Almost everybody has felt the consequences of pushing heavy weights. That raises an obvious question: Is there an alternative? According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the answer is yes.

When asked how he found a balance between heavy lifting and injuries during his prime, Arnold explained that there was actually no balance at all.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as, like, you know, if you want to compete and if you want to be the best in the world, then you can forget about that,” said Arnold Schwarzenegger in his conversation with Men’s Health last October.

‘Arnie’ underscored that getting into the best shape possible requires lifting as heavy as possible, though it comes at a cost: “There could be some side effects of that, that you later on will have to get some of those parts replaced, or operated on, or fixed in one way or the other.”

But does he regret lifting so heavy that it led to multiple injuries during his peak, including a hip replacement? The answer is a straight no, “And, uh, but I would not go back now and say, “Oh, I shouldn’t have squatted that much. I shouldn’t have deadlifted that much, or anything like that.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Thoughts on His Injuries

During the same conversation, ‘Arnie’ said that the hip replacement he underwent in 2002 was the most painful of all, but it ultimately helped him in the latter half of his life.

“If it is a shoulder replacement or hip replacement, I remember when I got my hip replaced, I was working out again in no time. And that very same winter, I was skiing again. So, uh the the idea is that you fix whatever the problem is, so you can go back to your regular life and um enjoy your life,” said Arnold.

Open-heart surgery, valve replacement, joint issues, and a hip replacement, Arnold Schwarzenegger has undergone many medical procedures in his life, but each time, he has come out stronger.

‘Proffee,’ or you could say protein coffee, has found its way from the TikTok videos to the kitchen countertop of many individuals. So, what is it?

What Protein Coffee Really Is

To be very clear, a protein coffee is just black coffee with one or two scoops of protein powder.

The goal is simple: get the caffeine as well as the protein in one beverage rather than two. This trend has been popular among busy individuals. That’s not all, many fitness enthusiasts also found this practise to be more economical.

Hard Facts: What It Can Do

“Protein also charges up your metabolism to burn more calories,” says registered dietitian Kate Patton. In layman’s terms, protein slows down the digestion in such a manner that you get the feeling of fullness. Patton believes that adding coffee to the protein can significantly reduce hunger and help cut the calories.

If you usually add cream to your coffee, protein can be a better substitute. It not only tastes good but also provides more beneficial nutrients with fewer calories.

A protein coffee can function as a quasi–meal replacement. Not only does it provide a quick energy boost, but it also offers enough satiety to keep you going for hours without needing another meal.

However, even if the protein coffee keeps you full throughout the day, it should not be a substitute for whole foods.

The Side You Must Know

“Whole foods provide more nutrients. So, while there’s a place for protein powder and protein shakes, they’re not the same as eating healthy food high in protein,” said Patton.

You might get proteins from the beverage, but it still lacks vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients necessary for the body.

Another important factor is the quality of protein you are consuming. A low-quality protein can include artificial sweeteners and additives that can reduce the nutritional value of the beverage.

Caitlin Clark’s breakfast

According to Hannah Beir, producer of Full Court Press, who voluntarily provided breakfast to Caitlin Clark in 2024, her breakfast mostly included fast-food-style foods. For instance, egg, fast food-style bacon, and cheese breakfast sandwiches.

Another item in her breakfast was customized coffee. That coffee sometimes comes with an iced macchiato and vanilla sweet cream cold foam.

Foods that give her energy

Caitlin Clark fuels up with carbohydrates before games. Again, at half-time, she has snacks to keep her energy levels high for the rest of the game.

After her first professional match, Caitlin Clark was seen eating Honey Stinger Energy Chews. It is a fruit-flavored candy nugget. The nuggets provide vitamin C and carbs in the form of sugar.

Post-game dinner preference

After every game, whether it was her college basketball games or WNBA matches, Caitlin Clark needs something to replenish her energy.

In a Hawk Central YouTube video, she revealed her favorite post-game meal.

Caitlin Clark’s favorite post-game foods are “Chicken parm, pasta, and a big glass of chocolate milk”.

When she played for Iowa, she was served with warm chocolate chip cookies baked by her mom. It helps her to manage her sugar intake after a game.

Her affection for Hy-Vee

In 2022, in a YouTube video, the Indiana Fever star revealed her affection for Hy-Vee’s food and baked goods.

She said, “You can’t go wrong with any sort of Hai Chai. My favorite’s definitely broccoli beef, that’s what I get”.

