Stronger with Time

Dr Tony Boutagy

Join exercise scientist Dr Tony Boutagy as he interviews 11 leading experts in fitness and women's health. With 30+ years of experience and 70,000+ training programs written, Tony bridges rigorous science with practical application.
This podcast explores evidence-based approaches to strength training, metabolism, and nutrition—particularly for women navigating perimenopause and menopause.
Discover what research actually suggests about fitness, beyond trends and oversimplification, through conversations that acknowledge real-world complexities and individual differences.

Play

Open in

21 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 3 min
English

Episodes 21

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

S2 · E56
Monday · 50 min
You Don't Get Fitter During Your Workout, with Professor John Hawley
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 ends How short, hard intervals compare with longer intervals for improving VO₂max and performance What high-intensity training does differently from steady-state exercise How often to go hard, and where lower-intensity training fits Why carbohydrate availability matters when the work gets hard When training with low carbohydrate availability may have a place What the carbohydrate mouth rinse reveals about the brain’s role in performance Concurrent training, the interference effect and when it matters How exercise changes insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal What John’s research on time-restricted eating is finding Whether sex meaningfully changes the metabolic response to exercise Where the search for an exercise mimetic stands How John thinks about consistency, recovery and making exercise a priority This conversation is for anyone who wants to train with more intent and understand what is driving the results. Resources Professor John Hawley ACU profile: https://www.acu.edu.au/research-and-enterprise/our-research-institutes/mary-mackillop-institute-for-health-research/our-people/professor-john-hawley Research and publications: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22John+Hawley%22+exercise+metabolism On PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Hawley+JA+exercise+metabolism Book: Peak Performance: Training and Nutritional Strategies for Sport, by John Hawley and Louise Burke https://books.google.com/books/about/Peak_Performance.html?id=3P5qQgAACAAJ Dr Tony Boutagy / Stronger With Time Website: https://tonyboutagy.com/ Explore Tony’s courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page Instagram: 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.
S2 · E55
August 20 · 1 hr 42 min
Why More Sets, More Soreness and a New Program Every Month Aren't Building More Muscle
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 reps Why 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 do Why strength and hypertrophy are related, but not the same adaptation Why mechanical tension is central to muscle growth What soreness, muscle damage and metabolic stress do, and do not, tell us about hypertrophy Rep ranges, proximity to failure and muscle fibre recruitment Exercise selection and why some muscles benefit from biomechanically different movements Training frequency versus doing more volume in one session Why I often favour total-body training two or three times per week How I approach strength training for women who want to get stronger without maximising muscle size How long to keep a program and why changing exercises too quickly can matter Progressive overload, periodisation and where the evidence is still developing Where research can guide programming and where coaching judgement still matters Why I'd question any program that needs a deload, and what a drop in performance is actually telling you This 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-page If 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
S2 · E53
August 10 · 58 min
Why the Shoulder Is So Vulnerable (And What Stabilises It), with Professor Donald Neumann
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 well Why few muscles perform a meaningful action independently How muscular force couples produce and control movement Why the shoulder’s mobility places greater demands on muscular control How the deltoid and rotator cuff share the work of raising the arm How the serratus anterior and trapezius contribute to scapular movement What the commonly cited two-to-one scapulohumeral rhythm describes When scapular dyskinesis may warrant closer attention Why external-rotation strength depends partly on the muscles anchoring the scapula Whether the lower trapezius and serratus anterior should be trained separately or within larger movements How anatomical variation influences the way we assess the shoulder and hip What Don’s current research may reveal about the actions of individual scapular muscles This 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-course Professor Donald Neumann Marquette University profile:https://www.marquette.edu/physical-therapy/directory/donald-neumann.php Neumann’s Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System, Fourth Edition:https://shop.elsevier.com/books/neumann-s-kinesiology-of-the-musculoskeletal-system/neumann/978-0-323-71859-2 Review 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%5D Tony Boutagy / Stronger With Time Website:https://tonyboutagy.com/ Explore the courses:https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/ Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stronger-with-time/id1815428150 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJON
S2 · E54
July 20 · 1 hr 11 min
Training to Failure: How Close Is Close Enough? with Dr Martin Refalo
