Skribans Strength, Performance and Nutrition

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Skribans Strength, Performance and Nutrition

Bringing out the mixture of obsessive fitness lifestyle paired with scientific background in order f

Education: Currently studying MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, Leeds Beckett University starting September 2016 – 2017. Ba(Hons) (Top-Up) Sports Science, Derby University 2015 – 2016. FdSc Sport and Exercise Science, Derby University 2013 – 2015. Certifications: KBT Strength and Conditioning Qualifications (Powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting and Kettlebell training);
Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy;
Milos Sarcev's Hyperaemia training principles;
Level 1 ISAK Technician (anthropometric measurements);
Level 3 Personal Trainer, Group Class Training Certificate;
First Aid Certificate. Focus: Performance Nutrition, Lifestyle Assessments, Bodyweight Management, Body Transformations, Strength & Conditioning for Sports Events, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding/fitness/bikini contest prep. Personal Bio: An aspiring fitness addict that is currently working on his SENr (Sports and Exercise Nutrition register) accreditation in order to be internationally recognised performance nutritionist. Over last 10 years I have worked with every level, shape and size athletes - starting from someone who works daily by the desk and up to Olympic athletes. A highly experienced and self-motivated personal trainer with the ability to critique his own knowledge in order to provide the most current and relevant training methods to his clients. Possessing a hard work ethics and passion to fitness related lifestyle, actively involving in different sports related activities and continuous self-development through theory learning and practical applications. Years of work as a personal trainer and continuous sports related studies have helped me to establish high understanding of physical and psychological issues that are holding fitness enthusiasts from achieving their desired goals, and apply personal knowledge to overcome these barriers in order to achieve the optimal physical and psychological potential of my clients. I might be demanding when it comes to training, but that is what we are here for - to push you over and beyond your own limits. Feel free to approach me for any fitness and health related advice even if we do not work directly together, I will never refuse an advice.

30/12/2025

“Longevity” is a fear-based business.

A new breed of “longevity doctors” and clinics are popping up, and the script is always the same: New drug. New peptide. New hormone. New supplement. New expensive panel. And the unspoken promise is always implied: You can reverse aging.

You cannot.

You cannot reverse chronological age. You cannot undo decades of wear and tear like it never happened. In humans, we do not currently have clinically approved therapies proven to “reverse” aging itself. What we can do is slow the rate of decline and preserve function for longer - healthspan, not fantasy.

And those “your biological age is 10 years younger” tests?
 Be careful.

Biological age is a concept, not a single truth. Different methods can give different answers, and many clocks and panels are not yet validated for clinical decision-making the way people are marketing them.

So why do people fall for it?

Because it feels easier to buy a protocol than to face a hard reality: This body has been under load for decades. You do not erase that. You manage it intelligently from today onward.

Here is the uncomfortable truth that actually works:
* Build and maintain muscle (it is protective tissue).
* Walk daily and keep your engine active.
* Sleep like it is your main recovery drug.
* Eat mostly real food and stop living on ultra-processed “convenience.”
* Get morning light, keep nights dark, and manage stress before it manages you.

That is not sexy. It is not a quick fix. But it is real.

If someone is trying to sell you “reverse aging,” ask one question: What are the long-term human outcomes - not the hype, not the biomarkers, not the dashboard?

My body looks the same it did when I was just 17yr old, but it certainly doesn’t feel as powerful as it once was.

“Longevity” is a scam. Preventing sharp decline in health is the real outcome no one wants to talk about.

Save this. Send it to the friend who is about to get scammed by a fancy lab report.

30/12/2025

You are not lazy. You are overloaded, unclear, distracted, overfed, or scared of failing.

Japan’s angle: stop shaming the symptom. Build a system that works even on low-willpower days.

