Recent research has developed new ways of approaching macronutrient ratios that challenge the conventional way of thinking. This article takes a look at what is usually recommended for athletes, as well as different lower carbohydrate variations.

Charlie Weingroff

From the 2020 NSCA Coaches Conference, Ashley Jones, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Houston SaberCats Major League Rugby team, presents a high-energy hands-on presentation highlighting fun warm-up games coaches can implement with their athletes.

This article provides a background on the benefits of plant-based nutrition for athletic performance, recovery, and overall health.

This is the third and final article of a series on strength training practices for rowing and will focus on the energy systems development of rowing athletes.

Guy Leahy writes a review of the research relating to the tactical population from presentations and research from the 65th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

This article briefly explores some current research that has important implications for improving the readiness and lethality of military personnel.

The physiological response to breath holding includes bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction, which contrasts with that of exercise which includes tachycardia and peripheral vasodilation. This raises the question as to what the physiological response is to breath holding during exercise. During low-intensity exercise, the breath holding response of bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction prevails over the exercise response of tachycardia and peripheral vasodilation, but nevertheless the exercise may be sustained. Due to the lack of availability of extrinsic oxygen (O 2 ) from the atmosphere during breath holding, the energy demands can be met by increased reliance on intrinsic O 2 stores (i.e., O 2 that was in the body before the breath hold) via increased O 2 extraction at the muscle compared with exercise while breathing, or increased contributions from anaerobic energy systems. During high intensity exercise of short duration, the exercise response may prevail over the breath holding response due to the increased parasympathetic withdrawal and sympathetic drive of higher intensity exercise. If breath holding during high-intensity exercise was sustained for long enough, the breath holding response may eventually overcome the exercise response, although this may be difficult due to the inverse relationship between exercise intensity and breath hold duration.

This article explores evidence-based nutrition practices for youth athletes, emphasizing hydration, dietary quality, and breakfast consumption to support long-term athletic development. Visit NSCA online to read more about sports nutrition and athletic development.

This PTQ article shares strategies for personal trainers about the treatment and prevention of the female athlete triad. Visit NSCA online to read more on youth fitness and health news.