This is an auditable register, not a formal systematic review. Labels describe this project’s assessment; they are not GRADE ratings. Source inspection ranges from official guidance and selected full-text sections to an explicitly identified abstract-only record.
Claim records · Source records · Appraisal and revision rules
Claim records
C01 · finding · guideline-based
Adult guidance combines at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (or 75 vigorous, or an equivalent mix) with strengthening all major muscle groups on at least two days per week.
Applies to: Adults; individual capacity and clinical context can require adaptation
Outcome: Physical-activity guideline targets
Limitations: Not a biological threshold below which activity has no value, nor a schedule proven optimal for every reader.
Sources: S01 — CDC — Adult Activity: An Overview
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C02 · finding · qualified
ACSM’s 2026 guidance supports regular resistance training. Its summary reports no consistent advantage from momentary failure, particular equipment or complex periodization for the average healthy adult. The position stand reports enhanced hypertrophy with higher weekly set volume.
Applies to: Generally healthy adults; not automatically competitive athletes or rehabilitation patients
Outcome: Strength, muscle size and physical performance
Limitations: The hypertrophy discussion includes at least ten sets per muscle group per week, not a universal entry requirement, ceiling or individualized optimum. Group-level findings do not establish equivalence between every program. Relevant full-text sections inspected; constituent reviews not comprehensively reappraised.
Sources: S04 — ACSM — 2026 resistance-training guidance: official summary; S14 — Currier et al. — ACSM 2026 resistance-training position stand
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-25. Not independently a default prescription.
C03 · finding · guideline-based
Being able to talk but not sing is a practical indicator of moderate aerobic intensity; intensity is relative to the person.
Applies to: Adults doing aerobic activity
Outcome: Intensity classification
Limitations: This does not prescribe lifting effort or replace clinical exercise testing.
Sources: S02 — CDC — Measuring Physical Activity Intensity
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C04 · finding · guideline-based
CDC describes a repetition as one complete movement, a set as a group of repetitions, and 8–12 repetitions for an activity with at least one set and two or three for additional benefits as general strength guidance.
Applies to: Adults doing muscle-strengthening activity
Outcome: General resistance-training organization
Limitations: Not proof of a unique hypertrophy repetition range; exercise skill and load selection still matter.
Sources: S03 — CDC — What Counts as Physical Activity for Adults
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C05 · finding · guideline-based
WHO recommends a varied diet emphasizing minimally processed foods including whole grains, vegetables, fruit and pulses, with at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables and 25 grams of naturally occurring food fiber daily for people over ten, and unsaturated fats favored over saturated and trans fats.
Applies to: General population over ten; this guide applies the guidance to adults
Outcome: Dietary pattern and nutritional adequacy
Limitations: Targets need context. They do not establish a complete diet, individual calorie needs, or a treatment for gastrointestinal or other disease.
Sources: S05 — WHO — Healthy diet
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Build a diet before you optimize one; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Not independently a default prescription.
C06 · finding · qualified
NIH ODS reports expert recommendations of 1.2–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for athletes and stresses adequate food, fluids and nutrients as the foundation of performance nutrition.
Applies to: Athletes; translation to a recreational adult is an explicit synthesis
Outcome: Protein intake in support of training
Limitations: Not a longevity dose; do not extrapolate mechanically to kidney disease, pregnancy, substantial obesity or special clinical circumstances.
Sources: S06 — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Exercise and Athletic Performance
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-26. Not independently a default prescription.
C07 · finding · qualified
A 43-study meta-analysis found no statistically significant average reduction in hypertrophy or maximal strength from concurrent aerobic and resistance training versus matched resistance training alone; explosive-strength gains were more vulnerable.
Applies to: Healthy adults in supervised training studies lasting at least four weeks
Outcome: Measured muscle size, maximal strength, explosive strength
Limitations: An average finding, not a guarantee for every dose, schedule or athlete. It did not test survival.
Sources: S07 — Schumann et al. — Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle; What can we honestly claim about living longer?
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C08 · finding · qualified
A meta-analysis of 16 prospective cohorts reported an association between muscle-strengthening activity and lower risk of several mortality or disease outcomes.
