How Long Should You Stay in a Calorie Deficit?

How long you should spend in a calorie deficit depends on how fast you can lose fat without losing muscle, and how lean you want to get.

Once you know how much fat you need to lose, and how much fat you can lose per week without losing muscle, you can easily calculate an estimate for how long your body should stay in a calorie deficit before taking a diet-break.

You’re about to start a diet…

You already know you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. 

You know roughly how much protein you need to eat every day to support lean mass and your metabolism.

Maybe you even have a meal plan mapped out (and if not, we’ll have you covered there soon with our next tool coming out…)

But there’s still one question you haven’t been able to answer:

How long should you stay in a calorie deficit? 

There are countless theories for the “ideal” length of time you should stay in a deficit.

Some say you should diet for no longer than 6 months.

Others say you can go as long as you want.

Some even say you shouldn't diet for more than 4-6 weeks before taking a diet break, giving your body a break before dipping back down into another dieting phase.

But the truth is like most things when it comes to your fitness…

There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

How long you should spend in a calorie deficit depends on how fast you can lose fat, without losing muscle, and how much total fat you have to lose to reach your goal from where you currently are.

Well… How fast can you lose fat without losing muscle?

That depends on:

• How much protein you’re eating (if you don’t know, you can use our calculator to find out)

• Whether or not and how much you’re strength training throughout the week

• What the quality of your sleep is like

• And how aggressive your calorie deficit is

To be safe, we don’t recommend trying to lose more than 1% of your total body weight per week.

With a moderate approach, you would aim for between .5-.75% of your total body weight per week.

And with a more aggressive approach, aiming for between .75-1% per week.

So if we know your starting point, and where your goal composition is, it’s fairly easy to calculate how long you should probably stay in a deficit.

Why is the answer a range instead of a hard cut-off?

Because even the best calculator in the world can only give you an estimate…

There are hundreds of other factors that impact how long you should stay in a deficit.

And that’s why it’s important to pay attention to something called your bio-feedback.

i.e. signals your body is sending you that don’t show up on the scale.

Examples of bio-feedback signals would be changes in your:

• Hunger cues and cravings

• Sleep quality & quantity

• Recovery from your workouts

• Fatigue and energy throughout the day

• Feelings of stress and how well you’re managing stressors from your day-to-day life

The longer you are feeding your body less than it needs to sustain itself (i.e. a calorie deficit), the more it will start to signal it wants you to stop.

If you paid attention:

You would notice your sleep quality and the number of nights you have a “bad” night's sleep start to increase.

You have more intense, and more frequent periods of hunger throughout each day.

You wouldn’t be recovering as well as you normally do from your workouts.

You would have more high fatigue/low energy days' throughout the week.

Of course, all of these things are normal to a point during a dieting phase (occasional bad night’s rest, periods of hunger, etc.)

But if you track these, you’ll know when your body is reaching its breaking point.

(we provide a weekly bio-feedback check-in form you can use with yourself to know exactly when this is happening in FS Premium)

This point could be a lot sooner, or a lot later than what this calculator estimates.

If your body is responding well at the end of this time frame, you’re still losing weight, and your biofeedback isn’t out of control, then you would be more than fine to keep going.

If you’re hitting plateau after plateau, and your bio-feedback is 10x worse than when you started the deficit before the minimum length hits? Then you might want to take a diet break sooner.

The bottom line is:

How long you should spend in a calorie deficit depends on how fast you can lose fat without losing muscle, and how your body is responding to your diet and training.

Creatine Calculator

Creatine is one of the most effective supplements for all types of athletes: bodybuilders, strength athletes, everyday gym-goers just trying to lose a little fat and gain a bit of muscle—you name it. In fact, most professionals today believe nearly everyone should be supplementing with creatine monohydrate.

But how much creatine per day is right for you?

This calculator will provide a daily dose recommendation that you can take indefinitely to achieve the muscle, strength, and health benefits of creatine supplementation.

⬇️ How to take it ⬇️

Take your recommended dose above, once a day, every day. It’s that simple.

⬇️ Common Creatine Questions ⬇️

• What kind of creatine should you take?

  There are several types of creatine:

  Creatine Monohydrate:

  The most researched and well-known form of creatine with over 500 scientific studies supporting it’s safety and effectiveness.

  Typically, it's also the most affordable option.

  Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE):

  Claimed to be a more effective form of creatine with better absorption than monohydrate.

  However, research doesn't consistently support these claims. Some studies even suggest it may be less effective than monohydrate along with it generally being much more expensive.

  Buffered Creatine (Kre-Alkalyn):

  Has a higher pH than creatine monohydrate, claiming to improve stability and reduce side effects.But again, current research doesn't show it to be more effective than creatine monohydrate.

  Creatine Hydrochloride (HCl):

  Claims to have better solubility and absorption than creatine monohydrate but there's limited research comparing it to creatine monohydrate, and any research that has been done shows no better benefit.

  Creatine Citrate:

  Creatine bound with citric acid. More soluble than creatine monohydrate, but you'd typically need a larger dose to get the same amount of creatine because it's less dense. This can often lead to digestive problems and bloating.

  Creatine Malate:

  Creatine combined with malic acid. Claims to offer better water solubility and absorption, but still has no supporting research behind these claims.

  So bottom line, all other forms than creatine monohydrate are more expensive, yet none out preform it.

  Stick with good ol’ monohydrate (or micronized monohydrate if you have digestive issues)

• What brand should you get?

  Our favorite brand is Bulk Supplements. It’s the cheapest and the cleanest you will find on the internet, and 3rd party tested.

  (and no, we are in no way affiliated to Bulk Supplements, and make $0.00 from the link we attached. It’s just the best brand we have found that’s available.)

• Do I need a "loading" phase?

  No

  A loading phase involves taking a higher dose (~20g/day) for a short initial period, typically 5-7 days, to quickly saturate the muscles with creatine.

  After this phase, one switches to their lower maintenance dose.

  This can be done because it typically takes 21-28 days to fully saturate your muscle tissue once you start taking creatine. “Loading” can expedite the benefits so you start to notice a difference in 7-10 days instead.

  And although you can do this, typical side effects of loading are bloating, stomach and muscle cramps, excessive urination, and digestive issues.

  You can, but it’s usually recommended to just take your maintenance dose from the start to avoid any potential side effects.

• Do you take creatine even on rest days?

  Yes

  You take creatine every day.

  This is because the benefits of creatine don’t show up right after you take it.

  It takes 21-28 days of consistent supplementation to fully saturate your muscle tissue where the benefits start to show.

  So taking it inconsistently will just lead you to never fully saturating your muscle tissue, therefor never seeing the full effect creatine has.

• Does the time of day you take creatine matter?

  Nope. As long as you take it every day.

• Do you need to cycle creatine?

  Nope.

  Creatine is naturally produced in your body, before you start supplementing with it. And supplementation does not interfere with your body’s own production so there is no need to cycle it (or take breaks from it.)

• Does creatine harm your kidneys?

  No, all scientific studies done testing the safety of creatine on your kidneys show absolutely no effect.

  This is a common misconception though, here’s why:

  Taking creatine will increase levels of something called creatinine in your blood.

  And in someone who doesn't supplement with creatine, elevated creatinine levels are a sign of kidney problems (no bueno).

  Creatine is naturally found in the body, without any supplementation.

  And a byproduct of creatine in the body, is creatinine.

  Creatinine on its own is not bad or harmful.

  But, like all other byproducts the body produces, the kidneys filter it from the blood and you pee it out.

  SO...

  If creatinine levels rise above a certain level when you're not supplementing with creatine, it's a sign that your kidneys aren't functioning properly.

  It acts as a signal to show you where a problem is, but it itself isn't the problem.

  Creatinine is like a smoke alarm in your house.

  The alarm goes off when there's smoke (potential kidney problems).

  The alarm itself isn't the problem, it's just indicating that there might be a fire somewhere.

  So just as you wouldn't blame the smoke alarm for the fire...

  You wouldn't blame elevated creatinine levels for kidney problems.

  Now when you supplement with creatine, naturally you will produce more creatinine.

  This will increase creatine levels in the blood, and this is expected because you're introducing more creatine into your system It's not because your kidneys aren't doing their job.

  It's a reflection of that supplementation, not a sign of kidney dysfunction.

• Is creatine a steroid?

  No

  Creatine is a natural compound already found inside the body, and in small amounts in certain foods.

  It helps provide energy to cells, especially muscle cells, during short bursts of high-intensity activity.

  Supplementing with creatine simply increases how much creatine is stored in your muscle, improving your strength and performance in the gym.

• Do you only take creatine to build muscle?

  No

  Since creatine’s main role is to simply improve performance in the gym, taking it for any goal where that is important would help.

  For building muscle.

  For fat loss.

  For simply maintaining health as you age.

  Creatine can help nearly you achieve any goal you have.

• Should women take creatine?

  Absolutely.

  Creatine can help women achieve any goal they might have.

  Whether it’s to lean out, see more definition, or build muscle, creatine can help.

• What happens if you stop taking it?

  The creatine stores in your muscle return back to normal over the next few weeks. You don't lose any progress you made while on it. That's it.

• Is it safe for teenagers?

  Yes

  But they don’t really need to be taking it. The benefits of creatine won’t out preform consistent training and diet. You are better off lifting for several years first, and then starting to take creatine once you reach your first real plateau.

• Is there a difference between pills and powders?

  Nope. Which ever you prefer.

Strength Standards Calculator

This strength standard calculator will help give you the most accurate and realistic strength standards for each category in the gym so you can set more realistic strength goals for yourself.

Below we’ll give you some tips for each level on how to set up your training to get to the next.

Here is how we will categorize our strength standards:

Beginner: 1-6 months

Novice: .5-2 years

Intermediate: 2 years+

Advanced: 5 years+

Elite: 5-10 years+

First,

You will need to know your estimated 1-Rep Max for each of the three big lifts (squats, bench press, and deadlift)

You can use our 1RM calculator here if you don’t already know them.

