Hypertrophy Past and Present

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down an often misunderstood programming question: how does full body training twice per week compare to an upper/lower split performed four times per week? The episode begins with a deep dive into a late 1960s program from Chuck Sipes, before discussing the key differences between full body and upper/lower when frequency is equated.

Key topics include:
• Why full body twice per week is one of the most underrated training splits
• A breakdown of a classic Chuck Sipes program
• The difference between within...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down how to structure a training program during a dieting phase. The episode begins with a deep dive into how Silver Era bodybuilders approached “definition” training, including a reconstructed Reg Park program, before moving into the physiological realities of training in a calorie deficit.

Key topics include:

• Why Silver Era bodybuilders didn’t drastically change their training when dieting
 • Reg Park’s “definition” routine
 • Why exercise variety may help prevent atrophy during a calorie deficit
 • Why high volume and excessive fatigue are counterproductive w...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris discuss how to build the biggest glutes possible. The episode begins with a rare Silver Era lower-body routine from a female 1940s strength athlete Abby “Pudgy” Stockton, before breaking down the most effective modern exercises for glute development.

Key topics include:

 • Abby Stockton’s 1940s lower body routine
 • The difference between upper and lower regions of the gluteus maximus
 • Why seated hip abduction is one of the best exercises for the upper glutes
 • Hip thrust vs glute bridge
 • Why squats and leg presses can still...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris discuss how to build the biggest arms possible. The episode begins with a Golden Era arm routine from Chuck Sipes, before assessing the best exercises for both minimalist and maximalist arm programming.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris dive into whether more volume is always better. The episode opens in the late Silver Era with Sergio Oliva’s high-volume split, then pivots into a brand-new study that compares “high” vs “super high” volumes in trained lifters. 

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris unpack a new hypertrophy study that illustrates how fatigue doesn’t just make training harder but can directly reduce the hypertrophic stimulus by lowering single-fibre mechanical tension. The episode opens in the Silver Era again with Henry Paschal’s 1950 “busy person” program then pivots into the core discussion: why fatigue mechanisms (CNS and calcium-ion related) dampen muscle growth, and what this implies for exercise order, rep ranges, and advanced training methods. 

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down how you can become stronger immediately - not by changing your program, but by changing your motivation. The conversation starts in the Silver Era again, comparing Clarence Ross’ 1949/50 routine to his 1952 “favourite routine”, and why the small adjustments he made make physiological sense. From there, Chris connects motivation to motor unit recruitment through Marcora’s Psychobiological Model of Fatigue.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris unpack periodisation for hypertrophy, including what it actually is (and isn’t), why most “periodised” bodybuilding programs end up adding complexity without adding results, and which variables you can change over time without accidentally driving atrophy or accumulating a fatigue debt. The episode opens in 1952 with Clarence Ross’ pre-steroid full-body AAA “favourite routine”. From there, Jake and Chris break down the three main variables people try to periodise in hypertrophy training: volume, rep range, and exercise selection.

Key topics include:
-Why Clarence Ross’ 1952 full-body plan is a great 'non p...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris tackle a surprisingly common question: what if you can only train once per week? Beginning with an early-1960s two-way split from John McCallum to discuss exercise sequencing, why multi-joint lifts paired with single-joint “finishers” can preserve recruitment better than simply adding more straight sets, and what older routines got right (and missed) due to equipment constraints. The episode then breaks down why once-weekly training is uniquely difficult for hypertrophy, how maintenance literature informs minimum set targets, and what a realistic once-per-week template actually looks like.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris analyse one of Dorian Yates’ early pre-Olympia training programs, breaking down the structure of his torso-limbs split and the intuitive exercise sequencing.

From there, the conversation expands into a deeper discussion on exercise selection within a workout, why multiple exercises for the same muscle in a single session can produce a superior stimulus to rotating single exercises across sessions, and how this ties into neuromechanical matching and motor unit recruitment. The episode finishes with Chris addressing common criticisms of neuromechanical matching, explaining why alternative theories fail to ex...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down the resurgence of “advanced” training techniques like clusters, supersets, giant sets, pre-exhaust, drop sets, and rest-pause. Using an early Chuck Sipes “heavy-light” split as an example of early bodybuilding plans that incorporated some advanced methods, the conversation then explains why most of these methods are at best time-saving rather than stimulus enhancing.

The episode finishes with Jake and Chris discussing a “physiological drop set” concept, which may increase recruitment levels without suffering from the same fatigue problems as other advanced methods. 

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris analyse a Golden Era training plan attributed to Larry Scott and Vince Gironda, using it as a lens to explore how hypertrophy programming evolved after the introduction of anabolic drugs. From there, the conversation pivots into a deeper examination of modern debates around exercise selection, “redundant” movements, single vs multi joint training, and the current discussions around form. Chris introduces voluntary activation deficits as the unifying physiological principle.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris kick off 2026 with a Part 2 follow-up aimed at coaches. Last episode was about the mistakes lifters make when they return to the gym, this week is about the mistakes coaches make when they design and deliver programs to clients. The conversation starts with Bob Hoffman’s time-efficient “working man” full-body routine and why the plan made sense for its context, while also pointing out where it falls short. From there, the episode pivots into the two main problems coaches have to solve today: time constraints and novelty expectations, plus practi...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris take a practical, end-of-year look at the most common mistakes people make when returning to the gym, whether they’re starting fresh in January or jumping back in after time off. Using a pre-steroid era full-body routine attributed to George Eiferman the discussion highlights what earlier bodybuilders consistently got right.

From there, the conversation expands into current gym programming trends, including unstable exercise selection, cardio-driven exercises, excercise novelty, poor progress tracking, and misguided injury-prevention strategies. 

Key topics include:

-George Eiferman's "favourite" 1952 full-body routine

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down Mike Mentzer’s “most productive” routine and use it as a turning point to discuss how training trends shifted across the Golden Era. From there, the conversation shifts to how anabolic steroid use increases tendon and ligament rupture risk and whether the rise of higher-rep training, shorter rest periods, machines, slower eccentrics, and lower frequency in the post-steroid bodybuilding era might partly reflect an unconscious attempt to manage connective tissue risk as drug use escalated.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris shift from the Silver Era into the early anabolic era by analysing a Golden Era training plan from Ken Waller. Using Waller’s 1975 routine as a case study, they explore how bodybuilding training changed as anabolic use became more common. The discussion then transitions into a deep dive on the Weekly Net Stimulus model and why hypertrophy must be understood at the muscle fibre level.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris revisit the Silver Era through one of the most iconic Silver Era bodybuilders, John Grimek, and his bulking plan. They then discuss what muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB) really mean, dismantling the idea that “elevated MPS = muscle growth”. 

Key topics include:

-John Grimek’s full-body gaining routine and the practical logic of Silver Era plans

-MPS vs MPB and net protein balance

-Why you can’t assume elevated MPS always reflects hypertrophy or protection from atrophy<...

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris go back to 1945 and break down Clancy Ross’ pre-contest “definition” routine to show how Silver Era lifters tried to get lean using their gym programming. From there they pivot into dieting and how caloric restriction, stress, glycogen, and glucocorticoids actually affect muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown. 

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris use a 1967 Bill Pearl program to jump from the silver era into the early steroid era, showing how training volume exploded once anabolics entered the picture. They contrast Bill Pearl’s high-volume, six-day split and contrast it with his earlier natural-era programming, before diving into a new study comparing heavy versus light loads in trained lifters and what it really means for stimulating reps, volume load, and rep range choices.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris dive into a Bill Pearl full-body routine, using it as a bridge between the pre-steroid silver era and the early anabolic era. From there, they shift into part two of their sleep series, unpacking how sleep loss influences muscle atrophy and recovery in natural lifters.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down Bob Hoffman’s basic athletic program through a modern physiology lens and unpack how insufficient sleep impacts training performance.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris discuss Silver-Era author Peary Rader’s “training as you get older” guidelines and dive into how to construct a modern, physiology-led template for older lifters.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack a Silver-Era routine passed from 1950 Mr America John Farbotnik to Gene Mozee at a time where high volume plans were taking over bodybuilding. From there they go deep into accumulating fatigue, how excitation–contraction coupling failure, muscle damage, and supraspinal CNS fatigue interact across sessions, why exercise novelty and split design can make this worse, and how to calculate and clear your “fatigue debt” without losing muscle.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Steve Reeves’ 1947 pre-competition full-body routine, then dive into why the Silver-Era were such advocates of orange juice + honey during training. We assess the building research on carbohydrate mouth-rinsing, what this tells us about supraspinal CNS fatigue, and how the performance increase from carbohydrate mouth-rinsing differs from the performance increase from creatine supplementation. 