7 Japanese methods, each backed by studies:

Kaizen (1-minute rule) - repetition makes it feel like routine. 12-week study: 85% usable data; “it gets easier” curve fit 76% (strong fit 63%). Time to feel routine: 18-254 days. Missing a day didn’t derail it. (DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.674)

Ikigai (reason to wake up) - Ohsaki Study (43,391 adults, ~7y): no ikigai = ~50% higher all-cause risk (HR 1.5), mainly CVD (HR 1.6) + external causes (HR 1.9). (DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31817e7e64)

Hara hachi bu (stop at 80%) - after short sleep, heavy lunch (922 kcal) increased sleepiness + lane drifting vs light lunch (305 kcal). (DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.11.025)

Seiri + seiton (clear space) - clutter made people ~5.5% slower and accuracy dropped 90% -> 88%; experts needed more “eye pauses.” (DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103628)

Kintsugi (finish imperfectly) - ~10,000-person meta-analysis: fear-based perfectionism = more procrastination; growth-based standards = less. Each explains ~5% of the difference. Done creates momentum. (DOI: 10.1002/per.2098)

Pomodoro + ritual - review (2,335 people): micro-breaks boost energy and reduce fatigue; performance depends on task. Add one cue (breath/sip/stretch) to trigger focus. (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272460)

Wabi-sabi (act before perfect) - trial (241 adults): action-first approach worked best when people struggled most: 76% improved vs 48% with cognitive therapy; 52% reached remission. (DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.74.4.658)

You don’t need more motivation. You need less friction.
Make it small. Make it obvious. Make it daily.

Save this. Send it to the friend who keeps saying “I just need more motivation.”

28/12/2025

They trained us to memorise answers. Not to challenge them.

Now it is happening again, just with a prettier interface.

AI is becoming the new teacher. And here is the scary part: you are not being educated anymore. The AI is.

If a few companies decide what the model can say, what it cannot say, what it is allowed to “remember”… then millions of people are not learning the truth. They are learning a filtered output.

Same prompt. Different month. Different answer. And people still call that “knowledge.”
Self-sovereignty starts with one habit: challenge everything, including your own thinking.

Then it gets practical:
Keep sensitive life stuff out of the cloud when you can.
Own your data. Own your backups.
Lock your accounts properly. Password manager, 2FA, clean devices.
If you run servers, treat them like your home. Firewalls, updates, access control, and less exposure.
If you use AI, learn the difference between convenience and control.
Because the future is simple: Those who control their information will control their outcomes.

If you want to build real independence, come join us inside The Solar Athlete Skool group. We break this down in a way you can actually apply.

27/12/2025

23 days. That’s how long I did not train.

The longest break I have had in over 20 years.

Not because of injury. Not because of excuses. Because I was serving at Tony Robbins Date With Destiny, then got hit with the flu straight after.

And yes, the scale dropped hard. About 15 kg / 33 lbs.

No, it was not muscle. It was stored glycogen and the water that lives with it inside the muscle. Anyone who understands physiology knows this. Muscle tissue does not evaporate in three weeks.

Here is the part most people get wrong.

The comeback will be faster than the loss. Why? Because that size never “existed” in the first place. It was storage. Not structure.

Lean tissue is the real asset. That is where metabolic health lives. That is where insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial density, and long-term performance are built. Strength numbers are secondary. Muscle quality comes first.

So the return is not rushed. It is sequenced.

First phase: glycolytic training. Short rests. Controlled fatigue. Restore glycogen handling. Wake the muscle up - as you can see in photo it already working by having regained 6kg in less than a week, all coming back to legs, until the rest of the frame will “fill out”.

Second phase: rebuild strength and joint integrity. Tendons. Ligaments. Connective tissue. No ego lifting.

Final phase: flawless movement. Clean reps. Full control. Precision. That is where durable strength is rebuilt.

This is what experience gives you. No panic. No shortcuts. No emotional training decisions.

Twenty-three days off does not erase twenty years of work. It just reminds you whether you actually understand the body you live in.

trainingintelligence longtermperformance

27/12/2025

Depression is not just a mindset issue.
Very often, it is an energy issue first.

A large Korean population study analyzed over 5,000 people, including adults and adolescents, to examine the link between dietary creatine intake and mental health.

The finding was clear.

