Category Archives: FAQs
1% Fitness FAQs – Looking to Gain Mass
This is probably the most popular question I get from men. To which I usually respond: “Does your leanness call for it?” I’ve never been a fan of bulking and cutting because carrying excess body fat makes you carry more excess body fat. People bulk up because they think it gives them more strength, and…
Are We Really Born to Run?
Tell a runner they’d get better results lifting weights, and they tell you they’re trying to lose fat not gain muscle. Tell them having more muscle makes you burn more fat, and they tell you they enjoy running. Tell them the ‘runners high’ is experienced faster with HIIT, and they tell you they’re trying to…
1% Fitness FAQs – Training Fasted
I’ve never seen the point of dragging my butt through a fasted HIIT workout that burns mostly muscle glycogen, or risking Muscle Protein Breakdown (MPB) and a mediocre strength performance lifting weights on an empty stomach. The only fasted training I’m a fan of is walking. Predominantly because, the lower the intensity, the more we…
1% Fitness FAQs – The Best Time to Exercise?
We all have a slightly different chronobiology. Meaning, optimal timing for you, may not be optimal for someone else; no matter what topic we’re discussing. This even holds true when it comes to exercise. Although, there appears to be a more significant factor. “From a practical point of view, adaptation to strength training is greater…
1% Fitness FAQs – What About Muscular Endurance?
The reason we should be lifting weights is to build strength and muscle, but I often receive questions on the importance of muscular endurance. As discussed in 1% Fitness, and as we went through in Eat Meat And Stop Jogging, endurance is an inferior biomarker for longevity, and purposely pursuing it can be detrimental to…
1% Fitness FAQs – Are Leg Curls Necessary?
Strong hamstrings are an essential part of a balanced anti-fragile physique. Research in the journal Clinical Biomechanics found that decreased hamstring strength increased loading on the ACL by 36% during side-step cutting. This is why training the legs (just as much as the upper body), and training the back of the legs (just as much…
How Much Whey Protein After Exercise?
Generally speaking, real food should be prioritized over supplementation. And high-fat solid dairy foods should be prioritized over liquid insulin-spiking dairy foods. But that’s provided you’re not taking part in resistance training, as the whey protein in dairy is the best muscle-builder going. With a long list of health benefits we’d be foolish not to…
Is There an Optimal Rep Range?
Research can be somewhat inconsistent in determining the optimal rep range for strength and muscle development (1, 2, 3). But it’s consistently shown that performing sets of less than 15 reps is superior to sets of more than 15 reps. It’s also been clear in showing that it’s possible to build strength without having to…