Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas said learning about nutrition made a “huge difference” in her Olympic performance, earning her multiple gold medals.
Although she never struggled with diets or body image like some elite athletes, Douglas said she did used to eat a lot of unhealthy processed foods.
She said shifting from “junk food” to lean meats, veggies, and healthy carbs helped her muscles recover faster and more efficiently during her rigorous Olympic training.
… “We had a meeting this summer with the medical people and his agent and everybody to come up with a plan to help Derrick. Believe me — nobody loved Derrick Rose more and I wish he could play 80 minutes out of 40,” Casey said Tuesday. “But he can’t, so we have to protect him from himself. It’s up to the medical people; it’s their decision and it’s their plan.”
It’s like “Ultraman,” the fictional character in the Japanese TV show. In each episode, the superhero would fight monsters, but after a certain amount of time, a light on his chest would start blinking and he would have to fly away. That gave the monsters time to continue their destruction, but Ultraman would return just in time to save the day.
Following months of anticipation, dedication, and hard work, Seattle resident and former 24 Hour Fitness personal trainer Leah Fair has been declared one of six winners of “Milk Life presents, The Next Olympic Hopeful,” Season 3 and has begun training to compete for a spot on the U.S. National Skeleton Team.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), in partnership with 24 Hour Fitness, conducted the annual nationwide search to discover world-class athletes who have what it takes to represent the United States in Olympic competition. Earlier this summer, more than 4,800 individuals submitted online applications to the USOPC’s website and hundreds tried out in 24 Hour Fitness® clubs nationwide in hopes of being one of the lucky athletes to advance to the next level of competition.
While the global positioning system has been used in field sports for a decade, local positioning systems are newly available in indoor sports for the tracking of velocity and distance during competition. World-class male ice hockey players (n = 20) were monitored during 5 international matches. Speed and distance outputs were analyzed to determine the differences between positions, periods, and in-shift demands. Defense had a difference between forwards at distances covered at very slow (p < 0.001), slow (p < 0.001), and moderate (p < 0.001) speed. Forwards were found to cover a greater distance at very fast speed (p = 0.001) and sprint speed (p < 0.001). Defense had a decrease in skating distance at very fast (p < 0.001) and sprint skating speeds (p = 0.02). Forwards had an increase in very slow skating (p = 0.02) and a decrease in sprint skating distance (p = 0.02). Game situational differences were found for defense and forwards in average speeds for defense (p < 0.001) and forwards (p < 0.001). Local positioning systems data have the potential to accurately inform coaches of the position-specific demands of game situations and the training needs by position. Specifically, forwards performed more high-intensity skating than defensemen, whereas powerplay and penalty kill situations offered specific demands for the 2 positional groups. Finally, the intensity of skating was reduced in the third period for both defensemen and forwards. Further research can evaluate whether this is related to tactical decisions, or the metabolic cost of ice hockey.
Elite athletes not only run faster, hit harder, and jump higher, but also see and react better. However, the specific visual-motor skills that differentiate high-achieving athletes are still not well understood. In this paper we examine 2317 athletes (1871 male) tested on the Nike SPARQ Sensory Station, a digital test battery measuring visual, perceptual and motor skills relevant for sports performance. We develop a multivariate Gaussian transformation model to robustly estimate visual-motor differences by level, gender, and sport type. Results demonstrate that visual-motor performance is superior for athletes at higher levels, with males faster at near-far eye movements and females faster at eye-hand reaction times. Interestingly, athletes who play interceptive sports such as baseball and tennis exhibit better measures of visual clarity, contrast sensitivity and simple reaction time, while athletes from strategic sports like soccer and basketball have higher measures of spatial working memory. These findings provide quantitative evidence of domain-specific visual expertise in athletes.
The greater muscular strength of long-term resistance-trained (LTT) individuals is often attributed to hypertrophy but the role of other factors, notably maximum voluntary specific tension (ST), muscle architecture and any differences in joint mechanics (moment arm) have not been documented. The aim of the present study was to examine the musculoskeletal factors that might explain the greater Quadriceps strength and size of LTT vs untrained (UT) individuals. LTT (n = 16, age 21.6 ± 2.0 years) had 4.0 ± 0.8 years of systematic knee extensor heavy-resistance training experience, whereas UT (n = 52; age 25.1 ± 2.3 years) had no lower-body resistance training experience for > 18 months. Knee extension dynamometry, T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of the thigh and knee and ultrasonography of the Quadriceps muscle group at 10 locations were used to determine Quadriceps: isometric maximal voluntary torque (MVT), muscle volume (QVOL), patella tendon moment arm (PTMA), pennation angle (QΘP) and fascicle length (QFL), physiological cross-sectional area (QPCSA) and ST. LTT had substantially greater MVT (+60% vs UT, P<0.001) and QVOL (+56%, P<0.001) and QPCSA (+41%, P<0.001) but smaller differences in ST (+9%, P<0.05) and moment arm (+4%, P<0.05), and thus muscle size was the primary explanation for the greater strength of LTT. The greater muscle size (volume) of LTT was primarily attributable to the greater QPCSA (+41%; indicating more sarcomeres in parallel) rather than the more modest difference in FL (+11%; indicating more sarcomeres in series). There was no evidence for regional hypertrophy after LTT.
