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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Study: Fewer Intense Workouts, More Recovery for Maximum Performance

Posted January 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

How much time should you spend working at your maximum level in your sport, compared to miles or days spent going at a relaxed pace?

Researchers at the University of Madrid in Spain divided competitive distance runners into two groups. One group did frequent intense workouts and fewer slow recovery miles, while the second group did fewer intense workouts and more slow miles (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, August 2007).

At the end of five months, the runners who did fewer intense workouts and more recovery miles improved far more than those who ran fewer miles and spent a lot of their time trying to run very fast.
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Q & A: Is stretching helpful or harmful for exercisers?

Posted November 30th, 2007 at 2:12 PM by Andrew Goodman

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

Stretching the leg muscles improves muscle flexibility and strength, running speed, and jumping distance, according to a study from Louisiana State University (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, October 2007).

Stretching elongates muscles and tendons. Longer tendons allow muscles to exert a greater torque on the joint to exert more power to help you lift heavier, jump higher and run faster.

However, other studies show that you should not stretch before a competition involving speed and strength (Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, April 2006). The longer the athletes stretched, the weaker they became. Prolonged stretching fatigues muscle fibers so that they contract with reduced force.
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Tapering for Athletes and Ordinary Exercisers

Posted October 2nd, 2007 at 10:55 AM by Adam Berger

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Tapering refers to the period just before a major race or game, when an athlete reduces workload to be in peak shape on the day of the competition. Ordinary exercisers can apply this training principle when they plan to enter a local race or charity event.

Top athletes must spend a tremendous amount of time training to be able to compete successfully. Their huge volume of work leaves them near exhaustion and before major competitions, they have to find the best way to reduce fatigue while retaining fitness. Many studies have been done to help athletes and coaches decide on the best strategy.

Researchers at the University of Montreal compiled the results of 27 scientifically acceptable studies. They concluded that the best duration of tapering is two weeks, the optimum training volume reduction is by 40 to 60 percent, and the intensity of workouts should be maintained (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2007).

Training load during taper: Almost all of the studies agree that athletes should reduce the amount of work they do. While each athlete must decide on his optimal reduction, many bicycle racers drop from up to 400 miles a week down to fewer than 200, and many runners drop from above 100 miles to fewer than 40.
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Putting Alan Webb’s Recent Performances into Perspective

Posted July 29th, 2007 at 1:33 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

To put Alan Webb’s recent performances into perspective, with his 3:46.91 American record which was set on 7/21/2007 in Brasschaat, Belgium, (see Hariz Siddiqui’s report) he is now the 8th fastest miler of all time worldwide:

(Mile Alltime World Ranking)

1. Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:43.13
2. Noah Ngeny (KEN) 3:43.40
3. Noureddine Morceli (ALG) 3:44.39
4. Steve Cram (GBR) 3:46.32
5. Daniel Komen (KEN) 3:46.38
6. Vénuste Niyongabo (BDI) 3:46.70
7. Saïd Aouita (MAR) 3:46.76
8. Alan Webb (USA) 3:46.91

In the 800m Run (See David Monti’s report), he is now the 8th fastest American of all time and the 64th fastest of all-time worldwide. It is also worth noting that every man ahead of Webb on the American all-time list is/was an 800m specialist and Webb is not:

(800m All-time American Ranking/All-time World Ranking)

1/09. Johnny Gray 1:42.60
2/29. Mark Everett 1:43.20
3/38. David Mack 1:43.35
4/39. Rich Kenah 1:43.38
5/44. Rick Wohlhuter 1:43.5 (converted from yards)
6/52. Earl Jones 1:43.62
7/58. Khadevis Robinson 1:43.68
8/64. Alan Webb 1:43.84

For source information, and to see a complete record of all-time performances for track & field events, you can visit: alltime-athletics.com.

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Carson sets javelin record, Dunlap and Keys earn second titles at USA Youth Championships

Posted July 6th, 2007 at 7:56 AM by Mickey Katz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Hannah Carson broke her own national record in the youth girls’ javelin Thursday at the 2007 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Benedictine University.

