Coffee Consumption and Risk of Death
by The coffee industry is booming, with an endless commodity chain and coffee consumption at record highs. There isn’t a beverage on the planet more consumed …
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Going Nowhere Fast
When life’s good, eating and training dialled in, most of us will have no trouble making ground on our goals. But that’s not when things usually …
NEW Science of How Sitting Maims Your Health
How does sitting affect health and how much exercise do we need to counteract the effects of inactivity? Are 10,000 steps a day really enough …
Shoulder Pain and a Cautionary Tale on the Use of MRI
Shoulder pain is extremely common and can occur for a variety of reasons. Yet many people are quick to believe that structural abnormalities are the …
Strike First and Strike Hard
Yesterday we talked about the follied tanning capacity of redheads, and something called conservation of variation. If you missed it, I recommend you go back …
Avoid Training Plateaus with the Right Amount of Variation
I’d like to introduce to you something that could leverage massive results for you in your training and help you avoid training plateaus along the …
Everything That Happens is Because of You
I was reminded last week of how a simple change in perspective has the power to change everything. This stark reminder came about because I …
Your Talent Needs Trauma
I’ve just gotten word we’ve taken damage. My team of assassins are scattered locally and abroad this past week engaged in various pockets of battle and …
When Best To Fail
I have an interesting tidbit to add following last weeks email on training to failure. To recap: Vieira, et al. (2019) found that lifting to failure …
Training To Failure Is Training To Fail
Fresh out of the lab, we have a new study comparing the effects of training with or without failure on trained participants. 18 trained men …
Should We Train to Failure?
Is it better to train to failure, or leave a couple of reps in the tank? So far the research has consistently favoured NOT training …
A Note From Hell
I’m up early this morning and feeling motivated to get some work done and finally do my taxes. The work part I’m cool with. To …
Resting Between Sets, What Do We Know?
I’m often asked how long we should rest between sets and as always, the answer isn’t exactly black and white. Fortunately, there is a lot …
An Acceptable Form of Violence
One of the more fluid and majestic things you’ll ever see in a gym are well-executed medicine ball throws. There’s something about seeing the body move with both precision and savagery …
Shots Fired
I’m often asked about what can be done to speed up recovery. More often than not I find myself responding with… ”Recovery from what?” Because we …
The Power of Fish Oil and Strength Training
As we enter our later years, we’re entreated to the gradual decline of muscle mass, physical capacity, metabolic rate, cognitive and respiratory vigour. Strength training …
Meathead Meditations
If you are or ever have been one of my private training clients, we will have likely had the following exchange: You: ”How many reps …
Every Corpse on Everest
”You look tired.” Said my client Sue straightfaced as they come. And you know you’re looking several shades of ruin when it’s the first thing …
Does Static Stretching Increase Flexibility and Performance?
Got a quick fitbit for you today. Reader Matt has asked me for some study soundbites showing that static stretching does not improve performance or …
The Quality of Your Relationships
When you look at the happiness, well-being and quality of life studies done, there is one common link among the people who lived a happy, fulfilling life. The common …
Squats, Muscle Damage and Recovery
Some closing thoughts on Monday’s post for you: The time curve of voluntary muscle activation recovery following a workout and muscle soreness are not the same. …
How To Ruin Your Monday
As far as I can tell, in gyms all over the world, Monday remains the unofficial international bench press day. Where the first and freshest …
Does Stretching Between Sets Help?
Many moons ago our ancestors of the old intuitive-lifting era claimed that stretching between sets helped you grow more muscle. Previous research has suggested that …
Protein Needs For Women Who Lift
Due to popular demand, I brushed up on some recent studies on the protein needs for women who lift. While most of the research on …
The Brain Gains of Lifting
We’re on the fringe of mapping out the extraordinary effects that saturate the brain through exercise. It’s an exciting time to be alive as we …
Your Place In the Sun
The vast majority of your training will be rather monotonous and ordinary. You’ll clock-in, do the work, call it a day and try to string …
The Great Motion Potion of Our Age
Not that we needed another reason to drink coffee, the good people of Korea have dropped this gem in our laps. Exploring the association between …
Is Foam Rolling Overrated?
For all the hype around foam-rolling these days, it may be surprising to know that we still don’t know for certain what’s happening when we …
Sticks, Stones and Fragility
This is one of my favourite lines from a paper that came out last year about what works in the self-management of chronic pain: ”Enablers …
It’s Official, Work-Place Burnout is a Thing
In the news, work-place burnout has just become recognised officially as a mental health concern by The World Health Organisation (WHO). It now has an …
Strength Training Could Save Your Life
Muscles produce the mechanical work needed to be active and mobile throughout our lifetime. Maintaining the operating power of that vital machinery through regular strength …
Something Small and Easy Today
It doesn’t need to be revolutionary today. It can be small and easy if you like. Bring it all back to the simple notion that …
Augustus Gloop Will Not Be Harmed
Can chocolate actually be healthy for you? Well, a new study confirms that chocolate may have some surprising cardiovascular health benefits. In a recent meta-analysis …
Meal Frequency: What’s better, Three or Six Meals Per Day?
You may have heard the recommendation that a higher meal frequency or somewhere between 3 to 6 meals per day helps to maximise resting energy …
Exercise and Mental Health Benefits
The effects of exercise on mental health are finally getting some much-needed attention in the scientific community. For a long time, a growing body of …
Your Success Depends On This One Thing
Success, however you choose to define it, can only be achieved in the presence of a few critical factors. Persistence is one. Deciding to look and …