Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
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Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Hey guys so we have gotten another Q&A set up, this time with Steve Hall, aka Revive Stronger. Steve has done tons of interview with the top people in the fitness industry and has a lot of knowledge from his own experience. Steve is a high level physique coach who has set up a very successful coaching platform that is based highly on scientific research and is ever evolving. Considering his vast knowledge in regards to bodybuilding, building strength, and nutrition, we thought it would be very valuable for you all to be able to ask Steve questions.
Here are some podcasts of his you may enjoy.
A roundtable podcast with Eric Helms and Mike Israetel
Programming strategy with Eric Helms:
Here are some podcasts of his you may enjoy.
A roundtable podcast with Eric Helms and Mike Israetel
Programming strategy with Eric Helms:
- Murelli
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
What's the hardest part of interviewing people on your podcast?
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
so I have a couple questions,
How do you decide what you are going to change after reviewing a training mesocycle, such as how do you know when you need to add more volume/frequency or a reduction of either. And if you changed more than one thing in your current mesocycle how do you determine which variable was effective.
And lastly what is your favorite article on the peridoizarion of training?
How do you decide what you are going to change after reviewing a training mesocycle, such as how do you know when you need to add more volume/frequency or a reduction of either. And if you changed more than one thing in your current mesocycle how do you determine which variable was effective.
And lastly what is your favorite article on the peridoizarion of training?
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Who among the people you've interviewed do you think get much less attention than they deserve?
Fame in the internet lifting world seems predicated more on style than substance sometimes, and I definitely think I can fall victim to that too, but you seem to try to interview legit experts so you know should know some hidden gems.
Fame in the internet lifting world seems predicated more on style than substance sometimes, and I definitely think I can fall victim to that too, but you seem to try to interview legit experts so you know should know some hidden gems.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
I totally read this as Q&A with Steve Hill at first.. aka the SSC. Whew.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Steve, I hadn't heard of you before this thread, so I'm listening to a couple podcasts to familiarize myself. If you've answered these questions elsewhere, then please feel free to simply redirect me. That being said:
1) What's the biggest change you've made in the past year in your coaching practice - as it relates to programming/coaching - as a result of your interviews/research?
2) What/who are some of your go-to resources for information on strength training?
3) What research and/or training methodologies have you most excited right now? Why?
If I think of more, then I'll add them to this post.
Thanks!
Matt
ETA: I really liked Chebass' question in Brian's thread, I'm going to repost it here:
1) What's the biggest change you've made in the past year in your coaching practice - as it relates to programming/coaching - as a result of your interviews/research?
2) What/who are some of your go-to resources for information on strength training?
3) What research and/or training methodologies have you most excited right now? Why?
If I think of more, then I'll add them to this post.
Thanks!
Matt
ETA: I really liked Chebass' question in Brian's thread, I'm going to repost it here:
Edited again: Steve, just wanted to say I've listened to 6-7 episodes since I posted last week and I really enjoy the show. Quality information and interesting guests.
Last edited by MattNeilsen on Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
How much ya bench, bro? (And at what bodyweight?)
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
For bodybuilders (or someone training purely for aesthetics without actually competing) how important do you think it is to train the squat, bench, and deadlift? How frequently, if ever, would you have a bodybuilder go up to higher intensities (like 85%+) or test 1RM's on the big three?
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Do you have a favorite bodybuilding template for someone (male or female) who is making the transition to bodybuilding after doing other strength sports such as powerlifting/bodybuilding?
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Do you have any training strategies you've found effective for people with restricted schedules, i.e. 45 minute sessions only or two days per week only (several of us here in that boat)?
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
I would love to hear your opinion on the effectiveness of training for hypertrophy by doing sets far away from failure. It has been a very heated debate on here. Many members love the idea of doing many sets of 70% range reps, but stopped far from failure on each set (so below RPE 6).
Sample claim: Instead of doing 3 sets of 100x6@7 it will be just as effective for hypertrophy to do 6 sets of 100x3 explosively with 60-180 seconds of rest in between sets.
Sample claim: Instead of doing 3 sets of 100x6@7 it will be just as effective for hypertrophy to do 6 sets of 100x3 explosively with 60-180 seconds of rest in between sets.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Aside from sleep and nutrition, are there any other recover methods that you would endorse or find works for you (i.e. massage, sauna, ice baths, etc.)? I'm skeptical about these things, but some people swear by them even though I think it could be a placebo effect.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
Posting Steve's answers for you guys!!
