Category: Physiology
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Underperforming, Overreaching or Overtraining?
What are overreaching and overtraining? Overtraining is a phrase commonly used in competitive sport. True overtraining syndrome is actually quite rare, but the spectrum of conditions that come under the umbrella of unexplained underperformance syndrome can affect athletes more frequently. There are three main subsets of this syndrome. The first is named functional overreaching. This…
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Sleep, Recovery and Growth Hormone
Sleep is a basic human need. For athletes and those vying for peak physical performance, adequate sleep is one of the most essential factors in achieving that goal. Sleep may be the most important aspect of recovery due to its vital role in tissue growth and repair. It also has roles in neuromuscular performance, cognitive…
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Altitude and Functional Fitness
Altitude is generally described as 1200m or higher above sea level. On ascent to altitude, atmospheric pressure is reduced, and therefore air molecules are more spread out than at sea level. This means that although the percentage of oxygen within the air does not change, the partial pressure is reduced, decreasing the amount of oxygen…
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Active Recovery- Aren’t we just Building an Aerobic Base?
Active recovery is a term which is popular in the functional fitness space. When competitive athletes are asked how often they train, a common structure appears to be ‘five days a week, one day of complete rest and one day of active recovery’. But what does active recovery mean and what is its purpose? The…
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Lactate Zones
Training intensity is often organised into three zones, allowing us to measure how much time is spent in each zone and therefore at each intensity. One of the most common ways to measure these zones in the lab is via blood lactate levels. Lactate is a product of the metabolism of glucose. There are 3…
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What is VO2 Max?
What is VO2 max? VO2 max is the maximal amount of oxygen an individual can utilize, typically over one minute during an intense, maximal effort. It reflects the maximal capacity of the individual to perform aerobic work. It is generally seen to be the gold standard measure for a person’s aerobic fitness. (1) Oxygen is required by skeletal muscles for the aerobic metabolism of glucose and fatty acids, our bodies…
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Does Nasal Breathing Really Improve Performance?
Does the way we breathe during exercise affect our performance? I think most of us probably don’t think too much about it, when we’re mid workout, gasping for breath, we’re just doing everything we can to keep moving. For elite competitors however, for those fighting for that extra 1%, these kinds of considerations can be extremely important. I’ve noticed a few high-level athletes…
Exercise Doc 