Carson (Mesa, Ariz.) defended her title with her record-setting throw of 45.20 meters/148 feet 3 inches. Carson had set the previous record last year at the USATF National Junior Olympics with a throw of 44.19m/144-11. Carson is also scheduled to compete for titles in the youth girls’ shot put and discus. Avione Allgood (North Las Vegas, Nev.) threw 39.48m/129-6 for second place.
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Doping with blood substitute has negative impact on performance

Posted June 28th, 2007 at 3:53 PM by Courtney Albon

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Nutrition, Supplements, Health & Fitness, Drugs In Sports

Attempts to enhance performance with a doping agent called Hemopure, may not be worth the effort. According to a recent study, the blood substitute intended to strengthen patients with anemia, may actually do the opposite for elite athletes seeking a boost in endurance.

Hemopure is a blood substitute derived from cow’s blood that serves to deliver Oxygen throughout the body at a faster rate and is intended for individuals with a low count of red blood cells. The drug was approved in South Africa in 2001 and has recently been made available in some parts of Europe, but only to be used as a strengthening agent for anemic patients.

In the past, Athletes have used a product called EPO, also a drug used by anemic patients, but doctors say that the increased amount of oxygen that Hemopure delivers to the body, sets it apart from EPO and similar drugs.

Athletes who use Hemopure in search of strengthened endurance may be disappointed, however, as recent studies reported in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, have found that Hemopure does little to improve performance.
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Q & A: Does it matter when I drink during a long race?

Posted June 8th, 2007 at 7:15 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness, Exercise

A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that drinking fluids earlier can improve performance more than taking them later (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, December 2006).

Seven highly-trained male triathletes, aged 18 to 35 years, were tested during two simulated Olympic-distance triathlons. They took a full glass of water at 8, 16, 24, and 32 kilometers, and this was compared to taking the same drink 2, 4, 6 and 8 kilometers later in the event (at 10, 20, 30, and 40 kilometers).

As you would expect, opening swim times for 1500 meters were similar between trials; as were the second event (40-km cycling) times, but the third event (10-km run) times were faster when the athletes took food and drink earlier. Dehydration does not harm an athlete’s performance until he lacks a large amount of water and his blood volume is depleted significantly. That explains why the athletes’ performance was not harmed until the third event of the three-event competition.
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TFS Review: Trigger Point (TP) Stability PODS

Posted May 28th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Product Reviews, Exercise Equipment, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Trigger Point Technologies hit a home run with their TP Massage toolkit, which is designed to release trigger points, restore muscle elasticity, and improve biomechanics for runners, cyclists, and other athletes. For me, TP massage as been key component of returning my body to health and my recent rise in running performance (Also see my full review on the TP Massage Ball).

Another oft-overlooked aspect of injury prevention, performance, and biomechanics is core strength. Many runners will be willing to train for hours and hours each week, but fail to put any time into improving their core — the result of this neglect is sometimes poor biomechanics that propagate into injury.

While actively recovering from my barrage of injuries in 2006, I dedicated myself to improving core strength, both during physical therapy and at home. From wobble boards and stability balls, to simple crunches and bridge exercises, I consistently invested about 15 minutes per day into my core muscles. And it has been time well spent, as I have logged over 1400 miles in 5 months and set several big PR’s…all while staying injury-free.

The TP Stability PODS are designed to increase core strength through challenging balance and symmetry. They come as a set of three different-sized, concave, foam…er…pods (for the lack of a better description). The differential heights of the three pods represent three difficulty levels (I, II, and III). In other words, it is much harder to find balance with the tallest pod than with the shortest pod, which engages greater work in the core muscles.
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De-Stress for Success

Posted May 18th, 2007 at 9:30 AM by Christopher Jack

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

Are you digging for the doctor’s number more often lately? Aches and pains forcing you to miss workouts? If you suffer from nagging injuries it may be more than just a streak of bad luck holding you down; it may be your state of mind.

In a consensus statement issued last year by the American College of Sports Medicine, a team of doctors and sports psychologists discovered a link between psychological factors (mainly stress) and injury.
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Studies: Caffeine can help athletes in both endurance and sprinting events

Posted March 29th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: Nutrition, Supplements

It has been established for more than 50 years that caffeine helps you exercise longer in events that require endurance.

Recently researchers at Christ Church University in Canterbury, UK, showed that caffeine also helps you in much shorter events. Trained cyclists raced one kilometer (0.6 mile) on three times, in random order, after taking 5 mg of caffeine, taking a placebo, or taking nothing.

Their speed, mean power and peak power were more than three percent higher after taking caffeine (Journal of Sports Sciences, November 2006).
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