Recomp Is Easier Overweight, Harder as You Get Lean
It’s now well established that you can build muscle while losing fat at the same time. We see this fairly often in research coming out of my lab. What’s less appreciated is that your ability to recomp depends on a few key factors. Body fat levels are a biggie. If you’re overweight, the process tends to be easier—and the more overweight you are, the greater your potential to recomp. On the flip side, as you get leaner, it becomes progressively harder to pull off. For example, we ran a case study on a competitive natural bodybuilder who was able to make small gains at around ~10% body fat, but once he got into the lower single digits, he actually lost an appreciable amount of muscle (PMID: 33105363). Training status matters too. If you’re new to lifting—or even more so if you trained before and took some time off—you’re further from your genetic ceiling, which makes it easier to gain muscle relatively quickly. But the more advanced you become, the closer you get to that ceiling, and the harder it is to keep adding size without increasing calories. Then there’s anabolics. Those who are chemically enhanced will more readily build muscle while losing fat (and this will be driven both by dosage and the types of substances taken). Natties don’t have that advantage, so recomp is generally more limited and tougher to achieve
Total Protein, Not Timing, Drives Muscle Growth
Some 20+ years ago, when I was studying exercise science, nutrient timing was viewed as a cornerstone of muscle growth. We were taught about the so-called “anabolic window,” which suggested that protein needed to be consumed within ~45 minutes after...
Load Choice Doesn’t Matter for Muscle Growth—Pick What Works
There is strong evidence that similar hypertrophy can be achieved across a wide range of loading schemes (~5 to 30+ repetitions), provided sets are performed close to muscular failure. That said, some data suggest fiber type–specific differences, with heavier loads...
Two 30‑Minute Sessions Weekly Deliver Real Strength Gains
Less than one-quarter of the population performs resistance training on a regular basis. Time is considered the primary barrier to participation. It shouldn't be. An emerging body of evidence shows that as little as two 30-minute resistance training...
Pre‑exhaustion Offers No Advantage over Straight Sets
A common bodybuilding strategy is to perform a single-joint exercise for a given muscle group immediately before a multi-joint exercise that targets the same muscle group. The rationale is that pre-fatiguing the target muscle may allow it to receive...
New ACSM Guidelines Elevate Evidence‑Based Resistance Training
Honored to have contributed to the updated ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults. This was a major undertaking that synthesized findings from all related systematic reviews to develop recommendations...
Resistance Training Key to Stop Age‑related Muscle Loss
As if we needed more evidence...resistance training is the primary intervention for preventing and reversing the age related loss of muscle mass https://t.co/zljKrp6tnp