Combined uphill and downhill sprint running training is more efficacious than horizontal

Purpose: This study examined the effects of sprint running training on sloping surfaces (3°) on selected kinematic and physiological variables. Methods: Fifty-four sport and physical education students were randomly allocated to one of two training groups (combined uphill–downhill [U+D] and horizontal (H)) and a control group (C). Pre- and post-training tests were performed to examine the effects of 8 wk of training on the maximum running speed (MRS), step rate, step length, step time, contact time, eccentric and concentric phase of contact time (EP, CP), flight time, selected posture characteristics of the step cycle, and 6-s maximal cycle sprint test. Results: MRS, step rate, contact time, and step time were improved significantly in a 35-m sprint test for the U+D group (P < .01) after training by 4.3%, 4.3%, −5.1%, and −3.9% respectively, whereas the H group showed smaller improvements, (1.7% (P < .05), 1.2% (P < .01), 1.7% (P < .01), and 1.2% (P < .01) respectively). There were no significant changes in the C group. The posture characteristics and the peak anaerobic power (AWT) performance did not change with training in any of the groups. Conclusion: The U+D training method was significantly more effective in improving MRS and the kinematic characteristics of sprint running than a traditional horizontal training method

The effect of wave conditions and surfer ability on performance and the physiological response of recreational surfers.

This study investigated the effects of wave conditions on performance and the physiological responses of surfers. After institutional ethical approval 39 recreational surfers participated in 60 surfing sessions where performance and physiological response were measured using global positioning system (GPS) heart rate monitors. Using GPS, the percentage time spent in surfing activity categories was on average 41.6, 47.0, 8.1, and 3.1% for waiting, paddling, riding, and miscellaneous activities, respectively. Ability level of the surfers, wave size, and wave period are significantly associated with the physiological, ride, and performance parameters during surfing. As the ability level of the surfers increases there is a reduction in the relative exercise intensity (e.g., average heart rate as a percentage of laboratory maximum, rpartial = -0.412, p < 0.01) which is in contrast to increases in performance parameters (e.g., maximum ride speed (0.454, p < 0.01). As the wave size increased there were reductions in physiological demand (e.g., total energy expenditure rpartial = -0.351, p ≤ 0.05) but increases in ride speed and distance measures (e.g., the maximum ride speed, 0.454, p < 0.01). As the wave period increased there were increases in intensity (e.g., average heart rate as a percentage of laboratory maximum, rp = 0.490, p < 0.01) and increases in ride speed and distance measures (e.g., the maximum ride speed, rpartial = 0.371, p < 0.01). This original study is the first to show that wave parameters and surfer ability are significantly associated with the physiological response and performance characteristics of surfing

Do walking strategies to increase physical activity reduce reported sitting in workplaces: a randomized control trial

Background Interventions designed to increase workplace physical activity may not automatically reduce high volumes of sitting, a behaviour independently linked to chronic diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes. This study compared the impact two different walking strategies had on step counts and reported sitting times. Methods Participants were white-collar university employees (n = 179; age 41.3 ± 10.1 years; 141 women), who volunteered and undertook a standardised ten-week intervention at three sites. Pre-intervention step counts (Yamax SW-200) and self-reported sitting times were measured over five consecutive workdays. Using pre-intervention step counts, employees at each site were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 60; maintain normal behaviour), a route-based walking group (n = 60; at least 10 minutes sustained walking each workday) or an incidental walking group (n = 59; walking in workday tasks). Workday step counts and reported sitting times were re-assessed at the beginning, mid- and endpoint of intervention and group mean± SD steps/day and reported sitting times for pre-intervention and intervention measurement points compared using a mixed factorial ANOVA; paired sample-t-tests were used for follow-up, simple effect analyses. Results A significant interactive effect (F = 3.5; p < 0.003) was found between group and step counts. Daily steps for controls decreased over the intervention period (-391 steps/day) and increased for route (968 steps/day; t = 3.9, p < 0.000) and incidental (699 steps/day; t = 2.5, p < 0.014) groups. There were no significant changes for reported sitting times, but average values did decrease relative to the control (routes group = 7 minutes/day; incidental group = 15 minutes/day). Reductions were most evident for the incidental group in the first week of intervention, where reported sitting decreased by an average of 21 minutes/day (t = 1.9; p < 0.057). Conclusion Compared to controls, both route and incidental walking increased physical activity in white-collar employees. Our data suggests that workplace walking, particularly through incidental movement, also has the potential to decrease employee sitting times, but there is a need for on-going research using concurrent and objective measures of sitting, standing and walking

Identifying Talent in Youth Sport: A Novel Methodology Using Higher-Dimensional Analysis.

