Casey Johnston
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Articles by Casey Johnston
a vindication of the rights of strong pregnant women
what incredible accolades! and there are even more here I missed this December 2024 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine because it was published just as I was having my first baby, but it’s a slam dunk for all the things I suspected to be true about strength training and pregnancy—the study results showed that heavy lifting is fine, the Valsalva maneuver is fine (that is to say, of the metrics measured, these activities did not have a measurable negative impact on the...
A peek inside the sponcon sausage factory, part five
How many people are actually using GLP-1s? [Tom Lehrer voice] New math. Plus: the difference between rest and idleness, how to climb a rope; "we see ourselves as temporarily unknown celebrities." This is Link Letter 207! hear me out: it's okay to date your fellow gym members How to cultivate a third space. (There are rules!) Plus: how to actually achieve failure; make a deadlift from scratch; 'eat more horse'??? This is Link Letter 206!
'pregnancy will wreck my already-tenuous relationship with my body. what do I do?'
'pregnancy will wreck my already-tenuous relationship with my body. what do I do?' also: is it possible to have already done enough parenting for undeserving baby-adults for many, many lifetimes?
How many people are actually using GLP-1s?
what incredible accolades! and there are even more here How many people are using GLP-1s? It’s not an easy number to produce, even if you are one of the manufacturers holding the reins. Based on media reporting, it seems like a lot. But I haven’t seen anyone really dig into this mathematically, so I am going to try. Let’s begin with one of the most oft-quoted figures on GLP-1 use. KFF[^1] produced a poll that found 12 percent of adults had tried a GLP-1.
hear me out: it's okay to date your fellow gym members
what incredible accolades! and there are even more here It does not feel too bold to say that human relations are in a sorry state. I’m sorry for my part in this; I enthusiastically Tindered and OKCupided back in the day, and that has led us to the point where no one can even make eye contact any more. (I did try to warn everyone several years ago.) But as more and more people realize that apps and the internet are fundamentally broken, they are returning to the real world to find people.
having it all is not the same as doing it all
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Insurance barely covers PT, but covers so much acupuncture and chiropractic; why?
Insurance barely covers PT, but covers so much acupuncture and chiropractic; why? Plus: "Yoked," not "yolked"; what the f does what I look like matter?; I laughed so much at this birding doc. This is Link Letter 205!
go the frick outside
go the frick outside What are you doing here, on your device? Plus: why it's hard to be ordinary; the dubious case for the "super walk"; scientific knowledge is ultimately first-personal. This is Link Letter 204!
a defense of doing nothing
a defense of doing nothing The hardest thing some of us may do these days is sit at rest, in quiet contemplation.
the art of bending down
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child) The only reason to train? Plus: why the manosphere loves Pilates girls; a thing you didn't want to know about Darwin; against Google Maps. This is Link Letter 198!
let’s have some type II fun
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child) The only reason to train? Plus: why the manosphere loves Pilates girls; a thing you didn't want to know about Darwin; against Google Maps. This is Link Letter 198! the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness, part two Freedom from want and fear. Plus: benching 130lbs, feet up and tucked; r/Costco catches on to protein inflation; does this Snail Mail song sound familiar? This is Link Letter 197!
Grab bag: lifting's effects on singing voice; 'rib flare'; pull-ups causing callus rips
Lifting can change your voice, but probably not in the way you think. Presenting the Powerlifter's Mongolian Throat-Singing Choir. Just kidding, of course // Photo by
why can't anyone stop talking about protein?
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child) The only reason to train? Plus: why the manosphere loves Pilates girls; a thing you didn't want to know about Darwin; against Google Maps. This is Link Letter 198! the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness, part two Freedom from want and fear. Plus: benching 130lbs, feet up and tucked; r/Costco catches on to protein inflation; does this Snail Mail song sound familiar? This is Link Letter 197!
