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Cold plunges: recovery help or gains killer?
Cold plunges ease muscle soreness but regular use after lifting can blunt strength and muscle gains. What the research says and when an ice bath makes sense.
Research
What the studies actually say — fitness, longevity, trainability.
Do supplements raise VO2max? Caffeine, beetroot and iron
Caffeine and beetroot juice can boost endurance, but they don't raise VO2max. What the evidence shows, doses, and why iron needs a blood test first.
Fit but fat? Fitness vs fatness and mortality
Is it better to be fit and overweight than thin and unfit? What the fitness-vs-fatness research shows, where it falls short, and what it means for you.
Gut microbiome and athletic performance: what we know
Do athletes have different gut bacteria, and does it boost performance? What gut microbiome athlete studies show, what probiotics can do, and what is hype.
Gut microbiome and VO2max: does fitness shape your gut?
Fitter people tend to have a more diverse gut microbiome. What gut microbiome and VO2max research shows, from Veillonella to exercise trials, and its limits.
Heat training and VO2max: does training in the heat make you fitter?
Heat acclimation expands plasma volume and improves performance in the heat. What studies show for VO2max, practical protocols and hot-city safety.
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HIIT after 70: what the Generation 100 trial found
The Generation 100 trial tested five years of HIIT in 1,567 adults aged 70 to 77. What it found on mortality, fitness and safety, and how to train.
How does training increase VO2max? Heart, blood, capillaries
How training raises VO2max through stroke volume, plasma and red cell volume, capillaries and mitochondria, and how fast each adaptation happens.
Is fitness declining? Global trends in cardiorespiratory fitness
Children and adults are less aerobically fit than a few decades ago. What the data on millions of people show, why it happened and what you can do.
Trending
Is VO2max overrated? Fitness, body fat and longevity
VO2max strongly predicts lifespan, but is it overrated? What it really measures, how body fat skews it, and why strength and activity matter too.
Longevity biomarkers test: which ones really matter
The best longevity biomarkers ranked by evidence, from VO2max, grip strength and ApoB to blood pressure, waist and epigenetic clocks, and what to test first.
Mitochondria and VO2max: how to increase mitochondria
How training builds mitochondria, what PGC-1α does, why volume and intensity matter differently, and why more mitochondria barely move VO2max itself.
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New VO2max longevity research: 2025–2026 update
What the newest studies on VO2max and longevity add, from a 20.9-million-observation review to UK Biobank fitness changes and multi-marathoners, in one table.
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Sauna and heart health: what the Finnish studies show
Finnish cohort studies link frequent sauna use to lower cardiac and all-cause mortality. What the data show, why it is not proof, and how to sauna safely.
VO2max and brain health: what fitness does for memory and dementia risk
Fitter people tend to have bigger hippocampi and lower dementia risk. What trials and cohort studies show, what they don't prove, and how to train your brain.
VO2max and cancer risk: what midlife fitness tells us
Fitter people get some cancers less often and do better after diagnosis. What the Cooper Center data show, what they don't prove, and why it matters.
Altitude training and VO2max: what the science says
Why VO2max drops at altitude, how the body adapts, what "live high, train low" showed, and whether altitude or heat training is worth it for amateurs.
VO2max and longevity: what the research says about fitness and living longer
Large studies link cardiorespiratory fitness to lower risk of death, with no upper limit of benefit. What they found and what it means for you.
What limits VO2max? Heart, lungs, blood or muscles
From air to mitochondria: which step limits your VO2max, what the Dallas bed-rest study showed, and why VO2max isn't the whole performance story.
Why some people improve their VO2max more than others
Genes, starting fitness and training dose shape how much VO2max improves. What HERITAGE found, and why non-responders respond to more training.