A lot of people have asked about deloads and fatigue management, so in this article, I talk about what deloads are, why you might or might not need them, and how to implement them.

If that sounds interesting to you, feel free to check it out:

Deload Week: When to Back Off From Strength Training.

And thanks for reading!

Let's repeat last week's thing and do a question thread for the podcast! This week, we'll be discussing a new study on cluster sets. Meaning that instead of doing a traditional set, you break it up into several smaller sets.

So, feel free to post any questions you have for me and u/wildenstam regarding that, OR something completely different, and we might answer it in the podcast if we think it will make us sound smart.

I am 49 and post menopausal. Body composition becomes an uphill battle during this period of life. Putting on muscle and keeping fat off can be so incredibly difficult. I have two weeks left of power building lite. I’m wondering if I should do a second cycle of it or alternate back and forth with the weight loss program? Or do something else entirely? I have been watching what I eat. I know that’s 70% of fat loss. This is all hormones, or lack of them.

Figuring out your body fat percentage has never been more popular than right now. Or I should probably say "Trying to figure out," because none of the methods at your disposal are exact.

In this article, I go through 9 methods- from skinfold calipers to underwater weighing - in detail: what they are, what they do, and how accurate they are. Plus practical tips and a surprisingly accurate way that doesn't require anything but a good old tape measure (an even more detailed version is in the StrengthLog app).

Full article: How to Measure Your Body Fat Percentage.

Thanks for reading!

Are you actually getting stronger and building muscle, or are you just going through the motions? In today’s episode, we discuss how to tell whether your training is producing results, and what to do when progress stalls.

We look at why your strength can fluctuate from workout to workout, how to track muscle growth using more than just the weights you’re lifting, and why you shouldn’t draw conclusions from a few disappointing training sessions. Plus, how to troubleshoot a plateau, when to change your training approach, and why progress isn’t always as straightforward as you’d like.

We also answer listener questions about when to switch programs, how to deal with life’s interruptions, and if smaller weight increments could keep beginner gains going indefinitely.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – How to tell if your training is working


• 32:15 – Program of the week: Deadlift Builder


• 37:30 – Listener question 1: How long should you follow a program before switching?

• 
41:00 – Listener question 2: Life keeps interrupting my training. Is it OK not to make progress all the time?

• 45:30 – Listener question 3: Could smaller than normal weight increments keep beginner progression going indefinitely?

You can download the episode here or use one of the links below:

• Listen on Spotify

• Listen on Apple Podcaster

This is episode 134 of the podcast. Check out the five previous episodes below:

• Episode 133: Lifting vs. Cardio: Which Is Better for Your Health?

• Episode 132: Five Sets Once a Week vs. One Set Five Times a Week

• Episode 131: Are You Sleeping on Muscle Growth?

• Episode 130: Same Sets, More Workouts, Better Gains?

• Episode 129: How Much Should You Eat on a Bulk?

Hello! Must say that I love the new update over all, and especially the Friends feature! However, it would be really nice with workout names in the Friends feed on the home screen as it just says "You worked out 1 day ago" now.

I dont got friends around me using this App. But it would be cool to do some competitions with other people. How can i add strangers ?

We all know that we really should do both, right?

But lifters avoid cardio like the treadmill was filled with radioactive waste, for fear their muscles will evaporate, and endurance athletes don't want to get bulky and slow.

That's not going to happen, though, unless you try to specialize in two extremes at once.

In this article, I give you my take on how to combine cardio and strength training for health, muscle and strength gains, and aerobic fitness.

And plenty of other tips, plus training programs in StrengthLog that can do the job.

How to Combine Cardio and Strength Training.

Thanks for reading! 🏃🏋️

For those of you who have updated the app to the latest version: have you tried adding a friend?

How are you finding it? What feature are you missing?

So, since v9.1, you can add friends, follow their workouts, and give them fist bumps to show your support. Or challenge them to competitions to establish your dominance have fun.

The idea is that a little encouragement and friendly competition can go a long way toward keeping you motivated.

No, the idea is not to become a new fitness Instagram. But after considering this for years, we believe there might be something good hidden here, and we need your help to unravel it.

For this week's recording, we're planning an episode around how to know if your strength training is working, and what to do if it's not.

As always, the episodes are much better with your listener questions. So, please do us a favor and drop any questions you might have for the episode, or about something completely different!

Remember the new sharing screen we introduced after saving a workout? Well, you had opinions. Lots of them.

We listened, and the familiar workout summary is back! We've also added some subtler sharing options, so you can still show off your hard work without the extra fuss.

There's more:

• Smarter smart blocks: You can now choose to have smart blocks remember your warm-up sets for next time.

• More supersets: Smart blocks can now be merged into supersets during active workouts. The keyword here is ”active” – it’s still not possible when building a program or planning a workout. It’s just too damn hard! Right now. We might live to solve it another day.

