TRAINING

Everything FitChef knows about training.

What exercise actually changes about your body — and what it doesn't — according to the studies that measured it.

The papers we actually read

Every claim above traces back to a peer-reviewed paper. No shortcuts. No cherry-picking. 5 studies analyzed on training.

The Interference Effect, Tested in 43 Studies Combining cardio and strength training has no meaningful effect on muscle growth — the difference across 43 studies and 1,090… Schumann et al. · 2022 · Sports Medicine · n=1,090

Women Build Muscle at the Same Rate. So Why the Fear? Women and men build muscle at virtually the same relative rate. The 0.69% difference across 29 studies is too small… Refalo et al. · 2025 · PeerJ · n=2,815

Do You Need Heavy Weights to Build Muscle? 21 Studies Muscle growth was statistically identical between light and heavy weights when sets were taken to the point of complete muscular… Schoenfeld et al. · 2017 · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · n=21

Cardio vs. Weights: The 1 kg Gap Nobody Mentions The fat loss difference between cardio and weights is approximately 1 kg across 36 studies. When total work is equalized,… Lafontant et al. · 2025 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · n=1,564

The Constrained Energy Model: More Exercise Won’t Burn More Above a moderate activity level, your body's total daily calorie burn plateaus — additional exercise gets metabolically absorbed rather than… Pontzer et al. · 2016 · Current Biology · n=332

5 studies → 0 verified claims → 0 flagship guides. Every link traceable. Every source cited.

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