Search results for "Athletic Performance"

Factors Affecting Flutter Kicking Speed in Women Who Are Competitive and Recreational Swimmers

2009

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between possible predictive measures of a 50 m front crawl swimming and a 22.86 m flutter kicking speed. Ten women who were National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate swimmers and 10 women who were recreational swimmers (mean +/- SD = 20.6 +/- 1.6 years; 66.7 +/- 10.3 kg; 166.7 +/- 8.8 cm) volunteered for the study. Anthropometric measures were obtained including height, leg length, lower leg length, and foot length. Ankle flexibility was assessed by measuring ankle plantar flexion and ankle inversion. Lower body power was measured using a vertical jump. Swimming and kicking speed were measured as the time to c…

Smokeless tobacco, sport and the heart

2014

SummarySmokeless tobacco (snuff) is a finely ground or shredded tobacco that is sniffed through the nose or placed between the cheek and gum. Chewing tobacco is used by putting a wad of tobacco inside the cheek. Smokeless tobacco is widely used by young athletes to enhance performance because nicotine improves some aspects of physiology. However, smokeless tobacco has harmful health effects, including cardiovascular disorders, linked to nicotine physiological effects, mainly through catecholamine release. Nicotine decreases heart rate variability and the ventricular fibrillation threshold, and promotes the occurrence of various arrhythmias; it also impairs endothelial-dependent vasodilation…

Opportunities and obstacles of translating elite sport research to public health

2021

In a recent editorial, Thornton et al 1 argued that ‘Like folklore hero Robin Hood, we - sport and exercise medicine (SEM) scientists and practitioners - can draw on the opportunity and expertise gained by working with the elite few and apply it for the benefit of many ’ . We applaud this positive point of view. It was, however, supported by only one example—the successful ‘11 for health’ programme. That sport science-driven knowledge and innovation developed from elite sport translates or ‘scales down’ (ie, ‘Formula-1 circus to my garage’ paradigm) remains debatable. The goals may be similar for elite athletes and general or clinical populations, that is, optimising training impact and min…

Effects of combined electromyostimulation and gymnastics training in prepubertal girls.

2011

This study investigated the effects of a 6-week combined electromyostimulation (EMS) and gymnastic training program on muscle strength and vertical jump performance of prepubertal gymnasts. Sixteen young women gymnasts (age 12.4 ± 1.2 yrs) participated in this study, with 8 in the EMS group and the remaining 8 as controls. EMS was conducted on knee extensor muscles for 20 minutes 3 times a week during the first 3 weeks and once a week during the last 3 weeks. Gymnasts from both groups underwent similar gymnastics training 5-6 times a week. Isokinetic torque of the knee extensors was determined at different eccentric and concentric angular velocities ranging from -60 to +240° per second. Jum…

Muscle cramping in the marathon: dehydration and electrolyte depletion vs. muscle damage

2020

Martinez-Navarro, I, Montoya-Vieco, A, Collado, E, Hernando, B, Panizo, N, and Hernando, C. Muscle Cramping in the marathon: Dehydration and electrolyte depletion vs. muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Our aim was to compare dehydration variables, serum electrolytes, and muscle damage serum markers between runners who suffered exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC) and runners who did not suffer EAMC in a road marathon. We were also interested in analyzing race pacing and training background. Nighty-eight marathoners took part in the study. Subjects were subjected to a cardiopulmonary exercise test. Before and after the race, blood and urine samples were collected and…

Motor imagery and cortico-spinal excitability: A review

2016

International audience; Motor imagery (MI) has received a lot of interest during the last decades as its chronic or acute use has demonstrated several effects on improving sport performances or skills. The development of neuroimagery techniques also helped further our understanding of the neural correlates underlying MI. While some authors showed that MI, motor execution and action observation activated similar motor cortical regions, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies brought great insights on the role of the primary motor cortex and on the activation of the cortico-spinal pathway during MI. After defining MI and describing the TMS technique, a short report of MI activities on…

Kinematics of Cervical Spine during Rowing Ergometer at Different Stroke Rates in Young Rowers: A Pilot Study

2022

Background: Research on biomechanics in rowing has mostly focused on the lumbar spine. However, injuries can also affect other body segments. Thus, the aim of this pilot study was to explore any potential variations in the kinematics of the cervical spine during two different stroke rates on the rowing ergometer in young rowers. Methods: Twelve young rowers of regional or national level were recruited for the study. The experimental protocol consisted of two separate test sessions (i.e., a sequence of 10 consecutive strokes for each test session) at different stroke rates (i.e., 20 and 30 strokes/min) on an indoor rowing ergometer. Kinematics of the cervical spine was assessed using an iner…

Is Cardiorespiratory Optimal Point Measured During the Maximal Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test a Relevant Indicator of Sports Performance?

2018

Players with high physical fitness are at greater risk of injury in youth football.

2022

The aim of this study was to investigate physical fitness, football-specific skills and their association with injury risk in youth football. Altogether 447 male and female players aged 9 to 14 years (median 12 years) participated in performance tests and prospective follow-up. The physical fitness tests included five-jump test for distance, 30-m sprint, football-specific figure of eight agility, countermovement jump, and Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 1. The football-specific skill tests included dribbling and passing tests. Injuries and exposure were registered during the 20-week follow-up. Our candidate risk factors were low/high level of physical fitness measured with a composi…

Comparison of inter-trial recovery times for the determination of critical power and W' in cycling

2017

Critical Power (CP) and W’ are often determined using multi-day testing protocols. To investigate this cumbersome testing method, the purpose of this study was to compare the differences between the conventional use of a 24-h inter-trial recovery time with those of 3 h and 30 min for the determination of CP and W’. Methods: 9 moderately trained cyclists performed an incremental test to exhaustion to establish the power output associated with the maximum oxygen uptake (p V O2max), and 3 protocols requiring time-to-exhaustion trials at a constant work-rate performed at 80%, 100% and 105% of p VO2max. Design: Protocol A utilised 24-h inter-trial recovery (CP24/W’24), protocol B utilised 3-h in…