Fundamental Fitness & Coaching

22/05/2026

24/04/2026

Not All Protein Is Equal… But All Protein Can Work

Protein is often talked about as if it’s all the same. In reality, protein quality does vary—but not in a way that needs to confuse or complicate things.

What is “protein quality”?

At its simplest, protein quality comes down to two things, Amino acid profile (Does it contain all the essential building blocks your body needs?) and the Leucine content (A key amino acid that helps trigger muscle repair and growth).
The more complete and leucine rich a protein is, the more efficient it is for supporting muscle and recovery.

High vs lower quality (made simple)

Higher-quality protein sources tend to include, Meat, fish, Eggs, Dairy (milk, yogurt) and Whey protein
These contain all essential amino acids and are easier for the body to use effectively.

Lower-quality protein sources include, Beans and lentils, Grains (rice, oats, wheat) and some plant proteins.
These are often lower in one or more essential amino acids, so they may be slightly less efficient per serving.

Here’s the important part -

Lower quality does not mean bad. Your body combines amino acids from different foods, uses what’s available and adapts over time. So even if a protein source isn’t “perfect,” it still contributes to your overall intake.

The practical takeaway

Yes, protein quality matters but it’s not the thing that makes or breaks your progress.
What matters more is eating enough protein overall, spreading intake across your day and being consistent over time.

The simple way to think about it is to focus on getting enough protein and including good sources regularly and don’t overthink perfection.

Save this and I’ll show what actually matters more than protein quality on my next post. Comment below if you have questions.

05/01/2026

How much oxygen your body can use is one of the best predictors of long-term health

This figure shows how cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂max) - the body’s ability to use oxygen during exercise predicts health, longevity, and physical capacity across life. VO₂max reflects how efficiently the lungs, heart, blood, and muscles work together to deliver and use oxygen.

🟡 Panel A: VO₂max levels across populations
Elite endurance athletes reach 70–90 mL/kg/min, while sedentary adults average below 45. Values under 17.5 mark the aerobic frailty threshold, and below 10.5 approach the mortality threshold where daily function and survival are compromised.
➡️ Training can raise VO₂max by 10–20%, while aging lowers it about 7–10% per decade.

🟡 Panel B: Fitness decline and mortality risk
VO₂max steadily declines with age but staying in higher fitness percentiles dramatically reduces all-cause mortality.
➡️ People in the “exceptional” fitness range have about five times lower risk of death compared to those in the lowest fitness group. Even being “above average” lowers mortality by over 40%.

🟡 Panel C: The physiology behind VO₂max
Every system contributes to oxygen delivery and energy use:

Lungs and respiratory muscles draw in oxygen

Red blood cells carry it through the bloodstream

The heart pumps oxygenated blood to tissues

Vessels distribute oxygen efficiently

Muscles extract and convert it into ATP for movement

💡 The bigger picture
VO₂max is one of the strongest predictors of overall health and lifespan—more powerful than blood pressure or cholesterol. Improving it through regular aerobic exercise strengthens every component of the oxygen delivery chain, protecting against disease and functional decline with age.

DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00045.2024

27/12/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to everyone. Here’s a few picks from this weeks sessions.

27/12/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to everyone. Here’s a few picks from this weeks sessions.

18/12/2025

Just a reminder that deadlifts aren’t bounced. Each rep starts from a dead stop. You’re welcome.
From Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd Edition
“One of the reasons a heavy deadlift is so brutally hard is that it starts up out of the bottom without the benefit of the bounce that helps the squat change direction. If a bounce is incorporated into all the reps of a set except the first one, much of the value of doing them is lost.
The energy expended in resetting the spine into extension and holding it there through the first part of the pull is a major part of the energy expended during the deadlift. The isometric effort of keeping the vertebral column rigid for efficient force transfer is obviously significant. This is one of training benefits of the deadlift.
A set of “deadlifts” in which the first rep is pulled from a dead stop and the last reps are bounced is, in reality, one deadlift and a set of RDLs. Training this way, you will never develop the strength needed to hold the lumbar position for heavy weights, because for 80% of your set you are relying on plate rebound and the elastic energy stored in the elongating muscles and fascia, instead of on dead-stop pulling strength.
Another problem with bouncing your reps is that any back position problems that develop during the set cannot be addressed as effectively. If your back begins to round during the set, it tends to stay round or get worse unless you reset it…”

22/07/2025