Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Trexler and Helms dig into Helms's new MASS article, "Are studies on untrained lifters irrelevant to trained lifters?" It's built around a new umbrella review by Andy Fry and colleagues. The recurring internet claim is that most exercise research is done on untrained people, so a trained lifter is "built different" and the findings don't apply. The hosts unpack why that's mostly wrong. They start with the messy problem of defining how "trained" someone is. Then they discuss Fry's review, which reports that roughly 70% of resistance training study participants are sedentary or untrained, with fewer than 500 out of nearly 19,000 participants counting as genuinely well-trained. But the key focus of the episode is that this doesn't invalidate the research: what makes a beginner grow more will also make an advanced lifter grow more — the difference is rate, not mechanism.
Iron Culture is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review. Mostly because Helms and Trex are co-owners.
massresearchreview.com
If you're in the market for some new (ultra-high-quality) gym gear or apparel, be sure to use code "MRR10" for a 10% discount over at elitefts.com
If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode, head over to:
massresearchreview.com/ironculture
Chapters
0:00 Intro
8:25 The article: do untrained studies apply?
11:31 What does "trained" even mean?
22:26 How researchers try to define training status
25:51 Fry's approach & the McKay tiers
28:07 A review of reviews: mapping the literature
32:24 The finding: 70% untrained
37:46 Is that actually a problem?
43:44 Where meta-analyses fall short
51:27 Dose, stimulus & the maintenance threshold
58:27 Realistic rates of progress & goal-setting
1:14:51 Wrap-up: you don't need perfect
Trexler and Helms dig into Helms's new MASS article, "Are studies on untrained lifters irrelevant to trained lifters?" It's built around a new umbrella review by Andy Fry and colleagues. The recurring internet claim is that most exercise research is done on untrained people, so a trained lifter is "built different" and the findings don't apply. The hosts unpack why that's mostly wrong. They start with the messy problem of defining how "trained" someone is. Then they discuss Fry's review, which reports that roughly 70% of resistance training study participants are sedentary or untrained, with fewer than 500 out of nearly 19,000 participants counting as genuinely well-trained. But the key focus of the episode is that this doesn't invalidate the research: what makes a beginner grow more will also make an advanced lifter grow more — the difference is rate, not mechanism.
Iron Culture is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review. Mostly because Helms and Trex are co-owners.
massresearchreview.com
If you're in the market for some new (ultra-high-quality) gym gear or apparel, be sure to use code "MRR10" for a 10% discount over at elitefts.com
If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode, head over to:
massresearchreview.com/ironculture
Chapters
0:00 Intro
8:25 The article: do untrained studies apply?
11:31 What does "trained" even mean?
22:26 How researchers try to define training status
25:51 Fry's approach & the McKay tiers
28:07 A review of reviews: mapping the literature
32:24 The finding: 70% untrained
37:46 Is that actually a problem?
43:44 Where meta-analyses fall short
51:27 Dose, stimulus & the maintenance threshold
58:27 Realistic rates of progress & goal-setting
1:14:51 Wrap-up: you don't need perfect