Second,

Enter in your weight, height, and gender to see what category you fall under.

And third,

Set reasonable yet challenging strength goals.

We break down how to make it to the next level below the calculator based on where you currently are.

Tips on how to make it to the next stage

• Focus on your weaknesses first.

i.e if your squat and deadlift are both in the Intermediate category, but your bench press is in the Beginner category, stop skipping upper body day to even out the upper portion of your body

• Once your lifts are even, work on getting to the next level ahead of where you currently are.

We have tips underneath the calculator for each level on what they need to focus on to get to the next level

Because what the beginner needs to get to intermediate, is not what the intermediate needs to get to advanced

• You can also boost your rankings by maintaining your strength while losing body fat, dropping you into the next weight category.

For example, if you weigh 200lbs and can squat 225lbs → that would put you in the beginner category.

If you were to lose 20lbs and get your body weight to 180lbs, but you were able to maintain your squat weight at 225lbs, that would boost you to the novice category.

• Beginner

  Tips to progress:

  • Work on refining your form and technique.

  • Consistently add a small amount of weight to your workouts.

• Novice

  Tips to progress:

  • Ensure your technique is consistent.

  • Continue to add weight to your core exercises.

  • Aim to set new personal records (PRs) almost every workout with either weights, reps, or sets.

  • Keep training engaging by occasionally altering accessory exercises but remain consistent with core lifts.

  • Consider starting to use a set training program with progressive overload programmed into each week of training (like our 12-week Push/Pull/Leg training program for just $5 over on FS Premium here.)

• Intermediate

  Most lifters never make it out of the intermediate stage. It takes a bit more structure and planning to make it into the Advanced stage.

  Tips to progress:

  • As you notice strength gains slowing, it's time to switch from a linear approach. Implement different methods of periodization where you alternate between heavy and light days, targeting different adaptations.

  • Start to think about following a set training program that implements different methods of progressive overload. (like with our Advanced 12-Week Push/Pull/Leg or High-Frequency Full Body training programs here.)

  • Make sure your training intensity is high enough by lifting heavy enough weights for each set (working within 1-3 reps within failure each working set).

• Advanced

  Tips to progress:

  • To break from advanced to elite, you'll need specialized programming.

  • Address your specific weak points in different lifts.

  • Implement advanced strategies and consider hypertrophy training to build muscle mass, enhancing strength.

  • Consider a higher frequency training style like full body training to help increase your weekly training volume and is useful to break through strength and muscle gain plateaus. Our Full Body Training Program for advanced lifters is here for just $5/month.

• Elite

  Tips to progress:

  • To make it past this category, ensure optimal training which usually requires using an advanced level coach.

  • Incorporate specialization phases

  • And address weak points with precision.

Other common Strength Standards around the Internet ⬇️

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Here are the most popular strength standards on the internet today:

Mark Rippetoe’s Strength Standards - Best for non-powerlifters

Tim Henriques Strength Standards - Best for exercises outside of bench, squats, and deadlifts

USAPL Strength Standards - the USA Powerlifting League’s classification tables

---

How our calculation is different ⬇️

We see one main problem with most strength standards available today:

Your anatomy plays a massive role in how strong you’re able to get

Here are several examples:

First, it can be easier or harder to get stronger on certain exercises because of where your tendons attach to your bones.

→ If your quadriceps tendon attaches a few millimeters further away from your knee, it will improve the quadriceps leverage, which will allow you to lift more weight.

→ If it attaches a few millimeters closer to your knee, it decreases the quadriceps leverage, which will reduce the amount of weight you can lift

And although these anatomical differences are small, this could lead one person to lift up to 25% more than another even if they had the same exact amount of muscle mass

And the biggest one:

Since your bones act as these levers, short or long they are can massively affect how much you can lift

Especially when it comes to the distance traveled for the bar during an exercise

For example:

If you have two people with the same exact amount of muscle, but one has longer arms by just 2-inches compared to the other

And they both bench press the same weight for 10 reps…

The person with the longer arms has to move that weight a total of about 20 inches further than the other over just that set…

Meaning generally speaking, the taller you are, the longer limbs you will have

And the longer limbs you have, the more challenging most lifts are going to be

That’s why we took a combination of the best strength standards across the internet and combined them with height data to give you the most accurate look at your strength.

Muscle Gain Potential Calculator

(calculate your genetic potential for muscle growth)

Ever wonder how much muscle you can build naturally?

AKA how jacked can you get before taking steroids?

Decades of research have shown that your bone structure is the best determining factor for estimating how much muscle you’re able to naturally build over a lifetime.

Most men can naturally gain about 40 to 50 pounds, while women can gain about 20 to 25 pounds in their lifetimes (of pure lean muscle, not just weight).

Use our Muscle Gain Potential Calculator to see how close you are to your genetic potential for muscle building.

If you haven’t reached your genetic potential yet, it’s likely not because of:

Your testosterone levels

It’s not your crappy genetics

It’s probably your training program

While many people set out on their fitness journey with the intention of getting stronger and more muscular, they often find themselves hitting a plateau and falling short of their goals.

