It worked in the old days, it works now, and it will always work in the future. People have been getting strong since they first picked up stones and logs. The story of Milo of Croton is over 2,000 years old. Milo’s father gave him a baby calf and asked him how big it was each day. Milo picked it up everyday and showed his father how big it was, getting Milo super strong over the years. Now that’s just a story but it just goes to show that people have known abot progressive strength training for thousands of years.
Theory is wonderful and people that like to read books more than they like to train love it. But while studies are great and all that, the application of real strength training, especially at the beginning and intermediate levels which 99.9% of the population is at, is bizarrely simple. Elaborate studies, endless debates about muscle fibers, discussions over what’s good for Olympic athletes, etc. has no bearing whatsoever on what 99% of the population (including “high level” athletes that have never picked up a barbell in their entire lives) need to get strong.
Reading is fine and staying informed is fine. But practicing what has been shown to work for many years is better than any reading you can do.