How VBE Performance Forms Recommendations
Why we trust certain claims, how we weight evidence, what we test before we recommend, and how we disclose every commercial relationship.
Four pillars behind every position we take
Where the evidence is strong, we say so plainly. Where it isn't, we say that too.
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Hierarchy of evidence
We weight randomised trials and meta-analyses above mechanistic studies, and mechanistic studies above expert opinion. Anecdote is colour, not proof.
★ Pillar
Sample-size sanity
Studies under n=20 are noted but never weighted heavily. Effects must be repeatable across multiple contexts before we adopt them as recommendations.
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Effect size matters more than significance
A 'statistically significant' 0.3% effect is not a recommendation. We focus on changes large enough to feel and measure.
★ Pillar
Update when evidence updates
We change positions publicly when better data appears. Past articles are dated and updated, never silently re-written.
Four questions before anything reaches the page
If a product or protocol fails any of these, it doesn't get recommended.
Where the evidence comes from
We lean on these institutions and researchers when forming positions on training and nutrition.
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD — Lehman College
The most-cited hypertrophy researcher in sport science. His meta-analyses on training volume, frequency, and rep-range form the foundation of VBE's program design. When VBE states a weekly set-volume target, it comes from Schoenfeld's published data.
Eric Helms, PhD — AUT / MASS Research Review
Body recomposition, evidence-based dieting, and natural bodybuilding science. Co-author of the Muscle & Strength Pyramids — the layered framework behind VBE's nutrition hierarchy and calorie-target guidance.
Layne Norton, PhD — Nutritional Sciences
Protein metabolism, energy balance, and dietary flexibility. His work on leucine thresholds and per-meal protein distribution directly informs VBE's per-meal protein targets (~0.4 g/kg/meal).
Andy Galpin, PhD — CSU Fullerton
Muscle fibre physiology, hydration science, and sleep-performance interactions. VBE's recovery and sleep articles draw from Galpin's lab work on adaptation mechanisms and fatigue management.
Greg Nuckols — Stronger By Science
Strength training data analysis, progressive overload models, and sex-specific strength standards. VBE's Strength Standards calculator tiers are built from Nuckols' normative data across trained populations.
International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN)
The most authoritative applied-research body in sports nutrition. VBE consults JISSN position stands on creatine, protein, caffeine, carbohydrates, and hydration before forming any supplement recommendation.
Cochrane Systematic Reviews
The gold standard for clinical claims. Where a Cochrane review exists on a topic VBE covers — sleep, supplementation, recovery — it takes precedence over individual trials.
PubMed / NCBI Primary Literature
Every specific numerical claim in VBE articles is traceable to a primary study indexed in PubMed. The researcher name and approximate year are provided in-article so you can find the original paper.
Full disclosure, on every page that contains a recommendation
Trust depends on transparency. These are the rules.
Every product recommendation page will carry an inline disclosure stating any commercial relationship, the date of the most recent review, and the name of the contributor responsible.