The answer usually lies in the absence of a structured training program.

A well-designed program is the difference between just working out, and training.

Just working out is where you often find yourself wandering aimlessly from one exercise to another, without any real direction. This lack of structure is the reason why most people don’t make it past the intermediate stage of lifting.

An intentional training program provides you with structure and an exact roadmap to exactly where you’re trying to go. You just have to follow the steps.

By having a program in place, you eliminate the guesswork and ensure that each workout is progressively overloading your muscle, getting you closer to your goal.

This means gradually increasing the demands placed upon your muscles with heavier weights, higher intensity, and greater challenges so you stimulate growth and maximize your potential for muscle hypertrophy.

Additionally, the right training program ensures that all major muscle groups are targeted, preventing imbalances and promoting a well-rounded physique. It covers a variety of exercises, including compound movements that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously and isolation exercises that target specific muscles.

A great place to start if you’re not currently following a program would be one of our FS Premium training programs, free to all Premium members (where it’s just $5 a month).

They combine scientifically proven training principles with practical guidance to ensure optimal results. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter, our programs can be tailored to your fitness level, ensuring that you progress at a pace that is appropriate for you.

You can check out our different programs, or sign up for FS Premium for just $5 here.

Sleep Toolkit

With how much positive feedback we got from one of our most popular episodes yet, Ep. 83 // How To Fix Your Sleep, we decided to make a full list of every tool, product, supplement, and practice we mentioned in the episode that can be used to help improve your sleep.

Keep in mind we take zero commission or are affiliated with any of the products we link below, we wanted to provide our favorite and most trusted products completely free of any bias or incentive. These are simply products that we have both used and loved, that are backed by significant peer-reviewed research, from companies whose ethics and quality are second to none.

Oura Ring

Hands down the best sleep tracker available if your goal is to improve your sleep.

The ring fits snug on your finger so sensors stay connected no matter how much movement is involved - where most wrist word devices can disconnect when there is slight bends in the wrist/forearm.

The Oura Ring tracks:

Sleep:

• Total Sleep: Measures the overall duration of your sleep.

• Sleep Efficiency: Calculates the percentage of time in bed you were in deeper stages of sleep

• Restfulness: Tracks how often you were awake or restless.

• REM Sleep, Deep Sleep, and Light Sleep: Provides durations and percentages of each sleep stage.

• Respiratory Rate: The number of breaths taken per minute, typically measured during sleep.

• Latency: Measures the time it took for you to fall asleep after getting into bed.

Readiness:

• Readiness Score: Aggregates various metrics to provide a daily score out of 100, indicating how prepared your body is to perform that day.

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Measures the variation between each heartbeat, a key metric for understanding stress, recovery, and overall cardiovascular health.

• Resting Heart Rate (RHR): Measures your average heart rate when you are still and relaxed.

• Body Temperature: Tracks changes in your body temperature during the night.

• Recovery Index: Measures the time it takes for your resting heart rate to stabilize during sleep.

• Previous Night, Sleep Balance, Activity Balance, and HRV Balance: Compare recent trends to longer-term averages.

Activity:

• Steps and Calories: Measures your daily steps and calorie burn.

• Activity Intensity: Tracks the amount of time spent at different activity levels.

• Daily Activity Target: Provides a personalized activity goal.

• Activity and Inactivity Alerts: Notifies you when you've been inactive for extended periods.

• Training Frequency, Training Volume, and Recovery Time: Metrics that help balance exercise with recovery.

We aren’t affiliated with Oura at all and take zero commission, but here is a $40 off link if you are looking to buy a ring.

The Whoop Band is our favorite wrist-worn device if Oura doesn’t fit your lifestyle)

Sunrise Alarm Clock

Do you often wake up feeling more exhausted than when you went to bed?

The stage of sleep you're in when you awaken could be the culprit.

Throughout the night, we cycle through different sleep stages:

• Awake: Natural breaks in sleep.

• Light Sleep: A transition phase guiding you into deeper sleep stages; it's easy to awaken from.

• Deep Sleep: A restorative phase where the body recuperates. Waking from this stage often results in grogginess. Here, the body's blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing decrease, while blood flow to muscles increases.

• REM Sleep: This is where you energize your mind and experience the most vivid dreams.

Even during deeper sleep, our subconscious remains alert to external surroundings, which is why disruptive environments can prevent us from reaching these crucial stages.

If your alarm interrupts deep sleep, it can leave you feeling extremely disoriented and groggy.

Enter the sunrise alarm clock:

Instead of jarring you awake, it mimics a natural sunrise, gradually illuminating your room over a 30-minute period. By the time your alarm sounds, your body has been gently transitioned from the depths of sleep to a more wakeful state, ensuring you start your day feeling refreshed and alert.

Ever woken up feeling like you've barely slept, despite clocking in a full 8 hours? Your breathing patterns might be to blame.

Throughout the night, our bodies require a consistent flow of oxygen to enter the deeper, restorative stages of sleep. For many, unrestricted nasal breathing can make all the difference.

