EIGHT MILES HIGH AND CLIMBING FAST TRIAL

Nitric oxide has many positive effects on the body that may enhance exercise performance and tolerance.Īs the authors of a 2021 review note, several studies have shown that dietary nitrates can improve exercise tolerance and lower the quantity of oxygen that the body needs during exercise. The further conversion of these substances into nitric oxide takes place in conditions of low oxygen, which can occur when exercise causes the muscles to become oxygen-deprived. When people eat nitrates, the body converts them into nitrites. Share on Pinterest A person may enhance their exercise performance by eating spinach.Ĭonsuming dietary nitrates, which occur naturally in lettuce, spinach, arugula, watercress, celery, and beets, may play a role in exercise performance and tolerance. Learn more about the possible benefits of drinking coffee here. Additionally, the participants in the study were habitual coffee drinkers, and more research is needed to determine how coffee consumption might affect the running performance of nonhabitual coffee drinkers. It’s unclear if caffeine has the same effect on running performance when consumed in unfasted states. It is important to note that in both of these studies, researchers instructed the participants to fast beforehand. The researchers found that caffeinated coffee did not improve the participants’ race performance compared with decaffeinated coffee. All participants then completed an 800-meter race, which is roughly equivalent to half a mile.

The researchers asked some participants to drink 5.5 mg of coffee per kg of body weight and others to drink an equivalent amount of decaffeinated coffee.

EIGHT MILES HIGH AND CLIMBING FAST TRIAL

However, these results are not consistent across studies.Īnother group of researchers studied the effects of caffeinated coffee on 800-meter time trial performances of 12 runners who fasted overnight. The researchers noted that the runners who drank caffeinated coffee 60 minutes before the race ran 1.3% faster than the participants in the decaffeinated coffee group and 1.9% faster than those who received the placebo. One group received 0.09 grams of coffee per kilogram (kg) of body weight, while the second group received an equivalent amount of decaffeinated coffee, and the last group drank a placebo solution. The team of researchers separated 13 trained male runners into three treatment groups. Coffee contains caffeine, but manufacturers also add this stimulant to sports drinks, gels, and other carbohydrate-rich products that are easy for the body to absorb.Ī 2018 study evaluated the effects of drinking coffee before a 1-mile race. Caffeineīoth elite and amateur runners use caffeine to help improve performance.

High altitude training improves oxygen delivery to the muscles and helps them use oxygen more efficiently.

Many elite athletes also choose to train in cities at high altitudes, such as Boulder, Colorado, and Flagstaff, Arizona. People who add endurance, interval, resistance, and plyometric training to their workout programs may improve their average mile times.Ĭoaches often prescribe high intensity interval training and hill workouts as additional methods of improving running economy. Researchers believe endurance training causes physiological responses that help people adapt to running more quickly. Researchers have identified various interventions that may help people run faster. Running economy is the amount of energy that a person requires to run at a particular pace. People who wish to reduce their average mile time can try several techniques to improve their running economy.

Eight miles high and climbing fast