If you were to ask a Real Madrid fan to describe Fernando Redondo, there is a distinct likelihood they would begin with a smile. Given the title of ‘El Principe’, Redondo helped the club to two Champions League titles in his six seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu, bewitching the fans with his technique. An elegant runner with a graceful left foot, his poise was such that he could turn decisively in close situations to sashay clear of his marker. … Aged 33, Redondo would eventually make his debut for Milan in the 2002/03 campaign. He would play a part for two seasons, but he wasn’t one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the world; he wasn’t the man Milan had signed. Milan resolved never to allow such a situation to arise again in future.
After his 2014 season ended with a leg injury, Milos Raonic, a 6-foot-5 Canadian tennis star who serves thunderbolts, made a few resolutions. At the top of his list: Stop eating fatty macadamia nuts.
To win Grand Slam titles, Raonic decided that he needed to join the ranks of the ultra-lean. Like Novak Djokovic, who shed 11 pounds from his already slim frame a few years ago as he became the game’s best player. Like Andy Murray, who has spent more time running sprints in the sand to increase his speed. And like the always-trim Roger Federer , who has tweaked his training to become even quicker around the net.
Raonic dropped 12 pounds. (He weighs about 207.) The benefits have been immediate.
Critical power (CP), respiratory compensation point (RCP), maximal lactate steady-state (MLSS), and deoxyhemoglobin ([HHb]) breakpoint ([HHb] BP ) are alternative functional indices that are thought to demarcate the highest exercise intensity that can be tolerated for long durations. PURPOSE:
We tested the hypothesis that CP, RCP, MLSS, and [HHb] BP occur at the same metabolic intensity by examining the pulmonary oxygen uptake (V˙O2p) as well as power output (PO) associated with each “threshold”. METHODS:
Twelve healthy men (mean±SD age: 27±3 years) performed the following tests on a cycle ergometer: i) four to five exhaustive tests for determination of CP; ii) two to three, 30-minute constant-power trials for MLSS determination; and iii) a ramp incremental exercise test from which the V˙O2p and PO at RCP and [HHb] BP were determined. During each trial, breath-by-breath V˙O2p and ventilatory variables were measured with a metabolic cart and flow-meter turbine; near-infrared spectroscopy-derived [HHb] was monitored using a frequency domain multi-distance system, and arterialized-capillary blood lactate was sampled at regular intervals. RESULTS:
There were no differences (p>0.05) amongst the V˙O2p values associated with CP, RCP, MLSS, and [HHb] BP (CP: 3.29±0.48; RCP: 3.34±0.45; MLSS: 3.27±0.44; [HHb] BP : 3.41 ± 0.46 L[BULLET OPERATOR]min); however, the PO associated with RCP (262±48 W) and [HHb] BP (273±41 W) were greater (p<0.05) than both CP (226±45 W) and MLSS (223±39 W) which, themselves, were not different (p>0.05) CONCLUSIONS: Although the standard methods for determination of CP, RCP, MLSS, and [HHb] BP are different, these indices occur at the same V˙O2p suggesting that: i) they may manifest as a result of similar physiological phenomenon; ii) each provides a valid delineation between tolerable and intolerable constant-power exercise.
Overtraining is an issue that has been discussed and debated by sports professionals at many different levels. This syndrome has the potential to severely impair an athlete’s sporting career, and indeed may cause long-term health implications for the individual. This chronic ailment has many different signs, with some being more obvious than others. These signs can be physiological or psychological in nature. This article will explore the varying types of symptoms associated with overtraining and what this could mean for the athlete in the future.
Some new results from Samuele Marcora’s “brain endurance training” protocol, funded by the British Ministry of Defence, have been declassified. Bradley Stulberg has a good article at Outside describing the findings. This is the same brain training technique that I wrote about for RW back in 2013, but with a twist. When I tried it, the mental tasks were sitting at the computer before or after my runs.
In the 17th century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes famously wrote that, “The mind… of man is entirely different from the body.” In the proceeding centuries, the idea that mind and body are separate flourished—dualism became the go-to theory—but now we know that Descartes was wrong. Human physiology is composed of dozens of tightly connected components. The mind and body represent two parts of a greater whole.
