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 specialise and how to integrate it into your main plan without losing your progress
• Writing programs using science-based (mechanisms) vs evidence-based (outcomes)

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 straight sets. 

Key topics include:

• Reg Park chest specialisation phase (including the classic 20-rep breathing squat method)

• Fatigue mechanisms in clusters explained: metabolite, calcium-ion, spinal, and supraspinal fatigue

• Clusters vs rest-pause vs drop sets

• Practical guidelines for programming clusters

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 gastroc vs soleus
• The physiology of pause fatigue: metabolite vs calcium-related mechanisms
• Why static “passive” stretching isn’t the same as active pause contractions
• How to assess whether a given exercise will actually benefit from pauses

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
• Voluntary activation deficits - why bigger muscles and bigger lifts mean some motor units aren't recruited
• How to use unilateral work to meaningfully increase recruitment
• Why some muscles require greater exercise variation than others

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 recruitment, even for unrelated muscles
• Why full-body AAA and AB formats avoid these issues

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 myofibrillar protein synthesis and hypertrophy stimulus
• What comparing one vs three set studies shows us about elevated synthesis timelines
• Why any overlap effect is small (and irrelevant for single-set workouts)
• Why the weekly net stimulus still favours three times per week over two times per week training

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-linear dose-response of sets and why frequency changes the outcome
• Physiological models vs. long-term training study data
• What the Currier (2023) network meta-analysis really shows
• Why three times per week consistently beats once per week, and where two times fits in
• The role of models in filling research gaps and guiding practical programming
• How to navigate conflicting information 

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 matching principle
• Common misconceptions and critiques of NMM
• How it interacts with the size principle and fatigue
• Practical implications for programming

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 produce hypertrophy
• The role of joint angle specificity
• Yielding isometrics versus overcoming isometrics 
• Practical ways to program isometrics

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 are for hypertrophy programming.

Key topics include:

• What it really means to “bias” a region of a muscle
• Why the idea that a single exercise can train the whole muscle and “bias” a region is false
• The critical role of voluntary activation deficits and neuromechanical matching
• Practical implications for programming, periodisation, and avoiding fibre-specific atrophy