You don’t NEED to lift heavy weights to strengthen your bones! Here’s what the research shows.
• Aerobic exercise alone boosts spine density. Brisk walking, cycling, or water aerobics improved lumbar spine BMD by ~2% versus no exercise in postmenopausal women (PMID 40188285).
• Moderate-impact activities work wonders. Exercises generating 2–4× bodyweight (like jump rope, heel drops, or light plyometrics) increased hip and femoral neck BMD—even without maxing out the bar or LHS (PMID 33357834).
• Mix it up for maximum gains. Combining lighter resistance with aerobic training ranked #1 for improving bone density, but pure aerobic was nearly as effective (PMID 40188285)
• Movement reduces fractures. But the only program to show a significant reduction in fracture risk employed jumping and balance exercises, including walking, knee bends, leg lifts, heel rises and drops, dancing, stamping, stair climbing and stepping up and down from benches (PMID 15889312). Why did that trial work? It was almost 3 years long, showing consistency is a BIG factor in improving bone health.
✔️ No evidence that you NEED to lift heavy for bones! Focus on consistency and variety.
✔️ Aim for 30–60 min of moderate activity 3×/week.
✔️ Keep bones strong by keeping moving!
#BoneHealth #StrongBones #FitAtAnyAge #OsteoporosisPrevention #MoveMore #EverydayExercise #HealthyAging #FallProof #WomensHealth
Factors Influencing Resistance Exercise-Induced Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy
Skeletal muscle hypertrophy is influenced by a combination of external and internal factors. For the best information on what drives hypertrophy, here are, IMO, the best papers out there: PMID 35389932 (OK, I’m a little biased here) and PMID 37382939 – this may be the collection of the best minds that work (do research) in this area on what drives load-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Links in bio for both papers.
Key External Factors:
• Training Load/Volume: Mechanical overload through progressive resistance training stimulates muscle growth. It does not need to be heavy to achieve hypertrophy, nor, if you practice lifting heavy, do you sacrifice strength (PMID: 27174923)
• Nutrition: Protein intake, particularly leucine, plays a crucial role in muscle protein synthesis. Overall, however, protein is a (very) thin slice in terms of the benefit it brings to muscle gain (PMID: 27174923 and 27174923). I can’t stress enough how over-hyped protein is as a potentially ‘limiting’ part of ‘unlocking’ gains.
• Rest & Recovery: Adequate rest between workouts ensures proper adaptation and hypertrophy. All the good stuff happens when you aren’t lifting.
• Training Frequency: Repeated resistance training sessions drive long-term muscle growth. It is likely 2-3 sessions/week, and you’ve squeezed most of the benefits out of what you can expect back (PMID: 27174923)
Key Internal Factors:
• Mechanotransduction: Muscle senses mechanical stress and translates it into biochemical signals that drive hypertrophy.
• mTORC1 Signaling: This pathway plays a central role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis post-exercise.
• Ribosomal Biogenesis: Increased ribosome production enhances the muscle’s ability to synthesize proteins.
• Satellite Cells: These cells fuse with muscle fibres, contributing to growth and repair.
• Genetics & Epigenetics: Individual genetic variations and gene expression changes influence muscle growth potential.
Understanding these factors can help optimize muscle-building strategies.
#MuscleGrowth #StrengthTraining #Hypertrophy #Fitness #Bodybuilding #Muscle #Hypertrophy
How Much Protein Do Women Really Need Post-Workout?
A new study examined how much protein women need after resistance training. Researchers found that 1.5g of essential amino acids (EAA) with 0.6g of leucine is as effective as 15g or 20g of whey protein in promoting muscle protein synthesis (MyoPS) in young females.
Key Takeaways:
• There was no significant difference in MyoPS rates between 1.5g EAA and higher whey doses.
• The Leucine trigger is on full display in healthy young women, especially with exercise
• Even lower protein amounts could optimize muscle recovery in women.
• Recommendations based on men’s studies (20g whey or 2g leucine) may be more than needed for females.
