Sports Nutrition

Powerlifters Periodise Their Training Across the Year. Most Forget to Periodise Their Nutrition. Here's What an Optimised Strength Nutrition Calendar Looks Like.

Nutrition and training stress interact. Hall 2012 shows >500 kcal surplus accelerates fat not muscle. Helms 2014 raises cut protein to 2.3–3.1g/kg. Here's the year-round framework.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-10-06

You're Hitting Your Protein Targets and Still Under-Recovering. Omega-3s May Be Why.

Omega-3 fatty acids — specifically EPA and DHA — directly potentiate mTORC1-driven muscle protein synthesis independent of leucine intake. Most athlete nutrition protocols ignore this pathway entirely.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-10-06

The Paleo Diet Argument Sounds Compelling Until You Look at What Paleolithic Athletes Actually Ate

The paleo diet's evolutionary logic is genuinely interesting. Its application to trained athletes — who have carbohydrate demands that hunter-gatherers matched through entirely different food sources — is more complex than the popular framing suggests.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-10-06

Two Athletes Take Identical Protein Supplements. One Absorbs 40% More Usable Amino Acids Than the Other. The Difference Is Not the Supplement — It Is the Gut Microbiome Processing It.

Your gut microbiome critically determines how much of your protein, omega-3, and micronutrient supplements are actually absorbed. Learn how gut bacteria affect bioavailability, why inter-individual variation is enormous, and what to do about it.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-29

How Much Muscle Can You Actually Build Each Year? The Rate-Based Model the Fitness Industry Obscures

Lyle McDonald's rate model shows year 1 allows up to 1.1kg/month of lean mass; year 3+ drops to 0.2kg/month. Understanding the diminishing returns curve changes everything about training expectations.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-29

41% of Elite Endurance Athletes Eat Gluten-Free. The Science Says Most Probably Should Not.

Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity in athletes: Biesiekierski 2011 and 2013, the FODMAP confound, Lis 2015 RCT showing no performance benefit, and the wheat ATI alternative explanation.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-29

Athletes Are Taking Magnesium for Sleep — But Most Are Using the Wrong Form at the Wrong Time

Magnesium deficiency is the most common micronutrient insufficiency in trained athletes — and its impact on sleep architecture, muscle recovery, and nervous system function is widely underestimated.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-22

Not All Magnesium Is Equal: Why Threonate Crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier When Glycinate Doesn't

Magnesium L-threonate uniquely increases cerebrospinal fluid magnesium and synaptic density. Here's the evidence hierarchy across magnesium forms and what it means for athlete cognition and recovery.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-22

Low Magnesium Slows Post-Exercise Glucose Uptake. Most Athletes Are Never Told This Connection.

Magnesium activates the TRPM6 transporter that enables insulin receptor tyrosine kinase signalling. Deficiency impairs GLUT4 translocation and post-exercise glucose uptake. Here's the mechanism athletes need to understand.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-22

Marine vs Bovine Collagen: Which Source Actually Works for Athletes?

Not all collagen supplements are equal. Marine and bovine sources differ in peptide molecular weight, bioavailability, collagen type, and athletic application. Here's the evidence.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-22

Barry Sears Said 40-30-30. The Mediterranean Diet Says Something Different — And the Data Takes Sides

The Zone Diet promises eicosanoid balance at 40-30-30 macros. The Mediterranean Diet delivers different ratios — and PREDIMED-Plus data on cardiovascular outcomes, inflammation, and performance.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-22

Your Athlete Isn't Burnt Out. Their Thyroid Is Starved of Iron. Here's the Overlooked Mechanism.

Low ferritin doesn't just impair oxygen transport — it starves thyroid peroxidase of its iron cofactor, impairing T4-to-T3 conversion and reducing resting metabolic rate. Here's what coaches and athletes miss.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-15

Keto vs Balanced. High Carb vs High Protein. After 40 Years of Diet Wars and Billions in Research Funding, the Metabolic Ward Data Has a Clear Answer — and It Annoys Everyone.

