Tag: sports technology

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Dynamic compression: even better than compression socks?

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My new Sweat Science columns are being published at www.outsideonline.com/sweatscience. Also check out my new book, THE EXPLORER'S GENE: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, published in March 2025.

- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)

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normatecBack in April, when I wrote a Jockology column on compression garments, I was surprised to find out that there’s pretty good evidence that these things can actually work. “Graduated” compression socks, for instance, squeeze tightest at the bottom of the leg and gradually loosen, forcing blood back towards the heart. But regular socks have nothing on these super-fancy recovery boots that U.S. marathoner superstar Ryan Hall is now using. The picture to the right was posted on Twitter by Hall’s wife earlier this month after they started using NormaTec MVP compression boots, in this case to help recover after a long tempo run.

Basically, these things squeeze the legs with a “peristaltic pulse” that moves from the bottom of the leg towards the top, pushing blood back towards the heart. The makers refer to it as “dynamic compression” instead of the “static compression” offered by simple leggings. The idea sounds reasonable — if you believe in compression socks, then it seems like these might do the job better.

But is there any evidence, or research into how well they work? I couldn’t find any in a quick search, but I’ve e-mailed the company to see if they have anything to offer. I’ll report back when I hear from them.

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Do you have the exercise gene?

THANK YOU FOR VISITING SWEATSCIENCE.COM!

My new Sweat Science columns are being published at www.outsideonline.com/sweatscience. Also check out my new book, THE EXPLORER'S GENE: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, published in March 2025.

- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)

***

Last fall, there was a flurry of excitement about the tests being offered by Atlas Sports Genetics, which promised to determine whether you had a predisposition to strength or endurance sports depending on the presence of a variant in the ACTN3 gene. Overbearing parents of young toddlers rushed to sign up.

In a similar vein, it’s now well established that the desire to exercise — the seemingly personal choices we make about whether to spend our leisure hours playing violin or simulating stairclimbing on a machine at the gym — depends to a significant degree on genetic factors. In fact, a 2006 study of more than 85,000 adult twins from seven different countries found that between 48% and 71% of the variance in exercise behaviour is explained by genetic factors.

“So what’s the gene,” you ask, “and do I have it?”

Well, you’re in luck: a new study has been accepted for publication in a future issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, titled “Genome-Wide Association Study of Exercise Behavior in Dutch and American Adults.” They did find genetic linkages, and here they are: Continue reading “Do you have the exercise gene?”

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Jockology: Will active video games like Wii tennis get me fit?

THANK YOU FOR VISITING SWEATSCIENCE.COM!

My new Sweat Science columns are being published at www.outsideonline.com/sweatscience. Also check out my new book, THE EXPLORER'S GENE: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, published in March 2025.

- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)

***

The most recent Jockology column came out last Thursday, while I was hiking in the desert. It appeared as part of a back-to-school package aimed at the health concerns of school-age children, so I decided to tackle active video games, or “exergaming,” as it’s sometimes referred to.

The question

Will “active” video games keep my kid fit during the school year?

The answer

This is a question that has launched dozens of studies since the release of Nintendo’s Wii gaming system in late 2006, and the results of those studies are finally beginning to appear in peer-reviewed journals.

Researchers around the world now agree that “exer-gaming” does burn significantly more calories than traditional video games – but that’s not saying a lot. The real question is whether they burn enough to improve health and fitness outcomes, and the answer here is still up for debate. [read on…]

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Watching TV makes you slack during your workout

THANK YOU FOR VISITING SWEATSCIENCE.COM!

My new Sweat Science columns are being published at www.outsideonline.com/sweatscience. Also check out my new book, THE EXPLORER'S GENE: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, published in March 2025.

- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)

***

Good article in the Toronto Star by Paola Loriggio about the trend towards high-tech gyms. For example: the Gold’s Gym in London, Ont. that just opened one of the country’s first “cardio gyms,” where users can watch cinema-sized screens in a dark room while sweating on their cardio machines. She lists some pros and cons; most interesting to me is the following:

There’s a reason workouts seem easier when you’re watching TV – it’s because they are.

Researchers at Elon University in North Carolina studied the effects of various distractions on exercisers, and found those watching television didn’t work as hard as those listening to music, or toiling in silence.

“They were working at a very, very low intensity,” says Paul Miller, one of the researchers involved in the study, performed in 2005-2006 and slated for publication later this year.

“I think they got so engrossed, they didn’t pay attention to physical cues.”

Music, in contrast, apparently helps people push harder. I’ve often wondered about this. I suppose if you were running on a treadmill, and knew in advance what pace you wanted to run, you could just set the treadmill at that pace and it wouldn’t let you slack. Still, it’s food for thought.

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VO2max (and lactate threshold) testing: what is it and why get it?

THANK YOU FOR VISITING SWEATSCIENCE.COM!

My new Sweat Science columns are being published at www.outsideonline.com/sweatscience. Also check out my new book, THE EXPLORER'S GENE: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, published in March 2025.

- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)

***

This week’s Jockology column in the Globe and Mail compares the benefits of VO2max and lactate threshold testing:

The question

What is VO2max and should I have mine tested?

The answer

VO2max is a term that surfaces whenever feats of great endurance are in the news, such as the gruelling Tour de France that wrapped up last weekend. It refers to “maximum oxygen uptake,” the amount of oxygen you’re able to deliver to your muscles when you’re exercising at your hardest.[read on…]

I’ve been tested a couple of times, once as part of an exercise physiology study and once purely for interest because a friend of mine, Dr. Gerald Zavorsky, offered to test me. But I’m not sure how many people take advantage of the commercial services offering testing. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who’s done it — why they did it, what they got out of it and so on.