Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS

Director of Sport Science: @UMichWrestling
PhD Student: Human & Sport Performance
🔙 Co-Founder: @DoYouRumble
#TrainHardScienceHard

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

Heartbreaking for @UMichHockey last night. Outshot Denver 52–26 and truly dominated the game. Tough way to end it…but forever, Go Blue.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

Funny that, in normal life, “abstract” means obscure and hard to understand, but in academic writing it’s the only part that actually gets to the point.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

One of the underrated benefits of pursuing a PhD is that everything you write has to be grounded in scientific literature.

You can’t just say something because it sounds right.
You have to show that it’s valid.

So you pretty quickly learn to stop writing things that aren’t scientifically defensible.

Then, over time, you stop thinking in ways that aren’t scientifically defensible.

Eventually, it becomes almost automatic to spot claims that don’t hold up.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

One idea I’ve been spending time with recently is that “longevity” might not be its own category at all. It might just be performance optimization stretched over a longer time horizon.

If you zoom out, longevity is probably just the compound interest of daily behaviors.

Instead of asking, “What’s the newest longevity hack?” maybe the better question is, “What consistently improves how I feel and perform today, physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, in a way I can repeat for decades?”

In that sense, the “experts worth following” might not be the loudest biohackers, but the people who consistently emphasize fundamentals and long-term adherence.

Agree or nah?

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

💊 We keep searching for miracle drugs. But we already have one.

Imagine a pill that maxes your cardiac output within minutes, then teaches your heart to become more efficient at rest. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that spikes your blood pressure up to 4x higher than normal yet lowers it long-term. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that floods your system with catecholamines, then trains your body to become less reactive to stress. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that triples mitochondrial density in your skeletal muscle. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that rapidly mobilizes glucose and fatty acids, yet improves insulin sensitivity over time. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that temporarily increases inflammation, but reduces chronic inflammatory markers like CRP and IL-6. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that elevates muscle damage markers like creatine kinase but triggers repair, hypertrophy, and resilience. Exercise can do that.

Imagine a pill that stresses nearly every physiological system - cardiovascular, neuromuscular, endocrine, metabolic - but makes each one more robust over time. Exercise can do that.

No drug comes close.

Exercise is the most powerful medicine we have. The prescription is simple. You just have to take it.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

What's right for Sally isn't necessarily right for Susie. In science, we call this “n of 1” - recognizing that individual variability exists and that ultimately you are your own case study.

This is also the difference between working with an informed practitioner and working with someone whose entire process is based on what works for them.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

Consistency is the most valuable currency of physical training. Every workout is a deposit, and every deposit contributes to your long-term well-being.

[Rob Sulaver, MS, CSCS, CPSS @BandanaTraining]

Sunday's contrast bathing (sauna + cold plunge) produced a clean heart-rate pattern: three smooth climbs to ~120 bpm, followed by rapid drops into the mid-40s.

From an exercise physiology standpoint, heat drives HR up through thermoregulation (skin blood flow, reduced venous return, cardiac output doing its job). The sharp drops that follow reflect a strong parasympathetic rebound, triggered by CWI. Think of it as the nervous system slamming the brakes after revving the engine.

It’s not exactly cardio, although the comparison is common. It’s better understood as autonomic stress and release.

Important to note: this is not exercise HR recovery and shouldn’t be compared to HRR norms. Different stimulus, different rules.

What it does highlight is autonomic flexibility - the ability to move quickly between stress and recovery. That’s a useful trait, just not one you PR.

Heat and cold don’t replace training, but they’re a good reminder that recovery is a physiological skill.

#Sauna #SportScience