Go on a jog.

Sit less.

Move more.

The assumption has always been simple: the more physical activity we do, the more calories we burn.

But a new study from researchers at Duke University, recently published in the journal Current Biology, provides powerful evidence that increasing physical activity does not necessarily lead to more calorie expenditure.

The Idea of “Constrained Energy Expenditure”

The paper introduces the concept of constrained total energy expenditure.

Here is how it works.

If we go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride, our calorie expenditure increases. That part isn’t surprising. But after the exercise ends, our physiology automatically finds ways to conserve energy throughout the rest of the day.

The end result is that being more active doesn’t necessarily mean we burn more calories by the end of the day.

For example:

• We burn 500 calories during a workout.

• Our body conserves about 500 calories during the rest of the day.

This compensation appears to happen automatically.

Key Takeaways From the Study

Researchers highlighted several important findings:

• Humans and other mammals compensate for increased physical activity. After we burn calories through activity, our bodies naturally reduce energy expenditure elsewhere. This is known as energy compensation.

• Energy compensation is most pronounced with aerobic exercise. The effect is even stronger when aerobic exercise is combined with calorie restriction.

• One place the body compensates is basal metabolic rate. When we are at rest, we may burn even fewer calories than we normally would.

A Different Effect With Strength Training

Interestingly, the researchers noted that this energy compensation did not occur after resistance training. In fact, they observed the opposite effect.

After strength training, people appeared to burn more calories during the rest of the day.

Why This Matters

The authors conclude that this idea of constrained energy expenditure may explain why most people don’t lose weight from cardio or increased physical activity alone—both in research studies and in the real world.

Final Thought

This study doesn’t suggest we shouldn’t be active or perform cardio. Physical activity is still incredibly beneficial for our health.

But it does reinforce an important point: exercise doesn’t always lead to the calorie burn we expect.

Cardio and physical activity are good for us—but they may not do what we often assume they can do when it comes to weight loss.

But we don’t live in a perfect world.

We have nights of poor sleep.
Our knee pain is really acting up.
The weight of the world is on our mind and shoulders.

So what do we do?

At Discover Strength, the answer is simple: Show up. Communicate. Modulate.

1. Show Up

Late last week, I trained at our Chicago River North location. The session was scheduled for 6:00pm after a daylong meeting. I had been looking forward to the workout all week. But as the day unfolded, I wasn’t at my best.

I was stressed about several things. I was dealing with a lingering two-day migraine. And I had a 24-mile run scheduled for 5:30am the next morning. As 6:00pm approached, canceling seemed reasonable.

Instead, I showed up.

One of my favorite clichés comes to mind: “The world is run by those who show up.”

Walking through the door is often the hardest part. But showing up keeps the habit intact. It reinforces identity. And more often than not, you leave feeling better than when you arrived.

2. Communicate

When I arrived, I told my Exercise Physiologist exactly where I was at that day: stressed, not sleeping optimally, managing a migraine, and preparing for a long run the next morning.

This is critical.

Your workout is not performed in isolation. Sleep, stress, pain, training volume, and life circumstances all influence how your body responds to exercise. The more your Exercise Physiologist understands your current state, the more precisely they can guide the session.

Communication isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a prerequisite for intelligent training.

3. Modulate

At Discover Strength, intensity matters. Training to muscle failure is foundational to productive strength training. But intensity is not rigid. It’s adjusted strategically.

In this case, we modulated the session. Lower-body exercises were reduced in intensity. We still performed them, but we did not push to the point of muscle failure. Upper-body exercises were trained hard, and after each movement there was a check-in—sometimes even during the set—to ensure the stimulus was appropriate.

That’s modulation.

We meet you where you are. Not where you were last week. Not where you wish you were. Where you are today.

Progress Doesn’t Require Perfection

I’ve never regretted a workout. And that session was exactly what I needed.

The lesson isn’t about one workout. It’s about your next one.

You don’t need perfect sleep.
You don’t need a stress-free day.
You don’t need everything to align.

You need three things:

Show up. Communicate. Modulate.

When you do, you give yourself the opportunity to make progress—no matter the circumstances. And over time, that consistency is what drives meaningful, measurable results. being together).

Have the conversation with your family, co-workers, and colleagues that you plan to engage in strength training two times per week as an essential modality for “sharpening your saw” (a phrase borrowed from Stephen Covey’s 7th Habit). You stepping away from a family commitment or work obligation to engage in a workout is not a selfish indulgence but instead, a selfless act that makes you better in all the roles you play.

To me, this is an important conversation with partners, family, and work teams.

Don’t Let Someone Else’s Commitment Impact Yours

Never let someone else’s commitment or lack of commitment to a workout negatively impact your workout.

For twenty years, I’ve seen clients come to Discover Strength and share with me that they want to engage in a workout with their spouse or child; they’ll schedule group workouts together or schedule 1-on-1s at the same time and day. This seems like a great idea. It rarely works after a few weeks.

Life is busy. Schedules are hectic. Someone is sick. Someone is traveling. Someone loses interest.

Instead, I encourage clients: “If it works for you to come together, great, but don’t let your partner/friend/family member’s schedule interfere with you getting in the important strength training workout that you need.”

What happens after a number of months is: we both find our own time to schedule our strength training, and then we get together for dinner that night or breakfast the next morning and talk about how brutal leg press was, how challenging negative-only chin-ups were, or how much progress we made in our low back strength (we can share the workout without actually being together).

Adam Grant, Wharton School professor and best-selling author, teaches the concept of the humility of a scientist.

A scientist isn’t overly convicted about her ideas. Instead, her idea is just a hypothesis. Rather than defending it at all costs, the scientist actively tries to disprove it — and then starts in a different direction if necessary.

In a culture that prizes confidence and certainty, we undervalue this mindset.

Humility at Discover Strength

Internally, we talk about the humility of a scientist at Discover Strength all the time. We must display the willingness to read new research, understand that we were wrong, and change our recommendations.

But the humility of a scientist isn’t reserved for people in scientific fields. It’s not purely about academic research. It’s a way of thinking that applies to leadership, decision-making, and personal growth.

A Business Leader Who Modeled Scientific Thinking

One of the best examples I’ve ever read about is Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. I never met Walton, but I did read his book — and I’ve visited the Walmart Museum in Bentonville.

David Glass, the CFO who worked with Walton and later succeeded him as CEO, said this about Mr. Sam:

“He is less afraid of being wrong than anyone I’ve ever known. And once he sees he’s wrong, he just shakes it off and heads in another direction.”

This is the embodiment of thinking like a scientist. When new information becomes available, can we abandon our path and change direction without damaging our ego?

This is not easy.

What This Means for Your Workout

How does this apply to your workout?

If we are passionate, convicted, or certain about some aspect of our training, we might eventually find out that we are — at least partially — wrong. Or we may discover a better way.

We may have overstated something.
We may have undervalued something else.
Our workouts may need to evolve over time.

The best training plans are not rigid. They adapt as evidence, experience, and goals change.

Why Changing Your Mind Is Hard

Changing your mind becomes increasingly difficult once you’ve written a book about your conviction or made a lot of money around that conviction.

But progress requires flexibility.

The willingness to update your thinking — without ego — is essential for long-term success in fitness, business, and life.

Research in resistance training continues to show that effort—specifically training to near failure—is what stimulates the muscular system to adapt. Not the novelty of the exercise. Not the specific equipment. Not the playlist.

We should strive to make our strength training workouts intense.

But intensity doesn’t mean crazy.

Intensity doesn’t mean haphazard.

Intensity doesn’t mean we swing the weight.

Intensity doesn’t have to involve grunting.

Intensity doesn’t mean flipping tires, slamming balls, or blasting music.

Intensity doesn’t (have to) entail ripped 20-something Instagram influencers.

In fact, it’s probably just the opposite.

True training intensity involves controlling the weight.

Intensity involves thinking about the muscle that we are contracting.

Intensity involves being deliberate in how we lift and lower the weight—maintaining tension, controlling tempo, and eliminating momentum.

Intensity involves a deep, almost meditative focus.

Intensity is in harmony with safety.

When applied correctly, high-intensity strength training aligns with proper biomechanics, controlled repetition speed, and safe exercise technique. It supports long-term joint health while still delivering the stimulus required for muscle building and strength gains.

Intensity is for 15-year-olds, 46-year-olds, and 82-year-olds.

Because intensity is not about theatrics. It’s about effort.

And effort—applied intelligently—is what produces results in any well-designed resistance training program.

Having spent the first part of my career working with professional football players and leading the largest high school strength and conditioning program in the country, this is a topic I’ve always been passionate about.

Today, more than ever, families and coaches are asking an important question:

What type of training actually improves athletic performance for young athletes?

Fortunately, we now have high‑quality research that provides a clear answer.

New Research on Youth Athletic Performance

A study published three years ago in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research provides some of the strongest evidence to date on the most effective training methodology for high‑level athletics involving:

• Sprinting

• Change of direction

• Explosive strength

(In other words—most competitive sports.)

Who Was Studied?

The participants were 17–18‑year‑old elite soccer players in Europe—far from the typical high school athlete.

These athletes were:

• Highly trained

• Competing at an elite level

• Fully committed to improving athletic performance

This matters because results drawn from recreational or untrained populations don’t always translate well to serious youth athletes. This study examined athletes who were already doing many things right.

The Three Training Approaches Compared

The athletes were assigned to one of three training groups:

1. Plyometrics and Speed Training

Focused primarily on jumping drills, sprint work, and reactive movements.

2. Functional Training

In this study, functional training was defined as band‑based and body‑weight exercises.

3. Traditional, Intense Strength Training

Included progressive resistance training using heavy loads and structured strength programming.

What Were Researchers Measuring?

The researchers sought to determine which training approach most effectively improved key athletic performance markers, including:

• Sprint speed

• Jumping performance

• Change of direction ability

All three are critically important for soccer—and nearly every field and court sport.

One of the most impressive aspects of this research was its length.

The study lasted 10 months, far longer than the typical 10–12‑week time frame often used in exercise science research. This allowed researchers to observe meaningful, long‑term adaptations rather than short‑term changes.

The Results

The results were clear.

The traditional strength training group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in athletic performance parameters compared to both the plyometric‑speed and functional training groups.

In short:

• Strength training produced greater improvements in speed

• Greater gains in jumping performance

• Superior change‑of‑direction ability

The Researchers’ Conclusion

The authors stated:

“Traditional strength training is superior to sprint and jump training or functional training to improve strength, jump, sprint, and change of direction performance.”

That is a remarkably direct conclusion—and one that challenges many popular youth training trends.

Why This Matters for Youth Athletes

Interestingly, these findings are almost the opposite of what many:

• Coaches

• High schools

• Youth training facilities

• Social media training influencers

tend to emphasize.

Much of today’s youth athletic training focuses heavily on:

• Speed ladders

• Cones and agility drills

• Light resistance

• Endless plyometrics

While these tools can play a supporting role, the research indicates they are not the primary driver of athletic development—even for highly trained young athletes.

The Takeaway

If the goal is to meaningfully improve athletic performance—speed, power, jumping ability, and change of direction—the evidence strongly supports one foundational approach:

Progressive, traditional strength training.

This does not mean eliminating sprinting or sport‑specific practice. Rather, it highlights that:

• Strength is the base

• Power is built upon strength

• Speed expression improves when strength improves

For high‑level youth athletes, the weight room isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Bottom line:

When it comes to preparing young athletes for long‑term performance and resilience, the strongest scientific evidence points to one clear priority:

Build strength first.

Everything else works better when you do.

To be clear, exercises such as pulldowns or seated rows also effectively target these muscles—so if you don’t like chin-ups (who can blame you) or don’t have access to a chin-up apparatus, a pull-down or seated row will always suffice. These upper body pulling exercises are excellent alternatives for improving back strength, lat development, and overall upper body muscle growth. You aren’t technically missing out on anything if you don’t perform chin-ups.

If you are interested in growing your love-hate relationship with chin-ups, consider integrating these chin-up variations. These progressions are ideal for improving chin-up strength, increasing pull-up performance, and building confidence with bodyweight training.

Negative-only chin-ups. Start at the top position of the chin-up (standing on the apparatus, a stool, or a chair), deftly step off of the apparatus, and lower yourself for a 10-second count. This is a great alternative if you aren’t strong enough to perform a traditional chin-up with your body weight. The “negative,” or eccentric contraction, makes this exercise especially valuable—it turns out that the lowering portion of the chin-up is much more valuable than the lifting/pulling (aim for 6–8 reps). This is a theme in all four of these variations and is especially effective for eccentric strength training and improving pull-up progressions.

60-second negative chin-up. Start at the top position and lower for 60 seconds. Evenly pace the 60 seconds over the course of the entire range of motion. It might feel like you are just holding, but you should slowly be creeping down—with 5-second updates provided by a supervisor to keep you on pace (1 total rep). This variation is useful for increasing time under tension, a key variable for hypertrophy training.

30-30-30 chin-up. Start at the top position and lower for 30 seconds until your arms are straight; then pull yourself up slowly over a 30-second period; pause on the top for just a second; then lower yourself again for 30 seconds (90 seconds total; 1.5 total reps). This is an advanced chin-up workout that challenges muscular endurance and total-body control.

60-60 chin-up. Start in a hanging position with the arms straight. Pull yourself up incredibly slowly over a 60-second period; pause briefly on top; lower yourself for 60 seconds. Again, with 5–10 second updates so you can pace the 60 seconds evenly. A 60-60 chin-up requires incredible mental focus and is one of the most demanding bodyweight strength exercises available (2 minutes total; 1 total rep).

