Time of Day Affects Athletic Performance

Researchers have found that an individual’s personal circadian rhythms can affect the physiological processes that are integral to athletic performance. Based on their natural circadian rhythms, athletes were classified into either “larks”, those who rise and sleep early, “owls”, those who rise and sleep late, or intermediates. Larks and intermediates hit peak performance levels six hours after they woke up while owls peaked 11 hours after waking up (1).

Larks and intermediates have better athletic performances about 6 hours after they wake up while owls best perform 11 hours after waking up​.

20 field hockey players were selected as a representative group with fitness levels and circadian rhythms matching the general population (25% larks, 50% intermediates, and 25% owls). Researchers conducted cardiovascular testing six times a day. Across individuals, there was an average performance difference of 11.2% between the lowest and highest performance. Lark and intermediate performance changes ranged from 7% to 10% whereas owl performances had an average range of 26% (1).

The larger variance in owls may explain why a majority of elite athletes are larks (2). Even a difference of 1% in performance can drastically change results. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics a 1% increase in the performance of the fourth place competitor in the men’s 100 m sprint would have resulted in a silver medal. A 1% increase in the women’s 400 m spring and 400 m freestyle would have given the fourth place a gold.

Larks, intermediates, and owls performed best at difference times of the day. However, when the data was viewed based on each individual’s biological clock rather than standardized time, larks and intermediates had nearly identical performance curves. This suggests that sleep and waking times have a relatively small effect on performance and a physiological condition controls performance (1).

A possible explanation is that larks have higher cortisol levels in the morning and more variation in cortisol levels throughout the day whereas owl have lowered cortisol levels in the morning and static cortisol levels throughout the day (3).

Article Source: http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/news/time-of-day-affects-athletic-performance#.VOmCfrOUd2c

Sources:

1. ScienceDirect (2015). The Impact of Circadian Phenotype and Time since Awakening on Diurnal Performance in Athletes. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221401639X

2. Br. J. Sports Med. (2012). Sleep quality evaluation, chronotype, sleepiness and anxiety of Paralympic Brazilian athletes: Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221401639X

3. Biol. Psychol. (1991) Morningness-eveningness and early-morning salivary cortisol levels. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221401639X

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Beets Proven to Offer a Natural Way to Increase Athletic Performance

What if you could get your PR by consuming more beets?  Sounds crazy, but it’s true.
Beets are high in nitric oxide.  Studies show that nitric oxide helps the body increase circulation and oxygen efficiency, which improves energy to working muscles, extends endurance, and speeds recovery.  Elite athletes have the highest potential for nitric oxide production, and the rest of us can eat more beats or take a nitric oxide supplement like Beet Elite Neo Shot to aid our bodies’ production.

If you are curious what your current nitric oxide level is in your body, stop by Complete Runner and ask to take the test.  It is free of cost and only takes a minute, and will let you know if your body could benefit from an increased diet in beets!

Instead of filling your body with caffeine or sugar before a race or workout, wouldn’t you rather fill it with something natural that is proven to increase athletic performance?

Plyometric Speed Training | Higher Jumps | Glute and Hip Strength

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4 Exercises to Increase Your Vertical Jump

 

Anyone who plays basketball, volleyball, or other sports that require vertical leaping is almost certainly interested in increasing the height of their vertical jump. After all, dunking, spiking, and general dominance in these sports depends heavily on how high off the ground you’re able to get. Many people attribute the ability to jump high to genetics, and while genetics can be partially responsible for gifted athletes who can seemingly fly through the air with little effort, every athlete can significantly increase their vertical “hops” through a proper workout routine.
A common myth in the fitness industry is that calf strength is the primary factor determining one’s jumping power, but this is not true. The vast majority of the power of a jump is generated in the thighs (hamstrings in particular) and hips (gluteus maximus in particular), thus creating a training regimen that focuses primarily on improving the strength of these muscle groups makes the most sense. Below, I’ve outlined my favorite 4 exercises that I use with my personal training clients (and myself) to help them achieve an increased vertical.