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 failure How to develop a more accurate sense of repetitions in reserve How close to failure Martin generally recommends training When recording a set may help calibrate effort How fatigue across a session can affect performance When training to failure may be more appropriate in lower-volume programmes Whether load and repetition range affect muscle growth Why higher-repetition sets can be more difficult to judge What the evidence suggests about sex differences in fatigue, recovery and hypertrophy Whether women require fundamentally different resistance-training programmes How Martin designs studies around practical training questions This 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 Expertise 01:03 Exploring Resistance Training and Training to Failure 01:31 Practical Applications of Exercise Science 01:56 Introduction and guest introduction 02:30 Why study training to failure? The research focus 05:10 Context-dependent nature of training intensity 08:39 The strike zone: 2 reps shy of failure 09:45 Is it worth pushing to true failure? Practical tips 12:02 Perception of effort and actual proximity to failure 13:46 Muscle tension, fatigue, and hypertrophy mechanisms 18:04 Monitoring progress and fatigue through performance 20:40 Fatigue impact across sessions and exercises 25:17 Research findings on proximity to failure and growth 27:31 Programming considerations: volume, load, and recovery 30:54 Training to failure in beginners vs. advanced 33:42 Sex differences in fatigue and recovery 36:25 Applying science to coaching practice 47:04 Designing research studies in exercise science 51:05 Within-subject vs. group studies on failure 54:08 Gender responses to resistance training 58:22 Hormonal influences and muscle growth in females 01:01:27 Bridging science and coaching practice 01:05:10 Program design for different athlete goals 01:08:10 Program duration and auto-regulation 01:10:26 Where to find more about Martin Refalo Dr Martin Refalo Instagram: 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/UCi6aTw95QXJHjv8ucdxnL7Q Tony Boutagy / Stronger With Time Website: https://tonyboutagy.com/ Explore Tony’s courses: https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page Instagram: 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.
S2 · E53
July 15 · 1 hr 6 min
Zone 2, Fuelling and Bone Health for Women in Midlife, with Olympian Rachel Neylan
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. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Rapid-fire cycling questions 06:30 Leaving physiotherapy for professional cycling 09:45 Matching your physiology to the right sport 14:15 Why children need variety before specialisation 17:00 Movement variety for healthy ageing 19:25 What endurance sport teaches you about doing hard things 21:40 Motivation versus identity 24:35 Training after retiring from professional sport 26:15 Bone density and the hidden cost of cycling 29:25 Recovering from a major crash 33:15 Resilience and training around injury 37:30 Under-fuelling and fear of carbohydrate 42:45 Fuelling around a one-hour training session 44:55 Why every workout should not be hard 47:15 Is Zone 2 overrated for women? 52:00 Why an aerobic base supports high-intensity training 55:05 Female physiology and training differences 57:50 Menstrual-cycle tracking without rigid rules 01:01:25 Building a personal performance ecosystem 01:04:00 Rachel’s current work in performance coaching 01:06:20 Closing thoughts Resources Rachel 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-page Follow 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.
S2 · E52
July 7 · 1 hr
Stretching Before Training: When It Helps and How Much with Professor Dave Behm
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. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Professor Dave Behm’s influence on Tony’s PhD 02:00 Dave’s background and why he started testing common training practices 06:00 The question behind Dave’s career: does it actually work? 07:00 How Dave’s view on stretching changed over time 09:30 Static stretching, performance impairments and context 10:30 Why 60 seconds per muscle group is a useful guideline 12:00 How to use stretching inside a warm-up 13:30 Foam rolling before static stretching 14:30 General warm-ups and tissue viscoelasticity 16:00 Do you need stretching before resistance training? 17:00 Full-range resistance training as loaded mobility work 18:00 Stretching for tight areas before lifting 20:00 Foam rolling, range of motion and where it came from 21:30 Foam rolling versus static stretching over time 24:00 Why stiff and flexible clients respond differently 25:30 How often to stretch for flexibility 27:00 How long to stretch outside a training session 28:00 How far should a stretch be taken? 29:30 Static stretching versus dynamic stretching and mobility work 31:00 Post-activation potentiation and post-activation performance enhancement 34:30 How to use a heavy warm-up set in training 36:30 Isometrics and potentiation 37:30 How long the potentiation effect lasts 38:30 Unstable surface training and muscle recruitment 40:00 Why unstable training reduces load 42:00 Where unstable surface training may still be useful 43:30 Strength and hypertrophy under stable versus unstable conditions 45:00 Trained lifters and instability 46:30 Unilateral versus bilateral training 47:30 The bilateral deficit explained 49:30 Why unilateral work may matter more in trained people 51:00 How the brain organises movement and intent 55:00 Movement speed, motor unit recruitment and rate coding 56:30 Slow versus explosive lifting intent 58:00 Power, speed and ageing 58:30 Dave’s book on stretching 01:00:00 Closing thoughts Resources Professor Dave Behm Professor Dave Behm research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22David+Behm%22+stretching Professor Dave Behm on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=David+Behm+stretching Stretching and performance research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+static+stretching+performance Foam rolling and range of motion research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+foam+rolling+range+of+motion Unstable surface training research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+unstable+surface+training Tony Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page 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.
