// Training Intel
Performance-focused education.
Not generic fitness tips. Articles built to support your training, program decisions, and athletic development.
Dietary Fiber for Athletes: How Much You Need, What the Science Says, and When to Supplement
Most hard-training athletes under-eat fiber — and the evidence on why that matters is stronger than almost any trendy supplement. Here's what the Lancet and BMJ meta-analyses found, how much to target, food vs psyllium, and how to ramp without wrecking your gut.
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Nordic Curl vs Leg Curl: Which Builds Better Hamstrings for Athletes?
Leg curl machines dominate gym floors. Nordic curls dominate the research on eccentric hamstring strength. Here's the real difference — and how to program both without wasting years on the wrong exercise.
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Zone 2 Cardio for Athletes: How to Find It, Train It, and Why It Builds the Engine
Zone 2 isn't jogging while scrolling. It's the aerobic base that lets you recover between hard sessions, stay lean, and repeat power — here's how athletes find it, train it, and avoid the junk zone.
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Kiwifruit for Sleep: A Simple, Food-First Sleep Aid
Two kiwis an hour before bed is one of the simplest evidence-backed sleep hacks for athletes. Here's what the research shows and how to use it without supplements.
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Why I Don't Cook With Seed Oils (And What I Use Instead)
Seed oils are everywhere — and the real problem isn't the bottle, it's what happens when you heat them. Here's the evidence on oxidation, the omega-6 issue, and the stable fats I cook with instead.
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Tart Cherry Juice: The Recovery and Sleep Two-for-One
Tart cherry juice is one of the few recovery supplements with real evidence — it cuts muscle soreness, eases inflammation, and improves sleep. Here's how to use it and when it's worth it.
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Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed Beef: The 6 Quality Tiers, Ranked
Not all beef is the same. From regenerative grass-finished down to conventional grain-finished, here's how the 6 tiers actually differ — what the science shows, what the labels really mean, and what's worth paying for.
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How to Jump Higher: The Force → Landing → Reactive Order That Actually Works
Random box jumps won't cut it. Here's the science-backed sequence — force base, landing quality, then reactive power — and why most jump programs fail at step one.
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Morning Sunlight: The Free 15-Minute Habit That Fixes Your Sleep
Getting sunlight into your eyes within an hour of waking is one of the most powerful — and completely free — things you can do for sleep, energy, and recovery. Here's the science and the exact protocol.
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Hypotonic vs Isotonic vs Hypertonic Drinks: Which Should You Use?
Sports drinks come in three types based on concentration — and each one does a different job. Here's the science of when to reach for hypotonic, isotonic, or hypertonic, and when plain water wins.
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The 7 Energy Systems Explained: How Athletes Actually Build a Real Engine
One cardio pathway isn't an engine. Here's how all seven energy systems work, how to train each one, and why HIIT alone or steady-state alone leaves you one-dimensional.
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Blue Light, Sleep & Blue-Blocking Glasses: What Actually Works
Evening blue light delays your body clock and suppresses melatonin — and for athletes, sleep is where adaptation happens. Here's the real science on blue light, when blue-blocking glasses actually help, and when they don't.
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Whey Protein for Athletes: What the Science Actually Says
Whey is the most-studied protein supplement on earth. Here's what the research really shows about building muscle, how much you need, and which type to buy — without the marketing.
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Infrared vs Finnish Sauna: Which Is Better for Recovery?
Infrared and traditional Finnish saunas heat you in completely different ways — and that changes the recovery effect. Here's the science on heat exposure, what each type actually does, and how to pick one as an athlete.
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Creatine Monohydrate: The Most Proven Supplement in Sports Science
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched, most effective legal supplement for strength, power, and lean mass. Here's exactly how it works, how to dose it, and the myths to ignore.
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Magnesium Bisglycinate for Athletes: Sleep, Recovery, and Muscle Function
Magnesium runs 300+ reactions in your body, hard training burns through it, and most people are low. Here's why bisglycinate is the form to choose and how to dose it for sleep and recovery.
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L-Citrulline & Citrulline Malate: Pumps, Reps, and the Real Evidence
L-citrulline is the pre-workout ingredient worth keeping. Here's how it raises nitric oxide, what it does for reps and soreness, and the honest take on dosing.
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Zinc Bisglycinate for Athletes: Immunity, Hormones, and Recovery
Zinc drives immune function, testosterone, and tissue repair — and hard training depletes it through sweat. Here's why bisglycinate is the smart form and how to dose it without overdoing it.
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Beetroot Juice & Dietary Nitrate: The Endurance Edge That Actually Works
Beetroot juice is one of the few endurance supplements with strong evidence. Here's how dietary nitrate lowers the oxygen cost of exercise — and how to dose it for race day.
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Beef & Lamb Liver: Nature's Multivitamin for Athletes
Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth — loaded with bioavailable iron, B12, vitamin A, and copper. Here's why athletes are bringing back this old-school staple.
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Astaxanthin: The Antioxidant Carotenoid Athletes Are Talking About
Astaxanthin is one of nature's most potent antioxidants. Here's the real evidence on endurance, recovery, and oxidative stress — and an honest take on what it can and can't do.
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Bovine vs Marine Collagen: What Athletes Need to Know for Joints & Tendons
Collagen is the supplement for connective tissue, not just skin. Here's how bovine and marine collagen differ, what the research shows for tendons and joints, and how to actually use it.
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Caffeine for Performance: The Most Proven Legal Ergogenic Aid
Caffeine is the most reliable performance supplement on earth — backed by dozens of meta-analyses. Here's how to dose it for strength, power, and endurance without wrecking your sleep.
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Omega-3 & Fish Oil for Athletes: Recovery, Muscle, and Inflammation
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are a recovery staple with real evidence for muscle, inflammation, and training adaptation. Here's how much you actually need and how to choose a quality product.
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Hydration, Supplements & Between-Session Support for Hard Training Blocks
IM8 daily nutrition, hydrogen water, omega-3, patches, and wind-down rituals — what I actually stack when nordic volume and jump work beat you up. No miracle claims. Just the between-session layer.
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Vitamin D3 & K2 for Athletes: Bone, Muscle, and Why Deficiency Is Common
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in athletes and quietly costs you bone strength, muscle function, and recovery. Here's how D3 and K2 work together and how to dose them based on testing.
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The Recovery Stack I Run Between Hard Training Sessions
Heat, cold, PEMF, red light, and sleep environment — how I layer recovery when nordic volume and jump work stack up. Equipment picks, daily order, and what actually matters.
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The Difference Between Looking Fit and Moving Like an Athlete
Plenty of people look fit in a t-shirt and move terribly. Here's why aesthetics and performance should be trained together.
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How to Train for an Athletic Physique Without Wasting Years
You don't need a decade of trial and error. Here's the training structure that builds an athletic look efficiently.
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Why Generic Leg Days Don't Build Athleticism
Squats and leg press won't make you explosive. Here's what's missing from most leg programs and how to fix it.
Read ArticleNordic Hamstring Curl Progressions: A Smarter Way to Build Eccentric Strength
The nordic curl is brutally effective — if you progress to it correctly. Here's the progression system we use in our programs.
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How to Build Hamstrings That Actually Transfer to Performance
Leg curls alone won't cut it. Here's what actually builds hamstrings that contribute to sprinting, jumping, and deceleration.
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Should You Cut, Bulk, or Recomp First?
Stop guessing your starting phase. Here's how to decide based on your actual body composition, training history, and goals.
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