Science
The research the BLOCKS assistant answers from: 1,118 studies and 81 guides, each graded for how strong the evidence is and who it was measured on, with a link to the original paper.
85 entries in Other sports
B+Systematic review of 9 studies: highly trained swimmers set intensity distribution by eventSprinters polarized/threshold, middle-distance threshold/pyramidal, long-distance pyramidal — within wave-like mesocycle periodizationGonzález-Ravé 2021BSimulated sprint XC skiing (16 national-level junior men): VO2peak and high-speed ability were the main determinants; VO2peak mattered more as the heats progressed to the final, and strength/power tests did not correlateTalsnes 2024BWorld-class female skiers beat national-class women on VO2peak (~10% DIA, ~7% DP) and 3-min test distance (6-7%), not on efficiencyAnd they trained ~120 h more over May-OctoberSandbakk 2016BTwelve weeks of twice-weekly heavy strength training on top of high-volume endurance training raised 1RM (pull-down +19%, half squat +12%), improved double-poling performance more than control, and raised skate-rollerski VO2max 7% in elite skiersNo interference, little thigh hypertrophyLosnegard 2011C+The world's most successful female XC skier trained 937 ± 25 h/yr in her five best years, 92% of endurance time at low intensity, after a 12-year non-linear build-upVery high volume, easy-dominated, with HIT rising toward the competition periodSolli 2017C+Elite skiers double-pole faster with higher peak pole force and rate of force development, driven by a stretch-shortening cycle in the upper bodyPre-activation before pole plant and a reflex-mediated burst 30–120 ms after it, especially in the tricepsLindinger 2009CTwelve lightweight rowers describe living with RED-S: calorie restriction to make weight brought disrupted sleep, poorer performance and recovery, menstrual dysfunction, injury and lasting psychosocial harmWeight-making culture needs prevention, not reactionGillbanks 2022BRowing injuries in one female NCAA Division I team: 52% of rowers injured over 5 years, 38% of them at the lower back, 23% ribs, 16% hip–groinAnd the literature is too heterogeneous to rank sites with confidenceTreloar 2022BRib stress fractures occur in 8.1–16.4% of elite rowers (2% university, 1% junior elite), 86% in ribs four to eightCase series tie them to amenorrhoea, low bone density or poor technique combined with volume increases; volume alone may matter less than those factorsMcDonnell 2011B+A previous episode of low back pain is the one risk factor significantly associated with rowing LBP (OR 2.65)Training volume, age, sex, BMI, level and years rowing were not, in a meta-analysis of 10 studies (2,082 rowers)Ze 2025A-Concurrent Endurance and Strength Training Not to Failure Optimizes Performance GainsIn trained rowers, moderate-volume lifting not to failure beat higher-volume to-failure lifting for upper-body strength, power and 20-min row powerIzquierdo-Gabarren 2010B+Strength testing and training of rowersBrief maximal-strength tests are reliable and track 2000-m ergometer time (r −0.54 to −0.68); strength training helped time trials in practice but not to statistical significance, and the best…Lawton 2011BYoung world-class rowers did 95% of rowing below 2 mmol/L lactate across a 37-week seasonA strongly low-intensity-dominated distribution that polarised further in the competition periodGuellich 2009B+Shoulder injury prevention in overhead athletesThree established risk factors (GIRD, rotator-cuff/external-rotator strength, scapular dyskinesis) drive a four-step science-based prevention approachCools 2015B+Systematic review of padel (33 studies): competition lactate stays in the aerobic-transition zone (peaks 2.40 mmol/L women, 3.38 men), HR max rises with level in men (155 → 170 → 189 bpm) but not women (~178), ~3000 m covered per matchA young, descriptive evidence base calling for individualised preparationMartín-Miguel 2024BElite squash is a high-intensity aerobic activity with heavy anaerobic involvement7 world-class players averaged 86% VO₂max, 92% HRmax and 8.3 mmol/L lactate across simulated games, with 70% effective playing timeGirard 2007C+Badminton is very-high-intensity intermittent7 s rallies, 15 s rests, 31% effective play, average HR above 90% HRmax; 60–70% aerobic / ~30% anaerobic (mostly alactic), plus lunge-jump and visual demandsPhomsoupha & Laffaye 2015C+Tennis is intermittent high-intensity on an aerobic basePoints average under 10 s at work:rest 1:3–1:5; condition speed/power/agility AND aerobic recovery capacity, not steady-state enduranceKovacs 2007B+Fingers are the most-injured site in climbing (52% of 911 injuries; pulleys most frequent, now more A4 than A2), shoulder second; almost all injuries UIAA grade 2 or lower; and 14 of 20 injured under-15s had an epiphyseal (growth-plate) fractureSchöffl 2021A-Strength training in climbing (12 controlled studies): positive effects on climbing performance, grip strength, upper-limb strength-endurance, max strength and powerBest trend is semi-specific, static + dynamic mixed, max-strength combined with hypertrophy or endurance workLanger 2022C+Climbing is metabolically submaximal but forearm-limited: HR rises disproportionately to VO₂, relative (not absolute) grip strength and REPEATED-isometric endurance separate climbersBoulder vs lead differ in max force/RFD vs strength-enduranceGiles 2013B+Hand/forearm strength & endurance, long hang times and low body fatNot a special body type — mark successful climbers; fingerboard and eccentric-concentric finger-flexor training push the red-point gradeSaul 2019C+Rapid weight-cutting in combat sportsPrevalent and risky; harm reduction = minimise acute dehydration, use the full post-weigh-in recovery window, individualise, and defer aggressive cuts to medical supervisionBarley 2019B+MMA / combat-sport success is marked by strength, power and ANAEROBIC qualitiesGreater aerobic power was generally NOT what separated higher- from lower-level fighters; grapplers and strikers differ in profileJames 2016C+The training–injury prevention paradox: high CHRONIC load protects; rapid load SPIKES predict injuryWith important later caveatsGabbett 2016B+Small-Sided Games are a valid conditioning modalityHIIT-level intensity plus technical/tactical training, tunable by player number, pitch area and coach encouragementHill-Haas 2011B+Determinants of functional-fitness (CrossFit) performance: no single predictorBody composition, strength, and competition experience dominateMeier 2023C+The cycle-to-run transition: running is metabolically "compromised" after prior locomotionThe transition-fatigue effectMillet & Vleck 2000AIntra-session exercise ORDER in concurrent training: strength-then-endurance protects lower-body dynamic strengthEddens 2018B+Physiological Profiles of Elite Judo AthletesA model of combat sports and conditioningFranchini 2011BHistorical Improvement in Speed Skating EconomyEconomy as a possible driverNoordhof 2016BRace Factors Affecting Performance Times in Elite Long-Track Speed SkatingNoordhof 2016B+On the Technique of Speed SkatingEnergy model and determinantsvan Ingen Schenau 1987B+Repeated-Sprint Ability (RSA) — Part I: Factors Contributing to FatigueGirard 2011B+Determinants of Flatwater Canoeing and Kayaking PerformanceSystematic search, narrative synthesisÁlvarez-Yates & García-García 2021BDouble-Poling vs G3 Skating — physiological & biomechanical differences in world-class skiersSandbakk 2014BGross Efficiency Distinguishes World-Class from National-Level Sprint SkiersSandbakk 2010B+Physiological Capacity and Training Routines of Elite Cross-Country SkiersApproaching upper limits of human enduranceSandbakk & Holmberg 2017BBrick effect: neuromuscular control & running economy after cyclingTier-dependentBonacci 2011B+Specific Aspects of Contemporary TriathlonPhysiological determinants & analysisBentley 2002