S2 · E50
June 30 · 1 hr 7 min
Hypertrophy Advice: What to Trust and What to Question with Dr Gerard McMahon
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 matter What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy Mechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stress Why “effective reps” and “stimulating reps” are often misunderstood How training volume should change with training status Why more sets in one session are not always better What muscle activation drills can and cannot do Lengthened partials, lengthened range and where they may be useful Why lengthened training does not apply equally to every muscle Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy advice Periodisation and long-term programming for muscle and strength Tendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loading This 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. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and the social media problem in hypertrophy advice 00:55 Dr Gerard McMahon’s background in sport science, research and elite sport 04:00 Research, coaching and how to judge training advice 06:00 Short-term hypertrophy studies versus long-term programming 08:35 Training volume claims and real-world constraints 10:10 What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy? 13:40 Mechanical tension, load and training to failure 15:30 Proximity to failure and motor unit recruitment 17:20 Effective reps and stimulating reps 21:20 Training volume and training status 23:40 Beginner versus advanced weekly volume 25:10 Signs you may be doing too much volume 26:40 Frequency and dividing weekly training volume 29:40 Muscle activation drills and warm-ups 33:30 Glute activation drills and warm-up specificity 35:20 Habitual movement patterns and activation drills 37:45 Lengthened partials and lengthened range 40:30 Which muscles benefit from lengthened range? 44:30 Quads, hamstrings, calves and lengthened work 47:45 Glutes and the best range for hip thrusts 48:45 Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy 51:00 Neuromechanical matching and exercise selection 53:30 Drop sets, supersets and overload techniques 56:10 Periodisation for hypertrophy and strength 58:25 How long to stay on a program 59:30 Tendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loading 01:02:45 How to learn more from Dr Gerard McMahon Resources: Dr Gerard McMahon research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Gerard+McMahon%22+hypertrophy Dr Gerard McMahon on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Gerard%20McMahon%22%20hypertrophy Lengthened partials and hypertrophy research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=lengthened+partials+hypertrophy+McMahon No Strain, No Gain tendon research search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22No+Strain%2C+No+Gain%22+tendon+McMahon Neuromechanical matching review search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hudson+Gandevia+Butler+2019+neuromechanical+matching Tony’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.
S2 · E47
June 22 · 55 min
How to Keep Your Strength, Power and Endurance as You Age with Professor Peter Reaburn
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 age Why older endurance athletes still need resistance and sprint training The role of fast-twitch muscle fibres in later-life performance How to balance hard sessions with lower-intensity work The hard-easy principle and the 80/20 approach Atrial fibrillation risk in lifelong endurance athletes Protein and recovery needs as we age Menopause and the research gap in female masters athletes When to replace a planned hard session with active recovery The physical, cognitive, psychological and social sides of successful ageing This 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. Timestamps 00:00 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 athletes Resources The Masters Athlete by Dr Peter Reaburn https://books.google.com/books?q=%22The+Masters+Athlete%22+%22Peter+Reaburn%22 Nutrition and Performance in Masters Athletes, edited by Dr Peter Reaburn https://www.routledge.com/search?kw=Nutrition%20and%20Performance%20in%20Masters%20Athletes Peter Reaburn’s research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Peter+Reaburn%22 Tony’s website https://tonyboutagy.com/ Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page Tony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/ Stronger With Time on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stronger-with-time/id1815428150 Stronger With Time on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJON Subscribe 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.
