When heat is on, handle it right
By Craig Horswill, Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Between the handball court and the showers, players often detour to the sauna, steam room or whirlpool to relax.

For some players, such facilities hold a mystique for healing the battered body. For others, these “hot boxes” are merely a source of voluntary torture.

Before stepping into such a hot environment, it is wise to know what is true and false about the effects of getting passively heated up.

Simply sitting in the sauna or steam room will not translate into acclimated condition for exercise in the summer.

Benefits … or not

Several physiological benefits have been attributed to sitting in a sauna, whirlpool or steam room. They include:

• An increase in metabolic rate.
• Cleansing of the pores.
• Burning of body fat.
• Purifying the body.

  For the most part, this is nonsense, though metabolic rate might rise slightly. Typical responses of our bodies to hot temperature include increasing the heart rate and increasing the blood flow to the skin. Also, there may be a small decrease in blood pressure. With these responses come a slight increase in the rate of resting energy expenditure, but only burning fat stored in the body.

  If one remains in the sauna for a long period, substantial sweat can be lost. Contrary to popular belief, sweating does not “purify” the body of contaminants. Rather it is the liver and kidneys that do the dirty work.

  The only purpose for sweating is to cool the body. In situations where the sweat rolls off the body without evaporating, such as in the steam room or the whirlpool, no evaporation takes place. So the body continues to sweat and eventually becomes dehydrated from the loss of water. Significant amounts of sodium also can be lost.

  Dehydration and sodium loss in a hot environment can lead to muscle cramps and heat illness. Such effects of the “hot box” alone are probably unlikely, though, since most handball players are sufficiently sane to leave the sauna or whirlpool well before this point.

  Nevertheless, when one combines a couple of drenching handball games with a post-workout sauna, dehydration and electrolyte losses could be substantial.

  A couple of other hypothetical benefits of the sauna are to assist in the warmup before a match and to help acclimate the body for exercise in upcoming warmer seasons.

  The process of warming up before exercising needs to occur internally–heat generated by the muscle with easy activities–and not externally–sitting in the sauna. A warmup in the sauna is effective only if the person performs stretching and calisthenics while in the sauna.

  Most would agree that sitting in the sauna or whirlpool provides some relaxation. The whirlpool is the most penetrating and may help tense muscles to relax. Whirlpool treatments have been used effectively for soft-tissue injuries. The heat and whirlpool action of the water may help blood flow to the site of damage, and the weightlessness may bring a brief relief to the injured limb.

  Whirlpool applications should be used under the guidance of an athletic trainer, physical therapist or physician. It is best for the handball player to consult with his or her personal doctor in using such a treatment for a sports injury.

   

An increase in metabolic rate.

• Cleansing of the pores.
• Burning of body fat.
• Purifying the body.

  For the most part, this is nonsense, though metabolic rate might rise slightly. Typical responses of our bodies to hot temperature include increasing the heart rate and increasing the blood flow to the skin. Also, there may be a small decrease in blood pressure. With these responses come a slight increase in the rate of resting energy expenditure, but only burning fat stored in the body.

  If one remains in the sauna for a long period, substantial sweat can be lost. Contrary to popular belief, sweating does not “purify” the body of contaminants. Rather it is the liver and kidneys that do the dirty work.

  The only purpose for sweating is to cool the body. In situations where the sweat rolls off the body without evaporating, such as in the steam room or the whirlpool, no evaporation takes place. So the body continues to sweat and eventually becomes dehydrated from the loss of water. Significant amounts of sodium also can be lost.

  Dehydration and sodium loss in a hot environment can lead to muscle cramps and heat illness. Such effects of the “hot box” alone are probably unlikely, though, since most handball players are sufficiently sane to leave the sauna or whirlpool well before this point.

  Nevertheless, when one combines a couple of drenching handball games with a post-workout sauna, dehydration and electrolyte losses could be substantial.

  A couple of other hypothetical benefits of the sauna are to assist in the warmup before a match and to help acclimate the body for exercise in upcoming warmer seasons.

