Lauren was doing all the things you're supposed to do to lose weight. She was eating in a calorie deficit. She was training hard. Yet, she knew her approach wasn’t sustainable and something had to change.
A reader asks if their protein powder contains dangerous ingredients–here's my take.
Weight loss alters hunger hormones like ghrelin and leptin, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to regain fat. Here’s how appetite adapts to weight loss.
It's common to hear that “a calorie isn’t a calorie.” Here’s why that’s mostly bullshit.
Think you ruined your diet after one day of overeating? Here's what science says about fat gain and whether it ruins your progress.
Answering a reader question on how improving physical fitness would impact their total daily energy expenditure
After years of cutting, rebounding, and redoing the same diet, Joe finally figured out what it takes to make progress that actually lasts. Read his case study to see how he did it.
Incline walking is having a moment. The claim: Walking on an incline is better for fat loss. This article explores why that claim isn't the whole truth.
Wondering if cortisol makes you fat? This article breaks down the science on cortisol and weight gain—what’s true, what’s myth, and why stress hormones aren’t secretly ruining your fat loss
Reverse dieting promises to fix your metabolism, prevent weight regain, and let you eat substantially more calories while staying lean––here's what the science says.
It's common to encounter claims that someone's weight loss stall can be explained by muscle growth. This article explores why that's likely not the case.
If you want to be lean and healthy – there are only a few things you need to focus on
You don't have to look far to find someone on social media telling you to NEVER go below a certain caloric intake––but is it true? Read on to find out.
Yes, diet is important during a fat loss phase, but you're screwing up if you're ignoring physical activity.
A reader asked if losing weight faster would impact their metabolism more than losing weight slowly. Here's my response.
If you want to improve general health and live longer, should you focus on accumulating enough movement throughout the day or does the intensity of that movement matter more?
A new review paper investigated how many steps you should take each day to reduce your risk of all-cause mortality. The answer might surprise you.
Creatine is one of the few supplements proven to work, and most people taking creatine use it to gain muscle––so how much muscle could you gain supplementing creatine?
According to an 'expert' on the internet, you need to delay your morning coffee to avoid an afternoon crash. Is this actually true, though?
Are calorie labels really as inaccurate as some claim? And if they are, does this make tracking your nutrition pointless?
I more than doubled my step count each day for over a month––how did it impact my energy expenditure? And how accurate was my Apple Watch in estimating my caloric burn? Read on to find out.
'Longevity' is the new health trend, and animal studies suggest protein restriction could increase lifespan––but does this apply to humans?
Learn why calories really do count when it comes to fat loss and how understanding your energy intake can help you reach your weight loss goals faster
Fast weight loss is enticing––but here's why a slower approach might be better
There's a popular belief that the body can only absorb 20-30g of protein in one sitting––a new study put this to the test.
If you're trying to out-train your diet, you're in for a bad time. This article explores some of the common issues with this approach.
Ever wondered why some people can eat more and lose fat while others need to drop their calories really low to see any progress? That's what this article dives into
A new study investigated proximity to failure using reps in reserve vs training to failure. The findings shine light on how hard you should train for muscle growth.
What's the best way to lift weights for maximal muscle growth?
Will consuming artificial sweeteners spike your insulin leading to fat gain and appetite dysregulation––probably not, let's talk about it.
In pursuit of the elusive ‘toned’ look, many people turn to various exercise routines and workouts marketed as toning solutions. But toning isn’t real. Let's talk about why.
Walking is an easy way to increase your levels of physical activity, but you probably don't need to walk 10,000 steps a day.
People love stretching – but are you wasting your time with it if resistance training could provide the same benefits? A new study decided to investigate.
Did the Biggest Loser contestants really damage their metabolism or was something else going on?
I walk you through how I helped coach John through his 6-month body transformation, helping him lose fat and gain muscle.
How long before bedtime should you stop consuming caffeine? A new study sought to answer that question.
Weekends don't have to ruin your progress as long as you learn how to account for them––let's talk about that.
People will claim calories-in/calories-out doesn't work. But a lot of this has to do with a misunderstanding of the complexities of the body. Specifically, the 'calories-out' half of the equation. Here's what you need to know.
You probably don't need to train to failure to maximise muscle growth. Here are three reasons why it's smarter to avoid it.
Protein intake is a crucial piece of the body composition puzzle. But how much protein should you eat to maximise your progress?
There's a lot of hype around diet breaks but newer research suggests they may not be as useful as once thought––does this mean they're pointless?
Want to start resistance training but not sure where to begin? I got you–here's (almost) everything you need to know about programming resistance training
More exercise doesn't always mean you'll burn more calories. New research on the topic helps us understand why
Carbs are well established to improve endurance exercise. But less research exists on carb intake and strength training performance. A recent meta-analysis investigated how carb intake affected strength training performance. Here's what you need to know.
You'll often hear people recommend "cycling off" caffeine to retain the benefits – turns out this may not be entirely true
A new study investigated the effect of 12-months of intermittent fasting versus continuous calorie restriction. Here's what they found.
Collagen protein has grown in popularity over the last few years. But is it a valid source of protein for muscle growth?
The 10,000 steps rule has been recommended for years – but do you really need to walk this much to be healthier?
