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Overcoming the Fear of Re-injury

Athletes often push their bodies to the limits to keep them fit and make them faster. While this attitude keeps athletes at the top of their game, it also comes with a risk. Injuries are commonplace in the sport community, freak accidents happen to the best of us even with extra precaution and care. After a major injury, an athlete may become 'injury-prone' . This can happen when fears, conscious...Read more

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Coaching and Constructive Feedback

The goal of great coaching is to guide, inspire and empower athletes to develop to their fullest potential. Much of coaching depends on the ability of the coach to communicate criticism in a way that fosters trust and positive outcomes. Providing constructive feedback can be one of the most challenging skills for coaches to master but when done properly can yield great results. Every athlete and...Read more

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Nutrients for Busy Athletes

Most athletes, professional and recreational, often eat relatively well but with busy lifestyles it can be very useful to be informed of a few of the key nutrients you can target for optimal health . We all know that we need to eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more water and choose low fat foods but did you know you may be missing some key nutrients including, calcium, zinc, iron and...Read more

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Are Cool-downs Worth your Time?

After you finish an intense workout , you must remember that your body will still be trying to deal with the stress you have been putting it under for the past few hours. Since muscles need oxygen, our heart will continue to pump hard in order to transport the oxygenated blood through our bodies. Respiratory rates will be high, the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments will all experience...Read more

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Winners Wear Red?

Anyone who is familiar with psychology is aware that colour can have a profound psychological effect on humans. While this information is not new, with the London 2012 Olympics in full swing some are questioning whether the colour of team uniforms will have an effect on overall performance. A recent study explored the idea that athletes who wear red may have an advantage over their rivals...Read more

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Train Like an Olympian

SIRC Newsletter now available online: Train Like an Olympian With everyone talking about the London 2012 Olympics, it’s fun to see what elite athletes do to attain such high levels of performance. For most athletes, the Olympics is the peak of their athletic career and as such, they strive to reach the highest levels of achievement. Training is long and intense and sometimes comes with setbacks,...Read more

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Lactic Acid De-mystified

As an athlete you probably associate lactic acid with that burning sensation you get in your muscles when you push your body to it's limits. This is a common misconception , in fact, lactic acid does not even exist in the body. What your body does produce naturally is lactate and it is considered a main energy source for hard working athletes. Lactate production in the muscles accumulates rapidly...Read more

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Altitude Training

Training at high altitude has long been used by Olympians as a means of improving their potential. We all know that athletes always seek to get a competitive edge but what does altitude training really do for an athlete? Benefits of Altitude Training For any type of exercise that lasts longer than a few minutes the body needs to use oxygen to the produce energy required for the specific exercise...Read more

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I can't sleep...

Preparation for a competition often includes such things like packing your gear the night before, scheduling travel time and getting a good breakfast. Unfortunately, most people neglect an aspect of training and recovery that is one of the most important, getting a good night's sleep . Anxiety disrupts sleep - how many times have you lain awake at night worrying about the competition ahead? A...Read more

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Go Canada Go!

SIRC Newsletter now available online: Go Canada Go! This summer, approximately 10,000 athletes will compete in 302 events at the Summer Olympics in London. No other sporting event is as big or as dramatic. Dreams come true, friends and memories are made, the Olympics captivates us like nothing else. Read More: http://www.sirc.ca/newsletters/mid-July12/index.htmlRead more

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