For beginners, weight exercises may seem tedious and something that will take a long time to show results. Many people also find that sometimes even despite exercising regularly, slow progress can make them feel discouraged, leading them to grow tired of working out. However, research shows that you do not need countless hours of working out, there is a specific point and set of habits that lead to the best results.

A new study, a preprint posted in SportRxiv, reviewed 67 studies to pinpoint what exercise habits led to the best muscle and strength improvements. The findings indicate that while doing more sets in a weightlifting session helps with both muscle strength and growth, there's a point where it stops being as effective.

How Many Sets Are Best Per Workout?

One of the study's authors noted that while there's been much research on how often to train and how many sets to do, fewer studies looked at how to split your activity across different workouts. To find answers, the team analyzed many studies involving thousands of people. They looked at two types of sets:

• Direct sets which are exercises that primarily work a specific muscle.
• Indirect sets are exercises where a muscle is working, but it's not the main focus (counted as "half" a set).

Their analysis showed that muscle and strength generally increased with more sets per session. However, the data also showed a stopping point. Muscle growth leveled off after about 11 indirect sets in a single session. On the other hand Strength gains leveled off after around two direct sets in a single session. This means that the first few sets you do in a workout give you the biggest benefits. More sets do seem to help, but only up to a certain point.

Creating Your Ideal Strength Routine

The study's findings can help people make their workouts more efficient and plan their weight training. For strength, it makes sense to train more often—about two to three times a week—with relatively few sets each time. This approach also works for muscle growth. Alternatively, for muscle growth, you could go to the gym less often but do a few more sets in each session. Even if you're not super strict about your routine, know that regular, moderate strength exercise can have a big positive impact on your health.

Why Fewer Sets Can Lead to More Gains

It might seem strange that doing fewer sets could lead to more strength, but these findings match what earlier research has shown.

Fewer sets with heavier weights have long been known to increase strength by helping you improve your ability to produce force. The initial challenging sets help to use the most muscle fibers and kickstart most of the strength-building processes.

Basically, once you've done one or two hard sets, more sets after that add very little extra benefit. Instead, they add a lot more tiredness and make your recovery time longer. If you train too much over time, you'll feel more tired and won't perform as well, especially when it comes to pure strength.

Using Research to Plan Your Next Workout

Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or just starting, this research can guide you on how to get the most out of your weight training: try focusing on just a few sets, repeated about three times throughout the week.

For beginners, it's suggested to start with fewer sets and add more if you stop seeing results. When it comes to the ideal number of repetitions in each set, it depends on your fitness goals:

• Fewer reps (about 1 to 5) are good for strength and power.
• About 6 to 12 reps are best for building muscle.
• Between 13 and 20 reps are recommended for muscle endurance.
• Make sure to allow enough rest between workouts for the same muscle groups
• It also helps to track your workouts—like how many sets, reps, and what weight you lifted—and adjust based on how your body responds.

Running is one of the best ways to fit exercise in your day. Many people enjoy endurance, muscle control, and the co-ordination test that comes with running. However, it can also be an intimidating task; many people are afraid to commit to running as it is not only tiring but also causes muscle spasm and fatigue for those who are not used to running. If the thought of running feels overwhelming or like a huge commitment, you are not alone. There's a less intimidating way to start, which is called slow running. This approach makes running accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

What is "Slow Running"?

The Cleveland Clinic explains that "slow running," also known as low-intensity running, is similar to jogging. The main idea is that by reducing your pace, you can cover more miles and train your body in several beneficial ways. This approach helps build endurance and strengthens your muscles, heart, and lungs.

Overall, it allows your body to adapt to the demands of running and helps prevent injuries, which will ultimately help you run faster in the long run. There's a lot of evidence showing how much your body's ability to use oxygen can improve with slow running.

The best way to understand slow running is to think of it as a comfortable jog. It's a pace where you can easily hold a conversation without huffing and puffing between words. You should even be able to sing along to music if you wanted to. It's an effort you could seemingly sustain forever.

Why Do People Go For Slow Running?

What "slow" means in terms of speed is different for everyone. For example, someone who typically finishes a 5K race in 18 minutes will have a "slow" pace that's still faster than someone who usually takes 25 minutes for a 5K.

When you finish a slow run, you might even feel like you could keep going, instead of feeling tired and out of breath. Your slow run should feel comfortable, not overly challenging.

The goal isn't to stop pushing yourself completely. It's about being smart with your training. You want a good mix of intense and easy runs. Most of your runs should be slow, while others should be where you push for speed. A good general rule is that about 80% of your runs should be slow, and the other 20% should be faster. However, this can depend on your training goals, experience, and past injuries.

