Not my bailiwick. We'll ask. Although it might be fun to investigate the question of whether sets of 5 actually cause hypertrophy.
Hi Mr Rippetoe,
I just finished my PhD in Zoology (more specifically motor control in insects) and I am looking to transition into a post-doc in sports science. I am interested in biomechanics and strength training. My question are:
i) Are there any labs you would recommend?
ii) As I am writing speculative applications to various labs, I wanted to ask you, since you are in the forefront of strength training, what research would actually have an impact on strength training? Though I plan to read the blue book in more detail, my understanding is that the biomechanics of the main lifts are well sorted out. What is then left to study that would actually be meaningful in terms of biomechanics applied to strength training? I was thinking of using anthropometry to predict which variation of each lift, eg high vs low bar squat, would best suit an individual. I understand that the majority of lifters can lift more low bar but it would nice to actually have a model that predicts the cut-off for the outliers based on anthropometry.
Thanks in advance,
Dr Clueless
Not my bailiwick. We'll ask. Although it might be fun to investigate the question of whether sets of 5 actually cause hypertrophy.
Are you planning to have the insects do the NLP? I see a possible problem with getting enough protein, especially if you are dealing with non carnivorous bugs.
We've already investigated that. It is.
A Comparison of Two Start Positions v2 | Mark Rippetoe
A Comparison of Two Start Positions v1
Dr. Clueless,
I would actually disagree that the biomechanics of the main lifts are well sorted out. There is certainly a lot of published research on the subject, but like most of the research in our field, much of it is not of very high quality. If that is your area of interest, I would encourage you to pursue it. I work full-time at a R3 institution, so my primary job is to teach, but I am also required to do research. We don't have a post-doctoral program, but I could potentially put you in touch with some colleagues if you are serious about pursuing this. Feel free to message me privately.
I hope that helps.
This is interesting. What do you think could be missing? From my naive perspective it seems like Starting Strength has sorted things out pretty well for the main lifts, not through academic research but through empirical evidence and analysis. SS coaches can make anyone squat/deadlift/press/bench Press/clean/snatch according to its model, regardless of individual anthropometric differences or most health issues, so what is there to research still?
Hi John,
Are there any papers you would recommend and consider good quality? I am particularly interested in the biomechanics of the SQ, BP, and DL. When I say that the biomechanics are well sorted out I mean that It's just hard to believe that a paper on the biomechanics of the DL would let's say convince Mr Rippetoe to change the well-established set-up for the DL.
Thank you for the offer. I have sent a few applications now and I will wait for the outcome + I have identified a few more labs I will likely apply to.