Evidence Strong | Weightlifting Science | Podcast on RSS.com

Evidence Strong | Weightlifting Science

Evidence Strong | Weightlifting Science

by Evidence Strong

The Valsalva Maneuver: Blood Pressure, Blackouts and Heavy Lifting — with Blake Perry

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/valsalva-blood-164415042 🏋️‍♀️ The fact is that we have very little research about the Valsalva maneuver and resistance training, cardiac health, or health in general. But our understanding of the maneuver is growing. Dr. Blake Perry discussed the nuances of what happens during the Valsalva maneuver and how it relates to cardiac risks, the possibility of developing weightlifter's blackout, and its influence on overall health. Blake Perry is an integrative human physiologist at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand. His research is focused on blood flow to the brain, particularly during large changes in blood pressure induced by resistance exercise and the Valsalva maneuver (modified breath-hold). These research interests stem from a personal interest in both powerlifting and cardiovascular physiology. Blake’s current research is exploring the effects of resistance exercise on arterial stiffness, and the potentially confounding role of the Valsalva maneuver. Enjoy! Original research paper: Perry BG, Perry MJ, Dixon R, Bush M, Ryan-Stewart H. Resistance exercise with combined Valsalva maneuver acutely increases carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity in healthy untrained individuals. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2026 May 29:1-3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-026-06167-z ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Blake Perry: 🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-perry-56293880/ 🔹 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=41oz8NkAAAAJ 🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Blake-Perry 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

How Much Does Cardio Hurt Weightlifting Power? With Emidio Pistilli

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/modeling-how-is-164322473 🏋️‍♀️ Okay. Here is the thing: we're getting told that even weightlifters should do some cardio for health and recovery, but will it ruin Olympic weightlifting performance? No one has tested. And I get it. Imagine running a training study where you get weightlifters to run a certain number of minutes (or kms) and test whether their power production drops. Sounds like a hard sell for me. Dr Emidio Pistilli's approach was different. Instead of testing real Olympic weightlifters, he modeled the interference effect between cardio and power generation using existing data. Ed Pistilli is a professor in the Division of Exercise Physiology at West Virginia University, where he has taught courses in neuromuscular physiology and strength & conditioning. He holds a master's degree in Exercise Science from Appalachian State University, a PhD in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, the Level 1 Coach certification from USA Weightlifting, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. Current research interests Dr. Pistilli is pursuing include muscle fatigue and cancer, as well as neuromuscular adaptations to weightlifting. Enjoy! Original research paper: Pistilli EE, Mizener AD, Clayton SA. A Model to Simulate the Interference Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Rate of Force Development in Weightlifters. bioRxiv. 2025 Dec 22:2025-12. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.18.695222v1.abstract RFD Simulator Webapp: https://rfdsimulator.stuartclayton.me/ ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Emidio Pistilli: 🔹 https://github.com/PistilliLab 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

Can Shoe Sensors Measure Weightlifting Technique? — with Veni Kong

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/shoe-sensors-and-164147675 🏋️‍♀️ Can we use shoe sensors and a camera to assess the biomechanics of Olympic weightlifting movements? Can these measures replace laboratory-grade equipment in providing coaches with meaningful insight? Dr Veni Kong discusses her study on testing the biomechanics of the snatch in the Singaporean national weightlifting team. Dr Pui Wah (Veni) KONG is an Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She obtained her PhD in sports biomechanics from Loughborough University, United Kingdom. Her research focuses on human performance and musculoskeletal health. She has led research projects in high-performance sports, gait analysis, footwear, low back pain, sports injuries, rehabilitation, and exoskeletons. Enjoy! Original research paper(s): Ang CL, Kong PW. Field-based biomechanical assessment of the snatch in Olympic weightlifting using wearable in-shoe sensors and videos—A preliminary report. Sensors. 2023 Jan 19;23(3):1171. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/3/1171 ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Veni Kong: 🔹 https://x.com/venikong 🔹 https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Kong-Pui-Wah 🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/pui-wah-kong-900064a1 🔹 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kM0w-3cAAAAJ 🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pui-Kong 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

