Articles

Adequate hydration is vital for homeostasis of cellular and metabolic processes, joint lubrication, thermoregulation, optimal exercise performance, and more. Why is it so important to stay hydrated, though? Well, dehydration can also cause upregulation of catabolic processes and result in decreased glycogen synthesis in muscle and liver, increased glycogenolysis and increased protein breakdown…

If there is one macro we would say is the most important for anyone looking to improve their strength, body composition, and health, it’s protein! Protein is different from carbs and fats in that it’s primary role is specific to long term adaptation and function resulting from a training program. It is the most important for building and maintaining muscle, and a whole host of other metabolic functions…

Weight loss is not the easiest task. I’ve gone through quite a few dieting phases in the past 10-11 years, and oftentimes, I remember instances where it was really hard for me to stay the course and employ discipline. Now, it’s not so much a struggle as I’ve been doing this for some time, but for those who are inexperienced and new to the process the struggle can be very real. In honor of our first Overrated/Underrated podcast episode, I compiled a list of overrated and underrated topics regarding weight loss and weight management that I feel are necessary for most who are undergoing this process, regardless of your experience level.

So, you’ve decided you want to do your first physique competition. Congratulations! Competing is a process that is unlike anything else physically, and mentally. But after the excitement of starting prep wears off, you’re often faced with the reality of wait, what-where-how am I going to do this? Don’t worry, we have you covered!

A lot of times in life, the little things we do (or don’t do) consistently can impact our progress more than one off mistakes. Flexible dieting is no different. Especially when we are in a fat loss phase or contest prep, small inaccuracies on a consistent basis can really add up.

You’ve done all the right things in your offseason. You’ve built up your calories, spent adequate time away from dieting, stabilized your hormones and worked on your relationship with food. But even after doing everything “right” your fat loss phase just isn’t going as flawlessly from the start as we thought it would. Why?

Most adults have over 100,00 kcal of energy in stored fat. This is approximately 50 times more than that available from carbohydrates stored as glucose in the liver and skeletal muscle. Our body’s ability to store energy came in handy back in caveman times where food wasn’t as readily available as it is now. However, it’s 2021 and the world is still trying to lose tons of excess body fat. In this article we take a dive into the science behind how our bodies metabolize fat for energy.

Expectations are powerful and can have a positive or negative impact on our outcomes and experiences. We have an idea of what things should look like, where we should be by now, or what we should be able to do. The dissonance between the way things are supposed to be and the way they are creates those same feelings of pain, sadness, and disappointment. So what are we supposed to do? Have no/chronically low expectations? There is an argument for that. However, when working with a coach or as a coach the answer lies more in how we set and manage our expectations.

To most people’s surprise, a couple of weeks away from the gym is actually not enough time to see real atrophy (muscle loss) take place. Muscle memory is a real thing, however, and whatever muscle you could lose after weeks off will likely come back rather quickly. We have a lot of research on detraining and retraining, thankfully, that can give more context and even show us a different perspective in how time off can be good.

Stress is not the problem, it’s the perceptions of the stress that causes a maladaptive response. In this article, we dive a bit deeper into the science behind the developing grit and resilience, the physiological changes your body experiences and also how to understand the upside of your current struggle.