Get Free Tips from Our Guides
Exercise
Exercise is planned, structured physical activity performed to improve your health, fitness, and the way you move. Topics include weightlifting, endurance training, how to move properly, how to get lean, build muscle and how your physiology responds to exercise. We aim to explain not just what to do, but also why it works. So, whether you're just starting exercise, returning after time off, or looking to understand how your exercise training can support your health, we're here to provide evidence-based advice.
HOW TO GET STRONG
The 3 Key Principles of Muscle Growth
Minimalist Training for Muscle Growth
Your Resistance Training Crash Course
A no-nonsense introduction to how resistance training works, backed by decades of exercise science research.
Programming, recovery, nutrition, sleep, physiology: all the fundamentals of Resistance Training covered.
Get one email a day for the next 5-days. Straight to your inbox.
Building Muscle: The Basics for Beginners
Does Testosterone Build Muscle?
The best exercises are those you'll do consistently — there's no single "best" exercise for everyone. Research supports combining resistance training (for muscle and bone health), cardiovascular exercise (for heart and metabolic health), with the amount depending on your fitness levels, personal preferences, and training goals.
No exercise specifically targets belly fat — although there's some evidence abdominal exercises may be effective. A combination of regular cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and maintaining a caloric deficit through diet is the most effective way to lose body fat.
Include 2-3 resistance training sessions per week targeting all major muscle groups, plus 75-150 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio a week. Define your goals (e.g., strength, endurance, fat loss), assess your current fitness level, schedule sessions you can realistically maintain, and progressively increase intensity or volume over time.
Walking is often considered the best everyday exercise because it's low-impact, accessible to most people, requires no equipment, and provides cardiovascular benefits when done briskly for 20-40 minutes.
Seniors benefit most from a combination of resistance training (to preserve muscle mass and bone density), balance exercises (to prevent falls), and low-impact cardiovascular activities like walking or swimming.
HOW TO GET FIT
Why Walking is Better Than Running
Why Running is Better Than Walking
What Are Training Zones? How to Calculate & Use Them
What is VO2max & How to Improve It
HOW TO GET LEAN
3 Underrated Ways to Lose Fat
Other Ways to Measure Weight Loss Besides the Scales
How to Rest for Body Recomposition
Recomposition Bundle
Combine the Fat Loss Guide + Muscle Growth Guide for a complete 'body recomposition' blueprint. You can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
$10.49 $13.98
How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time
Body Recomposition Workout Guide
Muscle Growth Guide
The Muscle Growth Guide translates the science into actionable advice for building muscle: training, recovery, and nutrition.
$6.99
Fat Loss Guide
The Fat Loss A to Z Guide contains 26 concise chapters with clear, actionable advice for sustainable fat loss. It covers nutrition, training, metabolism, lifestyle, and mindset.
$6.99
HOW TO GET HEALTHY
Does Exercise Help Anxiety?
Does Exercise Lower Blood Pressure?
Is Exercise Good for Depression?
Should You Exercise While Fasting?
Our Editorial Approach
Alphabet Guides publishes practical evidence-based content using trustworthy, peer-reviewed research: information you can actually use. Learn more About Us and our Editorial Standards.