strengthRest between sets: why three minutes beats one
How long to rest between sets, and why cutting it short quietly costs you strength and size. The physiology, the studies, and when quick rest still wins.
THE BLOG · PAGE 5 OF 8
Notes from the coaching floor
What we see watching thousands of live reps, and what it means for your training.
strength
strengthHow muscle actually grows: tension, signaling, repair
Muscle grows from mechanical tension, not the burn or the soreness. Here is the mechanism, from costameres to mTOR to the days of repair that follow.
strengthHow long until you lose strength? 2 to 4 weeks
Strength holds 2 to 4 weeks before a test shows anything, and cardio slips inside 2. The week-by-week detraining timeline, and why it comes back fast.
strengthDeload weeks: why backing off makes you stronger
A deload week is a planned easy week that sheds fatigue so your real fitness shows up. Here is the fitness-fatigue model behind it, and how to run one.
ageTraining in your 40s: what changes and what doesn't
What actually shifts in your 40s: recovery, hormones and VO2 max drift slowly, but muscle and strength are still very much yours to build.
strengthHypertrophy or strength: which matters more for aging
Hypertrophy and strength are different adaptations, and both protect you as you age. Here's what each one does and how to train for both in a week.
zone 2Zone 2 or HIIT: which does more for longevity
Zone 2 and hard intervals build different halves of your VO2 max. Here's what each one does, and how to split a week between them.
strengthThe minimum effective dose of exercise, per the research
How little training still buys most of the strength and health returns. The dose-response research on the minimum effective dose of exercise.
strengthWarm-ups that work: what actually prepares you to lift
A good warm-up raises muscle temperature and primes your nervous system. Long static stretching first can cost you force. Here's what to do instead.
strengthRPE and reps in reserve: rate effort like a coach
RPE and reps in reserve, explained: why rating effort beats fixed percentages, what the accuracy research says, and how to calibrate your own scale.
strengthTraining to failure: how close is close enough
Most of the muscle you build happens in the reps just before failure, not at it. Here's how close to train, and when true failure earns its cost.
strengthHow much weight should a beginner lift? The 10 rep test
Pick a load you can move 10 times with 2 or 3 reps left, for most beginners a light dumbbell or an empty bar, then let your form decide when to add weight.