


Issue No. 47 · February 2026
Where Serious
Athletes
Read.
Training science dissected. Supplement claims challenged. Athlete profiles that go deeper than the highlight reel. No clickbait. Ever.
12,400+
Subscribers
340+
Research Citations
47
Issues Published
0
Sponsored Claims
The research exists. The question is whether anyone in the fitness industry bothers to read it. We do — and we translate it without losing the nuance.
Peer-reviewed · Evidence-first · No supplement sponsors

Training Science
The Concurrent Training Paradox: Why Cardio Isn't Killing Your Gains
Three meta-analyses, 14 randomized controlled trials, and one uncomfortable truth for the cardio-avoiders: the interference effect is real, but it's been wildly overstated. Here's what the data actually says about programming hybrid fitness.
"The interference effect disappears almost entirely when cardio is programmed more than 6 hours from strength work."
Dr. James Okafor, CSCS
Feb 24, 2026
Nutrition Science
Creatine Loading: The Protocol Nobody Follows (But Should)
The 20g/day loading phase has been gospel for 30 years. New pharmacokinetic data suggests a different approach for athletes already at saturation.
Sarah Chen, RD, CISSN
8 min
Recovery
Sleep Architecture in Elite CrossFit Athletes: A 90-Day Actigraphy Study
We tracked 22 Games-level athletes through a full competition cycle. What we found about REM suppression and performance drop-off will change how coaches program deload weeks.
Marcus Webb, PhD
15 minAthletes at the highest level aren't just physical specimens. They're systems thinkers. We go inside their programming, their failures, and the research that changed how they train.
Athlete profiles · Coaching conversations · Competition culture

Three-Time Regional Champion · Age 31
Tariq Osei
At 31, Tariq is defying the conventional CrossFit aging curve. His programming philosophy — built on periodization literature most coaches never read — is producing peak performances six years into his competitive career.
"I stopped chasing numbers on the whiteboard the day I started reading abstracts. The athletes who train smart age better than the ones who train hard."

Sports Nutritionist · Olympic Lifting Coach
Dr. Priya Nair
Dr. Nair coaches three national-level weightlifters and consults for a D1 program. Her evidence-based supplement protocol has become the quiet standard for serious coaches who are tired of industry noise.
"Every supplement I recommend, I've read the full trial methodology. Not the abstract. The methods section. That's where the marketing falls apart."
We test what we write about. Gear gets loaded, supplements get analyzed against the actual trial data, and programming claims get run through 16-week real-world experiments.
Gear reviews · Supplement audits · Programming picks
Supplement Audit
AG1 Athletic Greens — The Full Breakdown
A $99/month product with $8 worth of evidence-backed ingredients. We ran the formulation against 47 published trials. Here's what works, what's filler, and what you're actually paying for.
4.1
Evidence Score
Gear
Rogue Ohio Bar vs. Eleiko Sport Training Bar
Both are exceptional. One is better for your specific use case. We tested knurling depth, whip characteristics, and sleeve spin under competition loads.
Rogue
Editors Pick
Rogue $295 · Eleiko $895

Programming
Wendler 5/3/1 for CrossFit: A 16-Week Log
We embedded a certified coach into a 5/3/1 experiment for four months. The strength numbers tell one story. The metcon performance tells another, more complicated one.
16
Weeks Tested
Five questions.
Your editorial feed.
Tell us how you train and how you read. We'll match you to the Pulse content that matters to you — and set an email cadence that fits your schedule, not ours.
Takes about 90 seconds · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime