The Strength Log

How much muscle growth are you missing out on by not getting enough sleep? In today's episode, we discuss a new scientific review exploring how sleep affects your hormones, muscle protein synthesis, recovery, and ability to train hard.
The evidence suggests that poor sleep makes it harder to build muscle. But despite everything we know about the importance of sleep, there's surprisingly little direct research showing how much muscle growth you actually lose by not getting enough of it. We dig into what the science tells us, what remains uncertain, and how much you should worry about the occasional bad night's sleep.
We also answer a listener question about barbell rows versus Pendlay rows, and take a closer look at Madcow 5x5, a classic strength program for lifters who've moved beyond the beginner stage.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter
02:45 - Study review: Are you sleeping on muscle growth?
27:15 - Listener question: Barbell rows or Pendlay rows for Madcow 5x5?
34:45 - Program of the week: Madcow 5x5
***
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!
You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
Become a part of our Reddit community here.
***
This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.
To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

If you're doing nine sets for a muscle every week, does it matter whether you cram them into one workout or spread them across three? In today's episode, we discuss a new study that tested exactly that in experienced lifters.
Both groups performed the same exercises and the same number of weekly sets, but spreading them over three workouts allowed the lifters to perform considerably more reps and total training volume. Did that translate into more strength and muscle growth?
We dig into the results, why the strength gains appeared to favor higher frequency while muscle growth was remarkably similar, and what this means for how you should distribute your own training.
Finally, we answer listener questions about whether your grip affects muscle growth and whether there will be another fitness Advent calendar in our app this year.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter
03:00 - Program of the week: High Frequency Full Body Program
07:00 - Same sets, more workouts: Does training frequency matter?
24:30 - Listener question 1: How does your choice of grip affect muscle growth?
28:15 - Listener question 2: Will there be a fitness Advent calendar in the StrengthLog app this year?
***
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!
You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
Become a part of our Reddit community here.
***
This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.
To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

Can intermittent fasting help you build muscle without gaining too much fat? In today's episode, we review a new 12-week study comparing lifters who bulked with an eight-hour eating window to lifters who could eat whenever they wanted.
But the most interesting result might have very little to do with time-restricted eating. One group ended up eating considerably more calories and gained more than twice as much fat, yet both groups gained the same amount of muscle and strength.
We discuss what this tells us about intermittent fasting, calorie control, and just how small a surplus you might actually need to maximize muscle growth when bulking.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter
04:30 - StrengthLog v9 – what's new in this huge app release?
11:30 - Program of the week: StrengthLog's Full Body Workout Routine
14:45 - Study review: Bulking and intermittent fasting
***
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!
You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
Become a part of our Reddit community here.
***
This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.
To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

If you add muscle mass to your pecs, will that mean you'll also be able to lift more weight in the bench press?
In today's episode, we look at a new study of Paralympic bench pressers that measured their pecs, triceps, and arm length, and then compared these variables with their performance at the Brazilian national championship.
The results? Bigger pecs and triceps were associated with stronger benches, while longer arms were associated with weaker ones. Together, those three variables explained a surprisingly large amount of the differences in bench press strength. But does that actually mean growing your pecs will automatically increase your bench?
Let's discuss what the study can and can't tell us!
Finally, we answer a listener question about body fat: at what body fat percentage does your strength start to decrease?
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter about bench pressing
10:00 - Program of the week: Bench Press Boogie
14:15 - Study review: Big pecs, big bench?
27:00 - Listener question: At what body fat percentage does your strength decrease?
***
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!
You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
Become a part of our Reddit community here.
***
This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.
To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

If you train your legs hard, could they steal gains from your upper body? In today's episode, we discuss a new study that put the idea of muscles competing for growth to the test by having one group train only their biceps and another train both their biceps and quads.
Did adding all that leg training leave fewer resources for the biceps to grow? We dig into the results, what they tell us about local versus whole-body factors in muscle growth, and revisit the old claim that training your legs first and then your arms will actually make your arms grow more.
Finally, we answer a question about how to approach leg training at 60, including exercise selection and building up your range of motion and training volume.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter
07:15 - Program of the week: Armageddon
12:00 - Main course: Do muscles compete for growth?
31:15 - Listener question: Any advice on leg training for a 60-year-old? I'm looking for both strength and muscle.
***
Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!
You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.
Become a part of our Reddit community here.
***
This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.
To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.
If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.