The Strength Log

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.

How many calories does your body actually need to build muscle? In today's episode, we discuss a new paper that attempts to calculate the energy cost of building a kilogram of muscle, from the energy stored in the new tissue to the surprisingly high cost of actually constructing it.
We also talk about the ramifications this has for your bulk. How big should your calorie surplus be? How quickly should you gain weight? And do you even need to bulk to build muscle in the first place?
To end the episode, we answer listener questions about whether you can outtrain a bad diet and whether you should switch to heavier, lower-rep training to preserve muscle during a cut.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening banter: Presenting today's topic, and an informal discussion about the new weight-loss drugs
10:30 - Program of the week: Powerbuilding
18:00 - Main topic: How many calories does it take to build a kilogram of muscle?
36:30 - Listener question 1: Can you outtrain a bad diet?
41:00 - Listener question 2: Should you train for strength to preserve muscle during a cut?
***
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.

Are squats and deadlifts bad exercise choices once you've turned 50, and would it be better to replace them with similar but easier lifts?
In today's mailbag episode, we discuss whether your exercise selection really needs to change as you get older, and what actually matters when choosing exercises for long-term strength and muscle growth.
We also talk about why some muscles seem almost impossible to grow, whether powerbuilding is a waste of time if you only care about muscle growth, how to deal with crippling hamstring DOMS, training around shoulder pain, and how much extra volume can compensate for training too far from failure. Plus, Daniel reveals whether that elusive 300 kg deadlift is ever going to happen.
Timestamps:
04:30 - Program of the week: StrengthLog's 3-Day Bodybuilding Split
09:00 - Listener question 1: Should you ditch squats and deadlifts after 50?
14:00 - Listener question 2: Which muscles are the hardest to grow?
20:15 - Listener question 3: Is powerbuilding a waste of time if you want big muscles?
23:30 - Listener question 4: How do you deal with insane hamstring DOMS?
28:00 - Listener question 5: Has Daniel changed how he trains since joining the army?
32:00 - Listener question 6: Should you lower your bench press weights if your shoulders hurt?
35:00 - Listener question 7: When is Daniel deadlifting 300 kg?
38:00 - Listener question 8: Can more volume make up for lower training intensity?
43:45 - Listener question 9: What are our favorite sports outside of strength training?
***
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.