Articles
19 postsCaffeine and sleep: the cutoff time is only half a rule
Caffeine clears on a half-life, not a deadline — and that half-life varies about threefold between healthy people. Here is what the timing evidence shows.
NutritionHow to set your macro split (and why most people overthink it)
Calories decide whether you gain or lose. The split decides how well you feel and train while it happens — which matters less than the internet suggests.
TrainingWilks is obsolete: what replaced it and why
Comparing a 60 kg lifter to a 120 kg lifter needs a formula. The one most calculators still use has known bias, and two better systems replaced it in 2020.
TrainingStrength standards: useful orientation, terrible verdict
Every site places you in a different band, and none of them is authoritative. Here is what these tables can and cannot tell you about your training.
NutritionWhy the 3,500-calorie rule fails, and what to use instead
The most repeated number in dieting predicts weight loss that never arrives. Here is why expenditure falls as you do, and how to plan around it.
TrainingEstimating your one-rep max without testing it
Five formulas, one number, and a surprising amount of disagreement. What rep-max estimates are good for, and where they stop being trustworthy.
TrainingTraining by RPE: how to stop guessing at percentages
A fixed percentage ignores whether you slept. Reps in reserve lets the load follow your actual capacity — though most people stop a rep early.
TrainingWarming up for strength: what the ramp is actually for
Not general readiness, and not injury prevention in the way it is usually claimed. Warm-up sets have a narrower and more useful job than that.
NutritionBody fat percentage: which method to actually trust
Calipers, tape measures, smart scales and DEXA all disagree with each other. The useful question is not which is true, but which is repeatable.
NutritionTracking macros without a food scale
Weighing everything works until it doesn't. Hand portions trade a little precision for a method that survives restaurants, travel and busy weeks.
TrainingFFMI: the number that tells muscle from mass
BMI cannot distinguish a bodybuilder from someone carrying excess fat. Fat-free mass index can, and it is the more useful figure for anyone who trains.
NutritionWhat should I weigh? The honest answer is a range
Four ideal-weight formulas give four different answers for the same person, and none was designed for the question you are asking.
TrainingHeart rate zones: what they are for and why '220 minus age' fails
The most repeated formula in cardio is also one of the least accurate. Here is what the zones actually mean and how to set them from your own numbers.
RecoverySleep and training: the recovery variable people skip
Short sleep costs you performance, appetite control and adherence — and it is the one recovery input no supplement or protocol compensates for.
NutritionCreatine monohydrate: dosing, timing and the evidence
The most-studied supplement in sports nutrition is also one of the cheapest. Here is what it does, how much to take, and which claims outrun the data.
TrainingRace time predictors: what they know and what they assume
A 5K time can predict your 10K well and your marathon badly. The difference is not the maths — it's an assumption the formula cannot check.
NutritionWhy your watch overestimates calories burned
Exercise trackers routinely overstate energy expenditure, sometimes substantially. Here is where the error comes from and how to use the numbers anyway.
NutritionHow much protein do you actually need?
The gap between the government minimum and what the training literature supports is bigger than most people realise — and neither number is the one on your tub.
NutritionTDEE explained: why your calorie target keeps moving
Your maintenance number isn't a constant. Here's what actually changes it, and how to tell a real metabolic shift from a week of bad tracking.