Get strong on the evidence, not the hype.
Evidence-based strength and health coaching in your inbox — for intermediate lifters and busy professionals tired of fitness-influencer noise.
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16-week block · one reader's logged progression.
In every Monday letter
The Study
One paper, translated from journal-speak into something you can actually use in the gym this week — with the effect size, not just the headline.
The Program Note
One tweak you can apply Monday — a set scheme, a tempo, a rest interval — with the reasoning so you know when to drop it.
Ask the Coach
One real reader question, answered honestly — including the times the honest answer is "you're overthinking it."
Issue № 131 · Mar 16, 2026 · 7 min read
Junk volume is real — here's where your sets stop counting.
"Past a certain point, another set doesn't build muscle — it builds fatigue you'll pay for on Thursday. The dose-response curve bends, and most lifters are training the flat part."
Hypertrophy vs. weekly sets · meta-analysis
The archive
131 issues · since 2023№ 130 · Mar 9
Protein timing barely matters. Protein total does.
The anabolic window, finally closed. · 6 min
№ 129 · Mar 2
Why your deadlift stalled at exactly 1.5× bodyweight.
It's almost never your back. · 8 min
№ 128 · Feb 24
Cardio won't kill your gains. Here's the actual data.
The interference effect, sized properly. · 7 min
№ 127 · Feb 17
Soreness is not a workout grade. Stop chasing it.
DOMS vs. actual stimulus. · 5 min
№ 126 · Feb 10
The deload week you keep skipping is the program.
Fatigue management for adults. · 6 min
№ 125 · Feb 3
Creatine: the one supplement that survives scrutiny.
Dose, timing, and the bloat myth. · 5 min
"I added 22kg to my squat in a year by doing less, not more. Dani's deload note alone was worth a decade of broscience."
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Straight answers
Is this medical or training advice?+
It's educational strength and health content, not medical advice. I'm a coach and a scientist, not your doctor — if you have an injury or condition, talk to a qualified professional before changing how you train.
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