S2 · E48
June 8 · 1 hr 13 min
Zone 2, HRV and Concurrent Training: How Elite Endurance Science Applies to Everyday Training — Dr Dan Plews
🌐 Visit → tonyboutagy.com 📲 Follow us on Instagram → @tonyboutagy The 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
S2 · E47
June 1 · 52 min
Female Athlete Health, RED-S and the Research Gap in Women’s Sport with Dr Kate Ackerman
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-S What low energy availability means, and when it becomes a problem Why RED-S requires clinical nuance, not just symptom counting Screening tools, clinical markers and medical context Bone stress injuries, DEXA, HR-pQCT and delayed bone recovery Transdermal estrogen, oral contraceptives and bone health in amenorrheic athletes Adolescent athletes, loading, fueling, calcium, vitamin D and stress injury risk Carbohydrate availability, meal timing and recovery Menopause, HRT and the gaps still left in women’s health research Why female physiology matters, without turning everything into a sex-specific rule This 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.
#48
May 31 · 1 hr 7 min
Hypertrophy Advice: What to Trust and What to Question with Dr Gerard McMahon
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 matter What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy Mechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stress Why “effective reps” and “stimulating reps” are often misunderstood How training volume should change with training status Why more sets in one session are not always better What muscle activation drills can and cannot do Lengthened partials, lengthened range and where they may be useful Why lengthened training does not apply equally to every muscle Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy advice Drop sets, supersets and high-fatigue methods Periodisation and long-term programming for muscle and strength This 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. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and the social media problem in hypertrophy advice 00:55 Dr Gerard McMahon’s background in sport science, research and elite sport 04:00 Research, coaching and how to judge training advice 06:00 Short-term hypertrophy studies versus long-term programming 08:35 Training volume claims and real-world constraints 10:10 What actually triggers muscle hypertrophy? 13:40 Mechanical tension, load and training to failure 15:30 Proximity to failure and motor unit recruitment 17:20 Effective reps and stimulating reps 21:20 Training volume and training status 23:40 Beginner versus advanced weekly volume 25:10 Signs you may be doing too much volume 26:40 Frequency and dividing weekly training volume 29:40 Muscle activation drills and warm-ups 33:30 Glute activation drills and warm-up specificity 35:20 Habitual movement patterns and activation drills 37:45 Lengthened partials and lengthened range 40:30 Which muscles benefit from lengthened range? 44:30 Quads, hamstrings, calves and lengthened work 47:45 Glutes and the best range for hip thrusts 48:45 Social media echo chambers in hypertrophy 51:00 Neuromechanical matching and exercise selection 53:30 Drop sets, supersets and overload techniques 56:10 Periodisation for hypertrophy and strength 58:25 How long to stay on a program 59:30 Tendon training, tendon stiffness and high mechanical loading 01:02:45 How to learn more from Dr Gerard McMahon Resources: Dr Gerard McMahon research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Gerard+McMahon%22+hypertrophy Dr Gerard McMahon on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Gerard%20McMahon%22%20hypertrophy Lengthened partials and hypertrophy research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=lengthened+partials+hypertrophy+McMahon No Strain, No Gain tendon research search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22No+Strain%2C+No+Gain%22+tendon+McMahon Neuromechanical matching review search https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Hudson+Gandevia+Butler+2019+neuromechanical+matching Tony’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.