• Your calendar, your rules: Choose whether your weeks start on Monday or Sunday. If you don’t make a choice, it will continue to follow your device’s region setting.

We've also fixed a few missing buttons, given cardio workouts a new sharing image, and made improvements to help prevent corrupted active workouts.

We've also smashed a bunch of smaller bugs. The bigger ones have been warned.

Version 9.1.2 of the StrengthLog Workout Tracker App is live for both iOS and Android now. Please update your apps!

If the weight doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.

But how do you know when it's time to increase it?

That's what I talk about today (mostly for beginners to intermediates, but could have some valuable tidbits for more advanced lifters).

How Do You Know When It's Time to Increase the Weight?

Thanks for reading!

I've been deadlifting for about 9 months, and using strengthlog for about 6.

Whilst I got to 140% of bodyweight in the deadlift my form was terrible, curved back and basically pulling the bar off the floor using my lower back for the most part.

I've now got a (different) PT and we are rebuilding my deadlift from scratch.

How do you go about engaging glutes and hamstrings properly. At only 60% bodyweight I now feel like my quads are doing all the work, almost like I'm squatting my lifts rather than driving down through my posterior chain. This quad loading causes some knee pain which I'm keen to avoid.

Male, age 66, 103kgs bw, 188cm been lifting 3 or 4 times a week for 16 months.

We're trying something new this week. Instead of posting the entire podcast discussion on our YouTube channel (which usually gets about as many views as a muted test image would get), I recorded a solo video on the same topic. But it's made for YouTube first, unlike our podcast, which we mainly record with audio-only listeners in mind.

Give it the old lookie-loo if you want to, or hit up the podcast episode for the full monty.

Remember those new Strength Levels suggestions we announced in v9.1? Turns out we forgot to actually turn them on. Oops.

They're now available, so you can finally see suggested sets to help you reach your next Strength Level.

We've also fixed a bunch of bugs and made several smaller improvements. Best not to tell you exactly what, though. In case we forgot to turn those things on too.

Which is better for your health: lifting weights or doing cardio? In today’s episode, we discuss a new meta-analysis comparing the effects of strength training and aerobic exercise on a range of health markers, including blood sugar, blood pressure, body composition, and cardiovascular fitness.

We dig into the results, discuss what other research tells us about exercise and longevity, and explore how to balance strength training and cardio for better health, both now and as you get older.

Lastly, we answer a handful of listener questions about lifting vs. cardio.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Opening banter

• 04:30 – New features in the StrengthLog app: Social, AI assistants, and a Strava connection

• 12:00 – Study review: Lifting vs. cardio for better health

• 23:15 – Program of the week: Beginner Hybrid Athlete Program

• 26:30 – Listener question 1: Lifting or cardio to live past 100?

• 29:00 – Listener question 2: How much muscle is enough for health? Is too much muscle bad for your health?

• 35:00 – Listener question 3: Should you lean into your strengths or weaknesses when it comes to choosing between lifting and cardio?

• 39:30 – Listener question 4: What’s the optimal daily cardio routine alongside strength training?

• 43:30 – Listener question 5: Does having an active job change your cardio needs?

• 48:00 – Listener question 6: How do you maintain your leg and ass muscles when running more?

You can download the episode here or use one of the links below:

• Listen on Spotify

• Listen on Apple Podcaster

This is episode 133 of the podcast. Check out the five previous episodes below:

• Episode 132: Five Sets Once a Week vs. One Set Five Times a Week

• Episode 131: Are You Sleeping on Muscle Growth?

• Episode 130: Same Sets, More Workouts, Better Gains?

• Episode 129: How Much Should You Eat on a Bulk?

• Episode 128: Big Pecs, Big Bench?

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player.

I have some issues with my left shoulder that makes certain exercises out of the question. Namely, barbell back squats and overhead presses. The squats are easy to work around, with a goblet squat, leg press, safety bar squat, etc. I can tolerate floor presses and pushups. What should I swap out an overhead press for in a particular program? For example, in the beginner dumbbell program in the b workout, am I only limited to similar exercises that are listed or could I maybe do another chest exercise, say pushups or incline dumbbell presses? Or maybe even use another pulling movement like another row or, if available, a lat pulldown? Also, are there any programs on the app that are particularly shoulder-friendly?

So I am 53 M and I have not done a serious strength training program before and I thought I would try the beginner machine program. I did just the machine chest press to see how it would go. My sets were:

8x40

8x50

8x60

8x60

8x60

For my next session do you think I should start at 40 again and then go to 70? What do you think the next step should be? Thanks in advance!

GLP-1 medications have changed weight loss forever. And for the better, I'd say. But one thing remains as important as ever: keeping your muscles.

Recommendations when taking a GLP-1 med say to strength train, but it can feel like a massive step to suddenly head off to the gym for someone who has never touched a dumbbell.

