Update: Since translating The Hammer and the Dance, I have joined Tomas Pueyo’s volunteer team. We have published 3 more articles on Medium (one, two, three) and we’re publishing a scientific study of Cost-effective Interventions to Suppress the Covid-19 Pandemic. Tomas Pueyo, the author of Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now, just wrote another huge…
Recent Posts
Build Muscle at Home With Bands: Convenient, Cheap & Versatile
Note: I’m writing this on March 19, 2020. COVID-19 is spreading around the globe, and starting to hit America hard. If you’re like me, you check the news obsessively. You worry you will get sick, or that a loved one will die. To top if off, authorities are closing gyms. Yes, it slows down the…
COVID-19: Why America May Be Hit Hard for 3-4 Months & What To Do
Updated March 20 with new US cases by time and predictions based on 5 countries. It’s here. COVID-19 hit China, Europe, and is grinding America to a halt. On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency. Still, as a PhD in Public Health who specialised in epidemiology, I’m worried. Here’s why: The virus is…
Should You Lift With a Belt?
Should you lift with a belt? A client wants to know: I think that I am getting to a point where I will need a brace/belt because I am needing to be more careful to keep strain off of my knee joints (squat) and back (deadlift). What do you think? I have my own opinion…
Over Time, Load Mediates Muscular Hypertrophy in Resistance Training
Our letter to the editor is out! In August, Morton et al. (2019) published a review titled Training for strength and hypertrophy: an evidence-based approach. In that paper, they argue that “load does not mediate resistance-training-induced muscular hypertrophy.” Instead, they suggest that “the most potent regulator of resistance-training-induced muscular hypertrophy is intensity of effort.” I…
Mesocycle Progression in Hypertrophy: Volume Versus Intensity
I co-authored a review titled Mesocycle Progression in Hypertrophy: Volume Versus Intensity with Mike Israetel (Israetel et al. 2019). It was published on Dec 11. How should you progress in a mesocycle? From the abstract: “Should the trainee add more add more weight to the bar each week, add repetitions to the sets, or add…
Popular life extension drug metformin reduces hypertrophy
If you’re into life extension, I’m sure you’ve heard of metformin. It’s a drug that inhibits hepatic glucose output and reduces inflammation in muscle. It’s among the top 10 most widely prescribed drugs in the US, and many people think it can increase healthspan and lifespan. But if you’re into lifting and exercise, recent results…