People with the lowest creatine intake had nearly double the depression rate compared to those eating more.
About 6.9% versus 3–4%.

The same low-intake group also reported more suicidal thoughts, more plans, and more attempts.
This pattern showed up even in teenagers, which is rarely captured this clearly in nutrition research.

This was not about supplements.
It was about creatine from food.

Important context matters.
This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot prove cause and effect.
People who eat more creatine also tend to eat more nutrient-dense foods overall, including vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and omega-3s.

Creatine is not magic.
But one thing stayed consistent.

The lowest intake group did worst.

Biologically, that makes sense.
Creatine helps buffer energy inside cells, including brain cells.
The brain has massive energy demands.
When energy buffering is low, stress hits harder and mood regulation becomes fragile.

Similar patterns are now showing up in U.S. population data and early clinical trials.
Different countries. Same direction.

Here's what you can do:
• Stop treating food like ideology
Cutting entire food groups has consequences. Biology keeps score.

• Include real creatine sources weekly
Meat or fish a few times per week. No extremes. No obsession.

• Protect the foundations first
Sleep, movement, daylight, and food quality matter more than supplements.

Save this.
Share it with someone cutting food groups blindly.
Biology does not negotiate.

Source: PMID 40962503

27/12/2025

Do organic strawberries really make a difference? 100 calories of organic vs. inorganic strawberries can cause different inflammation responses. The key? Different hydrogen. It can affect your long-term health. A fascinating insight!

If you want to understand how food, environment, and biology interact at the cellular level, join us inside the Solar Athlete Skool group.

26/12/2025

Vitamin D pills are not always the win people think they are.
Not because vitamin D is “bad.” But because a pill can raise a blood number without copying what sunlight does to the whole system.

This pilot study looked at 21 healthy women during winter. Some were already taking vitamin D supplements. Others were not. Everyone then got narrow-band UVB light on the skin three times in one week. The researchers checked blood vitamin D and gut bacteria from stool samples before and after.

Blood vitamin D went up a bit on average (about 7.3 nmol/L). Biggest increase happened when vitamin D started low. Smaller change happened when it started high.

Now the key point.
The gut bacteria changed only in the women who were not taking vitamin D pills.

In the no-pill group, UVB increased gut bacteria diversity, meaning the gut ecosystem became more varied and the overall mix shifted. In the pill group, those diversity changes did not show up in a meaningful way.

They also found blood vitamin D levels were linked with certain gut bacteria, especially within the Lachnospiraceae family (including Lachnospira and Fusicatenibacter). That supports a “skin to gut” connection. Light exposure looks like a signal, not just a supplement replacement.

How to use this without being stupid about it:
Rule 1: If you are truly deficient or clinically advised, supplements can be useful.
Rule 2: Stop pretending pills equal sunlight.
Rule 3: Build daylight exposure habits first, then test and adjust.

This is a small, short study in women only, so do not turn it into religion. Use it as a warning: chasing lab numbers can miss biology.

Save this. Share it. And tell me what your winter vitamin D strategy is.
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02410

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas to all of you.

May these days slow you down just enough to remember what actually matters - health, family, strength, truth, and time well spent.

Step outside. Get daylight in your eyes. Eat real food. Move your body. Rest without guilt.
Then come back sharper, calmer, and harder to break.

Thank you for being here, for thinking independently, and for choosing a higher standard.

Enjoy the season. Winter is part of the design.

23/12/2025

Thinking calories in, calories out is the whole story? It's not. How, where, and when you eat them massively impacts your body. Plan your meals, even if you don't eat the same things daily. Eat consistently at the same times. Biggest hack ever.

23/12/2025

A major prospective study followed nearly 4,000 adults for more than a decade and found a clear pattern.

Low muscle power predicted mortality far more strongly than strength.

Adults aged 46 to 75 were tested for relative muscle power using a fast upper-body pulling movement and for grip strength, both adjusted for body weight. Mortality was then tracked for almost 11 years.

