Training

Блог

Athlete's heart: why the hearts of 291 people grow the same, but remodel differently.
Byroot.national 2026-06-092026-06-09

"Athlete's heart" is not a metaphor, but a measurable fact. In trained individuals, the heart is literally larger in size. A new study by Hofbauer and colleagues in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (2026) measured the hearts of 291 healthy, active individuals using 3D ultrasound. It found an interesting asymmetry. Heart enlargement depends on endurance level almost equally in men and women. However...

Read More Athlete's heart: why the hearts of 291 people grow the same, but remodel differently.
Блог

Wearable device for 6-year-olds: +36% of physical activity, but there’s a catch.
Byroot.national 2026-06-062026-06-06

A wearable device – a fitness tracker, watch, or ring – promises to make you a more active person. But most of these promises last only as long as the gadget sits in a drawer after the second week. Most studies on the topic are also short: they give people a tracker, measure for a couple of months, and report an increase in steps. What happens after a year or two, when the novelty wears off, remained an open question. A Korean…

Read More Wearable device for 6-year-olds: +36% of physical activity, but there’s a catch.
Блог

Beetroot juice did not make sprinters faster: 12 athletes, zero effect.
Byroot.national 2026-06-052026-06-05

Beetroot juice has been sold for years as a legitimate boost for explosiveness and speed. A new randomised experiment tested this on trained sprinters. Nitrates in their saliva rocketed up 27-fold. 100-metre times did not budge. This is further proof of a simple thesis: «working biochemistry» and «working supplement» are different things. And a reason to look into who beetroot juice is really needed for...

Read More Beetroot juice did not make sprinters faster: 12 athletes, zero effect.
Блог

Exercise gut microbiome: why intensity matters more than just movement.
Byroot.national 2026-06-042026-06-04

Exercise gut microbiome — a link long thought to be straightforward: move more, and your gut bacteria will become «better». A fresh analysis in Gut Microbes (November 2025) reveals a detail usually missed by health marketing. It's not just about moving, but the intensity of that movement. Reljic's team, with co-authors, collated three randomised trials and compared high-intensity exercise with moderate. The result...

Read More Exercise gut microbiome: why intensity matters more than just movement.
Блог

BCAA endurance: 15 studies, no consistent effect on endurance.
Byroot.national 2026-06-022026-06-02

BCAA endurance is a combination around which an entire sports nutrition industry has been built. A recent systematic review shows there is almost no evidence for it. The Del Guerra team and co-authors analysed 15 studies using the PRISMA 2020, Cochrane, and GRADE methodologies. The conclusion is straightforward: branched-chain amino acids do not provide a significant increase in either performance or recovery for runners and cyclists. Biochemistry in...

Read More BCAA endurance: 15 studies, no consistent effect on endurance.
Блог

Mental fatigue stole your repetitions, and you thought it was laziness.
Byroot.national 2026-06-012026-06-02

Mental fatigue — that mental exhaustion you feel after a Stroop test, scrolling through your feed, or a hard day’s work. And on average, it reduces your strength training volume by around 8%. This isn’t just a subjective feeling, but a figure from a new meta-analysis of 11 randomised controlled trials. And what suffers most is not what you might expect: not your maximum weight, but your usual working sets at 60–79% of your maximum. Fresh…

Read More Mental fatigue stole your repetitions, and you thought it was laziness.
Блог

White matter: Why physical activity rewrites the brain after 50.
Byroot.national 2026-05-312026-05-31

White matter — the brain's white matter — is not a passive cable between neurons. It's a tissue that movement can remodel, even in old age. A new longitudinal study from May 2026 tracked 715 adults. It revealed a simple, yet counterintuitive, finding: the brain doesn't just degrade with age; it reorganises. And physical activity drives this remodelling. Sounds like an Instagram slogan...

Read More White matter: Why physical activity rewrites the brain after 50.
Блог

The Mediterranean diet is insufficient: why without exercise it works twice as weakly.
Byroot.national 2026-05-292026-05-29

The Mediterranean diet has long been considered the gold standard for healthy eating. But the largest European nutrition study revealed an inconvenient detail. On its own, it works, but when paired with exercise and a slight calorie deficit, it's a third stronger against diabetes. The diet turned out to be a foundation, not a complete solution. It's not «what to eat» instead of «how to move.» It's about how one without...

Read More The Mediterranean diet is insufficient: why without exercise it works twice as weakly.
Блог

Grip strength: two tests of strength that predict how long you will live.
Byroot.national 2026-05-282026-05-28

Grip strength has turned out to be one of the most accurate predictors of lifespan. A new study of over 5,000 women has shown that a stronger grip and faster rising from a chair mean a lower risk of death. No treadmill, no blood tests. Two tests that can be done at home. It's not about the look of muscles or the gym. It's about…

Read More Grip strength: two tests of strength that predict how long you will live.
Блог

Creatine and menopause: +0.37 kg of muscle and why it's more than it appears.
Byroot.national 2026-05-272026-05-27

Creatine menopause — a combination for which there was no comprehensive review until 2026. This month, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition published the first meta-analysis of this pairing. It aggregated seven studies involving 608 women over 40. The result is modest in grams, but significant in context. And with one important clarification that, loudly...

Read More Creatine and menopause: +0.37 kg of muscle and why it's more than it appears.