A deload is a crucial part of a resistance training program… but also the least sexy.
 
Who wants to be told to take a break from hardcore training?
 
But hear me out: You don’t grow when you’re smashing the weights in the gym. In that session, you’re actually doing the opposite, creating a lot of stress to challenge your body to become fitter.
 
It’s when you’re resting, in the hours and days following each session, that your body grows bigger and stronger in order to handle that training stress better in the future.
 
So recovery is the Super Soldier Serum that transforms you into Captain America.
 
However, when you’ve been training hard for a few weeks, just taking one or two rest days may not be enough to restore your body.
 
That’s when a deload comes in.
 
It’s the quick pit stop you make to propel yourself forward. Without it, sooner or later your car will slow down, or you might even lose a tyre. 
 
Now, if you’re ready to boost your training, this article will cover:
 

• What a deload is
• The purpose of deloading
• Different types of deload
• When and how to use one

 
Time for some brain gains.

​Spoiler alert: Yes, it’s possible! (Gasp.)
 
Humans were changing their body size long before calories and calorie-tracking apps existed.
 
Tracking calories and macros can be a very successful approach to losing fat, gaining muscle, or maintaining your weight. In fact, it’s the method I’ve had the greatest success with in my own bodybuilding journey, and I employ it with many clients.
 
However, it isn’t for everyone.
 
You can never track calories or macros, and still get great results. So, if you’ve tried it and it just isn’t for you, why not have a crack at one of the three fat loss methods in this article?
 
Fair warning: Not a single one of them involves cutting out entire food groups, your favourite treats, or any joy from your life!

​If you’ve been reading this blog since 2019 (hats off to you, OG Reader!), you might remember “Hardgainer, Now What?”, an article I published in January 2019.
 
Over two years later, I decided it was high time to revamp the original post, tackling the topic from a new perspective:
 
What are some key aspects of training and nutrition, which hardgainers typically struggle with, and which could have a dramatic impact on your physique?
 
First of all, a hardgainer is someone who thinks they struggle to build muscle or to put on any weight at all. They usually look like the typical “skinny kid” and believe they have “bad genetics” for muscle growth.
 
I view myself as a hardgainer and, at some point in my bodybuilding journey – and sometimes to this day – I’ve had all three of the issues I’m going to cover in this article.
 
What’s more, over these past years working as a coach, I noticed that many clients who wanted help building muscle, were facing similar hardships.
 
So I’m going to share:

• Three hardgainers’ common problems
• How to solve them

 
Ready for the brain gains?

​What does healthy eating mean to you?
 
Since the first time I can remember having thoughts about food until after I became a training and nutrition coach, healthy eating to me meant losing weight.
 
In my head, if someone had weight to lose, they’d do that by eating healthier. If someone was already slim, it was because they already ate healthy.
 
However, you can be at a relatively low weight without eating healthy, and you can also be at a relatively higher weight whilst having a very healthy diet.
 
What’s more – and most importantly – health isn’t limited to weight, and healthy eating influences far more aspects of wellness than just your body size.
 
So, how can you improve your diet if you don’t want to change your weight? I’ve got you!
 
Each of the nine tips in this article poses a challenge to help you form a new eating habit.
 
These aren’t meant to be hard and fast rules, but rather starting points to give you a specific target to shoot for. Goal specificity is key to tracking your progress, and progress is key to success.
 
Without further ado, let’s dig in (pun obviously intended).

When you’re trying to diet, your period can be a bitch. Am I right?
 
You start the diet, you do really well for a couple of weeks and lose a pound or two, then that time of the month comes… and, all of a sudden, you find yourself half-way through your cookie jar in ten minutes.
 
Maybe you’ve even read my tips on how to control your food cravings, but the allure of that chocolate box is simply irresistible during your period.
 
Are you doomed to never get into shape?
 
Hell no.
 
In fact, you can literally have your cake and eat it: By understanding more about your menstrual cycle, you can lose fat and have chocolate, too.
 
Want to learn how? Keep reading.