Mouth Tape:

Breathing through the mouth during sleep can lead to dry mouth, snoring, and interrupted sleep cycles. Mouth tape is designed to encourage nasal breathing by gently keeping the mouth closed. This not only helps in optimizing oxygen intake but also supports a more natural, rhythmic breathing pattern conducive to deeper sleep.

Nasal Strips:

For those who struggle with nasal congestion or narrower nasal passages, nasal strips can be a game changer. Positioned externally at the base of the nose, these strips work by physically widening the nostrils. This can significantly enhance airflow, reduce nighttime awakenings due to breathing difficulties, and diminish snoring.

By ensuring steady and unobstructed airflow, both mouth tape and nasal strips can be key players in achieving a night of truly restful sleep. Give your body the oxygen it craves and wake up feeling genuinely refreshed and rejuvenated.

For this, we turned to our friends over at Examine.com with there most up to date complete research review Sleep Supplement Guide, where they reviewed all available data and research on any supplement that has been tied closely to improving sleep.

We have ranked supplements into two main categories for how well they may improve sleep:

Primary - which have the best safety-efficacy profile. When used responsibly, they are the supplements most likely to help and not cause side effects.

Secondary - that may provide substantial benefits, but only in the right context. A secondary option is not for everyone and not a first pick, but if you read the entry and find that you meet the criteria, consider adding the supplement to your combo.

Primary Sleep Supplements

L-theanine

The current evidence shows that supplementation with L-theanine might help reduce stress and anxiety which many experience later at night when trying to fall asleep. If you have a hard time getting your mind to stop racing as you try and fall asleep, this may help.

Lavender

Lavender can reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, have a calming effect on the mind, may also improve sleep quality, and alleviate insomnia, although more research is needed to determine the mechanism behind this effect.

Secondary Sleep Supplements

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is best known for its anti-anxiety and stress-relieving effects while also reducing cortisol. There’s also a growing body of evidence that supports the efficacy of ashwagandha for improving total sleep time and sleep quality in people with and without insomnia.

Melissa officinalis (lemon balm)

Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) is a herb that has traditionally been used for cognitive purposes, most of which are centered around improving cognition and reducing stress and anxiety. It is also said to calm the nerves and to relax the body.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Since your body produces this hormone on it’s own, there may be some negative drawbacks of using a supplement on a regular basis and there is potential to form a dependency (you won’t be able to sleep without it). We only recommend using melatonin when adjusting to time change, you need to go to bed earlier/later than normal, or on rare occasions rather than every night.

Does the chaos from the day leave your mind racing come bedtime? The secret to winding down might just be overhead.

As daylight fades, our bodies naturally produce melatonin, the "sleep hormone," signaling it's time to rest. However, the artificial overhead lighting in our homes can often disrupt this process. Bright lights in the evening can suppress melatonin production, tricking our brains into thinking it's still daytime, making falling asleep a challenge.

Enter Dimmable Lighting Fixtures & Dimmable Light Bulbs

• Adapt to the Night: With dimmable fixtures, you gain control over your environment. Gradually reducing brightness 2-3 hours before bedtime mimics the natural progression of sunset, setting the stage for a serene evening ambiance.

• Calm the Mind: Dimming lights can be the visual cue your brain needs to transition from the day's activities. As the intensity decreases, so does the stimulation, allowing your thoughts to calm and your body to prepare for rest.

• Promote Healthy Sleep: By regulating the amount of light exposure in the evening, you can better align with your body's internal clock and foster melatonin production. This not only helps you fall asleep faster but also ensures deeper, more restorative sleep.

Modern living doesn't mean forgoing nature's cues. With dimmable lighting fixtures, you can recreate the gentle descent into nighttime within your home, bridging the gap between our busy lives and the restful sleep we all deserve.

Ever felt that the slightest noise jerks you out of a dream? Sometimes even though you’re not even aware of it, the noise of our modern world can prevent you from falling into deeper stages of sleep each night.

Uninterrupted sleep is crucial, but external sounds, from street traffic to the neighbor's TV, can disrupt our slumber. Here's where two sleep companions step in: Earplugs and a White Noise Machine.

Earplugs:

• Block It All: These tiny tools work wonders by muffling intrusive sounds, allowing your mind to drift off into a deep sleep, uninfluenced by the external world.

• Custom Comfort: Modern earplugs are designed for comfort, molding to your ear's shape, ensuring they stay put without adding pressure.

White Noise Machine: Amazon Alexa Machine (our favorite/most cost-efficient)

• Consistent Ambiance: You can stream to your Alexa device straight from Spotify or Apple Music so instead of jarring noises, you have a consistent soothing backdrop. Whether it's the hum of a fan or the patter of rain, it drowns out the unpredictability of external disturbances.

• Our favorite Spotify Channel that provides 12-hour loops of any background noise you could think of, 12 Hour Sound Machines for Sleep here.

In a world that never seems to quiet down, reclaim your peace with earplugs and a white noise machine. Dive into a serene sleep cocoon, and let the chaos fade away. After all, restful sleep isn't just about closing our eyes, but also about quieting the world around us

Tossing and turning, even in the dead of night? The issue might not be your mattress, but what's outside your window.