• These results are due to lower muscle mass and body protein pool sizes in women
What Does It Mean? Women don’t need to consume massive amounts of protein to maximize muscle growth—smaller doses would be right for women!
/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpendo.00365.2024
PMID: 39880386
DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00365.2024
#ProteinSynthesis #WomenInFitness #MuscleGrowth #WorkoutNutrition #ProteinDose #PostWorkout #FitnessResearch #HealthyLiving
The most misunderstood hormone in women isn’t estrogen—it’s testosterone.
Testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone.” It’s a critical part of women’s biology—and one of the most misunderstood and underused tools in women’s health.
🔥 The strongest clinical evidence?
👉 Treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) —often underdiagnosed and undertreated.
One of the biggest misconceptions?
👉 That testosterone isn’t safe in women.
The evidence tells a different story.
🔎 When used appropriately at physiologic doses, transdermal testosterone appears:
• Cardiovascularly safe across clinical trials
• Neutral on lipids and blood pressure
• Well tolerated without major adverse signals
⸻
🧠 But the story may extend beyond sexual health…
The STEP-HI trial begins to explore testosterone in recovery after injury:
👉 In older women after hip fracture:
• Improvements in short-distance mobility measures
• Signals in physical performance outcomes
• No improvement in 6-minute walk distance (primary endpoint)
• Importantly: no major safety concerns observed
🔎 Emerging data suggests potential roles in:
• Muscle mass & function
• Bone health
• Cognitive performance
• Genitourinary & bladder health
⚠️ The takeaway:
Testosterone appears safe in women—but its role in recovery from illness and injury is just beginning to be defined.
💡 More research is needed—higher anabolic dosing may be required in recovery from illness & injury
💡 Bottom line:
Testosterone therapy in women-when done right
- may be one of the most underutilized and powerful tools to improve lives in women’s health.
🙋♀️ Are you taking testosterone? Has it helped?
If so, what dose do you take? ⬇️
💬 For medical providers:
Are you using testosterone in women?
How do you dose and monitor? ⬇️
📚 References:
Lanoff J, Simon JA. Testosterone in Women: Clinical Evidence and Practice Guidelines. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2026.03.003
Binder EF et al. Effects of Testosterone and Exercise on Physical Function in Older Women After Hip Fracture (STEP-HI Trial). JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(5):e2510512.
Morning soldiers! General T requests your attention!!!
⚡️ MECANISMOS DE ACIONAMENTO DOS GLUT4 E GLUT11 NO MÚSCULO: O PAPEL DO TREINAMENTO DE FORÇA 🧬💪⚡
A captação de glicose pelo músculo esquelético é um processo altamente regulado e diretamente influenciado pelo Treinamento de Força (TF).
Embora o GLUT4 seja o transportador mais estudado, evidências recentes mostram que o GLUT11 também pode contribuir para a captação de glicose no tecido muscular.
GLUT4
Principal transportador de glicose no músculo esquelético.
Sua translocação para a membrana plasmática é estimulada por duas vias:
1️⃣ Via dependente de insulina
Insulina → IRS-1 → PI3K → Akt → fosforilação da AS160 → translocação de vesículas contendo GLUT4.
2️⃣ Via induzida pela contração muscular
Contração → ↑ Ca²⁺ → ativação de CaMKII, PKCθ e AMPK → translocação de GLUT4 independentemente da insulina.
GLUT11
Expressado em músculo esquelético e coração, podendo complementar a captação de glicose, especialmente em condições de elevada demanda metabólica.
Efeito crônico do TF
O treinamento regular:
✔ aumenta a expressão de GLUT4
✔ melhora a sensibilidade à insulina
✔ potencializa a sinalização intracelular
✔ eleva a capacidade de reposição de glicogênio
✔ favorece a flexibilidade metabólica
Aplicação prática
O TF torna o músculo mais eficiente na captação e utilização de glicose, contribuindo para:
* desempenho
* recuperação
* recomposição corporal
* saúde metabólica
💀 Take-home message
O GLUT4 continua sendo o principal protagonista da captação de glicose no músculo esquelético. O GLUT11 surge como um transportador potencialmente relevante, mas seu papel fisiológico ainda requer elucidação. O Treinamento de Força atua como um potente modulador dessas vias, melhorando a sensibilidade à insulina.