Applies to: Adults in observational cohorts
Outcome: Mortality and disease associations
Limitations: Abstract-level inspection only; confounding and reverse causation remain possible. The exposure was activity, not experimentally induced maximal muscle size.
Sources: S08 — Momma et al. — Muscle-strengthening activities and major non-communicable diseases
Used in: What can we honestly claim about living longer?
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C09 · methodology · methods-based
A biomarker can be informative without being a validated substitute for how a person feels, functions or survives; surrogate validation depends on the intervention and context.
Applies to: Interpretation of health research
Outcome: Clinical versus surrogate outcomes
Limitations: A critique of unsupported translation, not a claim that all biomarkers or risk factors are useless.
Sources: S09 — FDA — Surrogate Endpoint Resources
Used in: What can we honestly claim about living longer?; How this guide is built and revised
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C10 · methodology · methods-based
Confidence in a body of evidence depends on bias, consistency, directness, precision and missing evidence, and must be considered for a particular outcome.
Applies to: Interpretation of research across populations and outcomes
Outcome: Evidence appraisal
Limitations: Project confidence labels are descriptive, not formal GRADE ratings.
Sources: S10 — Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 14 — Certainty of the evidence
Used in: What can we honestly claim about living longer?; How this guide is built and revised
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C11 · methodology · methods-based
Relative effects, absolute effects, time horizons and uncertainty answer different questions and should be made explicit when interpreting results.
Applies to: Interpretation of quantitative health findings
Outcome: Magnitude and applicability of effects
Limitations: The teaching example uses fictional event counts, not an observed intervention effect.
Sources: S11 — Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 15 — Interpreting results
Used in: What can we honestly claim about living longer?
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C12 · finding · guideline-based
CDC recommends at least seven hours of sleep for adults aged 18–60 and different ranges at older ages; sleep quality also matters.
Applies to: Age-specific adult groups
Outcome: Sleep-duration guidance
Limitations: Not a diagnosis or an exact sleep requirement for each person.
Sources: S12 — CDC — About Sleep
Used in: What deserves your attention first?
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C13 · finding · guideline-based
WHO emphasizes that some activity is better than none, all activity counts, sedentary time should be limited, and guidance needs population-appropriate application.
Applies to: Adults with differing abilities and circumstances
Outcome: Physical activity and sedentary behavior
Limitations: Adaptations are necessary; a generic gym schedule is not a rehabilitation protocol.
Sources: S13 — WHO — Physical activity
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-24. Not independently a default prescription.
C14 · finding · qualified
ACSM distinguishes benefits obtainable without progression from continued longer-term gains, for which increasing the training stimulus is likely needed. Very light starting loads may require progression toward a meaningful stimulus.
Applies to: Generally healthy adults; goals, experience and starting stimulus matter
Outcome: Interpretation of resistance-training progression
Limitations: This is the position stand’s interpretation, not a controlled test of lifelong maintenance or the guide’s exact progression rule. It does not require increasing weight at every session.
Sources: S14 — Currier et al. — ACSM 2026 resistance-training position stand
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-25. Not independently a default prescription.
C15 · finding · guideline-based
The 2025–2030 US Dietary Guidelines state a protein goal of 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day, adjusted for individual caloric requirements.
Applies to: General population guidance; this guide discusses adult applicability
Outcome: Published protein-intake guidance
Limitations: Not a trial establishing a universal minimum or longevity dose.
Sources: S15 — USDA and HHS — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-26. Not independently a default prescription.
C16 · finding · qualified
The federal scientific report describes a 30-trial body-composition review mainly in calorie-restricted adults with overweight or obesity, with smaller weight-stable studies.
Applies to: Predominantly adults with overweight or obesity during calorie restriction
Outcome: Applicability of the report’s body-composition evidence
Limitations: Report-level appraisal only; not a fresh pooled analysis or a mortality finding.
Sources: S16 — USDA and HHS — Scientific Foundation, Chapter 6: Dietary Protein
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-26. Not independently a default prescription.
C17 · finding · qualified
A 74-trial review found a small additional lean-mass benefit with protein plus resistance training; protein-only evidence was limited.
Applies to: Healthy non-obese adults; weight-loss protocols excluded
Outcome: Lean mass and function, not survival
Limitations: Most trials were short; lean mass is not identical to skeletal muscle. This does not establish an exact intake threshold.
