Jeff Stepp

You've probably heard that a scoop of casein protein (the slower-digesting cousin of the ubiquitous whey protein) before bed is best for overnight muscle growth. But does that come at a cost of sleep quality? A new study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42413910/) put this to the test in resistance-trained adults. After a resistance training session, participants drank either whey protein, casein protein, or a carbohydrate control, all 30 minutes before bed, on separate occasions. Compared to...

Weighted vests have often been used by athletes to add load to otherwise body weight-centric activities like walking and running. Now, a new study suggests everyone could benefit from wearing one during exercise, especially older adults. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in August 2026 in Osteoporosis International pulled together 9 randomized controlled trials, 368 middle-aged and older adults total, and asked a specific question. Do weighted vests actually change bone mineral...

Conventional wisdom says a workout has to be a workout. Block off an hour, get your heart rate up, leave the gym wrung out. If it didn't hurt a little, it probably didn't count, right? Wrong. A study published in July 2026 in Frontiers in Public Health took 30 overweight and obese female university students and split them into two groups for an 8-week trial. Both groups did the same total volume of exercise: 75 minutes a week of bodyweight training. The difference was how it was delivered....