The Temporal Aspect of Fitness Advice
In the current landscape of online fitness and health information, there is one concept we all need to remember: advice has a time stamp.
Nearly all fitness recommendations, whether from educated professionals, coaches, or experienced athletes, are effective only when applied at the appropriate stage of a person's development. What may be effective for one individual at a certain point in their fitness journey may not be for someone else at an earlier stage.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a matter of right versus wrong advice, but rather appropriate timing and sequencing. Misapplied strategies, even if technically sound, can lead to stagnation, injury, or regression if introduced at the improper time.
Many people in the fitness space, including myself, want to help. We share what worked for us in hopes it might help someone else. But what often gets lost in our own biases, or translation is the when. When it worked. What stage we were at. What we had to build first. Not to a fault of the fitness professional, the short-form content that is marketable these days doesn’t allow for this nuance and it’s generally the best way to get information out to as many people as possible.
A Common Example of Missapplied Advice
Consider this, fairly typical example: a novice fitness enthusiast observes a coach online who is five or more years into their personal fitness journey, sharing fat-loss strategies. Motivated by the coach’s physique or tips, they begin restricting their nutrition in an attempt to replicate the outcome.
However, this individual has yet to:
Develop proper movement mechanics
Incorporate structured resistance training
Engage in exercise consistently
Train at a sufficient intensity to stimulate or preserve lean mass
Meet minimum aerobic activity guidelines
Establish regular, nutrient-dense eating patterns
In this case, the application of these ‘fat-loss tips’ bypasses foundational steps. Without the base of consistent, quality training and adequate nutrition, introducing energy restriction is not only suboptimal, it may be harmful. Fat-loss efforts may result in disproportionate lean mass loss, metabolic disruption, or psychological distress, particularly in untrained or undernourished individuals.
In the example above, the coach's fat-loss advice, stemming from what had worked for them was only effective because it was implemented after years of muscle building, habit development, and professional knowledge.
Not only this, but contextually, that coach may have the accountability, lifestyle, and resources to maintain that fat-loss where others listening may not. This can lead to an overwhelming sense of failure in those who attempt to replicate these outcomes and don’t succeed.
A Personal Illustration
As usual, let me use myself as an example. Reflecting on my own career: over the last ten years of bodybuilding, more than 80% of that time has been focused on building muscle, improving performance, managing stress, and developing habits that support recovery, not just my physique. Less than 20% of that time was spent in active fat-loss phases—and those were exclusively for competition purposes, which included structured monitoring, phase-based programming, and appropriate supervision.
But, because competing gains traction online, I had plenty of people asking me how to lose body fat – using my goals as inspiration. Although I love motivating people, what they didn’t see was the 520 weeks that preceded that 20-week bodybuilding prep, spent building enough muscle, habits, a resilient metabolic baseline, and knowledge to do it safely.
Incomplete Hybrid Narratives: What Social Media Omits
Social media not only presents a highlight reel, it presents a spliced timeline. This is particularly relevant when observing hybrid athletes, who often blend strength and endurance-based modalities. Online, these individuals may appear to “have it all”: visible musculature, speed, flexibility, and conditioning. However, what often goes unshared is the compromised posterior chain development, under-recovered nervous system, disordered eating habits, performance enhancing drug use, or skill asymmetries. Not to mention the periodization and focused phases that led to them being able to maintain multiple aspects of fitness at an intermediate level.
This doesn’t mean they’re purposefully misleading people. But, it does mean what you see is incomplete.
Trying to emulate what outcome you see without knowing what work is behind it is like trying to replicate a recipe after only seeing the final dish.
The Role of Genetics and Training History in Physique Sport
Genetics are a key variable in an individual’s ability to maintain a certain level of leanness or respond to training stimuli. Some individuals have a genetic predisposition for higher baseline muscle mass, favorable fat distribution, or efficient energy regulation. These advantages can make lean physique maintenance at lower body fat levels more sustainable compared to others, even when both parties are equally consistent with training and nutrition.
Additionally, those who appear to maintain a lean physique year-round often have not only favorable genetics but also years of hypertrophy-based training behind them. This enables a higher resting metabolic rate, greater nutrient partitioning efficiency, and dietary flexibility.
Failure to consider genetic variability risks creating unattainable standards and undermines individuals who are working hard and progressing appropriately relative to their own potential.
Over Complicated Athletic and Rehabilitation Content
In both clinical and athletic contexts, an overemphasis on form precision or sport-specific movements can be useful, for the right population. But, if this content is consumed by the general population, or the hobbyist athlete – many of whom haven’t developed foundational strength or are not managing musculoskeletal dysfunction – it poses as a barrier to progress.
Corrective strategies that specifically focus on improving things like hip external rotation, ankle dorsiflexion, trap engagement, or other niche rehabilitation practices may be appropriate for high performance setting or rehabilitation clinica, but should not supersede the need for consistent, loaded movement.
Similarly, prioritizing niche performance outcomes in young or novice athletes without addressing general strength training principles and resilience to training volume can lead to overuse injuries or unnecessary work.
For example, the fact that LeBron James is doing balance-specific neuromuscular coordination-focused variations of the squat, doesn’t mean those same variations are appropriate for a novice or developing athlete. In most cases, athletes or active individuals who are not yet resistance training regularly will receive far greater benefit from progressive overload in foundational movement patterns, such as squats, hinges, pushes, and pulls - than from advanced or modified drills.
General strength is a prerequisite for training specificity, not the other way around.
So, What Do You Do with All This?
By now, you’re probably thinking: “Okay Aidan, are you telling me to just ignore advice online? Can I not trust anyone?” Not quite.
Education is powerful and I share it myself. But it only works when it’s aligned with your timeline and readiness. So here are a few reminders for navigating fitness content with more clarity and this context in mind:
Ask yourself “Is this advice meant for someone at my stage?” Just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it’s where you should start.
Build the foundations. Movement quality, consistent training, adequate intensity, nourishing meals, and recovery habits should come before chasing advanced strategies or goals.
Don’t be afraid to grow slowly. Long-term progress is layered and periodized. It’s okay to start the race at different time or pace. You’re not behind, you’re just building what lasts.
Seek professional guidance. Work with someone who is willing to meet you where you’re at, not expect you to keep up with their standards.
I hope this blog helps you think about how to navigate fitness advice online. Finding a way to translate advice into your life that is appropriate, empowering, and effective requires the consideration of context. And for those in the industry reading this - genetics, training history, and internal biases can all influence how we discuss fitness and health with those we wish to help. Take the time to reflect on these aspects of your career - use them to develop a supportive practice, not a one-size-fits-all instruction manual.