1) @Murelli asks: what's the hardest part of interviewing people on your podcast?
The hardest part is probably the interviews that I don’t feel as passionately about, or where I don’t know a lot about them or their areas of expertise. This rarely happens, because I look to only bring on people I am very aware of and well acquainted with.
2) @KoolaidMannn n asks: How do you decide what you are going to change after reviewing a training mesocycle, such as how do you know when you need to add more volume/frequency or a reduction of either. And if you changed more than one thing in your current mesocycle how do you determine which variable was effective.
And lastly what is your favorite article on the peridoizarion of training?
When creating a mesocycle I already do a lot of background work i.e. understand the training history, lifestyle factors, goals etc. This allows me to generate a great framework from which to progress from.
Initially I like to keep things quite static, to see how a person responds to the protocol, as making changes too early can just make things a little too confusing. Once I have ran a certain protocol I do a variety of assessments from asking a client for their feedback (enjoyment, areas feeling under/over recovered etc.) and looking over training performance myself.
From there I can make some minor tweaks for the next mesocycle, then from here I make more frequent but minor changes. It might be adding or removing a set, suggesting a certain load or even dropping in a light day to aid recovery and future performance.
In many ways it is like baking a cake, you know the ingredients etc. you combine them and put them in the oven for the required time to cook. Now and then you open the oven to check in on things, but don’t make any major changes otherwise the whole cake is going to be ruined. Once done you review things and make larger changes before starting and monitoring again.
In regards to frequency specifically, I see this mostly as just a tool to distribute training volume. So for the most part I let be determined by client preferences.
Favourite article on training perioidsation (it’s a series): http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/201 ... on-part-1/
3) @perman asks: Who among the people you've interviewed do you think get much less attention than they deserve?
The person that comes to the top of my head is James Hoffman from Renaissance Periodization. He is very well spoken, makes things easy to understand and knows a hell of a lot. Always enjoy talking and listening to him.
4) @MattNeilsen asks: Steve, I hadn't heard of you before this thread, so I'm listening to a couple podcasts to familiarize myself. If you've answered these questions elsewhere, then please feel free to simply redirect me. That being said:
1) What's the biggest change you've made in the past year in your coaching practice - as it relates to programming/coaching - as a result of your interviews/research?
Specificity.
In the past I would work with a huge number of different clients, now I have dialled this more so down to physique competitors and those seeking to maximise body comp. Also this has changed the way I programme, with again more specificity. Previously I would have run training cycles in the aim to get both bigger and stronger, but now I use a block periodisation approach to get the most out of a certain characteristic.
2) What/who are some of your go-to resources for information on strength training?
I could name so so many, but to keep it more brief: Mike Israetel, Eric Helms, Brad Schoenfeld, Mike Zourdos.
3) What research and/or training methodologies have you most excited right now? Why?
The research looking into optimising hypertrophic outcomes at Brad Schoenfelds lab. He is doing some awesome work in that arena and really helping to develop future programming for muscle growth specifically. I also think James Krieger has a study running to help identify the appropriate surplus to optimise muscle gain and not fat, very cool stuff!
4) What is the biggest mistake you’ve made when it comes to training and how did it shape your subsequent training?
I have a SLAP tear, it’s a ligament that attaches your bicep muscle to your shoulder (I think). Basically it means my left shoulder has no stability overhead and even pushing in general I lack stability. Really it means I won’t be a very competitive powerlifter, so chose to focus on bodybuilding and cannot push my pressing movements too close to failure.
5) @TimK asks: For bodybuilders (or someone training purely for aesthetics without actually competing) how important do you think it is to train the squat, bench, and deadlift? How frequently, if ever, would you have a bodybuilder go up to higher intensities (like 85%+) or test 1RM's on the big three?
I don’t think any lift for a bodybuilder is a must. We’re actually very lucky as bodybuilders that we have no limits in exercise selection, for an exercise to be effective it needs to be:
Safe
Enjoyable
Of course I also think smaller factors such as; degree of homeostatic disruption, ease of microloading and range of motion come into play as well. But the key is you can do it safely and you enjoy it.
I see no reason for a bodybuilder to work with weights above 85% of their 1RM or test their 1RM specifically. Only if they were a dual athlete in their powerlifting phase might this be appropriate. For the out and out bodybuilder, it is simply a waste of time.
6) Do you have a favorite bodybuilding template for someone (male or female) who is making the transition to bodybuilding after doing other strength sports such as powerlifting/bodybuilding?
