26 articles
Across 5311 athletes, maximum heart rate on the bike came out just 2 beats lower than in running. But you still can't carry threshold zones from one sport into the other — and here's why the group average is useless.
A 2026 systematic review: handheld lactate meters correlate with the laboratory reference at r = 0.95–0.99. And yet the spread of a single measurement at 3 mmol/L is ±0.4 mmol/L. Here is why that is not a contradiction.
A fresh meta-analysis gathered the entire evidence base on citrulline malate — and rated its certainty as «low to very low». Here is what that means for anyone who already bought the tub.
Across 1,121 athletes, maximal fat oxidation occurred on average at 49.3% of VO₂max — with a range from 22.6 to 88.8%. Known factors explain only 47% of the differences. Here is what to do about it in practice.
Rinsing the mouth with a menthol solution every six minutes raised mean power by 1.67% in the heat. The body does not actually cool — only perception changes. Here is where that helps and where it gets dangerous.
In cyclists with knee flexion greater than 40°, pain scored 4.4 on a ten-point scale; in the rest, 0.9. After the saddle was set to 25–30°, pain fell to 1.4 within two weeks. A look at the study and at what to do with the formulas.
In a study at +32 °C and 60% humidity, taurine extended time to exhaustion: 6 grams worked in men, 4 in women. Here is why that difference is almost certainly not about sex at all.
Your legs are ready for 120 grams of carbohydrate an hour, but your gut is not. We look at why absorption runs into transporters, how a glucose-fructose blend gets around them, and what in all those gut-training protocols has actually been tested.
Aerobic work drives glucose down, while intervals can push it up — and that changes the entire tactic. We break down target ranges, insulin adjustments and the 90-minute rule you should be discussing with your doctor.
A meta-analysis of 35 studies confirms that rinsing your mouth with a maltodextrin solution does help — but the effect is small (g = 0.18), the certainty of evidence is low, and the classic “only works when fasted” rule has barely been tested at all.
An eight-week study found a marked gain in power and mitochondrial adaptations from a ketone ester taken after training. Yet most of the literature finds no effect — here is why both pictures may be true.
Pogačar is racing on a gel with exogenous lactate and his rivals are testing their own. Yet there are no published trials of the gels themselves, and the existing work on lactate supplements contradicts itself. A look without the excitement.
Snus and “tobacco-free” pouches have moved from team sports into endurance. In a controlled experiment they did not improve a one-hour cycling time trial at all, and the sense of focus in dependent users is simply withdrawal relief.
A meta-analysis of 17 studies confirmed the superiority of the polarized model for VO₂peak — but only in blocks shorter than 12 weeks and only in well-trained athletes. In time trials there is no difference at all.
Endurance-sport enthusiasts get atrial fibrillation 2–5× more often, but the relationship is U-shaped: moderate training protects the heart, while chronic mega-volumes may raise the risk. We break down the data and the signs that it's time to see a doctor.
Fresh 2026 meta-analyses show that beta-alanine's effect is narrow and not guaranteed. We break down where it can genuinely help, where it's useless, and how it differs from 'soda' (bicarbonate).
Zone 2 is work below your first threshold, not a number on your watch. We break down why heart-rate formulas get it wrong and how much easy running an amateur actually needs.
Sodium bicarbonate is an IOC-recognized supplement, but its effect depends on the race format. We break down where soda buys you seconds, where it does almost nothing, and how to avoid a “gut rebellion.”
Five weeks of post-run hot baths raised maximal oxygen uptake in trained runners by roughly 4,4%. We unpack how heat triggers the same blood and heart adaptations as altitude — and how to use it without the risk.
A meta-analysis of 33 studies and 519 athletes settles the question: beetroot nitrate delivers a small but real gain in sprinting, power, and VO₂max. We break down the dose, the timing, and why in elite athletes the effect often “gets eaten up.”
A systematic review of 7 randomized trials compared running and cycling training. It found no difference in VO₂max gains or running performance — we break down what this means for triathletes and recovering runners.
A large network meta-analysis of 48 studies shows the effective caffeine dose is more modest than commonly believed, and the performance gain is around 2%. Here is how to calculate your dose without overdoing it.
26 amateur cyclists stayed awake for 25 hours, then rode a 40-minute effort and a 20-minute time trial. We break down what suffered, what held up, and why a single normal night set everything right again.
The elite load up to 120 grams of carbs per hour. We break down how much fuel you really need for long races, why glucose and fructose are worth mixing, and how to train your gut to handle it.
It's your gut, not your muscles, that caps fueling speed on long events. We break down the transporter limits and practical g/h schemes for running, cycling, and triathlon.
Three world records in ultrarunning on a single day, historic NYC Marathon finish, doping scandal with world record holder, and ski season start in Russia. Top 20 news of the month.