Search results for "athlete"

Effects of physical activity on the lean and fat mass of the legs and on the femoral BMD in young adults

2010

Aim. To evaluate the effects of physical activity on the lean (LLM) and fat (FLM) mass of both legs and on the left femur neck bone mineral density (FemBMD) in young adults. Methods. Subjects were 48 healthy male, mean age 25 (range 20-32). Subjects were assigned to one of three groups according to the physical activity practiced from age 10 onwards: 17 sedentary subjects (A), 15 active subjects (B) and 16 athletes (C). LLM and FLM (g) were evaluated by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), as well as FemBMD (g/cm2). The data is shown as mean values ± standard deviation. For the statistical analysis of the data, linear regression analysis and Student's t test for unpaired data were used.…

What can gender tell us about the pre-retirement experiences of elite distance runners in Finland?: A thematic narrative analysis

2016

Abstract Objectives This study explores gendered experiences of the mastery stage in endurance runners' athletic careers in terms of (a) key themes in this period of life, (b) retirement decision-making and (c) changes in athletic and runner identities. Design and method Ten male and nine female athletes aged between 25 and 62 participated in individual interviews. The data were analyzed via thematic narrative analysis. Results and conclusion Gendered meanings permeate career decision-making and retirement patterns of Finnish runners. Female athletes reported many difficulties, including health problems, loneliness, societal pressure and lack of social support during the final years of thei…

Sprint and Strength Training Modulates Autophagy and Proteostasis in Aging Sprinters

2020

Purpose Exercise and aging may modulate muscle protein homeostasis and autophagy, but few studies examine highly-trained middle-aged or older individuals. This study elucidated the effects of a new long-term training stimulus on markers of muscle autophagy and unfolded protein response (UPR) and on sprint running performance in masters sprinters. Methods Thirty-two male competitive sprinters (aged 40–76 years) were randomly divided into experimental (EX) and control (CTRL) groups. The EX training program was a combination of heavy and explosive strength and sprint exercises aimed at improving sprint performance. Fifteen and thirteen participants completed the 20-week intervention period in …

Association Between Implementation of the Athlete Biological Passport and Female Elite Runners’ Performance

2020

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performances of female middle- and long-distance runners before and after the implementation of a new antidoping strategy (the Athlete Biological Passport [ABP]) in a country accused of systematic doping. A retrospective analysis of the results of Russian National Championships from 2008 to 2017 was performed. The 8 best female performances for the 800-m, 1500-m, 3000-m steeplechase, 5000-m, and 10,000-m events from the semifinals and finals were analyzed. The yearly number of athletes fulfilling standard qualifications for international competitions was also evaluated. Overall, numbers of athletes banned for doping in 2008–2017 were calculat…

Comparison of posturographic parameters between young taekwondo and tennis athletes

2018

[Purpose] Physical activity can influence the development of postural control and balance. Therefore, the aim of study was to use posturography assessment to compare balance control on the Romberg test between athletes in two very different sports, taekwondo and tennis. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-nine young athletes participated in the study, 11 forming the taekwondo group and 18 the tennis group. Posturography was performed using the FreeMed system (Sensor Medica). Between-group differences were evaluated using unpaired Student’s t-test. [Results] There was a significance between-group difference in the centre of pressure and the ellipse surface area with no between-group difference…

The role of sport-specific play and practice during childhood in the development of adolescent Finnish team sport athletes

2016

This study sought to understand the role of sport-specific play and practice in the development of adolescent team sport athletes in the Finnish sports development system. Participants were male, 15-year-old soccer (n = 141), ice hockey (n = 204), and basketball (n = 96) players, divided into three groups based on the amount of sport-specific play and practice experienced during childhood. Data were collected with sport-specific inventories of practice history, tactical skills, psychological skills, and sport-specific skill test. Results showed that athletes with more sport-specific play and practice during childhood had more sport-specific play and practice during adolescence, better techn…

Personal Reasons for Withdrawal from Team Sports and the Influence of Significant others among Youth Athletes

2013

The aim of this study was to identify the main reasons for withdrawal from team sports and to examine the influence of significant others (i.e., coaches, parents, peers, and siblings) in the decision making concerning withdrawal from youth sports. An attempt was also made to compare withdrawal components and the influence of significant others in terms of gender, level of competition and years of involvement in youth sports. The participants in this study were young football (American soccer) (n=397), ice hockey (n=88) and basketball (n=50) players who had terminated their participation in their sports. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of withdrawal items and iden…

Temporal Aspects of Team Cognition: A Case Study on Concerns Sharing Within Basketball

2012

This case study investigated team cognition in basketball. The focus was on how concerns in a real match situation were shared among teammates and how the sharedness evolved. The activity of five basketball players (M age = 17.60, SD = 0.89) was studied. The data were collected and processed according to a procedure defined for course-of-action analysis (Theureau, 2003). The results indicated that the instances when all the teammates shared the same typical concern were relatively rare, but temporal analysis revealed two kinds of convergence phenomena (simultaneous and progressive). In conclusion, shared understanding emerged within this team as essentially “local sharing of understanding.”

Awareness level of gender stereotype and stereotype threat effect on ingroup favoritism bias in mixed-gender basketball teams.

2016

The Rise of Social Media in Sport: A Bibliometric Analysis

2020

Social media has revolutionized the sports industry by changing the way athletes, coaches, clubs, federations, sport companies and other industry actors interact. Although academic interest in the emergence of social media in the context of sports has increased in recent years, these platforms have not been studied from a bibliometric viewpoint. Therefore, this study examined the scientific production of social media in sports using descriptive bibliometric software. The most prolific authors, journals, institutions, number of citations and networks of authorship are identified. From the bibliometric analysis, implications for sport managers and future research directions for social media …