Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy and Reverse Dieting

The Stronger By Science Podcast

We’re officially back for a brand new season! In today’s episode, Greg discusses the research behind how resistance training range of motion impacts muscle growth, with a special focus on stretch-mediated hypertrophy. After that, Eric dives deep into the topic of reverse dieting, which is often touted as a remedy for metabolic adaptation and a strategy to facilitate easier and more sustainable weight loss. However, this popular approach was originally driven by industry marketing rather than scientific evidence. Eric’s segment explores the actual research related to reverse dieting, which tells a much different story than the hyped-up anecdotes you’ll see on social media. He also explains why reverse dieting often appears to work in the short term while falling flat in the long term, and why a simple maintenance phase is a better option than reverse dieting.

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TIME STAMPS

Intro/Announcements (0:00)

Opening segment: mandatory open-access academic publishing (5:27)

• White House requires immediate public access to all U.S.-funded research papers by 2025

Greg’s segment: stretch-mediated hypertrophy (19:15)

References:

• Can stretching directly cause muscle growth?
• Stronger By Science Research Spotlight post on Instagram
• Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations
• Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths
• Muscle Architectural and Functional Adaptations Following 12-Weeks of Stretching in Adolescent Female Athletes
• Stretch training induces unequal adaptation in muscle fascicles and thickness in medial and lateral gastrocnemii
• Influence of Long-Lasting Static Stretching on Maximal Strength, Muscle Thickness and Flexibility

Partial versus full-ROM for hypertrophy (21:58)

Partial ROM at different muscle lengths (24:08)

Loaded stretching for calf growth (29:10)

“Proof-of-concept” studies (36:13)

More intensive calf stretching for hypertrophy (37:57)

Eric’s segment: reverse dieting (49:32)

References:

• Reverse Dieting: Hype Versus Evidence

Potential conflicts of interest and background information (53:07)

Overview of metabolic adaptation and relative energy deficiency (56:42)

The theoretical basis (and resulting claims) for reverse dieting (1:00:49)

Pertinent questions to be answered in this segment (1:05:29)

Metabolic adaptation versus metabolic damage (1:06:41)

To what extent does metabolic adaptation actually interfere with weight loss and weight maintenance? (1:11:20)

Is dieting with a higher calorie target actually easier? (1:21:17)

Why the metabolic phenotype research casts serious doubts on reverse dieting (1:24:07)

Empirical data from physique athletes (1:33:20)

Overfeeding at natural body weight versus weight regain after dieting (1:38:22)

Empirical data from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (1:47:15)

Important clarifications (1:53:26)

Illusions that make reverse dieting seem way more effective than it is (1:54:56)

Is there ever a good reason to reverse diet? (2:18:56)

Practical applications and conclusions (2:23:52)

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• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
• MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.