Why Smart People Struggle with Health Habits (And How to Fix It)

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Fact or fiction

• How to fuel your brain

• Not cutting it

• Why smart people struggle with health habits

Fact Or Fiction 
Do You Need Lift Heavy Weights To Maximize Muscle?

If you've ever wondered whether lifting lighter weights for more reps or heavier weights for fewer reps is better for muscle growth, science has your answer. And the results might surprise you.

When training volume is matched, you can build just as much muscle with lighter weights — but heavy loads are superior if your goal is maximizing strength.

Researchers compared very low (<30% of 1-rep max), low (30–59% of 1-rep max), moderate (60–79% of 1-rep max), and high (≥80% of 1-rep max) loads across dozens of resistance training studies. To make it fair, all protocols were volume-matched (sets × reps × weight). 

The findings were clear: muscle growth was similar across all load ranges, meaning whether you’re curling 15 pounds or 45, if you do enough total work, your muscles will grow. But when it came to strength, high loads were king. The researchers found that 80 percent (or more) of your 1-rep max consistently led to greater improvements in maximizing strength.

Researchers suggest that heavy loads place greater demand on the neuromuscular system, improving motor unit recruitment and coordination — the keys to moving bigger weights. Muscle growth, however, appears to be more about total work and effort, which explains why lighter loads performed to near failure can be just as effective for hypertrophy.

The one thing to consider: when using lower weights, you’ll need to perform significantly more reps. Those additional reps could lead to more muscle soreness (not necessarily growth), which means recovery can take longer. As you perform more reps and fatigue increases, you may become more vulnerable to injury on certain exercises, such as squats or deadlifts (not because the movements are inherently dangerous, but because you’re fatigued and the movements can be more technical).

If your goal is to build muscle, choose a weight — light or heavy — that you can lift close to failure in a given rep range. Both can work as long as you’re consistent and challenge yourself.

However, if your goal includes getting stronger, heavier weights in the 4- to 8-rep range should be a staple in your routine.

Together With Momentous
The Link Between Energy, Aging, and Your Mind

Your brain is an energy hog—it burns 20 percent of your daily calories even at rest. You wouldn’t show up to the gym running on empty, but many of us do exactly that with our brains.

Researchers have discovered that one of the most common workout supplements can top off the brain’s fuel tank and help it run faster, longer, and more efficiently.

Supplementing with creatine doesn’t just help muscles—it can sharpen memory, processing speed, and focus, particularly in adults over 60.

Researchers tested creatine doses ranging from 5 to 20 grams per day over periods of 5 days to 6 weeks in six studies. Creatine consistently improved performance on complex mental tasks, including working memory, executive function, and processing speed. The effects were strongest in older adults, while results were more mixed in younger populations.

While creatine is best known for how it fuels your muscles, your brain also relies on quick bursts of energy. Creatine boosts phosphocreatine stores, which regenerate ATP—your body’s cellular fuel. This means that during mentally demanding tasks, creatine gives your brain more energy to stay sharp and efficient. 

If you’re already taking creatine for training, you may be getting a two-for-one benefit. For those over 60—or anyone looking to enhance mental performance—5 to 10 grams daily is a simple, safe, and effective starting point. 

But here’s the catch: not all creatine is created equal. Cheap forms can contain impurities, inconsistent dosing, or poor solubility, which can limit absorption. That’s why we only recommend Momentous Creatine, which utilizes Creapure®, the most extensively researched and clinically validated creatine monohydrate in the world. It’s the gold standard used in thousands of peer-reviewed studies.

Momentous Creatine is also NSF Certified for Sport, meaning every batch is independently tested for purity, banned substances, and contaminants—trusted by pro teams, Olympians, and the U.S. military. And, as an APC reader, use the code PUMPCLUB for up to 35% OFF your first order (14% off one-timer purchases and 35% off subscription).

With over 30 years of data and more than 1,000 published studies, creatine is one of the safest, most effective supplements you can take.

Not Cutting It
The "Sitting and Recovery" Study 

You know how we always say we read the research, so you don't have to? Here's a perfect example of why that matters. We review dozens of studies that don’t make the cut.

A recent study caught our attention with an intriguing premise: Does spending more time sitting each day slow down your recovery from intense workouts? It's the kind of practical question our community asks, and honestly, we were excited to dig in.

The reality: This study isn't ready for prime time, and neither are its conclusions.

The researchers tracked 9 college-age men for 5 days, had them undergo a leg workout, and then measured muscle damage markers (such as creatine kinase) at different time points while monitoring their daily sitting habits. The idea was solid—see if the people who sat more showed worse recovery.

The problems started piling up fast. First, there were only nine people. A good starting point for future research. But assuming a significant finding based on a study with as many people as a group text is less than ideal. Second, the researchers themselves admitted their workout protocol didn't create enough muscle damage to detect meaningful recovery differences. 