  The process of warming up before exercising needs to occur internally–heat generated by the muscle with easy activities–and not externally–sitting in the sauna. A warmup in the sauna is effective only if the person performs stretching and calisthenics while in the sauna.

  Most would agree that sitting in the sauna or whirlpool provides some relaxation. The whirlpool is the most penetrating and may help tense muscles to relax. Whirlpool treatments have been used effectively for soft-tissue injuries. The heat and whirlpool action of the water may help blood flow to the site of damage, and the weightlessness may bring a brief relief to the injured limb.

  Whirlpool applications should be used under the guidance of an athletic trainer, physical therapist or physician. It is best for the handball player to consult with his or her personal doctor in using such a treatment for a sports injury.

   

For the most part, this is nonsense, though metabolic rate might rise slightly. Typical responses of our bodies to hot temperature include increasing the heart rate and increasing the blood flow to the skin. Also, there may be a small decrease in blood pressure. With these responses come a slight increase in the rate of resting energy expenditure, but only burning fat stored in the body.

If one remains in the sauna for a long period, substantial sweat can be lost. Contrary to popular belief, sweating does not “purify” the body of contaminants. Rather it is the liver and kidneys that do the dirty work.

The only purpose for sweating is to cool the body. In situations where the sweat rolls off the body without evaporating, such as in the steam room or the whirlpool, no evaporation takes place. So the body continues to sweat and eventually becomes dehydrated from the loss of water. Significant amounts of sodium also can be lost.

Dehydration and sodium loss in a hot environment can lead to muscle cramps and heat illness. Such effects of the “hot box” alone are probably unlikely, though, since most handball players are sufficiently sane to leave the sauna or whirlpool well before this point.

Nevertheless, when one combines a couple of drenching handball games with a post-workout sauna, dehydration and electrolyte losses could be substantial.

A couple of other hypothetical benefits of the sauna are to assist in the warmup before a match and to help acclimate the body for exercise in upcoming warmer seasons.

The process of warming up before exercising needs to occur internally–heat generated by the muscle with easy activities–and not externally–sitting in the sauna. A warmup in the sauna is effective only if the person performs stretching and calisthenics while in the sauna.

Most would agree that sitting in the sauna or whirlpool provides some relaxation. The whirlpool is the most penetrating and may help tense muscles to relax. Whirlpool treatments have been used effectively for soft-tissue injuries. The heat and whirlpool action of the water may help blood flow to the site of damage, and the weightlessness may bring a brief relief to the injured limb.

Whirlpool applications should be used under the guidance of an athletic trainer, physical therapist or physician. It is best for the handball player to consult with his or her personal doctor in using such a treatment for a sports injury.

Recovery after the recovery

Because sweating continues after leaving the sauna or whirlpool, the athlete will want to allow some time before changing into street clothes.

Of greater concern, standing in a shower can be stressful to the body, such as causing lightheadedness or dizziness, after spending tune in the sauna or whirlpool. It is a good idea to move around and cool off before entering the shower.

Fluids lost during sweating will need to be replaced. The drop in body weight detected between the beginning of a workout and the end of the sauna session is almost exclusively water lost from blood and muscle. The weight change is unrelated to fat reduction.

Fluid consumption should start even before the workout or sauna session is finished. For the most rapid recovery, a sports drink that contains glucose and sodium is advisable.

Most important, the player needs to replace the body fluids before the next workout or session in a “hot box.” If not, the player will begin the next exercise session in a dehydrated state, which increases the risk of suffering a poor game due to fatigue or, far worse, any injury from heat illness.

A word of caution

For most individuals, taking a sauna, steam or whirlpool offers only minor health risks. However, everyone is advised not to lie down in a sauna or steam room because of the low blood pressure and lightheadedness that can be experienced when the person later sits or stands.

Anyone with blood-pressure problems or vascular diseases is advised against using such facilities until they have received clearance from their personal physician.

Craig Horswill is a scientist in the Gatorade Exercise Physiology Laboratory.

For more information on health-related subjects, visit the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Web site at www.gssiweb.org.

Core of the matter: It’s best to add strength
Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Training your core muscles will optimize your court performance.

Strengthening your body’s core is essential for top athletic performance. Many of the major muscles of your shoulders, arms and legs are attached to the pelvic bones or the spine, which constitute the core.

If your trunk muscles are well conditioned, you will enjoy optimal transfer of energy from large to small muscles when you sprint, twist, lift, jump, throw and perform other movements. Moreover, if the core is well trained, you are less likely to be injured in training or competition.

What’s the best way to strengthen your core? Here are some tips recommended by strength coaches and other training experts:

• Perform core training at the beginning of each workout, and make certain that you select exercises that are safe but challenging to your nerves, muscles and bones.
• Begin your core training with simple traditional exercises–abdominal crunches, back extensions, squat lifts, dead lifts, leg presses, lunges, leg raises, bridging exercises, pull-ups and pull-downs–that stress the core muscles.
• As you improve, progress to more complex exercises that more closely mimic the specific dynamic movements required in handball. Training with partners who provide unpredictable resistance in varying directions at varying speed helps train both your muscles and your nervous system to react quickly to changing environments.
• In the early stages of your training, perform the exercises at controlled rates with light to moderate resistance. This helps build up your muscles and joints so you will be less susceptible to injury. Later, you should progress to more explosive movements against heavier loads, similar to those you might encounter during competition.
• Vary the movements and types of resistance that must be overcome. This will reduce boredom and risk of injury and will help you stick to your training regimen.
• Always perform your exercises exactly as they are meant to be performed and establish proper body balance while doing so. This will not only enable you to get the most out of your training, it will also help minimize your risk of injury.
• Consider performing some of your exercises on unstable surfaces, such as foam mats or balance boards, to improve your body’s ability to achieve stability and balance in changing environments.
• Consider performing trunk rotations and trunk flexions or extensions with medicine balls and using rubber-band devices as resistance tools. This may more closely mimic the changing resistances you encounter in handball compared to using dumbbells and barbells.
• Don’t exercise one body part to the exclusion of others. In other words, spend as much time training the muscles of your back as you do the muscles of your abdomen. Otherwise, you are less likely to achieve optimal stability of your spine and pelvis, and you are more likely to be injured because of an imbalance of muscle strength.
• Improve the flexibility of your trunk and hips. Increasing your flexibility will help extend the range over which you can perform your movements and may decrease your chances of being injured.
• Be consistent in your training. If you stick with your training plan, you are much more likely to achieve success than if you train erratically.

Perform core training at the beginning of each workout, and make certain that you select exercises that are safe but challenging to your nerves, muscles and bones.

• Begin your core training with simple traditional exercises–abdominal crunches, back extensions, squat lifts, dead lifts, leg presses, lunges, leg raises, bridging exercises, pull-ups and pull-downs–that stress the core muscles.
• As you improve, progress to more complex exercises that more closely mimic the specific dynamic movements required in handball. Training with partners who provide unpredictable resistance in varying directions at varying speed helps train both your muscles and your nervous system to react quickly to changing environments.
• In the early stages of your training, perform the exercises at controlled rates with light to moderate resistance. This helps build up your muscles and joints so you will be less susceptible to injury. Later, you should progress to more explosive movements against heavier loads, similar to those you might encounter during competition.
• Vary the movements and types of resistance that must be overcome. This will reduce boredom and risk of injury and will help you stick to your training regimen.
• Always perform your exercises exactly as they are meant to be performed and establish proper body balance while doing so. This will not only enable you to get the most out of your training, it will also help minimize your risk of injury.
• Consider performing some of your exercises on unstable surfaces, such as foam mats or balance boards, to improve your body’s ability to achieve stability and balance in changing environments.
• Consider performing trunk rotations and trunk flexions or extensions with medicine balls and using rubber-band devices as resistance tools. This may more closely mimic the changing resistances you encounter in handball compared to using dumbbells and barbells.
• Don’t exercise one body part to the exclusion of others. In other words, spend as much time training the muscles of your back as you do the muscles of your abdomen. Otherwise, you are less likely to achieve optimal stability of your spine and pelvis, and you are more likely to be injured because of an imbalance of muscle strength.
• Improve the flexibility of your trunk and hips. Increasing your flexibility will help extend the range over which you can perform your movements and may decrease your chances of being injured.
• Be consistent in your training. If you stick with your training plan, you are much more likely to achieve success than if you train erratically.