Sources: S17 — Nunes et al. — Protein intake, muscle mass and function in healthy adults
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle; What can we honestly claim about living longer?
Reviewed 2026-09-26. Not independently a default prescription.
C18 · finding · guideline-based
WHO describes adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity as foundations of a healthy diet, with its composition adapted to personal and cultural circumstances and available foods.
Applies to: General dietary guidance; applied here to adult education
Outcome: Principles for constructing a dietary pattern
Limitations: A framework for guidance, not a validated score or an individualized menu.
Sources: S05 — WHO — Healthy diet
Used in: Build a diet before you optimize one
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Not independently a default prescription.
C19 · finding · guideline-based
AHA’s 2026 guidance emphasizes the overall dietary pattern: varied produce, mostly whole grains, suitable protein foods, unsaturated in place of saturated fats, and less sodium and added sugar. Its preferred protein foods and dairy qualifications are explained in the official release.
Applies to: Adults considering general cardiovascular-health guidance
Outcome: Food-based dietary recommendations
Limitations: Summary-level access only. These recommendations do not establish a causal effect of the constructed meals, settle every food comparison, or quantify added years of life.
Sources: S18 — AHA — 2026 Dietary Guidance: official scientific-statement summary; S19 — AHA — Following 9 key steps for a lifetime of eating well
Used in: Build a diet before you optimize one
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Not independently a default prescription.
C20 · finding · guideline-based
WHO accepts frozen and canned produce without added sugars or excess sodium. AHA also includes these options while preferring minimally processed foods.
Applies to: Adults selecting practical food options
Outcome: Convenience within dietary-pattern guidance
Limitations: Not an endorsement of every packaged food, proof of nutrient equivalence, or a causal appraisal of ultraprocessed-food research.
Sources: S05 — WHO — Healthy diet; S19 — AHA — Following 9 key steps for a lifetime of eating well
Used in: Build a diet before you optimize one
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Not independently a default prescription.
R01 · synthesis · reasoned
Use a small set of repeatable nutrition, aerobic-activity and resistance-training decisions before adding specialized optimization tasks.
Applies to: Adult general readers
Outcome: Feasibility and alignment with the guide’s health-first purpose
Limitations: An editorial priority rule, not a tested ranking of every health intervention.
Sources: S01 — CDC — Adult Activity: An Overview; S05 — WHO — Healthy diet; S12 — CDC — About Sleep
Also depends on: C01, C05, C12, C13
Used in: What deserves your attention first?
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Practical example or default planning advice; its stated limitations still apply.
R02 · synthesis · reasoned
The worked week combines two whole-body resistance sessions with five 30-minute moderate aerobic sessions; its exercises, rest intervals and progression rule are illustrative choices.
Applies to: A fictional generally healthy adult already able to tolerate the specified activity
Outcome: A concrete way to organize training
Limitations: The complete program has not been tested in a trial and is not an individualized prescription. Its time budget excludes travel and changing. The repetition-then-load rule remains a practical synthesis, not a proven superior algorithm.
Sources: S01 — CDC — Adult Activity: An Overview; S03 — CDC — What Counts as Physical Activity for Adults; S04 — ACSM — 2026 resistance-training guidance: official summary; S07 — Schumann et al. — Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training; S14 — Currier et al. — ACSM 2026 resistance-training position stand
Also depends on: C01, C02, C03, C04, C07, C14
Used in: Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-25. Practical example or default planning advice; its stated limitations still apply.
R03 · synthesis · reasoned
Retain 1.6 g/kg/day (128 g/day) for the fictional 80-kilogram recreational trainee as a training-oriented example within athlete guidance and at the upper end of current US population guidance; four 32-g portions remain arithmetic, not an optimal meal schedule.
Applies to: A fictional 80-kilogram adult without a condition requiring a different target
Outcome: Demonstration of protein-target arithmetic
Limitations: A practical synthesis, not a universal minimum, individually established optimum or longevity dose. Whole-diet quality, applicability and burden still matter.
