Self-regulation describes the different processes by which people pursue and achieve goals. Research reveals that self-regulatory skills training can be used to enhance weight loss. This article discusses self-regulation in weight loss, its key features, and examines the current evidence-base.
Protein is a macronutrient made from different amino acids and it’s benefit for muscle growth have been widely demonstrated in research. This blog post discusses the science of protein intake, including how much, type, and timing of protein to optimise muscle development.
Low-carbohydrate diets have gained popularity primarily because of their proposed advantages for weight loss. This blog post discusses the ongoing low-carbohydrate debate and examines the scientific literature to understand if there really is a benefit compared with higher carbohydrate eating.
Dietary self-monitoring, which is the recording of food intake, is considered the “cornerstone” of weight loss interventions. This blog post looks into the research to understand the importance of monitoring food intake for weight loss and factors affecting adherence.
Your food environment, which relates to the way food is presented and delivered, has a significant impact on food consumption and weight gain. This blog looks into 3 specific factors that promote weight gain and provides practical strategies for overcoming each factor.
Body recomposition describes the process of simultaneously building muscle while losing fat. This blog post will discuss how body recomposition is possible and provide supportive evidence for successful body recomposition within specific contexts.
How often you should work each muscle, known as “training frequency,” is a variable in resistance exercise that is undervalued for it’s potential to accelerate muscle definition. This article looks at the science of how manipulating training frequency can help improve muscle development.
While fat loss remains a commonly held objective, it is made challenging by a number of biological, environmental, and behavioural factors that resist fat los. This blog outlines 4 evidence-based strategies shown in the research to facilitate fat loss efforts.
For home workout design, exercise variables should be manipulated according to individual response and requirements to facilitate goal attainment. This latest article provides 3 strategies to improve individualisation of home workouts and to help enhance motivation to exercise.
Home workouts have been a lifestyle transition many have made in response to lockdown conditions. For many, designing home workouts will be challenging due to equipment limitations. This article will provide important guidance as to how to create effective home workouts.
The primary concern surrounding the coronavirus (covid-19) is its transmission. As viruses can spread through contact surfaces and airborne secretions, this blog post examines the potential for coronavirus spread in a gym environment and how to protect yourself against infection.
6 out of 7 people that diet achieve successful weight loss. However, only 5% of individuals actually sustain their weight loss long-term. This alarming statistic shows that the specific behaviours people use to sustain weight loss are far more important than the weight loss itself.
Motivation, defined by one’s willingness to perform a particular behaviour, is a powerful factor in exercise. Research suggests individuals consistent with exercise apply specific forms of motivation. This article will examine different motivation forms in exercise and how to apply them.
Despite efforts to improve muscle tone and development, many struggle to see improvements due to poor exercise practices. This article discusses some basic physiology of muscle growth and highlights some important findings in the research to then practically to exercise.
Only one-quarter of individuals that achieve weight loss are able to keep weight off over the long term. These alarming rates of weight regain indicate a more complex interaction of factors. This article will discuss the 3 greatest contributors to weight regain and their mechanisms for weight regain.
The second part of this evidence-based exercise series discusses two more evidence-based fitness professionals: Bret Contreras and James Krieger. This post highlights both presenters work in the areas of exercise mechanics and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
Evidenced-based personal training takes a scientific approach to exercise prescription and instruction. The Personal Trainer Collective Conference provided a platform for some of the most credible, science-based minds to share their knowledge and experiences.
Behavior change refers to the actions someone creates within themselves. As the majority of people fixate on the end result (i.e. weight loss), behaviors shift attention to the process. This blog post examines the importance of behavior change and how to create successful behaviors.
Grains have become a staple in the modern diet, yet many experience adverse health reactions from consuming grains. This article explores the origins of grains and how changes in the genetic makeup of grains since the industrial era may be causing negative heath reactions.
Low back injuries are commonly incurred from exercise. Proper spinal positioning and core activation during exercise may have an important role in decreasing low back injuries. This post looks into the research to understand how core stability may reduce exercise-related back injuries.