For more information on health-related issues, visit the Gatorade Sports Science Institute at gssiweb.com

Beware! Overtraining might make you sick
By David C. Nieman

Be sure to exercise the proper amount so problems don’t arise on the court.

 A common perception exists that overtraining or participation in lengthy endurance sports such as handball will cause athletes to become ill.

In fact, results from a survey conducted by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute show that nearly 90 percent of 2,700 high school and collegiate coaches and athletic trainers believe that overtraining can compromise the immune system and make athletes sick.

Can too much exercise really make you ill? A study conducted at the Los Angeles Marathon reveals that this may be the case. Results show that:

• One of seven runners who participated in the event got sick after it was over.
• Runners training more than 60 miles a week during the two months before the race doubled their odds for sickness compared to those training less than 20 miles a week.

One of seven runners who participated in the event got sick after it was over.

• Runners training more than 60 miles a week during the two months before the race doubled their odds for sickness compared to those training less than 20 miles a week.

But regular moderate training also appears to provide protection against colds. Eighty percent of fitness enthusiasts, for instance, reported in a recent survey that they have fewer colds than inactive people.

So what are you to think?

Although moderate exercise may help protect athletes from sickness, training for too long at too high an intensity appears to make athletes more susceptible to illness.

Laboratory research shows that athletes exercising at a high intensity for 90 minutes or more experience a steep drop in immune function that can last up to 24 hours. The drop in immune function appears to be caused by the elevation of stress hormones released during and following heavy exertion. This is what exercise immunologists believe allows viruses already in the body to spread and gain a foothold.

Here are some exercise guidelines to follow if you get sick:

• If the symptoms are from the neck up, such as nasal congestion from the common cold, moderate exercise should be acceptable.
• When symptoms are spread throughout the body, such as a fever, chills or muscle aches associated with the flu, the safest approach is to avoid all exercise until the symptoms are completely gone. At that point, a slow return to a normal exercise routine should be followed.
• Never attempt to “sweat out” a feverish illness with intense exercise. Exercising when sick sometimes can lead to a severely debilitating condition known as post-viral fatigue syndrome. Symptoms include weakness, increased fatigue, frequent infections and depression and can persist for several months or even years.

If the symptoms are from the neck up, such as nasal congestion from the common cold, moderate exercise should be acceptable.

• When symptoms are spread throughout the body, such as a fever, chills or muscle aches associated with the flu, the safest approach is to avoid all exercise until the symptoms are completely gone. At that point, a slow return to a normal exercise routine should be followed.
• Never attempt to “sweat out” a feverish illness with intense exercise. Exercising when sick sometimes can lead to a severely debilitating condition known as post-viral fatigue syndrome. Symptoms include weakness, increased fatigue, frequent infections and depression and can persist for several months or even years.

Based on current knowledge, good immune function can be maintained by eating a well-balanced diet, drinking plenty of fluids, keeping life stresses to a minimum, getting adequate sleep, training at the appropriate intensity levels and allowing enough time for recovery from exercise.

While some players have robust immune systems that can handle substantial training workloads, others may break down at much lower levels. You should find your own training threshold and avoid pushing into the zone of immune suppression and increased rates of sickness.

David C. Nieman, Dr. P.H., is a professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science and the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

For more on health-related topics, visit www.gssiweb.com, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute’s Web site.

Here’s how to understand carbohydrates
By Mitchell Kanter

Carbohydrates are essential nutrients for players engaging in tournament matches.

In spite of efforts to make food labels more understandable, label reading can still be an intimidating venture.

In the case of carbohydrates, for example, it sometimes seems that you need a doctorate in nutritional biochemistry to decipher the ingredients of a product.

Terms such as corn syrup solids, maltodextrins, high-fructose corn syrup and monosaccharides can make your head spin if you’re not versed in the terminology.

So here’s a brief primer on carbohydrate types and characteristics that can make label reading easier.

Sugar is the leading food additive in the world. It not only serves as a sweetener. It also acts as a tenderizing agent in baked goods, prevents spoilage of products as diverse as jams, jellies and cured meats, and provides structure and texture to sweets.

When most people think of sugar, they think of the white crystalline product we keep in a bowl at home. In fact, there are many substances that are as sweet as or sweeter than table sugar that are commonly used as sugar substitutes by food manufacturers.

Glucose is a monosaccharide (other monosaccharides are fructose and galactose). It often is referred to as grape sugar or dextrose. Glucose is not especially sweet tasting, but it is absorbed rapidly and can be an excellent source of quick energy.

Fructose, on the other hand, is the sweetest of the sugars, but it is absorbed and converted to glucose relatively slowly.

Galactose is of limited importance nutritionally, but it does serve as part of the structure of lactose.

Sucrose, also known as table sugar, is a disaccharide. It is composed of two monosaccharides–glucose and fructose. Sucrose is produced commercially from the juice extracted from sugar cane or beets. When sucrose is eaten, enzymes in the intestine break it down to glucose and fructose. The fructose is eventually converted to glucose in the liver as well .

Additional disaccharides are lactose and maltose.

Lactose is the principal carbohydrate found in milk. An inability to digest lactose, often referred to as lactose intolerance, occurs in many adults. Lactose intolerance is brought about by the failure to produce the enzyme necessary to break down lactose. Symptoms include nausea and diarrhea after ingestion of milk or milk products.

Maltose is not widely present in the foods we eat. It occurs in nature briefly in growing plants and in the malt found in beer.

Corn syrup is manufactured by the enzymatic breakdown of corn starch. The final composition of corn syrup varies depending on the amount of enzymatic breakdown that occurs.

Because fructose is sweeter than sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup has become a popular industrial sweetener. HFCS allows the quantity of sweetener used, and thus the calories and cost of the product, to be lower. HFCS is produced in a manner similar to that of corn syrup; that is, corn starch liquefied and treated with enzymes to produce glucose syrup. Some of the glucose, in turn, is treated with enzymes to produce fructose. The resulting product contains between 42 percent and 90 percent fructose. Most commercial HFCS is either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose. The remainder is glucose.

Maltodextrins also are derivatives of corn starch breakdown. Their chain lengths vary but generally range from three to 20 glucose units in length. By comparison, a typical starch molecule, such as those found in a potato or rice, may contain from 300 to 1,000 or more glucose units strung together.

By convention, most nutritional scientists consider polysaccharides (or complex carbohydrates) to be sugars containing more than 10 monosaccharide units. Therefore, terming maltodextrins “complex carbohydrates” can be misleading. Chemically speaking, maltodextrins are much closer in structure to short-chain, or simple, carbohydrates than they are to longer-chain complex carbohydrates.

Employing this knowledge can make nutrition label reading a bit easier and help make you a more educated consumer.

Mitchell Kanter, PhD, is a senior research scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

For more information on health-related topics, please visit the

Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Web site at www.gssiweb.com.

Sorry to break the news: Step away from the bar
By Jacqueline R. Berning

If it’s water instead of beer in that cup, this hefty fellow will be a lot better off.

 In the early 1900s, marathon runners were given brandy during races. Like strychnine, a deadly poison, alcohol was thought to enhance physical performance.

Even today, some athletes believe that small doses of alcohol will aid their athletic performance by reducing tension and enhancing self-confidence.

Unfortunately, many are poorly informed about the effects of alcohol.

