The modern day professional rugby player is approximately 25% bigger than the amateur player back in 1955 – this increase in size is undoubtedly a result of becoming more jacked… The question is, when will the rate of gain stop? Is there an upper limit as to how much muscle rugby players can build? If
There’s been a long standing debate as to whether daily caffeine use increases tolerance and therefore making caffeine supplementation prior to competition less effective. To date, the research has been somewhat inconsistent…some research says that daily caffeine supplementation doesn’t increase tolerance, where some research say it does. But most athletes won’t rely on caffeine supplementation
The long-drawn argument of plant based protein sources being less anabolic than animal protein sources has taken an interesting turn… Until now, short term studies have suggested that animal sources of protein elicit a greater anabolic and muscle building response when compared to its plant based alternative – typically whey vs soy protein. This is
Your ability to maintain both physical and mental capacity during competition is undoubtedly very important to your overall success. When fatigue kicks in, your reaction time and decision making declines and your skillset becomes clumsy (you know what I mean). In sports that require you to operate at high intensities whilst staying mentally sharp, this
It’s been very well established that carbohydrates drive exercise performance. The quantity of carbs needed is dependents on the duration x intensity of exercise, whilst factoring your bodyweight. i.e. bigger people have a greater capacity to store carbs. We know that the total AMOUNT of carbs is important, but what about the TYPE of carbs?
We know from previous #D2EW that supplementation with creatine and sodium bicarbonate (SB) alone improve anaerobic performances. However, what happens when you stack these two supplements together and examine how it impacts high intensity performances in taekwondo athletes? Sports that consist of high intensity bouts will cause the athlete to experience a burning sensation in the muscle;
You feel beat up, you’re tied, you’re sore and you’ve lost the spring in your step…and you have to perform at your best in the next 24-28 hours. What do you do? Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage (EIMD) is characterized by symptoms that present both immediately and for up to 14 days after the initial exercise stress
It’s been well established that both chronic (long term) and acute (short term) sleep deprivation can negatively impact numerous areas of physiological and psychological performance and health. When it comes to physiological dysfunction of sleep deprivation, we think of the muscle. Of which, poor sleep quality and quantity can lead an athlete’s ability to build
Well, wouldn’t this be the dream… Endurance athletes have the pursuit of improving power-weight ratio to make them faster, fatigue less and become more efficient. This can be done by either being lighter, improving power output, or both. It’s been well establish that a calorie deficit is needed to drop body fat. Generally speaking, calorie
It’s been known for some time that there’s a clear and robust link between nutrition status and immune function. With regards to COVID-19, one of the biggest challenges is focused on reducing inflammation. To help reduce the severity of illness, a recent review paper published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine can
Okay, if I’m completely honest, I wrote this article 100% for myself to give me peace of mind that taking ~10 days off training would not lead to muscle mass, strength or performances losses over the Christmas period. So apologies if it’s a little nerdy. Classic understanding of training periodisation was founded upon Hans Selye’s
Overtraining was coined initially on the idea of excessive training which resulted in fatigue and underperformances. If you’ve ever been in this position, you’ll agree that more is not more and that you paradoxically have a deconditioning effect. I.e. you become a worse athlete by training harder. However, there’s new insight from the 2019 EROS
Tis the season to be jolly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la…. Tis also the season for higher food consumption, lowered training demands and the perfect recipe for weight gain. But that’s fine, because January is fast approaching where we can undo ‘the damage’ and ‘get back on track’. Well, I have a better idea for you – why
It’s very evident that CBD products have increased in popularity despite minimal research supporting its use in athletes (other than anecdotally). CBD products claim to have low levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – This is the compound that makes you high and can get the pro athlete banned…if for some reason you wished to supplement, it’s
I think it’s safe to say that advice on alcohol consumption prior to training sessions, games and competitions is a given…just don’t do it.But what about after exercise, games and competitions when all the hard work is done? What are the recommendations with intake and its impact on recovery? Here’s what you need to know
