Lactose, or milk sugar, is more than just a quick energy boost. It plays a big role in our bodies, helping with calcium absorption, which is crucial for strong bones and teeth. Unlike some sugars, lactose is low in cariogenicity, meaning it doesn't cause tooth decay as easily. This makes it a better choice for dental health. Lactose also helps control satiet...

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training has been a hot topic in the fitness world. It's a method where blood flow to muscles is restricted during exercise. This can be done using special bands or wraps. The idea is to make muscles work harder with less weight. But does it really help athletes? Let's break it down. Researchers dove into this question. They looked a...

Young athletes are often eager to excel in their sports. There are different ways to train them to achieve this goal. First, let's talk about two different training methods. One is Integrative Neuromuscular Training (INT). The other is the Traditional Physical Training (PT). Integrative Neuromuscular Training (INT) focuses on improving how the brai...

Elite and expert athletes constantly push the boundary of human performance. Regardless of their sport, balance is a fundamental skill that can make or break an athlete's success. Researchers set out to unpack the mystery of balance. By closely studying balance abilities, they aimed to find a reliable way to measure and compare elite and expert athletes i...

Imagine running the 100m race a hundred years apart. That's what Noah Lyles and Harold Abrahams did. Lyles, the 27-year-old Olympic champion, clocked 9. 79 seconds in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Abrahams, from the 1924 Games, ran the same distance in 10. 6 seconds. That's a difference of 0. 81 seconds, which might not seem like much, but it's a world away in track and f...

Sports enthusiasts have long touted the benefits of functional training for athletes. But is there solid evidence to back up these claims? Let's break it down. Functional training involves exercises that mimic real-life movements and sports-specific actions. Unlike traditional gym workouts, it focuses on improving the body's overall performance in a practical setting...

In sports like running, jumping, or soccer, coaches often need to study athletes' moves to help them improve. One big challenge is quickly spotting athletes, their gear, and field boundaries in videos or photos. Existing methods struggle with this, mainly because they lose important time details, mix up targets, have overlapping objects, and combine two tough tasks: ...

You might think having two legs that work exactly the same would be best for runners, right? Surprisingly, a closer look at middle- and long-distance runners shows that this isn't always the case. A recent review found that the difference between how your left and right legs perform, called inter-limb asymmetry, doesn't always spell trouble. Imagine your legs as two...

You might think that athletes do better when they focus on where they want to go, like a far target. But a study had college students throw a medicine ball while switching their focus between near and far targets. Surprisingly, focusing on the far target didn't make much difference. Instead, when they concentrated on their own movements, either during or after the th...

Imagine stepping up to take the winning penalty kick in a soccer match. The crowd is deafening, and your team's fate hangs in the balance. Can simply picturing yourself sinking that goal actually improve your chances? That's what scientists are trying to figure out. They're exploring the fascinating world of mental imagery, the ability to create vivid mental pictures...