Is red light therapy good for anything?
What is the current state of the evidence of red light exposure for "recovery" or sports performance? Does it do anything other than heat you up and feel good? For instance one supplier advertises with "Unlock faster recovery, rejuvenated skin, and deeper sleep".
Programming questions
If any of your lifts stall for more than 3-4 weeks or you hit peak performance for a certain rep range/intensity and your performance drops will you increase volume for the next block or try to adjust variables like exercise selection for the same block or rep ranges? Also is there a time where powerlifters will benefits from an extended hypertrophy block to break through a plateau instead of doing powerlifting specific block?
curious about glp's
im open to taking medications like glp to help with weight management, im 5'11 and around 195-200lbs, with a waist circumference over 40 inches. ive been training all year meeting and exceeding both the resistance training and conditioning guidelines (also its very fun), ive dropped to 180lbs last year but at the later half trended back up during all the holiday stuff, i have a pattern of going down then back up and kinda just view this as likely more healthy than if i where to stay at 195 static or start trending well into the 200's, i know im not obese but the idea of taking a medication that leads to me not having an appetite sounds very useful (also i imagine id save money on groceries so ironically even though it costs money for medication, in a sense i may also save money in that i wont be going out and getting tons of snacks and fast food) (also i suspect i may be one of those rare cases that could potentially come off the medication or even do weight loss without it, but also i figure there isnt exactly a ton of harm in them either and i dont see a point in making things needlessly harder) (also i have no medical conditions that im aware of)
Two quick hitters
Trying to remember the two quick questions I asked this month (as opposed to my usual one novel-length one). I think they were: 1) What clinical trials are you most looking forward to reading out in 2026? 2) If you had to predict what ridiculous fitness/health trend will most make you shake your head in despair in 2026, what would it be?
Post-infection tendinopathy
Are you familiar with and can you talk about post-infection reactive inflammatory tendinopathy (also seen in literature as reactive arthritis) specifically at the Achilles tendon? What is the pathophysiology, why the Achilles tendon, and is this a sign of underlying disease or an isolated phenomenon? This particular case came about following a strep A infection a few weeks prior.
Contextualizing hunger
What suggestions do you have for addressing the sensation of hunger during the weight loss process? I expect that in order to successfully lose weight I will experience some degree of hunger more than I do while being weight stable. My framing for this is like RPE but for hunger. I don’t want my hunger to be above a Rate of Perceived Hunger of 5, at least not consistently. Is my framing unhelpful?
Power training for older adults
Hello docs , as mentioned in sarcopnia episode if I understood correctly as we get older we te nd to loose quickness first before strength . As I am in my 50s do we need to dedicate 10-15 mins a week for any speed/jump movements apart from following a cardio excerise guide line and for resistance I was doing BBM templates for PB /hypertropy/upper-lower etc Thanks for all of your great works Easwara
Do muscles shorten if they get trained a lot over a long time
There exists this belief that when you only train e.g. chest but not your back for a long time, that you risk "shortened" pecs and that your posture will change as a result, which will promote asymmetry, pain and inury. Relatedly, a lot of professional armwrestlers seem to either not be able to fully extend their arm at all, or at least their comfortable resting position is with slightly bent arms, and people will say that this is because they train their flexion musculature excessively compared to their triceps. Is this actually a thing and if so what are the mechanisms at play?
Two for the price of one
Two short questions instead of my usual one paragraph-long one: 1) Which clinical trials expected to read out in 2026 are you most looking forward to hearing the results of? 2) Any predictions on what 2026 fitness trends will most likely leave you shaking your collective heads?
Should one train niche movements in the gym?
When, if ever, would you consider deliberately training niche movements like internal/external shoulder or hip rotation, ankle dorsiflexion, or neck movements? Should someone training for health and hypertrophy concern themselves with such movements?