Due to quick absorption and fairly high energy content, alcohol has been viewed as a potential work-enhancing agent. In fact, just the opposite is true.

Alcohol can diminish physiological functions needed in sports. In one study, nine healthy men from 21 to 26 drank in one hour the legal limit for driving in most states. The result was a depression in contractions by their left ventricles.

In other words, it was harder for the heart to get blood and oxygen out to the rest of the body. The researchers concluded that alcohol was toxic to the heart, even in young, healthy adults.

Alcohol also slows the respiratory rate; it is classified as a depressant. And this is just the opposite effect that the athlete really wants.

The American College of Sports Medicine has a position statement regarding the use of alcohol in sports. The two key points in the statement are:

• Consuming a large amount of alcohol at one time can limit skills that require reaction time, balance, accuracy and hand-eye coordination.
• Alcohol decreases strength, speed, power, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.

Consuming a large amount of alcohol at one time can limit skills that require reaction time, balance, accuracy and hand-eye coordination.

• Alcohol decreases strength, speed, power, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.

In the exercise recovery phase, alcohol has been found to interfere with loading of carbohydrates in muscles and to lengthen the recovery and rehabilitation period from injury.

In short, drinking alcohol will decrease an athlete’s ability to train and play hard.

Some athletes mistakenly believe that they can load up on carbohydrates by drinking beer. But a 12-ounce beer provides 16 grams of carbohydrate. This is less than the amount found in some sports beverages and about one-third of that found in 12 ounces of fruit juice.

While beer may serve as a beverage during social functions, it and other alcoholic drinks don’t serve the purpose of a carbohydrate-loading drink during the preparation for sports competition.

A major source of energy found in beer is alcohol, which is not found in juices or sports drinks. The truth is that although alcohol is absorbed quickly, the energy from alcohol is obtained slowly when it is metabolized in the liver, not in the muscles. So the net effect is that not much advantage is gained.

For muscle energy, alcohol contributes little or nothing. And in general, alcohol is burned at a slow rate, whether one is sprinting or passed out on the floor.

Because alcohol stimulates the kidneys to produce urine, alcohol consumption can make the body lose fluids and become dehydrated.

For example, alcohol can produce a 3 percent loss of body weight (as fluid loss) within four hours of consumption. Such dehydration has a negative effect on performance, particularly endurance, and increases the risk of heat illness during exercise.

A major concern with alcohol consumption in certain groups of athletes is not only the amount of alcohol consumed, but also the drinking pattern.

Binge drinking is periodically consuming large amounts of alcohol. This most commonly happens on weekends or after big competitions.

One option available for athletes of legal age who like to celebrate after competition is to choose non-alcoholic beverages. For those who enjoy champagne or beer, sparkling ciders and non-alcoholic beers have become popular. Instead of drinking a cocktail, an athlete could drink tomato juice with a slice of lime and a stalk of celery, or sparkling water with a twist.

Most athletes who consume alcohol believe that once the “high” is over, so are the effects of alcohol on the body. But alcohol’s adverse effects linger long after its blood concentration has fallen to zero.

Reaction time, balance, power, coordination, strength and speed are a few of the physical capacities that remain compromised the morning after a night of drinking, even when the drinking is moderate. Alcohol also interferes with a multitude of chemical and hormonal reactions in the body.

Understanding that alcohol is a metabolic poison that can hinder performance hopefully will deter athletes from drinking and harming their performance.

Jacqueline Berning, PhD, R.D., is an associate professor of biology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

For more information on health-related topics, please visit the Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Web site at www.gssiweb.com.

Low-carb, high-risk? Be sure diet is a match for your handball needs [pdf]
by Edward F. Coyle

Putting fitness first: Ensure you’re eating the right foods [pdf]
From Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Kids at play: Risks and rewards [pdf]
By Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Keeping the rotator cuff free and easy [pdf]
By Jeff Tanji

Recognize benefits of carbohydrate intake [pdf]
By Chris Rosenbloom