Fitness Knowledge Base

IResearch suggests sleeping for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, as studies indicate that both too much and too little sleep can lead to higher mortality rates at a younger age.

Yes, incorporating short naps into your routine can be helpful for your overall health. It's recommended to time them for 20-30 minutes to avoid entering a deep sleep cycle.

To enhance the quality of your sleep, ensure your sleeping environment is conducive by keeping the room dark, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding food before bed, cutting off caffeine intake early (at least 6 hours before bedtime), eliminating lights in the room, using blue light glasses or screen filters on devices, avoiding device usage before bed, taking a hot shower, and considering the use of a weighted blanket. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

I'd like to preface this by stating that everyone has different goals. The most important thing I suggest is getting clear on what your goals are. The next most important thing is to follow a plan that you can adhere to. Being clear on your goals and consistency of your plan are the two most important factors to reach your own personal level's of success.

The frequency of exercise depends on your goals. For maintenance, I recommend a minimum of 2 days a week. If you aim for growth and improvement, consider exercising 3 or more days a week.

The type of exercise you should engage in varies based on your goals. Whether it's sport-specific movements, general fitness, or focusing on compound movements for strength with supplemental exercises for mobility, tailor your workouts to align with your objectives.

To prevent overtraining, avoid working the same muscle group more than 3 days a week. Additionally, it's best not to work the same muscle two days in a row if you can avoid it.

No, losing gains isn't a direct result of doing cardio. It's important to maintain a caloric surplus and sufficient protein intake. Recent studies even suggest potential benefits of cardiovascular activity in supporting muscle gain.

While cardio can aid in weight loss, focusing on muscle gain is equally crucial. Building muscle increases your metabolic rate, making it easier to lose weight by allowing you to consume more calories while still being in a calorie deficit. Exercise, especially building muscle, plays a significant role in weight loss and overall wellbeing. 

Research shows most fitness trackers have significant inaccuracies. It's crucial to not rely solely on the tracker's data. Adjust your caloric intake based on actual progress, as you might still be consuming more calories than you're burning, even if it's not accurately reflected on the tracker. I always suggest increasing activity levels prior to decreasing total calories consumed, and would advise against excessively restrictive caloric intake (<1,500 calories per day). 

When aiming for bigger arms, it's important to focus not only on the biceps but also on the triceps, including the medial, lateral, and long head. The triceps make up approximately 60-70% of your arm's size.

Workout plans should be specific to you and your goals. It's essential to remember that what works for a celebrity might not be suitable for you. Additionally, celebrities may use performance-enhancing drugs, and it's important to stick to science-based approaches that consider individual differences and needs.

Any workout is better than nothing. I'd suggest aiming for at least 3 days a week of strength training combined with at least two cardio sessions (these can be a part of the strength training days, and I suggest doing them after). Try a simple full body workout with whatever you have access to. Push ups, pull ups, resistance bands, bench press, deadlift, barbell press, squats. Start with 3-5 sets of each exercise. Aim for a rep range that comes to about an 8/10 for Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). For cardio, try one moderate intensity jog/run or cardio machine, and one day of intervals (think 20 seconds with maximal effort and a 40 second rest, repeat 3-5x). Exercise programs don't have to be long and complex, you just need something that you enjoy and will follow consistently to make results.