What exactly are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are electrically charged particles that help the body function normally. The importance of electrolytes in the human body is so great that we quickly react to an electrolyte deficiency. Athletes in particular are susceptible because electrolytes are depleted during perspiration . Some of the more familiar electrolytes include potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium. These minerals...Read more

Icy Recovery

Cold therapy is a technique that is very popular in multiple sports and disciplines with many high-performance athletes claiming it as an essential part of their training. Cold water immersion is used as recovery method where exposure to cold is believed to help alleviate the soreness of small tears that occur in muscles fibres followed by intense or repetitive exercise (DOMS) . Ice baths are...Read more

InBody Body Composition Analyzer

At the Canadian Sport for Life National Summit in Gatineau-Ottawa, Canada, the staff at SIRC got to meet some very friendly and knowledgeable people and we learned a few new things as well. One of the interesting experiences we had was trying out InBody 's body composition analyzer. This machine measures body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to give you a fast, non-...Read more

Reaching the limit

The training loads for an elite athlete can be taxing, to say the least. Work too little and you won't get the results you want, work too hard and there is chance something will break. It's difficult to understand how the body can cope with the kind of mass training that we demand of it. So the question becomes: How do you know where the line is? Listen to your body - Obviously you cannot stop...Read more

Cross Training for the Winter Season

Cross training , whether it's done as whole other sport or alternate activity can be a fantastic mental and physical break from your regular training. Splitting up your daily routine with weight-lifting, spinning or swimming for example, gives you a whole new set of skills to focus on and inserts you into a fresh atmosphere with a different group of people. A big benefit of cross training is that...Read more

Do Compression Garments Improve Performance?

The use of compression garments has become increasingly popular in recent years, mostly in a post-exercise role where compression tights, arm sleeves, socks and boots are used as a means to speed up recovery. What is less common is their use during exercise to increase performance and minimize fatigue. Do compression garments really improve performance ? The possible effects of compression...Read more

Weight gain ... the healthy way!

Contrary to popular belief there is a time and a place for weight gain. Many athletes are required to gain weight to increase strength, increase their size or increase their musculature. In sports with weight categories, being a heavier weight may not always mean being "fatter" but having a fit heavier body mass. The focus of a recent article in the SIRC Collection addresses athletic weight gain...Read more