In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris break down the resurgence of “advanced” training techniques like clusters, supersets, giant sets, pre-exhaust, drop sets, and rest-pause. Using an early Chuck Sipes “heavy-light” split as an example of early bodybuilding plans that incorporated some advanced methods, the conversation then explains why most of these methods are at best time-saving rather than stimulus enhancing.

The episode finishes with Jake and Chris discussing a “physiological drop set” concept, which may increase recruitment levels without suffering from the same fatigue problems as other advanced methods.

Key topics include:
-Chuck Sipes’ early “heavy-light” superset program
-Why most supersets (agonist or antagonist) reduce stimulus rather than increase it
-Why pre-exhaustion methods don't work
-Why classic drop sets tend to be the worst “advanced technique”
-Rest-pause vs clusters
-A “physiological drop set” idea

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris analyse a Golden Era training plan attributed to Larry Scott and Vince Gironda, using it as a lens to explore how hypertrophy programming evolved after the introduction of anabolic drugs. From there, the conversation pivots into a deeper examination of modern debates around exercise selection, “redundant” movements, single vs multi joint training, and the current discussions around form. Chris introduces voluntary activation deficits as the unifying physiological principle.

Key topics include:

• Larry Scott’s Golden Era full-body routine
• The limits of motor unit recruitment and voluntary activation deficits
• "Redundant" exercises
• Why more total muscle mass in an exercise reduces local recruitment
• The form debate and how excessive technique focus can impair hypertrophy outcomes

In this episode of Hypertrophy Past & Present, Jake and Chris kick off 2026 with a Part 2 follow-up aimed at coaches. Last episode was about the mistakes lifters make when they return to the gym, this week is about the mistakes coaches make when they design and deliver programs to clients. The conversation starts with Bob Hoffman’s time-efficient “working man” full-body routine and why the plan made sense for its context, while also pointing out where it falls short. From there, the episode pivots into the two main problems coaches have to solve today: time constraints and novelty expectations, plus practical strategies that can be used to solve these problems and deliver effective sessions.

Key topics include:
-Bob Hoffman’s minimalist full-body routine for busy lifters
-Simple exercise swaps that improve full-body development with limited equipment
-The two constraints coaches must solve: novelty and time
-How to give the illusion of novelty without compromising programming efficacy
-Time efficiency: avoiding cardiovascular-limited sets, smarter exercise order, and exercise structuring
-Using rest periods to add value instead of feeling like dead time
-A better approach to 30-minute PT sessions