🥈 Referência
McGee SL. Exercise performance and health: Role of GLUT4. Free Radic Biol Med. 2024;226:253-264. PMID: 39243828.
📅 13/06/26 — Bioquímica do Exercício aplicada ao Treinamento de Força
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🚨 PROTEIN: WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW. BUCKLE UP. 🚨
After 30+ years studying this nutrient, here's the unvarnished take the wellness algorithm doesn't want you to hear:
→ EXERCISE bakes the cake. Protein is the icing. Without training, your "high-protein lifestyle" is just expensive pee.
→ The (in)famous 1.6 g/kg/d breakpoint? Add the pre-post studies they cherry-pick on Instagram, and the curve moves LEFT. You need LESS protein than the bro-science crowd is selling you.
→ DXA does NOT measure muscle. It measures fat- and bone-free 'lean' mass. Only 35-65% of that is actually muscle. So when an influencer brags about "+3 kg lean mass," ask them how much was (water) muscle. Quick answer: they don't know!
→ Elite bodybuilders (read long-time hard-core trainees) in Tarnopolsky's classic 1988 paper needed just 12% more protein than couch-bound controls. 1.05 g/kg/d. That's it.
→ On PEDs? Testosterone DOUBLES muscle protein synthesis without touching breakdown. The amino acids get recycled. You need LESS dietary protein, not more.
→ Cutting? Sure, push it to 2.2 g/kg/d if you like, but understand that in a deficit, protein is a SUBSTRATE, not a building block. Plus, it seems some folks struggle to change their minds here. Fill your boots!
Protein is amazing. It is NOT a miracle. It cannot fix muscle loss (exercise does that). It does not infinitely suppress appetite. It is not a perimenopausal hack.
→ The famous 1.6 g/kg/d breakpoint? Add the pre-post studies they cherry-pick on Instagram, and the curve moves LEFT. You probably need LESS protein than the bro-science crowd is selling you.
Swipe →
Morning soldiers! General T requests your attention!!!
⚡️ 25 anos depois, Paul Gastin continua certo.
Em 2001, Paul B. Gastin publicou um artigo que se tornou um marco da fisiologia do exercício: Energy System Interaction and Relative Contribution During Maximal Exercise (PMID: 11583104).
A principal mensagem foi simples e poderosa:
ATP-PCr, glicólise e fosforilação oxidativa contribuem simultaneamente desde o primeiro segundo do exercício.
Em 2026, uma nova revisão do próprio Gastin revisitou o tema com métodos mais modernos e confirmou exatamente a mesma conclusão.
O que realmente muda durante o exercício?
O organismo não “troca” de sistema energético.
O que se modifica é a contribuição relativa de cada via para manter a ressíntese contínua de ATP.
* Nos primeiros segundos, predomina o sistema ATP-PCr.
* Com o aumento da duração, a glicólise ganha importância.
* Progressivamente, a fosforilação oxidativa torna-se predominante.
Mas todas as vias permanecem ativas o tempo todo.
Aplicação prática
Esse conceito ajuda a compreender:
* recuperação entre séries;
* tolerância ao volume de treino;
* ressíntese de fosfocreatina;
* papel da mitocôndria no Treinamento de Força;
* desempenho e fadiga.
Em outras palavras:
Se você não entende o metabolismo, não entende o exercício.
🎓 Curso: Bioquímica do Exercício Aplicada ao Treinamento de Força
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Inscrições abertas!
Um curso desenvolvido para profissionais e estudantes que desejam compreender, em profundidade, os mecanismos bioquímicos que sustentam desempenho, recuperação e ajustes ao Treinamento de Força.
