What is the historical origin of peer review in academic publishing?

Historically, until the 1960s-70s, editors made publication decisions, and reviews were often handled in-house. Journals later outsourced peer review due to increased workload and a desire to offload the 'unpleasant' task. In the U.S., during the 1970s recession, the NSF adopted peer review for grant funding to assert scientific autonomy and reduce congressional oversight, which then trickled down to publication.

What are the common partial range of motion (ROM) exercises?

Common partial ROM exercises include rack pulls, board presses, pin presses, block pulls, and half squats. These focus on specific segments of a lift, often where a lifter might be weakest or to allow for heavier loads.

What did Paul Anderson and Bob Peoples do for partial ROM training?

Bob Peoples, a legendary deadlifter, used rack pulls (deadlifts from just above knee height) to build his lockout strength. Paul Anderson, a renowned squatter, would dig a hole and progressively fill it with dirt to gradually increase the range of motion for his partial squats, known today as Anderson squats.

Does partial range of motion training increase full range of motion strength?

Research suggests that a combination of full and partial range of motion training may lead to slightly larger (nominally, but not always statistically significantly) gains in full range of motion strength compared to full range of motion training alone. Studies by Basler, Gillingham, Pedrosa, and Whaley all showed this trend.

Why might combining full and partial ROM training be beneficial?

Potential reasons include increased training variety, which can stimulate different adaptations. While less direct evidence exists, some theories suggest benefits to connective tissue or psychological advantages from familiarizing lifters with heavier loads, though the psychological aspect may not apply to all exercises.

What is the recommended protein intake for muscle growth?

The widely adopted optimal range for protein intake for muscle growth is 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of total body mass per day. For fat-free mass, this translates to roughly 2 to 2.75 grams per kilogram of fat-free mass.

How significant is the difference in muscle gains between 1.4 g/kg/day and 1.6 g/kg/day of protein?

Based on meta-analyses, the difference in lean body mass accretion between protein intakes in the 1.3-1.5 g/kg/day range and the 1.6-2.2 g/kg/day optimal range is often very slim (around half a kilogram over an intervention period) and not always statistically significant. The data suggests that obsessing over small differences in the higher intake ranges may not be worth the effort.

Should protein intake be scaled by total body mass or fat-free mass?

While scaling by total body mass is common (1.6-2.2 g/kg/day), scaling by fat-free mass (1.5-2 g/kg of FFM for 'pretty good', 2-2.75 g/kg of FFM for 'optimal') can be more appropriate for individuals with significantly different body compositions, especially those aiming for substantial fat loss.

Are protein recommendations different for vegans seeking muscle growth?

For strict vegans, if protein intake falls below the 1.6 g/kg/day threshold, it's advisable to aim for at least 1.4 g/kg/day and prioritize high-quality protein sources like soy or mycoprotein, or focus on complementary protein combinations. For ovo-lacto vegetarians, protein quality is generally similar to omnivores.

Key Moments

Partial ROM Training for Strength, and Protein Requirements for Muscle Growth (Ep 102)

Stronger By Science

Sports3 min read110 min video

Oct 31, 2022|4,968 views|175|25

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Explore novel academic publishing, partial ROM training benefits, and nuanced protein intake recommendations.

Key Insights

The academic publishing industry is experimenting with new models, like e-Life's commitment to publishing all reviewed papers with transparent reviewer feedback, aiming to increase publication avenues and break inertia.

Historically, the shift to outsourced peer review wasn't solely for quality but also to lighten editorial workload, with evidence suggesting peer review itself is not a perfect quality control mechanism.

Partial range-of-motion (ROM) training, especially when combined with full ROM training, shows promising, though not always statistically significant, results in enhancing overall strength gains.

While full ROM training is superior for developing strength through the entire range of motion, combining it with partial ROM work may offer slight advantages and can address specific weaknesses.

Current research suggests that while protein intake is crucial for muscle growth, overestimating the negative consequences of falling slightly below the 1.6-2.2 g/kg range is common; the benefits plateau.

The exact optimal protein intake range (1.6-2.2 g/kg) is not as precisely defined as often assumed, and intakes around 1.3-1.5 g/kg still provide a significant portion of the potential benefits, especially for muscle hypertrophy.

INNOVATIONS IN ACADEMIC PUBLISHING

The podcast discusses the evolving landscape of academic publishing, highlighting e-Life's experimental model where all papers sent for review are published, accompanied by transparent reviewer feedback. This approach aims to increase publication avenues and reduce the inertia within the traditional system, moving away from a strict accept/reject dichotomy towards a more nuanced evaluation of research.

THE HISTORY AND RATIONALE OF PEER REVIEW

A historical perspective on peer review is offered, revealing that the shift to external review wasn't solely due to a pursuit of rigorous quality control. Journals increasingly outsourced reviews to manage workload and reduce editorial burden. Research indicates that peer review, despite its widespread acceptance, doesn't always live up to its perceived standards of quality assurance.

