Articles

From the blog

This is how I think about training. If you find yourself nodding, you'll fit right in.

Latest · Training, 18 Aug 2026

Why Circuits Leave You Tired Without Making You Stronger

Circuits can make you sweat. They rarely give you enough load, rest, or repeatable data to build measurable strength.

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Training, 26 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

What the Next Twelve Weeks Look Like When the Programming Is Right

Progress becomes predictable again, the low-grade fatigue lifts, and the bar moves on a weekly timescale. What actually changes when an intermediate lifter finally has programming that fits them.

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Psychology, 19 Jul 2026 · 5 min read

Programme-Hopping and the Planned Handoff Are Not the Same Thing

One is abandoning a programme before it has worked. The other is leaving a programme that has finished working. Telling them apart is the difference between discipline and inertia.

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Training, 12 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Two Lifters, One Programme, Opposite Results: Why Recovery Capacity Decides Everything

The same intermediate programme builds one lifter and buries another. What actually differs between them, and why recovery capacity is the variable that determines whether any programme works.

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Muscle Growth, 5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

The Hardgainer Myth: Why "Bad Genetics" Is Almost Always a Programming Problem

The hardgainer label describes a programming failure dressed up as a body type. Why the intermediate lifter who "cannot grow" has hit the limits of a method rather than their biology.

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Psychology, 28 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

Why Self-Coaching Fails Intermediate Lifters: The Problem Reading Cannot Solve

Self-coaching fails intermediate lifters because the missing variable is observed data, not more reading. Why an external eye solves what diligence cannot.

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Injury, 21 Jun 2026 · 9 min read

are-deadlifts-dangerous-what-podcast-bros-get-wrong-about-your-lower-back

A well-known trainer sits on a podcast with millions of listeners and tells the audience that the risk-reward ratio on deadlifts does not add up, that most people should not bother

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Training, 14 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

Following a Strength Programme vs Programming: The Gap You Cannot See Until You Stall

Following a strength programme vs programming are different skills. The novice template hides the gap until it stalls. This is how the skill deficit forms.

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Recovery, 7 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

How Long to Rest Between Sets for Strength

How Long to Rest Between Sets. The mechanism behind rest periods for strength and why intermediate lifters get it wrong.

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Training, 11 May 2026 · 20 min read

volume-vs-intensity-the-real-debate-about-what-builds

Two camps. One question. What actually drives muscle growth?

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Training, 10 May 2026 · 6 min read

Best Beginner Strength Training Programme: Why Simpler Wins

The best beginner strength training programme is the simplest one. Here is why five barbell movements and linear progression outperform everything else

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Training, 3 May 2026 · 7 min read

How Fast Can You Gain Strength? The Maths and the Limits

Linear progression gives you the closest thing to a strength formula. Here is what the maths predicts, the benchmarks that matter, and where certainty ends and how fast you can…

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Psychology, 27 Apr 2026 · 7 min read

Bad Day at the Gym? Here Is Why and What to Do Next

You missed lifts you normally hit. You feel terrible. Here is the physiological reason your performance fluctuates and how to train through bad days at the gym

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Psychology, 27 Apr 2026 · 7 min read

Why Aren't My Lifts Improving? Fix Technique First

Why aren't my lifts improving? Technical inefficiency leaks force every rep. Learn the biomechanics behind stalled lifts and how to fix them.

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Training, 18 Apr 2026 · 6 min read

Self-Programming Strength Training: Why It Stops Working

Self-programming strength training fails at the intermediate level. Learn the specific programming mistakes stalling your progress and when to hire a strength coach.

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Recovery, 13 Apr 2026 · 7 min read

Does Cardio Kill Your Gains? No. Here Is the Science.

