Articles

Articles about sports, training and health

Creatine without training: 1.1 kg more lean mass in 12 weeks in 45–65-year-olds β€” and how much of it may be water

Creatine without training: 1.1 kg more lean mass in 12 weeks in 45–65-year-olds β€” and how much of it may be water

In a double-blind RCT from Texas A&M University, 10 grams of creatine a day added about a kilogram of lean mass and a little strength in people aged 45–65, even without training. We look at why the no-training groups had just 13 people each, what DXA counts as β€œmuscle”, how creatine skews the creatinine blood test, and what a masters runner should take from it.

nutritionsupplementshealth
Anna Severovaβ€’
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Garmin bought Moxy: what a muscle oxygen sensor really measures β€” up to Β±20 points between legs and a threshold that repeats to within 7 watts

Garmin bought Moxy: what a muscle oxygen sensor really measures β€” up to Β±20 points between legs and a threshold that repeats to within 7 watts

Without a press release, Garmin bought Moxy β€” the longest-standing maker of muscle oxygen saturation (SmOβ‚‚) sensors β€” and back in February filed an application for the Muscle Battery trademark. We explain what SmOβ‚‚ shows, why the absolute number is noisy by 14–18 points, and how the threshold from the trend reproduces from test to test within a few watts.

geartrainingcycling
Ekaterina Gromovaβ€’
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Pickle juice for cramps: 49 seconds shorter in the lab, zero change in the blood β€” what we know about the shots McDonald's handed out before the Chicago Marathon

Pickle juice for cramps: 49 seconds shorter in the lab, zero change in the blood β€” what we know about the shots McDonald's handed out before the Chicago Marathon

Before the Chicago Marathon McDonald's gave away free 60 ml bottles of pickle juice, and at IRONSTAR Sirius, a Russian triathlon series, coach Suren's team handed out brine with and without vinegar in random order for a study. We look at what is known: a reflex in the mouth rather than β€œtopping up salt”, a fresh meta-analysis of cramp risk factors, and how much pickle juice to drink.

runningtriathloninjury-prevention
Dmitry Volkovβ€’
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Heart rate in your earbuds: AirPods Pro 3 vs a chest strap β€” a 2-beat average error and Β±10 at high intensity

Heart rate in your earbuds: AirPods Pro 3 vs a chest strap β€” a 2-beat average error and Β±10 at high intensity

Irish researchers compared the heart rate sensor in AirPods Pro 3 with a Polar H10 chest strap in 40 participants and 16 735 paired readings. The average error was about 2 beats with no systematic bias, but at high intensity individual readings drift by Β±10. We look at which workouts the earbuds are good enough for.

runninggearheart-rate
Maxim Belyaevβ€’
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Troponin after a marathon: 69 studies, 3274 runners and a blood test that β€œsees a heart attack” in a healthy person

Troponin after a marathon: 69 studies, 3274 runners and a blood test that β€œsees a heart attack” in a healthy person

A meta-analysis from Amsterdam brings together everything known about the heart in the first day after a marathon. Troponin and NT-proBNP rise in every study and on average cross clinical thresholds, the right ventricle dilates, yet MRI finds no signs of damage. We look at what this means and when to see a doctor.

runningmarathonhealth
Ekaterina Gromovaβ€’
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