Uncategorized

>Are we born to run?

>Ted Talks is a brilliant website. It offers tons of great talks from brilliant people in every possible field. Very inspiring and also a good way to learn a lot about different things.
Today I watched this talk Christopher McDougall, the author of “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.”
The book has been ordered and will write more about it when i read it. The video of his lecture is below.

I am sure you will like it!

cortisol, performance, Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Power, testosterone

>New article published

>

Finally, our review on the role of Testosterone and Cortisol in modulating training responses in athletes has been published on Sports Medicine.

Sports Medicine logo

 

Here are the details:

Sports Med. 2011 Feb 1;41(2):103-23. doi: 10.2165/11539170-000000000-00000.

Two Emerging Concepts for Elite Athletes: The Short-Term Effects of Testosterone and Cortisol on the Neuromuscular System and the Dose-Response Training Role of these Endogenous Hormones.

Crewther BT, Cook C, Cardinale M, Weatherby RP, Lowe T.

The New Zealand Institute for Plant Food Research Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Abstract

The aim of this review is to highlight two emerging concepts for the elite athlete using the resistance-training model: (i) the short-term effects of testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) on the neuromuscular system; and (ii) the dose-response training role of these endogenous hormones. Exogenous evidence confirms that T and C can regulate long-term changes in muscle growth and performance, especially with resistance training. This evidence also confirms that changes in T or C concentrations can moderate or support neuromuscular performance through various short-term mechanisms (e.g. second messengers, lipid/protein pathways, neuronal activity, behaviour, cognition, motor-system function, muscle properties and energy metabolism). The possibility of dual T and C effects on the neuromuscular system offers a new paradigm for understanding resistance-training performance and adaptations. Endogenous evidence supports the short-term T and C effects on human performance. Several factors (e.g. workout design, nutrition, genetics, training status and type) can acutely modify T and/or C concentrations and thereby potentially influence resistance-training performance and the adaptive outcomes. This novel short-term pathway appears to be more prominent in athletes (vs non-athletes), possibly due to the training of the neuromuscular and endocrine systems. However, the exact contribution of these endogenous hormones to the training process is still unclear. Research also confirms a dose-response training role for basal changes in endogenous T and C, again, especially for elite athletes. Although full proof within the physiological range is lacking, this athlete model reconciles a proposed permissive role for endogenous hormones in untrained individuals. It is also clear that the steroid receptors (cell bound) mediate target tissue effects by adapting to exercise and training, but the response patterns of the membrane-bound receptors remain highly speculative. This information provides a new perspective for examining, interpreting and utilizing T and C within the elite sporting environment. For example, individual hormonal data may be used to better prescribe resistance exercise and training programmes or to assess the trainability of elite athletes. Possible strategies for acutely modifying the hormonal milieu and, thereafter, the performance/training outcomes were also identified (see above). The limitations and challenges associated with the analysis and interpretation of hormonal research in sport (e.g. procedural issues, analytical methods, research design) were another discussion point. Finally, this review highlights the need for more experimental research on humans, in particular athletes, to specifically address the concept of dual steroid effects on the neuromuscular system.

performance, Recovery, Recovery strategies, sleep

>Sleep and teenagers

>

Sleep (or lack of…) is an interesting topic. Quality of sleep has been shown to negatively affect human performance for various reasons. Furthermore, there have been numerous reports suggesting a link between lack of sleep and depression.

The relationship between short sleep duration and depression has been suggested to be bidirectional,1 with chronic partial sleep deprivation being a potential risk factor for depression. Cross-sectional studies have found relationships between inadequate sleep and depression in adolescents,2,3 and a longitudinal study has shown that getting less sleep over time increased the symptoms of depression among middle school students.4 Short sleep duration has also been shown to be associated with suicidal ideation5 and suicidal behavior6 in adolescents and adults7 in cross-sectional studies.

A recent quasi-experimental study conducted by Gangwish et al. (2010) has looked at the relationships between parental set bedtimes, sleep duration, and depression in adolescents to explore the potentially bidirectional relationship between short sleep duration and depression.

For this scope they analysed 15,659 US adolescents in grades 7 to 12. The results showed that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from depression (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.04-1.49) and 20% more likely to have suicidal ideation (1.20, 1.01-1.41) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10:00 PM or earlier, after controlling for covariates. Consistent with sleep duration and perception of getting enough sleep acting as mediators, the inclusion of these variables in the multivariate models appreciably attenuated the associations for depression (1.07, 0.88-1.30) and suicidal ideation (1.09, 0.92-1.29).

From Table 3
Odds ratios (95% CI) for depression

Model 1a Model 2b Model 3c Model 4d
Parental set bedtime on weekday nights
10:00 PM or earlier 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
By 11:00 PM 1.15 (0.94-1.40) 1.13 (0.90-1.42) 1.10 (0.87-1.39) 0.97 (0.76-1.24)
By or after midnight 1.42 (1.21-1.67) 1.28 (1.07-1.52) 1.24 (1.04-1.49) 1.07 (0.88-1.30)
Self-perception of how much parents care
1 – Not at all 6.82 (3.11-14.98) 5.88 (2.79-12.40)
2 – Very little 8.32 (4.58-15.12) 6.73 (3.49-12.98)
3 – Somewhat 5.50 (3.72-8.13) 4.93 (3.32-7.30)
4 – Quite a bit 2.43 (1.89-3.13) 2.16 (1.69-2.76)
5 – Very much 1.00 1.00
Adolescent-reported sleep duration
≤ 5 h 1.71 (1.22-2.39)
6 h 1.29 (0.97-1.70)
7 h 1.19 (0.96-1.48)
8 h 1.00
9 h 1.17 (0.88-1.56)
≥ 10 h 1.34 (0.95-1.89)
Enough Sleep 0.35 (0.28-0.43)
aModel 1 – Unadjusted.
bModel 2 – Adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, parent’s marital status, and family receipt of public assistance.
cModel 3 – Adjusted for variables in Model 2 plus self perception of how much parents care.
dModel 4 – Adjusted for variables in Model 3 plus adolescent reported sleep duration and perception of getting enough sleep.

From:

The results from this study provide new evidence to support the notion that short sleep duration could play a role in the etiology of depression. Earlier bedtimes could therefore be protective against adolescent depression and suicidal ideation by lengthening sleep duration.

Young athletes have to cope nowadays with various stresses, not only performance related. Studying, maintaining social contacts, training, family and peer pressure are all parts of young athlete’s  lives. Sleep is a simple thing that can make sure they recover properly and can cope with everything they have to deal with.

So, are we making sure they get good quality and good amounts of sleep?

Do we advice them on appropriate bed time?

Do we make sure they don’t spend the night playing videogames or chatting on social networks?

Do we create the right sleeping environment and routines?

Do we know if they are sleeping well?

How about a checklist?

Read Atul Gawande’s book about checklists, The Checklist Manifesto. Not only is the book loaded with fascinating stories, but it honestly changed the way I think about the world. The book’s main point is simple: no matter how expert you may be, well-designed check lists can improve outcomes. So, let’s make sure our young athletes tick all the boxes when it comes to sleep.