a compilation of the best fitness links I’ve found on the internet (2015–present)
(this post is now also at https://alfredmacdonald.substack.com/p/a-compilation-of-the-best-fitness)
I originally compiled this for some friends and re-organized it for group I’m part of, but it occurred to me that this is useful to a broader segment of people, so here it is.
Nearly all of the links below (minus books) are free. If they are not 100% free, they have some better feature that you can pay for, but the basic service is free. I’m also only including resources that, in my view, have demonstrated their worth or that have scientific backing or both.
2020 COVID UPDATE
0. Beginner guides
These are either guides for people who will read the rest of this and have no idea what anyone is talking about or who don’t have much idea how to evaluate the significance of all of this information. In short, you should read this before reading anything else here.
The Best Fat Loss Article on the Motherfuckin’ Internet — worthy of its title, and probably the best first-click for most people interested in fat loss reading this.
Liam Rosen’s beginner guide to fitness — one of the best I’ve seen, covers the basics & misconceptions you probably have, more thorough than The Best Fat Loss Article on the Motherfuckin’ Internet but either is a good choice.
Fat loss for complete beginners by Derek Weida
- if you are unwilling to watch or read anything else here, but still have an interest in “losing weight” (which really means losing body fat) this video should suffice
/r/fitness FAQ same deal; lots of frequently asked questions you might have if you’re just starting out.
The Complete Strength Training Guide by Greg Nuckols. Probably overkill if you’re just starting, but inarguably good nonetheless.
Bodybuilding lingo because you will definitely hear some of this, at some point
Anatomy 101 series — a series by a kinesiology grad that analyzes how to train given muscle regions effectively: Biceps 101, Triceps 101, Deltoids 101, Back 101, Chest 101, Core 101, Glutes 101
For training volume recommendations, first read Training Volume Landmarks For Muscle Growth; after that refer to guides for Forearms, Biceps, Chest, Front Delts, Calves, Traps, Glutes, Triceps, Abs, and Back
Lastly: almost every guide I’ve seen on how to train forearms and calves is bad. For forearms this Athlean-X video is essential and this Jeremy Ethier video is worth supplementing. For calves, this Jon Meadows video is essential and this old Athlean-X video is worth supplementing.
1. General Exercise Science
Greg Nuckols (formerly strengtheory.com) — Nuckols is, in my view, the best fitness writer on the internet. Not only is he a world-record holder in natural (i.e. drug-tested) strength sports, he has a MS in exercise science and his thought process is extremely aligned with the scientific method and bias-reduction in making conclusions.
His books (authored with Omar Isuf) ask the question “what knowledge from exercise science, if learned 100%, would provide the most value per unit of knowledge?” and structures his books this way.
2. Bodybuilding
Menno Henselmans — formerly Bayesian Bodybuilding, Menno (also MS exercise science) takes a bodybuilding-oriented angle but, like Greg Nuckols, his approach is extremely in favor of bias-reduction and evidence-based conclusions. His facebook page, linked previously, is also worth visiting. (conflict of interest disclaimer: I hold a certification from his 2020 PT course.)
3. Literature Review
S&C Research — Strength and conditioning literature review. Some of it is free. A lot of these questions are argued about on bodybuilding forum and this settles a lot of disputes.
4. Body Recomposition / Fat Loss
Strength and Conditioning Research’s “Body Recomposition” — Lots of scientific information about losing body fat, how to do this correctly, and what is true/myth about weight loss.
5. Nutrition
Examine — Lots of supplements, nutrients, and workout methods are purported to do various things; this website examines the evidence and weights each claim according to what studies are available. It also addresses questions by guest authors. There are a lot of myths about fitness, such as “will lifting weights make my boobs smaller” (no, it will perk up breasts though) or “is roid rage real?” (it’s a myth, although people with low testosterone might experience higher aggression after going to normal or high levels) or “will lifting weights make me bulky” (not in a timeframe where you couldn’t decide to not be bulky if you wanted to) and this website answers all of them.