PARTIAL RANGE OF MOTION TRAINING FOR STRENGTH

The discussion delves into partial range-of-motion (ROM) training, particularly its combination with full ROM training for strength development. While full ROM training remains supreme for overall strength, studies suggest that incorporating partial ROM exercises, especially for lockout weaknesses, can yield comparable or slightly superior strength gains compared to full ROM training alone.

RESEARCH ON COMBINING RANGES OF MOTION

Several studies are reviewed that compared full ROM training against combined or progressive ROM training. Although statistical significance varied, a consistent trend favored the combination approaches, showing nominally larger gains in full ROM strength and specific partial ROM strength. Potential mechanisms include added training variety and addressing specific weak points.

NUANCES IN PROTEIN INTAKE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH

The segment critically examines protein intake recommendations, particularly the widely cited range of 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. While essential for muscle protein synthesis, the data suggests that the benefits plateau, and the negative consequences of falling slightly below this range (e.g., 1.3-1.5 g/kg) are often overestimated, especially for hypertrophy.

PRACTICAL PROTEIN INTAKE GUIDELINES

The presenters advocate for a more flexible approach to protein intake, suggesting that 'pretty damn good' levels might be 1.2-1.6 g/kg (total body mass) or 1.5-2.0 g/kg (fat-free mass). While optimal levels (1.6-2.2 g/kg total body mass, or 2.0-2.75 g/kg fat-free mass) are still recommended for maximizing gains, the cost-benefit of meticulously hitting them versus slightly lower, more achievable intakes is highlighted.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Supplements

●Software & Apps

●Organizations

●Studies Cited

●People Referenced

Lean Body Mass Gains vs. Protein Intake (Nunes et al. Meta-Analysis)

Data extracted from this episode

Protein Intake (g/kg/day)	Effect Size (Standardized Mean Difference)
< 1.2	-0.14
1.2-1.59	0.17
>= 1.6	0.3

Common Questions

E-Life's new model involves publishing papers upfront after an initial editorial check, then attaching peer reviewer comments transparently. This shifts from a binary accept/reject decision to one that allows for more fluid evaluation of research quality by readers.

Topics

Partial Range Of Motion ROM Training Deadlift Squat

Mentioned in this video

Organizations

NSF (National Science Foundation)

US organization that funds scientific projects; its funding decisions became a point of contention during the 1970s recession, leading to a shift towards a peer review model for grants.

E-Life

A journal described as changing its publication model to publish papers with transparent peer reviewer comments, rather than making binary accept/reject decisions.

Locations

Cold War United States

Historical context during which the peer review process for grant funding evolved in the US, driven by a desire to avoid direct Congressional oversight of scientific projects aligned with national security.

People

Brad Gillingham

A powerlifting legend with six World Championships and multiple 800+ pound deadlifts, who also contributed to exercise science research.

Robert Harrington

Author of an interview article from 2018 providing a good history of peer review.

Paul Anderson

A legendary squatter known for innovative training methods like digging a hole for progressive partial squats and unique conditioning routines involving squats, overhead presses, and golf.

Melinda Baldwin

Author of the journal article 'Scientific Autonomy, Public Accountability, and the Rise of Peer Review in the Cold War United States', which discusses the historical context of peer review.

Milo Wolff

Collaborator who recently pre-printed a meta-analysis on the impact of range of motion on strength and muscle growth.

Bob Peoples

A pioneer of American strength training, credited as the first person to ever deadlift over 700 pounds, who utilized rack pulls to build his deadlift strength.

Studies & Research

Morton and colleagues (2018)

A meta-analysis and meta-regression project that established the widely cited optimal protein intake range of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram per day for muscle growth.

Gillingham and debaliso

A study co-authored by Brad Gillingham, investigating full range of motion deadlifts versus a combination of full and partial deadlifts (rack pulls), showing nominal increases in deadlift strength for the combined group.

Whaley and colleagues (2020)

A paper that investigated progressive range of motion training (pin squats) versus full range of motion squats, showing nominal advantages for the progressive ROM group in squat strength and jump height.

Basler and colleagues (2014)

A study that compared full range of motion squats with a combination of full and partial squats, finding nominal but not statistically significant differences favoring the combined approach for strength gains.

Pedrosa and colleagues (2021)

A study comparing full range of motion knee extensions to a combination of two different partial ranges of motion, finding larger strength gains for the partial ROM approach.

Fonseca and colleagues (2014)

A study suggesting that variety in exercise selection can lead to greater squat strength gains compared to exclusively doing squats.

Supplements

Citrulline Malate

A supplement mentioned as potentially having a small beneficial effect on training variables, with one host jokingly taking a 'shot' at it.