Is the Best Predictor of Endurance Performance your Muscle?! | #13 ft. Dr. Robert Jacobs

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Dr. Robert Jacobs and I talk about the importance of skeletal muscle in predicting endurance performance. We focus on the significance of capillaries, myoglobin, and mitochondria in endurance performance, along with research comparing predictors of performance. Here is a link to my master's publication discussing predictors of performance - https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.14814/phy2.14342 If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Interested in testing, courses, or other long form content check out the critical oxygen website - https://www.ctiricaloxygen.com OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction 1:04 – Remote Physiology Assessment in Kona 6:12 – Training Zone Adjustments 7:01 – Monitoring and Adapting Training Zones 8:05 – Expanding Testing to Running and Rowing 9:29 – Challenges in Implementing Treadmill Assessments 10:00 – Availability of Remote Testing 11:35 – Ultra Marathon Nutrition Strategy 15:04 – Despair in Training vs. Ultra Marathon 16:52 – Gut Training Experiment with Milk 20:05 – Carbohydrate Intake and Fuel Oxidation 24:59 – Shifting Focus Back to Predictors of Performance 25:24 - Importance of Capillaries, Myoglobin, and Mitochondria 25:58 - Mitochondrial Function as a Key Predictor of Performance 26:15 - The Skeletal Muscle and Capillary Myoglobin Mitochondria Axis 26:33 - Research on Traditional Predictors of Performance 27:11 - Comparison to a 40-Kilometer Time Trial 28:13 - Diverse Study Participants 29:00 - V02 Max Test Methodology 30:24 - V02 Max Verification at 110% 32:02 - Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Calibration 33:02 - Arterial Occlusion and Cuffing Protocol 36:01 - Validation of Cuffing Protocol 39:11 - Personal Experiences as a Participant 43:05 - Regenerative Medicine and Mesenchymal Cell Injections 48:16 - The Benefits of Regenerative Medicine? 49:01 - Back to the Predictors of Performance 49:32 - The 25-Kilometer Time Trial 50:25 - The Role of Oxygen in Muscles 51:53 - Traditional Predictors of Performance 53:04 - Near-Infrared Derived Predictors of Performance 54:09 - The Implications of the Study 57:00 - Oxygen Delivery and Utilization 58:02 - The Significance of NIRS Measurements 1:00:03 - Shifting Oxygen Balance in Muscle 1:00:28 - The Importance of Robust Mitochondria 1:02:07 - Summary: Oxygenation in Working Muscle 1:03:36 - The Role of Mitochondria in Complex Life