James Rutherford

Pre-season energy expenditure of professional football players ⚽️🔥 This new study investigated energy expenditure of pro football players across a 14-day preseason period using doubly labelled water 🔍 Which encompassed a… 🥅 Training only week 🏆 Training + match week Here is what they found ⬇️ Average energy expenditure values across the full 14-day period were… 🔥 Total energy expenditure = 3167 ± 313 kcal/day 🫀 Resting energy expenditure = 1902 ± 213 kcal/day ⚽️ Active energy expenditure = 1004 ± 246 kcal/day 📊 Physical activity level was therefore 1.67 For dietary intake across this period, players consumed on average… 🍽️ Total energy intake = 2617 ± 363 kcal/day 🍞 Carbohydrate = 2.8 ± 0.6 g/day 🍖 Protein = 2.2 ± 0.4 g/day 🥑 Fat = 1.5 ± 0.4 g/day Total energy expenditure and dietary intake was not significantly different between training-only and training+match weeks ❌ Professional football players likely do not achieve energy balance or consume enough carbohydrates 🪫 The more data I see alongside personal experience working with pro athletes, the more I think that the vast majority are chronically underfuelling and over consuming protein 🚨 So much athletic potential and health is left out on the table due to this issue ‼️

Introducing Hannah Spencer MP 💚

Spotted outside Old Trafford 👀

WELL-TRAINED PARTICIPANTS WANTED🚨 Could insects be an alternative protein source for building muscle?💪🏻 We’re looking for well-trained people to take part in a study investigating the muscle building potential of cricket protein🦗compared to whey protein🥛Get involved🤘🏻

Pump is a feeling. Strength is real. 🔬Current evidence shows that muscle hypertrophy is driven primarily by mechanical tension, not by the ”pump” or metabolic stress per se. 👉Getting stronger in compound lifts = progressive overload = muscle growth pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41276164/

@ManUtd Bring Ole back. We played the most attacking football and made the best progress since Sir Alex - consecutive top 4 finishes for the only time, Premier League unbeaten away record, European final. Yet that wasn’t deemed good enough, which is ridiculous in hindsight. #MUFC

Club statement: Ruben Amorim.

Progressive overload is not optional—it’s fundamental. 👉To gain strength and muscle, training must systematically increase demands over time (load, reps, or volume). 👉Doing the same workout = maintaining the same results. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/

🔬A systematic review & meta-analysis shows that one resistance-training session can deplete ~25–40% of muscle glycogen. 👉Depletion is greater with more sets and longer sessions, but lower with heavier loads. physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.14814/p…

Tomorrow the Government is expected to announce its long-awaited strategy for tackling violence against women and girls. Here's what we'll be looking for: Funding for local services Investment in prevention Extension of support to all women Measure impact to ensure plan works

@ManUtd Speechless. The way we dominated in the first half, the game should have been gone from Bournemouth before their first goal. For a system with five at the back when we’re defending, we can’t stop conceding goals for love nor money. We can’t continue like this #MUFC

Wolves have lost seven games on the bounce and haven’t won a premier league match for 226 days. If Amorim fails to get a win tonight then he has to go! If he sticks to his tactics, don’t be surprised if Wolves suddenly turn on the tiki-taka and morph into prime Barcelona #ManUtd

"If you have got on a small boat ... you are risking your life. There's no real deterrent from that." When we sat down with Zack Polanski, he called Labour's immigration reforms "disgusting."

🏋️Resistance exercise increases muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in a dose-dependent manner up to ~60–90% 1RM 👉but older adults show clear anabolic resistance with blunted MPS and signaling💪👵 physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111…

@ManUtd Awful again. Losing at home against a side playing with 10 men for 75 minutes is unforgivable! Continuing to play 5 at the back against 10 men is just ridiculous from Amorim. His system is so poor it doesn’t even work when we have an extra player on the pitch.