She also prefers to eat egg rolls. Caitlin Clark said, “You definitely cannot go wrong with an egg roll”. She also prefers Chinese appetizers, such as crab rangoon.

For crunching, she prefers frosted flakes made from barley and corn.

Caitlin Clark’s comfort food

According to Forbes, she has “so many” comfort foods.

She said, “That’s so tough. I would probably go with roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. I’m obviously from the Midwest. It’s such a Midwest answer. But that feels like a true home-cooked comfort food meal. But my favorite place to eat is Smash Burgers. Cheeseburgers. I’m always on the lookout for a good cheeseburger.”

So it’s safe to say that Caitlin Clark doesn’t adhere to a super strict diet. Instead, she uses flexible eating in combination with her training to put up record-setting stats.

Your step count doesn’t just tell you about how many calories you burned throughout the day. How many steps you can climb in a minute can be a window into your cardiac health.

Cardiologist Dr. Arnold Meshkov, from Philadelphia, uses the “step test” to assess his patients’ heart health because it involves walking up and down steps, which exerts significant pressure on the heart.

Research published in the journal ‘Revista Española de Cardiología’ included 165 individuals who were suffering from coronary artery disease, such as shortness of breath during physical activity and chest pain, has backed up Meshkov’s method.

The study includes a test of walking up four flights of stairs, which equals 60 steps in under a minute. The researchers then checked that data in metabolic equivalents (METs), which indicate the energy expenditure during the activity.

Dr. Arnold Meshkov explained, “The amount of oxygen the heart uses depends on the heart rate and the blood pressure, so the MET level has been used to determine the risk of a cardiac event in the next 10 years.”

This study found that those who passed the test in under 45 seconds also passed nine to ten METs. A study by the Mayo Clinic showed that achieving 10 METS is associated with a lower risk of early death. On the contrary, those who passed the test in 1.5 minutes passed a maximum of 8 METs, which showed a higher risk of early death. 

In 2019, Jesús Peteiro’s research involved 12,615 individuals testing 3 to 4 flights of stairs. This study revealed that those who were late to complete the task had almost 3x the death rate from heart disease in 5 years. 

You might be thinking, ‘Why only the stair test?

Another cardiologist and founder of Upper East Side Cardiology, Satjit Bhusri, answered that question. “When exercising on an incline, your heart rate will be much higher than if you were working out on a level surface. Your heart is working harder and becomes stronger,” he said.

Yet, while climbing 60 steps within 60 seconds may give you a surprising amount of insight into your heart health, one question remains.

How Do You Enhance Overall Heart Health?

According to the American Heart Association, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise, such as walking, can significantly improve lung function. Or indulging in 75 minutes of high-intensity activity, such as dance, will strengthen the heart. 

A study by Zimin Song showed that walking 50 stairs daily reduces the risk of blood clotting, stroke, and heart attack by almost 20 percent. Meanwhile, Harvard Health Publishing noted that regular climbing enhances mobility, stamina, strength, and overall cardiovascular fitness. 

So will you give this test a try on your own? Tell us in the comments.

The expo, which took place on 10-11 January 2026 at the LA Convention Center, welcomed Sam Sulek, who expressed that even a video with a million views doesn’t compare “vs. these thousands of people just showing up. It’s nuts!” Sulek, who had a massive queue in front of his booth, said on January 11.

Talking about that expo, the host described the event as “kind of like the heart of the fitness industry” and asked Sam Sulek to shed some light on the diversity of the fitness community.

“I mean, right behind us, we’ve got MMA. We’ve got UFC kind of stuff. We’ve got full-on bodybuilding competitions going on next to us,” and Sam Sulek believes it’s this diversity that is helping drive the popularity of fitness.

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“It’s so ubiquitous in the gym, because you don’t have to be training for the same thing to enjoy training next to people, right? Like it’s called parallel play when you do the same thing that someone else is doing… Across the board, everyone in this expo is a little more amped about the gym, guaranteed,” added Sulek.

Besides interacting with the community at the Fit Expo, Sam Sulek is preparing for the Arnold Classic 2026 and even teased fans with an early look.

Sam Sulek at the NPC Musclecontest Challenge

The 23-year-old who proved himself in 2025 after winning his debut NPC Legends Classic on February 15, 2025, guest posed at the NPC Musclecontest Challenge and gave his fans an early look at his physique well ahead of the Arnold Classic.

