Training und Coaching von weiblichen vs. männlichen Athleten auf ihrem Weg zu Gold? Einschätzungen erfolgreicher Trainer von Eliteathleten

This scientific short report investigated how successful male coaches perceive gender differences in training characteristics and coaching practice among medal-winning endurance athletes. Ten male Norwegian coaches with a track record of coaching both female and male endurance world-class athletes (total of 269 Olympic, World and European Championship medals) participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that all coaches mainly adjusted their key training and coaching principles to the individual athlete, rather than gender. A coach-driven and athlete-centered individualization process was essential to create trust, mutual understanding, and optimal training content. Potential gender/sex differences were perceived in four main themes: sport-specific competition demands, physiological, psychological and interpersonal factors (e.g., gender of the coach). In this context, all coaches described how training and coaching of female athletes differs from that of men, thus considering male athletes as the reference group and male physiology and psychology as the norm. Furthermore, societal factors such as a male-dominant sports culture and underlying gender stereotypes were suggested as amplifiers of gender differences. Accordingly, our report highlights the need for female perspectives in elite sports and invites further in-depth investigations of the identified gender/sex differences within the respective disciplines of training science, physiology, psychology and sociology.publishedVersio

Practical implementation of strength training to improve the performance of world-class cross-country skiers

Current scientific evidence suggests that sport-specific heavy strength training could be successfully included in elite endurance athletes’ training program. In fact, positive effects of short-term interventions, without any negative side-effects, have been shown repeatedly. However, there is a lack of long-term studies investigating the concurrent development of strength and endurance capacities, and there is a limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying the complex mix of strength and endurance training in the daily training plan of elite endurance athletes. In this context, cross-country skiers have shown a unique ability to build up and sustain a relatively large and strong muscle mass whilst, at the same time, having developed some of the highest maximal oxygen uptakes ever measured in humans. Accordingly, this study explores and discusses how world-class cross-country skiers implement strength training in their long-term endurance training schedule. The presented examples provide support to the scientific evidence from short-term studies, with heavy strength training being included approximately two times per week to build up strength in the preparation period and once per week to maintain strength in the competition period. Furthermore, individualized, movement-specific strength programs aiming to improve skiing technique, exercise economy/ efficiency and to delay fatigue is employed. However, the systematic use of core/stabilization exercises by the best skiers has lack of scientific support, which is also the case for the placement of strength sessions within the weekly training puzzle, the order of strength exercises during a session, as well as the influence of mental abilities and technical execution during strength sessions

Training und Coaching von weiblichen vs. männlichen Athleten auf ihrem Weg zu Gold? Einschätzungen erfolgreicher Trainer von Eliteathleten

This scientific short report investigated how successful male coaches perceive gender differences in training characteristics and coaching practice among medal-winning endurance athletes. Ten male Norwegian coaches with a track record of coaching both female and male endurance world-class athletes (total of 269 Olympic, World and European Championship medals) participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that all coaches mainly adjusted their key training and coaching principles to the individual athlete, rather than gender. A coach-driven and athlete-centered individualization process was essential to create trust, mutual understanding, and optimal training content. Potential gender/sex differences were perceived in four main themes: sport-specific competition demands, physiological, psychological and interpersonal factors (e.g., gender of the coach). In this context, all coaches described how training and coaching of female athletes differs from that of men, thus considering male athletes as the reference group and male physiology and psychology as the norm. Furthermore, societal factors such as a male-dominant sports culture and underlying gender stereotypes were suggested as amplifiers of gender differences. Accordingly, our report highlights the need for female perspectives in elite sports and invites further in-depth investigations of the identified gender/sex differences within the respective disciplines of training science, physiology, psychology and sociology

Solidarity and Indirectness: A discourse analytic study of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 Twitter campaign

