Martin Refalo

Educator | Health & Fitness Coach | PhD Candidate at Deakin University Interested in Resistance Training | Student of Science

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@JSportsSci @jacksonfyfe How many downloads? 👀

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@Ruialexpirex @jacksonfyfe @DrAndyGalpin @GregNuckols @iainjgallagher @dlhamilton82 Possibly the surface area to volume ratio of the fibres. Smaller fibre volume to start off with = possibly larger potential for growth. Type I fibres larger in females to start with (versus type II), but vice versa for males.

[James L. Nuzzo, PhD @JamesLNuzzo]

The Roundup includes links to interesting content that I came across this week, including works by @RealLastStand / @SwipeWright, @CollegeFix, @trgolden, @MartinRefalo, etc. Check it out!👇

[Andy Galpin, PhD @DrAndyGalpin]

Great breakdown of our most recent paper, just published this week.

Main Conclusion: Men & women grow muscle mass at the same rate in response to resistance exercise.

Led by @MartinRefalo w/ @GregNuckols @jacksonfyfe @dlhamilton82 @iainjgallagher

[Jackson Fyfe, PhD @jacksonfyfe]

Resistance training: the most potent tool for muscle growth.

But do men and women benefit equally?

Our new meta-analysis led by @MartinRefalo found:

➡️ Men saw slightly greater absolute muscle growth
➡️ Relative gains were nearly identical between sexes
➡️ Type I muscle fibre growth slightly favored men, but Type II growth was the same

Women can build muscle just as effectively as men.

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@mackinprof @PeerJLife @GregNuckols @DrAndyGalpin @jacksonfyfe Thanks for sharing Doc!

[Jackson Fyfe, PhD @jacksonfyfe]

How does it “feel” to lift to failure?

And why does it matter?

Our new study in trained lifters shows lifting to failure (vs. stopping 1-2 reps short):

- Increases perceived discomfort and exertion
- Worsens general feelings that increase over time
- Promotes variable responses between individuals

The take home?

Lifters who find failure unpleasant may benefit from stopping 1-2 reps short, achieving similar hypertrophy while possibly supporting long-term adherence.

https://t.co/vbxBOd9mhw

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

New study looking at the impact of protein intake on fat-free mass retention during energy restriction now open access in the Strength and Conditioning Journal.

Check it out!

https://t.co/insRdt8YXD

@EricTrexler

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@DanielBerglind Thanks for sharing my research :)

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@nick_krontiris Thanks for sharing my research!

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

New paper published. Will be open access in a few days!

[Brad Schoenfeld, PhD @BradSchoenfeld]

New meta indicates protein requirements may be as high as ~3 g/kg/d to optimize FFM retention during energy restriction. Note that FFM doesn't necessary = muscle mass. Also, protein intake from self-report may not be accurate. Interesting nonetheless...

https://t.co/7qeuLFiYFI

[Brad Schoenfeld, PhD @BradSchoenfeld]

New meta indicates protein requirements may be as high as ~3 g/kg/d to optimize FFM retention during energy restriction. Note that FFM doesn't necessary = muscle mass. Also, protein intake from self-report may not be accurate. Interesting nonetheless...

https://t.co/7qeuLFiYFI

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@BradSchoenfeld Thanks Brad! Paper will be open access and free for everyone to read in a few days.

[House of Hypertrophy @hypertrophyhome]

Do you need to train to failure to maximize muscle hypertrophy?

This was an excellent paper by @MartinRefalo

[Jackson Fyfe, PhD @jacksonfyfe]

⌛ 3 x years of dedicated work

🔬 2 x original research studies

📃 6 x peer-reviewed journal articles

👨‍💻 And of course 1 x very proud supervisor

🎓 Congratulations, Dr Martin Refalo!

[Layne Norton, PhD @BioLayne]

Training to failure isn’t needed to max gains?

Some people believe that you must take every set to failure in order to maximize muscle gains, but emerging literature suggests this may not be the case

A new study examined training to failure vs stopping 1 to 2 reps shy of failure & found that the participants gained the same amount of muscle mass from both training styles

There are several strengths to this study. First of all, they used a unilateral design where each participant was their own control by training one leg taking each set to failure and stopping 1-2 reps shy on the other. This helps negate any genetic induced differences since each person is acting as their own control

Second, they matched training volumes to the participants previous volumes. This is a HUGE strength that is often overlooked in other studies

Third, they used participants that were well trained (at least 3 years resistance training experience)

Fourth, they had them all eat in a slight calorie surplus

This adds to a growing body of literature demonstrating that training to absolute failure isn’t needed for gains & is likely counterproductive for optimal strength gains due to excess fatigue

Interestingly, each group had no difference in total reps performed. That may seem strange when one group is going to failure but the other is stopping 1-2 reps shy. This can be explained by lower inter-set fatigue in the non failure group. For example if a failure group hits failure at 10 reps in set 1, they may only get 8 on the next set, and 6 on the next set. Whereas they might have been able to do 8 reps every set if they didn’t go to all out failure. As such, if you do train to failure I recommend only going to failure on your very last set of an exercise

If you want to know how to implement this sort of programming make sure you check out the Biolayne Workoit Builder to get access to all my evidence based programs to help you get strong AF & build muscle 👊

https://t.co/ptrzE34UVH

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@brunooremigio @SportRxiv @GregNuckols @DrAndyGalpin @iainjgallagher @jacksonfyfe @dlhamilton82 I created the graphic on Canva - all the icons are from there. Some might be from Flaticon!

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

NEW meta-analysis investigating sex differences in muscle hypertrophy now available as a Preprint.

@SportRxiv
https://t.co/18Rlf4vV61

Thanks to: @GregNuckols @DrAndyGalpin @iainjgallagher @jacksonfyfe @dlhamilton82

🔑 Findings below!

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@TonyBoutagy Thank you for sharing, Tony!

[Martin Refalo @MartinRefalo]

@danhwilliams @jacksonfyfe Thank you!