He joined overall champion Charlie Geffroy on the stage, who shared an image of him with Sulek.

“You are a class athlete and incredible representative for this sport. Can’t thank you enough for making this moment even more memorable. You deserve all your success,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Sam Sulek showed off his impressive physique, looking shredded despite still technically being in the off-season.

In this post, Jackman shared images of his 6 boxes of meals, highlighting the calories in each.

• Black bass: 2000 calories.
• Two chicken burgers: 2000 calories.
• Patagonia salmon: 2100 calories.
• Two grass-fed sirloins: 2200 calories.

Hugh Jackman also shared on “The Late Show” that he was slowly getting used to eating 6000 calories a day. Before his role as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman was working in a Broadway musical called The Music Man, so naturally, making the calorie jump took some time.

“I’m building up. I’m on about 4,500-5,000 calories at the moment,” Jackman said on the January 2023 episode.

He also added, “I wore a heart rate monitor [for ‘The Music Man’] because my trainer said, I need to know what I’m working with here, because I’m trying to bulk you up. I burned 1,500 calories in the show, eight times a week. So she goes: ‘Oh, you gotta eat.’ So I was eating 4,500 calories a day. It was not pretty. Now I’m just eating and training.”

Hugh Jackman also revealed that he prepared for the role of Wolverine the old-school way. The 57-year-old admitted he was devouring chicken to meet his lean protein needs.

“I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally, the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble,” he joked.

However, there was a good reason behind Jackman’s extremely high-calorie diet while preparing for Deadpool 3.

Huge Jackman Didn’t Have Much Time

The 57-year-old combined his 6000-calorie diet with an equally tough workout regimen.

The actor shared he was pressed for time during an interview on  HBO Max’s Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace in 2023. “So, we have six months from when I finish (Broadway’s The Music Man) to when I started filming. And I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months.”

During the cut phase, he engaged in cardio and intense weight training. The primary focus of the actor’s workout was weight training, utilizing progressive overload. Exercises such as weighted pull-ups, barbell bench press, back squat, and deadlifts were prominent in his workout. His cardio involves a rowing machine.

Huge Jackman shared a post on Instagram, where he regularly performed pyramid training on the rowing machine, with sets ranging from 400 to 2000 meters. And all that work paid off as Jackman absolutely looked the part when Deadpool 3 released in 2024.

Their analysis focuses on protein intake before sleep and indicates that, at best, the effect may be marginal. So what does the evidence actually show? Let’s break it down.

What does the research say?

A study conducted by J Sci Med Sport in 2021 showed that taking 20-40 grams of Caesin 30 minutes before bedtime can be very effective for muscle protein synthesis in a night’s sleep, or muscle recovery.

Another study published on PubMed back in 2023 states, “Protein ingestion prior to sleep increases both mitochondrial and myofibrillar protein synthesis rates during overnight recovery from exercise.”

The study concluded that consuming 45 grams of whey protein right before bed, immediately after evening exercise, would support a large peak in blood amino levels, thus aiding recovery.

The Effects on Body

Protein consumed late in the day is digested and absorbed by the body during sleep, with amino acids distributed into the bloodstream.

Let’s take an example: while you rest, the whey you consume works more effectively for recovery. Why? The simple answer is a lack of muscle activity. This helps conserve energy, which in turn allows for better repair and recovery.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition asserts the same, as it states: “Protein ingestion before sleep represents an effective dietary strategy to augment muscle mass and strength gains during resistance exercise training in young men.”

Now, this raises an important question: will consuming protein before bed affect your sleep?

Well, the answer is a big-fat no. No study or research paper shows any indication that protein intake before bedtime amounts to bad sleep.

Tips

• Aim to have 20-40 grams of protein before bedtime
• Make sure to keep the intake light
• Remember, the most important factor is how much protein you consume.

What is your best protein trick? Share your favorite tips and tricks in the comments.

Just a day ago, Coleman put out a post on Instagram captioned, “New Year, New Goals!! This year, my goal is to get back to full strength in the gym after my recent Sepsis and truly focus on getting back on my feet and walking. You can do anything you put your mind to, and I’m dedicated to my recovery this year…Yeah Buddy!!”

It was a video of Coleman doing leg-presses, and while the weights weren’t as heavy as Coleman fans are used to seeing, it was still a big step-up.

