13 articles
A classic study of the Los Angeles Marathon found colds in 12.9% of finishers versus 2.2% of runners who did not race. A 2024 meta-analysis that adjusted for the length of follow-up whittled this down to +18%. We look at where the post-race sniffles come from and what actually lowers the risk.
In May Google released the Fitbit Air, a screenless band whose headline number is βreadinessβ. Garmin, WHOOP, Oura, Polar and Coros all have similar indices. A 2025 review found 14 such scores from 10 manufacturers: none disclosed its formula, and only a handful showed validation against a reference standard. Some of the raw data underneath them, however, is measured quite well.
The carotenoid from Haematococcus algae is sold as the βmost powerful antioxidant there is.β In a crossover trial, 12 mg a day for a week made a 40 km time trial 1.2% faster and raised fat oxidation at the finish. The sample was twelve people.
Six wristbands were tested in a sleep lab against PSG: sleeping epochs are recognised over 90% of the time, wakefulness only 29β52%. WHOOP overstates sleep time by 24 minutes, Apple Watch by 20. Here is what follows for your training.
A 2025 meta-analysis pulled together everything known about golden root in endurance sport. The VOβmax gain is there and surprisingly consistent, the drop in creatine kinase is sizeable β but a fortyfold spread in doses makes it impossible to name a protocol.
The peptide ultrarunners inject to avoid surgery. A 2025 systematic review found 35 animal studies and a single retrospective case series of 12 patients. Here is what is actually known and what it puts at risk.
A fresh RCT reported enormous effects β so enormous they are hard to believe in groups of ten people. We unpack what percussion therapy reliably delivers, what it doesn't, and when it's better left alone.
A fresh meta-analysis in endurance athletes found a shift in favour of compression for muscle soreness, but the confidence interval crosses zero, the risk of bias is high in 10 assessments out of 11, and the effect on performance could not be pooled at all.
In a crossover RCT participants slept 55 minutes longer β and the next morning covered almost 10 metres more in a shuttle test with half the drop-off in speed. Here is what is genuinely proven and what is being read into it.
Montmorency cherry concentrate speeds the return of strength after hard efforts and dampens some inflammation markers. But it's a recovery tool, not an 'endurance pill' β and in the off-season it may even get in the way.
We break down how alcohol after a workout hits muscle protein synthesis, sleep, and rehydration β and how to drink so you lose less. No moralizing: just data and practice.
Cold-water immersion speeds your return to form between races but blunts strength and hypertrophy adaptations. Letβs figure out when ice works for you and when against.
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.