A couple of notes:

Most of these are best performed with assistance from a machine (if you are unusually strong, you can use bodyweight). Assisted chin-ups are highly effective for beginners learning proper chin-up form and developing upper body strength.

Very few humans on the planet can perform a bodyweight 60-60 chin-up.

Below is a practical breakdown of the most common muscle-building strategies, ranked by effectiveness on a scale of 1–10 (10 being the most effective), based on current research and real-world outcomes.

Genetic Predisposition: 10/10

The research is clear: genetics play the largest role in muscle-building potential. Muscle fiber type, hormone levels, limb length, and recovery capacity are largely inherited.

Choosing your parents wisely is the most important muscle-building “decision” one can make.

Resistance Training: 9/10

Resistance training is the most important controllable variable for building muscle.

Whether you lift light, moderate, or heavy weights matters less than training intensity and effort. To stimulate muscle growth, sets should be taken to muscle failure, or very close to it. Progressive resistance training remains the foundation of hypertrophy and long-term strength gains.

Protein Intake: 5/10

In 2025, protein officially “jumped the shark” (yes, that’s a Happy Days reference).

Protein is important for muscle growth, but its role has been significantly overstated in recent years. For most people, aiming for approximately 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight is sufficient to support muscle protein synthesis.

That said, the strength training workout is the real driver of muscle growth. Protein is simply the icing on the cake. Not literally.

Creatine Supplementation: 3/10

Creatine is the most thoroughly researched and evidence-backed muscle-building supplement available.

While creatine supplementation can lead to small but real increases in muscle size, the overall impact on hypertrophy is modest. That said, creatine offers additional benefits beyond muscle growth, including improvements in strength, power output, and cognitive performance.

Ice Baths and Cold Water Immersion: -2/10

Cold water immersion, when performed close to resistance training sessions, has been shown to blunt the muscle-building response.

While ice baths may have benefits for pain management or endurance recovery, they are counterproductive if your primary goal is maximizing muscle hypertrophy.

Fasting: -2/10

Prolonged fasting—whether half a day, most of the day, or a full day—is likely a poor strategy for muscle growth.

Extended periods without food reduce amino acid availability, which in turn decreases muscle protein synthesis. Over time, this can lead to loss of lean muscle tissue, especially when combined with intense training.

Final Note

These ratings are based specifically on muscle-building effectiveness, not overall health, longevity, or performance outcomes. Some strategies that rank poorly for hypertrophy may still offer other benefits depending on individual goals.

From 68 years of age to 76 years of age, this is what has happened with her body composition as she ages…

68 years old:

Body Fat Percentage: 39.9%
Fat Mass: 55.5 pounds
Fat-Free Mass: 83.7 pounds (this includes skeletal muscle mass, organs, and bone, but we pay attention to this number because when we add or lose muscle, it changes)
Body weight: 139.2 pounds

76 years old (about 3 weeks ago):

Body Fat Percentage: 32.7% — a 7.2% decrease in body fat
Fat Mass: 43.5 pounds — 12 pounds of fat loss
Fat-Free Mass: 89.6 pounds — an increase of 5.9 pounds of lean muscle mass
Body weight: 133.1 pounds — 6.1 pounds lost on the scale

Key Take-Home Messages / Insights on Strength Training and Aging:

The scale never tells the whole story when it comes to weight loss and body composition. Although she did lose weight, she lost a tremendous amount of body fat and added significant lean muscle mass. Her results are even better than what the scale alone indicates.

You can add muscle as you age, even into your 70s and beyond — and it’s critically important for health, longevity, and independence.

You can train hard with strength training at 60, 65, 70, 75, and up. My mom trains to momentary muscle failure.

My mom had a total knee replacement during this time period. Following surgery or illness, most people lose a significant amount of muscle mass and never regain it — leading to declines in strength, function, and quality of life. She increased her muscle across this same time period.

Strength training one to two times per week over the long haul is the key. My mom does a bit of walking but nothing else silly, gimmicky, or fad-driven (I would disown her as my mother!).

She aims to consume approximately 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight, but this is icing on the cake. The strength training stimulus is responsible for 95% of these benefits.

Mom, thanks for letting me share your results with 20,000 people 🙂

Sustainable also means selecting exercise that you can continue if you're injured or recovering from illness. Getting injured, having surgery, or experiencing illness is inevitable. That makes it all the more important to choose a safe and manageable form of exercise. Notably, a recent global consensus paper on exercise and healthy aging stated that when we're sick, hospitalized, or injured might be the most critical time to engage in resistance training and supervised strength training.