The organic versus non-organic food debate is a popular topic of discussion within the context of nutrition. Many are skeptical whether organic food offers more health benefits compared with conventionally produced food. This blog post turns to the research to understand if a difference exist.
It is still debated whether full or deep squatting causes unwanted stress on the knees. In this blog post we discuss the differences between half and full squatting and examine the literature to understand what the evidence shows with regards to the suggested dangers of full squatting.
Muscle growth or muscle hypertrophy is a commonly held objective for those performing resistance exercise. This blog post looks at the literature to understand factors that influence muscle growth and how resistance exercise contributes to maximising these mechanisms.
The modern day diet that includes regular consumption of cereal grains, bread or rice have have brought increasing awareness of the potentially health damaging effects of gluten. This post examines gluten proteins and the different conditions where gluten reactions occur.
People think we live longer today than our ancestors 2.5 million years ago. However, a look into paleo ancestral cultures reveals this may not be true. This blog post identifies possible differences between traditional, hunter-gatherer populations and that of our modern day society.
It is common for people in the gym to rest too long or short between sets during exercise and this can negatively impact progress. Our latest post discusses rest intervals and how to use the research to select rest intervals appropriate to your goal.
For individuals suffering from pre-existing digestive troubles like irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease, low-FODMAP eating can offer great relief. This blog post discusses FODMAP foods and the evidence behind low-FODMAP diets.
People often experience gradual muscle soreness following an workout and what causes this pain? Many attribute this delayed pain to tight muscles or lactate acid. Take an evidenced based approach to understanding delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Evidence-based personal training uses the highest source of knowledge to inform decision making. It also combines this knowledge with the experience, skills, and creativity of a trainer. This blog post looks at evidence-based personal training and its necessity within the profession.
Daily undulating periodisation (DUP) is a concept that uses daily manipulation of training variables to maximise a desired adaptation. This blog post discusses periodisation, what it means, and the potential benefits of applying an undulating approach to one’s exercise program.
Typical recommendation for post-workout nutrition is to consume nutrients immediately following exercise. However, support for this recommendation is far from definitive. This blog post discusses the research on nutrient timing and challenges traditional guidelines.
There is clear variation in the way different lifters perform the squat. Importantly, variation in squatting mechanics is directly related to anatomical differences. This blog post discusses how anatomical variation in the hip and upper and lower limbs can influence squat mechanics.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is an important component of total daily energy expenditure and research shows that it has a significant impact on weight gain and loss . This post discusses NEAT and its pivotal role in weight management.
Lack of sleep is very common in a modern day lifestyle and mounting evidence shows that sleep deprivation can result in weight gain. This blog post discusses the potential mechanisms by which insufficient sleep leads to weight gain.
Exercise program design is a vital and complex skill for anyone performing resistance exercise. This blog post will discuss multiple exercise variables and the underlying science that will enable accurate, evidence-based construction of a resistance training program.
Calculating maintenance calories can be useful for understanding the impact of food intake on body weight. Also, knowledge of one’s maintenance calories can provide an important starting point for adjusting calories in accordance with body composition goals.
In this second part to evidence-based weight loss, we discuss strategies that can be used to overcome metabolic adaptation in dieting to achieve continuous weight loss. Also, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages to selecting specific caloric deficits for weight loss.
In response to dieting and weight loss, the body undergoes self-preserving adaptations that resist further weight loss and even promote weight gain. This post examines the adaptive processes with dieting and to what extent they occur in preventing weight loss.
Muscle building is a commonly held goal by those performing resistance exercise. However, few understand how to maximise muscle growth. This article discusses the mechanisms behind muscle development and how to manipulate exercise variables to accelerate muscle growth.
The decision to work with a personal trainer to assist in achieving health or fitness goals can be equally as detrimental as rewarding. This post will discuss the issues surrounding inconsistency among personal trainers and highlight the primary attributes trainers should exhibit.