Denne masteroppgaven er en diskursanalytisk studie av kongressrepresentant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s politiske diskurs på Twitter. Twitters rolle innenfor den politiske diskursen ble først anerkjent etter Barack Obamas valgkamp i 2008 (Zappavigna 2012: 170). Studier av denne valgkampen har argumentert med at Obamas bruk av Twitter bidro til å gjøre Twitter til en legitim kanal i den politiske arenaen (Tumasjan et al. 2011: 402). Siden den gang har flere diskursanalytiske studier fokusert på hvordan politikere bruker Twitter. Denne diskursanalytiske studien tar for seg Twitter-postene til kongressrepresentant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fra hennes valgkamp i forkant av primærvalget i 2018. Ocasio-Cortez’s politiske diskurs på Twitter er interessant fra et lingvistisk perspektiv fordi flere har pekt på hennes bruk av sosiale medier, særlig Twitter, som vesentlig for hennes politiske suksess. Studiens datasett består av 90 Twitter-poster fra de siste ti dagene før valgdagen. Studien benytter i hovedsak kvalitativ diskursanalyse, men har noen kvantitative elementer. Denne studiens hovedmål er å finne ut hvilke diskursstrategier Ocasio-Cortez benyttet seg av i valgkampen i 2018. Studien benytter seg av en datadrevet tilnærming. Resultatene av analysen viser blant annet at Ocasio-Cortez benytter seg av indirekte kommunikasjons-strategier, særlig i hennes kritikk av Joe Crowley, hennes motstander i primærvalget. I tillegg til dette, bruker hun indirekte språk også i promoteringen av sitt kandidatur. Videre viser analysen at Ocasio-Cortez gjennom sine lingvistiske valg bruker språk til å utrykke solidaritet med ulike grupper. Solidaritet kommer blant annet til utrykk gjennom utstrakt bruk av flertallspronomen. Videre viser resultatene av studien at Ocasio-Cortez gjennom sine lingvistiske valg utrykker solidaritet med andre kandidater som hun har fellestrekk med. Effekten av de nevnte diskursstrategiene synes å være at Ocasio-Cortez fremstiller seg selv som en del av de nevnte gruppene, noe som bidrar til å uttrykke fellesskap med hennes følgere på Twitter.Engelsk mastergradsoppgaveENG350MAHF-LÆFRMAHF-EN

Adherence to physical activity recommendations and associations with self-efficacy among Norwegian adolescents: trends from 2017 to 2021

BackgroundThe crucial role of physical activity (PA) in promoting well-being and overall health of adolescents is widely acknowledged. Previous global studies have consistently revealed low adherence to PA recommendations among adolescents, emphasizing potential links between PA engagement and self-efficacy in school-based populations. However, there is a need for further exploration of this relationship, in particularly gender differences and taking into account the potential influences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive description of adherence to PA recommendations and its associations with self-efficacy in Norwegian school-based adolescents over the period from 2017 to 2021.MethodsCross-sectional data on physical activity (PA) levels and self-efficacy among 13–19-year-old Norwegian adolescents were collected from the Norwegian Ungdata Survey during the period 2017 to 2021. The survey, conducted in Norwegian lower- and upper-secondary schools, was administered electronically during school hours. All data collected is anonymous and has received approval from the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (SIKT). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software.ResultsGirls consistently exhibited lower adherence to PA recommendations (17.6–19.8%) compared to boys (27.7–31.1%) each year from 2017 to 2021 (all p < 0.01). Similarly, girls reported lower self-efficacy (14.1 to 14.8 out of 20) than boys (15.5 to 15.9) during the same period (all p < 0.01). Regression analyses highlighted robust positive associations between PA and self-efficacy in those adhering to PA recommendations (i.e., physically active at least 5 times a week) and strong inverse associations for those reporting inactivity (never active) in both girls and boys from 2017 to 2021.ConclusionAdolescents in Norway report PA adherence ranging from 15 to 30%, with girls consistently exhibiting lower adherence to PA recommendations and reporting lower self-efficacy than boys. Notably, there are substantial associations between self-efficacy and both adherence to PA recommendations and inactivity over time. These findings underscore the significance of promoting adherence to PA recommendations during adolescence, especially among girls. Policymakers in Norway should focus on initiatives to increase PA levels among adolescents in both lower and upper secondary schools