Metabolic ward studies controlling for total calories consistently show minimal differences between macro ratios for fat loss. Learn what Sacks 2009, Hall 2015, and protein leverage theory reveal — and where macros genuinely do matter for athletes.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-15

L-Carnitine and Fat Burning: What the Physiology Promises and What the Trials Deliver

L-carnitine is essential for fat oxidation via CPT1 — but supplementation fails to raise muscle carnitine without insulin co-ingestion. Stephens Wall 2007, Broad 2005 meta-analysis, TMAO risk.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-15

Hitting Your Macro Targets Isn't Enough — How You Distribute Them Across the Day Changes the Outcome

Meeting daily macro targets is the floor, not the ceiling. How protein, carbohydrate, and fat are distributed across meals directly influences muscle protein balance, glycogen replenishment, and training adaptation.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-15

HMB: The Most Misunderstood Muscle Supplement Has a Very Specific Use Case

HMB supplements are marketed as muscle builders for everyone. The evidence says something quite different — and far more specific. Here is what the research actually shows.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-08

The Intermittent Fasting Mistake That's Silently Undermining Your Training Adaptations

IF works for fat loss and metabolic health — but combining it with strength or endurance training without adjusting the eating window creates a specific problem most coaches miss.

4 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-08

Your Ferritin Is Low. You're Taking Iron Supplements. Why Isn't It Working? The Answer Is in the Biology, Not the Dose.

Non-haem iron bioavailability is 1–20% depending on absorption promoters and inhibitors. Hepcidin — the master iron regulator — is elevated for 3–6 hours post-exercise, blocking intestinal iron absorption. Knowing this changes supplementation timing completely.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-08

Athletes Have Been Using Glycaemic Index Wrong for 40 Years

GI was developed for diabetes management, not sport. Here's how glycaemic load reframes carbohydrate strategy for performance athletes — and when GI actually matters.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-01

Elite Endurance Athletes Have a Measurably Different Gut. Here's What's in It — and Why It Matters.

Elite marathon runners carry significantly higher concentrations of Veillonella atypica — a bacterium that converts exercise-produced lactate into propionate, an additional fuel source. The gut microbiome is now a measurable performance variable.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-01

The Most Underused Component of Endurance Race Preparation Is Not a Training Session. It Is Practising Your Nutrition Protocol in Training — and Most Athletes Never Do It.

GI distress causes 30–50% of DNFs in ultramarathon events and is the most common non-musculoskeletal reason for performance decline in long-course triathlon. The gut is trainable — and training it requires deliberate practice with race-day nutrition protocols during training.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-01

When Core Temperature Crosses 39°C, the Most Important Organ Failing Is Not Your Muscles. It Is Your Gut — and Once the Intestinal Barrier Breaks Down, the Consequences Go Far Beyond GI Cramps.

Exercise heat stress disrupts intestinal tight junctions, triggering LPS endotoxaemia that drives systemic inflammation and exertional heat stroke risk. Learn the I-FABP marker, splanchnic vasoconstriction mechanism, and evidence-based gut protection strategies.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-09-01

Exogenous Ketones: What the Evidence Actually Shows for Athletic Performance

Ketone esters and salts are marketed as a fourth fuel source for athletes. The evidence is mixed, nuanced, and training-status dependent. Here is what Cox, Holdsworth and Dearlove actually found.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-25

Fasted Cardio Burns More Fat During the Session. It Does Not Burn More Fat Overall.

Fasted cardio increases fat oxidation during the session but produces no additional fat loss over 24 hours. Here is what the evidence says about substrate use and body composition.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-25

Every Endurance Athlete Knows Protein Matters. Almost None Know Their Biggest Immune Nutrient Is Quietly Depleted at the Finish Line.

Glutamine drops 20–30% after prolonged exercise, suppressing lymphocyte activity and URTI resistance. Here's the science and how dietary protein protects immunity.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-25

Losing 2% of Body Weight in Sweat Reduces Strength by Up to 8%. The Numbers Coaches Ignore.

Dehydration of 1.5–2% body weight reduces muscular strength by 4–8% and endurance capacity by more. Here is the neuromuscular physiology and hydration protocol.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-11

The Third-Trimester Brain Surge: Why 200mg of DHA Is the Floor, Not the Target

Helland 2003 found +4 IQ points from maternal DHA supplementation. The foetal brain accumulates 30g of DHA in Q3. Most prenatal supplements are underdosed. Here's the evidence.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-11

The Dietary Inflammatory Index: Is Your Diet Fuelling Recovery or Systemic Inflammation?