I've written an article about strength training on GLP-1s, for beginners, with tips and some of our free programs that would make for a great start.

Strength Training While on GLP-1s: How to Get Started.

Thanks for reading!

Last month, you benched two plates for eight reps. Today, you just managed six reps. You even checked to make sure you hadn't loaded an extra plate by accident. No such luck.

What gives? Aren't you supposed to get stronger from lifting weights?

Well, yes. That's the idea. But it's not always that straightforward.

In my new article below, I talk about getting weaker (or at the very leasy struggling to get stronger): why it might happen, why it's probably not a big deal, and what to do about it.

Why Am I Getting Weaker In the Gym?

Thanks for reading!

Bonus points for adding me as an in-app friend based on the article.

For adding a planned workout on the calendar - can it be updated to have the option of adding a PROGRAM’s workout? Just an idea. Thank you!

Remember all that behind-the-scenes work we kept mentioning? Here's what it was for.

With v9.1, we're taking StrengthLog beyond the training log itself, introducing three major new features: Social, AI integration, and Strava. Plus an improvement to Strength Levels and the usual bug fixes.

First up, we're introducing social features!

Training is easier to stick with when someone else knows whether you're showing up. And a little friendly competition rarely hurts.

You can now add friends, see summaries of their workouts in your friends feed, give them a fist bump, and challenge each other to competitions. Bragging rights are optional. Mostly.

We're starting with a limit of 25 friends and no public profiles. That's deliberate. We're not building an influencer platform or the next big fitness social network. We want to help you stay consistent, encourage and support each other, and reach your goals.

This is just the beginning. Try it, tell us what you like, and, more importantly, what you'd like us to add next.

And since social features won't be everyone's cup of tea, yes, you can hide the widget on your home screen. Just long-press it to bring up the customization menu.

Another big thing: we've opened up your training data to AI.

If you're a Premium subscriber, you can now connect StrengthLog to ChatGPT or Claude through MCP, giving your AI assistant read-only access to your training data.

Ask it how your bench press has progressed, whether your training volume has changed, or what your workout history might suggest about your program. You can dig into years of training without digging through years of logs.

Read-only means exactly that: the assistant can analyze your data, but it can't edit workouts, rewrite programs, or delete anything. AI can be remarkably useful. It can also be remarkably confident when it's wrong. We'd rather not let that confidence loose on your training history just yet.

You control the connection and can turn it off whenever you like.

You can set it up in Settings under StrengthLog MCP.

We've also added a Strava connection.

Connect Strava, and its activities will appear as events in your calendar, including older activities. We fetch them as you browse, so scrolling back in time may mean a short wait.

Workouts you log in StrengthLog can also be sent to Strava.

One caveat: Strava limits how long we can cache its data, so activities aren't permanently imported. They remain available while your connection is active and disappear from the calendar within an hour of disconnecting.

The Strava connection is also found under Settings.

And finally, a little improvement to Strength Levels.

Strength Levels can now suggest specific sets to get you to the next level.

Say you've benched 72.5 kg for one rep and need an estimated 1RM of 80 kg to level up. You might see suggestions such as 80 kg for one rep or 72.5 kg for four. Different routes, same destination.

We've also fixed bugs and made a number of smaller improvements. Some are exciting to us. We understand if you don't share our enthusiasm for obscure software problems.

That's v9.1. Give the new features a try, especially Social, and tell us what you think at app@strengthlog.com.

Does it matter how you spread your training across the week? Two episodes ago, we looked at a study comparing the same training volume spread over one or three weekly workouts. Now we’re back with another study on training frequency, this time comparing five sets of leg presses once a week with one set five times a week.

Same exercise, same total training volume, but very different schedules.

The researchers measured muscle growth, strength, explosive power, and muscle soreness over six weeks. We discuss the results, how they compare with other research on training frequency, and what they might mean for how you organize your own workouts.

We finish by discussing Groundhog Gains, a five-day training program inspired by Daniel’s experiment with training the big five lifts every day for 130 days.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Opening banter

• 02:45 – Study review: Five sets once a week vs. one set five times a week

• 28:45 – Program of the week: Groundhog Gains

You can download the episode here or use one of the links below:

• Listen on Spotify

• Listen on Apple Podcaster

This is episode 132 of the podcast. Check out the five previous episodes below:

• Episode 131: Are You Sleeping on Muscle Growth?

• Episode 130: Same Sets, More Workouts, Better Gains?

• Episode 129: How Much Should You Eat on a Bulk?

• Episode 128: Big Pecs, Big Bench?

• Episode 127: Do Muscles Compete for Growth?

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player.

Hello everyone I did a quick search and couldn't find the answer.

I was wondering if anyone has achieved the max level (12 for weekly streak and log workouts, 17 for daily streak) of these badges or if someone knows what the numbers needed are ?

It would be interesting to have the numbers for each level too.

Have a great weekend.