What makes a marathoner great? New research pinpoints the physical attributes of top marathon runners, and could help others improve their marathon performance. Elite male distance runners were asked to run on treadmills at a range of speeds and also on an outdoor track at a speed of 13.1 miles per hour, comparable to completing a marathon in two hours. While the marathoners ran, researchers measured their heart rate, oxygen consumption and levels of lactic acid in the blood, to determine efficiency of oxygen use during exercise. The study also assessed the marathoners’ running force, stride length and body composition. Only seven of the 16 participants achieved a VO2 steady state (stable oxygen consumption) when running at the two-hour marathon pace. That highlights how extremely difficult it is to complete a marathon in under two hours, the researchers said. Overall, the athletes maintained a VO2 of 67 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) at just over 13 mph, about twice as much as the average person can achieve when exercising at their maximum. Also, the marathoners’ lactic acid threshold — the speed at which it builds up in the body — occurred at a very high fraction of their VO2 max. Lactic acid is produced by the body as it turns food into energy during exercise; in the muscles it’s related to…  read on >  read on >

After SARS-CoV-2 exposure, a 14-day quarantine is standard among university athletes. But shorter quarantines for these athletes, along with mid-quarantine testing, may improve their compliance without increasing the risk that they’ll infect others, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 620 U.S. college athletes who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while in quarantine after exposure to the virus. Nearly half (49%) tested positive by the second day of quarantine, and 73% did by day 5. The rate of positive tests declined over the quarantine period. Among athletes who were still negative at day 5 of quarantine, the estimated probability of having a positive test result was 26.9% after day 5; 14.2% after day 7; and 4.7% after day 10. According to the authors, the probability of receiving positive test results after day 10 of quarantine is low. Of 29 athletes who tested positive between days 11 and 14, 89.7% had not been tested previously during their quarantine, according to the findings. More athletes reported exposure to COVID-19 at social gatherings (40.7%) and from roommates (31.7%) than from athletic activities (12.7%), the study found. It was published Jan. 8 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The findings support shortened quarantine options for college athletes, given the low proportion who tested positive after 10 days, according to study author…  read on >  read on >

What makes a marathoner great? New research pinpoints the physical attributes of top marathon runners, and could help others improve their marathon performance. Elite male distance runners were asked to run on treadmills at a range of speeds and also on an outdoor track at a speed of 13.1 miles per hour, comparable to completing a marathon in two hours. While the marathoners ran, researchers measured their heart rate, oxygen consumption and levels of lactic acid in the blood, to determine efficiency of oxygen use during exercise. The study also assessed the marathoners’ running force, stride length and body composition. Only seven of the 16 participants achieved a VO2 steady state (stable oxygen consumption) when running at the two-hour marathon pace. That highlights how extremely difficult it is to complete a marathon in under two hours, the researchers said. Overall, the athletes maintained a VO2 of 67 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) at just over 13 mph, about twice as much as the average person can achieve when exercising at their maximum. Also, the marathoners’ lactic acid threshold — the speed at which it builds up in the body — occurred at a very high fraction of their VO2 max. Lactic acid is produced by the body as it turns food into energy during exercise; in the muscles it’s related to…  read on >  read on >

After SARS-CoV-2 exposure, a 14-day quarantine is standard among university athletes. But shorter quarantines for these athletes, along with mid-quarantine testing, may improve their compliance without increasing the risk that they’ll infect others, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 620 U.S. college athletes who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while in quarantine after exposure to the virus. Nearly half (49%) tested positive by the second day of quarantine, and 73% did by day 5. The rate of positive tests declined over the quarantine period. Among athletes who were still negative at day 5 of quarantine, the estimated probability of having a positive test result was 26.9% after day 5; 14.2% after day 7; and 4.7% after day 10. According to the authors, the probability of receiving positive test results after day 10 of quarantine is low. Of 29 athletes who tested positive between days 11 and 14, 89.7% had not been tested previously during their quarantine, according to the findings. More athletes reported exposure to COVID-19 at social gatherings (40.7%) and from roommates (31.7%) than from athletic activities (12.7%), the study found. It was published Jan. 8 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The findings support shortened quarantine options for college athletes, given the low proportion who tested positive after 10 days, according to study author…  read on >  read on >