1. Avoid the fads. Smarter exercise should be a part of your identity. Set long-term fitness goals and choose behaviors that reinforce that identity rather than chasing short-term fitness trends or workout fads.

2. Seek a guide. We all do better with an expert coach or qualified personal trainer. I'm convinced this is true in business, athletics, finance—and absolutely true in fitness. The research is unequivocal: we do better when someone directly supervises our workouts and strength training programs. (I was trained by Joey and Randall at Discover Strength in Lone Tree, Colorado on Monday. My next workout will be with Jacob and the team at Discover Strength in Leawood, Kansas this Friday.)

For a deeper dive on goal setting for fitness, revisit this previously published post:

2 Mental Models for 2024 Goal Setting (or ANY Goal Setting)

Model 1: The Gap and the Gain

Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, is known for teaching people how to think about their thinking. One of his most impactful mental models is called The Gap and the Gain. For decades, Sullivan observed that entrepreneurs (and human beings in general) make so much progress in various areas of their lives—including health and fitness progress—yet, they continue to be unsatisfied or even unhappy with their results. He refers to this as the “Gap.”

The Gap is when you measure your current progress against an ideal in the future. Because that ideal is always on the horizon, it leads to feelings of dissatisfaction. Even when you make real progress, the ideal keeps shifting further away.

Gap thinking involves measuring from a specific (where you are now) to the general (an ideal in the future). This concept has broad application and could apply to having a great marriage, cultivating a successful career, becoming wealthy, and of course, improving fitness and health outcomes. These ideals are very hard to achieve and thus, most people remain unsatisfied. Sullivan states that when you measure with Gap thinking, you simply can’t be happy or feel fulfilled. You feel like you have accomplished nothing because the ideal remains in the distance. We’ve all been in the Gap.

The Gain is the alternative: Instead of measuring from where you currently are to an ideal (the horizon), he counsels you to measure from where you have been to where you currently are. Gain thinking involves measuring from a specific (where you were) to a specific (where you are now).

Gain thinking is a great way to drive our motivation for our exercise and long-term fitness habits. Always measure backward from where you are now to where you started. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and let this fuel your motivation and confidence to move forward (always inspired by your ideals, but not measuring against your ideals). We can apply this to our exercise outcomes (blood pressure, body composition, muscle strength, aerobic fitness, 5k time) or our habits (e.g., averaging eight hours of sleep now versus seven previously; two strength training workouts per week over the last year versus a previous average of one per week).

Take action: As you set 2024 and 2026 fitness goals, make them measurable; be very clear about where you are right now. Then, as each quarter passes and as we draw near the end of the year, you’ll see significant progress. This progress is evidence of your growing competence—and competence fuels confidence.

Examples:

Instead of “Prioritize my strength training” as the goal, consider: From 48 strength workouts in 2023 to 100 in 2024.

Instead of “Prioritize my cardiorespiratory health and fitness” as the goal, consider: From 0.25 interval cardio workouts per week to 1.0 per week.

Instead of “Get lean!” as the goal, consider: From 32% to 27% body fat percentage.

Instead of “Improve my marriage,” try: “Schedule 12 date nights in 2024.” (At the end of the year, you can look back and see progress toward making the depth and quality of your relationship a priority.)

Model 2: Process Goals Over Outcome Goals

Prioritize process goals over outcome goals when setting fitness goals for 2026.

An example of an outcome goal is, “Complete my first half marathon.”
An example of a process goal is, “Run 3 times per week from January through April.”

In order to set process goals more effectively, spend time thinking about who you want to become. Next, pick the behaviors or actions that person would take and then connect your process goals to them—especially when building sustainable exercise routines.

Important reminder: Each of us decides who we want to become as well as the behaviors and process goals that bring us closer to that.

Examples:

Instead of “I’d like to PR in a marathon” or “run a 3-hour marathon” (a great outcome goal), you could write a process goal of: Increase my weekly mileage from 32 miles per week to 45 miles per week for 2024.

Instead of “Write a book,” you could write a process goal of: Commit to 1 hour of writing at my computer, five days per week.

Take-home message:
Quantify your goals so you can adopt a gain mindset for 2026. Set at least 50% of your goals as process-based fitness goals and connect these goals to who you want to become.

As you think about your health and fitness heading into 2026, take a few minutes to reflect on each of these. Whether you’re new to resistance training or a seasoned athlete, these framing questions can dramatically improve your workout routine and results.

1. What Am I Going to ADD?

Choose something evidence-based that delivers outsized returns.