I am mother (again)
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child) The only reason to train? Plus: why the manosphere loves Pilates girls; a thing you didn't want to know about Darwin; against Google Maps. This is Link Letter 198! the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness, part two Freedom from want and fear. Plus: benching 130lbs, feet up and tucked; r/Costco catches on to protein inflation; does this Snail Mail song sound familiar? This is Link Letter 197!
let there be 'mom bod'
let there be 'mom bod' "Everything out there seems to say, 'you can change your body, you just have to try harder!' But what if that's just plain untrue?" Photo by parth upadhyay / Unsplash This post is for paying subscribers only
fiber was my nemesis
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child) The only reason to train? Plus: why the manosphere loves Pilates girls; a thing you didn't want to know about Darwin; against Google Maps. This is Link Letter 198! the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness, part two Freedom from want and fear. Plus: benching 130lbs, feet up and tucked; r/Costco catches on to protein inflation; does this Snail Mail song sound familiar?
how to get really good at picking up your dog (or child)
I have to be honest—I did not imagine that owning a dog would involve quite so much handling of her full 50lb bodyweight. I do fully pick her up like a baby to look into her eyes tell her what a beautiful princess she is every now and then. But there is also plenty of nudging and shifting of her body weight, hauling her from this side of the bed to that, gently dragging her to the door when her game of catch-me-if-you-can comes to an early end.
'help! I am stuck in a time loop; can I use it to get jacked?'
The Question My question for you has to do with the movie Edge of Tomorrow. In that movie, Tom Cruise's character relives the same alien-v-human battle over and over and over again, eventually figuring out how to defeat the bad guys through some combination of choreography (that spaceship is going to blow at precisely this time, so he better not be standing by it) and time-loop-acquired fighting skills.
the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness, part two
On the much-derided Roosevelt Island of New York City, there sits the ghost of a former smallpox hospital. It is, and was, called Smallpox Hospital. It’s an empty but surprisingly mighty Gothic building that is now mostly a facade, empty and viewable only from the outside. This building is probably the most well-known thing about Roosevelt Island, apart from the aerial tram.
"Good woman who rows like hell"
what's in that protein bar?: a question we will regret asking more and more Putting the David in "ew, David!" Plus: a gut bacteria connected to muscle strength; "social prescribing" by doctors; catching snakes in Alabama. This is Link Letter 194! how to gain no muscle, yet lift virtually any occasional chair The Chicken Smoothie Rule; why girls are tearing their ACLs; "lol i'm trying to tell you how it feels for me".
Hypertrophy, strength, power, bone density, stability--which one am I supposed to do, and why?
Hypertrophy, strength, power, bone density, stability--which one am I supposed to do, and why? There are a lot of words. This is how they all fit together. Isn't it funny that we are all just skeletons inside? I think so // Photo by
the plot to strangle the American of life, liberty, and happiness
what's in that protein bar?: a question we will regret asking more and more Putting the David in "ew, David!" Plus: a gut bacteria connected to muscle strength; "social prescribing" by doctors; catching snakes in Alabama. This is Link Letter 194! how to gain no muscle, yet lift virtually any occasional chair The Chicken Smoothie Rule; why girls are tearing their ACLs; "lol i'm trying to tell you how it feels for me". This is Link Letter 192!
what's in that protein bar?: a question we will regret asking more and more
There’s a new protein bar brand that’s been circulating for a few months claiming to have the fewest calories (150) relative to its protein content (20 grams) of any protein bar you can buy. The branding (”David,” written in Apple’s “think different” font) is slick. They are promoted by extremely famous podcaster Andrew Huberman, who, according to my careful research, may be the actual Antichrist. A single bar costs $4.50 at my local sundry shop. What could go wrong?
where do I even begin with my pelvic floor?
The Question I am 40 and two years postpartum, after carrying twins to term. Once I figured out how to carve a bit of time out of parenting twins life for me to work out, I spent six months doing core/pelvic floor rehab work. I had no acute, diagnosed injury, but twin pregnancy pushed me to the brink, and I wanted to proactively try to gain back some basic functionality before starting to lift or run.
psychological thriller pitch: woman makes the same mistakes over and over
how to gain no muscle, yet lift virtually any occasional chair The Chicken Smoothie Rule; why girls are tearing their ACLs; "lol i'm trying to tell you how it feels for me". This is Link Letter 192! i like this warm-up that everyone hates A position paper on static stretching. Plus: the US is not a developed country; how much Serena Williams works out; why the strangers shouldn't be removed.
how to gain no muscle, yet lift virtually any occasional chair
\ File this under enjoyable math: I know that a lot of people come to lifting weights with a kind of mortal fear of ganing muscle. They don’t want to be bulky; they don’t want to gain weight; they don’t want to gain muscle. To me, this is like saying “I don’t want to pee in the ocean, because I might drown the fish.” But never mind that for now.