Referências
Gastin PB. Energy system interaction and relative contribution during maximal exercise. Sports Med. 2001;31(10):725-741. DOI: 10.2165/00007256-200131100-00003.
Gastin PB, Suppiah HT. Anaerobic and Aerobic Energy System Contribution During Maximal Exercise: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine. 2026.
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-026-02414-7
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Tell me you don't read the studies without telling me you don't read the studies.
The internet is convinced that if a woman skips breakfast and goes to the gym, her cortisol will spike, her hormones will implode, and her brain chemistry will never recover. Confident. Loud. Repeated by people who have never opened a meta-analysis.
Here is what the actual evidence says:
There is no women-specific harm from training fasted for ordinary workouts. None. The fasted-vs-fed literature has been picked over by systematic reviews and randomized trials, and the conclusion is boring on purpose. Body composition? Similar when training and diet are matched. Performance? Fed wins when sessions are long, hard, or technical. Cortisol? It moves with sleep, stress, intensity, time of day, and energy availability. A short-term rise is not damage. Cortisol is supposed to rise during exercise. That is the job description.
What does matter, and what the wellness algorithm conveniently ignores, is chronic under-fuelling and low energy availability. Those are real, well-documented, and dangerous. Skipping toast before a 30-minute Zone 2 walk is not that.
So here is the permission slip nobody asked me to write:
If you train better fed, eat before. If you train better fasted, do not eat before. If long or hard sessions feel like garbage on empty, fuel them. If a fasted easy session leaves you feeling sharp and you recover well, carry on. Your physiology is not more fragile because you are a woman. It is more nuanced, and that nuance does not point to a blanket rule.
Stop turning your preference into someone else's pseudoscience.
Swipe for the receipts. Eleven references on the last slide. Pick the one that fits your situation, read it, and form an opinion based on data instead of vibes.
If this annoyed the right person on your feed, send it to them.
Bedrest is BAD for you when you’re sick! 😨
❓Do you tell your patients this?
❓How do you keep your patients out of bed and moving?
We know if you lay a healthy 21 year old in bed for 28 days they will lose significant muscle mass and not be able to walk. NASA did these experiments with Astronauts.
👉 If you are older / elderly and healthy you lose 5 X more muscle (10% of your muscle mass) if you lay in bed for just 10 days.
👉If you are older / elderly and sick on hospital you lose 5 X more muscle mass (10%) in just 3 days!
👉This muscle loss leads to significant disability after hospital or ICU stay that can last for months to years! And can lead to significant complications or even death.
☠️ Beds are evil… they cause life threatening complications in hospitalized patients including blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonia all of which can lead to death 💀!
I tell all my patients in or out of the ICU…I want you out of the bed in the chair or walking all day! Beds are for sleeping at night…if you are in the bed during the day then beds are for dying…We must keep our patients up and moving!
Windred et al. (2024) tracked 61,000 UK Biobank participants using wrist-worn accelerometers for 7 days, then followed them for up to 7.8 years for mortality outcomes. Sleep regularity was measured using the Sleep Regularity Index, which captures day-to-day consistency of sleep-wake patterns, not just bedtime, but also fragmented sleep, napping, and variable wake times. The most regular sleepers had 48% lower all-cause mortality compared to the least regular, and regularity outperformed sleep duration as a predictor across all-cause, cancer, and cardiometabolic mortality. The healthiest group kept their bedtime and wake time within a ~1-hour window and results held after adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, smoking, shift work, income, BMI, and pre-existing conditions.
These findings align with a more recent study by Nauha et al. (2026), which tracked 3,231 middle-aged Finnish adults via accelerometer over 7 days and followed them for 10 years for cardiovascular events specifically. They broke sleep regularity down into three separate components: bedtime, wake-up time, and sleep midpoint variability. Irregular bedtimes doubled the risk of major cardiac events, but only in people sleeping under ~8 hours. Wake-up time variability showed no association with cardiovascular risk at all and among those sleeping 8+ hours, none of the irregularity measures predicted events.
