Let's talk volume

[Scott Stevenson]

Hi Scott do you count warming up time in total training time? Because warm up time can extend the workout time a little bit. Is it true that more than sixty minutes total workout time is harmful by increasing the cortisol ?

I guess because I have yet to find a way to control time (bodybuilding is kind of about controlling space), I'd have no choice but to count those warm-up sets as part of the total work-out time.

You can prevent the cortisol decrease simply by taking in carbohydrate during training, preferably with protein to promote myofibrillar protein synthesis and further limit breakdown.

Interestingly, one recent study showed that increases in cortisol were correlated with muscle growth, but this is likely a function of training harder (the harder one trains, the higher the cortisol levels): 1. Mitchell CJ, Churchward-Venne TA, Bellamy L, Parise G, Baker SK, and Phillips SM. Muscular and Systemic Correlates of Resistance Training-Induced Muscle Hypertrophy. PLoS One 8: e78636, 2013. Handle Redirect


However, when you take in a carbohydrate contaiing intra / peri-workout recovery supplement, blunting the cortisol increases leads to greater gains:

1. Bird SP, Tarpenning KM, and Marino FE. Independent and combined effects of liquid carbohydrate/essential amino acid ingestion on hormonal and muscular adaptations following resistance training in untrained men. Eur J Appl Physiol 97: 225-238, 2006. Handle Redirect
2. Tarpenning KM, Wiswell RA, Hawkins SA, and Marcell TJ. Influence of weight training exercise and modification of hormonal response on skeletal muscle growth. J Sci Med Sport 4: 431-446, 2001.

(This is all in the book, BTW.)

-S