Breaking down what is and isn’t worth fussing over. — “How do I get jacked as hell?” Perhaps the defining philosophical question of every lifter’s journey. That or, “how do I get strong as hell?” But in all honesty, they really go hand in hand. If you’ve been lifting for a long time, you’ve probably asked several different folks this…

We know it can change short term ROM, but does it change long term ROM? — Spark Notes: Foam rolling has been shown to increase range of motion short term, but a recent meta-analysis showed that it can actually increase range of motion in the long term too. Trials less than equal to or less 4 weeks in duration didn't have a significant impact on range of motion…

If you don’t want to track, what else can you do to help manage your energy intake? — When it comes to managing energy intake, there are countless strategies one may use to help with this goal. Some of which, are even beyond tracking. Wild, right? Although I am a fan of tracking calories in certain contexts, I will never say it doesn’t come without it’s downsides and…

A deeper dive into the evidence and how you may want to apply this into your own training. —

What the evidence says and what it also can teach us about the supplement industry. — Spark Notes: Creatine is the one of the most researched and effective supplement in the fitness industry. When compared to placebo, creatine supplementation consistently increases strength performance and gains in lean body mass. These effects are most profound in shorter, more intense performance tasks. The magnitude of positive benefits tends to be…

Simplifying a needlessly complicated problem in your fitness journey. — In my last article, I talked about optimal protein targets for maximizing muscle growth, while not being in a calorie deficit. Theoretical targets are great. They give us an understanding how much of something you may need to maximize your results. The issue is, you may know how much, but…

How much is enough and how much is too much? Let’s find out. — Spark Notes: When it comes to achieving greater gains in lean mass during resistance training trials, protein supplementation groups experience greater gains than controls. More trained folks see a larger benefit from higher protein intakes than less trained folks did in these trials. A sub-analysis of this data showed that beyond intakes…

Simple strategies and considerations to help you up your pull-up game. — Doing a pull-up or chin-up might be one of the most common performance goals I hear from my clients and anyone who I interact with online surrounding fitness. For good reason too — being able to do one (especially if you never thought you could) is an awesome feat of…

Those extra calories you burn in the gym may not be as helpful as you think. — Spark Notes: Exercise as a stand alone strategy for weight loss seems to be quite ineffective, on average. One reason for this is that higher levels of active energy expenditure tend to get compensated back to varying degrees. …