Always Adaptive

Randall

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Dive into trending health and fitness topics with Evidence Based Coach, Randall James. Having a background in many different exercise modalities, he looks at all exercise through the lens of health AND performance and so provides a unique perspective that's hard to find elsewhere.

5 DAYS AGO

Is Creatine ACTUALLY a Brain Boosting Supplement?

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in fitness, but its effects on brain health and cognition are often oversimplified. In this episode, I break down the actual human research on creatine and cognitive performance, separating the idea of “brain boosting” from what the data really show. We walk through randomized controlled trials examining creatine under sleep deprivation, hypoxia, mental fatigue, aging populations, and healthy young adults, looking closely at where benefits appear, where they don’t, and why the effects seem to be task-specific and stress-dependent rather than universal. I also share my own personal experimentation with higher-dose creatine during periods of poor sleep and how it’s affected my cognition, mood, and training performance. The goal isn’t hype or dismissal, but an honest look at where creatine may help, where it likely doesn’t, and why individual response matters. If you’ve heard claims that creatine “boosts the brain” or that it does nothing at all, this episode lays out the full evidence-based picture. Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

16 min
19 JAN

Trumps New HHS Has Flipped the Food Pyramid Upside Down!

The new HHS dietary guidelines have sparked controversy, especially after the release of the new inverted food pyramid under Donald Trump’s administration, with RFK Jr. playing a pivotal role in shaping the conversation around food, health, and chronic disease. In this video I give some of my thoughts, good and bad, on these new HHS guidelines. We’ll look at protein recommendations, fat intake, saturated fat limits, dairy guidance, added sugars and how someone can follow the pyramid visually while still overshooting calories and fat targets without realizing it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

16 min
14 JAN

Clean Eating vs Calorie Counting: Responding to Comments

In this video, I respond directly to a commenter debating clean eating vs calorie counting, and why this argument keeps coming up in the first place. Using human and animal research on food deprivation, restraint, and cravings, I break down what actually happens when you try to eat “perfectly” versus using calories as a flexible tool. We’ll look at studies on chocolate, carbohydrate restriction, protein restriction, and intermittent access models that help explain binge eating, cravings, and loss of control. The goal here is clarity, not dogma. Calories, macros, clean eating, keto, fasting, none of them are universally right or wrong. The question is which approaches are sustainable long term without creating a cycle of restriction, cravings, and binging. Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

13 min
7 JAN

Is Heavy Resistance Training Superior for Tendon Adaptation?

Is heavy resistance training really better for tendon adaptation, or is strength training being oversold as a way to “target” connective tissue? In this video, I break down what the research actually shows about tendon adaptation in response to resistance training and strength training. We look at whether tendons remodel differently with heavy vs light loads, what targeting connective tissue really means, and why many claims go beyond what the data can support. I walk through a large meta-analysis on human tendon adaptation, explaining changes in tendon stiffness, Young’s modulus, and cross-sectional area, and why material quality matters more than tendon size alone. We also dig into subgroup analyses comparing high- and low-intensity loading, different contraction types, and training duration and I give my take at the end. Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

16 min
31/12/2025

Practical New Year’s Resolution Tips for Long Term Fitness Success

Every New Year, the same thing happens. Motivation is high, plans are ambitious, and by the second week of January most New Year’s resolutions are already falling apart. In this video, I break down how to approach your New Year’s fitness resolution in a way that actually holds up long term. Not “New year new me” extremes, not daily challenges that burn you out, and not biohacks that distract you from the real work. Instead, we talk about simple, sustainable strategies that help you avoid injury, manage soreness, and build real momentum through personal development. You’ll learn: • Why doing the same workout every day is one of the fastest ways to quit • Why most New Year’s resolution ideas fail and how to avoid decision fatigue • How to think about your “why” so it actually keeps you consistent • What progress really looks like when social media comparisons are stripped away If you have ever asked yourself how to actually keep your New Year’s resolution, how to stick to a New Year’s resolution, or specifically how to stick to your New Year’s fitness resolution, this video is for you. This is not about perfection. It is about making decisions today that future you will be grateful for because whether you train or not, the time is going to pass anyway. Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

14 min
22/12/2025

How Much Exercise Do You Actually Need? Lifting AND Running

How much exercise do you actually need to be healthy and perform well? And how does that change if you’re lifting, running, or trying to do both? In this video, I break down what the current research actually says about exercise volume, including lifting and endurance training, and why some popular conclusions about “too much exercise” are being overstated or misunderstood. We look at how certain studies and narrative reviews have been used to create fear around training volume, where the certainty of the evidence is very low, and why cherry picking outcomes leads to misleading conclusions. I also walk you through how I personally structure training, how I program differently depending on whether someone is optimizing for strength and hypertrophy or for running performance, and why you cannot optimize everything at once without tradeoffs. You’ll see practical hybrid setups for lifting focused and running focused goals, along with the evidence that shapes those decisions. Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

22 min
15/12/2025

Dr Mike vs Jason Fung: The Calorie Debate REACTION

Do calories matter or is it all about hormones like insulin? In this video I break down the calorie debate through a long discussion between Dr. Mike and Jason Fung and explain why so many arguments about calories miss the real issue. Calories do not cause obesity. They are the measurement of the food that led to weight gain. Hormones influence hunger and behavior, but regardless of the mechanism, body weight still reflects how much energy is consumed over time. Calories are a tool, not a moral judgment and not the only way to lose weight. I explain why claims that calories do not matter usually circle back to admitting that they do, why insulin does not shut off fat burning, and why approaches like fasting, keto, and calorie tracking can all work or fail depending on sustainability. Ready to reset your training and nutrition with a clear, custom plan? Book your Always Adaptive Premium Program Audit Bundle here: https://calendly.com/alwaysadaptive/premium-program-audit Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

22 min
08/12/2025

Greg Doucette is WRONG About Science Based Lifting!

Science based lifting is taking fire from every direction right now, and not just from trolls. After Aaron Solomon exposed major flaws in Mike Israetel’s PhD dissertation, a lot of people saw their chance to attack science itself. Creators like Greg Doucette, Sam Sulek and a wave of others have been dropping reaction videos that paint evidence-based training as shaky, unreliable, or outright pointless. Some of the biggest names in the research world, including Jeff Nippard and Brad Schoenfeld, are getting dragged into the crossfire. In this video, I break down several of these viral clips and bring some sanity back into the conversation. Science has flaws. Researchers make mistakes. Studies can be biased or poorly designed. None of that makes science useless. My goal is not to defend anyone. My goal is to help lifters understand the difference between critiquing science, rejecting science, and how evidence, experience, and critical thinking actually work together. 00:00 Introduction 02:09 Sam Clips 07:38 Greg Clips 22:43 Things to Look for in Studies Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com

30 min

Dive into trending health and fitness topics with Evidence Based Coach, Randall James. Having a background in many different exercise modalities, he looks at all exercise through the lens of health AND performance and so provides a unique perspective that's hard to find elsewhere.

Creator

Randall
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

60
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 Always Adaptive
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Always Adaptive