Latest Posts
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What Does It Take To Run An Ultra-Marathon?
Over the last few decades there has been a huge surge in the popularity of ultra-running, with the number of participants increasing exponentially since the 1970’s.1 An ultra-marathon can be defined as a running event that is longer than 42.195km.2 Common race distances include 50km, 100km, 50 miles or 100…
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Optimising Sleep For Athletes
Sleep has been suggested to be the best recovery tool available to increase adaptations from training and improve performance in competition.1 Healthy adults are recommended to get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. In contrast, aspiring athletes seem to benefit from up to 9-10 hours of sleep to reach…
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Energy Expenditure During Giro d’Italia
A few weeks back, we published an article outlining the physiological demands of riding a grand tour; in conjunction with the start of the Giro d’Italia, this article will explore the energy expenditure and consumption during a grand tour, and also how it relates to performance over such an extreme…
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Does Menstrual Cycle Phase Affect Exercise Performance?
Tokyo 2021 is thought to be the most gender-balanced Olympic Games in history, with 49% of athletes being female. Comparing this to 1984, when just 23% of athletes were female, it is obvious to see that female participation in sport has never been better. 1 Despite this, due to a…
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Le Tour de France – A Physiological Analysis
Le Tour de France. Since its’ inauguration in 1903, many people have dreamt of it, but only a handful have achieved the greatest accomplishment in the world of cycling, winning the yellow jersey. Starting off as a publicity stunt for a french newspaper featuring amateur riders, it is now the…
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Carbohydrate Supplementation During Endurance Exercise
It is widely accepted that the use of carbohydrate (CHO) supplements during prolonged endurance exercise is a highly beneficial method of maximising performance. Carbohydrates in the form of glucose and glycogen are the main substrates that fuel our skeletal muscles while partaking in exercise, so it is vital that stores…
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Cardiac Remodelling in Cyclists of Different Proficiency Levels
The human heart is a vital organ with astonishing plasticity. The causes for cardiac remodelling can either lie in a pathological condition or exercise training, yet the resulting alterations can to some extent overlap. Most heavily affected from exercise induced remodelling is the left ventricle of the heart, which is…
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Exercise at Altitude: Acclimatisation and Altitude Training
It is a well-accepted idea amongst elite athletes and coaches that spending time at altitude can elicit beneficial training adaptions that enhance endurance performance. However, as soon as I started my research for this article, it became clear that the scientific justification of altitude training is more limited than one…
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Exercise at Altitude: How Does Your Body Respond?
Welcome to the first article of an exciting two-part series exploring how human physiology is altered while at altitude, and how altitude training can be utilised to improve aerobic performance. This article will explain at how the body responds when exercising at altitude and what consequences it could have on…
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How Do Professional Cyclists Train? Insights From Team Sunweb’s Men’s and Women’s Team
With power meters becoming evermore accessible, and the now wide-spread presence of professional cyclists on programmes such as Strava and Zwift, it is easier than ever to gain insight into the training and numbers of pro riders. The demands of professional cycling is relatively well-documented, but most research has focused…
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Carbohydrate mouth rinsing – can you benefit from your carbohydrate drink if you don’t actually swallow it?
What is carbohydrate mouth rinsing? It has been long understood that carbohydrate supplementation during endurance exercise is very useful in maximizing performance, particularly in events lasting over 90 minutes. Most carbohydrate supplements are used in the form of energy drinks, bars or chews. They optimise aerobic capacity by replenishing muscle…
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What is RED-S and Why is it Important to Talk About?
What is RED-S? Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) describes a condition in which low energy availability leads to impaired physiological function.1 In simpler terms, RED-S exists when there is not enough energy available to fuel the normal functions of the human body. As a result, general health deteriorates and sporting performance…
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