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What’s even more impressive is that this is just the latest step in his recovery from sepsis. In June 2025, he was admitted to the hospital. And after some days of battle, on 11th July 2025, Ronnie Coleman’s family revealed that he was being treated for sepsis and underwent a successful invasive heart procedure.

Just a week after leaving the hospital, he started working out again. In September, while weight lifting with light weights, he posted on instagram “Slowly getting back into training since my Sepsis attack. Yeah, Buddy, now when I say Lightweight Baby…. it is Lightweight for real.”

Just a few months later, in November, Coleman promised to get back to a more intense workout in 2026. “This has been the longest I’ve ever been without being able to work out, so you know your boy is itching to make some gains back… Yeah, Buddy!”

Now, Ronnie Coleman’s Battle Isn’t Just About Working Out Again

While recovering from the procedure, Ronnie Coleman decided to keep fighting against sepsis.

“This is the toughest battle of my life. But I’m not just fighting for myself. I’m using my voice to help others learn the warning signs of sepsis before it’s too late. If we can save even one life through this campaign, it’s all worth it.”

This was his message to his fans and the bodybuilding community when he launched the Ronnie String Campaign. This campaign launched limited-edition merchandise and an official website, with 50 percent of income donated to Sepsis Alliance, an NGO working to save lives through advocacy and sepsis education.

Even the official Instagram account of Sepsis Alliance said, “Wishing you all the best in recovery. Thank you for helping raise awareness!”

Speaking on the podcast, Cutler revealed that back in 2009, while traveling across the world, he found himself surrounded by opportunity, “I met with Stan Lee, who, you know, created every— all these characters.”

That wasn’t all. He was even offered the Hercules role that ultimately went to Dwayne Johnson.

“I actually got the Hercules film that The Rock did that they were going to finance. You know, it was going to be like Lionsgate was going to actually take control of that film, and, like, I had all these opportunities,” said Cutler.

2009 really paid off as he dethroned Dexter Jackson to win his third Mr. Olympia title. It was a moment of revenge, considering Jackson had taken the crown from him in 2008, making him one of the two bodybuilders to lose the title and later reclaim it. And if you are wondering, the other name is Derek Lunsford.

Turning down a Hollywood offer takes guts. But does he regret it?

Hollywood was not for Jay Cutler

Those movie opportunities could have earned him significant money, but for Cutler, building his legacy mattered far more at the time. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cutler admitted that acting simply wasn’t for him.

“You know the movie things, I wasn’t the guy that was gonna go try out for parts, I mean, that’s the thing if they approached me…you don’t really get that in Hollywood,” said Cutler.

Despite the opportunity cost, Jay Cutler believes that focusing on his career was far more worthwhile than pursuing those opportunities.

Do you agree? What role would you have liked to see the Bodybuilding icon in?

Netflix Sports recently dropped a one-on-one conversation featuring Amon-Ra, where he revealed his father’s background: “My dad was a two-time Mr. Universe, three-time Mr. World bodybuilder.”

The camera then panned to his father working out in a gym as he said, “I know I’m a father, but I’m freaking Mr. Universe two times. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to this stuff here.”

Despite his talent, John wanted his boy to remain disciplined. John entered the bodybuilding scene as a teenager back in 1975. Soon after that, he captured the Mr. Los Angeles title in 1977 and won the NABBA Mr. Universe in 1981 and 1982.

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Standing at 6’1”, weighing 250 pounds, he competed in 12 IFBB pro shows, including the 1985 Mr Olympia, but despite his lean physique, he never placed above eighth.

Always a disciplined man, he taught whatever he could to Amon. Interestingly, the wide receiver recalled a story from his childhood about a game that went badly for him.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Narrates The Story of John’s approach

When a match went badly for him, his father was deeply involved in the teaching process. His opponent caught everything thrown his way. After the game, John approached the other kid’s father and asked him what the secret was.

“My dad goes up to his dad, you know, being the guy he is, and asks his dad, what do you guys do? ‘” said Amon Ra.

He further added,” Like, your son’s having a really good, and he goes, you know, we have a jug machine, and we catch 200 balls a day. And so he got the jug machine, and he’s like, if he’s gonna catch 200, we gotta catch 202. Like, we gotta be better than him.”

After that endeavor, Amon-Ra’s training completely changed. After his workout sessions, he would catch hundreds of throws. No wonder it shaped him into what he is today.

Are you a fan? What is your favorite Amon-Ra St. Brown moment?