Examples:

• Strength train twice per week

• Train to muscle failure

• Perform one intense cardio interval workout each week

• Consume 5 grams of creatine daily

• Increase protein intake to 0.7g per pound of bodyweight

2. What Am I Going to STOP?

In exercise, like life, what you say no to often defines your results. Use science to evaluate what’s ineffective, dangerous, or simply unnecessary.

Examples:

• Kettlebell swings

• Tractor tire flips

• Kipping pull-ups

• Three submaximal sets per exercise

• Endless ab or “core” workouts

3. What Will I KEEP Doing, But Reclassify as Recreation?

Not everything needs to serve a fitness or performance goal. You’re allowed to enjoy movement that doesn’t measurably improve your health—as long as you stop pretending that it does.

Examples:

• Hour-long walks with a podcast

• Yoga or meditation classes

• Long bike rides on the weekend

• Training for a marathon

Why This Framework Works

These three questions have guided top-performing executives toward more efficient and impactful exercise.

This 10-week study featured 70 untrained females (and we love reading a study with females, as women have been largely unrepresented in exercise science research for many years) who were new to strength training.

Group 1 performed the same two leg exercises in each workout.

Group 2 performed two leg exercises in each workout as well, but the leg exercises they performed changed every three workouts.

Group 1 represented a more basic, dare I say “boring,” approach to resistance training.

Group 2 incorporated more variety in their lower body strength training.

Which approach produced better results in muscle strength and size?

It was essentially a tie—both groups, one featuring a more basic approach using the same exercises and one incorporating more exercise variety, produced the same improvements in muscle strength and muscle hypertrophy over the course of 10 weeks.

This study lends support to the idea that basic, intense (both groups trained to muscle failure), progressive overload is the key to producing great results in building muscle and strength.

However, what the study doesn’t tell us is whether the results would be the same for a more experienced trainee. Recall that all of the subjects were new to strength training. Might the results have been different if someone used a basic training approach for three years and then started to incorporate more exercise variety in year four and beyond? We can’t infer this from the study.

Take-home messages: For women who are new to strength training, intense, progressive training is every bit as valuable as changing up the exercises we perform. On the other hand, we have the freedom and autonomy to be creative in adding different exercises to our lower body strength training, as variety doesn’t negatively impact strength or muscle gains.

When I think about cardio, I believe there are three major barriers a cardio routine must solve:

• Time. The number one reason people don’t exercise is perceived lack of time. Cardio must be time‑efficient.

• Adherence. The best results come from the workouts you actually stick with long‑term. A cardio program you maintain for the next 10+ years will out‑perform a “perfect” plan you abandon after six weeks.

• Effectiveness. The workout must have a science‑based foundation, and actually move your physiology. Sadly, much of what passes for “exercise” doesn’t deliver.

A 2018 paper in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism introduced a protocol that solves all three: Reduced‑Exertion High‑Intensity Interval Training (REHIT). This short, science‑backed cardio format checks the time‑, adherence‑, and effectiveness boxes.

You can perform REHIT on a stationary bike — though treadmill, rower, or any cardio machine works. I find a bike suits most people best.

How to Do the Workout

• Warm up 5 minutes — pedal lightly and gradually increase effort.

• Sprint “all‑out” for 20 seconds.

• Recover 3 minutes: pedal slowly.

• Perform a second 20‑second all‑out sprint.

• Cool down 1–2 minutes.

• Done. 10 minutes total.

Why It Works (the Science Behind It)

Even with only two 20‑second sprints, REHIT delivers serious results: improved VO₂max, enhanced aerobic capacity, improved metabolic health (insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, cardiovascular health), and efficient conditioning — all with a tiny time commitment.

When time is tight, this workout is a smart way to layer in cardio — without sacrificing your strength training schedule.

But we often under‑appreciate the immediate, acute benefits of a strength training session — the reward you get today, not years from now.

A recent presentation by UK researcher James Fisher, PhD highlighted exactly what today’s workout can deliver. Here’s what you can expect right after you finish lifting:

Immediate Benefits of a Resistance Training Workout

• Improved cognitive function and mood

• Elevated resting metabolic rate (RMR) — meaning you burn more calories for the next ~3 days

• Reduced anxiety

• Lowered blood glucose levels for about 24 hours

• Reduced blood pressure for the next 18 hours

• Hypoalgesia — reduced perception of pain in joints, muscles, and connective tissue

• Muscle protein synthesis — the remodeling of our muscle protein. Increased flexibility.

• Increased flexibility

• Myokine release — microscopic proteins that are released with muscle contraction that encourage cross-talk between organ systems and are responsible for much of the health benefits of our workout.