The interference effect is real but manageable, and it won't kill your gains. Here is how lifters over 40 can add cardio without losing strength, and why ignoring it is the bigger…

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Training, 6 Apr 2026 · 5 min read

Do Squats Work Your Core? Not the Way You Think

Heavy squats work your core, train isometric bracing, not dynamic core strength. Here is the anatomical reason your abs are weak despite a heavy squat, and the fix

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Nutrition, 2 Apr 2026 · 27 min read

how-to-lose-fat-the-final-diet

There is no shortage of fat loss advice. Scroll through any social media platform and you will find detoxes, cleanses, hormone hacks, metabolic confusion protocols, and whatever ps

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Injury, 2 Apr 2026 · 23 min read

you-keep-getting-hurt-lifting-a-proper-explanation

You keep getting hurt lifting weights. Or you have a chronic elbow or shoulder problem that flares up whenever you push the training. Or you have been managing some persistent pain

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Psychology, 30 Mar 2026 · 7 min read

Why Am I Not Getting Stronger? A Diagnostic Framework

Your lifts have stalled. The problem is not your programme. Here is the exact diagnostic hierarchy that identifies where your progression is actually breaking down

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Nutrition, 23 Mar 2026 · 10 min read

How Much Should You Train For Weight Loss: A lot less than you think

How much should you train for weight loss? I lost 12kg on two sessions a week. More training in a deficit stalls fat loss and burns muscle. Here is what actually works.

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Training, 12 Feb 2026 · 3 min read

Your Body Doesn't Know What Day It Is

Nobody told your skeletal muscle tissue about the seven-day week.Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Your recovery biology has been running on a…

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Nutrition, 9 Feb 2026 · 11 min read

Strength Training Increases Bone Density in Women

Discover how strength training builds bone density in women and why diet culture's obsession with being skinny has created an osteoporosis epidemic. Evidence-based training for…

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Nutrition, 1 Feb 2026 · 16 min read

The Hidden Cause of Insulin Resistance (It’s Not Just Sugar)

Insulin resistance means your cells have become less responsive to insulin's signal. The receptors still work, but the downstream signalling is impaired. It takes more insulin to…

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Senior Strength, 29 Jan 2026 · 15 min read

How to Avoid a Care Home: Why Strength Training Over 50 Is the Key to Staying Independent

Your doctor will tell you to take it easy. Go for gentle walks. Don't lift anything heavy. This advice, given with the best intentions, is accelerating your decline. Walking…

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Training, 27 Jan 2026 · 8 min read

Track Your Training or Waste Your Time: Why a Workout Log Is Non-Negotiable

If you don't track your training. you are completely wasting your time, and your coach might be too, find out why and how.

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Training, 30 Oct 2025 · 7 min read

The Free Plan Fallacy: Why Downloading Workout Plans Won't Transform Your Body

Downloaded every free workout plan and still no results? Here's the uncomfortable truth about why your programme isn't working and what you need Instead.

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Nutrition, 29 Oct 2025 · 14 min read

Ozempic Muscle Loss: How Much Protein and Training You Actually Need

Prevent muscle loss on Ozempic with this guide. Learn the exact protein intake (1.6-2.2g per kg) and training frequency needed to lose fat, not muscle, while on GLP-1 drugs.

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Recovery, 3 Oct 2025 · 6 min read

Strength Training for Runners: Why More Miles Is Not the Answer

Running more will not make you faster if your body cannot produce the force each stride demands. Here is why strength training is the missing variable.

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Psychology, 16 Mar 2025 · 6 min read

The Soreness Trap: Why Chasing Soreness Working Out Is Sabotaging Your Fitness Goals

Discover why chasing muscle soreness when working out is sabotaging your fitness goals. Learn how to focus on progress instead of pain for better, more sustainable results.

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Training, 7 Dec 2024 · 4 min read

Why Being Strong Beats Having Abs: A Reality Check

From a coach who's been there: Discover why being strong beats having abs, and how focusing on strength creates lasting results. No BS, just real talk.

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Injury, 1 Dec 2024 · 9 min read

The Guide to Fixing Back Pain: Why Getting Strong Beats Getting Fixed

Stop wasting time with ineffective back pain treatments. Learn why strength training beats stretching, and get a simple program that actually works. Evidence-based guide.

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Training, 18 Nov 2024 · 3 min read

Incremental Loading

Uncover the essence of strength training with 'Incremental Loading' to maximize your potential. Learn how to implement this principle for real results.

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Women's Training, 3 Nov 2023 · 6 min read

Why Women Should Not Train Like Men

Women produce force differently, recover faster, and face structurally different hunger signals. The science behind why your programme needs to change

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