Sources: S06 — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Exercise and Athletic Performance; S15 — USDA and HHS — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030; S16 — USDA and HHS — Scientific Foundation, Chapter 6: Dietary Protein; S17 — Nunes et al. — Protein intake, muscle mass and function in healthy adults
Also depends on: C06, C15, C16, C17
Used in: What deserves your attention first?; Building a week for health and muscle
Reviewed 2026-09-26. Practical example or default planning advice; its stated limitations still apply.
R04 · synthesis · reasoned
Use an ordinary-day meal review to choose feasible food changes, considering produce, fiber-containing staples, protein foods, fat replacement, drinks and condiments. Treat the examples as options rather than a compulsory checklist.
Applies to: Adult general readers; individual needs and prescribed diets take precedence
Outcome: Translating dietary-pattern guidance into practical meals
Limitations: Not a validated adherence intervention, nutritionally complete menu, calorie prescription or claim of longevity benefit. Exact portions and substitutions require context.
Sources: S05 — WHO — Healthy diet; S18 — AHA — 2026 Dietary Guidance: official scientific-statement summary; S19 — AHA — Following 9 key steps for a lifetime of eating well
Also depends on: C05, C18, C19, C20
Used in: Build a diet before you optimize one
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Practical example or default planning advice; its stated limitations still apply.
H01 · hypothesis · unconfirmed
A preplanned reduced-demand fallback might improve long-term participation compared with an equally detailed plan that offers only its full schedule.
Applies to: Adults whose routines are interrupted by ordinary time constraints
Outcome: Proposed long-term adherence advantage
Limitations: Untested here. Component guidance does not validate the comparative prediction. A randomized comparison with prespecified adherence and function outcomes could test it; no superiority claim belongs in default advice.
Sources: S04 — ACSM — 2026 resistance-training guidance: official summary; S13 — WHO — Physical activity
Used in: How this guide is built and revised
Reviewed 2026-09-25. Not independently a default prescription.
Source records
S01 · active
CDC — Adult Activity: An Overview
Publication: 2023-12-20
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
A population-level recommendation, not an individualized prescription or a trial of our sample week.
Evidence-group identifier: S01. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S02 · active
CDC — Measuring Physical Activity Intensity
Publication: 2025-12-04
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
The talk test describes aerobic intensity; it is not a measure of effort in a lifting set.
Evidence-group identifier: S02. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S03 · active
CDC — What Counts as Physical Activity for Adults
Publication: 2023-12-06
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
General starting guidance, not a comparison establishing the best exercise selection or hypertrophy dose.
Evidence-group identifier: S03. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S04 · active
ACSM — 2026 resistance-training guidance: official summary
Publication: 2026-03-17
Access: Official summary inspected; the corresponding full-text position stand is separately recorded as S14
Inspected: 2026-09-25
The organization summarizes its overview of reviews. We have not independently appraised its 137 constituent reviews; overlapping reviews are not independent experiments.
Evidence-group identifier: S04. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S05 · active
WHO — Healthy diet
Publication: 2026-01-26
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-27
General dietary guidance. A menu assembled from these principles is not automatically nutritionally complete.
Evidence-group identifier: S05. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S06 · active
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Exercise and Athletic Performance
Publication: Living fact sheet; publication date not asserted
Access: Relevant protein and dietary-foundation sections inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-26
An institutional evidence summary. Athlete protein guidance is not evidence of a lifespan benefit, and it is not automatically applicable to kidney disease or every body size.
Evidence-group identifier: S06. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S07 · active
Schumann et al. — Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training
Publication: 2021-11-10 (online); 2022 journal volume
Access: Full text accessible; abstract, methods and results inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
43 studies, 1,090 participants; supervised interventions lasting at least four weeks. Study quality and specific training demands limit generalization. Pooled non-significance does not establish equivalence for every program.
Evidence-group identifier: S07. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S08 · active
Momma et al. — Muscle-strengthening activities and major non-communicable diseases
Publication: 2022-02-28 (online)
Access: Abstract and bibliographic record inspected; full text not inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
A meta-analysis of 16 prospective cohort studies. Used only to illustrate an observational association; not to infer an optimal lifting-duration ceiling or a causal effect of maximizing muscle mass.
