Fitness & physical performance | Veedma's evidence-based men's health articles

How much deep sleep do you need for recovery and hormone optimization?

Dr. Jonathan Pierce, PhD: Clinical Psychologist & Neuroscience Specialist

Dec 21, 2025 · 9 min read

Deep (Stage 3 NREM) sleep should make up about 13%–23% of your total sleep time—roughly 60–110 minutes per night if you sleep 7–8 hours—for optimal physical recovery and hormone regulation. Because this slow‑wave window drives growth hormone release, supports overnight testosterone production, and powers the brain’s glymphatic “rinse cycle,” you can feel run‑down even when ...

How long does it take for creatine to work? A timeline men can actually use

Dr. Bruno Rodriguez, DPT, CSCS: Strength, Recovery, and Physical Therapy Expert

Dec 20, 2025 · 11 min read

Creatine typically starts improving high-intensity performance once muscle creatine stores reach “saturation,” which takes about 5–7 days with a 20 g/day loading phase (then maintenance) or about 3–4 weeks with 3–5 g/day without loading. Here’s what you should notice first, why the scale can change before your lifts do, and how to dose it like ...

What is ego lifting? The gym habit that can wreck your joints and your gains

Dr. Bruno Rodriguez, DPT, CSCS: Strength, Recovery, and Physical Therapy Expert

Dec 19, 2025 · 12 min read

Ego lifting is using a weight that exceeds your current capacity for that exercise on that day, forcing you to cheat form or shorten range of motion to complete reps. It may feel like progress, but it shifts stress off the target muscle and onto joints and passive tissues—setting you up for stalled gains and ...

Longevity trends shifting men’s health from biohacking to proven science

Dr. Susan Carter, MD: Endocrinologist & Longevity Expert

Dec 18, 2025 · 9 min read

Men’s longevity is shifting from speculative biohacking to evidence-based healthspan medicine that targets upstream biology—especially chronic low-grade inflammation (“inflammaging”), metabolic flexibility, and cellular repair—before disease and hormonal decline become entrenched. Here are the clinically grounded trends and tools (from precision testing to targeted interventions) that can help a man’s 70s function more like his 50s. ...

Low calorie protein shakes: How to keep muscle while cutting fat

Dr. Bruno Rodriguez, DPT, CSCS: Strength, Recovery, and Physical Therapy Expert

Dec 17, 2025 · 11 min read

Low calorie protein shakes can help preserve lean mass during a cut by delivering essential amino acids (especially leucine) that stimulate muscle protein synthesis and support a positive nitrogen balance even in a calorie deficit; most lean, resistance-trained men need about 1.6–2.4 g/kg/day of protein to minimize muscle loss. Here’s how to use shakes to ...