Why It Matters

Every time you strength train, you’re not just building toward the future. You’re delivering an acute physiological “gift” to your body.

• You get a short‑term metabolic boost that helps fight fat gain.

• You support cardiovascular health and better glucose regulation.

• You improve mood, mental performance, and overall well‑being.

• You trigger molecular and hormonal responses — like myokines — that support long‑term health in ways most cardio or casual workouts don’t.

Take‑home message: Today’s workout isn’t just a means to a long‑term end. It’s its own reward.

But what if we don’t have access to great equipment or supervision? And what if we are in a life stage where we simply can’t commit much time to our strength training workouts?

Here is what I would do (and how I would modify it to fit the vast majority of trainees).

1. Physio-Ball Squat. I’d buy a large physio ball (very affordable), place it against a wall, hold dumbbells in each hand (though the dumbbells aren’t even required). I’d lower for 4 seconds, pause when the top of my thighs is parallel to the floor, and then come “up,” making sure to keep a slight knee bend at the top of the rep (to maintain quad tension). This is a highly effective exercise for training the quadriceps and glutes.

2. Door‑Mounted Chin‑Up. I’d buy a door‑mounted chin‑up station (about $22 at Walmart or Amazon) and install it in the doorway. Using a supinated grip (palms facing me), I’d pull up for 2 seconds, pause for 1 second with my chin above the bar, then lower for 4 seconds until my elbows are straight. I’d complete as many reps as I can with proper form, moving slowly. When I reach muscle failure, I’d step onto a chair, position myself with my chin above the bar, step off the chair, and lower myself for 10 seconds. I’d do an additional 3–5 “negative‑only” reps. If someone isn’t strong enough to perform body‑weight chin‑ups (no shame—normal), I’d start with the negative‑only version. If someone is strong enough for that (again, no shame), I’d recommend buying a set of adjustable dumbbells and doing a single‑arm bent‑over row instead. This works the same muscles and is a safe and practical alternative for those who don’t feel comfortable with chin‑ups.

3. Push‑Up. I’d lie flat on the floor with hands shoulder‑width apart and my nose aligned over my hands. I’d push up for 2 seconds until my elbows are straight, then lower for 4 seconds. I’d do this until I couldn’t complete another rep with perfect form. Then, like the chin‑ups, I’d perform 3–5 negative‑only reps where I start on top and lower for 10 seconds until I’m fully prone (aiming to have my chest and torso touch the floor before pelvis and legs). If I wasn’t strong enough to do standard push‑ups, I’d begin with the negative‑only version (which I’d try before knee push‑ups).

I estimate this entire routine would take about 6–8 minutes (roughly 2 minutes per exercise plus brief rest). I could buy affordable adjustable dumbbells—and I might swap in a single‑leg squat or lunge instead of the ball squat—but these three exercises, done 1–2 times per week, would yield tremendous return on investment (ROI).

Each workout, I’d track how many reps I could do and aim to improve over time—not at the expense of perfect form.

At the start of each session, I’d remind myself:

“You are only doing 3 exercises. Let’s get the most out of each by going slow, eliminating momentum, making each rep harder, and truly reaching muscle failure.”

Would I get bored over time? Probably. Would it still be incredibly effective? Absolutely.

I wouldn’t do burpees. I wouldn’t do 15 minutes of abs or core work. I wouldn’t walk around wearing a weighted vest.

Luke Carlson, CEO Discover Strength

No judgment. Loving your workout is a beautiful thing.

But here’s the reality: just because you love your workout doesn’t mean it’s delivering the results you want—or need. Too often, we try to force fit benefits to a workout that simply isn’t designed to produce them. That disconnect leads to frustration, stagnation, and in some cases, giving up entirely.

Let’s explore what the science of exercise physiology and strength training has revealed over the last two decades:

Common Misconceptions, Backed by Research:

1. Combining strength and cardio in one session doesn’t increase calorie burn afterward. In fact, a 2020 meta-analysis found: “Exercise interventions (aerobic and resistance exercise combined) did not increase resting metabolic rate.”

2. Yoga doesn’t lead to a leaner or more toned appearance.

3. Core exercises don’t reduce belly fat. A 2022 meta-analysis concluded: “Localized muscle training had no impact on localized fat tissue… there was no spot reduction.”

4. Pilates doesn’t build strength or lean muscle. A 2021 study concluded: “Pilates failed to improve physical fitness-related parameters.” It also doesn't improve aerobic fitness.

Importantly, these studies included participants of all ages and both genders.

So What Should We Do?

