This week in the world of sports science, here’s what happened…
- Foods rich in nitrate and polyphenols may improve endurance performance
- Bodycams are coming to the Premier League
- A review of the Run Rocket
Foods rich in nitrate and polyphenols may improve endurance performance
A recent meta-analysis and systematic review has been published, examining the impact of food sources on endurance performance. The study analysed food sources that are rich in nitrate, polyphenols, and L-citrulline.
The study showed that consuming nitrate and polyphenol-rich foods has minor but significant benefits on endurance performance, such as improved performance in time trials, increased time to exhaustion, and better performance in intermittent tests. Among nitrate food sources, beetroot appears to be the most effective. On the other hand, grapes, cherries, and pomegranates are the most effective polyphenol food sources.
It is worth noting that there was no significant effect of nitrate or polyphenol consumption in females. Additionally, despite its popularity, no significant effect was observed for the New Zealand blackcurrant. Consumption of L-citrulline did not impact endurance performance; however, only three studies were included for analysis, and all three studies used watermelon juice as the L-citrulline food source.
While more research is required, it seems that nitrate and polyphenol-rich foods may have a positive effect on endurance performance.
Bodycams are coming to the Premier League
A recent Instagram post has caught the attention of the football community. The post shows the new novel bodycams that are set to make an impact on the English Premier League. The Bodycam is embedded in the player’s GPS, and broadcasters are expected to use the new camera views, promising fans a unique “player view” of the game.
Although the current rules prohibit the use of Bodycams in the Premier League, recent events suggest that a rule change is imminent. In November, during the match between Tottenham and Wolves, one player from each team wore a Bodycam during the warm-up. Similarly, in July, players wore Bodycams during the Aston Villa and Newcastle match in the U.S.A.
The Instagram post features a video clip showcasing the view from the Bodycam. This video clip reveals the fascinating new perspective that fans are going to get from the Bodycam. It is worth checking out!
A review of the Run Rocket
Matt Tometz recently published an excellent video that provides a comprehensive review of the Run Rocket, which is a sprint resistance training tool.
Tometz highlights several pros of the Run Rocket, including its versatility, as it can be used in various directions, such as lateral or backward. He also mentions that the resistance provided by the Run Rocket is specific to sprinting and that the machine is portable and easy to move. However, Tometz also discusses some cons and limitations of the Run Rocket. These include the lack of precision with the loading, its lack of smoothness in some drills, and the time it takes to put on and/or take off the belt.
If you are interested in learning more about the Run Rocket, watching this video is a must.
Tometz is a writer for Science for Sport too and his blogs can be viewed here. Tometz has also been a regular guest on the Science for Sport podcast and his episodes listed below are well worth checking out!
- Get Million Dollar Speed Using The Latest Sport Technology
- Optimising Youth Speed Training: They’re Not Just Small Adults
- How To Use Gym-Based Training To Rocket Your Speed
From us this week:
>> New course: Nutrition For Cricket
>> New podcast: Rocket Your Fitness During Injuries While Respecting Tissue Healing, Capacity, and Tolerance
>> New infographic: Change Of Direction Deficit
>> New article: kBox
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