🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/testing-vitruve-155731374 🏋️‍♀️

In this episode, Dr. Juan Garcia Lopez discusses his recent study on the usefulness of the Vitruve device for measuring velocity. This study measured velocity during bench presses at various loads over a few weeks of strength training.

Juan has a PhD in Sport Sciences and has been a full professor of Sports Biomechanics at the University of León (Faculty of Sport Sciences, Spain) for over 25 years. His research focuses on two main areas: biomechanical analysis of sport performance (particularly in cyclic sports) and the validation of devices for recording biomechanical variables (power, force, velocity, etc.). Juan also serves as the Head of the AMREDyS Research Group at the University of León.

Enjoy!

Original research paper:

Justo-Álvarez A, García-López J, Sabido R, García-Valverde A. Validity of a New Portable Sensor to Measure Velocity-Based Resistance Training. Methods and Protocols. 2025 Jan 20;8(1):9.

https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/8/1/9

❤️ 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 Juan Garcia Lopez:

🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan-Garcia-Lopez-3

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/juan_biomech

🔹 https://www.youtube.com/@juangarcia-lopez6409

🔹 https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=L9JtffEAAAAJ

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/heavy-lifting-in-154192033 🏋️‍♀️

This is one of the first prospective studies monitoring in real time how the heavy lifting influences pregnancy and postpartum.

Therese Fostervold Mathisen comes on the Evidence Strong Show to discuss the survey study she has run for two years in Norway, comparing physically active pregnant women with women who specifically lifted heavy weights in pregnancy.

Therese is a former national-level powerlifter in Norway (1994-2000). She is a sports dietitian and exercise physiologist with a PhD in sports medicine. As a professor in health science, her research interests include female athletes, exercise as medicine, REDs, eating disorders, athletes' mental health, and athletes' physical health.

Enjoy!

Original research paper(s):

Mathisen TF, Hubin A, Mountjoy M, Sundgot-Borgen J. Safety of heavy resistance exercise during pregnancy and postpartum: A controlled, prospective cohort study. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal. 2025 Jun 26;33(1).

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/33/1/article-wspaj.2025-0010.xml

Strong Bodies, Unclear Guidelines—Navigating Pregnancy and Postpartum Without Tailored Resistance Exercise Guidelines

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/34/1/article-wspaj.2025-0112.xml

❤️ 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 Therese Fostervold Mathisen:

🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-f-mathisen/

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/theresefm/

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/menstrual-cycle-and-strength-154135570 🏋️‍♀️

Paul Schatz conducted a six-month study with elite German female weightlifters, measuring their menstrual cycle and strength performance. It's such an interesting study because, although the study sample is relatively small, the research methods are solid.

Paul is a PhD student at the German Sports University investigating the influence of the menstrual cycle on performance in athletes.

Enjoy!

Original research paper:

Schatz P, Ullrich F, Siegert F, Legerlotz K, Diel P, Isenmann E. Interactions between menstrual cycle, training load and strength performance in elite female weightlifters. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2026 Jan 16.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244026000034

❤️ 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 Schatz:

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/fit_byscience

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chinese-weightlifting-154065858 🏋️‍♀️

This interview brings an insider look into the weightlifting system in China. Manuel Buitrago teaches weightlifting using the Chinese understanding of technique and progressions, and authored two books on the topic.

Manuel Buitrago, PhD, is the founder and director of MaStrength, a global education brand dedicated to authentic Chinese weightlifting. Since launching MaStrength in 2014, he’s taught 100+ seminars worldwide and hosted a dozen weightlifting events at Chinese weightlifting bases. He has authored Chinese Weightlifting: A Visual Guide to Technique and Chinese Weightlifting: Technical Mastery & Training.

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 Manuel Buitrago:

🔹 https://chineseweightlifting.com/

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/mastrength

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/154060814 🏋️‍♀️

Strength testing is gaining popularity in many sports nowadays. With wider availability in measurement technologies, strength testing is also becoming fast and easy. But the thing is, sometimes it is too much data to handle. You could be testing hundreds of tasks, but you probably shouldn't. Dr. Mary Claire Geneau compared back squat and jump tests (loaded and unloaded) to see if one can be eliminated but still deliver the information coaches need.

