Topic: Research

Overuse Muscle Damage in Runners - Are the Effects on Performance Mainly in the Head?

September 7, 2007

Owen Andersen

Scientists say muscle overuse changes RPE but not lactate threshold .....

Exercise scientists have not been certain about the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) on endurance running performance. In mice forced to run downhill for extended periods of time (an activity which creates mayhem in the murids' quads), endurance capacity falls by about 65 percent during subsequent, sub-maximal running efforts (1). In human runners, however, the results have been quite different.

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Study: Morning workouts not so hot

By Jeannine Stein

Thu, Mar. 22, 2007

Body's circadian rhythm is better suited to late night, say researchers.

Get up at 5 a.m., throw on some sneakers, run out the door, exercise like crazy. Sure, a pre-dawn workout comes with some bragging rights - just don't expect your best performance.

A new study suggests that late night, not early morning, is the best time to exercise, as dictated by circadian rhythms.

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Physiological limits to marathon performance

By Edward F. Coyle

January 21, 2007

Running a marathon at the fastest speed possible seems limited by the aerobic metabolism of a limited amount of carbohydrate energy and the economical conversion of this energy to velocity. Aspects of this concept have been long recognized. Approximately 35 years ago D.L. Costill wrote a monograph entitled 'What Research Tells the Coach About Distance Running' in which he distilled the physiological literature into an intuitive paradigm that focused upon maximal oxygen uptake and its fractional utilization as well as running economy (1). The validity of these concepts for predicting marathon performance was validated by Farrell et al in 1979 (2) and the utility of blood lactate measures for identifying competitive marathon running pace was further solidified. By this time, the phenomenon of 'hitting the wall' during a marathon due to inadequate carbohydrate oxidation was linked largely to muscle glycogen depletion. Therefore, the frame work under which to view the physiological limits to marathon performance is similar today as that discussed thirty years ago during the meeting sponsored by the NY Academy of Sciences (1976).

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What Intensities Should You Be Using For Your Strength Training?

January 13, 2007

Owen Andersen

A Range Of RMs May Actually Be Optimal

In past e-newsletters I have described the merits of three- vs. one-set strength training and the value of conducting strength training three times a week. In this issue, I would like to address an important question: What load (intensity) should you utilize when you carry out your running-specific strength-training movements?

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Poor Athletic Performance Linked To Vitamin Deficiency

Date: December 27, 2006

Active individuals lacking in B-vitamins -- including college athletes and other elite competitors -- may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to repair and build muscle than counterparts with nutrient-rich diets, according to recent Oregon State University research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

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Protein in Sports Drinks?

December 26, 2006

by Dr. Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.

Back in the good old days of sports drink design, life was relatively simple and the main things to manipulate were carbohydrates and electrolytes. In recent years, a new kid on the sports drink block arrived in the form of proteins. We look at two new studies that re-examine the use of proteins in sport drinks.

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VO2 What?

November 29, 2006

Cameron Chesnut

Editors Note- More and more athletes are using power meters, heart rate monitors, and even professional coaches these days. One of the first things any athlete should do before implementing any of these devices into their training is to have themselves physiologically tested to discover their individual performance parameters. VO2 max is one of the terms you will most definitely hear during any physical testing, but, just what is VO2 max? Cameron Chesnut takes on the challenge of answering that question.

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To Base or Not to Base, the Science Behind Base Training.

November 20, 2006

Neal Henderson, MS

There's a lot of talk these days regarding how to best prepare for the upcoming season. One idea that gets tossed around a lot is the subject of base training. It is regarded as one of the most important phases of training by many coaches and athletes, but it is often very misunderstood. The following is a brief review of base training theory and application, and what science says about the base training.

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What does science have to say about the right training programme for the 10K?

Owen Anderson

The arrival of spring no doubt means you'll be running 10k races more frequently. You'd like to do as well as possible, but trimming your 10k times requires a smart, systematic approach to training, not just a hodgepodge of interval sessions and longer runs. Consulting the various running books for 10k advice is like opening a pandora's box of workouts and training schedules; there are so many recommendations that it's hard to know exactly where to begin or what to do. Isn't there a simple, scientifically sound way to prepare for 10k competitions?

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Challenging, "Anaerobic" Strength Training Produces Improvements In Aerobic Endurance

November 7, 2006

It's a Shock to Conventional Ways of Thinking about Training

By Owen Anderson

Recent research indicates that very demanding strength training, the kind of work which utilizes fairly heavy resistance, is likely to lead to major gains in endurance running performance.

At first glance, of course, this proposition would appear to be absurd. After all, heavy-duty strength training revolves around high-load efforts, slow movements, and small numbers of reps. In contrast, competitive endurance running is associated with nothing more than body weight for resistance, relatively quick movements, and incredible numbers of reps (180 to 200 steps per minute, or 6300 to 7000 "reps" in a 35-minute 10K). In addition, high-resistance strength training is carried out for a few seconds at a time, with a relatively low rate of oxygen consumption, whereas 10-K running is usually sustained for 30 or more minutes, with an oxygen consumption rate of more than 90 percent of maximal. How can there be a close connection between anaerobic strength training and aerobic endurance running?

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