We Asked College Students 100 Exercise Science Questions… It Got Brutal

TL;DR

FIU students surprised Dr. Mike by answering most questions correctly, though the hardest topics on steroids and protein digestion stumped even the best.

Key Points

• 1.Dr. Mike Israetel (RP Strength, ex-exercise science professor) quizzed students at Florida International University across easy, moderate, and hard tiers covering nutrition, training, and supplements.
• 2.Easy questions (eating after 8pm causes fat gain, progressive overload definition, sleep deprivation worsening recovery) were answered correctly by nearly everyone, including non-exercise-science majors.
• 3.Moderate questions like optimal fat loss rate (0.5–1% bodyweight/week) and body recomposition being easier for beginners were handled well, often by students who follow RP Strength content.
• 4.Hard questions separated the field: LH/FSH suppression from anabolic steroids and whey protein containing all essential amino acids were answered correctly by stronger students.
• 5.The thermic effect of protein (20–30% of its calories) consistently tripped students up — most guessed 0–3%, thinking it was too high.
• 6.Collagen being an incomplete protein due to missing tryptophan (not leucine) and the 3g water-per-gram glycogen storage fact caught several students off guard.
• 7.The 17-alpha alkylated oral anabolics being harder on the liver than creatine tricked multiple groups who overthought the creatine dehydration caveat and guessed wrong.