Yesterday, there were guys working on the pool pump before Steph’s retreat got into full swing. Jed asked, “Is that an eco-friendly pool without chlorine? I replied, “Yea, they use salt instead.”

“Dope…I heard that with the sunlight the sodium chloride just turns into chlorine anyways.”

As I sat with this conversation, it struck me that this is the epitome of our industry.

A lead in question followed up with unsure anecdotal “evidence”.

“Yo, how many reps are you doing over there?”

“3 sets of 21”

“I heard that if you can do over 20 it isn’t doing anything anymore.”

“Oh shit, I meant 3 sets of 19.”

Other than being total passive aggressive bullshit, the problem with this whole interaction sequence is rarely do people ever look things up from reliable peer-reviewed sources. They live in this bro-on-bro sewer world of Iron Lore and Norse Muscle Myths.

High-rep low-load training (when volume is somewhat equated) works just as well for hypertrophy, but not nearly as well for strength.

Where is this from? Type Schoenfeld, Low Load, and Pubmed into your search bar and you might find a peer-reviewed meta-analysis on the subject.

I had no idea if the sun causes the dissassociation of sodium chloride (bullshit meter was going off though) or what dilution the pool is set at. Well the sun doesn’t do it, the chlorine generator does through electrophoresis via titanium plates. Which explains what the hell that beeping gadget hooked up right in line with the pump is. Next line of action, message the pool guys and ask them how many ppm of chlorine the pool is set at.

“The chlorine level recommended for swimming pools by the CDC is 1–3 ppm, and the recommended level for bromine is 2–5 ppm.12 Most germs are actually killed at the lower ends of these ranges, but extra disinfectant often is needed to accommodate the organic matter—such as urine, sweat, and dirt—that is brought in by swimmers. That’s because all the contaminants and compounds on an unshowered body react with the free disinfectant in the pool, reducing the amount available to kill pathogens.”
-Spivey 2010

“CDC recommends pH 7.2–7.8 and a free available chlorine concentration of at least 2 ppm in pools.”
– CDC 2018

Don’t urinate in pools or on the gym floor. Thank you.