Can One Test Predict Long-Term Weightlifting Performance? With Shaun Joffe

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/isometric-and-163580288 🏋️‍♀️ Isometric testing has become quite popular in recent years, but we still don't know how predictable these tests can be in the long run. Shaun Joffe discusses his two newest studies, which cover isometric testing in three positions (start, transition, and power) and assess their correlation with performance in Olympic weightlifting, both together and separately. Shaun Joffe is a Senior Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning at St Mary’s University and a UKSCA-accredited strength and conditioning coach. He is also a British Weightlifting licensed coach and remains actively involved in coaching several national-level weightlifters. Shaun is currently a PhD candidate at St Mary’s University, where his research focuses on the neuromuscular determinants of weightlifting performance. Enjoy! Original research paper: Shaun A. Joffe, Shyam Chavda, Jesse Gilham, Gavin R. H. Sandercock & Jamie Tallent (2026) A comparison of maximal isometric force in the first pull, transition and second pull of the clean and their contribution to predict performance in national and international level weightlifters, Sports Biomechanics, 25:2, 281-297, DOI:10.1080/14763141.2025.2458478 https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2458478 ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Shaun Joffe: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/shaunjoffe 🔹 https://x.com/ShaunJoffe 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

How to Pick the Right Weight Class for Long-Term Progress — with Kedric Kwan

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/cutting-weight-162946851 🏋️‍♀️ How to decide whether cutting weight is the right move for a competition? How to do it safely and effectively? What factors should we consider when planning long-term lifter development? Dr. Kedric Kwan discusses his research and experience working with powerlifters. Dr. Kedric Kwan is a co-founder and lead nutritionist of Reformance Training. He has coached multiple powerlifters to World Championship medals, after his own successes at the World level. Kedric has published several research papers on the topics of powerlifting, weight manipulation, and nutrition. Enjoy! Original research paper(s): Kwan K, King A, Helms ER. The Magnitude of Rapid Weight Loss Affects Subjective Stress and Recovery in Elite Powerlifters at the World Championships: An Exploratory Analysis. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 2026 Mar 29:1-0. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02701367.2026.2635723 ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Kedric Kwan: 🔹 https://reformancetraining.com/about-us 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/kedric.reformance 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

Are Weights Safe for Kids and Teens? 20 Years of Data — with Ben Carnovale

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/back-injuries-in-162121269 🏋️‍♀️ Back injuries are the most common injuries in powerlifting and the second most common injuries in Olympic weightlifting. The popularity of strength sports is continuously rising across all age groups, and with it, concern about a possible increase in injuries. Ben Carnovale studied the exact patterns of spinal and paraspinal injuries in youth and adolescents engaged in weightlifting (lifting weights) over the last 20 years, and agreed to share his research with us. Benjamin J. Carnovale is a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a researcher in the Spine Computational Outcomes Learning Institute (SCOLI), where his interests include neurosurgery, spine biomechanics, sports-related injuries, and medical device innovation. He earned his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, where he developed a passion for applying engineering principles to clinical challenges. His work investigates neurosurgical outcomes, injury prevention, pediatric and adolescent musculoskeletal health, and intelligent implant technologies. He has authored several peer-reviewed publications on spine surgery, sports medicine, neurosurgical outcomes, and injury epidemiology. Enjoy! Original research paper(s): Carnovale BJ, Lavadi RS, Patel J, Kumar RP, Mooney J, Shah MJ, McDowell MM, Hamilton DK, Agarwal N. Spinal and Paraspinal Injuries from Weightlifting in Minors. World Neurosurgery. 2026 Mar 30:124961. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878875026001774 Post about article: https://www.scoli.org/blog/posts/spinal-and-paraspinal-injuries-from-weightlifting-in-minors ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Ben Carnovale: 🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-carnovale-10838a278/ 🔹 https://www.scoli.org/ 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