S2 · E46
May 18 · 55 min
Hypertrophy Research in Practice: What Matters for Muscle Growth
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 hypertrophy Why outcome-based research can be difficult to apply directly to long-term training What muscle hypertrophy is, including radial and longitudinal growth Why mechanical tension sits at the centre of current hypertrophy thinking Where DOMS, “the burn” and acute hormonal spikes fit in Minimalist vs maximalist approaches to training volume Why no single exercise can train every fibre within a complex muscle group Practical implications for pec, delt and glute exercise selection Training frequency, weekly sets and proximity to failure How to think about drop sets, supersets, rest intervals and rep ranges Periodisation, fatigue management and training at longer muscle lengths Who this is for: Coaches, PTs and S&C coaches programming hypertrophy for clients or athletes Serious lifters who want their training aligned with current evidence, not trends Practitioners who care about long-term strength, muscle and joint health Gym owners who want clear hypertrophy principles their teams can apply consistently About 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-page Fat 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-page Follow Tony on Instagram: @tonyboutagy All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
S1 · E45
May 11 · 54 min
How to Program for Hypertrophy: Volume, Frequency & Exercise Selection (with Dr Eric Helms - Part 2)
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 less Why “only the last 5 reps count” doesn’t hold up Why estimating reps in reserve gets harder at higher reps How much volume to use, and how frequency changes that decision Why fatigue matters, but may be overweighted in programming decisions Variety vs variation, and why hypertrophy may not need strength-style periodisation Where drop sets, rest-pause, and myo-reps actually fit, as time-saving tools rather than superior methods Who 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 Resources Dr 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 Boutagy Exercise scientist and coach translating exercise science into practical training and programming decisions.Instagram: @tonyboutagyCourses, seminars, and resources: https://tonyboutagy.com/
S2 · E44
May 4 · 1 hr 15 min
How To Think About Training Advice (with Dr Eric Helms – Part 1)
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 answers What we can and can’t learn from successful athletes and coaches Why individual hypertrophy studies can seem to conflict How to use reviews and position stands without outsourcing your judgement When physiology-based explanations sound more certain than the evidence allows This is the first part of a longer conversation with Eric. The second part moves further into the practical programming questions. Guest and Resources Dr Eric Helms 3D Muscle Journey: https://www.3dmusclejourney.com/about/ The Muscle and Strength Pyramids: https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/ Research profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eric-Helms-2 Resources mentioned: Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports: https://starkcenter.org/ Iron Game History journal: https://starkcenter.org/research/iron-game-history Host: Dr Tony BoutagyExercise scientist and coach translating exercise science into practical training and programming decisions.Instagram: @tonyboutagyCourses, seminars, and resources: https://tonyboutagy.com/
S2 · E46
April 27 · 55 min
The Science of Muscle Growth - and What It Means in Practice, with Professor Michael Roberts
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 grows Why mechanical tension appears to be central to hypertrophy What the evidence shows about testosterone and the androgen receptor in muscle Why women with much lower testosterone than men can still make similar relative gains with resistance training Where the evidence lands on rep ranges and weekly set volume Why drop sets are unlikely to add much once sufficient tension and volume are already in place What sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is, and when it may occur Why recent research suggests muscle fibres may grow by adding more myofibrils, not just by making existing ones bigger Key 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
S2 · E43
April 20 · 1 hr 16 min
What Still Works for Building Muscle (After 50 Years of Research) – with Professor William Kraemer
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 grow How the anabolic hormonal response to resistance training actually works, and why testosterone does not act until it hits a receptor Why excessive cortisol from poorly designed training may inhibit the very anabolic processes it was meant to stimulate Why the eight to ten rep range at shorter rest periods of two to three minutes creates the most significant physiological stressor Why 4×10 at moderate loads is often a bigger recovery demand than 3×3–5 heavy, and what that means for your week Why normative exercises form the foundation of any complete programme, and why angle variation is a necessary strategy for complete motor unit coverage What 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 appears Key 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 & Links Dr. 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
S2 · E41
April 13 · 1 hr 13 min
Dementia Prevention, Brain Training, and What Actually Works - with Dr. Tommy Wood
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 factors How the 3S model - stimulus, supply, and support - helps make sense of brain health What the evidence actually supports when it comes to omega-3s, B vitamins, vitamin D, and other supplements Why resistance training, high intensity interval training, and coordination-based exercise may benefit different aspects of brain function What the evidence shows about menopausal hormone therapy and cognitive function What current research suggests about alcohol, statins, lithium, melatonin, and cognitive health Key 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 - @drtommywood THE STIMULATED MIND - https://www.drtommywood.com/stimulated-mind Food 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
S2 · E41
April 6 · 55 min
Why Your Brain Stops You Before Your Muscles Do - with Professor Alan St. Clair Gibson
