Train smarter, not rarer
McMaster professor Stuart Phillips says the key strength variables: train at least 2x/week, hit heavier loads with full range of motion, do 2–3 sets per exercise, and place your big lifts early in the session — advice pulled from his recent thread that got 37 likes and 3,272 views thread. This isn’t fluff — it’s a concise checklist for progressive overload and consistent strength gains. thread
Stuart Phillips is a Distinguished University Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health at McMaster University, where he also leads the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence and the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Health Research. experts.mcmaster.ca The short checklist Phillips posted on X was archived and unrolled by ThreadReader, adding context and reach beyond the original post; Phillips has authored more than 220 peer‑reviewed papers on muscle, protein, and aging. threadreaderapp.com A landmark meta‑analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues (2016) concluded that training a muscle group twice per week produced greater hypertrophy than once per week, a finding repeatedly cited in subsequent reviews of frequency. sciencedirect.com Meta‑analyses comparing single‑set versus multiple‑set programs—starting with Krieger (2010) and reinforced by later network reviews—found multiple sets produce larger hypertrophy effect sizes, and several reviews list 2–3 sets per exercise as a practical strength stimulus for most trainees. paulogentil.com Exercise‑order research and systematic reviews (eg., Willardson/Simao syntheses) show multi‑joint, heavy lifts performed early achieve higher acute force output and better long‑term strength adaptations because neural drive and technical quality decline later in a session. link.springer.com Recent dose‑response meta‑regressions (2024–2025) model weekly set volume and frequency and conclude that distributing 10+ quality sets per muscle across 2–3 sessions maximizes hypertrophy while single‑session overloads show diminishing returns—an evidence base that maps directly onto the practical checklist Phillips shared. sportrxiv.org