Mary Claire (MC) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the University of Victoria and Canadian Sport Institute-Pacific, and is a sport scientist with the Professional Women's Hockey League in Vancouver, BC. MC has over a decade of S&C and sport science experience, working with several Canadian national teams, including soccer, volleyball, rowing, freestyle skiing, field hockey, and triathlon. MC’s PhD research focused on the analytical and practical aspects of lower-body strength diagnosis using force platforms, and her current research focuses on leveraging wearable and microsensor technologies to quantify athlete load and performance.

Enjoy!

Original research paper(s):

Geneau MC, Carey DL, Gastin PB, Robertson SJ, James LP. Relationships Between Loaded Countermovement Jumps and 1-RM Back Squat: A Discrete Metrics and Waveform Analysis. Biomechanics. 2026 Jan 1;6(1):3.

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7078/6/1/3

❤️ 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 Mary Claire Geneau:

🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-claire-geneau-60a74b93/

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/mcgeneau/

🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary-Claire-Geneau

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-deal-with-153127993 🏋️‍♀️

Choking under pressure is one of the most frustrating experiences in sport, but it is not random. In this conversation, Chris Mesagno breaks down the psychology behind choking, the role of anxiety and perfectionism, and how to build strategies to reduce it.

Christopher Mesagno is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. With over 25 years of research expertise in anxiety, attention, and concentration skills, Christopher has successfully developed theory-matched interventions to improve performance for highly anxious and "choking-susceptible" athletes. Christopher maintains a robust academic research profile with 75+ research articles and book chapters, and has given various conference and keynote presentations at national and international conferences.

Enjoy!

Original research paper(s):

- Gröpel, P., & Mesagno, C. (2019). Choking interventions in sports: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 176–201.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1750984X.2017.1408134

❤️ 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 Chris Mesagno:

🔹 https://x.com/CMesagno

🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher-Mesagno?ev=hdr_xprf

🔹 https://researchers.vu.edu.au/24494-christopher-mesagno

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/eye-health-and-152561923 🏋️‍♀️

There are very few health risks related to Olympic weightlifting when the training is reasonable. Are eye problems one of the issues that may develop? Feliciana Menna comes on the Evidence Strong Show to discuss her newest study on eye health in Olympic weightlifters.

Feliciana Menna is an ophthalmologist and clinician-scientist with expertise in retinal diseases, glaucoma, and multimodal ocular imaging. She has trained and worked across Italy and Switzerland and is currently involved in both clinical practice and research. She has recently focused on the investigation of intraocular pressure variations, particularly in relation to physical activity and different sports disciplines, with relevant implications for glaucoma risk assessment.

Enjoy!

Original research paper(s):

Menna F, De Luca L, Lupo S, Meduri A, Vingolo EM. Variations in Intraocular Pressure Among Athletes Across Different Sports Disciplines. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025 May 6;14(9):3211.

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/14/9/3211

❤️ 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 Feliciana Menna:

🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciana-menna-226636197/

🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Feliciana-Menna/research

💪 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.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/perfect-jumps-152354506 🏋️‍♀️

What is an optimal jump between the first and the second lift in the powerlifting competition? What is the best jump between the second and the third?

Dr. Ian Darragh has analyzed 90 thousands of competition records to establish what the successful jumps should be between bench, squat, and deadlift attempts in competition.

Ian Darragh holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology and has recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in data science and biostatistics. He is a former junior international weightlifter and has over 15 years of lifting and 10 years of coaching experience. He has an interest in physiology, performance, and health research. He currently works as a research fellow in orthopedics and sports medicine at the Geisinger Health System in northeast Pennsylvania.

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 Ian Darragh:

🔹 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ian-Darragh

🔹 https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-darragh-001287125/

🔹 https://www.instagram.com/beanswole/

💪 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.