In this month's AISTS Sports Medicine podcast Joana Cal and Michael Broadley discuss Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome (UPS) in endurance athletes.  Namely, what is it and why does it occur? To do this, they kick off with a short role-play to highlight symptoms of UPS before delivering more in-depth details on both the physiological manifestations and psychological aspects. From there, you can learn of how UPS differs from other forms of fatigue associated with endurance sport and how best to manage/heal from UPS.

What is Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome in Endurance Athletes?

With the International Olympic Committee as one of our founding members, the AISTS provides post-graduate Sport Management education, applied research and an engaging platform of connections. Discover the world of sports management through our exclusive podcasts focusing on Sports Medicine, featuring interviews with leading experts, professionals and academics.  

This podcast series was created by AISTS Head of Sports Medicine, Dr Boris Gojanavic (@DrSportSante) and are entirely scripted, recorded and produced by participants of the AISTS Master of Advanced Studies in Sport Administration and Technology programme (MAS).

Science

The episode discusses the connection between workload and injuries in professional football, particularly with the current fixture congestion in top European leagues as they try to complete the season on a tight schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inappropriate load management is considered a major risk factor for injuries in football as it increases the risk of acute and overuse injuries. However, exposure to load could allow the body to tolerate load, and training develops physical qualities that could be associated with a reduced risk of injury. The experts suggest that an ideal workload for athletes is a moving target, and it changes constantly based on multiple factors such as the phase of the season, training status, fitness, and fatigue levels. Load should be prescribed or recommended on an individual and flexible basis.

Workload and injuries in professional sports: what is the connection between them?

According to a study by Bernhard in 2019, eating a plant-based diet provides more antioxidants which help neutralize free radicals which are key to muscle fatigue, reduced athletic performance, and impaired recovery. Emilio Valdes and James Dominey from the AISTS MAS class of 2020 discuss about the plant based diet on athletes' performance

Plant based diet on athletes performance (does it really make the difference?)

This AISTS Sport Medicine podcast is created together with AISTS Class of 2020 Jia Choi and Won Lee during their studies at the AISTS MAS Sport Administration and Technology Programme.

Hanbang Medicine

This episode discusses the effectiveness of Cold Water Immersions on recovery post-exercise. This AISTS Sport Medicine podcast is created together with AISTS Class of 2020 Juan Lopez Salaberry and Eric Mackenzie, a former professional Australian football player to share his experience and knowledge about this topic.

Effectiveness of Cold Water Immersions on recovery post-exercise

This episode talks about what happens to individuals when they climb Mount Everest. Carolina Gillespie and Robert Sheppard speak about how the body copes with the climb and instructions to overcome Altitude Mountain Sickness.

What is Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome in Endurance Athletes?

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