Tony

Should you train to failure? Not always… but not never either? Let me explain For some reason there are only 2 camps on social media when it comes to answering this question: Either 1) You should take every set to absolute failure or you have no chance of muscle growth (No pain = No gain) Or 2) If you’re not training to failure, you’re a little tiny baby who doesn’t train hard But life isn’t black and white (aka the best option is usually somewhere in the middle) Using failure as a tool, not a strategy is usually your best bet Stopping with about 1-3 reps left in the tank is still pushing hard enough to see all the size gains that failure would bring you So a good way to do this, is to save going all the way to failure until just the last set of an exercise, while stopping just short (about 1-3 reps left in the tank) on the sets before that That way the extra fatigue that failure causes doesn’t spill over into the rest of your workout But you still get the added stimulus that failure creates IMPORTANT NOTE: Most people think they’re stopping 1–3 reps shy of failure… but they’re way off. In one study, researchers asked participants to pick a weight they believed was their 10-rep max on bench press. Then they had them actually take that weight to failure—and over half of them got 7 or more reps beyond what they thought was their max. So most people underestimate how close they are to failure (by a lot) But, this is another reason why occasionally training to failure isn’t just about intensity—it’s a great way to calibrate your effort. Because how can you know what 1–3 reps from failure feels like… if you’ve never been there? RESEARCH: PMID: 33555822 PMID: 27531969 #FitTok #GymTok #gym

Calorie deficit ≠ eat less food 🙅🏻‍♂️ Let me explain… When people try to set up a calorie deficit, they usually do 1 of 2 things: Either 1️⃣: They cut as many calories as they can Or 2️⃣: They just try to exercise more Which *can* put you in a deficit… But sounds like the least amount of fun (ever) But that isn’t even the best way to do it? Because a calorie deficit isn’t just if you can *exercise* more than you eat… It’s if your *entire life* burns more than you eat Here’s an example: 🚶🏼‍♀️If you add a 15-minute walk after each meal (3x per day) - and use a standing desk for half of your work day instead of just sitting: +400 calories burned through NEAT 🐣🥩 Then let’s take your low protein diet and make it a high protein diet: +100 calories burned through TEF 😴💤 After that, you focus on building some muscle, fixing your sleep, and managing your stress: Potentially up to +100-200 more calories per day over time by adjusting BMR And 💥BOOM💥 Without spending another minute in the gym, you just increased your metabolic rate by: +700-800 calories per day 🔥 Now, of course, all of these changes take TIME, and the actual calorie burn will vary greatly from person to person. This is just to paint you a picture of the parts of your life you might be missing when setting up a calorie deficit STUDIES USED: TEF: PMID: 4025189 NEAT: PMID: 15102614 BMR: PMID: 2243122 PMID: 7282608 #FitTok #gym #GymTok

Usually, candy is a treat 🍭 But when timed around your workout, it can be a tool? Using simple sugars during or around your workout is a pretty common practice in bodybuilding and powerlifting Because it can help you train harder, and longer, allowing you to put more stress on your body⚡️ Does this mean everyone that works out needs to be eating candy? No… Basing this off hundreds of clients I’ve worked with in the past, and countless professionals in the space, a small intraworkout carb source (20-30g of carbs) can be helpful in 2 situations: 1) If you train fasted (i.e. haven’t eaten a meal in the past 4-6 hours Or 2) Your workouts are higher intensity weight sessions and last longer than an hour Both situations where gas tends to run out before the workout is over🤘🏽 And yes, you can use something more natural like honey, maple syrup, fruit juice, or dates like a lot of people in the comments usually bring up But this is a great time you’re able to eat a treat satisfing some cravings (like with gummy bears, sour strips, etc.) where essentially 100% of what you’re eating will immediately be used as fuel during your workout You can eat your honey and get sticky, but don’t hate on someone with candy because it’s simply not *bad* for you in this setting👍🏼 #FitTok #GymTok #gym

