Research
Imagine you could have exercise scientists, physicians and sports nutritionists to answer your training questions. How much could your performance improve with truly expert advice and coaching? What if regular athletes were able to access the kind of testing, performance enhancement and precision that world class competitors use every day?Research is the performance edge that Endurance Science offers clients. We use our own lab and field research as well as expert review of the rapidly changing world of exercise science research to make sure that our athletes benefit from the latest, most cutting edge training techniques and strategies.
For example, most runners know that interval speed work will benefit their ability to run longer distances more quickly. But what is the best interval, and how many at what pace?
The answer of course is dependent on the each athlete’s unique physiology and stage of training. There are specific tests that can precisely measure the amount of stimulus the athlete needs to generate the maximal change in their aerobic capacity and prescribe the exact amount of work to achieve this without risking overtraining. Recent research is reviewed in the Endurance Science blog.
Our current ongoing research is primarily field based, and is focused on nutrition in ultra endurance athletes. The studies we are recruiting subjects for now are:
- Nutrition and Body Composition in a Desert Ultramarathon. It’s pretty well established what the energy cost of running a road race is. Precise formulae exist that allow exercise scientists to prescribe the right amount of carbohydrates and fluids to allow athletes to perform optimally in 10k’s, half-marathons and marathons. However, when athletes push to the edge of endurance in severe environments, the actual energy that they expend is unknown. To try to answer this (and other) questions Endurance Science will measure the energy output, nutrition and body composition of 30 ultraendurance competitors during the infamous Marathon des Sables, a 7 day self supported stage race through the deserts of southern Morocco. Endurance Science principal Dr. William Henderson will also compete – or at least try to survive - the race. (Update: I survived and achieved my goals. Check out the Endurance Science blog to read about my experiences and advice - WH)
- Core Body Temperature and Performance in Extreme Heat Ultramarathons. What role does rising core temperature play in performance degradation over the course of a 135 mile race through Death Valley? Endurance Science will find out by having athletes swallow a ThermaBean internal temperature probe and then monitor their performance and energy output during the Badwater Ultramarathon.
- Glucose and Insulin in Critical Illness – the overlap between the physiology of critical illness and that of exercise science is immense. Over the last decade, Endurance Science founder William Henderson has been involved in clarifying the role of glucose in inflammation and organ recovery. You can see the results published in some of the world’s most prestigious medical journals -
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/360/13/1283
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/short/cmaj.090206v1