The Dietary Inflammatory Index scores your diet on a -9 to +8 scale. Athletes with high-DII diets show elevated hs-CRP, impaired recovery, and blunted adaptation. Here is how to fix it.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-11

The Most Overlooked Legal Performance-Enhancing Intervention in Endurance Sport Costs Less Than £2 Per Serving and Has Been in Your Kitchen All Along.

Dietary nitrate from beetroot reduces the oxygen cost of exercise by 3–5% and improves time-to-exhaustion by up to 16–22%. The mechanism is bacterial conversion of nitrate to nitrite to nitric oxide in the oral cavity — which means mouthwash before competition eliminates the entire benefit.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-11

You Might Be Eating Enough Protein — But Not Absorbing Enough. Digestive Enzymes Explain the Gap.

Protease supplementation, HCl production, and brush border enzyme activity determine how much dietary protein actually reaches muscle tissue. Here's the science athletes often miss.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-11

Cyclical Keto for Hybrid Athletes: Getting Fat Adaptation Without Sacrificing High-Intensity Power

The cyclical ketogenic diet uses periodic carbohydrate refeeds to restore glycogen for high-intensity training while preserving fat-adaptation benefits. Here's the evidence and the protocol.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-08-04

Your Ferritin Came Back Low. You Started Iron Supplements. Three Months Later — Still Low.

Copper deficiency silently impairs iron metabolism. Without adequate ceruloplasmin, iron cannot leave storage or be incorporated into haemoglobin — regardless of how much you supplement.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-28

It's Not Just When You Eat — It's When Your Circadian Clock Expects You To

Same calories, same macros, different timing — and the outcomes diverge. Chrono-nutrition explains why your circadian clock controls metabolic efficiency.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-21

Coeliac Disease in Athletes: The Silent Deficiency That's Wrecking Performance

Coeliac disease causes villous atrophy that blocks iron, B12, folate, and calcium absorption. Many athletes are undiagnosed for years. Here's the nutritional science and performance impact.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-21

Collagen Has a DIAAS Score of Zero. Here's Why Serious Athletes Should Still Take It.

Collagen contains no leucine and cannot stimulate muscle MPS. Yet it significantly boosts tendon collagen synthesis via a separate pathway. Here's the science behind the dual-supplement strategy.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-21

The One Supplement Protocol Most Athletes Have Never Heard Of — With Solid Evidence Behind It

Collagen supplements are often dismissed as wellness marketing. But the specific protocol with evidence — gelatin + vitamin C, taken 60 minutes before exercise — is mechanistically distinct from general collagen powder use.

4 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-21

You've Been Using Caffeine Wrong Before Your A-Race — The Sensitivity Reset Protocol

Regular caffeine users blunt their own ergogenic advantage. A structured pre-competition washout protocol restores adenosine receptor sensitivity — maximising race-day caffeine effect.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

Eating the Same Macros Every Day Is Leaving Performance Gains and Fat Loss on the Table Simultaneously.

Carbohydrate cycling — varying carbohydrate intake based on daily training demand — optimises muscle glycogen on high-output days while improving fat oxidation on low-output days. The mechanism is GLUT4 translocation and post-exercise insulin sensitivity.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

Carbohydrate Loading Is Not Just 'Eating More Pasta'. The Protocol That Actually Maximises Race-Day Glycogen.

Muscle glycogen capacity is approximately 400–600g in trained athletes — but most reach race day at 60–70% of that ceiling. The modified carbohydrate loading protocol from Bergström 1967 onwards can push glycogen stores to true ceiling in 36–48 hours.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

CGM for Non-Diabetic Athletes: What Your Postprandial Glucose Is Actually Telling You

Elite athletes are using CGM devices to reveal wildly different glucose responses to the same foods. The science of postprandial glucose variability and what it means for fuelling.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

Chews vs Gels vs Liquid Carbohydrate: Which Fuelling Format Wins on Race Day?

