Author: Maik Wiedenbach

What Actually Happens When You Book a Consultation

If you’ve followed what I write about training, you already agree with the philosophy. You understand why generic programs fail people like you, and you’ve seen the facility. And most people still don’t book. Not because they’re unconvinced. Because “what happens next” is unknown, and unknown is its own kind of resistance. So here’s exactly […]

Your DEXA Says 18% Body Fat. Are You Really 18%?

I like data, being German and all. Big fan. But we live in a time where we are swamped with data and the question becomes: who interprets it? DEXA scans have become increasingly popular for measuring body composition. Clients come in with reports showing body fat percentage, lean mass, bone mass and even where they […]

Why We Don’t Buy Standard Gym Equipment

One of the first things people notice when they walk into our gym is that many of the machines look different. That’s because they are. We don’t buy equipment based on what’s popular or what’s cheapest. We pay three times more, import machines from overseas, and customize almost everything. Why? There are three honest reasons. […]

Zone 2 Cardio: Genuinely Useful, or the Latest Thing Podcasters Oversold You?

Zone 2 cardio is useful. It is also a perfect example of what happens when a legitimate training method gets turned into a personality trait. The physiology is real: low-intensity aerobic work performed below the first lactate or ventilatory threshold can improve aerobic fitness while creating relatively little recovery cost. The problem starts when people […]

Skinny Fat: Why “Just Do More Cardio” Is the Worst Possible Advice

People who describe themselves as skinny fat usually have the same frustration: body weight isn’t especially high, yet muscular definition is poor through the waist, chest, arms, or legs. And of course no visible abs. Because scale weight doesn’t look alarming, the obvious response is often to add cardio and try to lose another five […]

Sweating Doesn’t Burn Fat. It Just Makes You Feel Like It Did

It’s easy to trust sweat because the feedback is immediate. You finish the workout soaked, your heart rate is still up, you look ripped and the scale may be two pounds lighter before you even leave the gym. The problem is that sweat answers the wrong question. Sweating is thermoregulation, not fat loss. When body […]

How Many Sets to Build Muscle? Fewer Than the Internet Tells You

The most overtrained person in the gym is usually the one making the least progress. Twelve sets for chest, ten for back, six more because a video said so, two hours a session, and a body that looks the same in June as it did in January. I’ve coached plenty of them, and the fix […]