This is why we strive to provide you with tips and advice that can help you improve every day and avoid overthinking. Yes, prolonged sitting isn't great for you—we know that from much other studies. And yes, movement helps with recovery—this is also well-established. But jumping from "9 college guys showed some correlations" to "change your post-workout routine" would be doing you a disservice.

We'll continue to monitor this research area because the question matters — and we might find that sitting does, in fact, hinder recovery. But until we have more research and studies with measurable muscle damage, we’ll file this under "interesting but incomplete."

If you’re interested in better recovery, start by focusing on what’s most proven: sleep, adequate protein, hydration, and good exercise programming that is not designed to maximize soreness. 

Adam’s Corner 
The Real Reason You Can't Stick to Healthy Habits

Ben is one of those friends we all want. The kind of guy who will drive an hour in the middle of the night to get you from the airport, always quick with a joke, and the kind of dad who makes his kids smile.  

So when Ben wanted to be more than just strong, of course, I wanted to help.

For most of his life, strength was the point. He trained like an athlete because he was one, and when sports ended, the identity remained. Heavy weights, big meals, the pursuit of more. He didn’t just know his way around the gym—he believed he knew how the whole game was played.

But age has a way of shifting priorities. Today, it’s less about adding another plate to the barbell. He wanted to be leaner. Healthier. Capable of chasing his kids without pulling a hamstring. He wanted to feel good in his body, not just powerful in it.

So he did what most of us do when the mirror stops reflecting the effort we think we’re putting in: he doubled down. More sweat. Stricter meals. He leaned on everything he knew. And the results? Stubborn at best.

How can a guy who seemingly knows so much — and puts in the effort — still struggle with the healthy habits that support the goals he wants most?

It’s a question you’ve probably faced before. Or, at the very least, you know a friend who’s struggled with something similar.

Ben was able to make the changes you desire. But the “A-ha moment” might feel disappointing.

In fact, the two changes that made the biggest difference almost sound like a punchline.

First, he bought a straw for his YETI. Just a straw. Drinking suddenly became easier, and he realized he’d been walking through life mildly dehydrated. His water intake shot up and some mindless eating and hunger disappeared.

Then, he got Invisalign. If you’ve ever worn them, you know the drill—every snack requires popping them out, cleaning them, putting them back in. Suddenly, all the extra handfuls of chips and late-night grazing didn’t feel worth the trouble.

That was it. A straw and Invisalign. And the fat started coming off.

Not because Ben learned some new training split or followed a revolutionary diet. But because he became aware of the obvious habits hiding in plain sight that were holding him back.

“I Don’t Need This” Is A Sign

I’ve watched this same lesson unfold inside The Pump Club app. When we introduced the new nutrition tracker to all members, the reaction of some members was predictable: 

“I’ve tried ever diet — how is this different?”
“I don’t need something this simple.”
“I already know what I should eat.”
“I need a more detailed meal plan.”

But those who gave it a try are now sharing their life-changing transformations that are getting others to buy in fast. 

And people are paying attention because these dramatic changes did not occur through punishment, restriction, or perfection.

Like Ben, the secret isn’t anything special.

It’s the gift of awareness the allows you to clearly see the obvious mistakes that hold you back. And then having the tools to make the simple changes that can push you forward.

With the nutrition tracker — where calories and food obsession are no longer part of the game that cause stress and overthinking — you start to see food differently. You log your meals and see where you could be better. Not to judge, but to notice.

You realize how much those “little extras” add up. You realize that you never eat vegetables, that you drink all your calories, or that — despite swearing you were good all week — you actually ate at restaurants three times and had dessert more often than you want to admit. 

And instead of shame, you’re given clarity. The clarity to make a shift. The freedom to choose differently tomorrow.

The lesson is one that pays dividends everywhere in life:
Intelligence, ego, and stubbornness make us chase the complicated.
Humility and wisdom helps us seek awareness — and that reminds us the simplest changes are often the ones that actually work.

Think about your relationships. How often do we assume we’re already a good partner, friend, or parent—and miss the obvious? 

That our spouse isn’t looking for grand gestures, just undivided attention at the dinner table. That our kids don’t want more gifts, they want more presence. 

That our friends don’t need advice, they just need us to call back.

In health, in love, in work—it’s rarely about finding something new. It’s about noticing what’s right in front of you.

The gift of awareness is that it humbles you. It forces you to admit your blind spots, to set aside what you think you already know, and to pay attention.

So the next time you feel stuck, don’t ask, What haven’t I tried yet? 

Ask instead: What’s the obvious action I’m missing?

Set aside ego and pride. Instead of treating yourself like the experts, take the attitude of the curious intern. 

You’ll likely find that what you were missing all along was something so small, yet so powerful that you could easily make the change and see the difference.

When everything comes into view, much like Ben, you might find that the answer isn’t extreme. It isn’t complicated. It isn’t glamorous.

But it works. And that’s all that really matters. -AB

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell