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Athletic training is often framed as ‘build your strengths and fix your weaknesses’. But in practice, athletes tend to overemphasise one side of this equation, either doubling down on what they are already good at, or endlessly working on weaknesses without improving the qualities that often actually drive their individual performance. A more useful framework comes from an unexpected place - 19th-century agriculture. Liebig’s Law of the Minimum explains how plant growth is li

Functional isometrics sit in a somewhat underexplored but increasingly relevant space within strength and conditioning and rehabilitation. They combine the high-force characteristics of maximal isometric contractions (discussed further in another of our blogs ‘Isometric Strength Training for Tendinopathy: A Practical and Physiological Perspective’), with partial ranges of motion, often incorporating brief joint movement into a stabilised, near-maximal loading context. In prac

Tendinopathy is one of the most persistent and performance limiting musculoskeletal issues in sport and general populations. It commonly affects the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon, and rotator cuff complex, and is characterised not simply by ‘inflammation’ but can also be characterised by a failed healing response involving tendon disorganisation, altered collagen structure, and pain-driven neuromuscular inhibition (Cook & Purdam, 2009; Rio et al., 2015). For athletes, tend

Sports Science is one of the most extensively researched areas within performance, yet it is also one of the most inconsistently researched in elite sport. Despite a large and growing body of peer-reviewed literature, the translation of research findings into meaningful changes in athlete behaviour and performance outcomes often lags behind scientific discovery. The gap between controlled laboratory studies and real-world application is a persistent issue in applied sport sci

Golf is often perceived as a low-intensity, skill-dominant sport with minimal physiological demand. As such, many team sport athletes may play this on their days off from training or even post-training. However, modern performance analysis has challenged this assumption, showing that competitive golf involves a substantial locomotor component, prolonged time-on-feet, and meaningful cumulative energy expenditure. Over 4–6 hours of play, golfers may walk 6–10 km depending on co

Ramadan is an Islamic holy month during which Muslims fast from dawn (Suhoor) until sunset (Iftar), abstaining from food, drink, and oral intake. For athletes competing or training during this period, this introduces a unique physiological and logistical challenge. In elite sport environments, where marginal gains are often decisive, Ramadan fasting creates an additional layer of complexity for practitioners responsible for maintaining performance, health, and recovery. The a

Cannabidiol (CBD) has rapidly transitioned from a niche cannabinoid compound into a widely discussed recovery and wellness product within elite sport. Marketed as a natural solution for pain, inflammation, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, CBD is now commonly used across professional environments ranging from football and rugby to endurance sport and combat disciplines. The growing visibility of CBD reflects a broader trend in elite sport, the search for legal, “natural,” and n

Professional collision sports such as rugby league, rugby union, American football, and rugby sevens place extraordinary physiological demands on athletes. Players are repeatedly exposed to high-speed running, intense accelerations and decelerations, maximal collisions, rapid changes of direction, and substantial neuromuscular fatigue. Maintaining the physical qualities required to tolerate these demands is challenging even during uninterrupted seasons. However, when athletes

In elite sport, performance margins are small. Athletes constantly search for strategies that may improve focus, reduce fatigue, sharpen reaction times, or provide a psychological edge. Alongside evidence based interventions such as nutrition, sleep optimisation, and structured recovery, less conventional trends periodically emerge within high-performance environments. One of the most visible in recent years has been the increasing use of oral nicotine products, particularly

Modern football has changed dramatically over the past decade. Players now sprint more often, cover greater high-intensity distances, and face increasingly congested fixture schedules. Between league matches, cup competitions, international travel, tactical preparation, recovery sessions, media obligations, and rehabilitation work, the traditional model of lengthy gym-based strength sessions is becoming harder to sustain during the competitive season. At the same time, the ph

In grappling sports such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and submission grappling, explosive power can be the difference between escaping a bad position and getting submitted. While technical skill always comes first, strength and conditioning play a major role in helping athletes express technique under pressure. One movement often used in strength programmes for combat athletes is the Hang Power Clean (HPC). Coaches frequently prescribe it to develop explosive triple ext