Both studies are observational and based on single-week snapshots, so causality isn’t established, but the practical takeaway is pretty simple: pick a bedtime, keep it within a 1-hour window every night, and if your schedule is chaotic, prioritize getting enough total sleep as a buffer.
Prince had a line about calling up Dr. Everything'll Be Alright in Beverly Hills. The post-peptide-boom revision may be an oncologist. And perhaps everything will not be alright. We simply do not know yet.
The "Big Science is hiding the good stuff" story has real traction. Mainstream sports medicine and endocrinology largely abandoned this space to compounding pharmacies and grey-market suppliers, and people noticed. Informed adult autonomy is a defensible position.
So is reading the small print before you sign. Assuming the compound is what the label says, eight risks the influencer space mostly skips:
Repeated self-injection. Abscess, cellulitis, lipohypertrophy, sterile granulomas. Bacteriostatic water has a shelf life. People exceed it.
Immunogenicity. Antibodies that cross-react with your own signalling molecules. The worst case is not that it stops working.
GH secretagogues and IGF-1. Insulin resistance, carpal tunnel, arthralgias, cardiac remodelling. A debated cancer link that has not gone away.
BPC-157 and TB-500. If the proliferation mechanism is real, it is not selective for your tendon.
Melanotan II. New and changing naevi. Case reports of melanoma. Biological plausibility is there.
Stacking. Peptide plus testosterone plus an SSRI plus finasteride plus whatever was added last visit. Nobody is watching the whole stack.
Delayed care. Two years on peptides for fatigue is two years not getting worked up for sleep apnea, depression, hypogonadism with a real etiology, or early inflammatory arthritis. This is the harm that aggregates.
The honest one. Most of the long-term concerns lean on adjacent regulated-drug data and mechanisms, because peptide-specific long-term cohort data does not exist. A few hundred thousand people are running the experiment in real time.
The question is not whether the upside is real. The question is whether you can sit with the silence where the long-term data should be.
Not medical advice. A starting point for a better conversation. Save and share with someone running a stack.
I honestly hope I'm wrong... at one time, we thought smoking wasn't a health risk...
Morning soldiers! General T requests your attention!!!
🧬 PROTEÍNA: O QUE A CIÊNCIA REALMENTE SABE
Um novo artigo publicado no Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition reuniu alguns dos maiores especialistas do mundo, incluindo Stuart Phillips, Luc van Loon, Nicholas Burd e Donald Layman, para revisar criticamente as principais crenças sobre ingestão proteica.
📌 Principais conclusões
✅ 0,8 g/kg/dia é o mínimo para evitar deficiência, mas não necessariamente a ingestão ideal para maximizar massa muscular, força e funcionalidade.
✅ Para indivíduos fisicamente ativos e idosos, a literatura sugere que 1,2–1,6 g/kg/dia é uma faixa mais apropriada.
✅ A síntese proteica muscular tende a atingir um platô com cerca de 0,3 g/kg por refeição. Exemplo: um indivíduo de 80 kg precisa de ~24 g de proteína de alta qualidade.
✅ Durante emagrecimento, maior ingestão proteica ajuda a preservar massa livre de gordura, especialmente quando associada ao Treinamento de Força (TF).
✅ Proteínas vegetais podem ser eficazes, mas frequentemente exigem maior ingestão total devido ao menor teor de leucina e menor digestibilidade.
✅ Em indivíduos saudáveis, não há evidências consistentes de que dietas hiperproteicas prejudiquem a função renal.
🎯 Take-home message
A proteína é essencial, mas o principal determinante dos ajustes musculares continua sendo o TF.
⚠️ Proteína potencializa o estímulo. Ela não substitui o estímulo.
Muitas recomendações populares são plausíveis, porém ainda baseadas em evidências limitadas ou estudos agudos de curta duração.
📚 Kanter MM et al. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2026 — DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2026.2658728
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