Best Stimulating Reps Podcasts (2025)

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Ep 359 | The UK's Speech Laws Are Absolutely Mental | Guest: Reem Ibrahim 1:01:06

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3d ago1:01:06

1:01:06

Freedom of speech may be under assault in America, but that's nothing compared with what's going on in the United Kingdom, where police are arresting 33 people every day for social media posts. Matt Kibbe sits down with Reem Ibrahim, head of media for the Institute of Economic Affairs, to discuss how Britain has become so authoritarian, the differe…

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024 Training, hypertrophy, and recovery for older people 1:04:26

6d ago1:04:26

1:04:26

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past & Present, Jake and Chris discuss Silver-Era author Peary Rader’s “training as you get older” guidelines and dive into how to construct a modern, physiology-led template for older lifters. Key topics include: Why recovery, not “low stimulus sensitivity” likely limits muscle growth in older lifters Intra-session …

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Ep 358 | Military Intervention in Venezuela Would Be a Huge Mistake | Guest: Brandan Buck 47:13

7d ago47:13

47:13

After calling out the neocons like Jeb Bush and John McCain and building his campaign on promises of peace and putting America first, President Trump is now flirting with the idea of intervening in Venezuela to take out Nicolás Maduro, using the specter of drug cartels as a pretense. Matt Kibbe is joined by Cato Institute fellow Brandan Buck to exp…

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Ep 357 | Mike Johnson Is Holding the Government Hostage over the Epstein Files | Guest: Rep. Thomas Massie 56:43

10d ago56:43

56:43

In the second half of his marathon conversation with Rep. Thomas Massie (R), Matt Kibbe asks the Kentucky congressman about his discharge petition to release the Epstein files. It turns out that one of the main reasons why the government remains shut down — and why Speaker Johnson (R-La.) is preventing the House of Representatives from convening — …

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023 Fatigue accumulation and what to do about it. 1:06:03

10d ago1:06:03

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack a Silver-Era routine passed from 1950 Mr America John Farbotnik to Gene Mozee at a time where high volume plans were taking over bodybuilding. From there they go deep into accumulating fatigue, how excitation–contraction coupling failure, muscle damage, and supraspinal CNS fati…

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Ep 356 | Where’s the Beef: In Argentina or America? | Guest: Rep. Thomas Massie 57:43

15d ago57:43

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In this special two-part episode of “Kibbe on Liberty,” Matt Kibbe sits down for a marathon conversation with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to discuss President Trump’s plans to import Argentinian beef, both as a way to lower prices for American consumers and to help out Argentinian President Javier Milei. This is a little puzzling given Trump’s histo…

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Ep 355 l Trump’s Mean Tweets Are Making Thomas Massie a Hero | Guest: Daniel McAdams 38:15

17d ago38:15

38:15

Of all the online fights Donald Trump picks, one of the most perplexing is his repeated attacks on Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Known for his commitment to the U.S. Constitution and his unfailing habit of putting America first, Massie should be exactly the kind of person Trump wants in Congress, but the fact that he won’t bend the knee t…

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022 How intra-workout carbohydrates reduce supraspinal CNS fatigue 58:14

20d ago58:14

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Steve Reeves’ 1947 pre-competition full-body routine, then dive into why the Silver-Era were such advocates of orange juice + honey during training. We assess the building research on carbohydrate mouth-rinsing, what this tells us about supraspinal CNS fatigue, and how the perf…

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Ep 354 | The Banking System Is Being Weaponized | Guest: Jorge Jraissati 46:31

24d ago46:31

46:31

Cancel culture may be on the wane, but more insidious than social media mobs is the government’s ability to cut controversial figures off from their finances through the process of de-banking. Matt Kibbe sits down with Jorge Jraissati, president of Economic Inclusion Group, to talk about this little-understood means of censorship that is a growing …

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021 Why Counting “Half Sets” for Secondary Muscles Doesn't Make Sense 1:07:30