Top Vertical Jump Exercise #1: Squats

No doubt, to many people’s dismay, the squat reigns absolute king when it comes to jump development! Sorry guys and girls… it’s time to sack up, get under that barbell and push some heavy weight! The barbell squat targets a huge number of muscles and primarily focuses on the areas we’re mainly concerned with—the gluteals and hamstrings (along with the core for stability). It’s imperative that you use proper form when performing the squat, not only for safety reasons, but also because incorrect form can result in involuntary compensations, meaning you won’t actually be working the gluteals and hamstrings properly. Pushing through the heels, keeping your core tight, pushing the chest out and leading the movement by “sitting” the waist back before bending the knees will help ensure you’re getting the most out of this exercise.

Top Vertical Jump Exercise #2: Deadlifts

Are you starting to see a pattern here? Heavy-weighted, basic compound exercises should be the meat of your program if you’re looking for optimal results. After all, the physical equation for power (in this case, your vertical jump performance) = force (strength) x velocity (speed), so focusing on increasing the strength of the prime movers is 50% of the equation. Deadlifts, like squats, allow the trainee to move heavy weights and incorporate the use of the entire body’s musculature to perform. Again, proper form is imperative, so keeping the chest up, shoulders back, core tightened and originating the movement from the hips by bringing them forward before straightening the knees is going to ensure that you get the most out of this exercise.
As I stated earlier, power = strength x speed, so working on the speed of muscle contraction (also known as “rate of force production”) is critical to increasing your jumping power. The following plyometric exercises are extremely effective in this regard, due to the explosive timing of the movement, along with something called the stretch shortening cycle, which basically states that when stretched, our muscles can store energy similar to a spring, allowing our subsequent muscle contractions to have a greater force output than they would otherwise. By choosing exercises that center around this principle, we can actually train our muscles to optimize this increased force output. Thus, plyometrics not only increase the SPEED at which our muscles contract, but, when exercises are progressed steadily, will ALSO increase our STRENGTH in those movements, effectively addressing BOTH factors in the power equation.

Top Vertical Jump Exercise #3: Split Squat Jumps

Split squat jumps are great for targeting the leg musculature while simultaneously reaping the benefits of plyometric training. Like all training, form is important, meaning you will want to keep your torso upright (a common compensation is to lean forward as you bend your knees—this needs to be avoided), core tight and push through the front heel rather than the toes.

Top Vertical Jump Exercise #4: Depth Jumps

Depth jumps are probably my favorite exercise of all, but are listed last because they are an advanced movement that should only be performed once your squat, deadlift and split squat form has been perfected. Improper squatting form and unaddressed muscular imbalanced can cause you to injure yourself if you perform this exercise because it is very high impact. That being said, when performed with proper form and a gradual progression, this exercise is quite safe and extremely effective at increasing vertical jump height. To perform correctly, ensure that feet are pointed straight forward upon landing and that the knees follow the toes as they bend forward in preparation for the jump. Speed of contraction is crucial here—you want to jump as SOON as you can after the initial landing—the sooner you make the jump, the more benefit you will achieve from this exercise.
If you are looking to greatly increase your athletic ability in this regard, you will want to incorporate these exercises into your training program on a regular basis. After a couple of months of consistent training, you should see a big improvement in your vertical jumping capabilities. Remember, safe progression is key, so it’s important to increase the intensity of the exercises (via increased volume, adding resistance, increasing rate of force production, etc), but do so in a gradual, controlled fashion to avoid injury.

Visit for more info : http://www.ballingerathleticperformance.com/4-exercises-increase-vertical-jump/

Peak Performance Skills Help Athletes Win

5 Ways to Improve Athletic Performance

           5 Ways to Improve Athletic Performance

 

1.       1.  REST!