If you track your heart rate, for most of your slow runs, you'll want to stay in Zone Two, which is typically around 55% to 65% of your maximum predicted heart rate.

Benefits of Slow Running

Still not convinced that running slower will help you achieve your speed goals? Here are some key benefits:

Builds Endurance

Slow running helps you improve your stamina and ability to resist fatigue. This is because it enhances the function of your mitochondria, which produce most of your body's energy. By running slowly, you can increase the number of mitochondria and improve oxygen delivery to your muscles, allowing you to run longer before feeling tired.

Strengthens Your Body

It helps your joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones adapt to the stress of running. It also strengthens your muscles, heart, and lungs. Running at a slower pace can help you focus on and improve your running technique.

Reduces Injury Risk

When you sprint or run fast, there's much more impact and demand on your body, increasing the risk of injury. Slow running reduces this wear and tear, helping you stay healthy and run longer over time. While there's a place for fast efforts, easy miles are crucial for injury protection.

Gradual Speed Improvement

By consistently building your endurance and heart efficiency through slow running, you'll notice that your "slow" pace gradually becomes faster over months or even a year. For example, if your slow runs are currently a 10-minute mile pace where you can easily chat, you'll find that over time, that same comfortable effort will result in a faster mile time.

Many of us have felt job burnout before. A new study suggests that exercise can help, but only if you do it in moderation – not too much, not too little.

This study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, looked at over 500 employees. Researchers wanted to see if physical activity affected how emotionally drained people felt at work and how happy they were with their jobs.

They found that exercise did help, but only at moderate intensity. Interestingly, very intense workouts didn't reduce burnout any more than lighter exercise. Researchers explained that this research highlights the importance of moderate physical activity for reducing burnout.

How Exercise Impacts Burnout

Researchers wanted to understand if encouraging physical activity could benefit employees beyond just their physical health. They surveyed 520 full-time employees about their job stress and exercise habits. They defined "moderate physical activity" as:

• At least 20 minutes of vigorous activity (like running) three or more days a week.
• At least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like strength training, dancing, or hiking) five or more days a week.
• A combination of both, five or more days a week.

Participants were grouped by their activity levels. The researchers also looked at three parts of burnout: emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization (seeing customers as less than human).

Over half (about 53%) of the participants reported doing moderate exercise. The results showed that these moderately active employees felt the least emotionally exhausted and the most accomplished. Depersonalization scores were similar across all groups.

Experts agree these findings make sense, as moderate exercise is known to reduce stress and improve mood, which helps prevent burnout.

Why Moderate Exercise Helps You Like Your Job More

Exercise might help reduce job burnout because it gives workers time away from their jobs to rest and recover. Being physically active also helps people "recharge" their bodies and minds. This can improve their mood, how they handle emotions, and their memory.

Some experts also believe that people who exercise might feel more confident and in control. This feeling, whether from exercise itself or boosted by it, could lead to less burnout.

But why weren't very intense workouts more helpful than moderate ones? One reason might be that the study didn't include enough people who did very intense exercise. A more likely reason is that it can simply be too hard to manage tough workouts (like training for a marathon) along with work duties.

Another reason is about chemicals in the body. Very intense exercise, especially for a long time, can release more of a stress hormone called cortisol. This can make people more prone to emotional stress and mental tiredness. So, moderate activity seems to lead to better overall balance and well-being.

How to Exercise to Fight Burnout

An ideal weekly routine would include three to five days of "very challenging" exercise along with "other days where your heart rate is up, but you can still talk."

Examples of these lighter activities include a brisk walk, biking, yoga, light swimming, and pickleball. You can also find small ways to be more active, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking further away from a building.

Most experts suggest exercising for at least 45 minutes, three or four days a week. Others recommend up to 75 minutes of moderate-to-high exercise five or six days a week. It usually takes about seven weeks of regular effort for your body to show changes from exercise.

If you’ve ever dismissed creatine as just another muscle-building supplement for bodybuilders and gym bros, here’s a wake-up call: science is rewriting that script. Although Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may still be spiking it into his post-gym smoothies, a previously unexpected new population is on to creatine—middle-aged women, health-conscious enthusiasts, and even professionals seeking to enhance cognitive function. Ivanka Trump breezily discussed it in her smoothie regimen, and TikTok is filled with users raving about its mood and mental performance benefits but let's get past anecdote. What is the science really suggesting?

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance, synthesized primarily by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, and also produced in muscles and the brain. We also obtain trace amounts from animal foods like red meat and fish.

The typical individual produces approximately one gram of creatine per day, but the optimal dose for maximum benefit is three to five grams daily—so most, particularly women (who tend to consume less meat), don't notice.

