Build Your Ideal Physique | Dr. Bret Contreras

A study by Brad Schoenfeld showed that performing three sets of 10 reps on the squat resulted in greater muscle hypertrophy than three sets of three reps.

"classic Brad Schoenfeld paper, three sets of three versus three sets of 10 on the squat. Three sets of 10 grew more muscle." (said at 2:34:46)

The speaker misrepresents both the protocol and the outcome of the classic Brad Schoenfeld study (Schoenfeld et al., 2014, PMID 24714538). The study compared a hypertrophy-oriented protocol (3 sets of 10 RM) against a volume-equated powerlifting-oriented protocol of 7 sets of 3 RM (not 3 sets of 3 RM). Furthermore, the study did not find that 3 sets of 10 produced more muscle hypertrophy; rather, both protocols promoted similar increases in muscle thickness with no statistically significant differences between groups.

• contradicts: Effects of different volume-equated resistance training loading strategies on muscular ada… (Journal of strength and conditioning research 2014) · cited 185x in the literature

  "Seventeen young men were randomly assigned to either a hypertrophy-type resistance training group that performed 3 sets of 10 repetition maximum (RM) with 90 seconds rest or a strength-type resistance training (ST) group that performed 7 sets of 3RM with a 3-minute rest interval. After 8 weeks, no significant differences were noted in muscle thickness of the biceps brachii... In conclusion, this study showed that both bodybuilding- and powerlifting-type training promote similar increases in muscular size, but powerlifting-type training is superior for enhancing maximal strength." (abstract, results and conclusion, passage verified)

  pubmedfull study (doi)

Scientific evidence indicates that higher-repetition resistance training creates more muscle damage than lower-repetition training.

"There is some argument as to whether high reps create more muscle damage. There seems to be evidence of that." (said at 2:35:16)

Scientific evidence does not demonstrate that higher-repetition (low-load) resistance training causes greater muscle damage than lower-repetition (high-load) training. Exercise-induced muscle damage is primarily driven by high mechanical tension and eccentric loading, which are typically elevated with heavier loads. Comparative studies and reviews indicate that high-load training generally induces equal or greater markers of muscle damage (such as creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase elevations and prolonged loss of force production) compared to low-load, high-repetition training to failure.

• context: Sex differences in the impact of resistance exercise load on muscle damage: A protocol for… (PloS one 2022) · cited 2x in the literature

  "Previous research has considered resistance exercise intensity as a factor in exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), though a clear direction of the findings has not yet been established." (abstract, background, passage verified)

  pubmedfull study (doi)
• contradicts: Effects of Low-Load, High-Repetition Resistance Training on Maximum Muscle Strength and Mu… (International journal of molecular sciences 2023) · cited 15x in the literature

  "More importantly, LH-RT led to a significant reduction in muscle damage markers, creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), suggesting reduced recovery time and fatigue. Our results demonstrated that the LH-RT paradigm could be a viable alternative for weightlifters to enhance MMS and muscle hypertrophy similar to HL-RT, while reducing RT-induced muscle damage, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of exercise performance." (abstract, results, passage verified)

  pubmedfull study (doi)