Tag: health
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What Is Periodization in Strength & Conditioning? and Why Should Athletes Care?
In strength and conditioning, few concepts are as foundational, and as misunderstood, as periodization. Athletes don’t fail because they aren’t working hard enough. More often, they fail because they’re working hard all the time without a structured plan for progression, recovery, and adaptation. That’s where periodization comes in. From a performance physiology standpoint, periodization is…
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Do Athletes Need Added Electrolytes?
If dietary guidelines recommend limiting salt, why, and when might mineral salt supplementation be warranted? The major reason is that public health sodium guidelines (e.g., <2,300 mg/day in the U.S.) are designed to reduce hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk in the general population. Unfortunately, these days a lot of the general population is largely sedentary…
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Creatine Supplementation in Vegetarian Athletes: What the Science Really Shows
Creatine is one of the most extensively researched and effective dietary supplements for improving strength, power, and lean body mass. While it is commonly associated with meat-based diets and strength athletes, growing evidence suggests that vegetarian and vegan athletes may stand to benefit even more from creatine supplementation than their omnivorous counterparts. A comprehensive review…
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What Is VO₂ Max and How Should Coaches and Athletes Actually Use It?
VO₂ max is one of the most frequently discussed metrics in sports performance, yet it is often misunderstood or overemphasized. While it is not a standalone indicator of success, VO₂ max can provide valuable insight into an athlete’s aerobic capacity and cardiovascular fitness when interpreted and applied correctly. At its most basic level, VO₂ max…
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Aerobic Adaptations in Sports
Endurance training leads to a series of powerful physiological adaptations that improve the body’s ability to sustain exercise over longer periods of time. These adaptations occur across multiple systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, and metabolic systems, and collectively enhance aerobic performance and fatigue resistance. One of the most important adaptations to endurance training is…