There's a lot of talk about cardio ruining your muscle and strength gains – a new study suggests otherwise
Sleep is one of the most underrated "hacks" for improving health and body composition. Here's why you should stop sleeping on it.
Preventing muscle and strength loss during a diet is just as important as fat loss. Here are four strategies to help you do just that.
Claims abound that the body can only absorb 30g of protein in one sitting. Anything more than this is wasted. Turns out this isn't entirely accurate––here's why.
How important is having protein after your workout? It turns out not much––but there's a bit more to it than that. Here's what you need to know about post-workout protein.
High protein diets are bad for you, some claim. Eating too much protein will damage your kidneys, cause bone loss, and *gasp* even give you The Cancer––but how much truth is there to this claim?
The Coronavirus has forced gyms to close. If you don't have access to a gym, what now? Are you going to lose muscle and strength? Thankfully, no.
Should you do cardio or weights for fat loss? The answer is kind of nuanced. Here's everything you need to know so you can maximise your progress.
There is an 'Afterburn Effect' following strength training. But this effect isn't as big as some people claim. Let's separate fact from fiction.
8 ideas to help you be better
No, you won't die because you're sitting.
Some people claim their 'slow metabolism' is the reason they gain weight. But this isn't entirely true. Here's the truth about the slow metabolism.
Low carb diets are all the rage nowadays. But they're not magic like some gurus claim. Here's how low-carb diets actually work.
Cheat days have been a staple in fat loss diets for years. But they're secretly wrecking your progress.
Many calorie tracking apps encourage users to 'eat back' the calories they burn through exercise–here's why you shouldn't do that.
Does fasted training burn more fat than fed training?
Struggling to stick to your diet? Here are 8 ways to fix that.
Glutamine is commonly recommended for those wanting to lose fat, build muscle and strength. But do you actually need to supplement with it? Let's find out.
The Two Baskets Theory–a way to approach dieting.
Are eggs bad for your health or good for your health? What about cholesterol? Let's take a look at what the evidence says.
Some of the issues I have with the Health At Every Size argument.
You know what's awesome? Chocolate Easter eggs. You know what's not awesome? Gaining fat from eating chocolate Easter eggs. Don't worry, though, I gotchu.
Everything you wanted to know about caffeine – illustrated.
A principle I use to help with motivation
Here are 23 pieces of advice to help you actually make progress towards your goals this year.
Ever find yourself procrastinating or putting things off until tomorrow? Read this to find out why and how to stop.
BCAAs have long been a staple supplement for people looking to lose fat and build muscle–unfortunately, the science on BCAAs doesn't support the hype.
Everything you need to know about creatine – illustrated.
Trying to lose fat? Definitely avoid these 5 things.
I mean, the title says it all.
Wanting to make progress with your fitness goals but also want to party? Don't worry, I gotchu.
Aspartame is a popular artificial sweetener that's been met with a lot of controversy over its safety. So, is aspartame safe for human consumption?
How often should you be training for muscle and strength gains?
How many sets do you need to do for muscle growth? The first post in the illustrated study series.
Calorie math is super complicated but calories still count, here's why.
Scale weight fluctuations are bound to happen when dieting. Here's why.
Eating well and training hard but still not losing fat? It's probably because of one of these 8 reasons.
I'm going to explain what Brocolli and Cookies can teach you about diet success (and failure).
I was recently asked what advice I would give to a beginner. Here's like 15.
You're not ready to lose fat until you hear and accept these truths.
Cognitive traps are errors in our thinking that can cause us to make bad judgements about things. And the fitness space is one big ol’ orgy of cognitive traps. Here are 10 you should know about.
The environmental and cognitive factors at play that have people eating more without realising.
Every successful diet plan needs to abide by these six governing tenets. Without them, your diets doomed to fail.
There's this really annoying quirk our brain has, I call it The Magnifying Glass Effect, and it's the root cause of why everything is blown out of proportion when you have one bad day of eating.
This article is ~ 2900 words and around a 15-20ish min read. The most important decision you can make to have a successful physique transformation, and not spin your wheels for years, is to work out whether you should be gaining muscle, losing fat or utilising a body recomposition. Certainly, on the surface, it seems... Read more »
THE PHASE DIET The Evolution of Nonlinear Dieting Calories in versus calories out is the irrefutable law of fat loss. If you want to lose fat, you have to consume less food; in turn, your body starts burning its own excess stored energy (body fat) and fat loss kicks in. Keep forcing your body to... Read more »
A few years ago if you’d gone up to a Gymbro and said ‘hey man, I wanna get jacked – advice?’, you would have most likely heard something along the lines of: ‘eat big to get big’. The idea being that if you wanted to pack on any appreciable muscle mass, the consumption of copious... Read more »
You’re here. The promised land. The end of the diet. You’re lean. Abs popping, biceps bulging, chest striating. You’ve finally achieved the badass physique you set out to achieve. But, now what? You see, while everyone focusses on the weight loss, getting lean, shredded – whatever – part of the diet, nobody focusses on the most... Read more »
A body recomposition is the process of simultaneously losing fat while gaining muscle. Here's the science behind how to recomp properly.