Unfortunately I don’t like or promote templates or cookie cutter programmes. I like books that then give you the tools to develop your own programme that is individual to you. One I would recommend is the scientific principles of strength training.
7) @Cody asks: Do you have any training strategies you've found effective for people with restricted schedules, i.e. 45 minute sessions only or two days per week only (several of us here in that boat)?
Totally, I have a podcast on such a method, called myo-reps. It is essentially rest pause type training that allows you to get a lot of effective reps in a short period of time.
8) @timelinex x asks: I would love to hear your opinion on the effectiveness of training for hypertrophy by doing sets far away from failure. It has been a very heated debate on here. Many members love the idea of doing many sets of 70% range reps, but stopped far from failure on each set (so below RPE 6).
We know a few things about proximity to failure:
The closer you get to failure the greater the hypertrophic response
Fatigue exponentially rises the closer we get to failure
You don’t need to fail to generate hypertrophy
Taking those three into account with the knowledge that volume is a key component for hypertrophy we realise that whilst training to failure can be effective, it needs to be properly managed.
In discussions with Dr. Israetel and Helms they came to the conclusion you could stay around 4 reps from failure and still drive hypertrophy. However, staying this far from failure all the time is needlessly cautious and won’t drive maximal growth.
So I think we come to a cool outcome in which we can stay further away from failure and move closer throughout a mesocycle. This will be a form of progressive overload in of itself and be a great way of also accumulating a lot of great training volume. So you might:
Week 1 - 4/3RIR
Week 2 - 3/2RIR
Week 3 - 2/1RIR
Week 4 - 1/0RIR
Week 5 - deload
So through weeks 1 through 4 you edge closer to that failure point, along the way accumulating lots of effective volume. If you were to hit failure from week 1 your fatigue is likely to rise so high that you’d end up cutting loads, reps, sets and overall not have a productive hypertrophy mesocycle.
This is just one example, there are multiple ways to periodise/programme with failure points that could also be effective
1) @Murelli asks: what's the hardest part of interviewing people on your podcast?
The hardest part is probably the interviews that I don’t feel as passionately about, or where I don’t know a lot about them or their areas of expertise. This rarely happens, because I look to only bring on people I am very aware of and well acquainted with.
2) @KoolaidMannn n asks: How do you decide what you are going to change after reviewing a training mesocycle, such as how do you know when you need to add more volume/frequency or a reduction of either. And if you changed more than one thing in your current mesocycle how do you determine which variable was effective.
And lastly what is your favorite article on the peridoizarion of training?
When creating a mesocycle I already do a lot of background work i.e. understand the training history, lifestyle factors, goals etc. This allows me to generate a great framework from which to progress from.
Initially I like to keep things quite static, to see how a person responds to the protocol, as making changes too early can just make things a little too confusing. Once I have ran a certain protocol I do a variety of assessments from asking a client for their feedback (enjoyment, areas feeling under/over recovered etc.) and looking over training performance myself.
From there I can make some minor tweaks for the next mesocycle, then from here I make more frequent but minor changes. It might be adding or removing a set, suggesting a certain load or even dropping in a light day to aid recovery and future performance.
In many ways it is like baking a cake, you know the ingredients etc. you combine them and put them in the oven for the required time to cook. Now and then you open the oven to check in on things, but don’t make any major changes otherwise the whole cake is going to be ruined. Once done you review things and make larger changes before starting and monitoring again.
In regards to frequency specifically, I see this mostly as just a tool to distribute training volume. So for the most part I let be determined by client preferences.
Favourite article on training perioidsation (it’s a series): http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/201 ... on-part-1/
3) @perman asks: Who among the people you've interviewed do you think get much less attention than they deserve?
The person that comes to the top of my head is James Hoffman from Renaissance Periodization. He is very well spoken, makes things easy to understand and knows a hell of a lot. Always enjoy talking and listening to him.
4) @MattNeilsen asks: Steve, I hadn't heard of you before this thread, so I'm listening to a couple podcasts to familiarize myself. If you've answered these questions elsewhere, then please feel free to simply redirect me. That being said:
1) What's the biggest change you've made in the past year in your coaching practice - as it relates to programming/coaching - as a result of your interviews/research?
Specificity.
In the past I would work with a huge number of different clients, now I have dialled this more so down to physique competitors and those seeking to maximise body comp. Also this has changed the way I programme, with again more specificity. Previously I would have run training cycles in the aim to get both bigger and stronger, but now I use a block periodisation approach to get the most out of a certain characteristic.
