It’s said that the fastest way to start an argument online is to post about politics. But talking about nutrition can’t be too far behind in what’s most likely to annoy, rankle and infuriate anyone who comes into contact with your comment, however innocent or innocuous you think it is. Much like politics, and many other matters in the modern world, nutrition and, by extension supplementation, have become tribal topics, with specific approaches to eating now subject to a fierce and impassioned...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a condition most women will have heard of, but you’ll only truly appreciate just how debilitating a disorder it can be if you’re unlucky enough to be one in the 10 women globally who suffer from it. 


 In simple terms PCOS is an endocrine disorder characterised by a variety of symptoms that can severely impact life quality: irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, weight gain, acne, and excessive hair growth are just the tip of the iceberg. But in reality it’s a...

How would you celebrate your 1000th birthday? As fanciful as it sounds, many scientists working at the cutting-edge of life-extension medicine and technology believe that milestone is in reach. Some even believe that the first human to live to reach four figures has not only been born, but is already well into middle-age. Which begs the question, is ageing an inevitable part of life? Or is it just another type of disease, not a destiny? Can ageing, like many other illnesses that used to cut...

There are few things people fear, especially once they enter middle-age, as much as major cognitive decline. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia, affect more than 55 million people worldwide, with 10 million new cases every year, according to the World Health Organisation. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 60% to 70% of all cases – and dementia is the seventh leading cause of death globally and one of the major causes of disability and...

As the old adage goes, from little acorns grow mighty oaks. DeFranco’s Training Systems began life in a 500 square foot storage closet, and has grown into one of the most successful and highly regarded brands in the fitness and sports performance industry. Spear-headed by Joe DeFranco, a world-renowned personal trainer and educator with more than a quarter of a century’s experience in the fitness and sports performance arena, with a client list a who’s who of household names, including...

Inspired - and frustrated - by seeing the same creatine question get asked time and again on Reddit, serial entrepreneur Sol Orwell co-founded sports nutrition research service Examine.com in 2011, growing from a two-man-band in Toronto, Canada, to the world’s most trusted authority on critiquing the claims made by the $380-billion-a-year global supplement industry. But, as he reveals in a wide-ranging interview with Unfiltered's editor-in-chief Joe Warner, internal mistakes and worldwide...

It would be difficult to overstate Stan Efferding’s impact on the world of health, fitness and performance. Having reached the pinnacle of both bodybuilding and powerlifting - he is both a world record holding powerlifter and an IFBB professional bodybuilder - he is now one of the most highly sought after consultants to many of the world’s most popular and successful athletes across an incredibly wide range of sports. Clients include four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw, Icelandic...

Artificial intelligence and wearable technology have already had a huge impact on improving elite athletic performance, and many of these technological breakthroughs are beginning to trickle down into the amateur athletic space. But if the relationship between AI, smart tech and physical performance is still in its nascency, just how big an impact can and will it have on pushing the limits of human potential to a previously unimaginable level? Unfiltered's editor-in-chief Joe Warner sat down...

British army soldier. Physique athlete. Cover model. Personal trainer. Online coach. Gym owner. Author. Broadcaster. Social media superstar. If Jay Alderton had a business card that listed his career roles it wouldn’t fit in his wallet. In a remarkable and varied professional journey, completed with unfathomable highs and heart-breaking lows, Alderton has developed a unique online voice to distill the lessons he’s learnt – many of which the hard way – into affirmative and actionable advice...

“How do I introduce myself? It depends who I’m talking to and what I want to get out the conversation!” When you wear as many hats as Shaun Stafford it can be tricky to succinctly summarise exactly what it is you do. Of course, there’s the body. A two-time WBFF Physique world champion, Stafford will always be known for a muscular and lean body that’s graced multiple magazine covers and advertisements for sports nutrition supplement brands (he represented Reflex Nutrition, Optimum Nutrition...

That the world is gripped by a mental health crisis is not in question. What remains unanswered is how we begin to solve the suffering that's affecting millions of people all around the world. Matias Serebrinsky, co-founder and general partner at psychedelic treatment investment fund PsyMed Ventures, believes unequivocally that the answer lies in psychedelic medicine, and that the imminent next generation of psychedelic therapies that will provide greater efficacy without any side-effects. If...

Rick Collins, the world-renowned legal authority on testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs, explains to Unfiltered's Dr Jonny Rees, PhD, where the law’s got it wrong in demonising steroids, and why the guy who wants to get jacked for his holiday should never be penalised harder than the professional sport drug cheat. “I was an apple in an orange parade.” When Rick Collins went to law school not many people there looked like him. As a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder...

