Browse the evidence

Individualized Repetitions-in-Reserve (RIR) to velocity relationships provide acceptable prediction accuracy (mean error <2 repetitions) for resistance training monitoring and prescription, whereas general population models do not.

Stop using generic velocity charts for everyone. To prescribe training accurately, you must establish your own personal relationship between how fast the bar moves and how many reps you have left in reserve. Test this by performing sets to failure at different loads (e.g., 70%, 80%, 90% of 1RM) and recording the velocity for each Repetition-in-Reserve (RIR) level. Use this personal data to guide your daily training, adjusting loads to hit your specific velocity targets for desired RIRs, rather than guessing based on population averages.

Combining high-intensity resistance training with chronic chicken meat intake significantly increases muscle strength and lean body mass in elderly women more effectively than either intervention alone.

For elderly women looking to build muscle and strength, combining resistance training (3 times a week) with regular chicken meat consumption (approx. 110g, 3 times a week) is more effective than doing either one alone. Ensure the training intensity is challenging (around 70% of your max lift) and adjust weights as you get stronger.

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is a major global driver of incident Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, with the highest proportional burdens found in Latin America/Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages to significantly lower your risk of Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. This is especially critical if you live in or originate from regions with high SSB consumption like Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa, where the population-level risk is highest.

Multicomponent group-based physical activity interventions (combining aerobic, resistance, and/or mind-body exercises) significantly improve mobility, physical function, balance, and muscle strength in community-dwelling older adults.

To stay mobile as you age, join a group exercise class that mixes walking, strength training, and balance exercises. This combination is proven to keep your muscles strong and your balance sharp, reducing your risk of falls. You don't need supplements to achieve this; consistent group activity is the key.

Aerobic and resistance training interventions significantly reduce the risk of falls in older adults.

If you are worried about falling, start a group exercise program that includes strength and balance work. This is the most effective way to lower your fall risk. Staying inactive due to fear actually makes you more vulnerable.

Acute ingestion of 6 mg/kg caffeine significantly enhances mean repetition velocity during resistance exercise at loads of 75% and 90% of 1RM compared to placebo and control conditions.

Take 6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight about an hour before lifting. This will likely increase your bar speed, especially when lifting heavy weights (75-90% of your max). It works best if you are already trained in resistance exercise.

Lengthened partial repetitions (LPs) elicit similar muscle hypertrophy and strength-endurance adaptations as full range of motion (ROM) repetitions in resistance-trained individuals.

If you are a trained lifter, you don't need to force full range of motion if it causes pain or joint issues. You can use lengthened partial reps (starting from the stretched position and going halfway up) and still build muscle and strength just as well as doing full reps. Just make sure you are training to failure and emphasizing the stretch.

Back squat training produces greater thigh hypertrophy (quadriceps and adductors) compared to hip thrust training.

If you want bigger quads and inner thighs, you need to do squats. Hip thrusts are great for glutes, but they don't build the rest of your legs as well as squats do.

A supervised 16-week strength training program performed at 70% 1RM with high volume induces significant strength gains, lean body mass increases, and favorable cardiac remodeling (LV/LA enlargement without functional impairment) in previously untrained women, with magnitude of adaptation similar to or exceeding that of men.

Perform supervised strength training 3 times a week at 70% of your one-rep max. Focus on compound movements (squats, presses, rows). Expect significant strength and lean mass gains within 16 weeks, comparable to men, along with improved heart health markers like ventricular enlargement without functional loss.

Resistance training over a full range of motion is superior to partial range of motion for hypertrophy.

To build the most muscle, perform your exercises through a full range of motion. Partial reps are less effective for hypertrophy.

Distributing a fixed weekly volume of resistance training across four sessions per week yields greater maximal strength gains than performing the same volume in a single session.

If you are an experienced lifter aiming to maximize your squat strength, split your weekly leg volume across four separate sessions (e.g., one heavy compound lift per day) rather than doing it all in one day. This allows you to handle heavier loads with better technique and less fatigue, resulting in significantly greater strength gains over 8 weeks compared to a single weekly session.

High-frequency (4x/week) and low-frequency (1x/week) resistance training produce equivalent improvements in muscle hypertrophy (muscle thickness) and jump height when weekly volume is equated.

If your primary goal is building muscle size (hypertrophy) or improving jump height, you do not need to train your legs 4 times a week. You can achieve similar muscle growth and power improvements by performing the same total volume of exercises in just one session per week. Focus on hitting your total weekly volume and intensity, regardless of how you split the sessions.

High effort (proximity to failure) is a necessary condition for muscle hypertrophy, particularly when using low loads, whereas high-load training inherently generates high effort.

To build muscle, you must train with high effort, meaning you should stop 0-3 reps before you physically cannot complete another repetition. This is true whether you are lifting heavy weights or light weights. If you use light weights, you MUST go close to failure to get similar growth as heavy weights.

Resistance exercise can be effectively performed using bodyweight, provided the intensity and effort are sufficient to overload the neuromuscular system.

