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Recovery
14 pieces on wellness, nutrition, sleep, recovery, and the long story of healthy living.
Cardiovascular
Heart Rate Variability: What Your HRV Actually Tells You (and What It Doesn't)
HRV tracking apps are everywhere. But interpreting your own HRV data requires understanding what variability means physiologically — and when it matters.
4 min read
Fitness
Zone 2 Cardio: Why Slow, Sustainable Effort Builds Aerobic Capacity
Most people either go hard or don't go at all. Zone 2 training — the forgotten middle — drives aerobic adaptation more efficiently than high-intensity work alone.
4 min read
Fitness
Isometric Strength Training — Static Holds and Joint-Angle Specificity
Isometric training builds strength at the angle trained. It's particularly useful for overcoming sticking points and joint-specific needs.
4 min read
Fitness
Balance Training in Midlife and Later — Why Falls Prevention Matters
Balance declines predictably with age. Targeted training slows the decline and meaningfully reduces fall risk. Here's what the research shows.
3 min read
Fitness
Plyometrics for General Fitness — Power Training Beyond Athletics
Plyometric training builds power and explosiveness. It's useful for general fitness, fall prevention, and maintaining athleticism with age.
4 min read
Cardiovascular
HIIT vs Steady-State Cardio — When Each One Wins
Both methods improve aerobic fitness. HIIT is time-efficient; steady-state builds base capacity. Here's how to use both strategically.
3 min read
Recovery
Deload Weeks — When and Why
A deload week reduces training volume by 40-50% to let your body recover. When done strategically, it improves long-term progress.
4 min read
Mental Health
Vagus nerve hype: what's real and what's overblown
The vagus nerve is real and important, but much of the wellness hype misrepresents what stimulating it actually does.
4 min read
Fitness
Training to Failure — The Cost
Training to momentary muscular failure increases hypertrophy stimulus but also increases fatigue and injury risk. A nuanced view.
4 min read
Fitness
Mobility vs Flexibility — A Meaningful Distinction
Flexibility is passive range of motion. Mobility is active control through that range. Which one you need depends on your goal.
4 min read
Fitness
Eccentric Loading — The Research on Lengthening Contractions
The lowering phase of a lift creates the most mechanical tension and drives hypertrophy. Understanding eccentric loading changes how you train.
4 min read
Fitness
Hypertrophy Basics — Rep Ranges and the Volume Question
Muscle growth happens across a wide range of rep ranges. Total training volume matters more than the specific rep scheme.
4 min read