One of the most exciting developments in cognitive science takes this idea one step further. Researchers are beginning to show that our physical experiences actually constitute thought—that is, thinking is embodied. In this view, if we want to study how we think, we must study how the body interacts with the world. This idea is not the innocuous claim that the mind needs a body. It is the revelatory hypothesis that conscious thought is dictated by the details of physical experience.
That’s the message at the very top of the page. And from there down, almost everything about Amit Sood’s website, stressfree.org, is couched in the self-help jargon that scientists instinctively dismiss. So it’s especially interesting that Sood is a physician, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, no less. There he recently founded the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing and is now taking to the Internet to teach people how to train their minds for a better life.
One of the core elements of Sood’s practice is helping people to “create intentionality.” He describes the approach plainly: choosing where you deploy your attention and how you process information. It’s unique ground for an M.D. to tread, but increasingly relevant as the connection between mindset and physical health bears out.
The Grand Opening of the new £200 million academy by Manchester City has re-ignited the discussion regarding whether investments made by top clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton in their academies will result in more young players at these clubs graduating to the first team.
The Financial Fair Play regulation has forced high-spending clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea to place increased focus on developing their own players in the long term. Youth players at Manchester City will now be trained in state of the art facilities which will include the latest sports science advances such as altitude training. There is no doubting that professional football is still playing catch-up in terms of sports science but debate is now focusing on whether today’s academy generation coming through are too pampered.
Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, recently argued that academy players in England today are given too much too young, and are too soft.
Talent Identification and development has become a key focus for National Governing Bodies, Regional teams and Local clubs all over the globe in many different sports. Being able to identify which young athletes may have the potential to be the next sporting superstars is no easy task but the task of helping them achieve their potential may be even harder. In this article I will review the key ideas behind Talent Development and discuss them briefly in relation to football and some of the key thoughts from leading football academies.
Microsoft wants Windows 10 to run on everything—phones, tablets, PCs, and even whiteboards. The Surface Hub is its take on the interactive whiteboard—a collaboration tool for businesses that combines Skype for Business, a 4K HDTV, and the largest capacitive Pen/touch display on the market.
I got some hands-on time with the product at Microsoft’s Windows 10 launch event, and came away with one thought—we have to get one of these for the Labs.
I tried the 84-inch and 55-inch versions of the device. Standing next to the 84-inch version, you really get the sense you are standing in front of an enormous blank canvas. The screen runs at 120Hz, which is double what competing whiteboards can deliver.
The evolution of professional tennis has always been linked to the changing technology of the day. For example, the decline of the wooden racket lead to the whole new power-based style of play we enjoy today.
One of the more recent introductions to have significant impact is Hawk-Eye ball tracking.
It’s certainly transformed the way we watch and adjudicate tennis. But can we go further and utilise this truly awesome technology to improve the on-court performance of the competitions elite?
The objective of this consensus statement is to provide physicians who are responsible for the health care of teams with guidelines regarding conditioning for sports. This statement specifically addresses the role of exercise in conditioning. Nutrition and supplements are outside the scope of this statement. It is not intended as a standard of care and should not be interpreted as such. This statement is only a guide and, as such, is of a general nature, consistent with reasonable, objective practice of the health care professional. Individual conditioning issues will depend on the specific facts and circumstances presented to the physician. Adequate insurance should be in place to help protect the athlete, the sponsoring organization, and the physician.
… In principle, trick plays should be straightforward to analyse using game theory. When a team lines up for a punt or field goal, opposing defences face an inescapable trade-off. If they focus all their efforts on disrupting the kick, they become vulnerable to a fake play ending with a run or pass. However, every defender who adjusts his behaviour to protect against this threat becomes less effective at obstructing a kick. As a result, if the offence thinks the defence is conceding fakes, it will run them frequently; otherwise, it will tend to kick. In response, the defence will then adjust its emphasis on foiling fake plays. Hypothetically, if the same two clubs faced each other an infinite number of times, each would vary its strategy until both reached a Nash equilibrium: the frequency of attempted fakes (assuming optimal defence and randomly sequenced plays) at which kicking and faking yield the same expected benefit.
Translating this concept to actual football gets complicated in a hurry. A wide range of variables factor into the decision, including the score, the time remaining in the game, field position, the number of yards required for a first down, the quality of a team’s kicker and even the weather.