Even when our eyes are closed, our bodies remain sensitive to light. Ambient light from street lamps, passing cars, or even the moon can penetrate through regular curtains, signaling to our brains that it's still "awake time." This can hinder our descent into the deep, rejuvenating stages of sleep we all need.

Enter Blackout Night Shades.

• Seal the Night: These shades are designed to block out nearly all external light, plunging your bedroom into complete darkness. It's a shield against the modern world's constant glow, ensuring the only brightness you see is the dawn's natural light.

• Deepen Your Sleep: In absolute darkness, your body can more readily engage in those deeper sleep stages – where true restoration happens. You'll not just sleep, but deeply rejuvenate.

• Harmonize With Nature: Before the advent of artificial light, our ancestors slept in tune with nature's rhythms. Blackout shades help you reclaim that natural balance, syncing your sleep-wake cycle with the world outside.

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary from the world's chaos, and it starts with controlling the light.

Turning your bedroom into a sanctuary goes beyond just aesthetics. With essential oils and a diffuser, you're not just decorating; you're curating an environment. Immerse your senses in a soothing aromatic embrace and let every evening be a journey into peace and calm.

I hope this description resonates with the tranquil essence of essential oils and diffusers in enhancing bedroom ambiance.

For those seeking solace in their bedrooms after a long day, Essential Oils and Diffusers can be the key to unlocking that oasis of tranquility.

Our favorite cost-effective diffuser on Amazon

And our favorite Essential Oil Sleep Blend so your bedroom is always associated with calmness and relaxation.

Why We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker

In the book "Why We Sleep," Dr. Matthew Walker delves into the transformative power of sleep, explaining its critical role in everything from our cognitive functions to our emotional well-being. Drawing from groundbreaking scientific research, he illuminates the health dangers of sleep deprivation and offers actionable advice for achieving better sleep. Essential for anyone seeking to understand and improve their sleep, the book underscores sleep's profound impact on our overall health, happiness, and longevity.

Free Calorie Calculator (TDEE calculator)

Need to know how many calories you should be eating to lose 1 pound a week?

How about 2 pounds per week?

Or maybe what your calorie intake should be to start a lean bulk?

Use our calorie calculator to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) - an estimate of how many calories you burn each day.

We then provide recommendations for how many calories to eat for your goal.

What is TDEE?

TDEE =

Total Daily Energy Expenditure

AKA where you burn calories in a day

And it’s made up of four parts:

1. Basal metabolic rate (BMR): Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest. The energy needed to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, your brain thinking, your temperature regulated, and just about every other non-concious bodily function that’s running 24/7. It accounts for about 70% of the total calories you burn in a day. This is the part that is subject to being suppressed with certain metabolic diseases (like Hypothyroidism which can down regulate the BMR by 5-15%).

2. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): NEAT is the number of calories you burn from any physical activity that isn’t formal exercise (the calories you burn going about daily activities, basically). This includes your daily step count, fidgeting, standing vs. sitting throughout the day, etc. Depending on the lifestyle this can either make up the smallest chunk, or the second largest and is one of the best sections to focus on for burning more calories throughout the day (but more on that later)

3. Thermic effect of food (TEF): TEF is the number of calories you burn by digesting food. Yeah, you burn the 3rd most calories per day just simply digesting the food you eat, pretty cool huh? On average, TEF can account for about 10-15% of your TDEE, but it can vary depending on the types of food you eat. For instance, protein has the highest TEF of all foods at around 20-30%, meaning if you eat 100 calories of protein, you burn 20-30 calories just digesting it. Where fats for example have a TEF of 0-3%, meaning if you eat 100 calories of fat, you only burn about 0-3 calories digesting it.

4. Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT): EAT is the number of calories you burn doing formal exercise. Shockingly, for most people, EAT is the smallest section and contributes about 5% to TDEE.

Why is this calculator different?

To calculate TDEE, you need to do two things:

1. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate/how many calories your body burns at complete rest)

2. And then based on your BMR, you estimate your TDEE by taking your activity level into account

Most calculators base BMR off 1 of 3 equations:

The Harris-Benedict Formula: (which is the oldest, and generally least accurate)

Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)

Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)

The Mifflin-St Jeor Formula: (which is generally more accurate than Harris-Benedict, but isn’t as accurate basing its estimate off of total body weight instead of lean body mass, and with recent research over the past decade confirming that age does not have any impact on overall metabolism)

Men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) + 5

Women: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) - 161

Or the Katch-McArdle Formula: (which is generally the most accurate with it based on lean body mass and not total body weight)

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean body mass in kg)

After you have BMR, the next step is usually quite simple…

You multiply that number based on one’s activity level.

Here is how that’s usually done:

Sedentary (little or no exercise):

TDEE = BMR x 1.2

Lightly Active (light exercise 1-3 days a week):

TDEE = BMR x 1.375

Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3-5 days a week):

TDEE = BMR x 1.55

Very Active (hard exercise 6-7 days a week):

TDEE = BMR x 1.725

Extra Active (very hard exercise or training twice a day):

TDEE = BMR x 1.9

And POOF! You have your TDEE!

