It’s hard to believe that 2013 is coming to a close. It’s been a fun and busy year at BuiltLean as we’ve restructured all the content on our website, added several new members to our team, and published over 255 articles (more than double last year).
Below you’ll find the top 5 articles, which I chose based on a combination of of social media shares, comments, ratings, and pageviews. It was very difficult to choose the top 5, so I also included a list of runners up that could easily have made the list as well.
1) Top 5 Fruits For Weight Loss
This article was the most shared we published in 2013 with 2.4K Facebook shares. There is a lot of confusion over whether eating fruits can actually help you lose fat, or if eating fruits may actually cause weight gain. Our experts unanimously recommend fruits, and give their favorite fruits and why.
2) How To Deadlift With Proper Form & Technique
The deadlift can be a very effective strength training exercise, but it may be the most dangerous exercise when done with improper form. Few gym goers use proper form when doing a deadlift for a number of reasons. Steve Bergeron, CSCS, CPT included photos, video demonstrations, and wrote very clear and direct cues to help you master the deadlift while minimizing injury. This article attracted 20k pageviews.
3) 7 Shocking Food Industry Marketing Facts You Should Know
It is no secret the food industry exists to make a profit, but the claims that are made in order to sell more food that is of questionable nutritional value is startling. Nate Morrow identified 7 nutritional claims that food marketing companies make that are misleading at best. Check them out to see for yourself.
4) Top 10 Motivational Images For Fitness Motivation
This year we were a lot more active on our social media platforms. On most Monday’s this year, we included motivational images to help create some positive momentum at the start of your week. This article included 10 of the most popular motivational images we posted this year. Some people expected a bunch of ripped bodies to be featured, but were pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of the quotes. Hope you enjoy them.
5) The Fat Burning Zone Myth: Don’t Be Fooled
I wrote this article to debunk the myth that lower intensity exercise burns more fat. This was the #1 most viewed article we published in 2013 with 70K+ pageviews and 500+ Facebook shares. While cardio machines around the world still promote the “fat burning zone,” you will be one of the smart exercisers who knows the fat burning zone doesn’t exist.
Top Articles Runners-Up:
- How Muscle Grow: The Science of Muscle Growth
- Does A High Protein Diet Help You Lose Fat?
- Cardio vs. Weight Training For Weight Loss
- Exercise Motivation Quotes For The New Year
- Are Whole Grains Healthy Or Bad For You?
- Can Exercise Reverse Aging? Studies Say Yes.
- 7 Interval Training Workouts To Burn Fat
- How To Understand Fitness & Nutrition Research
2013 Recap:
- 8 million unique visitors
- 17 million pageviews
- 66K New Email Subscribers
- 255 new articles
- Huffington Post Syndication
- Website Restructure
- 2 TV Appearances
- BuiltLean Medical Review Board added
- 5 new team members added
Best of BuiltLean From Previous Years:
Thank you for your readership and participation to make 2013 a memorable year! We hope 2014 will be even more fun, productive, and informative.
You guys have grown great last year, 8 million visitors OMG 🙂 , I wish it gets double this year.
Hi Marc, You had an article a while back on how much you loved the Five Fingers shoes; would you mind offering an update on how you feel about them now, i.e., do you still love and swear by them? There was a study just published that concluded that 5F and minimalist shoes in general, despite muscle & other benefits, were allowing for bone trauma in the foot. My philosophy is ‘everything in moderation’, but I was wondering if you have stayed with or changed your POV on 5F over the loonger term. Thanks!
@Shannon – Thanks for the follow up. I still wear my VFF’s and have them in my laptop bag right next to me as I reply to your comment. My opinion hasn’t changed. I still have my parents wearing them as well as my brother and two sisters, and my clients who give them a try. I would emphasize probably even more now that it takes time, effort, and patience to really use them properly and reduce risk of injury. There are also some strength exercises that can cause issues with toe flexibility like reverse lunges. My big toe, while flexibility has improved a lot, can still be in pain when I do heavy reverse lunges (155lb+). But I love doing forward lunges / walking lunges with vibrams. I should say I’m not a hard core runner running 10 miles on cement a day. For people who are runners who run many miles on cement, I do not know if VFF’s are ill advised or not. I’ve heard and read both positive and negative opinions. For gym workouts, cross training, and jogging, I really enjoy wearing them and I am much better off wearing them than traditional sneakers. I’m foam rolling my calves, stretching, and I’m mindful of how my body is feeling. That’s my take!