Språk på flyttefot : en studie av språket til fem svensker bosatt i Norge med drøfting av kodeveksling og akkomodasjon

Formålet er å se nærmere på svenskers språk i Norge, og å prøve å forstå ulike former for og ulik grad av tilpassing til norske språkforhold som svensker som har bodd i Norge over tid, gjør bruk av. Problemstillingen er å finne ut i hvilken grad og på hvilken måte et lite utvalg svenske innflyttere til Norge tilpasser seg norsk språk ved å se etter norvagismer i deres naturlige muntlige språk. Som bakgrunn for arbeidet mitt har jeg Kerstin Nordenstams doktoravhandling "Svenskan i Norge. Språklig variation hos svenska invandrare i Bergen" fra 1979. På det grunnlaget har jeg ønsket å vurdere om Nordenstams tre kategorier for valg av språkstrategi for svensker i Norge, norvagisering, ikke norvagisering og en mellomkategori, passet for mine informanter òg. Deretter har jeg drøftet fenomenene språklig kodeveksling og akkomodasjon med disse fem informantene som eksempel. Metoden har vært kvalitativ metode med intervju, grovtranskribering, analyse av funn og drøfting av dette mot grunnlag i ulike teoretiske tilnærminger, akkomodasjonsteori, identitetsteori og høflighetsteori. Konklusjoner er at jeg fant ut at jeg kunne bruke Nordenstams tre grupper når det gjelder grad av akkomodasjon, og at jeg kunne fordele mine informanter inn i disse gruppene, en i den svenskspråklige gruppa, tre i blandingsgruppa og en i den norskspråklige gruppa. Det er likevel slik at de fleste i gruppa blander de to språkene, men de gjør det på noe forskjellig vis. Det er altså individuelle tilpasninger som er det mest slående resultatet av undersøkelsen min. I forsøket mitt på å analysere informantenes språk i et kodevekslingsperspektiv, kom jeg ikke så langt. Bare i liten grad kunne det se ut som det ”blandingsspråket” som ble dokumentert, kan forklares ut fra kodevekslingsstrategier fra informantenes side. Jeg har òg vurdert om statusen til svensk i forhold til norsk kan ha hatt noe å si i denne sammenhengen. Etter det informantene fortalte at de erfarte, er det ikke lenger statusforskjeller mellom svensk og norsk, slik det var da Nordenstam skrev avhandlinga si. Alle informantene gav uttrykk for at det relativt uproblematisk å være svensk innflytter til Norge

Comparison of Short-Sprint and Heavy Strength Training on Cycling Performance

Copyright © 2019 Kristoffersen, Sandbakk, Rønnestad and Gundersen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Purpose: To compare the effects of short-sprint training (SST) and heavy-strength training (HST) following a 4-week strength-training period on sprint and endurance capacities in well-trained cyclists. Methods: Twenty-eight competitive cyclists (age 29 ± 6 years) with maximal oxygen uptake (VO˙ 2max) of 61.1 ± 5.9 mL·min−1 ·kg−1 participated. After a 4-weeks preparation strength-training period, the participants were randomized to add either HST or SST to their usual endurance training for the subsequent 6 weeks. Body composition, VO˙ 2max and power output at blood lactate concentration ([La−]) of 4 mmol·L −1 , as well as a 100 min cycling test including 6 and 30-s sprints, 60 min cycling at [La−] of 2 mmol·L −1 and 5-min all-out cycling were performed before the 4-week preparation strengthtraining period, and before and after the 6-week intervention period. In addition, 1 repetition maximum (RM) in half-squat and 55-m maximal sprints on the cyclists’ own bikes were measured before and after the 6-week intervention. Results: SST was superior to HST in 6-s sprint performance, both in a fresh state (4.7 ± 2.6% vs. 1.1 ± 3.5%) and after prolong cycling (6.1 ± 1.8% vs. 1.8 ± 4.2%), in 30-s sprint (3.7 ± 2.8% vs. 1.3 ± 2.5%) and in 55-m seated sprint on own bike (4.3 ± 2.1% vs. 0.2 ± 1.8%) (all p < 0.002). HST induced a larger 1RM improvement in the half-squat test than SST (9.3 ± 3.6% vs. −3.9 ± 3.8%; p < 0.001). No group differences were revealed in the 5-min all-out test, VO˙ 2max, power output at 4 mmol·L −1 [La−], or in gross efficiency. Conclusion: SST led to a greater increase in average and peak power output on all sprint tests compared to HST, whereas HST led to a greater increase in maximal strength. No group differences were found in relative changes in endurance capacities. Altogether, our results show a high degree of specificity in the adaptations of both SST and HST.publishedVersio