But we aren’t the biggest fans of that method…

But our calculator has 2 main differences compared to others:

First,

We use the Katch-McArdle formula as a base to estimate BMR, but blend it with the gender part of the equation that Mifflin-St Jeor has.

We do this because even with all other information identical (lean body mass, total body size, age, etc.), there still seems to be a small difference in metabolic rate when comparing males to females.

And although most differences in male vs. female metabolism do in fact come down to the overall size of the frame and total lean body mass, it’s still worth taking into account the minor differences that are generally due to endocrine (or hormonal) differences.

And second,

It massively oversimplifies the remaining parts of your TDEE after calculating your BMR.

Here’s an example:

Person A:

Works out 7 days per week, but has a pretty sedentary lifestyle other than that and only gets about 3,000 steps per day.

Person B:

Works out 3 days per week, but has a very active lifestyle and usually ends up with 12,000+ steps per day.

With the basic equation other calculators use:

Person A would calculate to burn anywhere from 500-1,000+ more calories per day than Person B (assuming they have the same BMR)

This is because they combine your EAT (exercise) and NEAT (non-exercise activity) throughout the day like this:

But we know that how active your lifestyle is the 23 hours outside of the gym plays a much larger role than the 1-2 hours per day you spend in the gym.

So we adjusted our calculator to take both your exercise through the week and your non-exercise activity (measured in avg. daily step count) into account to give you a more accurate estimation like this:

But at the end of the day, even the best calculation is still just a calculation.

A calculation takes several metrics into account when in reality countless things influence how many calories you burn in a day (your sleep, hormone health, dietary intake, etc.)

But it’s a great place to start.

If you want to learn more about how to dial in your metabolism, and how to use TDEE in your dietary approach for losing fat, building lean muscle, or a combination of the two…

Listen to our podcast Episode 87: Understanding Your Metabolism and let us know if you have any questions afterward.

And if you want to optimize the training/exercise section of your metabolism, you can try out one of our advanced training programs that are free to all FS Premium members (which is just $5 a month to be a part of).

Free Protein Calculator

Use our free protein calculator below to learn how much protein you should eat on a daily basis to achieve your goals.

• Why is my protein goal higher for fat loss than it is for building muscle?

  Protein serves two main purposes when it comes to body composition change:

  Physiological

  & Lifestyle

  After a certain point, adding more protein to your diet won’t increase how much muscle you can build …

  But there are several important physical and psychological benefits that come from going past that point when your goal is weight loss, like:

  • Decreased hunger and cravings when eating in a calorie deficit

  • Less mood disturbances, stress, and fatigue during dieting phases

  • Increased metabolism (in the form of TEF)

  • And more muscle mass held onto during weight loss periods

  If you’ve ever gone through a successful dieting phase, you know how impactful these aspects can be

  Protein isn’t just for getting jack3d broh…

• How much protein can I absorb in one sitting?

  Have you heard you can only absorb 30g of protein at once?

  And the rest just gets 💩’d out?

  Good news is, that’s a myth.

  Let us explain.

  Absorption = Nutrients passing through the gut, then the intestinal wall, into the bloodstream, and circulation

  In this phenomenal review paper titled Digestion and Absorption - researchers concluded that “Virtually all ingested protein is absorbed by healthy humans.”

  Meaning we essentially have an unlimited capacity to absorb amino acids from the protein we eat.

  (i.e. you could eat 250g of protein, and virtually all of it would get absorbed)

  BUT this is where the confusion comes from…

  There is a ceiling of protein intake for increasing something called Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS - the process of producing new muscle protein)

  That ceiling seems to be between 20-40g+, but the exact amount depends on the overall size of the person, how much muscle they have, and how old they are

  But just because there is a ceiling on MPS, doesn’t mean that there’s a ceiling to how much you can use.

  There are a good amount of studies done inside the intermittent fasting community where individuals who eat their entire daily protein amount in 1-2 sittings see nearly identical progress to those who spread it out through the day

  When it comes to top-level physique athletes trying to maximize muscle growth and minimize muscle breakdown, protein timing can give you a slight edge

  But for the 99%+ of people who don’t compete:

  Stop worrying about the pebbles (protein timing throughout the day)

  And focus on the boulders (how much total protein you get in the day)

• That's a big number... How can I get that much protein in my diet?

  Below we left a list of all of the best protein sources. Find which one’s you like best and aim to structure each meal of the day around that.

  You can also listen to this podcast we recorded on all things protein.

• What happens if I eat more than my “Max Protein” goal?

  Think of your max protein goal as a soft guideline, not a prison. That number is calculated based on the max grams of protein that you would detect benefit (i.e. you likely won’t get anything else out of eating more than that.)

  But there’s nothing wrong with going over that number. Although it’s technically possible to gain excess fat from overeating protein (by consuming too many *total calories*, just like any macronutrient), it’s highly unlikely because of the satiating and metabolic effects protein has.