27d ago1:07:30

1:07:30

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris break down Dick DuBois’ 1954 full-body routine (and we finally have some pull-ups!). They then tackle the “half-set” myth, why counting half sets for secondary muscles make any sense and how to adjust multi joint exercises to bias growth in a particular muscle. Key topics include: • D…

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Ep 353 | Privacy Still Matters More Than You Realize | Guest: Naomi Brockwell 45:00

1M ago45:00

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In an era when most Americans have put so much of their lives online, it’s easy to be complacent about online privacy. We’ve been told that as long as we have nothing to hide, we have nothing to fear. But in fact, an increasingly powerful surveillance state is a major threat to individual liberty and to the country as a whole. Matt Kibbe sits down …

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020 How to program a muscle specialisation phase 1:21:08

1M ago1:21:08

1:21:08

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris use Peary Rader’s leg routine to outline a practical, physiology-led blueprint for muscle specialisation. Key topics include: Peary Rader’s pre-steroid era leg routine (and the changes we would make today) A framework for designing a muscle specialisation phase for any muscle When to …

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Ep 352 | Is It Rational to Be Pessimistic? | Guest: Matt Ridley 38:15

1M ago38:15

38:15

Author Matt Ridley is well known for his book "The Rational Optimist," which argued that the world is consistently getting better year after year. In the 15 years since that book was published, however, world events have convinced many people that the opposite is actually true. Matt Kibbe sits down with Ridley to discuss his next book project, in w…

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019 Cluster Sets – How they work and how to use them 1:21:18

1M ago1:21:18

1:21:18

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris start by discussing one of the most widely used methods of the Silver Era; the 20 rep squat. They then dive into the physiology of cluster sets: what they are, how they differ from rest-pause and drop sets, and how cluster sets can be programmed to offer benefits over traditional stra…

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Ep 351 | How Do We Make America Love Again? | Guest: Warren Farrell 1:08:59

2M ago1:08:59

1:08:59

In a divided America where various groups, including men and women, are increasingly at each other’s throats, is there a way to set aside hatred and judgment in order to love one another? Matt Kibbe sits down with author and educator Warren Farrell to talk about his new book, “Role Mate to Soul Mate,” which seeks to help couples communicate better …

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018 Pauses, Stretching, and Partials 1:24:22

2M ago1:24:22

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Reg Park’s calf-specialisation phase before discussing the physiology of pauses: when they work, when they don’t, and how they compare to partial reps. Key topics include: • Reg Park’s 1952 calf-specialisation program • Straight-leg vs bent-leg calf work and how they bias gastr…

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Ep 350 | Disrupting the Higher Ed Cartel | Guest: Pano Kanelos 42:29

2M ago42:29

42:29

At the Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City, Matt Kibbe sat down with Pano Kanelos, chancellor of the University of Austin, to talk about how higher education has gone wrong and what can be done to fix it. In the wake of the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk on a college campus, the fact that universities have become increasingly hostile to open…

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017 Exercise Selection - How to pick the exercises needed to maximally develop a muscle 1:22:27

2M ago1:22:27

1:22:27

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris discuss Sig Klein’s extensive routine and use it as a springboard to tackle one of the biggest programming questions: how much exercise variety do you really need for maximal growth? Key topics include: How neuromechanical matching explains which motor units get recruited first Volunt…

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Ep 349 | Trump’s Tariffs Are Really About Executive Power | Guest: Phil Magness 1:08:08

2M ago1:08:08

1:08:08

Economists are united in pointing out that tariffs on foreign goods are really nothing more than a tax on American consumers, but what fewer people understand is that Trump’s policy on trade is not really about revenue or even about economic protectionism. Matt Kibbe is joined by Phil Magness, senior fellow at the Independent Institute, to explain …

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016 Training Splits - Why upper/lower, torso/limbs, push/pull, and other split routines face the same problem 1:14:16