You can build strength and muscle using only your body weight. Ensure you are performing exercises that challenge you (e.g., push-ups, squats) with sufficient intensity. If bodyweight exercises become too easy, increase the difficulty (e.g., elevate feet) rather than assuming you need weights.

Daily supplementation with 300 mg of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) combined with 8 weeks of resistance training significantly improves lower-body dynamic power (jump height) compared to placebo.

If you want to improve your explosive power (like jumping), adding 300mg of PEA daily to your training routine might help. The study showed a significant improvement in jump height compared to a placebo, suggesting it may support power development alongside strength training.

Cardiac rehabilitation involving structured physical activity significantly reduces cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and post-myocardial infarction, with a relative risk reduction of 26% compared to no program.

After a heart attack, structured cardiac rehabilitation is not just optional but essential. It reduces your risk of dying from a heart event by about a quarter compared to no program. Start with moderate exercise, focus on consistency, and let your medical team guide the intensity. It is safe and highly effective.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) improves peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) more than Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) in cardiac patients, although both are safe and effective for improving exercise capacity.

If you are stable after a heart event, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can boost your fitness (VO2peak) more than steady moderate exercise. However, both are safe. If you are new to exercise or have heart failure, start with moderate intensity and build up volume before trying high intensity.

Personalized nutrition targeting inflammation (PNi) significantly improves body weight, body fat, and inflammatory biomarkers (IL-10, TNF-α, CRP) specifically in individuals with a high genetic predisposition to inflammation (High-PGSi), whereas generic or carbohydrate-focused personalized diets do not yield these specific anti-inflammatory benefits in this subgroup.

If you have a family history of inflammatory conditions or obesity, generic 'healthy eating' advice might not be enough. This research suggests that identifying your genetic risk for inflammation (via a Polygenic Score) allows you to choose a specific anti-inflammatory diet (rich in specific oils, turmeric, and omega-3/6 fats) that can significantly improve your weight, body fat, and inflammatory markers. Without this genetic targeting, standard personalized diets may fail to reduce inflammation in high-risk individuals.

Superset resistance training (performing two exercises consecutively with minimal rest) yields equivalent muscular strength, hypertrophy, and body composition adaptations compared to traditional set training, while reducing total session time by approximately 36%.

If you are already experienced with resistance training, you can save about 36% of your gym time by using supersets (pairing two exercises back-to-back with no rest, then resting after the pair) instead of resting between every set. You will get the same muscle and strength gains, but you will feel more fatigued during the session. Ensure you still train to failure and adjust weights to keep reps in the 8-12 range.

Isometric training at long muscle lengths produces similar quadriceps femoris hypertrophy to full range of motion isotonic training in resistance-trained individuals.

If you want to build quad size, you don't necessarily need to do full squats or leg presses. You can use isometric holds at the bottom of the movement (long muscle length) for 30 seconds per set. Do 3-5 sets per session, twice a week, progressively adding sets over 6 weeks. This will build muscle just as well as traditional dynamic leg exercises, provided you are already trained in resistance training.

Strategies to minimize muscle loss during GLP-1 therapy include increasing protein intake to ≥1.2 g/kg/day and engaging in resistance training 2-3 times per week.

To keep your muscles while losing weight on these drugs, eat at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight every day. Also, lift weights or do resistance exercises 2-3 times a week. This combination helps protect your strength and metabolic rate.

Combined treatment with structured moderate-to-vigorous exercise and GLP-1 receptor agonist (liraglutide) significantly improves physical functional performance and cardiorespiratory fitness compared to pharmacotherapy alone, whereas pharmacotherapy alone fails to improve these fitness metrics despite weight loss.

If you are using GLP-1 medication for weight loss, do not skip exercise. The medication will help you lose weight, but it will not significantly improve your stamina or physical function. To improve your ability to perform daily tasks (like climbing stairs) and your heart health, you must engage in structured moderate-to-vigorous exercise (at least 150 minutes per week). Combining the medication with exercise yields the best results for physical fitness.

Combining energy restriction with resistance or mixed exercise training is more effective for reducing body fat and preserving/increasing muscle mass than energy restriction alone.

To lose fat without losing muscle, combine a moderate calorie deficit with resistance training (2-3 times per week) and/or mixed exercise. Ensure you are eating enough protein (1.1-1.7 g/kg body weight). This combination yields the best body composition changes, superior to diet or exercise alone.

Single-joint resistance exercises provide superior hypertrophy for specific muscle groups (e.g., rectus femoris, hamstrings, calves, biceps, triceps) compared to multi-joint exercises alone, necessitating their inclusion for optimal muscle development.

If your goal is maximum muscle growth, do not rely solely on compound lifts like squats or bench presses. Add specific isolation exercises for muscles that are under-stimulated by compounds. For example, add leg extensions for the rectus femoris, leg curls for hamstrings, and curls/extensions for arms. This ensures every muscle gets adequate mechanical tension and metabolic stress for growth.