Heavy Lifting.

Every week I do the heavy lifting so you don't have to. A five minute read on training, nutrition and sleep, written for people whose diary doesn't leave much room. Every issue is here, free to read.

1. Issue 17 · 21 October 2026Horrible workouts, brilliant peopleThird place in the mixed pairs at a CrossFit competition in Preston, and why most of us stop entering things as adults. The Saturday Standard is the final, done on your own.
2. Issue 16 · 14 October 2026What decades of training do to an ageing bodyDavid Weir was third in Chicago at 47. A UK study of 125 amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 found they'd kept their muscle and strength, and were making as many T cells as young adults.
3. Issue 15 · 7 October 2026The bit of Kevin Sinfield's week you can copyKevin Sinfield ran seven ultramarathons in seven days, with company the whole way. A 2009 Oxford study on rowers suggests training with other people lets you push harder.
4. Issue 14 · 30 September 2026What a month off does to the next sixSober October starts this week. The Dry January research from the University of Sussex shows people still drinking less six months later, and the sense of control they built is what lasted.
5. Issue 13 · 23 September 2026Training for the person you'll be at 73Monday was World Alzheimer's Day. The 2024 Lancet Commission says up to 45% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed, and most of the list is the one for heart disease.
6. Issue 12 · 16 September 2026What I got wrong after the Great North RunI ran the Great North Run and then did nothing. What the evidence says about mass participation events, and why a finish line is a brilliant start and a terrible plan.
7. Issue 11 · 9 September 2026Sixteen people in biblical rainSixteen people turned up to CommFit in biblical rain, our first fully booked class. Kelly McGonigal on moving with other people, and a 16-minute AMRAP to match.
8. Issue 10 · 2 September 2026Why September beats JanuaryThe week the kids go back is the best week of the year to start again. The UK's Chief Medical Officers back starting small, and The School Run is five rounds with one kettlebell.
9. Issue 9 · 26 August 2026Nobody celebrates zero to oneTwo reviews that both led with nerves, and what they told me about why I coach. The workout is 300 bodyweight reps for time.
10. Issue 8 · 19 August 2026I did one lap, seven timesA 12-hour overnight obstacle race, finished by never once thinking about the 12 hours. Most people don't stall because the gym frightens them, but because they see the whole year at once.
11. Issue 7 · 12 August 2026The problem with "ultra-processed"A Harvard analysis of 200,000 adults separated diet quality from processing level. Quality tracked with disease risk. Processing tier barely moved the needle.
12. Issue 6 · 5 August 2026Why the worst part came after I stoppedRunning up 42 floors of Tower 42 took six minutes. The floor of the lobby afterwards took longer. What oxygen debt teaches you about the three energy systems.
13. Issue 5 · 29 July 2026British women being greatAimee Cringle, Sophie Woods and Ruby Evans all had a day one where they had no idea what they were doing. For anyone still waiting for things to calm down.
14. Issue 4 · 22 July 2026Happy crying after her first sessionA woman in the CommFit class went home and cried after her first session. Why the person with the most to gain in that field is never the fittest one.
15. Issue 3 · 15 July 2026Three Years Without a DrinkThree years after stopping drinking, the two changes nobody talks about: the mental noise that disappears, and the consistency you get back.
16. Issue 2 · 8 July 2026Comfort doesn't grow youThirteen laps of a Backyard Ultra, 54 miles, and what choosing to do hard things does to what you believe you're capable of.
17. Issue 1 · 1 July 2026Ben stopped having to think about waterWhy hydration is treated as a rule instead of something understood, what a one to two percent drop actually does to you, and the target worth hitting.