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7,000 vs 10,000 steps a day: what the research says
Is 10,000 steps a day necessary? Large meta-analyses link about 7,000 steps to much lower risk of death. What that means and how steps relate to VO2max.
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Apple Watch VO2max: accuracy, levels and how to raise it
Apple Watch shows your VO2max as Cardio Fitness. Where to find it, what the four levels mean, how accurate it is and why it can read low.
Cardio fitness score explained: Fitbit, Oura, WHOOP and more
Cardio fitness score is a wearable's VO2max estimate. How Fitbit, Oura, WHOOP, Apple, Garmin and Polar calculate and label it, plus scores by age.
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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.
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.
Fibre and gut health for endurance athletes: race plan
Fibre feeds your gut bacteria, but too much before a race causes trouble. How endurance athletes can balance fiber, prebiotics and carbs in training and racing.
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.
Food contaminants lab testing: what results really mean
Heavy metals in protein powder and rice, pesticides, microplastics and tainted supplements: what lab tests show, how to read a report, how to cut exposure.
Garmin VO2max explained: colours, accuracy, fitness age
What your Garmin VO2max number and colour mean, where to find it, how accurate it is, why it drops and how fitness age is worked out.
Gut health and exercise: how workouts change gut bacteria
Regular exercise can shift gut bacteria and their products, while very long or hot sessions stress the gut. What the gut health and exercise research shows.
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.
HIIT vs steady cardio: which raises VO2max more?
HIIT or moderate continuous training? What meta-analyses say about VO2max and health, how low-volume HIIT compares, and how to combine both in a week.
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.
How to taper before a race or marathon: the science
How long to taper, how much to cut and what to keep before a race or marathon, what meta-analyses show, and whether VO2max drops when you rest before race day.
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.
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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.
Light exposure for health: daylight, sleep and timing
How light exposure affects your circadian rhythm, sleep and alertness, how much daylight you need, whether blue light at night matters, and when to train.
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.
Mold exposure: symptoms, testing and treatment
Mold exposure symptoms, whether a mold test is worth it, and what treatment works. What WHO, CDC and EPA say, what is unproven, and how to fix damp at home.
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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.
Red light therapy: what the evidence really shows
Does red light therapy help recovery or performance? What photobiomodulation studies show, how home panels differ from lab devices, and eye safety.
Reverse osmosis water: is it healthy to drink?
What a reverse osmosis water filter removes, what it doesn't, the WHO view on demineralised water, remineralisation, waste water and what athletes need.
Runner's stomach: causes, gut training and electrolytes
Why runner's stomach happens, from reduced gut blood flow to dehydration and heat, and how gut training, smart fuelling, fluids and low-FODMAP diets can help.
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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.
Testosterone and VO2max: low T in endurance athletes
Testosterone raises haemoglobin, but heavy endurance training and under-eating can lower it. What the research shows, and why boosters are not the answer.
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.
VO2max and mental health: fitness, depression and anxiety
Low fitness is linked to higher risk of depression and anxiety, and exercise trials show real benefits. What the evidence says and how to use it.
VO2max in women: menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause
Why women's VO2max is lower on average, whether your cycle changes fitness, how to train through pregnancy, and how to protect VO2max after menopause.
VO2max, heart disease and blood pressure: fitness as medicine
Low fitness predicts high blood pressure and heart disease, and training lowers both. What the meta-analyses show and how much exercise it takes.
VO2max, insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes risk
Low fitness is one of the strongest predictors of type 2 diabetes. How aerobic training improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar, and what the trials show.
Water quality and health: tap, bottled or filtered?
What really matters for drinking water quality and health, from microbes and lead to nitrates, PFAS and hardness, and how to check your own tap water.
80/20 polarised training: easy most days, hard some days
Why elite endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and 20% hard, what the studies show, and how to apply it to your week.
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.
How accurate is your watch's VO2max estimate?
Watches estimate VO2max from heart rate and pace. Here is what validation studies show, why your number jumps around, and how to get a more reliable reading.
Strength training for runners: better economy, fewer injuries
Heavy strength training doesn't raise VO2max, but it makes every stride cheaper. What studies show, which lifts to do, and how to fit them around running.
The Norwegian 4×4 interval workout: how to raise your VO2max
The 4×4 interval session explained — the research behind it, how hard to run, treadmill and outdoor versions, how often to do it, and how to progress.
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.
VO2max of elite athletes: the highest values ever recorded
Which sports produce the highest VO2max, the famous values reported for elite athletes, and why the biggest engine doesn't always win.
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.