For Younger athletes, or young people in general, the importance of setting a time to rest and/or sleep is crucial to growth and development. Lack of sleep impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.  Memory will also be affected as during sleep cycles, consolidation of memories takes place allowing for better memorization but if you are not sleeping enough, you won’t be able to remember certain events throughout the day.  As an athlete training, can improve athletic performance by solidifying muscle memory.  This usually takes place within the seventh hour of sleep.  According to Haley A. Davis and James B. Maas, Ph.D. and their new book, "Sleep To Win!, Sleep is food to the brain, sleep is fuel for exercise.”

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           2. GET UP!

Sleep is crucial to Athletes but when its time to get up and get going, GO!!!!!.  Those precious moments where the alarm has been triggered and your favorite ( or least favored) song plays loudly to start the day.  To often as young people, we take utilize that snooze button way to often believing that extra 5 – 10 minutes will make the difference.  STOP IT.  With the winter coming, the Sun rises earlier.  Wake up with the sun, as sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset each day.  Waking up early allows for better preparation for the day, which gives you more time to cook breakfast, set your daily goals, and most importantly, anticipate issues.  Anticipating problems, whether it be running late to the bus or forgot your books at home.  Waking up at a strict time allows you to process this information and handle it effectively. 

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           3.  EAT SMART!

Going with getting up at the right time.  Eating is what fuels your body.  One of my coaches from college would always tell us, “ Food is Fuel, Water is Strength”.  Proper nutrition at the right times will allow your body to not only get through the day, but dominate it.  Breakfast is THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY.  It’s what starts your day off, make sure you start it off with the plentiful breakfast.  Since you’ll be getting up at the right time this should not be a problem.  Athletes should be eating anywhere between 5 – 6 times a day, because this will provide proper nutrition throughout the 10-12 hours you are active.  Take the 8 hours of school, add the 4 hours of practice.  With the amount of activity taking place in that time, continue to eat throughout the day will provide quality energy and also promote fat loss as well.  The more you eat, the more you burn, the less you eat, the less you burn, the more you store.

 

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           4.  LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD, PLAY GOOD. 

One of our Specialists is extremely keen on appearance.  As REVO Specialist, we prepare athletes for the grueling sport seasons through intense training complete with sled work, weight lifting, sprint work, and core movements and sometimes the work is based on athletic level you have now and the level we need you to be.  As an athlete, it is easier to comprehend and respect those words and drills by a trainer who can step right into class and compete with the best in that class.  “WE are what we sell.”  So not only do we need to take care of business off the turf, but on it as well.  You ever feel great after putting a suit or for a ladies a really nice dress?  Your appearance does incredible things for your self-confidence.  We are not saying buy the most expensive blazers and shoes to looks the brightest and shiniest.  As long as you can look in the mirror and say confidently, “This looks good”, then the rest will take care of itself.  Once your looking good, you’re feeling good about yourself.  If you’re feeling good, its only right that your performance will follow based on your mentality.  Positive thinking has amazing benefits to everybody and it could start right with you. 

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           5.  DON’T STOP WHEN YOUR TIRED, STOP WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED.

It’s the 4^th quarter, your given the ball at the 40 yard line, Time is running, this is the 35^th time you’ve gotten the ball in this game today and your exhausted.  Your feeling your calves start to cramp up, sweats beading off the tip of your nose, your eyes are down but the ball is in your hand.  Are you going to stop running?  NOOOOOOOOOOO WAYYYYYYYY.  It’s a beautiful thing with sports is that it does more than gain some players recognition and its just straight up fun.  It teaches life lessons too.  One of the most beneficial I’ve learned was to keep going.  Staying steady and staying consistent with your training, your eating habits, your sleeping habits, and daily living habits, will not only improve your athletic performance, but you as a person. 

 

 

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7 Ways Adaptogens Increase Athletic Performance

There is no doubt that today athletes put in tons of hard work into their sport. It's why they are faster and stronger than ever before. Major advancements in health, fitness, and pharmaceutical research have revolutionized sports in general. However, more and more athletes have to hit the treatment table. And worse, after retiring, athletes usually have to deal with an increased likelihood of physical issues in addition to living shorter lives than the average person. All of the advancements coming from health and fitness research cannot seem to counteract these nasty long-term effects of the high-intensity training.

