All protocols

A 20- to 30-minute bout of exercise before an exam is said to improve exam performance, likely in part via lactate-related mechanisms.

Daily morning exercise is endorsed for enhancing learning and memory.

Be cautious with large amounts of fast carbohydrates before exercise because the insulin-glucose 'double whammy' can crash blood sugar in some people.

Rehearse race-day fueling and execution in training to avoid surprises like glucose crashes.

For people who do little physical activity, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate strategy is described as probably effective for weight management and stabilizing energy throughout the day.

Use breathing gears rather than heart-rate zones to gauge effort: gear 1 is nasal in/out at a set cadence of about 2-3 seconds in and 2-3 seconds out; gear 2 is nasal-only breathing at whatever rate is needed; higher gears involve nose-in/mouth-out and then mouth-in/mouth-out at the highest intensities.

Pick movements you are confident with because technique and safety degrade quickly in the pain cave. If you're not comfortable running, don't run; if rowing hurts your low back, don't use the rower; if you're not comfortable with kettlebell swings, don't use them. Also be cautious with heavy eccentric loads.

Generally favor total-body movements with lower eccentric load for anaerobic-capacity work, such as swimming, uphill running, sled pushes, and sled drags. Avoid downhill running and box jumps because of eccentric loading and technical/injury risk.

Protocol: cover as much distance as possible in 2 minutes; rest 2 minutes; cover the same distance again regardless of time; rest 2 minutes; then go for the same time as round 2 and try to beat round-1 distance.

For progression in interval work, increase total work by roughly 5% weekly or add one round per week.

Weight-vested hiking is presented as a practical long-duration endurance option.

For endurance events, accumulate enough mileage to build tissue tolerance, such as feet tolerating the pounding of the event distance.

For an endurance-focused athlete, spend about 10% of training time in short 20- to 30-second bursts to maximize recovery from waste production and top-end capacity.

For endurance support work, do 800-meter runs, rest for double the time, and repeat 2-3 times.

If limited on time, a 4-day endurance structure is workable: use 2 tempo/practice days, 1 day of 20-30 second burst work, and 1 day of true high-intensity VO2 max work. If you have 5 training days, add another volume/practice day.

For women with bone mineral density problems, get blood chemistry assessed to identify contributing physiology/biochemistry.

For women with bone mineral density concerns, evaluate menstrual-cycle-related factors because hormone phase can strongly affect relevant metrics.

Salivary hormone testing tool used across the menstrual cycle; samples are taken about every other day for 15–16 total samples to map hormonal changes across the full cycle.

Take salivary samples about every other day across the menstrual cycle, yielding roughly 15–16 samples, to get a fuller hormonal picture than a single time point.

If dealing with significant bone mineral density issues, especially women, work with a qualified physician rather than relying on strength training alone.

Train one adaptation at a time for a block, e.g. 6–8 weeks focused only on strength or only on hypertrophy, especially when the goal is highly specific.

Train multiple adaptations within the same week or even the same day, e.g. Monday power, Wednesday strength, Friday hypertrophy, when broader development is desired.

For strength, use roughly a 3-second eccentric, brief pause under control, then an explosive concentric.

For hypertrophy, a 3-1-2 tempo is suggested as one option; 3-1-1 also works fine.

For maximal or near-maximal lifts that can be completed without a breath, hold the breath through the rep to preserve spinal stability.

Exhaling during the concentric phase is acceptable, especially when not lifting extremely heavy.

For long sets, strategically insert breaths as reps accumulate rather than breathing randomly under load; for example, do the first 10 reps without a breath, then reset and breathe in safe positions such as lockout rather than vulnerable mid-range positions.

Reference chart for organizing strength work by percentage of one-rep max and total reps.

Use the Prilepin chart to guide how much work to do at different percentages of one-rep max when training for strength.

For novices, occasionally taking them to true failure can teach them what 100% effort actually feels like, ideally on safe exercises or machines.