6. Pop-writing that’s simplified but still useful
T-Nation (various) and Plague of Strength (Jamie Lewis) — These websites are written with aggressive and occasionally even extremely condescending tones, but they’re done this way to loudly and forcefully counter pervasive myths in fitness / strength training / bodybuilding. For example, one of my favorite Jamie Lewis articles is about the use of accessories in bodybuilding, because a lot of people lean toward “simple” programs like StrongLifts that exclude or even look down on accessory work. This mentality is so pervasive that unless Plague of Strength was written as loudly as it is, it would not forcefully discredit this flawed mentality to the extent that it needs to
Historical / miscellaneous great links:
Ancient Workouts with Omar Isuf
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Historical Training Guide (Neckberg)
A History Lesson in Bodybuilding (David Robson via bodybuilding.com
Bodybuilding — A Complete History (Tiger Fitness)
Learn About Arthur “The Iron-Master” Saxon, A True Strength Visionary (Barbend)
Arthur Saxon: The Strongest Man of All Time (gymtalk)
Arthur, Oscar, and Arno Drink Beer and Lift Kettlebells: Fun with the Saxon Trio (simplex strong)
other Jamie Lewis articles I think are fantastic:
Natty Or Not? Not That Anyone Should Give Two Fucks: The History Of Performance Enhancing Substances (mirror)
Whatever You Think Your Genetic Limit Is, You’ve Been Lied To
Just How Badly Do You Want To Win? Not As Badly As Pete Grymkowski Did.
Literally Everything You’ve Ever Read About “Alphas” Is Bullshit
I’ll Be The Last One Standing Because I Train My Forearms
Science Is A Liar Sometimes… And This Is Why ‘Science-Based’ Natty ‘Experts’ Are The Strength World’s ISIS And Should Die Screaming (contains minor nudity)
It’s Time To Stop Mocking Indians For Their Clubbells #4- And You Thought Sumo Wrestlers Had A Fucked Up Diet (contains nudity)
7. Exercise programs
General — Fitness Wiki — As far as I am aware, there isn’t a more comprehensive list of hypertrophy programs anywhere else.
Program picker tool — Useful if you feel lost or know your goals but don’t know what program to pick.
Recommended: Push Pull Legs (PPL)
Unless you are a powerlifter or training for a specific sport (in which case, go to Powerlifting to Win’s list and find an appropriate program), Push Pull Legs (PPL) is ideal for a lot of people. I actually think PPL is the best cookie-cutter/premade program available, for several reasons. First, emphasizes all of the major compound lifts. (bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, etc.) Workouts that do not do this tend to have poor total body strength. Second, it structures accessories around those major lifts so that you don’t have weak points. Programs that only emphasize compound lifts will primarily grow the weakest muscles used on a lift. As such, this program is extremely hard to screw up.
PPL for intermediate-advanced:
I’ve used, with some success, a variation of PPL that’s compressed into two days then repeated 3–4x/week, similar to Bill Kazmaier’s routine.
8. Exercise video directories
For basic exercises, refer to bodybuilding.com and Scott Herman’s channel (barbell/dumbell, machines, bodyweight), as well as the extensive playlists at the bottom of this post.
If you’re looking up any sort of strength training or hypertrophy program you probably want to know *how* to do the exercise; this will cover most of the basics.
The ExRx exercise directory remains among the most comprehensive on the internet.
This bodyweight playlist and this infographic feature a list of bodyweight workouts, though I strongly suggest doing these kinds of exercises only after you understand the fundamentals of resistance training through a standard hypertrophy program and can identify what adequate resistance for muscle or strength growth would be. Otherwise, you could spend months wasting your time.
9. Exercise videos for compound lifts
Squat Guides
Juggernaut Training Systems (beginner): Basics of the Squat
Layne Norton (beginner): How To Squat: Layne Norton’s Squat Tutorial
Alan Thrall (beginner-intermediate):
- Untamed Strength: “How To” SQUAT — High bar/Low bar
- How low should you Squat? — Depth Rant
- High Bar Squat vs. Low Bar Squat
Chris Duffin (intermediate-advanced): How to Squat, With Chris Duffin
Juggernaut Training Systems (advanced): Squat Technique Pillars
Stronger By Science (advanced): How To Squat: The Definitive Guide
Deadlift Guides
Juggernaut Training Systems (advanced): Basics of the Deadlift
Candito (beginner): How To Deadlift With Proper Form
Buff Dudes (beginner): How to Perform the Deadlift — Proper Deadlift Technique & Form
Mark Rippetoe (beginner):
Elliot Hulse (intermediate):
- How to Rebuild Your Deadlift Properly
- Teaching the Deadlift on a First Timer
- How to Deadlift (the science of deadlifting)
Powerliftingtowin (intermediate-advanced): Deadlift Form: Conventional vs. Sumo, Rounded Back vs. Flat Back
Juggernaut Training Systems (advanced): Deadlift Technique Pillars
Stronger By Science (advanced): How To Deadlift: The Definitive Guide
Bench Press Guides
Juggernaut Training Systems (beginner): Basics of the Bench
StrongLifts (beginner): How To Bench Press With Proper Form (StrongLifts 5x5)
Buff Dudes (beginner): How to Perform Bench Press — Tutorial & Proper Form
Candito (beginner): How to Bench Press
Powerliftingtowin (interemediate): Bench Press Form: Wide Grip vs. Narrow, Flat vs. Arched
Juggernaut Training Systems (advanced): Bench Technique Pillars
Stronger By Science (advanced): How To Bench Press: The Definitive Guide
Miscellaneous Guides
Coach PJ Nestler’s Doing It Wrong series teaches you various exercises by telling you what not to do. I think this is a great way to learn and recommend every video.