The difference was substantial. Participants with the lowest muscle power had approximately five to six times higher risk of death compared with those with the highest power. In men, mortality risk increased about sixfold. In women, it increased nearly sevenfold. Grip strength showed only weak and statistically non-significant associations.

The mechanism explains the result.

Strength reflects how much force can be produced under slow, controlled conditions. Muscle power reflects how quickly that force can be applied. Power is force multiplied by speed. With aging, speed declines earlier and more steeply than force production.

After age 40, muscle strength typically declines by around 1–2% per year. Muscle power declines closer to 3% per year. By the seventh decade of life, explosive capacity is often reduced by more than half, even when measurable strength appears relatively preserved.

Daily life does not demand slow maximal effort. Standing up, catching balance, and preventing falls require rapid force production under time pressure. Muscle power captures this reserve more accurately than grip strength.

Training implications follow directly. Moderate loads moved quickly, fast sit-to-stands, stair climbing, and short explosive efforts expose the neuromuscular system to velocity demands. These inputs target the capacity that declines earliest and predicts mortality most strongly.

Strength still matters.
Power reflects survival reserve.

Save this before it gets buried.
Share it with someone who still equates strength with longevity.

Source: PMID 40304660

22/12/2025

Your brain is always adapting.
This ability is called brain plasticity.

Brain plasticity means the brain can change how it works based on experience, learning, and repeated behavior. According to this study, plasticity is an ongoing process, not something limited to childhood or recovery from injury.
Source: DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144216

In simple terms, brain plasticity works like this:
• Repeated thoughts and habits strengthen specific brain pathways
• What the brain uses most becomes easier and more automatic
• Awareness can interrupt repetition and create choice
• Changed choices, repeated over time, reshape brain networks

Brain plasticity is always active.
Nothing that repeats is neutral.

Genes provide the starting structure, but brain plasticity allows experience to shape how that structure is used. Daily habits, environment, and learning demands all influence which brain networks become dominant.

This same mechanism supports learning and adaptation, but the study also warns that brain plasticity can reinforce unhelpful patterns if those patterns are repeated often enough.

The brain does not judge good or bad.
It adapts to demand.

That is the responsibility brain plasticity creates.

Save this.
Share it with someone still blaming genetics for patterns that are being practiced.

21/12/2025

Most people were taught one idea.
More sun equals more melanoma.

The data does not support that.

When researchers examined skin cancer rates across Norway, they found higher rates in the south where sunlight is stronger.
But not all skin cancers responded the same way.

Squamous cell and basal cell cancers increased sharply with more UV.
Melanoma increased much less.

That alone shows melanoma is not driven by sunlight the same way other skin cancers are.
Source: PMID: 24494053

The same study revealed something more important.

Melanomas that form on non–sun-exposed areas like the eye, v***a, or anorectal region showed no positive latitude pattern.
Some were more common where sunlight was lower.

This suggests melanoma risk is influenced by systemic factors, not just sun hitting the skin.
Vitamin D is one possible contributor.

A second Norwegian study (PMID: 20430639) followed melanoma cases over 40 years.

Melanoma appeared most often on the trunk.
A body area usually covered and exposed only occasionally.

This pattern was the same in northern and southern Norway and did not change over time.

That links melanoma strongly to intermittent exposure, not constant sun.

Chronically exposed skin adapts.
Intermittently exposed skin does not.

That helps explain why melanoma rarely forms on the face or hands, despite high sun exposure.

In a study (PMID: 24398911) in Austria, melanoma diagnoses increased with altitude.
About 2% more cases for every 10 meters higher.

But melanoma mortality decreased with altitude.

More cases were found.
Fewer people died.

This points to earlier detection, better awareness, and possibly slower tumor progression.
Sun exposure increased diagnosis, not danger.

This is where most people get it wrong.

They confuse incidence with mortality.

Sunlight is not harmless.
But it is not the sole driver.

Melanoma risk depends on UV type, exposure pattern, skin adaptation, biology, and detection timing.

If melanoma were caused by sunlight alone, these studies would agree.
They don’t.

Save and share this with someone still stuck on the sun-only story.

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