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris break down Dick DuBois’ 1954 full-body routine (and we finally have some pull-ups!). They then tackle the “half-set” myth, why counting half sets for secondary muscles make any sense and how to adjust multi joint exercises to bias growth in a particular muscle.

Key topics include:

• Dick DuBois’ 1954 full-body plan
• The “Half-Set” problem 
• Damage in secondary muscles
• Using multi joint exercises in beginner vs advanced lifters

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris use Peary Rader’s leg routine to outline a practical, physiology-led blueprint for muscle specialisation.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris start by discussing one of the most widely used methods of the Silver Era; the 20 rep squat. They then dive into the physiology of cluster sets: what they are, how they differ from rest-pause and drop sets, and how cluster sets can be programmed to offer benefits over traditional straight sets. 

Key topics include:

• Reg Park chest specialisation phase (including the classic 20-rep breathing squat method)

• Fatigue mechanisms in clusters explained: metabolite, calcium-ion, spinal, and supraspinal fatigue

• Clusters vs rest...

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Reg Park’s calf-specialisation phase before discussing the physiology of pauses: when they work, when they don’t, and how they compare to partial reps.

Key topics include:

• Reg Park’s 1952 calf-specialisation program
• Straight-leg vs bent-leg calf work and how they bias gastroc vs soleus
• The physiology of pause fatigue: metabolite vs calcium-related mechanisms
• Why static “passive” stretching isn’t the same as active pause contractions
• How to assess whether a given exercise will actually benefit from pauses

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris discuss Sig Klein’s extensive routine and use it as a springboard to tackle one of the biggest programming questions: how much exercise variety do you really need for maximal growth?

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris revisit Joe Weider’s early 1940 full-body program before breaking down the central problem that all split routines face: supraspinal CNS fatigue.

Key topics include:

• How calcium-ion–related fatigue and inflammation create global CNS fatigue
• Why back-to-back training days reduce recruitment, even for unrelated muscles
• Why full-body AAA and AB formats avoid these issues

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris explore Sig Klein’s early A/B full body routine from the pre-steroid bodybuilding era before examining the claim that elevated myofibrillar protein synthesis blunts the effectiveness of subsequent workouts.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris explore the lesser-known silver-era bodybuilder Floyd Page’s 1952 full-body routine before unpacking the topic of training frequency, long-term training studies, and physiological models.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack one of Peary Rader’s Silver Era “advanced beginner” routines, before a deep dive into the principle of Neuromechanical Matching.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down an isometric method from bodybuilding legend and first Mr Universe, John Grimek. They explore how maximal-effort isometrics can stimulate muscle growth and the key differences between overcoming and yielding isometrics.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dive into a 1955 arm specialization routine from Peary Rader and use it as a launchpad to challenge one of the most common misconceptions in hypertrophy programming today.

They explore whether exercises can “bias” specific muscle regions, and what the implications are for hypertrophy programming.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack the very first York Barbell course, discussing its warm-up approach and how it compares to other silver era routines.

The second half of the episode zooms out to explore warm-ups more broadly, what they actually do (and don’t do), whether they affect hypertrophy, and why most warm-up advice might be misguided.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down a pre-steroid bulking routine from Alan Stephen, an underrated Silver Era bodybuilder who trained with a pretty unique method. They explore how this high volume, low rep program makes sense with the stimulating reps model, and use it as a springboard to unpack one of the most misunderstood training concepts: work capacity.

Key Topics:
• The three definitions of “work capacity” and which one actually matters
• Why volume doesn’t improve your ability to do more work
• How cardiovascular endurance (and not high...

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley explore whether full body training can be done every day, and what that really looks like. Drawing inspiration from Bronze Era strongman George Hackenschmidt, they unpack creative strategies for making high frequency training work.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley return to Reg Park, but this time explore one of his most advanced programs. They compare this higher volume plan to Park’s earlier abbreviated routine before exploring whether all training programs eventually lead to the same outcome, and which variables actually determine your muscular potential.

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley discuss one of the strongest bodybuilders of the Silver Era, and the third man to ever bench 500 pounds, Marvin Eder's training routine. 

The second half of the episode takes a deep dive into the mechanisms of strength, why strength isn’t a single adaptation, and why hypertrophy does contribute to strength.

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