In a previous article we’ve discussed how heart rate variability (HRV) can measure your recovery. We mainly looked at the effect of a workout on HRV. In general we concluded that a hard workout lowers your HRV and recovery increases HRV. But training stress is not the only thing that has an impact on your […]
A placebo effect can have large effects on sports performance and can even activate similar processes in the body as the active ingredient. A placebo can be a pill or treatment without an active ingredient. It is therefore used in research in a control group. The effect of a placebo depends on how you use […]
Do sports massages improve strength-, sprint- or endurance performance? And what is the effect on flexibility, fatigue and recovery? Every professional athlete uses sports massages, but is there any evidence to back this up? Let’s find out! Let’s be honest. We all love a massage. If you can get one, any excuse is good. But […]
Breathing fast or hyperventilation is a strategy to improve recovery after exercise. But does this also improve performance? Let’s find out! When exercising at a high intensity, muscles acidify and pH decreases. You probably heard of athletes calling this a buildup of lactic acid. If you want to keep performing at a high intensity, whether […]
Nothing is as frustrating as a bad day at the day of your sport event. You carried out your training plan in detail and you gave up every bad habit for this moment. But then during your run-, bike- or rowing race all of a sudden you experience stomach ache. There is no way you […]
The acute effect of a high intensity interval, strength set or total workout is a decline in fitness. We become fatigued. Key to making progress is therefore at least partly in recovery. Although recovery sounds very passive, it requires an active approach. Let’s have a look at what the best recovery strategy is: relaxing on […]
No matter how much you would like to see yourself as a fit athlete, you are also and foremost a human being. For most of us, that means exercising is not the only thing we do. Every now and then a busy work project, a rich social life or just feeling a little bit down […]
After every training session, your fitness declines. It sounds cruel but it’s true. Key is to recover from this workout and get fitter. But how much recovery is enough and how much recovery is too much? Heart Rate Variability can measure whether you are training too much, or not enough! Imagine you just did a […]
Who doesn’t like a nice beat during his or her workout?! Music can get you fired up, ready to give that extra push during exercise. Music can also help you cool down by getting relaxed and recovered again. Unfortunately too loud music during your workout can also cause irreparable hearing loss. According to the World […]