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Q&A: Does caffeine really improve athletic performance, or do you just feel more alert?
Posted January 24th, 2008 at 10:15 AM by Jeremy Sussman
Section: Nutrition, Supplements, Health & Fitness, Exercise
In endurance events, the first cause of fatigue is loss of muscle sugar, so athletes do whatever they can to preserve sugar levels. Caffeine causes the body to produce large amounts of adrenalin, which causes fat to be released from fat cells and float in the bloodstream.
This extra fat is taken up by the muscles and used for energy, thus preserving the body’s limited stored supply of muscle sugar. When muscles run our of sugar, the athlete requires more oxygen to do the same job, slows down, fatigues earlier, and has difficulty maintaining his performance.
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Low Blood Sugar Causes Mental Fatigue During Competition
Posted November 23rd, 2007 at 3:45 PM by Martha Jones
Section: Nutrition, Race Prep & Recov, Health & Fitness, Exercise
Athletes can expect to feel fatigued when their blood sugar levels drop. Researchers at Loughborough University, UK showed that athletes who did not take sugar during soccer competition lasting 90 minutes felt more tired, had less competitive desire, and had far lower blood sugar levels than athletes who took a sugared drink every 15 minutes during their game (Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, October 2007).
Your brain gets more than 98 percent of its energy from sugar in the bloodstream. However there is only enough sugar in the bloodstream to last about three minutes. The liver must constantly release sugar into the bloodstream, but there is only enough sugar in the liver to last eight hours during rest and far less than that during exercise. So athletes who do not take a source of sugar during events lasting more than an hour can suffer the psychological effects of low blood sugar levels what include a mental feeling of fatigue and lowered competitive desire.
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Speed up recovery with food
Posted March 8th, 2007 at 11:26 AM by Jamal Walker
Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise
A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that eating any source of protein and sugar immediately after finishing a workout helps athletes grow larger and stronger muscles (November 2006).
Athletes train by taking a very hard workout that damages muscles. They can tell that their muscles are damaged by the delayed onset muscle soreness that starts 8 to 24 hours after they finish a workout. Anything that helps them recover faster will allow them to do another hard workout sooner and they will become much stronger.
Extensive research shows that muscles healing occurs when protein building blocks called amino acids move into muscles cells and repair the damaged muscle protein. Healed muscles are stronger than they were before the damaging workout. To hasten recovery, you need both amino acids and insulin to drive the amino acids into cells.
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TFS’s Top Picks of 2006 Nutritional Supplements
Posted December 22nd, 2006 at 9:11 AM by Adam Jacobs
Section: Announcements, Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Hydration, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, Health & Fitness, TFS Reviews, TFS Top Picks
The Final Sprint, through an exhaustive process of product reviews and a comparison of empirical data, has determined the best nutritional products to help fuel and replenish your bodies.
These TFS Top Picks of 2006 are the best of their kind and will help you to finish strong in your next race.
Stay tuned because later today TFS will publish our list of the year’s best gear and accessories!
Endurance Beverages (use during activity)
- Top Pick: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake
- Runner-up: Powerbar Endurance Sports Drink
Recovery Beverage (use after activity)
- Top Pick: Endurox R4
- Runner-up: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake
Energy Bars
- Top Pick: Clif Bar
- Runner-up: Powerbar Performance
Energy Gels
Meal Replacement Shakes
- Top Pick: Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement
- Runner-up: EAS Myoplex Deluxe
TFS Review: Clif Shot Bloks
Posted December 7th, 2006 at 5:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone
Section: Nutrition, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews
Energy gels can be very helpful and convenient sources of carbohydrate replenishment for endurance athletes. However, they don’t always taste so great and that’s why a few alternatives have started to hit the market. One such alternative is Clif’s Shot Blocks which we have reviewed below.
Product: Clif Shot Bloks
Price: $1.95 each (2 servings); $23.88 (box of 72)
Rating: Average 6.4/10.0
Pros: Great taste (much better than energy gels); adequate carbohydrate replenishment, organic
Cons: Bulky package; inconvenient to bring on runs; can get stuck in teeth & on roof of mouth; leaves hands sticky if warm
Overall: Not the best choice for runners. Rating would be a bit higher for other athletes. It is one of the best tasting products of its kind, but it should be more conveniently packaged.
We reviewed the regular Clif Shot Bloks: the Strawberry flavor. However, Clif does make a few flavors that contain some caffeine and a Margarita flavor Shot Blok that has 3 times the sodium & electrolytes. Although we are weary of the caffeine use by athletes, it can be helpful if used in moderation. The x3 Extra Sodium (210mg) variety can be very helpful for marathon runners and other extreme endurance athletes. Read the rest of this entry »
Why (Surprisingly) I’m Keen on the New Jelly Belly Sport Beans
Posted October 10th, 2006 at 10:00 AM by Adam Jacobs
Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews
After months of resistance - I finally gave in and tried the new Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I used them during training runs of varying lengths and then again last weekend during a half-marathon.
On each occasion I consumed them in lieu of my normal Powerbar PowerGels (I always use the decaffeinated ones). To be honest - I was pleasantly surprised and might be hooked.
I really found them to do a just as good, if not better, job of helping me maintain my energy. However, it is the ease of use that really sets them apart from your standard carbohydrate energy gels and what may have been the decisive element in winning me over.
Who was America's most-valuable male runner in 2008?
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The Final Sprint
On January 9, 2009
Vry Disgusted said:
Why are you flogging this junk? What will be next - first we have flavored water - now jazzed...