Tennis elbow can be a pain in the butt, or actually the arm, and prevent you from playing tennis. Fortunately we have some treatment options for you that don’t require surgery. In last week’s episode you could take a look inside a professional training session with Swiss National Junior Tennis Champion Alexander Ritschard. Ok, so…
Category: Health
Aerobic ATP Production and Energy System Efficiency
Aerobic ATP production is important for on-court tennis performance and hence understanding how the body converts foods into energy aerobically makes sense if you want to perform well. Did you know that the aerobic energy system only converts approximately 34% of the potential energy from foods into biologically usable energy? Following I will explain how…
Glycolysis Explained: How Glucose Breakdown Provides Energy
Glycolysis, the “splitting of glucose”, is the breakdown of glucose or glycogen in order to provide ATP, which occurs in the liver and in the sarcoplasm of muscle cells. Glycolysis is the energy system that predominantly provides energy for higher-intensity activities lasting 15-90 seconds and it provides a net gain of 2-3 ATP. Glycolysis Explained: Splitting of…
Why High Protein Diets Can Impair Your Performance
High protein diets are very popular among athletes for various reasons yet they can contribute to a decrease in performance. Weather it is losing body weight or gaining muscle mass, many athletes go on a high protein diet for different reasons yet they often times neglect to adjust their drinking behavior accordingly. What they don’t…
How to Pick High Protein Quality Foods
Consuming protein is essential when you want to gain muscle mass or aid the muscle recovery process after tough matches or practice session yet protein quality varies. Sure, protein supplements can be helpful yet you can also get high quality protein from your diet if you make the right food choices. On the other hand…
What is Fat?
Fat belongs to the group of nutrients called lipids and they are available in three forms. Fat is the preferred fuel source during aerobic activities. What Is Fat? Fat belongs to the group of nutrients called lipids and they are available in three forms but only one yields energy, triglycerides! Stored body fat is an…
What is Glycogen?
What is glycogen? It is the storage form of glucose and it’s being stored in the liver and in muscle cells and can be broken down quickly to provide energy! What is Glycogen? The storage form of glucose in the body is glycogen, which is a complex carbohydrate (polysaccharide) stored in animal tissue, and it…
What is Glucose?
Glucose, also known as blood sugar, is a monosaccharide that can be found in foods and the body uses it for energy. It provides almost all the energy in the human brain and it is the body’s preferential source of energy during exercise but it cannot be eaten directly. The body takes carbohydrates, breaks them down,…
Introducing Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy during a tennis match. They play different roles depending on their form. Carbohydrates are the ideal form of energy during anaerobic metabolism (short duration/high intensity activities; e.g. 100m sprint). At the molecular level a carbohydrate atom consists of: 6 carbon (C) molecules 12 hydrogen (H) molecules 6…
The Role of Nutrients in Sports
Understanding the role of nutrients in sports is important since nutrients are fuel for energy systems and having more energy aids in optimizing performance on the court. The body uses nutrients to grow, restore body tissue, and provide energy to perform work. The body requires some nutrients in large quantities, called macronutrients, and other nutrients…
How the Body Controls Its Internal Environment
A competitive tennis match or working out hard in the gym can pose a challenge to various of the body’s control systems since exercise increases metabolic demands (e.g. lactic acid build up) thereby challenging homeostasis. Therefore, if one understands how things are being processed inside the body then one can understand what needs to be…
How Sports Nutrition Can Impact Your Performance
You should have a solid understanding of how sports nutrition impacts your performance on the court so you can make choices you are confident in. What you should eat and drink depends to a large extend what you believe in – for example, are you a vegan or do you prefer a nice burger? Reality…