Effects of including sprints during prolonged cycling on hormonal and muscular responses and recovery in elite cyclists

This study investigated the acute effects of including 30‐second sprints during prolonged low‐intensity cycling on muscular and hormonal responses and recovery in elite cyclists. Twelve male cyclists (VO2max, 73.4 ± 4.0 mL/kg/min) completed a randomized crossover protocol, wherein 4 hours of cycling at 50% of VO2max were performed with and without inclusion of three sets of 3 × 30 seconds maximal sprints (E&S vs E, work‐matched). Muscle biopsies (m. vastus lateralis) and blood were sampled at Pre, immediately after (Post) and 3 hours after (3 h) finalizing sessions. E&S led to greater increases in mRNA levels compared with E for markers of fat metabolism (PDK4, Δ‐Log2 fold change between E&S and E ± 95%CI Post; 2.1 ± 0.9, Δ3h; 1.3 ± 0.7) and angiogenesis (VEGFA, Δ3h; 0.3 ± 0.3), and greater changes in markers of muscle protein turnover (myostatin, ΔPost; −1.4 ± 1.2, Δ3h; −1.3 ± 1.3; MuRF1, ΔPost; 1.5 ± 1.2, all P < .05). E&S showed decreased mRNA levels for markers of ion transport at 3h (Na+‐K+ α1; −0.6 ± 0.6, CLC1; −1.0 ± 0.8 and NHE1; −0.3 ± 0.2, all P < .05) and blunted responses for a marker of mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC‐1α, Post; −0.3 ± 0.3, 3h; −0.4 ± 0.3, P < .05) compared with E E&S and E showed similar endocrine responses, with exceptions of GH and SHBG, where E&S displayed lower responses at Post (GH; −4.1 ± 3.2 μg/L, SHBG; −2.2 ± 1.9 nmol/L, P < .05). Both E&S and E demonstrated complete recovery in isokinetic knee extension torque 24 hours after exercise. In conclusion, we demonstrate E&S to be an effective exercise protocol for elite cyclists, which potentially leads to beneficial adaptations in skeletal muscle without impairing muscle recovery 24 hours after exercise.acceptedVersio

The Training Characteristics of World-Class Distance Runners: An Integration of Scientific Literature and Results-Proven Practice

In this review we integrate the scientifc literature and results-proven practice and outline a novel framework for understanding the training and development of elite long-distance performance. Herein, we describe how fundamental training characteristics and well-known training principles are applied. World-leading track runners (i.e., 5000 and 10,000 m) and marathon specialists participate in 9±3 and 6±2 (mean±SD) annual competitions, respectively. The weekly running distance in the mid-preparation period is in the range 160–220 km for marathoners and 130–190 km for track runners. These diferences are mainly explained by more running kilometers on each session for marathon runners. Both groups perform 11–14 sessions per week, and ≥80% of the total running volume is performed at low intensity throughout the training year. The training intensity distribution vary across mesocycles and difer between marathon and track runners, but common for both groups is that volume of race-pace running increases as the main competition approaches. The tapering process starts 7–10 days prior to the main competition. While the African runners live and train at high altitude (2000–2500 m above sea level) most of the year, most lowland athletes apply relatively long altitude camps during the preparation period. Overall, this review ofers unique insights into the training characteristics of world-class distance runners by integrating scientifc literature and results-proven practice, providing a point of departure for future studies related to the training and development in the Olympic long-distance events.publishedVersio