Expert Consulting

Acute pain and healing are not opposing processes but supportive processes. #fitness #FitnessGoals #sportsmedicine https://t.co/TJv3vrDoeZ

08-Mar-2019

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This week in my Adv. Sports Med course, I discussed the mechanisms of inflammation, more specifically acute inflamm… https://t.co/WL8vZoGRWT

21-Feb-2019

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I decided to do another post on BCAA supplementation following my previous one because I've discovered over the yea… https://t.co/ZoM3oYVbKF

19-Feb-2019

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Fatigue during & after exhaustive exercise can be partly due to central factors which involve multiple changes in t… https://t.co/qi3oyNS6Vk

14-Feb-2019

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👉 It's no doubt that the advancement of sport-specific training variables has allowed for more sophisticated and ef… https://t.co/gU8pM2kY4R

13-Feb-2019

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dr.eddiejo View On Instagram

Reactive strength, as a critical athletic performance variable, is commonly assessed by measuring reactive strength index (RSI) through a standardized drop jump test. During this test, the subject would first step off from a 25-75cm height onto a contact mat or force plate or between specialized optical sensors, subsequently executing a max vertical jump, spending as little time in contact w/ the ground as possible. The contact mat (or whichever aforesaid device used) will provide flight time and contact time data. RSI= flight time (or jump height) / contact time.
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⚠️ Reactive strength is considered an essential component of athletic performance (in most cases), however, less is known regarding the specific factors that impact it. Although strength coaches may center much of their programming on developing reactive strength, the lack of data concerning reactive strength determinants precludes informed training and testing. In attempts to fulfill this unmet need, Douglass et al. (2018) conducted a study aimed at identifying the braking & propulsive kinetic variables underpinning reactive strength by comparing highly trained sprint athletes vs. non sprint trained athletes in the drop jump test.
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⚠️ As expected, the trained group exhibited a greater RSI and thereby reactive strength than the control group. This difference in RSI was not explained by differences in flight time but rather shorter contact times by the trained subjects. Further, the superior RSI & shorter contact time were found to be largely attributable to greater braking force.
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⚠️ As a take away message, the evidence here suggests that enhanced reactive strength is predominantly driven by improved braking (landing/planting) attributes as opposed to propulsive (take off) attributes. Thus, attempts to improve reactive strength by centering training around increasing propulsive capacities may be suboptimal. This is not to say that propulsive performance is irrelevant but rather braking performance should not be neglected. Thus, incorporating focussed deceleration and eccentric work would be of high importance in the context of reactive strength development. #cpphprl

dr.eddiejo View On Instagram

It ain't new, it ain't fancy, but good ol' fashion caffeine has indeed earned the scientific stamp of approval for effective ergogenic aids. Although study after study have demonstrated the efficacy of even a single caffeine dose on acutely enhancing exercise performance, I think it is always best practice to interpret statistical outcomes (especially from performance supplement research) in a manner relevant to real life scenarios. .
👉Often times statistical outcomes indicating a significant effect of any dietary supplement are over exaggerated which encourages a false sense of dependency on those supplements. This in my opinion is largely enabled by those who just read the abstracts with a "it works or doesn't work" mindset. In reality, there has never been a quality human trial showing a statistically significant effect of a performance supplement that also demonstrates a large practical effect.
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👉This is the case even for caffeine. Although I, along with many others, consider caffeine an "effective" ergogenic supplement, the effect is trivial to small. But that's ok because it is indeed a supplement, NOT a replacement for training and nutrition. The effect is small but the effect is nevertheless probable and may be just enough to put you in front.
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👉This concept is very well demonstrated in this meta-analysis of 34 human trials of team sport athletes. Bars represent mean difference from placebo control across multiple studies. Analysis showed that a single 3-6mg/kg dose of caffeine improves sprint, jump, and endurance performance as well as agility, again with the effect size being trivial to small. In relation to in-game performance measures, similar doses of caffeine resulted in increased total distance running, total distance under sprint conditions, and number of sprints within a game or match with these effects being small. .
👉The ergogenic effect of caffeine is probable, but the effect will be trivial to small. #cpphprl