I met another person who was caused unnecessary harm — “I saw your story on LinkedIn about posture…are you serious?! Poor posture isn't the reason I have pain?” As I was leaving a graduation party for our 2020 and 2021 orthopedic residency classes (COVID delayed the former), I met one of my colleague's wife and this was the opening to…

How much longer are we going to ignore decades of research? — The posture nonsense is getting out of control. While preparing for a residency lecture this week, I came across an article on posture written by a physician. It was hard to contain my frustration. “Sitting badly or standing in a slouched position stresses your lower back, weakening and damaging an…

There is some preliminary evidence that inter-set stretching may enhance hypertrophy when performed in a specific manner. — What do you do between sets of an exercise? Perhaps you use the time to prep for the next exercise, visualizing your repetition or blasting music to amp yourself up for the lift. Both are solid strategies for powerlifting and Olympic-style weightlifting, but they are probably unnecessary for everyone else.

Our exercise capacity fluctuates daily — it’s common to underestimate or overestimate your capacity. — I just feel off. This is a common feeling in the gym, on the soccer field, on the pickleball court, or anywhere else you like to perform physical activity. Why? Our exercise capacity fluctuates daily. Sleep, stress, diet, motivation, recent training load, and attention all influence our capacity to perform…

Addressing the recent study on erythritol — Health blog writers at major news outlets are great at two things: writing headlines and scaring the hell out of people. They are terrible at reading and understanding research. The interpretations of the recent study on erythritol and cardiovascular risk strengthen these observations. Here is a screenshot after googling ‘erythritol…

Research-backed methods to improve exercise efficiency — “I don’t have time to exercise.” This is a common complaint and a valid one. Work, family time, sleep, volunteer events, and other commitments pile up. Struggling to find time to exercise isn’t synonymous with laziness. There are many priorities in life and sometimes exercise takes a back seat. It’s…

There is no need to get fancy or worry about EMG research — Is there such thing as a ‘best’ exercise? Universally? No. For you and a specific situation? Maybe. This article is not medical advice, it is a summary of recent research along with my clinical interpretation. Talk to a professional about an individualized training approach. First, the best exercise is the…

What research tells us about this bidirectional relationship — Sleep is one of the most important health behaviors. It’s not just about the total sleep time (the goal is 7–9 for most adults, which many people fall short of), however. Without quality, the duration loses its value. Fortunately, research has shown that exercise can be an effective tool for…

Why you should add cardio, even if getting big is your main goal. — Is cardio killing your gains? If you follow bro science, you may avoid cardiovascular exercise (e.g., running, swimming, biking, etc.) while pursuing larger muscles. The theory is known as the interference effect, the concept that simultaneously training different fitness components (e.g. strength and endurance) may negatively impact the improvement of…