Running economy, similar to miles per gallon in a car, is the amount of oxygen and energy required to propel a runner over a given distance. In addition to fuel utilization, runners with better economy demonstrate better running form and a faster processing of metabolic wastes during exercise. This measure has been shown to have...
The basics of sleep, hydration, and nutrition are the low hanging fruits of performance. Easy to access, albeit hard to change at times, but extremely impactful on our overall health and wellbeing. The cognitive and physical benefits of breakfast are well established and the timing and contents of the meal has been shown to influence...
Foam rolling has become a popular exercise intervention used to improve sports performance, accelerate recovery from workouts and training, and decrease muscle pain and tightness. Previous research has utilized 2-3 bouts of 60 seconds along major muscle groups in the lower body including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. One component of the exercise prescription which...
Golf remains one a popular American pastime with around 25 million participants each year. Many of these golfers strive for greater shot accuracy and driving distance in order to reduce their scores each round. Previous Physical Therapy research has shown greater driving distance in golfers after completing a Physical Therapy program consisting of hip and...
Foam rolling is an effective home exercise to improve muscular pain, flexibility, and performance. Our previous blog posts detailed the performance benefits of performing foam rolling either before or after your exercise workouts. Our current understanding of the mechanisms behind these benefits are based on two categories: local circulation and improved stretch tolerance. As our...
The least injured and best performing runners training programs include both strength and sprint training. These complementary training programs reduce injury risk and improve running performance among trained distance runners. These programs target a different energy system in the body and have been shown to improve time to exhaustion, running time, and running efficiency compared...
Strength training in endurance athletes is an essential part of any injury prevention and conditioning program. Our previous blogs have highlighted the importance of these exercises for improving an athlete’s efficiency during training and competition. Endurance athletes who strength train are more economical and therefore faster than their weaker peers. Strength training exercises should involve...
Our prior posts have documented some of the research supporting the use of caffeine in both strength training and endurance events. Caffeine has many effects including increased alertness and decreased perception of pain and fatigue. These effects on the central nervous system allow an athlete to train harder and longer at a given intensity when...
The benefits of proper hydration for human performance and recovery has long been established. Replacing fluid loss from metabolism, evaporation, and sweating can have a dramatic impact on performance in both team and endurance sports. As our workouts progress in duration and intensity our requirements for nutrition beyond water alone increase. Unfortunately, trying to train...
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world due to its’ caffeine content. Moderate caffeine consumption is currently being studied due to its’ potential impact on cognition, the aging process, and some cancers. In our field of Physical Therapy, caffeine has long been known as a performance enhancer based on its’ ability...