2M ago1:14:16

1:14:16

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris revisit Joe Weider’s early 1940 full-body program before breaking down the central problem that all split routines face: supraspinal CNS fatigue. Key topics include: • How calcium-ion–related fatigue and inflammation create global CNS fatigue • Why back-to-back training days reduce re…

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Ep 348 | What Stoics Can Teach Libertarians | Guest: Ryan Holiday 27:08

2M ago27:08

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Stoicism and libertarianism are two philosophical systems that at first glance may not seem to have much in common, but Matt Kibbe caught up with Ryan Holiday, host of the "Daily Stoic," to attempt to find some common ground. The philosophy created by ancient Romans like Marcus Aurelius not only teaches us how to cope with adversity but also the im…

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015 Training Frequency - Why 3x per week beats 2x even if MYOPS is still elevated 1:12:15

2M ago1:12:15

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris explore Sig Klein’s early A/B full body routine from the pre-steroid bodybuilding era before examining the claim that elevated myofibrillar protein synthesis blunts the effectiveness of subsequent workouts. Key topics include: Sig Klein’s beginner routine The difference between myofib…

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Ep 347 | It’s Time for a Libertarianism 2.0 | Guest: Bret Weinstein 46:03

2M ago46:03

46:03

As more people who traditionally identified with the progressive Left become disenchanted with woke authoritarianism, libertarianism is experiencing a bit of a renaissance, attracting such unlikely voices as RFK Jr. and Nicole Shanahan. Matt Kibbe caught up with evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, host of “The DarkHorse Podcast,” to talk about h…

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014 Training Frequency - What the long-term studies actually show 1:14:41

2M ago1:14:41

1:14:41

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris explore the lesser-known silver-era bodybuilder Floyd Page’s 1952 full-body routine before unpacking the topic of training frequency, long-term training studies, and physiological models. Key topics include: Floyd Page’s 1952 “favourite routine” and its historical context The non-line…

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Ep 346 | Ron Paul's Legacy Can't Be Overstated | Guests: Tom Woods, Bobby Gray, Justin Amash, and Chip Roy 56:47

3M ago56:47

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Some of the biggest names in the liberty movement recently gathered in Texas to celebrate the 90th birthday of Ron Paul, the former congressman and presidential candidate who has inspired so many to become interested in libertarianism. In this special episode of "Kibbe on Liberty," Matt Kibbe sits down with Tom Woods, TEXITcoin founder Bobby Gray, …

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013 Neuromechanical Matching: Everything you need to know (but few do) 1:29:45

3M ago1:29:45

1:29:45

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack one of Peary Rader’s Silver Era “advanced beginner” routines, before a deep dive into the principle of Neuromechanical Matching. Key topics include: What Rader’s “advanced beginner” (intermediate) plan looked like A deep dive into the neuromechanical matchin…

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Ep 345 | Fathers Matter in Raising Healthy Children | Guest: Adam Coleman 39:44

3M ago39:44

39:44

From school shootings to childhood mental illness and overmedication, it’s clear that something is not right with young boys in America. Yet political correctness, anxiety about racism, and the exaltation of single mothers have prevented many from identifying and trying to correct the problem. Matt Kibbe sits down with Adam Coleman, author of “The …

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012 How to build muscle with isometric training 1:08:11

3M ago1:08:11

1:08:11

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down an isometric method from bodybuilding legend and first Mr Universe, John Grimek. They explore how maximal-effort isometrics can stimulate muscle growth and the key differences between overcoming and yielding isometrics. Key topics include: How isometrics…

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Ep 344 | Public Television Doesn’t Have to Be Commie Propaganda | Guest: Daniel Harmon 27:19

3M ago27:19

27:19

Public television in the United States has come under fire for its one-sided promotion of leftist ideology, resulting in the recent announcement that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will soon shut down due to funding cuts. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Kibbe sits down with Daniel Harmon, executive producer of “Tuttle Twins,” a sh…

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011 Why the idea that a single exercise can train the whole muscle and “bias” a region is false 1:06:28

3M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dive into a 1955 arm specialization routine from Peary Rader and use it as a launchpad to challenge one of the most common misconceptions in hypertrophy programming today. They explore whether exercises can “bias” specific muscle regions, and what the implications …

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Ep 343 | What Has Government Done to Our Food? | Guest: Andrew Gruel 38:55

3M ago38:55

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At this year’s FreedomFest in Palm Springs, California, Matt Kibbe sat down with Chef Andrew Gruel to talk about food freedom and making America healthy again. Chef Gruel’s philosophy involves cooking simple dishes with quality ingredients to create great-tasting comfort food. However, this is made harder than it needs to be due to government regul…

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010 Warming up - what does it really achieve? 1:13:55

3M ago1:13:55

1:13:55

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley unpack the very first York Barbell course, discussing its warm-up approach and how it compares to other silver era routines. The second half of the episode zooms out to explore warm-ups more broadly, what they actually do (and don’t do), whether they affect hypertr…

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Ep 342 | Supporting Female Athletes Shouldn’t Be Controversial | Guest: Jennifer Sey 39:00

4M ago39:00

39:00

At this year’s FreedomFest in Palm Springs, California, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, Jennifer Sey, sits down with Matt Kibbe to defend the radical proposition that boys and girls are different and that men cannot become women simply by putting on a dress. As a former competitive gymnast, Sey has a particular interest in protecting women’s sp…

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009 Work capacity - what it is and how to improve it 42:51

4M ago42:51

42:51

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down a pre-steroid bulking routine from Alan Stephen, an underrated Silver Era bodybuilder who trained with a pretty unique method. They explore how this high volume, low rep program makes sense with the stimulating reps model, and use it as a springboard to …

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Ep 341 | Government Is Captured by the Pharma Lobby | Guest: Del Bigtree 1:00:11

4M ago1:00:11

1:00:11

Typically, Americans on the political Left worry about corporate power while those on the Right worry about government power. But the real danger is when corporations and government collude to dictate how you ought to live. We saw this during COVID, when experimental vaccines were pushed onto the American people, earning pharma companies big profit…

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008 Training Frequency - what to consider if you want to train every day 53:10

4M ago53:10

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In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley explore whether full body training can be done every day, and what that really looks like. Drawing inspiration from Bronze Era strongman George Hackenschmidt, they unpack creative strategies for making high frequency training work. Key Topics: How training every da…

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Ep 340 | She Fought for Her Son's Freedom and Won | Guest: Lyn Ulbricht 30:07

4M ago30:07

30:07

Many people receive unjust sentences in federal prisons, but few have the kind of mother who will devote more than a decade of constant activism to get them released. When Ross Ulbricht was given two life sentences for founding an encrypted marketplace called the Silk Road, his mother, Lyn, founded FreeRoss.org, bringing his case to the attention o…

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007 Do all training programs maximise hypertrophy eventually? 59:40

4M ago59:40

59:40

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley return to Reg Park, but this time explore one of his most advanced programs. They compare this higher volume plan to Park’s earlier abbreviated routine before exploring whether all training programs eventually lead to the same outcome, and which variables actually …

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Ep 339 | Steve Forbes Grades Trump's First Four Months | Guest: Steve Forbes 29:35

4M ago29:35

29:35

At this year's FreedomFest in Palm Springs, Matt Kibbe caught up with legendary economic maven and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes to find out how President Trump is doing so far in terms of economic policy. They discuss the error of increasing tariffs on America's trading partners, the problems with Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a…

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Bonus Episode | Libertarians Need to Have More Fun | Guest: Michael Malice 19:41

4M ago19:41

19:41

At this year's FreedomFest in Palm Springs, Matt Kibbe caught up with noted anarchist and troublemaker Michael Malice for a short conversation about how to persuade people to support less (or even no) government. Along the way, they discuss the philosophy of Ayn Rand, whether cats are actually blue-pilled, and why libertarians ought to take themsel…

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006 Strength - the mechanisms that increase strength, and why hypertrophy must make us stronger 1:14:25

