Articles

Having trouble getting to sleep or problems staying asleep? Dr. Chad Kerksick looks at 2 well documented ingredients, melatonin & valerian, that promote restful sleep.

Dr Chad Kerksick looks at the body's testosterone release in regards to the type of exercise being done, the amount of muscle recruited, intensity and how it all relates to muscle growth.

Dr. Chad Kerksick of 1st Phorm looks at how overeating for only a 2 months can cause long term effects not only on your weight but fat percentages and muscle cell functions.

You've probably heard of creatine - a common workout supplement - and it's possible you've heard of beta-alanine as well.

However, have you ever thought of what they could do together? In this article, we'll look at the history of using creatine, and the research behind pairing [...]

The positive effect derived from high-intensity interval work continues to amaze me, and I have been a fan of intervals for a long time.  Mainly because it appeased to my anaerobic sporting interests I developed from playing hoops and such.  Easily the biggest problem with this research was that it wasn’t practical for many people […]

A few months back I indicated I was going to develop a series centered upon energy, calories and how it relates to weight loss, weight gain, body composition, etc., but one thing lead to another and it still hasn’t been completed.  As an enthusiast of exercise and fitness, you need to be made aware that […]

Imagine being able to exercise with only 10% of the amount of work as someone else and achieve the same amount of beneficial change to your body.  It almost sounds like a gimmick or something you would see on a late night television commercial.  These results aren’t a gimmick and in fact a number of […]

As someone who has examined a number of research studies devoted to weight loss and conducted a handful of them as well, the process of losing weight is anything but easy.  One approach of a respected university colleague of mine tells his classes, “Just don’t eat.  You want to lose weight, just don’t eat and […]

How many of you have ever wondered what impact it might have if you did weights or cardio first when you go to the gym? Maybe you burn more fat if you do cardio first or weights first?  Or maybe it negatively impacts your ability to improve your aerobic fitness or your strength? An interesting […]

I was reading through some past blog posts on the 1st Phorm site and I came across a past blog by 1st Phorm CEO and good friend, Andy Frisella titled “Intensity: either show up with it or get out of the way” that encouraged readers to get after it when you step foot inside the […]

A number of feeding approaches have been thrown around when it comes to taking your protein.  Most research studies and most gym-goers deliver the entire dose of protein and/or amino acids in one fast dose.  Another approach, rarely used in everyday life, is to sip on the protein shake over the course of several hours.  […]

I’m sure most of you know some person or maybe several people who lose weight, gain it back, lose weight again, gain it back and so the cycle goes.  Well they certainly aren’t alone as weight loss is challenging, and as you’ll see maintaining weight loss may be even more challenging.  Only 20% of people […]

Part I – How do I figure out how many calories I should be eating? I’ve decided to do another multi-part series as my previous series involving resistance-training variables has been received with rave reviews (thanks for the support, by the way). The first part will provide a general introduction to the concept of energy […]

From time to time, it’s really cool when you go back and find reinforcement for things that you are doing or that may be on your mind. It’s the reason why I think various messages inside religious books are interesting because it was so long ago, but yet may still apply a great deal to […]

A popular question for sure. However, NO straight-forward answer exists as a number of factors interact that change the answer. I’m sure there is a fair share of guys out there who would answer ‘10 minutes’ and that is the reason why they don’t do cardio. I’ve heard it a number of times before. In […]

Sure, many people have joked around about this, and probably even more spouses have suggested their respective significant other is unbearable without their daily dose of exercise, but does scientific data support this? A study published in the July 2011 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, a prestigious academic journal devoted to […]

An ever-expanding waistline is a need for concern, not just because you may not like how you look in the mirror, but also because you become at a greater risk for having severe health issues.  Sure it may not seem like something you have to deal with fresh out of college or even in your […]

A neat study was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in June 2011 by researchers who are part of the Harvard School of Public Health. If you keep track of health and medicine, Harvard University glows with excellence compared to many other places. This study analyzed the food and activity habits of […]

A number of studies over the last several years have reported this outcome. However, people must realize that a majority of the studies illustrating this outcome has been performed on non-human animals. Creatures like rats, mice, rabbits and monkeys were the lab “rats” in these studies. Research in humans is slightly more complicated. Imagine being […]

Welcome to the final article of a six part series that is focused upon the key variables one must consider when developing or modifying a resistance training program (Kerksick 2011; Spiering et al. 2008). The previous articles have outlined topics such as choice of exercise, order of exercise, intensity, fiber recruitment patterns and volume of […]

So we’re on to part five of the article series that is providing a more scientific breakdown and explanation of the variables that should be considered and how they should be considered when developing or modifying your resistance training program (Kerksick 2011; Spiering et al. 2008). The fifth consideration is a key variable that holds […]