RESEARCH: Studies from 28 Oct to 3 Nov 24
Sharing research and insights from coaches, scientists and athletes to help us improve endurance performance.
This week’s quick summary:
Association between running club membership and performance
Warm-up in triathlon: Do triathletes follow the scientific guidelines?
A food first approach to carbohydrate supplementation in endurance exercise
Efficacy of depth jumps to elicit a post-activation performance enhancement
Order of same-day concurrent training
TRAINING: “Smells like team spirit” the association between running club membership and performance in the London Marathon
The most important factor for improving as a runner is consistency in training. While some athletes are intrinsically motivated and don't need external support, others find tremendous value in training in groups. In this study, the authors set out "to advance the research by exploring the relationship between social factors by focusing on running club membership and its relationship to running performance".
STUDY DETAILS
The study analysed data from 206,653 London Marathon runners between 2018 and 2023.
Researchers compared marathon performance between club members and non-club members across different age categories and genders.
Club membership was associated with improved marathon performance for both males and females, with finishing times up to 40 minutes faster for club members.
The positive effect of club membership on performance was strongest for runners under 40 and decreased slightly with age.
In the 18-39 age group, female club members recorded slightly faster average paces than non-club member males, suggesting club membership could potentially negate the gender effect in this category.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
The results of this study found that club membership is associated with faster finishing times across all age groups and genders, with benefits persisting up to around 60 years of age. While the authors clearly express that this is an association rather than causation, it is logical to infer some potential benefits from being part of a club. The supportive environment, structured training programmes, and shared experiences within a club can all help runners maintain motivation and adhere to training schedules. My recommendation for athletes who may be struggling with consistency in their training is to consider joining a club or finding regular running partners.
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PHYSIOLOGY: Warm-up in triathlon: Do triathletes follow the scientific guidelines?
There is plenty of research and guidance on best practices for many training principles; however, we often see that these are not followed perfectly by athletes. In this study, the authors set out "to provide an overview of warm-up protocols adopted by national-calibre triathletes and coaches before Olympic-distance triathlon races".
STUDY DETAILS
The study surveyed 79 national- and international-caliber triathletes and 19 coaches from Italy, France, and Spain.
Online surveys collected information about rationale, structure, and specific exercises used in warm-up protocols.
The most common warm-up sequence reported was cycle-run-swim.
Triathletes reported an average warm-up time of 90 minutes, while coaches suggested 62.5 minutes.
Only 31.6% of triathletes performed conditioning exercises 20 to 10 minutes before race start.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
The results of this survey suggest that many triathletes are warming up for longer than necessary. A 90-minute warm-up is a significant effort to complete before a race and to fit into a race day schedule. My recommendation is for athletes to review and understand why they are doing certain components of a warm-up. Is a warm-up in all three sports necessary, or will just one or two sports suffice? For individual sport athletes, I typically recommend a shorter warm-up of 20-30 minutes with 3 or 4 efforts at race pace and, for some athletes, a few activation exercises to get a "feel" for key movements in their sport. For triathletes, I would suggest including running and swimming in their warm-up, or if they want to avoid getting in the water, doing a running warm-up with some activation using stretch bands for the arms.
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NUTRITION: A food first approach to carbohydrate supplementation in endurance exercise
Eating gels and other forms of structured nutrition can be expensive and sometimes monotonous, and athletes may desire variety in their training nutrition. In this review, the authors "analysed whether carbohydrate source (food vs supplement) influenced performance and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during endurance exercise".
REVIEW DETAILS
The review included 151 participants from 15 studies, with inclusion criteria of healthy, active males and females aged >18 years.
Three studies provided 0.6-1g carbohydrate/kg body mass 5-45 minutes before cycling exercise lasting 60-70 minutes.
Twelve studies provided 24-80g/hr carbohydrate during exercise lasting 60-330 minutes.
No significant differences were found in running or cycling performance/capacity between food and supplemental carbohydrate sources, except for one study suggesting a potential negative effect of a bar compared to a gel.
Greater GI symptoms were reported with food sources compared to supplemental sources, particularly in exercises lasting more than 2 hours.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
The results of the review suggest that endurance athletes can choose either food or supplement sources of carbohydrates before and during exercise without significant differences in performance. However, they should be aware that food sources may slightly increase the risk of GI symptoms, especially during longer events. My recommendation would be to use mostly real food during training and to save gels and other sports nutrition options for key training sessions and races.
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STRENGTH: Efficacy of depth jumps to elicit a post-activation performance enhancement in junior endurance runners
Including plyometrics in training is often used with the intention of improving running economy. In this study, the authors set out “to determine the effect of performing depth jumps (DJ) pre-exercise on running economy (RE) and time to exhaustion (TTE) at the speed associated with maximal oxygen uptake (sVO2max) in a group of high-performing junior middle-distance runners”.
STUDY DETAILS
17 elite male distance runners (average age 17.6 years) participated in the randomised crossover study.
Participants completed two trials: one with six depth jumps from a box height equal to their best counter-movement jump, and a control trial with body weight quarter squats.
Running economy was measured during 5-minute submaximal runs before and after the intervention or control exercise.
Time to exhaustion was assessed during a run at maximal oxygen uptake speed following the second submaximal run.
Depth jumps produced moderate improvements in running economy (-3.7%) compared to the control, while differences in time to exhaustion were trivial.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
This study suggests that including six depth jumps in a warm-up routine is likely to provide a moderate improvement in running economy for well-trained young male middle-distance runners. My recommendation would be to include some plyometrics and depth jumps prior to training sessions for the potential running economy benefits. However, I would suggest avoiding these before races due to the slight risk of injury they present.
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STRENGTH: Order of same-day concurrent training influences some indices of power development, but not strength, lean mass, or aerobic fitness in healthy, moderately-active men after 9 weeks of training
Many athletes find time to fit in two sessions on certain training days, especially when including strength work in a running plan. Often, they're uncertain which session should be performed first. In this study, the authors set out to determine "the effects of concurrent training (in alternate orders, separated by ~3 hours) on endurance and resistance training adaptations, compared to resistance-only training".
STUDY DETAILS
29 healthy, moderately-active men were divided into three groups: resistance-only training (RT), high-intensity interval training before resistance training (HIIT+RT), and resistance training before high-intensity interval training (RT+HIIT).
The intervention lasted 9 weeks, with participants training 3 days per week.
Measurements included leg press 1-RM strength, countermovement jump performance, body composition, peak oxygen uptake, aerobic power, and lactate threshold.
All groups increased leg press 1-RM strength by 24-28% and total lean mass by 3-4%, with no significant differences between groups.
Both concurrent training groups showed similar improvements in aerobic fitness markers, while the RT group improved various aspects of countermovement jump performance.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
Based on the study results, concurrent training, regardless of exercise order, appears to be an effective strategy for improving both strength and endurance in moderately-active individuals. However, performing resistance training before high-intensity interval training may slightly compromise power and force production in jumping movements. My recommendation for endurance athletes is to perform their sport-specific training as the first session of the day. Strength training can be beneficial, but it is a secondary and supporting modality for their sport.
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Quick summary from last week’s paid newsletter
Paid subscribers receive a newsletter every week and have full access to all newsletters listed in the archives (495 studies and practical takeaways). Last week, the newsletter covered studies on the following topics:
A case-based reasoning approach to post-injury training
Adaptations in muscle strength between continuous and periodic training
Creatine supplementation on resistance training changes to body composition
Interactions between training volume and frequency on marathon time
Assessment of the Omius™ cooling headband effectiveness
Thanks for compiling these studies! Very helpful!