Research method
Purpose: Publish Cardio (and later) targets that Miles can use — clear doses, grounded in studies we actually read, pointed at by Siim’s research direction.
Bar: Best place in the world for these optimals/protocols. Study evidence + our synthesis sit on the page. Siim quotes frame direction; they are not the page.
Supersedes: The older “quote-dump / researcher-exact mirror of Siim’s wording” approach.
How we work (order of operations)
- Siim = pointer. Use his posts, site, and videos to find what he aims at and which papers he cites — not as copy-paste copy for the published page.
- Read source studies full text ourselves (PMC, publisher, PDF). Abstract-only is not enough for Locked.
- Write our own plain-English synthesis (Target · Why it matters · Protocol · Evidence).
- Cite properly: title, authors, year, DOI, key finding + catch.
- Siim quotes are supporting framing — optional short “how Siim frames it,” secondary to study evidence.
- Don’t invent doses, findings, or DOIs. Gaps stay named.
Shelves (keep separate)
| Shelf | What goes there | File |
|---|---|---|
| Siim-cited studies | Papers he points to (site “(R)”, video, X). We still read full text ourselves. | Sources Siim cites + notes under studies |
| Other studies we add | Papers we bring in that he did not cite. Never blur into “Siim says.” | Other studies + notes under studies |
Corpus quote tables / transcripts remain the dump for what Siim said. Published targets are built from study notes + our synthesis.
Locked vs Provisional
| Status | Meaning | Required on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Locked | We have our synthesis + cited full-text study notes that support the target. Protocol numbers stay accurate to prior corpus (and study). | Target · Why · Protocol (labeled) · Evidence (citation + key finding + catch) · optional Siim framing · Status |
| Provisional | Direction and/or quotes are usable, but a named gap remains — often an unread DOI, missing full text, or unmatched “(R)”. | Same fields as Locked · plus one clear gap sentence · never invent the missing piece |
Never
- Paste Siim’s words as the whole page.
- Soften Locked protocol integers when the corpus/study numbers are exact.
- Call a target Locked on quotes alone without full-text study notes.
- Mix Siim-cited and other-studies shelves.
- Invent findings or tighten Provisional → Locked without Product.
Dual units (capability targets)
When a target is naturally countable two ways (e.g. steps + minutes of walking), publish both.
- Prefer Siim’s minutes if he stated them for that target.
- If he did not: use a cited Product conversion — Tudor-Locke cadence heuristic ≥100 steps/min ≈ moderate (~3 METs) walking → steps ÷ 100 (e.g. 8,600 ≈ 86 min; 10–12k ≈ 100–120 min; 12k ≈ 120 min). Do not invent a Siim quote for the minutes. Note: Tudor-Locke cadence.
- Label the assumption and the catch on the page: minutes assume continuous walking at that cadence; real days mix slower incidental steps, so minutes are a translation aid — not a stopwatch.
Protocol labeling
Protocol lines keep exact numbers from the prior corpus. Label the source of each piece:
- Study-informed — dose/structure backed by a full-text note we wrote.
- Siim-informed — dose he states (personal plan / recommendation); shown as framing or as a labeled dose, not as “the study said.”
- Product conversion — e.g. steps → minutes when Siim gave steps only.
Intensity + structure stay on the line when we have them (HR %, work/rest, rounds). Never “do some HIIT.”
Goal vs Now
Product locked Miles’s overall Goal as Siim’s 2026 optimally rounded week (OceysodInIo) — cardio and strength together. That is a Goal north star only. Never publish it as Miles Now.
Published Cardio tracks below it are Now.
Page shape (home + track)
For every published Cardio target:
- Target — our clear statement (dual units when natural).
- Why it matters — our synthesis (plain English).
- Protocol — clear dose; informed by Siim + studies; labeled.
- Evidence — study citations: key finding + catch (from our full-text notes).
- Optional short: how Siim frames it (quote + URL/timestamp if useful).
- Status Locked / Provisional + gap if Provisional.
Readable ≠ soft. Study-first ≠ jargon walls.
Quick checklist before Ship
- Synthesis is ours; not a Siim quote dump.
- Locked ⇒ full-text study note cited on the page (finding + catch).
- Provisional ⇒ gap named (often unread DOI).
- Protocol integers match prior corpus; no invented doses.
- Walking (and similar) show steps + minutes with conversion labeled.
- Siim-cited vs other-studies shelves not mixed.
- Siim framing is optional and secondary.