Aberystwyth warm-up technique passes the 'acid test'
A new warm-up technique that makes an athlete’s blood more acidic could prove decisive in the race for gold at London 2012. A sports scientist at Aberystwyth University has found new ways of warming up that can help improve an athlete’s performance, helping to give athletes that extra split second advantage which can mean the difference between a gold and silver medal. Dr Mark Burnley, a lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the Department of Sport and Exercise Science (SES) at the University, has been studying high intensity exercises known as “priming”. Dr Burnley and researchers from the University of Brighton and Exeter, have been studying how priming increases concentration of lactate in the blood, making the blood acidic and ultimately, improving performance. The work improves performance in any event that lasts from around two minutes up to about 30 minutes. In an athletics stadium, this means all events from the 800 metres to the 10,000 metres could be improved by pr...