Pre-workout supplements
I have been resistance training almost 10 years now and I have never used a pre workout supplement before. Usually I have a cup of black coffee or a double espresso 30-60 minutes before my workout. Lately I feel tired and I can't put a lot of effort in my training. The reason I didn't use a pre-workout before is due to the concern that it will cause dependency and I wouldn't be able to train without it. Is this concern valid and what should people consider when choosing a pre-workout supplement? (I know you have your own but I live in Europe and the cost of shipping is too high for me)
App question
Hi Doctors, I have a question about the app. I have been using it to log my workouts for 4-5 years now, even when not running the templates. Unless I’m missing it, there does not seem to be a way to export data. Is this planned anytime in the future? Or perhaps not possible? I’m planing on continuing to use it but it would be great to back up my data just in case anything ever happens to the app. Thanks! PS, unrelated but did you guys see the protein powder controversy in Sacramento with Holmes nutrition? Guess those guys didn’t have an Informed Sport cert. Cheers, and thanks for all the content!
im becoming curious about glp's
hey guys, this is the new year and ive been doing great from a exercise perspective, i do 3 day of resistance exercise and 2 1/2 hours of cardio a week and have been doing this for most of the year and have been really enjoying it all, I got down to 179lbs but ended up trending back to around 195 by the end of the year as of writing this, i feel confident in my ability to always drop back down and i even view this as normal and i say to myself that "going from 195 to 180 then going back is likely better than if i was 195 static or even if i gained up to the 200's from 195", all that being said im open minded to glps and am wondering if I would be the kind of population that would be considered for them, im 40inchs in terms of my abdominal circumference at 190lbs and my height is 5'11 (i know im not obese but i do think my fat distribution puts me in a funny position potentially metabolically, and i dont have really any medical issues that im aware of)
Perimenopause and nutrition
I have a female client over 40 who recently transitioned to a carnivore diet (not something I recommended). She reports insulin resistance potentially linked to peri-menopause, and believes carbohydrates aggravate this issue. On a carb-containing diet, she experienced skin problems and gradual fat gain despite modest intake; since switching to a carnivore approach, she feels stronger, has no skin issues, and believes she’s gaining muscle. I recognize many confounding factors, but I’m curious about the evidence: can perimenopause/menopause drive insulin resistance, and does this influence macro distribution?
How do you view the heavy use of alcohol alongside the use of GLP-1 medication, and how can I be more empathetic to folks who continue to binge drink 1-2 times per week while one these medications, since GLP-1s help get an individual healthier and excessive drinking is the opposite of healthy?
For context, there has been an explosion of GLP-1 usage in my friend group (mainly due to one of the friends being an NP in a weight loss clinic giving prescriptions to others). Overall, I am pro-GLP-1 and the benefits. However, one thing that I get hung up on is the use of these medications while the users continue heavy alcohol use. I understand the obesity as a disease model of thinking and empathize at how tough it is to create healthy food environments (even for upper middle class families that can easily afford it), but I really struggle with the dissonance of seeing someone use GLP-1s to reduce body weight while simultaneously drinking 3-4 times per week, much of which would be considered binge drinking. Is it potentially a case of them also having alcoholism, even though obesity and alcoholism may be connected?
Building tolerance to high heart rate conditioning work
Austin recently shared some half marathon stats on Instagram that got me thinking about heart rate and adaptation. His average heart rate was 178 bpm, which really stood out to me. While I’ve been doing conditioning work consistently for over a year, I can’t imagine sustaining a heart rate that high for such a long time. Obviously, Austin does a ton of conditioning, so my question is: Did he build up this tolerance intentionally and gradually by exposing himself to longer and longer intervals or training sessions at high heart rates? Personally, I can’t see myself running at 178 bpm for more than a few minutes, but I also haven’t specifically trained for that kind of endurance.
Bouldering for health
How would you rate the sport of bouldering or rock climbing to meet physical activity guidelines? It is a trendy sport among my peers, many of whom do not engage in dedicated gym or cardio training outside of their sport, and I am wondering how does compares to strengh training - cardio training split for long term health.
Fiber intake
Is there a liner relation between fiber intake and health outcome . Does psyllium husk count towards this fiber . I know u have mentioned somewhere supplemental fiber have minimum effect on health compared to Whole Foods. Thanks for all the great information shared on this platform Thanks Easwara