'i'm afraid i'll give myself an eating disorder'
The Question Hi Swole Woman, Long-time subscriber and intermediate lifter here. I started trying stronglifts 5x5 pre-COVID in a vastly under-equipped work gym thanks to your column, dropped off during COVID, and started following LIFTOFF once I had access to a slightly less underequipped gym. What drew me to lifting was that I'm fat, I had been working really hard to accept that about myself, and I appreciated that being big and eating felt like a GOOD thing.
a takedown of the "smart home gym"
i like this warm-up that everyone hates A position paper on static stretching. Plus: the US is not a developed country; how much Serena Williams works out; why the strangers shouldn't be removed. This is Link Letter 189! nothing good has ever followed 'I don't even need coffee anymore!' Peptides: seriously? Plus: the female strengthspan; why do I want a facelift?; ham dinner in half an hour.
A peek inside the sponcon sausage factory, part four
i like this warm-up that everyone hates A position paper on static stretching. Plus: the US is not a developed country; how much Serena Williams works out; why the strangers shouldn't be removed. This is Link Letter 189! nothing good has ever followed 'I don't even need coffee anymore!' Peptides: seriously? Plus: the female strengthspan; why do I want a facelift?; ham dinner in half an hour.
'husband 'wants' me to drag him to the gym, and i'm tired of his tricks'
The Question My husband understands that he should work out and will do so under my prodding but then impacts my experience, any suggestions? We've been married for almost 25 years, and with us entering our 50's, I'm thinking more and more about longevity and how we will be able to live in our older years. I am quite happy with competing against myself and more solo-type sports (climbing, swimming, running, weight lifting) and he finds prescribed training of any sort tedious and boring.
i like this warm-up that everyone hates
When I was a young and impressionable youth, sports warm-ups went like this: We jogged one lap around the field. Then we formed a circle with everyone facing in, and one of the players would lead the group in a series of static stretches: standing holding one foot bent behind your butt to stretch the quads, touching the toes, holding one elbow above the head with the opposite arm, holding an arm across the body, etc. No one died.
nothing good has ever followed 'I don't even need coffee anymore!'
There is no simple, broad descriptor for peptides that helps us understand what peptides do, in the way that caffeine is a “stimulant.” “Peptide” is not quite as general of a term as “chemical,” but it feels close.
'name one good thing about getting old'
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a doctor who gets it
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait One of the first people I spoke to on my book tour last spring was Mara Gordon, who writes for NPR. Gordon is a practicing primary care doctor in Philadelphia, and as we talked, I found she had a refreshing relationship with being a doctor, and how she saw her role in relation to her patients. She also seemed to have a lot of understanding about all the ways patients’ needs are not being met in America.
consistency is what you do more often than not
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'i ruined my body when i was young, and i hate paying the price'
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protein inflation is here
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait As readers of my now-unlocked piece on collagen from 2024 know, collagen threads a perfect needle for food and supplement manufacturers hoping to take advantage of the protein craze. Because it is made of amino acids, it technically gets counted into the protein figure on nutrition labels.
process versus product
The She's A Beast StrongList of Important Things, 2025 Significant trends in health, body, movement, and how all those things are mediated by, dun-dun-dun, institutions of power. things that are not steroids: pre-workout Remember Jack3d? Plus: Costco's disdain for Trump; gym entry airlocks; a troll named Doorway-Sniffer. This is Link Letter 182! checking in on "Japanese 7-Eleven in America" The execution is wanting.
the art of persuading a PR to stop being so difficult
the art of persuading a PR to stop being so difficult "I can deadlift n pounds, but I always fail n+5 pounds. Why is the world so cruel?" you are in the rat's nest to the left. which one? exactly / art by Casey Johnston
The She's A Beast StrongList of Important Things, 2025
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait I’ve watched a lot of Mad Men recently. Often with this show and all its historical references, you are meant to chuckle patronizingly at the way the characters routinely, sincerely tell each other that the end of the world is upon them. It’s understandable why they felt that way—seemingly impending nuclear war, regular old ill-advised war, racialized violence, constant bewildering political assassinations.
