Strength and Conditioning Knowledge Center

Strength training is a basic pillar to gain muscle mass, but we need is a second basic pillar for such muscle growth to occur. A properly designed diet will allow you to gain muscle mass, accumulating as little fat as possible. In this diet it is necessary to control the calories ingested, as well as …

What is hydrate loading?   Carbohydrates are the main source of energy during physical exercise, especially if it is of a certain intensity (Cermak & Van Loon, 2013). These carbohydrates are stored in our body in the form of glycogen (Adeva-Andany, González-Lucán, Donapetry-García, Fernández-Fernández, & Ameneiros-Rodríguez, 2016). The main glycogen stores are the liver (approximately …

The ketogenic diet is a diet that has gained great value among the population in recent years. Great references in the sports world such as the fantastic basketball player, LeBron James, or the NFL player, Tim Tebow, have also tried this type of diet with the aim of improving their body composition. The ketogenic diet …

Food has become in recent years one of the most developed sciences of our time. 50 years ago the way of feeding was condemned by the work that was developed, the place where it was lived and the time of year. Thus, for example, the same was not eaten in a province of southern Spain …

Today, despite the amount of information that we can find in books, courses, platforms or the internet in general, the vast majority of people do not have enough bases to develop by themselves a nutritional scheme to follow that is healthy, nutritious and according to their needs. In fact, for that there are nutrition professionals …

When we think of sports drinks, we think of the typical colorful bottles that are sold in almost all supermarkets. Most of us remember a very sweet drink with a bit of citrus flavor and a preconceived idea that it should be taken during training to avoid dehydration and improve our performance. This is an …

Physical exercise has become an exceptional strategy for improving people’s quality of life and extending life expectancy (1). In addition, physical exercise provides a number of benefits that are similar to any type of drug, be it an antidepressant or an anti-inflammatory. In today’s world, physical exercise is part of the daily routine of a …

One of the biggest concerns when starting to improve our diet as athletes is calculating our nutritional requirements. These must be in accordance with our objectives, both at the level of body composition and performance and, if possible, guided by a professional who understands the needs of the sport we practice. Today we know that …

Exercise has become one of the main variables that determine the current and future health status of the population (1, 2). In the same way, nutrition is presented as a key in the longevity process and in the physical and metabolic well-being of our society (3, 4). This “new” science aims to analyze the effect …

It is common to temporarily suffer from muscle cramps during exercise for professional athletes, at the end of exercise or at any other time of the day. It is generally assumed to be normal due to exertion or simply not given any importance, but what if they are a sign that you are not doing …

Caffeine is one of the most useful and possibly underrated supplements for any type of professional or hobby athlete. The activation effect that we achieve through simple coffee is well known, but do you know the differences between coffee and caffeine supplementation? Do you know the moderate use of caffeine by athletes? Do you know …

In recent years, dietary trends, and research have been directed towards the practice of fasting as an essential strategy for the search for health and also for performance. We know that fasting is a tool that, when used well, can help in a multitude of situations but that when seeking to improve performance, most of …