Dave Wright, as you can soon tell from the first five seconds of our Unfiltered conversation, is a straight-talking and passionate Australian who has been a vocal and impactful supporter of the fitness industry for more than three decades. A serial entrepreneur – he is the founder and CEO of Myzone; the owner and CEO of Creative Fitness Marketing; and the co-owner of the Voyage Fitness brand in Australia – and board director of ukactive, the not-for-profit fitness industry association, he has...

Human enhancement technologies are already changing the nature of military recruitment, training and war-zone deployment. And, as with everything that is invented with the primary aim of increasing the odds of military victory, it is only a matter of time before these nascent technologies trickle down to civilian life. For Andrew Herr, founder of performance concierge service Fount, his former professional role as a Pentagon advisor makes it clear which side of the fence he’s on in exploring...

Confidence is the cornerstone of success in any personal, professional and performance endeavour. But many of us get caught in a vicious cycle of telling ourselves what we can’t do, rather than what we can. And we repeatedly talk ourselves down in a way that we would never dare dream of speaking to our friends, family or colleagues. This was the case for leading strength coach Jay Ferruggia who, despite his many successes in his 30-year coaching career, wasn’t always the calm, collected...

To say that there is a lack of trust in the established practices of western medicine is something of an understatement. Since the rise of social media you don’t have to search very far to find a significant number of widely followed and well-credentialed experts highly critical of modern medical methodology, or who claim that much of the accepted understanding, teaching and treatment of almost all health ailments are fundamentally wrong, and even go against the “first, do no harm” central...

In serious strength training circles few voices resonate with as much authority and authenticity as Jordan Shallow. A chiropractor by profession and powerlifter by passion, Shallow has carved a formidable presence in the health and fitness world, not just through his physical prowess but through his thought-provoking insights. In our exclusive conversation with the man known online as The Muscle Doc, Shallow explains why at the forefront of his concerns is the pervasive and growing...

We’ve all been there. Life gets in the way, and you miss a few scheduled training sessions. Frustration creeps in and, if you’re anything like most people, fears that you’ll stop progressing - or worse still, begin regressing - begin to emerge. But what if we told you that it takes less - much less - time and effort to not only maintain what you have, but also make meaningful progress. Enter Dr Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis, PhD - AKA Dr Pak - and minimum effective dose training. In an...

How do you define success? Perhaps it’s as simple as excelling at whatever you put your mind to. However you choose to define it, there are many metrics by which it can be measured, and much will of course depend on your own personal values and worldview. Some might think of achievements, particularly those that can be listed on a LinkedIn page or CV. In the realm of health and fitness, you might think of measures of physical fitness or physique development. In academia, it might be...

In 2020, low back pain affected 619m people across the world, a figure expected to rise to 843m people by 2050, according to research by the World Health Organisation. Globally low back pain is the single leading cause of disability and the highest number of cases is in patients between the ages of 50 and 55. Non-specific low back pain, which is far harder to diagnose and treat, is the most common condition, responsible for around 90% of all cases. It’s no exaggeration to say that if you...

There exists more data on Dr Michael Snyder than any other human in history.

 The Chair of Genetics at Stanford University has been collecting, analysing and responding to a constant stream of information about his brain, body and environment for the last decade, amassing two petabytes of data.

 So what has he learned about the impact of different foods on his blood glucose levels? Which breakfast food that almost all of us eat does he consider a “poison” because it causes a huge spike in...

Not many people know the personal training and fitness industry than Phil Learney. And as the founder of the Advanced Coaching Academy he understands better than most the inherent problems that blight the sector, preventing people getting the physical activity advice and instruction they so desperately need at the time they need it most. As Learney explains, in an exclusive interview with Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner, many of the problems are structural and others are so entrenched...

For Steven Rinaldi, the path to becoming CEO of a multimillion-pound company has not been easy, and it certainly hasn’t been traditional. From moving out of his home at just 15 to rent a bedsit above a Chinese karaoke restaurant in Glasgow, and working as an underage doorman, he tried many other jobs before finding his true calling as the founder and CEO of PRIMAL STRENGTH, which designs and manufactures high-end and innovative weight training equipment for both commercial and residential...

Most men will have only heard about PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - if their partner, relatives or daughters suffer from the condition. Even then the chances are they will know very little about the causes, diagnosis and on-going treatment options to minimise the life-changing effects of PCOS. One man who knows more than most, and is leading the online educational efforts to empower more people to take back control of their physical health and mental wellbeing is Drew Baird, best known by...