Creatine's first and foremost function is to assist in the regeneration of ATP, the molecule behind everything from bicep curls to brain activity. Until recently, its fame did not extend beyond the doors of the gym. Today, however, scientists are learning it could have applications in cognitive health, mood stabilization, and even disease prevention.

Cognitive and Mental Health Benefits of Creatine

Perhaps one of the most persuasive discoveries in recent years is the effect of creatine on the brain.

Creatine aids energy metabolism within the brain, which is essential in sustaining attention, memory, and emotional control—most especially during stress. A number of studies demonstrate that supplementation with creatine can decrease brain fog and fatigue and improve working memory.

In one study, conducted by the University of Kansas Medical Center, creatine supplements were linked to enhanced executive function and memory in Alzheimer's patients. In another study, individuals with depression who received a supplement of creatine along with cognitive behavioral therapy were found to have improved more quickly than those receiving therapy alone.

The link? Low levels of creatine have been correlated with decreased brain energy and neurotransmitter activity—factors that affect everything from mood to choice.

Why Women Might Gain Even More

Now comes the interesting part: women generally have lower creatine levels than men, both because they have less muscle mass and due to dietary habits. Studies show that hormonal changes—particularly during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause—might also influence how creatine is synthesized, transported, and stored.

Menstruation and menopause, when estrogen levels are low, also make women susceptible to fluctuations in energy, muscle function, and mood. Creatine can level out these dips. It's also been found to lower muscle loss and help keep bones strong—something important for women as they grow older.

In one 12-month trial, postmenopausal women who took creatine supplements maintained better bone mineral density than those who didn't.

Early research also indicates that creatine may be involved in pregnancy complications. Evidence indicates that lower levels of maternal creatine are linked with increased stillbirth, premature birth, and reduced birth weight. Though supplementation is not yet routine or even proven safe, scientists are taking particular interest.

Interestingly, researchers have also calculated how much creatine infants would require—about 7–8.4 mg a day based on age—even though breast milk contains only a small proportion of that amount.

And then there's long COVID: women are more susceptible to it, and researchers think that variations in creatine metabolism could help explain why, in part. Since creatine helps with cellular energy, it could aid in alleviating fatigue and brain fog in long COVID patients.

As cognitive and hormonal benefits are hogging the limelight, the traditional muscle benefits of creatine haven't disappeared.

Creatine is a performance powerhouse for physical activity—particularly for short durations of high-intensity exercise. Research indicates it can enhance strength, endurance, and recovery, making it perfect not only for bodybuilders but also for anyone concerned with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia). Approximately 5% to 16% of adults aged over 65 suffer from sarcopenia, and creatine has the potential to counteract this.

It also increases intracellular water in muscle cells, which increases hydration and muscle mass. That's why other users become bloated—a normal but normally harmless side effect.

How Much Creatine Is Enough?

General health requires 3–5 grams daily according to most experts. Creatine monohydrate is still the standard: it's the most researched, most affordable, and most bioavailable variety.

One scoop (roughly 5 grams) mixed into water or a smoothie is enough for most people. What matters most is consistency—it takes a few weeks for the body to fully saturate its creatine stores.

When to take it? Research is still mixed. Some prefer post-workout, others in the morning. The key is regularity rather than timing.

Is Creatine Safe for Everyone?

For healthy adults in general, creatine is very safe when used as directed. But it's not suitable for everybody.

It should be avoided by individuals with kidney disease or a history of kidney transplant. There are also problems for individuals who have bipolar disorder. Creatine is filtered through the kidneys, and in exceptional instances, has been connected to liver stress.

It's not yet indicated in pregnancy or lactation for a lack of definitive safety studies. Always consult a healthcare professional before supplementation—particularly if you're on drugs or dealing with chronic illness.

A just-released study that included 25,000 adults aged over 52 discovered a convincing association: each 0.09-gram boost in creatine consumption corresponded with a 14% reduced risk of cancer.

While preliminary and not definitive, this contributes to a steadily expanding list of possible advantages, such as antioxidant activity, improved mitochondrial function, and even possible tumor-inhibiting effects in animal models.

Creatine is experiencing a renaissance—and not only among jocks. With increasing evidence validating its cognitive function benefits, mental health benefits, bone mineral content benefits, and hormone regulation benefits, creatine is becoming an all-around staple beyond the weight room.

It's not just about gaining muscle anymore. It's about fueling total-body vitality, brain resilience, and optimal long-term health.

If you're a woman going through hormonal shifts, a senior looking to remain resilient, or anyone interested in brain wellness, creatine may be worth reconsideration.