However, there is a way for athletes toboost their performance while still sustaining good long-term health. It is through the use of adaptogenic substances. Here are 8 ways they can improve athletic performance:

1. Adaptogens do not cause a crash, unlike caffeine, so you last longer.
Most common pre-training energy drinks or supplements have stimulants, such as caffeine, which overload your nervous system. Caffeine and energy drinks do indeed give you energy however, it comes at the expense of overworking all of the organs in your body due to a unneceesary increase in adrenaline.
However, what goes up must come down. Since your organs are worked too hard, once the caffeine stimulation wears off your body needs to work at a much lower state than normal for a while before returning to normal. Hence, the crash.
Adaptogens actually increase your body's ability to adapt to those stresses by lowering the amounts of stress hormones produced during exercise. Adaptogens also work to increase your energy via several methods but, they do not overload your system like caffeine. Therefore, you have just as much physical capacity but, without the burn-off that allows you to last longer.

2. Adaptogens improve your recovery time after stress and therefore your body for its next go-around.
There are 2 reasons adaptogens improve your recovery time. First is because adaptogens do not overwork your body as mentioned in the first tip. However, the second reason is because adaptogens actually increase the rate of lactic acid breakdown. When muscles get tired, the reason is because lactic acid gets built up. The more lactic acid that gets built up, the more tired your muscles will become. Adaptogens speed up the process of breaking these down that way once you are done that heavy feeling you have in your legs is eradicated quickly.

3. Adaptogens can induce HGH production naturally to help build muscle and live longer.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is an essential hormone that allows the individual to sustain a larger physical overload without breaking down and becoming injured. This is why major pro athletes used to take it in the past. The ability to sustain that workload will build muscle and reduce body fat. Adaptogens increase HGH production by activating your pituitary gland to produce HGH.

Another great effect of boosted HGH production is the slowing down of aging as HGH is known to produce a more youthful appearance in people.

4. Adaptogens increase oxygen uptake.
Studies have actually shown adaptogens to increase oxygen uptake during athletic performance. Simply put, the more oxygen you inhale, the more you oxygen you can consume. Your energy is boosted and your endurance improves as well.

5. Adaptogens reduce the levels of stress hormones in your body during and after workouts or performance.
Stress hormones such as cortisol are produced during exercise as an extra avenue to build energy. The problem is that in athletes, the base levels of this hormone tend to stay high off the field. What is the effect? These high levels could lead to increased worries, unnecessary stress, and unnecessary risk taking. These stresses could have a bad carryover effect onto the field. Adaptogens decrease the amount of these stress hormones during performance in addition to reducing basal levels off the field. A lower basal reduction will lead to less stress off the field and in effect allowing you to be more mentally prepared for competition.

6. Adaptogens cleanse your organs leading to reduced injury risk.
Athletes at all levels are getting injured at higher rates. The root cause of which is probably over-training which over-time weakens the functioning of the organs. This has the effect of bringing a reduced amount of nutrients to the rest of the body and therefore increases the risk of injury, or re-injury. To offset this most athletes will take a "magic bullet" quick-fixing supplement however, most supplements come with debilitating long-term side effects by weakening your organs EVEN MORE. However, some of physical demands are so great, that even eating right cannot prevent all of the injuries from occurring.
Adaptogens clean out your vital organs and in effect clean your blood and bring healthy nutrients to your body therefore, providing a mechanism that PREVENTS injuries to occur in the first place, allowing the athlete to continue to train hard.

7. Adaptogens increase your mental performance.
We all know there is a mental component to all sports and being able to think on the go and be mentally alert is just as, if not more important, than the actual physical performance itself. As the legendary coach John Wooden said: "No building is better than its structural foundation, and no man (woman) is better than his (her) mental foundation." Studies have shown adaptogens to actually increase cognitive functioning, reflexes, motor skills, and your attention span. All are necessary to perform at your best.

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Sports Mindset Moment -- 7 Step Peak Performance Guide for Athletes

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