Warning…the first seven paragraphs are a preamble. If you just want the tips, feel free to skip to the “Meat and Potatoes” section. Several months ago my wife told me I need to read a blog post one of her friends shared on Facebook. Her friend shared the post with an attached comment of “This really makes sense”. The post was an amateur post by a personal trainer who makes the claim that running makes you fat. Read more…
Recently, a drug rep was in our clinic telling me how their pain medications would be good for the pains commonly experienced by athletes. I immediately thought about the importance of this topic and figured I better share some words on the blog about it. Not all primary care docs, nurse practitioners, and PA’s are familiar with the unique physiology of endurance athletes. It is important to take this into consideration when considering taking certain Read more…
It’s no secret that endurance training can lead to reductions in testosterone. Theories behind the reduction of testosterone during endurance training previously revolved around the loss of body mass increased cortisol levels, and changes in luteinizing hormone. However, there is some debate around this, and the mechanism is not 100% clear. Nonetheless, the reduction of testosterone can have a mildly negative impact on recovery from training and a big impact on your quality of life. Read more…
Antioxidants. From athletic performance and anti-aging to heart disease prevention and cancer treatment, antioxidants are touted as key components to fighting disease and optimizing wellness. Once considered the “fountain of youth,” these powerful, free radical fighting nutrients truly are amazing. They fight oxidative stress, which leads to cellular degradation and cell death. Following their discovery, antioxidant supplements quickly found their way into endurance sports and have been a mainstay supplement ever since. They are touted Read more…
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to maintain a body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. Basically, this refers to your ability to stay warm in cool environments, and cool in hot environments. A physiological example of thermoregulation is sweating. The concept of thermoregulation is important to endurance athletes because it directly correlates to performance. The inability to control temperature swings results in a decrease in performance, Read more…
I recently was a guest on the Triathlete Training Podcast (www.triathletetraining.com), where I was interviewed on blood monitoring for the endurance athlete. We discuss why, what, how, and when. Simply hit play on the mini player shown just above to listen. Enjoy! Here is the preamble from the Triathlete Training website: Blood Monitoring Garret Rock joins the show. Garret is an exercise physiology specialist and Doctor of Chiropractic and sports nutrition specialist. He does blood Read more…
Marginal gains. The term “marginal gains” is being heard more and more in the world of sports. The concept of marginal gains is simple. What are the little (marginal) things you can improve that cumulatively result in overall performance improvements? As a performance adviser to many of the world’s top endurance athletes, it is my job to identify where marginal gains can be made physiologically. One focus is oxygen availability, and a key player is Read more…
It is time for those involved in endurance sports to bring attention to the problem of eating disorders in endurance athletes. I hope you will help address this problem by sharing this post with every runner, triathlete, and cyclist you know. Thank you. The topic of eating disorders in endurance athletes is too often neglected. The numbers are staggering. Studies show that up to 25% of female and 10% of male endurance athletes have either Read more…
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