Beta-alanine revisited: Failing to plan, or planning to fail?
In the past 2.5 years, a few more studies on beta-alanine have emerged. As I’ve written before, my goal isn’t to become the anti-beta-alanine blogger, but I do feel that watching this supplement develop from its relative inception to its current state does provide an interesting prototype for how similar products develop a strong following despite the limitations on the research available to support (or not support) its use. Read More...
You don’t always get what you want, even if you get what you need
One of the newer supplements on the market are the aromatase inhibitors. They purport to increase free testosterone levels by inhibiting the enzyme that is responsible for converting androstenedione to estrone as well as converting testosterone to estradiol. By preventing the breakdown of testosterone precursors and the breakdown of testosterone itself, the concentration of testosterone should theoretically increase. Read More...
Rest vs. Active Recovery
Lots of stuff happens when you’re not doing anything. It’s amazing. Your muscles rebuild (hopefully stronger than before). Your bones deteriorate less (if you’ve been doing weight bearing exercise). Britney does something silly (again). All while you’re doing nothing! Rest is an integral part of any training program. Certainly, we know that inadequate recovery is responsible for a myriad of bad things, like decreased performance, and an increased risk of injury. But what about this thing called “active recovery”? Read More...
Going the extra mile doesn’t always make things better (but then again, it might)
I picked this study for two reasons: 1) It’s actually not a half-bad study, and 2) It addresses a significant fitness issue that has been plaguing athletes, trainers and coaches for decades–to stretch or not to stretch. However, despite the study’s many strengths, it falls just short of making it truly useful in helping active people make the decision whether or not to perform static stretching. Read More...
HIIT vs Steady State–Again.
Thanks to Mike Knowles who suggested this week’s study (which, incidentally, was incorrectly cited in that publication you sent me, but that’s not your fault 🙂 ). Read More...
Another beta-alanine study. Don’t buy the hype.
Some day, I’m going to preface a review with a sentence like, “Today’s study was really well done. I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of the reporting, the concise data analysis and the practical relevance of the trial.” Read More...
Beta-alanine vs. um…stuff. No one really wins.
Ok, I’m behind the times. By about 3 months. But you know, it’s ’cause I have to go searching for this stuff all by myself! Maybe we should consider this a bit of catch-up, since the blog was started only a month ago. If you see a good study, or mention of one, send me the freaking reference! Some “cutting edge” blogger I turned out to be, eh… Read More...
Whey vs Casein. Who will win?
Ok, I lied. I couldn’t find the creatine study in MSSE that we reviewed years ago as part of the Sport Medicine Journal Club. But I did find a more recent study on supplementation timing, which, after reading the article, I noticed was sponsored by AST Sport Science. And while the study on supplement timing was interesting, there was this glowing ad on the AST site that drew my attention. AST Sports Science has a product called VP2 Whey Isolate. Read More...
Is protein good for you? (or, Hire a damned methodologist already)
I was perusing the Table of Contents in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, and noticed a study entitled, “Effects of protein supplementation on muscular performance and resting hormonal changes in college football players.” Read More...
The beauty (and truth) of randomization
One very important distinguishing feature of many studies is whether it is a randomized controlled trial, or just a regular controlled trial. Read More...