Ditch the cold shower for more muscle growth?

You might be suprised to find out the results of this recent meta-regression.

Periodization comes in different flavours. That said, it’s not clear that changing training variables over time should inherently be better for strength gains vs just keeping them in their happy place. Is there a benefit?

The recommendation for protein intake within the evidence-based fitness community has, for a long time, been a simple “1 gram per pound of bodyweight”.

While this is certainly a simple heuristic, is there any merit to this recommendation? Is this really optimal for muscle growth? Have we lost nuance for simplicity’s sake?

If the people who introduced you to lifting had a background in strength sports, they may have told you that barbells are the best (or only) way to put on size and strength.

Is that really what the evidence suggests?

One common piece of advice given within the gym is to focus on the mind-muscle connection when trying to build muscle. Visualise the muscle lengthening, shortening.

This may not be true.

There’s a big debate regarding how fast you should lose weight. If you lose weight too slowly, you may just be wasting time. If you lose weight too fast, you’re risking losing hard-earned muscle alongside the fat you lose.

When bulking, gaining weight too fast results in excess fat gain.

Are you as accurate as you think at gauging how close to failure you are?

“Sure, training closer to failure is better for muscle growth, but what about fatigue?”

Training to failure is controversial. Some will insist that you need to train to failure; that only those last few reps before failure are effective. However, this study suggests differently.