What It Takes to Coach Your Child to the Olympics – with Tripp Morris

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/parenting-and-to-160587328 🏋️‍♀️ After 10 years of training with his father, Hampton Morris won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, adding to a collection of medals and records in the Pan American and World championships. It was the first Olympic medal in weightlifting for the U.S. in 40 years. I sat down with Tripp Morris to talk about his parenting and coaching of Hampton. Tripp Morris is an accomplished material chemist who serves as the Director of Research & Innovation. Outside his professional corporate career, he is a Senior International Coach for USA Weightlifting at Ritual Weightlifting in Marietta, Georgia. In this coaching role, he guided his son, Hampton Morris, to elite international success, culminating in a historic trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Hampton earned Bronze. Balancing the roles of an innovation leader and an elite athletic mentor, Tripp also shares his passionate sporting journey directly alongside his wife and daughter, who actively support the Ritual Weightlifting Team. Enjoy! ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Tripp Morris: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/tripphomer 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/ritual_weightlifting 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

Eating Disorders in Weightlifting — with Sarah Gulyamov

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/eating-disorders-161039758 🏋️‍♀️ Are eating issues a problem in weightlifters? What is the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders? Can weight cutting be done without harm? Sarah Gulyamov discusses how Olympic weightlifting rules and culture can create problems and what to do about it. Sarah Gulyamov works as an accredited practicing dietician at the Talbot Centre working primarily in eating disorders in adolescents and adults. She also works as a coach and dietitian with athletes in weightlifting at Atletika Weightlifting, based in Sydney. Enjoy! ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Sarah Gulyamov: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/sgnutritionau 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/atletika_weightlifting 🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gulyamov-06836bb3 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

Why Weight Releasers Can Improve Your Split Jerk — with Kurt Roderick

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong/posts/accentuated-why-159168712 🏋️‍♀️ The jerk is the last lift of a successful competition. It is technically demanding, explosive, and extremely satisfying if landed flawlessly. But jerks are also hard to coach. Kurt Roderick just published his study on using an accentuated eccentric loading to improve split jerk performance. Kurt Roderick is the Owner and Head Coach of Murder of Crows, the largest sanctioned weightlifting club in New York. He holds a master’s degree in Human Performance from Lehman College and is certified as a USA Weightlifting Level 3 National Coach. With over twelve years of experience in the sport, Mr. Roderick was recognized as the 2023 New York State Coach of the Year for his contributions to athlete development and competitive achievement. Enjoy! Original research paper: Roderick K, Comfort P, Suchomel TJ, Swinton PA, Schoenfeld BJ. Accentuate the Negative? Effects of Eccentric Overload on Muscular Adaptations During Split Jerk Performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2026 Mar 1;40(3):255-64. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2026/03000/accentuate_the_negative__effects_of_eccentric.2.aspx ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Kurt Roderick: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/kurtrod 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/murderofcrowsbarbellclub 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

The Biomechanics That Separate Elite Weightlifters — with Paul Arauz

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-elite-differ-156420843 🏋️‍♀️ Is there a difference in the movement patterns of an elite weightlifter (preparing for the Olympics) and a university-level lifter? Professor Paul Arauz discusses his series of studies investigating the differences in the kinetics and kinematics of the snatch and the clean. Paul Arauz is a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on real-time, vision-guided orthopedic surgery, Raman spectroscopy for cancer detection, hip and knee biomechanics, total joint replacement, robotics, and three-dimensional human motion analysis for rehabilitation and sports performance. He earned his PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining Stony Brook University, he served as an Assistant Professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito for five years. Enjoy! Original research paper(s): Arauz PG, Garcia G, Llerena J. Biomechanical analysis of the snatch technique for elite and varsity weightlifters. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929024003695 Arauz PG, Garcia G, Llerena J, Boroji M, Danesh V, Kao I. 3-Dimensional kinematics and kinetics of the snatch in elite and varsity weightlifters. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929025001368 Arauz PG, Garcia G, Llerena J, Kao I. Biomechanical and neuromuscular differences between the snatch and clean in elite weightlifters. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929025006189 ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Paul Arauz: 🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-arauz-65bb1045 🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Arauz 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/evidence_strong 🔹 https://x.com/EvidenceStrong All the content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, coaching, or financial advice, nor does it substitute for advice from your health care professional/provider. Any actions you will take, changes you will make to your nutrition, training or health care, are on your own responsibility and not mine.

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