Barbell Machas

The recap for last year won't be complete without discussing the Asia Classic Powerlifting Championship 2023. This was the first Asian powerlifting championship that Malaysia has hosted and the good doctor was the Chief Medical Officer for the Event and Malaysia. He shares his experience as the Exco of Malaysia Association for Powerlifting and how this event turned to be triumphant.

Happy New Year, folks! Let's dive into 2024 with some exciting stories. In this episode, we're chatting with Coach Luke, fresh from his stellar performance in the Philippines' Open and Classic Bodybuilding competition. Tune in to hear all about his journey, experiences, and the hard work behind his recent success. Don't miss out on this inspiring start to the new year!"

Hello everyone and welcome back to this week's episode! On todays episode Coach Luke is going to be sharing invaluable insights for those of you just stepping into the world of fitness. Luke is ready to demystify the world of fitness programming for us. Whether you've just laced up your gym shoes or you're pushing past beginner level, there's something here for everyone. From the rhythmic beats of...

In this week's enlightening episode, we dive deep into the intricate maze of the psychological and biosocial dimensions of injury recovery. Dr. Arvin, doesn't merely provide a clinical perspective—he shares his poignant personal journey as an injured athlete, which brings a layer of authenticity to our discussion. Over the years, Dr. Arvin has treated a multitude of patients, and he emphasizes the...

This week, we're diving deep into a topic that's crucial for anyone looking to maximize their gains and performance - Carb Loading. Ever wondered about the science and strategy behind it? Puzzled over whether to front load or back load? 🤔 Well, you're in for a treat! Coach Luke is joining us to demystify the entire process. He'll be breaking down the nuances, sharing expert tips, and guiding you...

This week, as we start Season 5, we decided to discuss what makes trained lifters click so well with their body when it comes to producing movements or force. What is it about how their nervous system works that allows them to generate that much force is such short time? When does it start happening and does it ever stop getting better? Tune in and as the Machas walk into Season 5 of the Spiciest...

This week, as promised we reviewed the latest research surrounding our conversation around training to failure. We discussed a few papers to consolidate our current understanding on how far from failure should you be training to reap maximum Hypertrophy. Tune in, and get your updates

In this week's episode, Coach Luke discussed an interesting supplement that has been used to give competitors an edge when it comes to looking peeled as they approach their competition. Today we are going to discuss Yohimbine.

This week we are Revisiting Training to Failure. This will be a 2 part episode where we revisited the fundamentals about training to failure and on the following part we will discuss the latest nuances about this topic including some research papers that have stirred the pot amongst the hypertrophy enthusiast.

On this episode, Coach Luke shared with us his experience on his latest Bodybuilding competition where he finished 4th amongst a tough line-up. We discussed the challenges he faced leading up to the competition and how he navigated his prep throughout this process. He also shared some obstacles he faced during comp day and how it has provided hima chance to learn how to prepare better for the next...

This week on Coaches Corner we did some Q&As. We discussed how does breast size affect body composition? Does 4 hrs of sleep at night outdo 8 hrs sleep in the day? Our thoughts of asymmetry during squats. Why do some individuals wear a belt during bench press? How accurate is a 1RM calculator and many more. So tune in and hear out our opinions on the questions above.

This week we have brought to your attention 2 very new papers. Squat or Hip Thrust for glutes? Does stopping training for a week make you come back stronger? We have discussed the important points in these papers and given our take on them. Tune in as we dissect them. . Plotkin, D. L., Rodas, M. A., Vigotsky, A., McIntosh, M. C., Breeze, E., Ubrik, R., ... & Roberts, M. D. (2023). Hip thrust and b...

This week, we will be discussing a supplement that has existed for many years, some say 3000 years. Better known as the Indian Ginseng and has recently made its way to the top of the supplement list with more research showing that it is beneficial not only health but also performance. Tune in as we take a dive into the well known herb, Ashwagandha.

We are back with Season 4. We are going to start this season with a very interesting series of topics. Coach Luke will be starting off the series with an in depth discussion about the fitness fatigue paradigm and how each component affects performance. This season is going to be packed with a lot more informative discussions. As always enjoy the #SpicyScience.

This week on our research review we get a little nostalgic. We revisited a topic we discussed on Episode 16, which is foam rolling. The good doc discussed a brand new paper that reviewed the current effects of foam rolling on myofascial stiffness and muscle strength. Whereas Coach Luke covered a pretty interesting topic, does stretching between sets help? Tune in and get your updates

Should you rush to slash the calories or would doing it in a progressive manner be better? Coach Luke takes a plunge into this topic and we share our pointers at the end of the show. One may go into a cut for various reasons, but which approach would encourage sustainability? Tune in as we discuss it.

This week.. we get into a little chat with Coach Luke Lango about his comp prep. This time we are turning our focus on the dieting aspect of comp prep. He breaks down his approach leading up to the comp. Tune in as he gives a few pointers that may help you, if you are looking to follow his footsteps.

This week, we discuss a rather common gynaecological problem and how exercise benefits it. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects 1 in 10 women globally. Lifestyle modification is one of the major management strategies to improve health outcomes of those dealing with this condition. In this episode we discuss a little bit on what this condition is and how exercise an...

On this week's Research Review the machas covered 2 interesting papers. Coach Luke Lango dissected an interesting paper on the nuances of Creatine supplementation and the Doc discussed a paper on the different muscle involvement in the Barbell Back Squat and how it impacts muscle hypertrophy. Is creatine still the king of legal supplements? Is Squats really an exercise that hits every single lower...

This week we dive into the doctor's prep for the recent National Qualifiers. We managed a decent 27.5 kg PR on the total. We discussed the struggles we faced throughout the prep and how things turned out on game day. Besides that, we also discussed the importance of a handler during a powerlifting meet. Tune in to get the full scoop.

This episode is pretty exciting simply because the doctor is changing his opinion on the impact of analgesics on hypertrophy, as new evidence on its impact is available. Tune in as we discuss the details on this topic with different varieties of analgesics on its impact on resistance training hypertrophy adaptation.

On this week's episode, we discuss the ability of coaches to predict an athlete's RIR at different points of a given set. We also go on to discuss why RPE and RIR measurements are important and how one can get better at predicting them. How can we more objectively assess them? And does it matter for everyone? Tune in to this episode only on Spotify and Sound Cloud.

It's finally here!! Our 100th Episode!! What better way to celebrate than having a really stimulating conversation with Coach Hisham from Strength Academy. We discussed if RPE for strength and hypertrophy are rated the same way? How exercising for health differs from training from performance? How do trainers differentiate this? . Catch us on this momentous episode and share with us your thoughts...

This week on episode 99, the machas are going to cover 2 more research reviews updating their listeners with what is latest in the fitness industry. Dr Arvin covers a pretty interesting topic that is often debated about, if stretching affects strength and can resistance training improve range of motion without stretching. Coach Luke covers the power of placebo effect on paralympic athlete bench th...

This week, we are keeping it short and sweet. The doctor has an update on how much protein is required to elicit muscle hypertrophy and strength related adaptation. We would have heard many recommendations such as 1g per lb or 2g per kg. So lets see if these figures hold water with the current literature.