Fatigue in the weights room is one of the least studied areas in exercise science. The research models we draw on were built almost entirely on endurance athletes - and what governs performance during heavy lifting may be a different question altogether. Professor Alan St. Clair Gibson is a medical doctor and one of the world's leading authorities on fatigue in sport and exercise, and a key architect of the Central Governor Model of fatigue that is now widely accepted and taught in exercise science. In this episode, you will learn: Why fatigue is classified as a complex emotion, not a purely physical event How the brain reduces motor unit recruitment as a protective mechanism before the muscles have actually failed Why pain and fear may be larger regulators than fatigue itself during heavy lifting How the I voice and the me voice compete during exercise - and what shapes each one What the Integrative Governor Model adds to the Central Governor What a 1962 study reveals about the reserve the brain withholds under normal conditions Key insight The brain reduces motor unit recruitment before the muscles are genuinely exhausted. Understanding what sets that threshold - and what can shift it - is one of the more consequential and least explored questions in strength and conditioning. Resources & Links: Professor Alan St. Clair Gibson - https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/a.gibson The Integrative Governor Model (2018) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28478704/ Dr. Tony Boutagy - https://tonyboutagy.com/ Follow on Instagram - @tonyboutagy Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJON
S2 · E38
March 30 · 48 min
The New ACSM Resistance Training Guidelines: What Matters for Strength, Muscle and Power with Dr. Brad Currier
The new ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training is the first major update to these guidelines since 2009. That matters not just because more research now exists, but because this update uses an overview-of-reviews methodology built on 137 systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering just over 30,000 participants. The result is a more reproducible, evidence-based summary of what appears to matter most for generally healthy adults looking to get stronger, build muscle, and improve function. Dr. Brad Currier is the lead author on the position stand and joins me to explain how it was built, what it suggests about the variables that seem to matter most, and why some of the factors the fitness industry argues about most intensely may carry less weight than people think. You’ll learn Why a position stand sits differently in the evidence hierarchy than a single trial, review, or meta-analysis Why the 2026 update is meaningfully different from the 2009 version in both method and intended population How the author team pre-defined populations, outcomes, and study types before a single paper was included Why the shift from no resistance training to some resistance training may still be the biggest message for the general public What appears to matter most for different outcomes: load for strength, volume for hypertrophy, and speed for power Why power training may deserve more attention in the context of healthy aging What the evidence suggests about rep ranges for muscle growth, and why the old continuum model may be too narrow What did not appear to significantly change outcomes for general-population goals, including machines versus free weights and periodisation Why the findings may feel more liberating than prescriptive for coaches working with everyday clients Brad’s practical framework for someone beginning resistance training for the first time Key insight This position stand is not a blueprint for “optimal” training in every context. It is a synthesis of what the evidence suggests for the vast majority of generally healthy adults, many of whom are still doing no resistance training at all. That context matters when applying the findings. Resources & links • ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training (2026) - https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2026/04000/american_college_of_sports_medicine_position.21.aspx• Timeline Nutrition - https://www.timeline.com• Visit - tonyboutagy.com• Follow on Instagram - @tonyboutagy• Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5Yydg6y3dA8OiA8hyHcJON• Master evidence-based program design - tonyboutagy.com/advanced-program-mastery-course-page
S2 · E34
March 23 · 1 hr 3 min
Creatine, High Protein Diets & the Supplements Worth Taking - with Professor Jose Antonio
Creatine has been studied for decades. The dosing evidence is settled, the mechanism is understood, and the safety profile in healthy people is clear. Yet advice on whether to take it, how much, and what form still varies widely in practice. In this episode, Professor Jose Antonio works through where the confusion comes from - and what the research actually shows. Professor Antonio is the co-founder and CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a professor at Nova Southeastern University, and the author of over 300 peer-reviewed papers on sports nutrition and supplementation. You'll learn: Why the evidence doesn't support the kidney damage claim for healthy people - and what studies at 3.5g/kg found How to evaluate the mTOR longevity argument Why elevated liver enzymes in trained individuals often reflect adaptation, not pathology How creatine works - and what the water weight argument misses Why creatine monohydrate remains the evidence-supported form Whether higher creatine doses for cognitive function are worth it Why there is no compelling reason to cycle creatine on and off Which supplements the evidence supports for healthy aging When HMB and essential amino acids are worth considering How to assess whether a pre-workout is properly dosed Key insight: The argument against high protein intake - whether on kidney or longevity grounds - consistently runs into the same problem: the people consuming the most protein tend to be those exercising the most and carrying the most muscle mass. Separating protein from those variables in clinical endpoints is not straightforward, and Professor Antonio argues the trade-offs involved are not what the critics assume. 🌐 Visit → tonyboutagy.com 📲 Follow us on Instagram → @tonyboutagy 📣 Get the evidence-based framework for fat loss: tonyboutagy.com/fat-loss-fundamentals-course-page Topics: creatine, sports nutrition, protein intake, kidney function, mTOR, longevity, sports supplements, Jose Antonio, ISSN, healthy aging, omega-3, vitamin D, HMB, glucosamine, pre-workout

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes