Check out this podcast from Brandon DeCruz if you haven’t. Some interesting mechanistic and anecdotal info that actually has a backing in research when applied in specific scenarios. I will be experimenting with versions of this for my legs and abs for sure. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chasing-clarity-health-fitness-podcast/id1619611966?i=1000795922331

Coverage: October 3–9, 2026, based on online-first publication dates. No paper this week is independently practice-changing. The concurrent-training review and cyclist recommendations are the strongest applied reads. The ankle-sprain study provides a useful warning against letting structural grade dictate functional progression. 1. Effects of high-intensity resistance training within concurrent training programs on athletic performance in elite athletes: a systematic review PeerJ, October 9, 2026 Type: Systematic review Article and DOI Methods and findings: Twelve studies examined resistance training performed at ≥75% 1RM for 5–18 weeks in elite athletes. All combined resistance work with endurance or sport-specific training; none isolated high-intensity resistance training against an otherwise identical control. Outcomes included strength, power, jumping, sprinting, planned change of direction, economy, time trials, and time to exhaustion. Most studies reported improved maximal strength and power. Sprint, sport-specific velocity, and several endurance-performance outcomes also improved, with no consistent evidence that heavy resistance training harmed aerobic capacity. Change-of-direction evidence came from only one study. Evidence strength: Low-to-moderate. The review was prospectively registered and used four databases plus PEDro appraisal. However, only 12 generally small studies qualified, synthesis was narrative, GRADE was not performed, and concurrent designs prevent attribution of results solely to heavy resistance training. Practical implications: Heavy resistance work can coexist productively with endurance and sport practice in well-trained athletes. The primary programming issue is likely fatigue management rather than a universal molecular “interference effect.” During rehabilitation or performance preparation, protect session quality through sensible sequencing, recovery, and volume control. This review does not identify a uniquely effective load, frequency, or exercise selection.

At the end of significant decades, first when I turned 50, and now as I’m about to turn 70, I like to sneak in one more little hurrah. Tomorrow, October 8, I will be 69 and a half. We’ll be celebrating by hiking to two tea houses: Plain at Six Glaciers, followed by Lake Agnes Tea House, a moderate hike of about eight miles in the Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Please help me celebrate the end of one decade and usher in my next, by doing something a wee bit extra, bonus points for sharing a photo.

What are your favorite foods you consistently use to fill in macros?

Coverage: September 26–October 2, 2026, using online-first publication dates. This week produced useful clinical confirmation rather than practice-changing evidence. The calf-injury review is the best clinical read. The ACL study provides another strong warning against calendar-based clearance, while the nutrition trial is intriguing but commercially conflicted and much less definitive than its headline suggests. 1. Calf Injuries: An Anatomy-Based Approach to Diagnosis, Management and Return to Sport Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, September 26, 2026 Type: Clinical and anatomical narrative review Article and DOI Methods and findings: The authors synthesize recent imaging, anatomical, rehabilitation, and return-to-sport literature concerning gastrocnemius, soleus, and associated myoconnective injuries. Ultrasound and MRI can distinguish more specific injury patterns than the traditional label “calf strain,” including which muscle, aponeurosis, fascial interface, or tendon-adjacent structure is involved. However, evidence connecting these anatomical distinctions with prognosis remains predominantly observational. No validated calf-specific rehabilitation or return-to-sport battery currently exists. Evidence strength: Moderate for the anatomical and diagnostic framework; low for prognosis and treatment selection. This is an expert synthesis rather than a systematic review, and the proposed rehabilitation continuum has not been prospectively validated. Practical implications: Imaging can help define the injured structure and identify complications, but it should inform rather than dictate loading or prognosis. Rehabilitation still needs to progressively restore: - Isometric and isotonic plantar-flexor capacity - Soleus and gastrocnemius function across relevant knee positions - Elastic and reactive capacity - Running volume, speed, acceleration, and fatigue tolerance - Sport-specific high-force and high-rate loading