Evidence-group identifier: S08. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S09 · active
FDA — Surrogate Endpoint Resources
Publication: Living resource; publication date not asserted
Access: Official methods resource inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
Endpoint validation is context-specific. This framework does not by itself evaluate a particular commercial aging test.
Evidence-group identifier: S09. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S10 · active
Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 14 — Certainty of the evidence
Publication: Current online handbook accessed 2026-09-24
Access: Relevant certainty and applicability sections inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
This guide borrows appraisal questions; its labels are not a formal GRADE assessment or a claim to be a systematic review.
Evidence-group identifier: S10. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S11 · active
Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 15 — Interpreting results
Publication: Current online handbook accessed 2026-09-24
Access: Relevant interpretation guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
The guide’s numerical risk example is invented for teaching and is not a result from this handbook.
Evidence-group identifier: S11. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S12 · active
CDC — About Sleep
Publication: 2024-05-15
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
Sleep recommendations differ by age; duration alone does not establish sleep quality or diagnose a disorder.
Evidence-group identifier: S12. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S13 · active
WHO — Physical activity
Publication: 2024-06-26
Access: Official public-health guidance inspected
Inspected: 2026-09-24
Broad guidance covers populations needing adaptations. It does not validate the particular gym examples in this guide.
Evidence-group identifier: S13. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S14 · active
Currier et al. — ACSM 2026 resistance-training position stand
Publication: 2026-03-05 (online); April 2026 journal issue; DOI 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897
Access: Full HTML available; methods, hypertrophy results, progression discussion and limitations inspected. Supplements and the complete set of constituent reviews were not appraised.
Inspected: 2026-09-25
An overview of reviews in healthy adults, not a trial of this guide. S04 summarizes the same work; these are not independent confirmations. No lifespan effect or individually optimal dose is established here.
Evidence-group identifier: S04. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S15 · active
USDA and HHS — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
Publication: 2025–2030 edition
Access: Protein guidance on printed page 2 inspected in parsed text and a PDF screenshot.
Inspected: 2026-09-26
Population guidance, not a randomized test of a universal minimum, individualized optimum or lifespan effect. S16 is its companion scientific report, not independent confirmation.
Evidence-group identifier: S15. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S16 · active
USDA and HHS — Scientific Foundation, Chapter 6: Dietary Protein
Publication: Companion to the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines
Access: Relevant Chapter 6 passages, printed pages 37–38, inspected in parsed text and PDF screenshots; Appendix 4.9 and underlying trials not independently appraised.
Inspected: 2026-09-26
The described body-composition review mainly concerns calorie-restricted adults with overweight or obesity. Its applicability is not identical to weight-stable recreational training. We do not adopt its effect-size or universal-safety claims without further appraisal.
Evidence-group identifier: S15. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S17 · active
Nunes et al. — Protein intake, muscle mass and function in healthy adults
Publication: 2022-02-20; DOI 10.1002/jcsm.12922
Access: Full HTML methods, results, discussion and disclosures inspected; supplements and individual trials not reappraised.
Inspected: 2026-09-26
Search through September 2020; heterogeneous doses and measurements. ILSI Europe funding and industry relationships are disclosed. A separate review is not necessarily an independent evidence base; overlap has not been fully mapped.
Evidence-group identifier: S17. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S18 · active
AHA — 2026 Dietary Guidance: official scientific-statement summary
Publication: 2026-03-31
Access: Official summary read in full. The journal article at DOI 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001435 returned HTTP 403; full text and constituent research were not inspected.
Inspected: 2026-09-27
An institutional summary of cardiovascular dietary guidance, not a trial of the meal examples or a quantified lifespan effect. S19 explains the same statement and is not independent confirmation.
Evidence-group identifier: S18. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.
S19 · active
AHA — Following 9 key steps for a lifetime of eating well
Publication: 2026-03-31
Access: Official explanatory release inspected, including food choices, dairy uncertainty, convenience and flexibility. Its accompanying media and the journal full text were not appraised.
Inspected: 2026-09-27
A second account of the same statement as S18. Used for bounded guidance and its stated qualifications, not causal estimates, exhaustive processing classifications, or independent study appraisal.
Evidence-group identifier: S18. Grouping records does not prove that all overlaps between reviews have been resolved.