Energy chews, gels, and carbohydrate drinks all supply race fuel — but their gastric emptying rates, palatability profiles, and practical applications differ significantly. Here's the science.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

Plant-Based Athletes Optimising Omega-3 Through Chia Are Getting a Worse Deal Than They Think

The FADS2 enzyme bottleneck means ALA from chia and flaxseed converts poorly to EPA and DHA. Here's what plant-based athletes actually need for omega-3 sufficiency.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

Exercise Is Medicine — But Only When the Nutritional Context Supports It

Prescribing exercise to people with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes without addressing the nutritional environment is like prescribing a drug without the correct dosing protocol.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-14

The Pre-Milk Supplement That High-Load Athletes Should Know About

Bovine colostrum contains growth factors, immunoglobulins and lactoferrin. Here's what the clinical evidence says about its effects on athlete immunity and performance.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-07

Coffee Before Training Will Dehydrate You — Except It Won't

Armstrong 2002 and Killer 2014 both confirmed coffee hydrates as well as water. The caffeine diuretic myth persists in sport — here's what the evidence actually shows.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-07

The Maths of Four Coffees: Why Caffeine Accumulates More Than You Think

Each cup of coffee doesn't clear before the next one arrives. Caffeine accumulates across doses via half-life stacking. Here's the pharmacokinetics — and why it matters for sleep and performance.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-07

Your Pre-Workout Caffeine Isn't Just Waking You Up — It's Reprogramming Your Nervous System

Caffeine raises motor cortex excitability and calcium sensitivity to deliver a 2–6% acute strength boost. Discover the neural mechanism and optimal dosing strategy.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-07-07

Your BCAA Supplement Is Missing 6 Essential Amino Acids — and That Gap Costs You Muscle

BCAAs trigger a partial MPS signal. EAAs complete it. Here's what the science says about why branched-chain amino acids alone are not enough — and what to use instead.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-30

The Plant Alkaloid With Metformin-Like Effects — What Athletes Need to Know

Berberine activates AMPK and improves insulin sensitivity with clinical evidence rivalling metformin. Here's how it applies to body composition and athletic performance.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-30

Why Your Muscles Fail at High Intensity — And the Amino Acid That Delays It.

Intramuscular acidosis — the accumulation of H⁺ ions during anaerobic glycolysis — is a primary limiter in efforts lasting 1–10 minutes. Beta-alanine supplementation increases muscle carnosine, the principal intracellular buffer. Here is the mechanism and protocol.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-30

The Equation You're Using to Calculate Calorie Needs Is Wrong for 20% of People — By Design

Every TDEE calculator uses a prediction equation for basal metabolic rate. Every prediction equation has a population-level error of ±10–15%. For an athlete consuming 3,500 kcal/day, that's a potential daily error of 350–525 kcal — the equivalent of a full meal disappearing from the calculation.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-30

Same Drink, 30% Higher BAC: The Physiology Behind Why Female Athletes Eliminate Alcohol Differently

Female athletes reach 30–40% higher BAC from identical alcohol intake due to gastric ADH differences, lower total body water, and hormonal enzyme interactions. Here's the evidence.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-23

Vitamin C Is the Most Important Supplement for Tendon Health. But You Are Probably Taking It at Completely the Wrong Time — and the Difference Is Not Trivial.

Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for collagen synthesis — but timing and dose determine whether it helps or hinders. Learn the Shaw protocol, prolyl hydroxylase mechanism, the ROS double-edged sword, and the evidence for pre-exercise vitamin C + gelatin.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-23

The Adaptogen That Actually Has RCT Evidence: KSM-66 Ashwagandha and What It Does to Athletes

KSM-66 ashwagandha is one of very few adaptogens with proper randomised controlled trial data in athletes. Here is what the cortisol, strength and VO2max research actually shows.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-23

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet: What Athletes With Inflammatory Conditions Need to Know

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) eliminates immune-triggering foods to calm systemic inflammation. Learn how athletes use it, what the science shows, and when it works.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-16

Two Drinks After Training Aren't Just Empty Calories — They're Actively Sabotaging Your Tendons

Alcohol impairs collagen synthesis at doses most athletes consider moderate. The biochemistry of ethanol's effect on prolyl hydroxylase, fibroblast activity, and tendon repair windows.

5 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-06-16

Creatine: The Complete Evidence Review — Dosing, Loading, Brain, Ageing, and Which Form Actually Works

Creatine monohydrate is the most studied supplement in sports science. This is the full evidence base: loading protocols, the 20–30% vegetarian deficit, brain phosphocreatine, sarcopenia in over-55s, female-specific dosing, and why every "improved" formulation has failed head-to-head.

16 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-04-06

咖啡因半衰期：咖啡因在您體內停留多久

8 分鐘閱讀 · 2026-04-03