All articles (1201)
Everything we have written so far, from the first day in the gym to advanced programming.
Pre-competition nerves: what to do in the final hour
A minute-by-minute plan for the hour before you compete: breathing, warm-up, where to put your attention, and the habits that quietly make it worse.
6 min read
Where muscle and exercise names come from: biceps to burpee
Biceps means two-headed, latissimus means widest and the burpee is somebody's surname — a short guide to how muscles and gym exercises got their names.
6 min read
The heaviest weights ever lifted: records that still stand
What the heaviest lifts on record actually are, which ones have stood for decades and why — from unverifiable back lifts to a 501 kg deadlift.
6 min read
The heavy bag as cardio: what you really burn and how to train rounds
A realistic calorie range for bag work, why your watch overstates it, and how to build rounds that raise conditioning without wrecking your wrists.
7 min read
Cutting weight before a fight: what is safe and what is not
How much weight can safely come off before a weigh-in, what the final 48 hours look like, how to rehydrate properly and when to stop the cut.
7 min read
1RM: how to test it safely and estimate it without maxing
How to test a one-rep max safely, when the test is worth doing at all, and how to estimate it accurately from a normal working set.
6 min read
Estimating portions by eye: how wrong we are and how to fix it
Most people underestimate what they eat by 20 to 30 per cent, and the errors cluster in a handful of foods; here is how to calibrate your eye in two weeks.
9 min read
Weight loss plateaus: why the scale stalls and what to do
How to tell a real plateau from normal fluctuation, where your deficit quietly went, and the four changes worth making — one at a time, with numbers.
8 min read
Protein oat pancakes: a recipe for two servings
A protein oat pancake recipe for two servings, with exact quantities, a step-by-step method and an estimate of around 40 g of protein per serving.
4 min read
Air fryer chicken with rice: a 42 g protein meal
Air fryer chicken breast with rice and a yoghurt sauce: exact quantities, 28 minutes start to finish and an estimated 42 g of protein per serving.
4 min read
Quark protein ice cream: recipe and macros per serving
A quark-based protein ice cream in four servings, with an estimated 28 g of protein per portion and the mixing trick that keeps it scoopable.
4 min read
Eggs: protein, cholesterol and how many a day make sense
How much protein, energy and cholesterol one egg actually gives you, how many a day makes sense, and how to build a proper meal around them.
5 min read
Kitting out a four-square-metre home gym: what it costs
What actually fits in a two-by-two-metre corner, which specs matter on a rack, bench or treadmill, and how much space and money the setup really takes.
8 min read
Push-up progression gear: what is worth buying and what is not
How to choose equipment for push-up progression: which specifications actually matter, how much floor space you need, and who should skip buying anything.
7 min read
How much weight to put on the bar when you start lifting
How to measure a working weight that actually suits you in one or two sessions, what an empty bar already weighs, and the signs a load is too heavy.
6 min read
Your first gym session: what to pack and what to expect
What to pack, what happens from the front desk to your first set, and a full-body plan for day one with sets, reps and rest times.
6 min read
Menopause and muscle loss: what to do in the gym
Why muscle disappears faster after menopause and how to keep it: a concrete strength plan, sets and reps, and how much protein you actually need.
6 min read
Training through pregnancy: what is safe in each trimester
How much cardio and strength work per week, what changes trimester by trimester, what to drop entirely, and the warning signs that mean stop and call a doctor.
6 min read
Why some people progress faster: what we know about training response
Why two people on the same programme end up with very different results, how much of that is genetics, and which parts you can actually change.
7 min read
Body fat testing: how wrong are scales, calipers and DEXA?
What smart scales, calipers and DEXA actually get wrong, why their numbers never agree, and how to use body fat testing sensibly while dieting and training.
7 min read
Training to failure or two reps in reserve: how close to go
What the evidence actually supports about training to failure, what is still unsettled, and how to pick your reps in reserve by exercise and by goal.
6 min read
Mechanical tension: how a muscle gets the signal to grow
How a muscle fibre registers load and turns it into growth: what is solid about mechanical tension, what is still guesswork, and what it changes in your training.
6 min read
Golden era training: what still works and what to leave behind
Which parts of 1970s bodybuilding training still hold up for an ordinary lifter, which do not transfer at all, and how to build a four-day week around them.
6 min read
Genetics and muscle shape: what training cannot change
Why insertions, muscle belly length and your skeleton set your shape, what training genuinely changes, and how to train around the parts you cannot alter.
5 min read