Published by Chris Beardsley and Rob Mauceri
The High Performance Physiology Podcast is co-hosted by Chris Beardsley and Rob Mauceri. Each episode showcases an example of how muscle physiology and biomechanics can be used to identify the best ways to train for athletic performance.
Listen on Apple PodcastsIn this episode, Chris and Rob analyze the strength training program used in the study: "Exploring the Upper Limits of Resistance Training Volume for Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength in Trained Athletes" by Räntilä and Ahtiainen, which was published in 2026. The reason for the review is that the subjects were national-level track and field athletes, so the training program reflects what many S&C coaches are currently programming for this population. The paper is currently open access and table 1 shows the training program that we talk about.
Finally, Chris and Rob tackle block periodization, explaining why it makes very little sense for athletes in any strength or power sport. This episode references material covered in previous conversations, especially the preceding two (31 dose-response of adaptations and 32 supercompensation) as well as frequent discussions about the rate of loss of adaptations during detraining and fatigue accumulation.
As a preparatory topic before covering block periodization, Chris and Rob explain the concept of supercompensation. Supercompensation is the observation that outcome measures (like strength, speed, power) can reduce during a high-volume training block and then rebound (supercompensate) during a subsequent deload or taper. But that does not happen because of a delayed adaptation. It happens because fatigue was accumulating during the high-volume training block and reducing the value of the outcome measure.
The dose-response of hypertrophy to workout volume is a famous phenomenon. In this episode, Chris and Rob talk about how all adaptations display dose-responses (even though they have not been as carefully studied). That affects how we program for speed, maximum strength, stretch-shortening cycle, and maximum eccentric strength.
Following on from the earlier episode about two-leg vertical jumping, Chris and Rob tackle single-leg vertical jumping and explain how it relates to power training (with power cleans and jump squats).
Chris was sick this week so this week's episode is a short one covering some practical suggestions on how we can still get productive training sessions while suffering from either a cold or flu.
Chris and Rob describe exactly how to combine bodybuilding with athletic preparation training for people who want to pursue multiple goals at the same time. They give three separate options depending on whether the two goals have equal weighting or whether one goal is currently more important.
In this very practical episode, Chris and Rob talk about how athletes can increase maximum strength without gaining weight (or without gaining too much muscle mass).
Following directly on from last week's podcast episode on potentiation, Chris and Rob talk about contrast training from a physiological perspective. They explain why in most cases, a more traditional approach to athletic strength training workouts (starting with high-velocity exercises, moving on to heavy strength training exercises, and finishing with plyometrics) is much better than doing contrast training methods that mix the various types of training up into complexes.
Potentiation is a temporary and reversible increase in exercise performance as a result of a previous bout of exercise (note that this is the exact opposite of the fatigue definition). In this episode, Chris and Rob explain the physiology behind potentiation and describe the most effective ways of using the various different potentiation mechanisms in strength training workouts.
Following on from the previous episode about muscle strain injuries, Chris and Rob talk about the physiology of tendon damage and how it likely leads to both tendinopathy and tendon ruptures. Afterwards, they describe how isometric training is probably the best training method for reducing the risk of such problems and Rob goes into detail about how he currently programs isometrics.
Chris and Rob talk about how muscle strain injuries happen, and what we can do in strength training programs to help reduce the risk of them happening.
Chris and Rob talk through what the literature says about the relationship between track sprinting performance and the muscle volumes of the hip extensors, hip flexors, knee extensors, knee flexors, and ankle plantar-flexors.
Chris and Rob continue describing how their proposed workout plan template (speed, maximum strength, stretch-shortening cycle, and eccentric strength) can work even when speed exercises are varied greatly over the week.
Chris and Rob talk about the popular strength and conditioning idea that there multiple strength qualities across the force-velocity spectrum, from maximum strength to strength-speed to power to speed-strength to maximum speed. They also introduce the High Performance Physiology method for building strength training workouts for athletes.
Endurance running performance is determined by three components: [1] maximal aerobic capacity, [2] lactate threshold, and [3] running economy. In this episode, Chris and Rob talk about how strength training can contribute to improvements in running economy.
Chris and Rob chat through what strength ratios between exercises can tell us (and what they cannot tell us) about writing athletic training programs.
Continuing from the previous two episodes about powerlifting, Chris and Rob tackle the problem of "work capacity" in this context. What does work capacity mean? What are the underlying physiological adaptations that contribute to changes in work capacity? How should we train to improve work capacity?
In this episode, Chris and Rob continue the powerlifting theme from the previous week. While the previous episode covered the main lifts, this episode is dedicated to accessory lifts to support gains in squat, bench press, and deadlift performance.
In this introductory episode, Chris and Rob explain the underlying adaptations that contribute to powerlifting performance in general terms, and then discuss basic concepts like sets and reps, progression models, potentiation prior to the lifts, and the basic purpose of the training programs from a physiological point of view.