Intro: MuscleSound and the CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center work in tandem to create a unique experience for patients and athletes to help understand more about their Muscle Energy Status™ (MES) and their body composition, both of which lead to performance optimization.
Background: An elite triathlete and her training team at the CU Sport Medicine and Performance Center had been working together to prepare for various races and events, in particular the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The team had been working to determine whether she was consuming enough calories to support her training regime leading up to the event. Her nutritional intake was logged via food journals and she also recorded how she felt physically and mentally on a day to day basis. It was her first time competing in this race.
MuscleSound Intervention: Prior to using MuscleSound, the athlete had only used conventional treadmill testing to assess her fitness and event readiness, something that provided general physiological and metabolic information. However the initial MuscleSound scan session, which the athlete called “very quick and easy” gave her, for the first time, a quantitative assessment of how prepared her muscles were for exercise. Her MES values revealed that, despite her heavy training regimen, she still had ample fuel storage in her muscles, indicating that her body could handle a more intense workload. Her physical training regimen was therefore increased, she was given a specific meal plan to follow and her macronutrients were adjusted to ensure they stayed within her caloric needs.
Results: After following the MuscleSound-guided training program and meal plan for five days, she was scanned again. Her MES values had increased by 30%, demonstrating an increase in muscle fuel storage and, consequently, a greater “readiness” for the event. Even more importantly, the athlete reported that she felt “amazing”. Using MuscleSound information, the team continued to increase her training load further into the World Championships where she ended up placing 11th overall in the highly competitive race. She also had her fastest ride to date. The athlete and her training team at CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center said they would continue to use MuscleSound leading up to future races and events as it gave her a competitive advantage.
The CU Sport Medicine and Performance Center is dedicated to providing world-class medicine and sports science to athletes and active people of all levels and ages. This is accomplished with a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, sports scientists, physical therapists and athletic trainers providing cutting edge evidence based care programs so that our patients and clients can achieve their athletic goals.