You can and should continue doing the activities and recreation you enjoy. Go on the hike. Join the yoga class. Take the walk.

Just don’t expect those forms of movement to accomplish goals they aren’t designed for—whether that’s building muscle, reducing fat, or improving metabolism. We need to align our training with our goals, not just our preferences.

Personally, I love long, slow walks—and I’ll keep taking them, even though the research shows they’re relatively ineffective for improving cardiovascular fitness. I’m not walking for the physical benefits; I’m walking to enjoy the outdoors and listen to a great podcast.

Take-Home Message:

Don’t expect your workout to do what it wasn’t designed to do.
And don’t let influencers or marketing tell you otherwise.

But how much strength training do older adults really need to benefit?

A new meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine analyzed 151 studies involving participants over the age of 60. It offers the most current, evidence-based guidance on how much resistance training is necessary to build and maintain muscle mass and function in older adults.

The researchers focused on training “volume,” defined as the total number of sets multiplied by the number of reps. This is often a point of confusion in training programs, especially for older individuals who may assume they need to do more to get results.

Here’s what the study found:

“A low resistance training volume can substantially improve healthy older adults’ physical function and benefits lean mass and muscle size independently of program duration.”

“A low-volume resistance training program should be recommended in future exercise guidelines for older adults, particularly for those targeting healthy aging.”

The Take-Home Message

If you’re over 60, you don’t need long, high-volume workouts to see meaningful results. In fact, this research supports performing just one set of six to ten exercises, once or twice per week to significantly improve muscle mass, strength, and overall physical performance.

A split routine workout involves targeting specific muscle groups on different days. A common split might look like this:

• Monday: Chest and triceps

• Tuesday: Back and biceps

• Wednesday: Leg workout

• Thursday: Rest

• Friday: Repeat

The main advantage of a full-body strength training workout is that it’s clearly more time-efficient. The assumed benefit of split training is that hitting each muscle group more frequently and with greater volume will produce better results in terms of muscle growth and strength gains.

However, this assumed benefit has been debunked by exercise science.

But which approach is more effective for fat loss?

Researchers publishing in the European Journal of Sport Science compared total body workouts and split routines to determine which method supports greater body fat reduction.

The conclusion: Full-body workouts were more effective in reducing both whole-body fat mass and regional body fat compared to split routines.

Take-Home Message

If your primary goal is fat loss from strength training, structure your workouts around full-body resistance training. It’s more effective, more efficient, and fully backed by science.

Luke breaks down what the latest research says about the lifestyle factors that actually impact healthspan, including resistance training, cardiorespiratory fitness, and nutrition. He also challenges some of today’s most popular longevity trends—from extreme Zone 2 cardio to endless bloodwork—to refocus the conversation on what’s evidence-based, practical, and proven to work.

You’ll learn:

• Why VO2 max and muscle mass are two of the strongest predictors of mortality

• The overlooked power of resistance training in aging well

• How to align your fitness goals with actual health outcomes—not fads

• Why Discover Strength’s training model supports both performance and long-term health

If you’re chasing longevity, this episode will help you cut through the noise and build a strategy that lasts.

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]]>Longevity vs. Healthy Aging: What the Science Really Says About Exercise and LifespanWeekly Fit TipsNicole LearyFri, 17 Oct 2025 00:43:33 +0000https://www.discoverstrength.com/learning-center/how-many-steps-per-day-for-health-cp629-g6fk8-z8yew6447fe0f1585034315266b27:644a9c78ab1dff42e84ab35e:68efc0f48c9d9969a129c74eSometimes the mainstream media gets it right. Last week, Time magazine featured an article titled, “Why Strength Training Is the Best Anti-Ager.”

The article does a great job articulating our growing appreciation of strength training for longevity—evolving from something reserved for athletes and bodybuilders to being recognized as one of the best forms of exercise for healthy aging.

While the article is well written, it only scratches the surface of the science-backed anti-aging benefits of resistance training.

Here’s a brief list of those benefits:

• Improved glucose metabolism and prevention of type 2 diabetes

• Increased bone mineral density and prevention of osteoporosis

• Better balance, gait speed, and fall prevention

• Enhanced cognitive function and reduced risk of cognitive decline

• Improved memory and mental sharpness

• Increased lean muscle mass and resting metabolic rate

• Greater strength and functional independence

• Reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors

• Lower cancer-specific mortality

While training for athletic performance, muscle growth, and body composition is important, the most meaningful benefits of strength training are its effects on aging and long-term health. And the populations who benefit most? Adults in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

If your goal is to stay strong, sharp, and independent as you age—strength training is non-negotiable.