up around tw...

How to Build Big Biceps

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here we have it, every man's (and quite a few women's) biggest dream: bigger biceps! Is it enough to only do pull-ups and rowing exercises for maximum...

Is Your Physique Balanced Enough? Listener Questions!

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wow, you guys and gals really sent in a bunch of great listener questions today. Thank you for making this podcast both informative and fun! How about...

The Most Overhyped Fitness Supplements

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last episode covered the three best fitness supplements to spend your money on, and three that might be worth it under special circumstances. We flip ...

The Best Supplements for Your Fitness Goals

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Which supplements are worth your money, and which are not? In this episode, we'll examine what the science actually says about fitness and strength-re...

How to Lose Fat – Crash Diets

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of our trilogy on fat loss, we discuss crash dieting. Crash diets—also known as very-low-calorie diets and semistarvation diets...

How to Lose Fat – Your Best Questions

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In part 1, we covered the basics of fat loss. Today, we continue this miniseries on training and eating to lose fat by answering your best questions ...

How to Lose Fat – The Basics

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Losing fat is the most common fitness goal for both men and women. It's most commonly expressed as wanting to lose weight, but it's fat we want to lo...

Let's Build Great Thighs!

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For optimal quad growth, it's probably not enough to just train squats, leg presses, or similar exercises. This has been bro science for decades, and ...

How Many Weekly Sets for Strength and Muscle Mass?

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Training volume is a never-ending topic of debate. How many reps should you do when you want to become bigger and stronger? How many working sets?  W...

10 Tips to Increase Your Bench Press

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's been much ado about bench press in this podcast. In episode 6, we talked about the mistakes you should avoid if you want to become a great be...

We Answer Eleven Great Questions on Strength & Health

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You asked, we answered. And what an amazing bunch of questions you sent in! Thank you for both listening and contributing to the podcast. The timestam...

Lift as Fast as Possible for Better Strength Gains

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How much does the lifting tempo you use in the gym matter? Well, a lot, at least according to a new meta-analysis that lays the foundation for today's...

Protein for Muscle Growth: All You Need to Know!

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Strength training and enough protein are the keys to stimulating muscle growth. Recovery and sleep matter, too, of course, and we'll cover those subje...

The Quick Guide to Training for Muscle Growth

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If your goal in the gym is to train for muscle growth, you just need to know the basics and a few core principles. In this episode of The Strength Log...

Make Compound Exercises Your Bread and Butter

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Compound exercises are the closest thing you'll ever come to a shortcut in your strength training. These lifts will not only work a single muscle grou...

Become Great at Squats by Fixing These Mistakes

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Which squat mistakes are actually holding you back from becoming a world-class squatter? Or even a decent one? They might not be the ones you think (c...

Answering Your Best Questions on Strength Training

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We made it to ten episodes! That's worth a small celebration, don't you think? That's why this episode is fully dedicated to answering questions from ...

Machines or Free Weights, When Does Your Choice Matter?

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Free weights are the superior choice at the gym, says many people. Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and such are much more natural and functional! D...

Are These Deadlift Mistakes Holding You Back?

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What are the most common deadlift mistakes? In today's episode, we've compiled the deadlift mistakes we believe are holding people back, but are also ...

How Often Should You Take Your Sets to Fail?

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you build more muscle mass when you train to failure, versus stopping a few reps short? In today's episode, we discuss a new study that examined t...

For a Bigger Bench Press, Don't Make These 10 Mistakes

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The bench press is not only the world's most popular barbell lift, it's also a technical lift that many people will struggle with for years before fig...

Reps vs Weight – Which Is Key to Becoming Stronger?

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The most important principle in strength training is progressive overload, i.e. to continuously lift more than you have before. In one way or the oth...

Shut Up and Squat! But Should You Front or Back Squat?

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The squat is the most important lift in the toolbox for anyone looking to build stronger and bigger legs. If you squat with a barbell, you basically h...

Do You Even Lift?

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is episode 3 of The Strength Log, and it's time for a proper introduction. Who are we – your hosts – and how did we end up in your ears? And ...