Knowledge
Training, recovery and eating, each piece with the sources it drew on.
Training
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ProgressionShould your training change in planned phases, or stay the sameShould your training look the same every week, or change in planned phases? Here's what the research says about periodizing your sets, reps and effort over time.
Exercise countHow many exercises a muscle actually needsSome people hit a muscle with one lift, others rotate through four. Here's what the evidence says about how many exercises you actually need per muscle each week.
ProgrammingDo supersets and cluster sets build muscle as well as straight setsPairing exercises or breaking a set into chunks feels like a shortcut. Here's what the research says about whether supersets and cluster sets build muscle as well as straight sets.
Warm-up setsHow many warm-up sets you actually needHow many warm-up sets you actually need before the real work, and why more isn't always better.
ProgrammingWhat order to do your exercises in, and why it mattersDoes it matter whether you squat before you curl? Yes. The order you do exercises in changes how much each one actually gets out of you.
Recovery
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SleepCan you catch up on lost sleep with a long weekend lie-inSleeping in on Saturday feels like it fixes a rough week, but research on sleep debt shows a weekend catch-up only covers part of what you lost, and some of the damage sticks around.
Recovery & ageWhy recovery between sessions can take longer as you get olderOlder lifters often take longer to bounce back from a hard session than younger ones do. Here's what the research shows and how to train around it.
RecoveryDoes your menstrual cycle change how you should trainLots of advice says to train differently through your cycle. Here's what the research on strength, soreness and recovery across the menstrual cycle actually shows.
SleepShould you nap before trainingA short nap before training can sharpen a session, but the wrong length can leave you groggier than before you lay down. Here's what the research says about timing it right.
AlcoholWhat a few drinks the night before do to your recoveryA look at what the research says happens to your sleep, your heart rate overnight and next-day performance after drinking, and what that means for your training.
Eating
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AlcoholWhat alcohol actually does to your training and your gainsA look at how a few drinks affect muscle growth, recovery, sleep and your calorie count, and how much of that is actually proven.
Energy balanceWhy your calorie target should change as your weight doesAs you gain or lose weight, the calories you need to keep changing in the same direction shift too, here's why your target needs rechecking, not just set once.
Meal frequencyDoes it matter how many meals you eat a dayThree meals, five meals or one big one: this looks at what the research says about how many times a day you eat, and whether it changes muscle, fat or performance.
NutritionWhat carbs and fat actually do for your trainingProtein and calories get all the attention, but carbs fuel your sessions and fat helps run your hormones. Here's how much of each actually matters.
Meal timingWhat to eat before and after a workoutWhat you eat right before and after training can change how a session feels. Here's what the evidence says about fueling and recovering around a workout.
49 pieces across three shelves. Read times are the piece's own word count.