Episode Details

Forget the oiled-up pumping-iron musclehead stereotype. In 2026, strength training is officially for EVERYONE. The question: What took so long?

In the premiere episode of the Exercise Science podcast, Martin Gibala takes his co-host Stuart Phillips through the recently released landmark update that Phillips senior authored: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Position Stand on Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults.

It’s the first position statement in 17 years from the gold standard exercise organization, and, according to the ACSM itself, “the most comprehensive evidence-based guidance to date on how resistance training supports muscle strength, muscle size (hypertrophy), power, and physical performance across adulthood.”

Parsing the science, together, Stu and Marty break down why strength is the ultimate compound interest investment for your health span. How important is strength training? Why should you consider strength training 2x per week to be just as important as the other main exercise-related health guideline, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week?

Plus: How much strength training is enough? What’s the minimum that you should do? What changed during the 17 years between position stands? And how did a 1940s bodybuilding doctor rehabbing soldiers pave the way for modern strength training?If you’re going to listen to just one podcast about the 2026 ACSM position stand on strength training — make it this episode of Exercise Science!

LINKS

Exercise Science is everywhere @realexercisescience: Substack. YouTube. TikTok. Instagram. Apple Podcasts. Spotify. On X you can find us @realexscience.

Stu is everywhere, too, but mostly on Instagram and X. Follow him on TikTok to make him feel nice!

Marty just started his own Instagram. Give him a follow! He’s also on X!

Thanks to our season one sponsor: EverMe is longevity intelligence — and you can download it for free at your favourite App store.

ACSM Position Stand 2026: The scientific article in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Here’s the press release about the stand from the ACSM, and a great succinct infographic summarizing the main takeaways

Here are the two previous ACSM position stands on strength: 2009 and

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