Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
4 Life updates AKA Dear Diary time
1. Affiliation with UPNA University
I've started a research program under exercise science legend Mikel Izquierdo (h-index almost 100) at UPNA University in Spain. Though I live in Portugal, I spend a lot of time in Spain because my girlfriend lives there.
We are (Mikel and I, not my girlfriend, although she's also a doctor) in the process of conducting a meta-analysis on the effect of carbohydrate intake on muscle growth and planning a randomized controlled trial on the same topic for next year in collaboration with Mike Robertson.
I've also received word that 2 more studies I was a part of will soon be published, so I'll cover those on my Instagram and YouTube as usual. Within 2 years I hope have 20 publications. Not bad I would say for someone who doesn't get paid to do research.
2. Social media
Speaking of my social media, things have gotten pretty crazy since I switched from Facebook to Instagram and YouTube. I read almost exclusively scientific papers, so I was pretty out of touch with social media.
That led to me posting into the void of Facebook's shrinking audience for some 5 years without gaining any exposure beyond the niche of hardcore evidence-based lifters. As soon as I switched to channels that people actually use, my subscriber count swelled to now over 225.000 on Instagram alone. YouTube is the one I started last, but it's my favorite already. The community here is much nicer than on the other socials IMO, probably due to long-form content weeding out most of the worst e-culprits.
It's been an odd experience for me. I thought the work I did that really mattered was my scientific research along with my courses and coaching, but now I'm primarily known for my social media. It's weird how differently people treat you when they know or realize you're popular on socials.
It's mostly positive, especially when I get approached in person, which now happens in pretty much every country and gym I go to. People are always super respectful and I don't mind saying hello and taking a pic. Yet online some people hate you de facto because you're an 'influencer' (a title I personally always abhorred). I guess this is what 'public figure' means: you're not a person anymore to many people. I can't imagine how it'll be in 10 years if things continue at this rate.
3. Arabic PT Course
The Henselmans Personal Training Certification Course is rapidly gaining recognition in many countries as the most comprehensive education for serious lifters. We had already expanded to Dutch, German, Spanish and French. Now we're expanding to Arabic. The course host will be Noureldin Saber. We had a lot of applications for the position and I think Nour will do an outstanding job.
4. Personal Development
We're launching a personal development course for serious lifters that aren't fitness professionals. I believe fitness is about much more than a good physique, so I'm going back to my roots in economics and psychology. I'll teach you not just how to get a great physique but also how to invest, how to find The One (no, not Neo: a romantic partner), how to decide where to live, what to do for your career and what makes people happy in life.
These are all topics I've researched extensively for my personal life for a long time, going back to when I was still a business consultant, because these are all big life decisions that everybody faces. Of course, I'll focus on what the science says about these topics, not just my personal experiences.
I'm most excited about the investing module. My own investments have majorly outperformed the S&P 500 and my investments now actually generate more income than my primary businesses. It turns out being unemotional and making data-driven decisions regardless of what other people are saying is much more useful in investing than in fitness.
That's probably why some of my peers ridiculed me for going into fitness in the first place, but fitness will always remain my passion. The nice thing about investing is that it's mostly about knowledge. The time requirement, after you've educated yourself, is minor. Most of my time still goes to reading scientific research.
All right, that's my Dear Diary for today!
- Menno
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For those interested in my personal life and career evolution, I went into these things in this interview on the Revive Stronger podcast.
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Had a great chat with Chris Williamson about a wide range of fitness topics on the Modern Wisdom podcast. I highly recommend Chris's podcast for anyone interested in self-improvement or intellectual conversations in general.
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New video on periodization with the majestic Mike Israetel on the RP channel!
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New video with Mike Israetel on the RP channel: how (not) to implement deloads in your training.
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Everything you need to know about protein - new video on the RP channel.
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New roundtable podcast with a deep deep dive into how much volume we need for maximum muscle growth.
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New video on the RP channel. Mike and I discuss the benefits of high-frequency and full-body training.
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New video on the RP channel: Dr. Mike Israetel and I discuss what the best tempo is for maximizing muscle growth.
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I was featured multiple times in this new video by Siim Land. It provides a pretty good big picture overview of what you need to do to build muscle. It's probably a bit basic for my core audience, but there's lots of value for beginners.
Coming up on my own channel: podcasts with Bret Contreras, Mike Israetel and Brad Schoenfeld, interspersed by my regular weekly content.
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Welcome! I'm an exercise scientist, author and founder of the Henselmans PT Certification. On this channel I provide you with evidence-based fitness information to master your physique.
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