Category: Afitpilot
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Grip Strength and Longevity: What the Research Actually Measures
Grip strength is one of the most consistently replicated longevity markers in the research, predicting mortality more strongly than blood pressure in some large cohorts. This article covers what the studies show, why grip strength is a proxy rather than a lever, and what that means for how coaches should apply it.
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The History of Interval Training: From Gerschler and Zatopek to Modern HIIT
The structure of interval training is nearly a century old, established by coaches through observation long before the physiology was formalized. This article traces the arc from fartlek and Gerschler’s Freiburg method through Zatopek and Astrand to the modern HIIT research of Tabata, Gibala, and the Norwegian 4×4.
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Electrolyte Supplementation: Who Needs It, and When
Electrolyte powders have expanded from an endurance product into a daily wellness category. This article sets out why routine supplementation adds little for most people, the specific conditions under which replacement is worthwhile, and where the evidence remains contested even within endurance sport.
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Insulin Resistance Has a Prescription Now. It Still Has an Exercise Solution Too.
Insulin resistance increasingly has a medication-first answer. The research on skeletal muscle and glucose disposal makes the case that exercise was never a secondary option, it targets the same problem through a different and complementary pathway.
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The Taper Nobody Gets Right
Tapering is one of the most researched parts of competition preparation, and one of the most frequently mishandled. Here is what the evidence supports as a default, why a fixed formula still produces inconsistent results, and the adjustment most taper plans skip.
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The Lactate Threshold Myth: Why Most Coaches Set Training Zones Wrong
Lactate threshold is treated as a single number in most training plans, when it is actually two distinct physiological transitions. Here is what LT1 and LT2 represent, why the zone between them is commonly misclassified, and why zones need to move as an athlete adapts.
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Why You Can Do the Same Workout for Months and Stop Getting Results
Consistency is supposed to be the answer. But the most disciplined athletes often plateau hardest. Here’s what the SAID principle, progressive overload, and adaptation science say about why — and what to do about it.
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The Admin Trap: Why Coaches Lose Up to 30% of the Week to Work That Isn’t Coaching
Personal trainer burnout isn’t usually about the coaching. It’s about the fifteen hours a week that disappear into scheduling, programme writing, and client communications before a single session begins. Here’s the honest accounting — and the way out.
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What VO₂max Can and Can’t Tell You (And Why Coaches Need to Stop Obsessing Over It)
VO₂max tells you the ceiling of an athlete’s aerobic engine. It does not tell you how close to that ceiling they can race, or how efficiently they move. Here’s what coaches are missing.
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Sleep as a Training Variable: What the Research Shows About Recovery and Adaptation
Sleep is often treated as a lifestyle factor outside the training programme. The research does not support that separation. This article summarises the evidence on sleep and performance, how sleep loss inflates perceived exertion, and why sleep is a variable coaches have reason to account for when reading an athlete’s training response.