Renaissance Periodization’s Technique Problems and How to Fix Them is excellent for similar reasons.
Basics of Weightlifting as well as Front Squat Technique Pillars, Snatch Technique Pillars, Jerk Technique Pillars, and Clean Technique Pillars by Juggernaut Training Systems.
The Zercher squat is, in my opinion, one of the best exercises due to its carryover with real-world activities. Megsquats has a good guide and Kabuki Strength has a good supplement.
One-handed Deadlift Tutorial by Atlaspowershrugged (channel linked below)
11 Old Strongman Exercises That Are Still Useful Today by Bull’s Strength and Old Time Strongman Training Techniques by The Bioneer.
10. YouTube channels:
Omar Isuf — if you are new, it’s good to start with is Omar Isuf. He’s wrong or misleading rarely, but he’s right about so many other things that you’ll gain overwhelmingly good knowledge.
Kneesovertoesguy — fantastic for technique and plyometrics
Athlean-X and Jeremy Ethier have eternally useful exercise tutorials (playlists at the end of this article, also)
Atlaspowershrugged — for the lost but important art of old and odd exercises
Clarence Kennedy is a primarily olympic vegan lifter whose content is great in general but also has the best video I’ve ever seen on the problems with anti-doping policy
Brosciencelife is a hilarious take on fitness culture, though not necessarily informative. Gym Idiots (via Elgintensity) is a humorous take on what not to do.
Jujimufu, Eric Bugenhagen, and Kyriakos Grizzly — entertaining, hilarious and inspiring in that order
Eddie Hall, Larry Wheels, and Rob Oberst are entertaining strength athletes at the top of their field
Also, not a channel — but if you’re into this sort of thing, How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift is an anime that is a blast to watch, motivating, hilarious, and only about ten episodes.
11. Training for Women
Bret Contreras — Bret Contreras helped compile the Strength & Conditioning literature review I linked earlier. He also has a lot of female clients who seek him out because he’s very good at increasing lower body mass, especially butt size. As such, he has a lot of good advice on training for women in general; his knowledge is some of the best on this subject.
In general, human physiology responds in mostly universal ways in response to exercise. Some exceptions are outlined in Henselmans’s 9 Reasons why women should not train like men and Jeff Nippard’s gender differences in training interview.
12. Discussion Forums
Advanced Fitness — Most discussion forums about fitness are extremely unreliable, for a lot of reasons. A lot of people shift discussions toward what they want to hear, rather than what is reliable or true information. This is the only forum I’ve seen that does this consistently. (note: this was true in 2016, but may not be now, as I don’t use reddit anymore.)
13. Miscellaneous tools
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator (I prefer this one)
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) / macronutrient calculator
Strength Standards calculators
Strength Level — open lifting standards + calculator
Strength Symmetry calculator (determines weak areas)
Maximum muscular potential estimator
Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) calculator
14. Tables / standards
Bench press percentiles (general population, in pounds, absolute / not relative to bodyweight)
Strength Standards (for the lifting population)
Strength (1RM) norms for various populations (children, female athletes, male athletes, high school football, D1 football, NFL) — pages 33–39 are where the data is
Visual body fat chart (inaccurate, but still useful)
15. Performance-enhancing drugs
Intermittent Thoughts on Muscle Building — the best introduction to how hormones guide muscle building that I’ve ever seen. It’s a 7-part series but it’s worth it.
The Science of Steroids and Steroids for Strength Sports — some of the best public writing available as an introduction to anabolic PEDs.
