Gabrielle Kassel

9 min read
You’ve been training consistently—but some muscles seem to respond right away, while others barely change. Your quads are showing definition, but your biceps? Not so much. It makes you wonder: do some muscle groups just grow faster than others?
The short answer is yes. Due to a combination of biological and lifestyle factors, certain muscle groups do adapt faster than others, says certified strength and conditioning specialist Jake Harcoff, CSCS, head coach and owner of AIM Athleti...

By now you’ve probably heard about GLP-1s, sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy. This class of medications mimics naturally occurring hormones involved in appetite control and blood sugar regulation to treat type 2 diabetes and aid weight-loss efforts. It should be no surprise, then, that conversations around these popular drugs have largely centered on the scale. However, some scientists are starting to look more closely into how they may impact something perhaps even more perso...

In recent years, creatine has outgrown its “gym bro” reputation to become a go-to supplement for a much wider range of people. Still, there’s one group that’s often left out of the conversation: middle-aged and older women.
The potential benefits of creatine for women over 40 are profound. Here’s a closer look at why women should consider adding the supplement to their routines, especially as they approach and surpass middle age. (Go ahead and forward this one to your mom!)
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The friends-to-lovers pipeline—or the canon event where two long-term friends wind up dating—has long been a beloved romance trope. There’s a reason movies like When Harry Met Sally and My Best Friend’s Wedding have stood the test of time. But in an era where 78% of singles report dating app burnout, many are no longer seeing it just as a storyline—but instead as a potential solution to their single status.
Not only does pursuing a romantic relationship with a friend bypass the endless swipin...

Duration, speed, and weight are among the most common metrics people use to measure their workouts. But new research suggests there may be another variable worth paying attention to: variety.
The January 2026 study, published in BMJ Medicine, found that people who regularly engaged in a wider variety of physical activities had a significantly lower risk of premature death compared with those who stuck to fewer types of exercise.
Health experts aren’t necessarily surprised by these findings. A...

We’ve all been there: The endorphins that carried you through your training session have faded, leaving you feeling a little worse for wear.
The sore muscles, sensation of heaviness, and fatigue that can follow a grueling workout aren’t random. Exercise breaks down muscle fibers, depletes energy stores, and triggers short-term inflammation, explains Brittany Michels, R.D.N., M.S., C.P.T., a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer with The Vitamin Shoppe. As a result, you might fee...

12 min read
BETWEEN TECHNICAL TERMS—cunnilingus, fellatio, analingus—and more colloquial descriptors—giving head, going down, sucking off—oral sex has no shortage of names. But the lips-to-bits sex act has even more physical and emotional benefits.
Most obviously: Pleasure. “Receiving oral sex can be pleasurable because the mouth, lips, and tongue provide soft, warm, and highly controlled stimulation that is different from hands or penetration,” says Carolina Pataky, PhD, LMFT, a sexologist a...

Big muscles are my lighthouse. Over the last decade, I’ve worked diligently towards a monster back squat, impressive pull, and banana bench—and with success. But when I started graduate school last spring, my two-a-day training schedule had to drop to a single hour a day, and my goals had to shift from building muscle to preserving it.
Time and time again, research has shown that eating 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of target bodyweight is optimal for building and preserving muscle. T...

10 min read
THREE YEARS AGO, at 52, Tina Tang could deadlift 310 pounds without blinking and squat 210 like it was part of her warm-up. She had discovered powerlifting in her early 40s, and by all appearances, she was the picture of strength.
So when her annual physical revealed osteopenia—low bone density—she was stunned.
As a coach who trains women over 40, Tang believed she was doing everything right for her bones: lifting heavy, paying close attention to her form, eating enough protein to...

While pleasure products like dildos, Wartenburg wheels, and pumps are ambiguously named, butt plugs do exactly what they say: they plug a bumhole because it can feel good. These beginner-friendly anal toys are made to be inserted into the nerve-rich anal canal, where they stay in place during play to offer sensations of fullness, pressure, or vibration that can feel sensational. Here’s everything you need to know about using and purchasing one.
Why butt plugs?
What does it do? Butt plugs are ...

It’s no secret that high stress levels are a major issue in modern society. Nearly half of U.S. adults report experiencing “a lot of stress” daily, according to a 2025 Gallup survey. And roughly one-third of adults perceive that stress negatively impacts their health to some extent. Given that, it makes sense that the primary hormone involved in the stress response—cortisol—has become a hot topic in wellness.
Colloquially known as the stress hormone, cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands...

Finally, I’m going to meet the parents of my new guy. My friends have taken to calling him Country Club, so I’m dressed the part of the future daughter-in-law: white Ralph Lauren, subtle studs, smudge of blush.
As I’m fastening my kitten heel, my phone lights up.
“I struggle with how I’m ever going to introduce you to my family,” his text starts. “In one quick Google search of your name, they’d fall into a rabbit hole about pegging and fisting….If this is a major part of your life, I can’t se...

A lot of airtime is given to what you should eat before and after workouts. For good reason: The former gives you a boost of energy for your workout, while the latter helps you recover from it. But what about what you eat (or drink) in the middle of your workout?
In recent years, intra-workout supplements have become a booming business—there are endless options of gels, chews, and powders designed to be consumed smack-dab in the middle of a sweat session. But for certain exercisers, workout s...