people running through tires

7 Spring Fitness Tips For Outdoor Interval Training

Alyssa Bialowas Spring is an exciting time to re-motivate and align your health and fitness goals as you can finally get outside and put a halt to your indoor gym routine that was starting to lead you down a path of demotivation. Here are some tips for spring training and avoiding injury as the weather

running at night

Does Exercise in Morning & Evening Have an Effect on Fat Burning Response?

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that occur together to increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. Lipid oxidation is important if you want to prevent or alleviate metabolic syndrome, and exercise is one of the key ways to oxidize lipids. When evaluating lipid oxidation, it’s important

Antioxidants

The Truth Behind Antioxidants & Exercise Induced Muscle Damage

Alyssa Bialowas Elite athletes are prone to injury and muscle damage, especially those who compete in high contact sports such as rugby. To speed up recovery in these athletes the goal is to get them back training and on the field as quickly as possible. Previous research has looked at the effects of high antioxidant

athlete asleep on bench

3 Ways Elite Athletes’ Training Affects Sleep & Wake Behaviors

Alyssa Bialowas Elite athletes undertake extensive training and physical demands. This can affect their daily life, including their sleep patterns and behaviors. Australian Rules football, rugby union and soccer are three of the most popular football codes played in Australia. Each sport has various demands on players due to the physical contact, types of movement

female athlete pull-ups

4 Ways HIIT Exercise Improves Kidney Health

By Alyssa Bialowas High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a type of exercise that has been found to improve health levels in people with metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and has recently been found to help those with kidney disease, too. Chronic kidney disease is characterised by failing kidney functions and reduced life expectancy. Complications arise from

women pushing weights

The Role of Biofeedback in VO2 Max Testing

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas There are various approaches attempting to modify cardiovascular reactivity in healthy adults and athletes, such as using contingent (true) and non-contingent (false) heart rate biofeedback. In previous studies, subjects who receive instruction to compete for heart rate reduction perform differently, indicating that biofeedback is an effective method for heart rate

Bicep curl

Cross-Exercise: Which Training Program is Better?

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas Cross-education training is defined as a neurophysiological phenomenon where there is an increase in strength in an untrained limb following unilateral strength training in the opposite, contralateral limb. This can also be called cross-exercise, contralateral training or inter-limb transfer, however the most commonly used and the term most researched would

Shoulder Strength

Vibration & Elastic Band Exercises On Shoulder Strength

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas The shoulder is a tricky joint as it must provide adequate stability while maintaining full mobility to prevent injury and maximize function and performance. The shoulder region is vulnerable to structural changes, and it can often be injured in training or athletic competition as it is mobile in such a

Female athlete sprint start

Standing Start & Initial Acceleration Can Determine Sprint Speed

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas The ability to accelerate in short sprint distances benefits the performance of athletes in team sports such as hockey, football, rugby, soccer, and in all athletics and sprint distance running. Sprinting requires an individual to cover a set distance at maximum peak strength and cardiovascular output. The ability to accelerate

Weightlifting class

Does Low Blood Flow Restrict Resistance Training Load?

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas It has been suggested that muscle size and strength gain from low-load resistance training with a low blood flow restriction is comparable to the results induced by traditional moderate-to-high-load training. If this is true, it could be beneficial for populations such as the elderly and those with osteoporosis, who are

Nervous athlete

The Most Effective Coping Technique for Competition Performance

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas An athletes’ ability to handle their nerves and perform under pressure leads to successful performance outcomes in competition. Athletes who exhibit vital self-regulatory processes while competing enable an athlete to regulate physiological and psychological states to help guide sport behaviors and decision-making that lead to goal achievement. Without effective coping

running in the woods

Effect of Endurance Training on Lactate Threshold

A Review by Alyssa Bialowas Tools for aerobic fitness evaluation in endurance training are used in sport and clinical fields to test blood lactate levels for training and competition. Anaerobic threshold (LTAN) is defined as the point during exercise at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the muscles, the point in intense exercise that