William Llewellyn — among the most reputable authority on anabolics, who has authored 10 editions of his 800-page tome “Anabolics.” His website is extremely comprehensive, and addresses the vast majority of what anyone would need to know. It’s also evident from his non-bodybuilder physique that, if he has ever used anabolic steroids, his usage is minimal and his interest in these drugs is scholastic, not personal.
Wiki — Starts with an FAQ; the “quick links” section is the most valuable here. In my view, overstates certain kinds of risks: first, blast and cruise creates the same gonadotropic shutdown effect as hormonal birth control because it *is* a form of birth control, so it shouldn’t effect long-term fertility any more than hormonal birth control does; second, premature growth plate closure is probably not much of a risk at 19, although I largely agree with the wiki’s age recommendation of 21+; third, virilization in women, if it happens at all, should be able to be avoided by merely stopping use of the hormone once it’s noticed, and I’ve read conflicting things about the permanence of various virilizing side-effects — for example, at this study — however “Miss Muscle” at is probably worth taking at face value. All this aside, it’s good to be conservative with this sort of thing unless you have done extensive research yourself.
Other good sources are MorePlatesMoreDates, Anabolic Doc, and Evil Geniuses (some which requires a membership).
A couple of writeups I’ve made that comprise about 80+ sources total; these are biased but will help you understand the functions of testosterone better -
* Testosterone as male birth control / how hormonal birth control works (again, disclaimer: I wrote this)
* How oral birth control pills may have screwed women’s testosterone levels for 40+ years and contributed to enormous societal problems (again, disclaimer: I also wrote this)
16. Protein powder & training equipment
II. True Nutrition bulk orders
III. Iron Mind (grip training tools)
IV. Rogue Fitness
VI. REP Fitness
VII. American Barbell
VIII. Fringe Sport
IX. Jujimufu (smelling salts, how-to books)
X. Grip Genie (grip training tools)
XI. Sports Grips (portable grip tools)
17. Books
The Art of Lifting / Science of Lifting (ebook) by Greg Nuckols — an excellent beginner book
The NSCA’s strength training text — in my view, one of the best for the general population
Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy — Schoenfeld’s work is the gold standard in the field
MAX Muscle Plan 2.0 — also by Schoenfeld, the most scientifically-informed book of this kind
Science of Self Control — by Menno Henselmans, useful for those who have issues with dietary adherence or productivity
Exercise Physiology — exercise physiology is most high-value, relative to time spent, subject area in exercise science. If you want to understand the principles underlying most of this information, reading an exercise physiology textbook will help you a lot.
18. Social Media
Relevant/high-value facebook pages (as of 2020):
Menno Henselmans (MennoHenselmans.com)
Stronger by Science (formerly strengtheory.com)
SuppVersity (suppversity.com)
Instagram (you can imagine why the fitness industry would concentrate here):
Jamie Lewis / plagueofstrength
The Strategy of Fitness Podcast
Jens „Taurus“ Schauberger / jens.macht.sich.stabil
Tony Sentmanat (aka realworld_tactical / Marcus “Lerch” Ortega)
redundant with above, but: Jujimufu / Brad Schoenfeld / Menno Henselmans / Bret Contreras / Stronger By Science / Greg Nuckols
19. Curated playlists
These are compilations I’ve made of highly informative YouTube fitness links, primarily focused on principles, exercise selection, and technique. Every playlist here I’ve made for myself, except the first one.
I. The most useful Renaissance Periodization videos. (READ: this is the only playlist here I’ve made just for other people, every other playlist was chiefly made for me.)
II. Renaissance Periodization (info-centric)
III. RP (technique)
IV. RP (exercises)
V. athlean X all curated videos
VI. athlean X exercises / exercise selection only
VII. athlean X fixes/principles/form only
VIII. jeremy ethier curated videos
IX. john meadows curated videos
X. jeff nippard curated videos
XII. home workouts — no/minimal equipment, covers all major muscle groups
XIII. an unstructured collection of form / technique videos
XV. useful videos / talks by MorePlatesMoreDates, a writer/YouTuber/researcher famous for arcane knowledge about hormones and performance enhancements. here I focused on content that is difficult to find elsewhere, or most unique to his channel.
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This is enough reading/watching that you could spend weeks or even months going through. I severely doubt anyone will. But if you even substantially involve yourself with 25% of this material, you will know a *lot*.