Is the goverment trying to poison you? Or are you just overthinking it…? (it’s probably number 2) It’s a common trend: someone visits Europe, loses a few pounds, feels great, and posts a video blaming it on how “toxic” US food is. And that makes sense… if you don’t look at the data. Videos like the one I stitched push fear over facts. But when you actually look, the US ranks among the top globally for food quality and safety (I linked the research below). When you look at the data, the United States has some of the highest food quality and safety in the entire world (I linked the research below this caption) So why do we struggle with obesity more than anyone else? It’s simple… We’ve built a country where movement is optional, and overeating is effortless. Walkable cities, smaller portions, and better food culture aren’t some secret toxin-free cure. They’re just the standard in other countries. If you lost weight and feel less bloated after your trip to Europe, it’s probably because you walked 15,000-20,000 steps a day and ate more whole foods exploring the culture compared to sitting at your desk all day eating ultra-processed snacks like you do at home. I’m not saying synthetic food dyes are healthy, or that we should pour them on everything. I’m saying the reason we’re unhealthy as a country isn’t a conspiracy on how our government is “poisoning” us. 
It’s just not that complicated. #FitTok #gym #healt#healthyth RESEARCH: Comparison of food colour regulations in the EU and the US: a review of current provisions: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19440049.2016.1274431 Food Security Index: https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/project/food-security-index/

Is fish oil worth the hype? I think so. Fish oil is mostly known for its benefits to heart health and inflammation 
(which it does a phenomenal job at) Here (in the video) are 3 places it makes a BIG difference that aren’t talked about as much. But the two important nutrients you get from fish oil that play a role in almost everything you do are EPA & DHA (both omega-3s). The problem with most fish oil supplements is that they contain barely any of those at all 
(meaning you’d have to take 20+ pills to actually get enough to make a difference) The clinical dose for most benefits is 1-2g+ of combined EPA + DHA per day. Some supplements that hit that are: * Triton by Legion Athletics (2g) * Ultra-Omega by Nordic Naturals (1.2g) * Omega-3 Elixir by Gorilla Mind (2g) (These aren’t the only ones that exist, just the ones I’ve found. To be sure, just check that the EPA and DHA on the back of any bottle adds up to over 1-2g.) RESEARCH: Fish Oil & Depression PMID: 21939614 PMID: 12365878 PMID: 17659823 Fish Oil & Body Composition PMID: 36822153 Fish Oil & Cognition PMID: 36381743  PMID: 30111738 #FitTok #fishoil #omega3 #gym

Do you want to lose weight? Or do you want to lose fat? There’s a BIG difference… Weight can come from one of two places, either: 1) Body fat 2) Or lean body mass (like muscle/water/etc.) Although the scale goes down for both, the results look (and feel) a LOT different If you take the *weight* loss approach and end up losing muscle, water, and a little bit of fat: - you’ll slow down your metabolism (making it harder to keep losing weight) - end up with more of a “skinny-fat” look (no definition or tone) - and most likely regain any weight you do lose as soon as you stop dieting (that literally all sounds terrible) But if you take the *fat* loss approach: - your metabolism will usually increase - you’ll look leaner and more defined as you lose weight - and you’ll actually be able to keep the progress you made (I think that’s what you actually want…) Yes, focusing on fat-loss takes a little longer… Yes, your diet and exercise might look different than what you’ve tried in the past… But if what you did in the past worked, you wouldn’t be here now, right? #gym #workout #Fitness #FitTok #GymTok #weightloss

The supplement industry is kind of f***** Companies can make WILD claims with absolutely zero proof. And worse, is that no one’s even checking if what they say is in the bottle is actually there. There’s no FDA pre-approval, no mandatory testing, no clinical trials, nothing is required to prove safety or even accuracy before a company can legally sell their product to you. This is why studies like this have shown the MAJORITY of online supplements, are completely fake to begin with. And it’s not just underdosing, companies have had lawsuits filed against them for illegally putting literal perscription antidepressants into their fatburners to help curb appetite. (seriously… USPlabs got caught putting Prozac into OxyElite Pro in 2015) Your best move is to stick with brands that pay for third-party testing and publish their results. It’s the only real way to know what you’re putting in your body. Some solid ones I trust: - Legion Athletics - Optimum Nutrition - Bulk Supplements - NOW Sports - Thorne Research - Gorilla Mind - 1st Phorm - BPN - Kaged - RAW Nutrition There are 15,000+ supplement companies out there. If you’re not sure about a brand, just check their site or Google and look for seals like NSF, USP, Informed-Sport, or BSCG. Study Link from reel: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807343 #supplements #creatine #FitTok #gym #workout