Paced to perfection: Exploring the potential impact of WaveLight Technology in athletics

Athletics is in the midst of a technological revolution, which has had a major impact on endurance running performance. Since 2016, most men’s and women’s world records, from the 5000 m to the Marathon have been broken, while the all-time list of fastest performances has been recalibrated. While much emphasis has been placed on the introduction of the so-called ‘super-shoe’ technology, other innovations may have contributed to these improvements. For instance, when Eliud Kipchoge completed the marathon in under 2-hours in 2019, his race-kit and the course were carefully designed (i.e., long-straight sections and minimal undulations/ curves), but a lesser appreciated innovation was the pacing device that was used. The use of pacing lights represented a key factor in Kipchoge’s performance, and this approach to pacing was translated to international track athletics during 2020. This translation of technology coincided with world record performances in the Men’s 5000 m and 10000 m, and the Women’s 5000 m

A pilot study investigating the effects of acute sleep restriction and its relationship to markers of muscle recovery from a single session of exercise induced muscle damage in healthy untrained males

Sleep loss can affect many aspects of human performance including time to exhaustion, muscular strength, focus and mood. These effects can further lead to health risks and medical conditions. With increasingly busy lives humans are often faced with a failure to attain adequate sleep following performance of resistance exercise. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between disrupted sleep and markers of muscle recovery from a single session of damaging resistance exercise. 16 healthy males (mean age 23 ± 17 years, height 180.6 ± 15.4 cm, mass 87.4 ± 30.7 kg) all performed baseline testing of common recovery markers (pain tolerance, limb volume (LV), serum creatine kinase and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)), before undergoing a protocol of 5 sets of 10 reps eccentrically induced muscle damage to the Bicep Brachii. Sleep deprived group (SD, n=8) underwent two nights of sleep which was restricted to four hours total time in bed Full sleep group (FS, n=8) adhered to normal sleeping conditions. Throughout the week all baseline tests were retested each day. Findings from the study confirmed that sleep restriction was achieved (p=0.001 d=0.92) and muscle damage was shown across all tests except creatine kinase (MVC p≤0.001, d=0.57; LV p=0.006, d=0.17; Pain at 90° p= 0.003, d=0.59; Pain at 180° p=0.003, d=1.33; Pain at Full Contraction p=0.001, d=1.59; General Arm Pain p=0.005 d=0.69), there were no differences in the recovery pattern for any of the markers observed between the SD group and FS group. In conclusion, two nights of sleep restriction to four hours does not appear to impair markers of recovery following damaging resistance exercise in the Bicep Brachii, however further investigation is required in order to fully conclude the effectiveness of sleep as a recovery aid

The effect of active video gaming on children\u27s physical activity, behavior preferences and body composition

Active video game interventions typically provide children a single game that may become unappealing. A peripheral device (jOG) encourages step-powered gaming on multiple games. This trial evaluated the effect of jOG on children’s objectively measured PA, body fat and self-reported behaviors. 42 of 58 eligible children (8–10 y) randomly assigned to an intervention (jOG) or control (CON) completed the trial. Intervention children received two jOG devices for home use. Analyses of covariance compared the intervention effect at 6 and 12 weeks from baseline. No differences were found between groups for counts per minute (CPM; primary outcome) at 6 and 12 weeks (p &gt; .05). Active video gaming increased (adjusted change 0.95 (95% CI 0.25, 1.65) h·d−1, p&lt;.01) and sedentary video gaming decreased (-0.34 (-1.24, 0.56) h·d−1, p &gt; .05) at 6 weeks relative to CON. No body fat changes were observed between groups. Targeted changes in video game use did not positively affect PA. Larger trials are needed to verify the impact of active video games on children’s PA and health.</jats:p

Quantification of training and match-load distribution across a season in elite English Premier League soccer players

Objective: To examine training and match loads undertaken by soccer players competing in the English Premier League. Methods: Using a retrospective design, external (GPS) and internal training loads (sessions ratings of perceived exertion [sRPE-TL]) were examined in 26 players across the competition phase of the 2012–2013 English Premier League season. Within-subject linear mixed-models estimated the mean effects (95% confidence interval [CI]) for load data across 6-week mesocycles and 1-week microcycles. Results: Daily sRPE-TL (95% CI range, 15 to 111 AU) and total distance (95% CI range, 179 to 949 AU) were higher during the early stages (mesocycle 1 and 2) of the competition period. Overall, high-speed activity was similar between mesocycles. Across the training week, load was greater on match day and lower pre match-day (G-1) vs. all other days, respectively (p &lt; 0.001). sRPE-TL (~70–90 AU per day) and total distance (~700–800 m per day) progressively declined over the 3 days before a match (p &lt; 0.001). High-speed distance was greater 3 days (G-3) before a game vs. G-1 (95% CI, 140 to 336 m) while very high-speed distance was greater on G-3 and G-2 than G-1 (95% CI range, 8 to 62 m; p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Periodisation of in-season training load is mainly evident across the weekly microcycle reflecting the recovery and preparation for matches.</p