The combination of sport specialization and high-volume training has been associated with a high rate of overuse injuries in youth athletes. Because of this, multiple medical and professional organizations have recently released position statements warning against specialization and have given recommendations for safe sport participation in youth [1-5].
The referenced article can be viewed here.
Athlete burnout from sport is becoming more prevalent alongside the increasing trend of early sport specialization in youth athletes. In this article, I offer 5 simple strategies to prevent athlete burnout.
The importance of physical and psychosocial health in youth cannot be overstated. This article reviews how early sport specialization impacts these factors in youth athletes.
(more…)
The referenced article can be viewed here.
What does a game look like for the typical NHL positional player? It’s pretty easy to figure out… just do some simple math on the stats from the NHL website. The typical position player will have 20-35 shifts/game, each lasting 60-90 seconds in duration. This appears simple, on the surface, but let’s take a deeper look.
(more…)
Single sport specialization can be defined as intensive, year-round training in one sport to the exclusion of others [1]. Many young athletes, parents, and coaches believe that early single-sport specialization is necessary for long-term athletic success [2-6]. But, does the research agree with this notion?
The hip adductors don’t get much love from most bilateral multi-joint lower body exercises. With unilateral lower body exercises, demands of the adductors increase, but relying on indirect stimulation through inclusion of a few unilateral multi-joint exercises focused in the sagittal plane is not enough to optimize hip adductor strength and function.
The referenced articles can be viewed here and here.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, the title of the article is a bit harsh. But, it’s also true.
The referenced article can be viewed here.
Groin pain can have a variety of pathologies. It’s extremely important to identify the root of the pain because the specific cause may drastically affect the appropriate treatment for pain relief and return to optimal athletic performance.
(more…)
The referenced article can be viewed here.
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are exactly what you would think; triglycerides (i.e. fat molecules) with medium chain lengths of molecules. Some triglycerides have long chains, containing 13+ carbon atoms, whereas others have short chains, containing 5 or fewer carbon atoms. MCTs are right in the middle, and contain 6-12 carbon atoms in their chains [1-4].
In the human body, Nitric Oxide (NO) promotes vasodilation, or widening of the blood vessels, which increases blood flow and reduces blood pressure [1-3]. NO is heavily involved with many physiological processes that affect exercise performance, including the regulation of blood flow, skeletal muscle contraction, and mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis [3-5].
Designing and implementing testing and monitoring procedures to identify athletes who are at increased risk for suffering hip-related pathology is crucial for sustained, high-level, ice hockey performance.
