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Functional Strength Training: The Most Loathsome Term in All of Fitness

For reasons I have yet to fully understand, it has come to pass that certain types of exercise or pieces of equipment are now classed as “functional” while others are not. According to a leaflet that was thrust into my hot little hands the other day, a new gym that’s just opened in my area […]

The Bear Grylls Bulletproof Keto Hack

Keto diets are all the rage right now. There are even supplements out there that contain ketones, to help you get into ketosis faster. Developed by renegade chemist Patrick Arnold – known for introducing various prohormones and stimulants to the supplement market, as well as creating the designer steroids at the heart of the BALCO […]

The Bulgarian Squat vs. The Barbell Squat

Some time ago, a strength coach by the name of Mike Boyle caused controversy when he announced the death of the classic barbell squat. “The back gets injured the most when squatting,” says Boyle. “So we train our legs for size and strength by bypassing the back.” Boyle has his athletes perform an exercise called […]

Is Skipping Breakfast Bad for Weight Loss?

Is skipping breakfast bad for weight loss? After all, we’ve been told for years that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s supposed to stoke your metabolism so that you burn more calories throughout the day. Without it, your stress hormones will skyrocket, your muscles will waste away, and you increase your […]

The One Minute Workout: Is 60 Seconds All You Need?

A new book out, called The One Minute Workout, claims to have found a way to get fit that is “smarter, faster and shorter.” The idea of a “one minute workout” might sound completely ridiculous. But, there is some science behind it. First off, I should point out that the title of the book is […]

Low Weight High Reps for Muscle Growth: What the Science Says

Conventional wisdom has it that low weight high rep training programs build endurance, but make little contribution to gains in strength or size. Heavy weights and low reps has long been the accepted “best way” to maximize muscle growth. Back in 2010, Stuart Phillips, a kinesiology professor at Canada’s McMaster University, began to overturn much […]

Is Sugar More Addictive Than Cocaine… Really?

One of the more amusing stories I’ve come across in recent times is the idea that sugar is “a drug that is more rewarding and addictive than cocaine.” It’s a theory based on research showing that certain parts of the brain “light up” when you eat sugar. And those are the same parts of the […]

The Body Type Myth

Today, I want to talk to you about body types. You’ve got the ectomorph (thin and tall), the mesomorph (athletic and muscular), and the endomorph (usually characterized as short and fat). There are plenty of training programs out there to hang their hat on the idea that somatotyping can help you “train smarter to maximize […]

Ice Baths: Good or Bad for Muscle Growth?

Here’s another question that popped up in my inbox, this time on the subject of whether or not it’s a good idea to immerse yourself in a tub of cold water after a workout: “One thing I’ve tried to find more about is cold water immersion after training and whether it’s actually beneficial or not. […]

Is Training to Failure Necessary for Muscle Growth?

One study that caught my eye this week, from John Sampson and Herbert Groeller at the University of Wollongong in Australia, looked at failure versus not-to-failure training and its effect on gains in size and strength. Sampson and Groeller took a group of 28 untrained men and assigned them to one of three groups. All […]