New to Notebook LM: How It Changed the Way I Learn About Fitness
With this week’s assignment, I tried Google’s Notebook LM for the very first time, and honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. Up until reading the learning activity for the week I had never heard of it. The YouTube video by Paul J. Lipsky gave a breakdown of the tool that was the perfect step in the right direction to get me using it. It wasn’t a video that just gave a general review of the tool, he gave instruction on how Notebook LM should be used and that made all the difference.
The Power of Curating Sources
Before this week, my approach to researching fitness topics was pretty simple. I would open Google or YouTube, click whatever grabbed my attention first, and hope for the best.
Paul’s explanation of Notebook LM changed that completely.
The takeaway that hit me hardest was his emphasis on curation:
Don’t dump in random videos.
Don’t grab the first website you see.
Don’t rely on whatever the AI finds for you.
Use Intentional Sources
Use intentional sources with Notebook LM so that AI becomes an extension of our own judgment. That idea alone made Notebook LM feel less like a chatbot and more like my own personalized research engine.
My First Topic: Learning Proper Exercise Technique
To put Notebook LM into practice, I decided to build a notebook on something that is a big part of my life currently: Fitness and having proper technique for bench pressing, squatting, and deadlifting.
These movements are three core exercises of many gym goers and are foundational exercises. They are also incredibly easy to do wrong.
Going off of Paul’s advice, I curated a set of diverse sources that I had previously reviewed while studying the topic, these sources included:
YouTube Shorts from credible trainers
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hWbUlkb5Ms4?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZaTM37cfiDs?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PPmvh7gBTi0?feature=share
Professional articles and blogs
https://milesfit.com/en/blog/tutorial-how-properly-perform-bench-press
Scientific research and exercise physiology reviews
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4262933/
Since I picked these sources myself, I trust them.
What Notebook LM Helped Me Do
Once my sources were uploaded, Notebook LM basically became a personal strength‑training tutor. There were a couple of things that stood out to me:
Non‑conflicting advice
Unlike regular search results, where one trainer says, “arch your back” and another says, “never arch your back,” Notebook LM pulled only from sources I chose.
That means the advice aligns, it’s not contradictory.
Easy comparison between coaches and studies
I could ask Notebook LM something like:
“Show me how trainers differ on deadlift technique”
“Summarize the scientific findings on squat biomechanics”
This gave me insights I would have never pieced together on my own.
Conclusion
Notebook LM is a great AI tool when used with curated sources to reach the most accurate conclusions based on the users own trusted input.
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