📉New 47-year longitudinal study shows that physical capacity peaks at ~26–36 years and then declines by 30–48% by age 63. 👉The good news? Individuals who stay active throughout life maintain better strength, endurance & VO₂max than those who don’t. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41243424/

Post-exercise recovery strategies for football ⚽️ This new systematic review compiled data from 41 randomised controlled trials to establish the best recovery strategies for football players 📚 Here are the key strategies ⬇️ COLD-WATER IMMERSION 💧 🧊 Immerse in 10–15 °C water for 10–15 min within 1 h post-training or match 🗓️ Can be repeated on following days CONTRAST-WATER IMMERSION ♨️ 💦 Alternate 1–2 min of hot water (36–40 °C) and 1 min of cold water (10–15 °C) for a total of 6–15 min ⏱️ Start within 1 h post-session ACTIVE RECOVERY 🚴‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ Perform 10–20 min of low-intensity cycling or running combined with dynamic stretching ⏰ Commence ~24 hr after training or match BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION 🩸 💪 Apply 3 cycles of 5 min occlusion (50 mmHg above systolic blood pressure) with 5 min reperfusion using thigh cuffs while supine FOAM ROLLING ⚙️ 🦵 Roll quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, and calves for 45 s each leg starting distally ⏳ Within 1 h post-match; can be repeated later STATIC STRETCHING 🤸‍♂️ 🧘‍♂️ Hold 30 s stretches for quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, and calves ⏱️ Within 30 min post-training WHOLE-BODY CRYOTHERAPY ❄️ 🧊 Expose the body to −135 °C to −180 °C for 120–180 s ⏱️ Within 1 h post-match; repeatable across recovery days MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION 🧠 💭 Perform 8 min total: 2 min mindful breathing → 4 min body scan → 2 min mindful breathing to enhance relaxation and focus DAYTIME NAP 😴 🛏️ Take a 40 min nap opportunity in the early afternoon to improve both physical and mental recovery PRE-SLEEP CASEIN CONSUMPTION 🥛 🧃 Consume 40 g of casein protein within 30 min before sleep to enhance overnight muscle repair BEETROOT JUICE 🫜 🥤 Drink 150 mL twice daily (morning and evening) to support performance recovery and reduce soreness CURCUMIN SUPPLEMENTATION 🫚 💊 Consume 500 mg of curcumin ⏱️ within 1 h post-training or match to reduce muscle soreness and inflammation Although this review outlines a variety of recovery strategies, all may not be appropriate given match demands, resources and preferences 📊 Recovery strategies should be individualised based on the above in conjunction with players and coaches to maximise buy-in and effectiveness ✅ Reference: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41150478/ Subscribe to Performance Nutrition Digest FREE to receive your daily study breakdown, straight to your inbox or via the Substack app 📥 performancenutritiondigest.com Performance Nutrition Digest is powered by Healthspan Elite⚡️ healthspanelite.co.uk

Super proud of this : 120 g/h improves whole body CHO metabolism, exogenous CHO oxidation and running economy in male elite marathoners! Congrats to @SamanvitaRavik1, co-authors @pugh_jamie @AndyBeetroot funders @ScienceinSport @LJMU @EnglandAthletic journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.115…

🧬 New meta-analysis (n=6,222) shows: men have larger & more type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers, women more type I (slow-twitch). Yes, genes shape your start — but training defines your strength. 💪 Compare yourself only to yesterday’s you pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41178056/

Post-exercise home-based hot bathing enhances strength gains 🌡️ In this new study, 43 healthy young men were assigned to either of the following post-exercise conditions… 🚿 shower (no hot-bathing) 🛁 hot-bathing (40℃) 🛁🏋️ hot-bathing + light-exercise 🚿🏋️ shower + light-exercise Participants also completed five sessions of isometric knee-extension training at 75% MVC over two weeks 🗓️ Here is what they found ⬇️ Compared with showering (control), hot-bathing produced… 📈 Greater max voluntary muscle contraction gains 📉 Mitigated peripheral muscle fatigue Adding light-exercise to hot-bathing did not further improve strength or peripheral/central conditions ❌ Home-based hot water bathing enhances muscle strength gains and helps reduce muscular fatigue 💪 This presents a practical strategy to support athletic performance and adaptations to training ✅ Reference: link.springer.com/article/10.100… Subscribe to Performance Nutrition Digest FREE to receive your daily study breakdown, straight to your inbox or via the Substack app 📥 performancenutritiondigest.com Performance Nutrition Digest is powered by Healthspan Elite⚡️ healthspanelite.co.uk

Reminder: Here's what Nigel Farage tried to take away from you this week...