4M ago1:14:25

1:14:25

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley discuss one of the strongest bodybuilders of the Silver Era, and the third man to ever bench 500 pounds, Marvin Eder's training routine. The second half of the episode takes a deep dive into the mechanisms of strength, why strength isn’t a single adaptation, and wh…

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Ep 338 | Bombing Iran Puts America Last | Guest: Scott Horton 1:01:28

5M ago1:01:28

1:01:28

While Matt Kibbe and the Free the People team were trying to enjoy the company of their fellow libertarians at this year’s Porcupine Freedom Festival, the Trump administration insisted on harshing the vibe by dropping bombs on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Scott Horton, director of the Libertarian Institute, sat down for this episode of “Kibbe on Libe…

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005 Training volume and post workout fatigue - how many sets are recoverable in 48 hours? 1:19:09

5M ago1:19:09

1:19:09

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dissect Reg Park’s 1950s “Mr. Universe Bulk Course”. Unlike the high-variation, single-set approach of Steve Reeves discussed in the previous episdoe, Reg Park’s plan featured fewer exercises but high set volume, low reps, and heavy loads. The second half of the ep…

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Ep 337 | The Deep State Is a Deadly Virus | Guest: Debbie Lerman 1:39:51

5M ago1:39:51

1:39:51

The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was such a naked power-grab on such an unprecedented scale that even five years later, we are still struggling to hold the responsible parties accountable and to even fully process what happened. One unintended consequence of lockdowns, however, was exposing some ugly truths about who is really in …

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004 Training splits and exercise selection - 3 sets of 1 exercise or 1 set of 3 exercises? 1:02:09

5M ago1:02:09

1:02:09

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down Steve Reeves’ favourite full-body routines from the early 1950s. They explore how Reeves trained each muscle with three different exercises, and why this multi-exercise, single-set approach might still be one of the most efficient ways to train if progra…

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Ep 336 | Both Parties Want an Immigration War | Guest: Steven Olikara 1:05:01

5M ago1:05:01

1:05:01

As riots rage across Los Angeles and the conflicts between ICE officials and illegal immigrants escalate, why does it seem like nobody in Washington is actually interested in fixing America’s broken immigration system? Matt Kibbe sits down with Steven Olikara, CEO of Bridge Entertainment Labs and former Democratic Senate candidate, to discuss how b…

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003 Training splits - what to consider when splitting full body workouts into upper / lower workouts 57:14

5M ago57:14

57:14

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley examine Clancy Ross’ 1940s split set routine - an early experiment in dividing upper and lower body training that predated modern training splits. They break down how Ross evolved his training by splitting full-body workouts into AM/PM upper/lower sessions and disc…

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Ep 335 | Will the Battle Over the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Break the Beltway’s Babylon? | Guest: Sen. Rand Paul 30:40

5M ago30:40

30:40

The fight over President Trump’s "big, beautiful bill" is boiling over, shattering the White House alliance with Elon Musk. Join host Matt Kibbe in an exclusive sit-down with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as they dissect the bill’s massive new spending and skyrocketing debt — provisions Paul warns could bankrupt America and spark runaway inflation. Plu…

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002 How long does the growth stimulus last after a training session? 1:06:26

5M ago1:06:26

1:06:26

In this second episode, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley break down the York Barbell Mr America Course, a program from 1951 that evolved from the earlier Milo Barbell plan. They explore what changed in the decades following the first mass-produced bodybuilding programs, including the introduction of sets, improved exercise selection, and targeted…

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Ep 334 | Big, Beautiful Bill or Bloated Budget Boondoggle? | Guest: Matt Kibbe 40:24

5M ago40:24

40:24

As the Republicans in Congress are poised to spend trillions more, while ignoring all of Elon Musk's DOGE recommendations, some members of the administration and Trump loyalists are running defense, attempting to convince voters that their gargantuan reconciliation bill actually puts America first. Matt Kibbe tears this narrative apart, pointing to…