After SARS-CoV-2 exposure, a 14-day quarantine is standard among university athletes. But shorter quarantines for these athletes, along with mid-quarantine testing, may improve their compliance without increasing the risk that they’ll infect others, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 620 U.S. college athletes who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while in quarantine after exposure to the virus. Nearly half (49%) tested positive by the second day of quarantine, and 73% did by day 5. The rate of positive tests declined over the quarantine period. Among athletes who were still negative at day 5 of quarantine, the estimated probability of having a positive test result was 26.9% after day 5; 14.2% after day 7; and 4.7% after day 10. According to the authors, the probability of receiving positive test results after day 10 of quarantine is low. Of 29 athletes who tested positive between days 11 and 14, 89.7% had not been tested previously during their quarantine, according to the findings. More athletes reported exposure to COVID-19 at social gatherings (40.7%) and from roommates (31.7%) than from athletic activities (12.7%), the study found. It was published Jan. 8 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The findings support shortened quarantine options for college athletes, given the low proportion who tested positive after 10 days, according to study author…  read on >  read on >

What makes a marathoner great? New research pinpoints the physical attributes of top marathon runners, and could help others improve their marathon performance. Elite male distance runners were asked to run on treadmills at a range of speeds and also on an outdoor track at a speed of 13.1 miles per hour, comparable to completing a marathon in two hours. While the marathoners ran, researchers measured their heart rate, oxygen consumption and levels of lactic acid in the blood, to determine efficiency of oxygen use during exercise. The study also assessed the marathoners’ running force, stride length and body composition. Only seven of the 16 participants achieved a VO2 steady state (stable oxygen consumption) when running at the two-hour marathon pace. That highlights how extremely difficult it is to complete a marathon in under two hours, the researchers said. Overall, the athletes maintained a VO2 of 67 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) at just over 13 mph, about twice as much as the average person can achieve when exercising at their maximum. Also, the marathoners’ lactic acid threshold — the speed at which it builds up in the body — occurred at a very high fraction of their VO2 max. Lactic acid is produced by the body as it turns food into energy during exercise; in the muscles it’s related to…  read on >  read on >

What makes a marathoner great? New research pinpoints the physical attributes of top marathon runners, and could help others improve their marathon performance. Elite male distance runners were asked to run on treadmills at a range of speeds and also on an outdoor track at a speed of 13.1 miles per hour, comparable to completing a marathon in two hours. While the marathoners ran, researchers measured their heart rate, oxygen consumption and levels of lactic acid in the blood, to determine efficiency of oxygen use during exercise. The study also assessed the marathoners’ running force, stride length and body composition. Only seven of the 16 participants achieved a VO2 steady state (stable oxygen consumption) when running at the two-hour marathon pace. That highlights how extremely difficult it is to complete a marathon in under two hours, the researchers said. Overall, the athletes maintained a VO2 of 67 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) at just over 13 mph, about twice as much as the average person can achieve when exercising at their maximum. Also, the marathoners’ lactic acid threshold — the speed at which it builds up in the body — occurred at a very high fraction of their VO2 max. Lactic acid is produced by the body as it turns food into energy during exercise; in the muscles it’s related to…  read on >  read on >

When it comes to pumping iron, women have as much to gain as men. A new study compared the results of women and men aged 50 to 90 who started resistance training exercise programs, finding that though men were more likely to gain absolute muscle size, their gains were on par with women’s relative to body size. “Historically, people tended to believe that men adapted to a greater degree from resistance training compared to women,” said senior study author Amanda (Mandy) Hagstrom, exercise science lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “The differences we found primarily relate to how we look at the data — that is, absolutely or relatively. ‘Absolute’ looks at the overall gains, while ‘relative’ is a percentage based on their body size,” she said in a university news release. The researchers compared muscle mass and strength gains in more than 650 older men and 750 older women across 30 resistance training studies. Most participants had no previous resistance training experience. “We found no sex differences in changes in relative muscle size or upper body strength in older adults,” Hagstrom said. “It’s important for trainers to understand that women benefit just as much as men in terms of relative improvement compared to their baseline.” They found that when looking at absolute gains, older men gained bigger muscles and…  read on >  read on >

When it comes to pumping iron, women have as much to gain as men. A new study compared the results of women and men aged 50 to 90 who started resistance training exercise programs, finding that though men were more likely to gain absolute muscle size, their gains were on par with women’s relative to body size. “Historically, people tended to believe that men adapted to a greater degree from resistance training compared to women,” said senior study author Amanda (Mandy) Hagstrom, exercise science lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “The differences we found primarily relate to how we look at the data — that is, absolutely or relatively. ‘Absolute’ looks at the overall gains, while ‘relative’ is a percentage based on their body size,” she said in a university news release. The researchers compared muscle mass and strength gains in more than 650 older men and 750 older women across 30 resistance training studies. Most participants had no previous resistance training experience. “We found no sex differences in changes in relative muscle size or upper body strength in older adults,” Hagstrom said. “It’s important for trainers to understand that women benefit just as much as men in terms of relative improvement compared to their baseline.” They found that when looking at absolute gains, older men gained bigger muscles and…  read on >  read on >