… “I feel like our class, we came in with our heads down, focused, ready to go,” [Chase] Young said Thursday. “We always want to be the best. I feel like if we just keep working to be the best, something good has to come out of that.”
Since the Big Ten Championship, cleveland.com talked to all seven of these Buckeyes about how they came to be part of the 2017 class, and how this group of seven grew. All of them credited their development to strength coach Mickey Marotti and the OSU coaches. Here are their full explanations of how the growth of obvious talent paved the way for a potential national title.
… Let’s set aside the fact that the team is assuming that they will qualify for this World Cup after missing the last. When playing in the World Cup, teams have to have training facilities and accommodations planned beforehand. And, since the entire tournament is being played in one city, the capital Doha, there will be a lot of competition from other national team programs for the best facilities and hotels. Scouting ahead means that the team can get the best accommodations as possible.
… In the late 1980s, Kristen Goehring was one of the top girls’ players in Tennessee, but she had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee that took away her senior season of high school basketball. Kristen was 17 and dealing with the first major adversity of her life.
I was 23 and a rookie at the Jackson Sun newspaper. In college, I had decided that covering women’s sports was my mission. This was the first lengthy feature at my first job, a confidence-builder early in my career.
I knew nothing about ACL injuries. I went to Kristen’s rehab sessions at the hospital and at her home, learning as I went. Since, I’ve seen torn ACLs end players’ seasons and careers, the injury altering the course of NCAA tournaments and WNBA playoffs. From Sue Bird to Tamika Catchings to Sheryl Swoopes, it has happened to many of the greatest who have ever played, and every fan of women’s basketball has likely been impacted by it.
Some of the injuries initially seemed harmless: a simple cut, a jump-stop, coming down for a rebound. Others were obvious, with the leg bending in a way it shouldn’t. Sometimes a player would yell in agony; sometimes she wasn’t sure whether she was badly hurt.
Psychological factors including self-reported readiness to return to sport (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) measured with the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport After Injury (ACL-RSI) scale have been shown to correlate with RTS. Physical deficits have been shown to exist in the later stages after ACLR rehabilitation. No previous studies have investigated the relationship between self-reported readiness to RTS and objective physical measures of power and strength. Purpose:
To investigate the relationship between ACL-RSI scores and measures of strength and power scores after ACLR. Study Design:
Case control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods:
This study recruited 452 male athletes who had undergone primary ACLR. Each athlete completed the ACL-RSI questionnaire, isokinetic strength testing, and jump testing approximately 9 months after surgery. Results:
ACL-RSI scores showed a trivial or weak correlation with strength and power measures at 9 months after surgery (r = 0.06-0.16). Similar results were found for the relationship between ACL-RSI scores and limb symmetry index for strength and power measures (r = 0.04-0.15). Comparing the strength and power measures of athletes with higher (≥90) ACL-RSI scores (n = 93) versus athletes with lower (≤75) ACL-RSI scores (n = 92) showed no significant differences except for isokinetic hamstring strength, but with a trivial effect size (P = .040; effect size = 0.15). Conclusion:
Self-reported readiness to RTS as measured by the ACL-RSI had little or no relationship with athletes’ strength and power measures, and there was no meaningful difference in strength and power between athletes with higher and lower ACL-RSI scores at 9 months after ACLR. The findings suggest that psychological recovery and physical recovery after ACLR are different constructs, and strategies to measure and address each construct separately may be necessary to ensure successful RTS after ACLR. [full text]
… Vitamin deficiencies exist, but multivitamins aren’t the answer for most people. Instead, work with a doctor or a dietitian to figure out exactly what you need. Blood work is the only surefire way to confirm a deficiency, says dietitian Ali Webster, who works for the International Food Information Council Foundation. In lieu of lab work, a provider might prescribe vitamin supplements based on symptoms or lifestyle factors, like fatigue, sleep issues, and dietary restrictions.
Certain supplements have been proven to help manage medical conditions. The American Heart Association endorses omega-3 supplements for anyone with (or at high risk of) heart disease and high blood pressure. Experts recommend vitamin D supplementation for certain populations, including people with anorexia, malabsorption issues, osteopenia, and osteoporosis, though a 2016 study found that the general population probably isn’t as deficient in the vitamin as we’ve been led to believe.
… The people most frustrated by the ambiguity surrounding the baseball are the players. Next in line are executives trying to construct a team with no idea who is valuable. Solidly in third place are the creators of projection systems.
One of those, Dan Szymborski, developed ZiPs (Szymborski Projection System), which is hosted by FanGraphs. He likens the player market to the stock market: Uncertainty tends to be followed closely by a rush to quality. People decide to invest in a product in which they can be sure.
… I was part of that process on four occasions as an NFL executive with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins (eventual hires included Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan and Adam Gase). It isn’t as easy as it might seem.
… How did the losing culture that started when Synder became owner get worse under Allen? Can Dwayne Haskins be the franchise QB? Will Rivera have a chance to succeed under Snyder, who has been hands-on in the past with personnel decisions? And who will take over Allen’s role?
In interviews with more than 30 current and former league and team officials, coaches, agents and players, a portrait emerges of what has gone wrong in Washington and what is next for the storied franchise.