2) What/who are some of your go-to resources for information on strength training?
I could name so so many, but to keep it more brief: Mike Israetel, Eric Helms, Brad Schoenfeld, Mike Zourdos.
3) What research and/or training methodologies have you most excited right now? Why?
The research looking into optimising hypertrophic outcomes at Brad Schoenfelds lab. He is doing some awesome work in that arena and really helping to develop future programming for muscle growth specifically. I also think James Krieger has a study running to help identify the appropriate surplus to optimise muscle gain and not fat, very cool stuff!
4) What is the biggest mistake you’ve made when it comes to training and how did it shape your subsequent training?
I have a SLAP tear, it’s a ligament that attaches your bicep muscle to your shoulder (I think). Basically it means my left shoulder has no stability overhead and even pushing in general I lack stability. Really it means I won’t be a very competitive powerlifter, so chose to focus on bodybuilding and cannot push my pressing movements too close to failure.
5) @TimK asks: For bodybuilders (or someone training purely for aesthetics without actually competing) how important do you think it is to train the squat, bench, and deadlift? How frequently, if ever, would you have a bodybuilder go up to higher intensities (like 85%+) or test 1RM's on the big three?
I don’t think any lift for a bodybuilder is a must. We’re actually very lucky as bodybuilders that we have no limits in exercise selection, for an exercise to be effective it needs to be:
Safe
Enjoyable
Of course I also think smaller factors such as; degree of homeostatic disruption, ease of microloading and range of motion come into play as well. But the key is you can do it safely and you enjoy it.
I see no reason for a bodybuilder to work with weights above 85% of their 1RM or test their 1RM specifically. Only if they were a dual athlete in their powerlifting phase might this be appropriate. For the out and out bodybuilder, it is simply a waste of time.
6) Do you have a favorite bodybuilding template for someone (male or female) who is making the transition to bodybuilding after doing other strength sports such as powerlifting/bodybuilding?
Unfortunately I don’t like or promote templates or cookie cutter programmes. I like books that then give you the tools to develop your own programme that is individual to you. One I would recommend is the scientific principles of strength training.
7) @Cody asks: Do you have any training strategies you've found effective for people with restricted schedules, i.e. 45 minute sessions only or two days per week only (several of us here in that boat)?
Totally, I have a podcast on such a method, called myo-reps. It is essentially rest pause type training that allows you to get a lot of effective reps in a short period of time.
8) @timelinex x asks: I would love to hear your opinion on the effectiveness of training for hypertrophy by doing sets far away from failure. It has been a very heated debate on here. Many members love the idea of doing many sets of 70% range reps, but stopped far from failure on each set (so below RPE 6).
We know a few things about proximity to failure:
The closer you get to failure the greater the hypertrophic response
Fatigue exponentially rises the closer we get to failure
You don’t need to fail to generate hypertrophy
Taking those three into account with the knowledge that volume is a key component for hypertrophy we realise that whilst training to failure can be effective, it needs to be properly managed.
In discussions with Dr. Israetel and Helms they came to the conclusion you could stay around 4 reps from failure and still drive hypertrophy. However, staying this far from failure all the time is needlessly cautious and won’t drive maximal growth.
So I think we come to a cool outcome in which we can stay further away from failure and move closer throughout a mesocycle. This will be a form of progressive overload in of itself and be a great way of also accumulating a lot of great training volume. So you might:
Week 1 - 4/3RIR
Week 2 - 3/2RIR
Week 3 - 2/1RIR
Week 4 - 1/0RIR
Week 5 - deload
So through weeks 1 through 4 you edge closer to that failure point, along the way accumulating lots of effective volume. If you were to hit failure from week 1 your fatigue is likely to rise so high that you’d end up cutting loads, reps, sets and overall not have a productive hypertrophy mesocycle.
This is just one example, there are multiple ways to periodise/programme with failure points that could also be effective
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
This is great, thanks Steve! Really appreciate you taking the time to answer all these questions.
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Re: Q&A with Steve Hall (Revive Stronger)
2/3 Q/A's recommend myoreps for restricted schedule training. Probably something to it, nomsayin?KoolaidMannn wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 6:52 pm Posting Steve's answers for you guys!!
7) Cody asks: Do you have any training strategies you've found effective for people with restricted schedules, i.e. 45 minute sessions only or two days per week only (several of us here in that boat)?
Totally, I have a podcast on such a method, called myo-reps. It is essentially rest pause type training that allows you to get a lot of effective reps in a short period of time.