Article Category
Strength & Muscle
9 articles
The 9-Attempt Problem: Why Powerlifting Competition Strategy Is More Than Just Being Strong
Every powerlifter gets 9 attempts. How you allocate them — not how strong you are — often decides the outcome. Here's the science and strategy behind intelligent attempt selection.
5 min read · 2026-10-20
Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP/PAPE): The Heavy Squat Before Sprinting
Post-activation potentiation (PAP) and post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) use a heavy conditioning exercise to prime the nervous system for explosive performance. Learn the mechanism, optimal rest window, and athlete selection criteria.
5 min read · 2026-10-06
You're Leaving Hypertrophy on the Table After Every Set. The Myo-Reps Method Fixes That.
Myo-reps harvest high-threshold motor unit activation repeatedly through mini-sets with intraset rest. Learn the protocol and the science behind why it works.
5 min read · 2026-09-29
Hypertrophy Mechanisms: Mechanical Tension vs Metabolic Stress vs Damage
Schoenfeld's 2010 three-mechanism hypertrophy model proposed mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage as drivers of muscle growth. A decade of subsequent research has clarified which mechanisms dominate — and which have been overstated.
5 min read · 2026-09-08
Valsalva and Intra-Abdominal Pressure: Bracing for Spinal Stability
Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) generated by the Valsalva manoeuvre increases spinal compressive load tolerance by up to 40%. Exhaling during the effort phase reduces IAP and undermines spinal stability at peak mechanical load. Understanding when and how to brace correctly is fundamental to safe heavy lifting.
5 min read · 2026-09-08
IPF GL Points: The Formula That Replaced the Wilks Score
The IPF replaced the Wilks score in 2019 with the GL coefficient. Discover why bodyweight extremes broke Wilks and how the new formula changes how we compare powerlifting strength.
5 min read · 2026-09-08
Flywheel (Isoinertial) Training: Eccentric Overload Beyond 1RM
Flywheel devices match eccentric resistance to concentric force output — automatically delivering supramaximal eccentric loads that barbells cannot replicate. Here's the science.
5 min read · 2026-08-25
Daily Undulating Periodisation (DUP): Why Fixed Rep Ranges Underperform
Daily Undulating Periodisation rotates strength, power and hypertrophy stimuli within the same week. Meta-analyses consistently show 28% greater strength gains than linear periodisation across matched volumes.
5 min read · 2026-08-18
Building Muscle at 20% of Your 1RM: The Physiology Behind Blood Flow Restriction Training.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training produces equivalent hypertrophic stimulus to heavy resistance training at 20–40% of 1RM loads. The mechanism — cell swelling, metabolic stress, and mTORC1 activation — explains why every elite rehabilitation programme now includes it.
5 min read · 2026-06-30