HoldsUp

Brad Schoenfeld

Lehman College

Brad Schoenfeld is a professor at Lehman College whose work focuses on exercise science and sports nutrition. His research primarily investigates muscle hypertrophy, body composition, and neuromuscular adaptations to resistance training protocols. His published studies also examine sports nutrition, muscle protein synthesis, and physical fitness metrics.

64 claims checked on air: 3 context 3 contradicted 1 overstated 51 supported 6 unverified

What they said on air - citing their own research

7 citing their own research

0:00:31supportedhightheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

Resistance training produces similar amounts of muscle hypertrophy across a wide loading spectrum, including up to 30 to 40 repetitions per set.

"The literature has now compellingly shown—there's so much literature on the topic, our lab has done quite a bit of research as well as many others, and it shows that you can gain muscle, similar amounts of muscle regardless of the loading across a wide range of loading spectrums up to 30 to even 40 repetitions" (said at 0:00:31)

A substantial body of randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrates that resistance training across a wide loading spectrum—ranging from heavy loads (e.g., >80% 1RM or 6–8 repetitions) to low loads (e.g., 30–50% 1RM or 25–35+ repetitions per set)—produces comparable muscle hypertrophy, provided sets are performed with high effort or to momentary muscular failure. While heavier loads remain superior for maximal strength (1RM) gains, hypertrophic adaptations do not significantly differ across these repetition ranges.

0:46:10supportedhightheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

Whole-muscle hypertrophy gains are similar across a wide spectrum of repetition ranges, from heavy loads up to 30 to 40 repetitions per set, when sets are performed with high effort.

"The literature has now compellingly shown—there's just so much literature on the topic. Our lab has done quite a bit of research, as well as many others, and it shows that you can gain muscle, similar amounts of muscle, regardless of the loading across a wide range of loading spectrums, up to 30 to even 40 repetitions, which is a long—that's a long set. And that's at the whole-muscle level." (said at 0:46:10)

Extensive meta-analytic evidence from randomized controlled trials supports the claim that whole-muscle hypertrophy is similar across a wide spectrum of loading and repetition ranges (from heavy loads to very light loads involving 30 to 40+ repetitions) when sets are taken to or near momentary muscular failure. While maximal dynamic strength (1RM) gains favor heavier loads, increases in muscle cross-sectional area and thickness do not meaningfully differ between low-load and high-load protocols.

0:55:50supportedlowtheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

A meta-analysis showed that functional improvements in older adults were optimized when resistance training incorporated fast concentric contractions combined with controlled eccentric contractions.

"And our group was involved recently in a meta-analysis on older individuals that showed functional improvements were optimized when they did training that involved moving the concentric action quickly and then doing a controlled eccentric." (said at 0:55:50)

A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis co-authored by the speaker's research group evaluated 20 randomized controlled trials (566 community-living older adults aged ≥60 years) comparing power training (defined as lifting weights as fast as possible during the concentric phase with controlled lowering) against traditional strength training (controlled lifting and lowering). Power training showed a modest, statistically significant advantage for improving objective physical function (standardized mean difference 0.30, 95% CI 0.05–0.54; 13 RCTs, n=383). The certainty of the underlying evidence was rated as low due to risk of bias and imprecision across the included trials.

1:01:04supportedmoderatetheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

A meta-analysis shows that taking every resistance training set to failure provides no additional benefit for muscle hypertrophy and shows a small detriment for strength gains compared to stopping short of failure.

"So certainly, you need to train with a high amount of effort, but to take certainly to take every set to failure doesn't show any benefit for hypertrophy. It actually showed a small detriment for strength. So with strength, stopping a couple reps short of failure seemed to have better effects on maximizing strength than training to failure." (said at 1:01:04)

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses support the claim. A meta-analysis by Davies et al. (2016) found that non-failure training produced slightly greater strength gains than training to failure (ES = 0.34, p = 0.02; a 0.6–1.3% difference favoring non-failure). Similarly, meta-analyses by Grgic et al. (2022) and Refalo et al. (2023) found that training to momentary muscular failure is not required for muscle hypertrophy and does not produce superior overall hypertrophic adaptations compared to stopping short of failure when volume is accounted for.

1:08:30supportedmoderatetheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

The minimal effective dose of resistance training for muscle hypertrophy is roughly four sets per muscle group per week.

"But we recently published a review paper called "No Time to Lift." It's open access, so you can maybe post on this podcast the link to that or show the image of the study. But we basically kind of looked at what is your minimal effective dose, and that was roughly around four sets per week per muscle per week" (said at 1:08:30)

The speaker accurately describes the findings of the 2021 narrative review "No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy" (co-authored by Schoenfeld). The review evaluated the literature on time-efficient resistance training and concluded that performing a minimum of 4 weekly sets per muscle group (using a 6–15 repetition maximum loading range or up to failure) serves as an effective minimal dose for hypertrophy and strength adaptations.

1:16:15supportedmoderatetheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

Taking short rest periods between sets compromises muscle hypertrophy compared to longer rest periods.

"And that's why it's actually been shown that resting short, having short rest periods between sets—if you're doing a certain number of sets and you're resting short, taking short rest, it actually compromises hypertrophy." (said at 1:16:15)

When the number of sets is fixed, very short inter-set rest periods (e.g., ≤60 seconds) generally lead to lower total volume load due to accumulated fatigue, which compromises muscle hypertrophy compared to longer rest periods (>60–180 seconds). A 2024 systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis found a small hypertrophic advantage for rest intervals longer than 60 seconds compared to short rest periods, though benefits appeared to plateau beyond approximately 90 seconds. A 2016 randomized controlled trial in resistance-trained men similarly demonstrated greater muscle thickness gains with 3-minute versus 1-minute rest intervals when set volume was held constant.

1:46:47supportedmoderatetheir own paperDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

A 20-second loaded interset stretch between sets of calf raises promoted greater hypertrophy in the soleus muscle, with no substantial difference in the gastrocnemius.

"We recently published a study, and there were some papers before this also showing this, that what's called interset stretch, loaded stretch, um promoted somewhat greater gains. We used it in a calf exercise... And they did it for 20 seconds, and then they rested for the rest of the rest interval. And we found somewhat greater growth in the soleus muscle and really no difference, no substantial difference, in the gastrocnemius." (said at 1:46:47)

The speaker accurately describes the findings of their randomized within-subject study (PMID: 36048793). In 21 young healthy men performing calf raises twice per week over 8 weeks, adding a 20-second loaded inter-set stretch between sets led to a greater increase in soleus muscle thickness compared to traditional passive rest, whereas effects on the medial and lateral gastrocnemius were equivocal or ambiguous.

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