The Weekly Exerciser
A weekly newsletter with actionable tips to make exercise easier.
The only essential exercises in the gym
I cringe a little when I hear people say: “But {insert exercise here} is the king of all exercises.” Cos here’s the thing: Unless you’re a powerlifter, there are no essential exercises in the gym. And this is good news. Because it means you can choose the exercises you actually like—not the ones you think you should be doing. Plus it gives you the freedom to change your routine when you feel bored with it, too. The question is: does this compromise your results? Let's find out. Exercise is...
The truth about anabolic resistance with ageing
Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. Sure, ageing comes with a loss of muscle and strength, which has a big impact on your ability to: Stay independent Avoid chronic disease And ultimately, maintain a good quality-of-life But it may also limit your capacity to respond to “anabolic” stimuli—like resistance exercise or protein intake. The very things that offset muscle loss in the first place. It’s kinda cruel, really… But is this so-called “anabolic resistance” just part of ageing, or are...
The case for tailoring exercise to feel better instead
It’s a no-brainer really. One of the biggest predictors of whether you’ll exercise often is: How it makes you feel. Which is funny given this is not how exercise is usually prescribed. Instead it’s all about what to do to achieve better: Endurance Strength Fat loss Or whatever the long-term goal is. But what if we flipped the equation, and focused on tweaking exercise to maximise the “feel better” effect instead? Heck, we might even stick to exercise for longer—and get those health or fitness...
Do simple training programs really work for trained lifters?
It’s one of the great things about exercise. When you first get started, your fitness improves quickly. But due to a principle known as diminishing returns, the rate of improvement slows the fitter you become. This is why many believe simple programs are no longer enough once you’ve got some training experience under your belt. But a new study has turned this on its head. It found trained lifters made decent strength and muscle size gains with a simple 8-week program lacking many features...
How to more easily stay active this holiday period
So, here we are. The festive season is well-and-truly upon us. And for many people, holiday periods are jam-packed with social events, time away from home, and of course some over-indulging. All of which can throw a big spanner-in-the-works for even the most solid of exercise routines. This poses the question: How can you navigate this busy festive period to help you start 2025 fit and strong? The answers are simpler than you may think. First, it’s ok to take a break It’s a regular...
The proven (yet surprising) metabolic benefits of lifting weights
Some believe it's a common cause of many chronic diseases: Poor metabolic health. But what does this really mean? The so-called ‘metabolic syndrome’ is a cluster of factors including: High blood sugar Abdominal obesity High blood pressure Low HDL cholesterol And high blood trigycerides Improving these markers will boost your metabolic health—and reduce your risk of things like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in the process. There’s little doubt exercise sits atop the list of...
An astonishing example of why you're never too old
Read time: 5 minutes It’s a faulty belief stopping many from turning their health (and life) around: The idea we lose the ability to benefit from exercise as we age. And that beyond a certain point, we’re just “past it”. But the reality is, it’s never too late to overturn decades of declines in health and fitness. And there’s probably no better example than a woman who became the strongest of the strong - a powerlifting world champion - at 71 years of age. But here’s the thing: She only...
The lowest exercise dose you need to build muscle
Read time: 4 minutes It’s arguably the most critical question with exercise: How much do you need to get a benefit? That and: is more exercise always “better”? Most exercise guidelines advocate for the “optimum” dose (or close to) for health benefits. But there’s a good argument to focus instead on achieving at least the minimum effective dose of exercise. After all, most people do little to no activity, let alone anything near “optimum”. A recent study has unlocked new insights into how much...
An easy way to overcome low motivation for the gym
Read time: 3 minutes I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I never feel like skipping the gym. The reality is, motivation ebbs and flows - for everyone. But the key to success with exercise is to find ways to convince yourself to do something over nothing (most of the time). So instead of missing your workout altogether when you’re low on motivation, try making it easier instead. If “easier” workouts become your default, this helps you take action more often - and prepares you for the...
Why you don't need to worry about short training breaks
Read time: 3 minutes Consistency is hard. The problem is, being consistent is key to success in most long-term pursuits - and exercise is no exception. But consistency with exercise doesn’t mean never taking a break, either. Too often we beat ourselves up if we fall off the wagon after finally stringing together a period of regular training. But missing a few sessions here and there probably won’t impact your progress over the long run. A new study shows just how little short training breaks...
A weekly newsletter with actionable tips to make exercise easier.