You have finished a really hard training session or intense competition and you are now completely exhausted and need to recover well for the next bout of exercise. But what is the best way to optimise this recovery process for the best results? Exercise, especially intense and prolonged exercise, can lead to a significant depletion …
What is creatine? Creatine, or methylguanidine-acetic acid, is an organic chemical compound which naturally exists in the body. It is found in most vertebrates and is a substance used to help the production of energy for movement. This exact ability to help manufacture energy is why it is the most widely studied sporting supplement on …
Creatine: a sport enhancing supplement not a dangerous chemical Read More »
“10,000 hours is the magic number of greatness”- Malcolm Gladwell, 2008 In recent years, the 10,000 hour rule has been emphasised as the way to achieve sporting greatness, and that devoting 10,000 hours (or there about) of practice will lead you to mastery. Malcolm Gladwell coined the term ‘the 10,000 hour rule’ based on the …
The 10,000 hour rule: is this really the only way to sporting success? Read More »
Vitamin C is fast becoming one of the biggest vitamin supplements of this age with an expected market growth of 1,200.59 million by 2025. Commonly, vitamin C has been viewed as a tool to help fight illnesses such as the flu and common colds. However, it is fast becoming regarded as a major influence in …
As athletic performance is becoming more and more demanding, athletes are now facing the challenge of having to train harder for longer to be able to keep up or set the bar for peak athletic performances. This ‘hustle culture’ in sport is becoming increasingly more common whereby athletes feel the need to be constantly working …
Hypoxia occurs when there is a decreased amount of oxygen in body tissues and is measured by a PO2 level of below 300mmHg, with severe hypoxia occurring at values less than 200mmHg. Essentially, this refers to when your body has insufficient levels of oxygen and can be very dangerous unless managed with professional advice. However, the biological state of hypoxia has begun to draw attention within the sporting realm through its ability to aid sporting performance, especially endurance training. But, how exactly does altitude training aid endurance levels?
Caffeine is one of the most researched legal sport enhancing supplements in recent decades. However, its underlying mechanism complexity and lack of consistent research findings has led to misleading information being spread regarding its effect as an ergogenic aid. So what is caffeine and how does it work in the body to heighten performance? What …
Coffee and sport performance- How caffeine may enhance your athletic ability Read More »
Within the realm of sport it has been demonstrated that high levels of self-efficacy can positively impact and enhance sporting performance, with direct links to sporting facets including decision making (Helper, 2016; Helper & Feltz, 2012), coping ability (Feltz, 1988; Heazlewood, 2011; Nicholls et al., 2010) and motor skill performance (Feltz & Lirgg, 1998; Fitzsimmons …
Self-Efficacy and sport- why is it so important? Read More »
As the winter months roll around, exercise in the cold becomes increasingly common for the majority of individuals. The experience of exercising in the cold is one of mixed opinions; however, did you know that exercising in the cold may actually be viewed as a ‘performance enhancing aid’? 4 surprising benefits of exercising in the …
It is well known that what you eat can affect how you perform, but what are the effects of dehydration on athletic performance? In physiology, dehydration is a deficit of total body water (Mange et al., 1997). Dehydration can be divided into two categories: voluntary and involuntary dehydration. Voluntary dehydration is much less common in the realm of …
The effects of dehydration on athletic performance Read More »