  If you love protein, feel free to eat more than that. Just know that weight gain or loss will always come down to total calorie intake, not just how much protein you’re consuming.

• Are protein shakes the same thing as food to help me hit my goal?

  Short answer:

  Yes

  Long answer:

  Kinda…

  Whey protein comes from dairy.

  More specifically:

  Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained.

  That is then dried into powder form to create… Whey protein.

  Whey protein isolate then just isolates away the protein from the carbs, fats, lactose, etc. that is left in dairy - so all you have left is the protein.

  And it’s actually the highest available source of protein humans can consume. It has the highest rate of absorption, has the largest effect on muscle protein synthesis, and it contains all 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein (unlike most plant sources)

  Since it’s isolated away from all of the extra calories that come from carbohydrates and fat, this makes it a HUGE help when it comes to hitting your protein goal. Especially when you’re in a calorie deficit.

  But here’s the thing:

  Although it is one of the best sources of protein you could consume…

  You shouldn’t live off of it.

  Your body requires a diverse range of nutrients other than protein…

  Nutrients that whole food sources contain. Like vitamins, minerals, fiber, and more.

  So although a protein supplement can be a big help, it’s still a supplement.

  Made to supplement your diet, not replace it.

  If you need some help hitting your goal:

  Here is our favorite Whey Protein Isolate supplement.

  (or if you eat a plant based diet, our favorite plant based protein made of a blend of pea and rice protein to give you the best amino acid profile of all plant sources)

Best sources of protein cheat sheet 🛒

Complete Protein Podcast Episode here ⬇️

Need a next-level training program to speed up your results? Try one of our advanced 12-week programs free to all FS Premium members here.

One-Rep Max Calculator

Calculate your max for any lift with this 1RM calculator.

What is a One-Rep Max?

One-Rep Max (or 1RM) is short for “one-repetition maximum.”

One-rep max is a strength standard used by weightlifters, bodybuilders, and powerlifters to determine the maximum amount of weight they can lift in a single repetition for a given exercise.

Tracking and knowing your one-rep max using a 1-rep max calculator is helpful because it allows you to monitor your strength progress (why it auto-calculates in our Training Programs that come with FS Premium).

If you’re one-rep max is increasing, your strength training program is working, and you’re gaining muscle and strength.

How do I test my One-Rep Max?

The further away you are from 1 repetition, the less accurate the 1-Rep Calculator is.

And just loading as much weight as you think you can do for 1 rep on the bar isn’t an effective, useful, or safe idea.

You can make much more progress and get just as an accurate answer by testing you 3-6 Rep Max and re-entering that data into the calculator.

Follow this 7-step process to find your most accurate 1-Rep Max estimate:

1. Choose the exercise you want to test your 1RM on (in this example, squats)

2. Enter the last Weight X Reps you did into the 1RM calculator above (ex. 135lbs X 8 Reps for squats)

3. Note what 90% of your one-rep max with this information (ex. 90% calculates out to about ~150lbs.) You’re going to use this as your starting point to test your repetition max next.

4. Go through a 5-10 minute warm up in the next workout you have squats, then load the bar with 90% of your one-rep max (ex. ~150lbs.) Make sure this is the first exercise you’re doing that day to get the most accurate results.)

5. Do as many reps as you can with that weight (90% of your 1RM), ending just one rep shy of technical failure (the point at which your form begins to break down) if you don’t have a spotter, or take it to technical failure if you do have a spotter.

6. Go back to the 1-Rep Max Calculator above and enter the numbers from your most recent bench press workout. 

• How do you calculate your 1RM based off of the weight x reps lifted?

  There are four common formulas to calculate One-Rep Max:

  1. Brzycki formula: Weight × (36 / (37 – number of reps))

  2. Epley formula: Weight × (1 + (0.0333 × number of reps))

  3. Lombardi formula: Weight × (number of reps ^ 0.1)

  4. O’Conner formula: Weight × (1 + (0.025 × number of reps))

  We use the Brzycki's formula because it tends to be more accurate in the lower repetition range (around 10 reps and under). Like many 1RM formulas, its accuracy can decrease as the repetition number increases.

• Why shouldn't I truly test my 1RM that often?

  The only real way to know how much weight you can lift for a single rep is to actually do it.

  A single rep as heavy as you can go.

  But that has a few drawbacks:

  1. To really test your true 1RM, you would need at least several weeks of training with lighter weights and lower training volumes than normal.

  2. Then, when you actually test your 1RM, you can’t be 100% confident the weight you’re putting on the bar is a weight you can actually complete (that’s why it’s called a test). And whenever you’re pushing too close to the edge, your form and technique likely break down and your risk of injury skyrocket.

  3. And lastly, a true 1RM test is going to have you fatigued for at least several days after you test.

  As you can see, simply testing your 1RM takes away weeks (if not months with an injury) from your actual programming. And your programming is what’s going to make you progress in the first place.

  That’s why it’s generally better to test your 3-6 Rep Max that you can easily work into your regularly scheduled program.