In the May edition of Sports Science Monthly we look at new research across a variety of areas including the latest research on caffeine, how genetics impact caffeine, pre-exercise stretching, recovery, muscular strength, and more. Read more
If it’s possible to have a favorite gene, mine is ACTN3, often referred to as the speed gene. But to me it is interesting for more reasons than speed; after all top sprinters have been found to have different variants of the the gene. What is most interesting about it is that it impacts muscle function and architecture. As a result, this one gene can have a large impact on exercise adaptation, post-exercise recovery, and injury risk. Read more
In our round-up of sports science this month we focus on nicotine as a performance enhancer, stress fractures, repeated sprint ability, a new sports science journal, the immune system, caffeine, and return to play from hamstring injuries. Read more
After focusing on getting back to the basics in October and adaptation in November, we turned our attention to a new site theme in December: rest and recovery. Throughout the month we compiled best practices in this area from top coaches, including Dean Benton (English Rugby), Mike Bahn (formerly of US Ski), Nick Lumley (Edinburgh Rugby) and Vern Gambetta. We also got input from Matt Foreman on recovery as you age, and Craig Pickering on some of the science behind recovery. Combined, it will get you thinking about how to approach the topic going forward. Read more
The theme this month on HMMR Media is recovery. Recovery is a tricky area to navigate, with decisions often influenced as much by traditions, new technology, or pseudoscience as by research and common sense. On this episode of the GAINcast, Vern walks through the science of recovery, his approach, and what questions coaches need to be asking. Read more
Sleep is an important aspect of life; you don’t need me to tell you that. Indeed, over the last few years, there has been a number of research papers and a flurry of books illustrating the importance of sleep such as The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
The word recovery gets used a lot in sport with a variety of meanings in my experience. A common misconception I come across is the assumption that one size fits all in the world of recovery. There are various aspects of post-exercise recovery and it is completely individual to the situation and the athlete. In my opinion recovery should be viewed as a tool to manipulate in order to optimize performance. Below I want to explai na little about what recovery is how I categorize and use recovery methods, and some non-negotiables when it comes to recovery. Read more
Recovery has become a popular term that has sparked a deluge of equipment, technology and practices. So far, unfortunately, the research lags far behind the practice. This is not to discount the validity of some strategies or items in affecting the recovery process, but it does require us to take a much closer look at the overall processes and develop strategies accordingly. Read more
Earlier this week we posted the first part of our interview with Dean Benton, head of Sports Science for the England Senior Rugby Team. Our interview covers a variety of topics on rest and recovery, and to start with we looked at sleep. Below we continue with part two of the interview where we continue to discuss rehabilitation strategies, recovery methods, and coping with travel demands. Read more
After tackling adaptation as last month’s theme, our focus at HMMR Media moves on to rest and recovery in December. To kick things off we sat down with Dean Benton, one of the leading practitioners in this area. Benton is currently head of Sports Science for the England Senior Rugby Team. In this role he is responsible for the co-ordination, design and delivery of athletic performance, sport science, recovery, rehabilitation, reconditioning to the England Senior Rugby team in the lead into the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Read more
