How We Build
The Base

The Science Base exists to translate exercise and nutrition research into practical guidance you can actually use. Whenever possible, we look at the overall body of evidence rather than leaning on any single study. Individual studies can be limited, contradicted, or misread — patterns across many of them are far more reliable. When the evidence is genuinely unsettled, we say so instead of picking a side for the sake of it.

We draw on peer-reviewed scientific literature, with different kinds of evidence carrying different weight:

• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses — structured summaries of many studies, usually our strongest starting point.
• Controlled trials — studies that directly test an intervention, valuable when reviews are unavailable.
• Position stands and consensus statements — expert bodies weighing the evidence as a whole.
• Other peer-reviewed research — individual papers and mechanistic work, used as supporting context.

Research findings and practical recommendations are related, but they aren't the same thing. In building our guidance we:

• Separate what research shows from what we suggest you do about it.
• Consider study quality, limitations, conflicting findings, and how well results apply to real training.
• Avoid presenting uncertain or context-dependent recommendations as proven "optimal" values.
• Update guidance as the evidence develops.

When you see these phrases across the site, they mean:

• Evidence-Supported: the overall body of research consistently points in the same direction.
• Mixed / Emerging: research exists but findings conflict, or evidence is still too limited to be confident.
• Practical Guideline: a reasonable default for real-world use, not a hard rule or a proven optimal value.