Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we make sense of the confusing world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and offering quick tips designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
Number you won’t forget
The surprising cause of soreness
Weekly wisdom
Well, maybe there is a real fat burner
Arnold’s Podcast
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Recovery
Number You Won’t Forget: 30 Percent
Struggling with soreness? The problem could be shuteye.
Research suggests that people who get at least 7 hours of sleep experience 30 percent less muscle soreness and recover their strength faster than those getting less than 6 hours.
Good sleepers are also 60 percent less likely to get injured, have better mental clarity and cognitive processing, see improvements in endurance and power, and experience a dramatic reduction in their perception of fatigue.
One study even found that sleep quality predicts muscle mass, strength, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Good sleep habits can completely change your rest, and so can a mattress with scientific support to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Whatever you do, if you want to feel better, make sure you get more than 6 hours of sleep per night, and aim for anywhere from 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
Fact Or Fiction
Do Heavier Weights Cause More Muscle Soreness?
Contrary to popular belief, using heavier loads during workouts can lead to less muscle soreness.
Researchers compared performing 8 sets of 10 reps using a moderate weight (70 percent of one-rep max) to 8 sets of 3 reps of a heavy weight (90 percent of one-rep max).
The scientists found that the higher volume and moderate intensity workout (8 sets of 10 reps) resulted in more muscle damage and slower recovery than lifting heavy.
While some people associate muscle damage and soreness with progress, that’s not always true. And, the more damage you accumulate and the longer it takes to recover, the slower you see improvements in the gym and in your body.
So, reducing the total volume and increasing intensity will help you make progress without requiring as much recovery time. Or, if you want more volume and lighter or moderate loads, you can schedule enough rest days to allow your body to bounce back.
Weekly Wisdom
Nutrition
There’s No Such Thing As A Fat Burner—Or Is There?
We don’t recommend wasting money on any “fat-burning” supplements.
But if you’re looking to exhaust every measure to help your body efficiently burn calories, an extra cup of coffee before your workout might be the answer you’re looking for.
Research suggests that drinking caffeine (the equivalent of a very strong cup) 30 minutes before aerobic exercise increases fat oxidation by 11 percent in the morning and by 13 percent in the afternoon.
Based on those study results, if you wanted to burn the maximum amount of fat possible, you would drink coffee before an afternoon workout. But, before you start adding afternoon caffeine, think through the costs and benefits.
For most people, a strong cup of coffee in the middle of the afternoon will likely affect your sleep. If your goal is fat loss, messing with your sleep is a surefire way to stall your progress. It might help you burn more fat, but it might not be worth the tradeoff.
And another important note: Just because you’re burning more fat during exercise doesn’t mean you’re losing more body fat.
“Fat oxidation” is the chemical process of “burning” fat in your body, but whether or not you’re losing or gaining fat (and inches) still comes down to your diet.
So, drinking coffee before your morning workout can increase the fat you burn during your workout. However, you won't lose fat if you consume more calories than you need.
And that’s it for this week. Thank you all for being a part of the positive corner of the internet. We hope you have a fantastic weekend!
-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