Things that are not steroids: pre-workout Remember Jack3d? Plus: Costco's disdain for Trump; gym entry airlocks; a troll named Doorway-Sniffer. This is Link Letter 182! checking in on "Japanese 7-Eleven in America" The execution is wanting. Plus: is protein "just expensive pee?"; how muscle memory works; get a hot water bottle. This is Link Letter 181! 'hourglass syndrome' PLATESLAM 2025 cometh; is it ethical to recruit actors with anorexia?; a Hegseth/MTG pull-up mid-off.
what to do when you are a little bit sick; bench-arching for the flexibility-challenged; weight machine numbers aren't real
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait Hi Casey, I’ve been struggling with this Q, hoping for a research-based answer (though I won’t mind some philosophy!) and I finally realized you’re the person to ask. What do I do about lifting when I’m just a little bit sick? I’ve got a small kid, so I’m in this state a lot. “Enjoy the deload week” doesn’t work for me, it happens too often. I know not to work out when I’m SICK, but what’s the best thing for when I’m just a little sick?
Things that are not steroids: pre-workout
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait People often ask me “what I think” of various supplements: protein, creatine. Most people have a rightful wariness of basically anything this is sold in a supplement shop, and anything that might have caused guys in gyms to be wilding out the way they sometimes are. The packaging of supplements often looks deranged; the ingredients are a laundry list of stuff no one has ever heard before.
checking in on "Japanese 7-Eleven in America"
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait No one would be more excited than me if 7-Eleven were to make its American stores more like its Japanese ones. I have watched a truly troubling number of video hours of people touring, shopping, and trying East Asian 7-Eleven cuisine.
As God is my witness, I'll never trip over myself and end up in the hospital again: dealing with injury, part three
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait The Question Hi Casey, I am a huge fan of your work, your book, and your approach to all things. I'm a 47 year old female, and I started lifting about 16 months ago thanks to Liftoff. All has been going so, so well, up until about a month ago when I sustained not one but two lifting-related injuries. First, I dropped a 25-lb barbell plate on my foot and shattered the bone beneath my big toenail. I don't exactly know how it happened.
'hourglass syndrome'
if only it were possible to know more about this book... oh wait Over the newsletter hiatus, I published a piece with Wired about the pelvic floor, and my struggles with my own pelvic floor over the last several months (PDF at the end of this newsletter, for paid subscribers(. I developed debilitating tailbone pain right around the time my book published in May.
how to read more
There has been a rash of “how to read more” posts over the last couple of months. Mostly they were from people who seemingly have never struggled to read books (don’t own a TV, employed as a book critic, live 500 miles from the nearest cellular/WiFi connection, etc). I, could not relate to a lot of them. So I thought I would write my own, as someone who contracted an adult-onset allergy to reading and concentrating in general. I was a reader growing up.
The Pelvic Floor Is a Problem
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The Pelvic Floor Is a Problem Original
I was settling into one of those airport activity tables with high stools and electric outlets at my flight’s gate, waiting for the agent to announce boarding, when I felt a gathering storm at the apex of my butt cheeks. This was my last flight after being away from home on a book tour in May. For the past two weeks, I hadn’t left my chair much, due to all the posting, podcasting, writing, and tense, nervous scrolling that releasing a book involves.
What it's like to start lifting during cancer treatment
Right about the time I published LIFTOFF in 2021, I got a nice email from a reader in Sweden who was going through cancer treatment. She said planned to start lifting soon, and that she wanted to do my program. I didn’t write her back at that time, not even to say “thank you for your kind words, I hope everything goes well for you!” mostly because I’m poorly socialized and have no manners.
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