Outside: Even Rest Takes Work

5 Questions to Determine if Rest is Best
Lindsey Emery/Outside, July 12 2017


For most sane people, a day off from exercise is a welcome chance to kick back and rest. Talk to many athletes, and they’ll tell you that a rest day feels counterproductive at best and alarming at worst. But no matter your goal, recovery is an integral part of any training plan and crucial for optimal performance, says Michele Olson, adjunct professor of exercise science at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. That said, effective recovery—things like getting a massage, meditating, stretching, rehydrating, and eating well—takes work, so don’t think you can sneak in a few “rest” days when you’re feeling a little lazy, she says. Instead, ask yourself these questions to determine if today’s fine to skip or if you should power through...


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Carmichael Training Systems: Taking Science In

Inside Sports Drinks (Just the Science) 

Carmichael Training Systems

A sports drink is essentially water with stuff dissolved in it. Some drinks have lots of different kinds of stuff dissolved in them, some of which just waste space. There is only so much room to dissolve solutes in a drink, and drinks with fewer ingredients can use more of that room for important things such as carbohydrate and sodium. The simplest drinks are the best because they are easiest on the gut and facilitate the transport of sugar and electrolyte across the semipermeable membrane of the intestinal wall better and faster...

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