Prediction of adult performance from early age talent identification in sport remains difficult. Talent identification research has generally been performed using univariate analysis, which ignores multivariate relationships. To address this issue, this study used a novel higher-dimensional model to orthogonalize multivariate anthropometric and fitness data from junior rugby league players, with the aim of differentiating future career attainment. Anthropometric and fitness data from 257 Under-15 rugby league players was collected. Players were grouped retrospectively according to their future career attainment (i.e., amateur, academy, professional). Players were blindly and randomly divided into an exploratory (n = 165) and validation dataset (n = 92). The exploratory dataset was used to develop and optimize a novel higher-dimensional model, which combined singular value decomposition (SVD) with receiver operating characteristic analysis. Once optimized, the model was tested using the validation dataset. SVD analysis revealed 60 m sprint and agility 505 performance were the most influential characteristics in distinguishing future professional players from amateur and academy players. The exploratory dataset model was able to distinguish between future amateur and professional players with a high degree of accuracy (sensitivity = 85.7%, specificity = 71.1%; p<0.001), although it could not distinguish between future professional and academy players. The validation dataset model was able to distinguish future professionals from the rest with reasonable accuracy (sensitivity = 83.3%, specificity = 63.8%; p = 0.003). Through the use of SVD analysis it was possible to objectively identify criteria to distinguish future career attainment with a sensitivity over 80% using anthropometric and fitness data alone. As such, this suggests that SVD analysis may be a useful analysis tool for research and practice within talent identification

The Effect of Pre-exercise Galactose and Glucose Ingestion on High-Intensity Endurance Cycling

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of the pre-exercise (30 minutes) ingestion of galactose (Gal) or glucose (Glu) on endurance capacity as well as glycaemic and insulinaemic responses. Ten trained male cyclists completed three randomised high-intensity cycling endurance tests. Thirty minutes prior to each trial cyclists ingested 1 litre of either 40g of glucose, 40g of galactose, or a placebo in a double blind manner. The protocol comprised: 20 minutes of progressive incremental exercise (70% to 85% maximal power output (W max )); ten 90 second bouts at 90% W max , separated by 180 seconds at 55% W max ; 90% W max until exhaustion. Blood samples were drawn throughout the protocol. Times to exhaustion were longer with Gal (68.7±10.2 minutes, P=0.005) compared to Glu (58.5±24.9 minutes), with neither being different to placebo (63.9±16.2 minutes). Twenty-eight minutes following Glu consumption, plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations were higher than with Gal and placebo (P&lt;0.001). Following the initial 20 minutes of exercise, plasma glucose concentrations increased to a relative hyperglycaemia during the Gal and placebo, compared to Glu condition. Higher plasma glucose concentrations during exercise, and the attenuated serum insulin response at rest, may explain the significantly longer times to exhaustion produced by Gal compared to Glu. However, neither carbohydrate treatment produced significantly longer times to exhaustion than placebo, suggesting that the pre-exercise ingestion of galactose and glucose alone is not sufficient to support this type of endurance performance

Effect of combined uphill-downhill sprint training on kinematics and maximum running speed in experienced sprinters

This study examined the effects of sprint running training on sloping surfaces (3°) in experienced sprinters using selected kinematic variables. Twelve experienced sprinters were randomly allocated to two training groups (combined uphill–downhill and horizontal). Pre- and post-training tests were performed to examine the effects of six weeks of training on maximum running speed, step rate, step length, step time, contact time, braking and propulsive phase of contact time, flight time and selected postural characteristics during a step cycle in the final steps of a 35m sprint test. In the combined uphill–downhill training group, maximum running speed was substantially greater (from 9.08 ± 0.90 m s-1 to 9.51 ± 0.62 m s-1; p <0.05) after training by 4.8%; step rate, contact time, step time and concentric phase was not modified. There were no significant changes in maximal speed or sprint kinematics in the horizontal training group. Overall, the posture characteristics did not change with training. The combined uphill–downhill training method was substantially more effective in improving the maximum running speed in experienced sprinters than a traditional horizontal training method

The Reliability of Neuromuscular and Perceptual Measures Used to Profile Recovery, and the Time-Course of Such Responses Following Academy Rugby League Match-Play

In professional academy rugby league (RL) players, this two-part study examined; (A) the within- and between-day reliability of isometric mid-thigh pulls (IMTP), countermovement jumps (CMJ), and a wellness questionnaire (n = 11), and (B) profiled the responses with acceptable reliability (no between-trial differences and between-day coefficient of variation (CV) ≤10% and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ≥0.8) for 120 h (baseline: −3, +24, +48, +72, +96, +120 h) following RL match-play (n = 10). In part A, force at 200, and 250 ms, and peak force (PF) demonstrated acceptable within- (CV%: 3.67–8.41%, ICC: 0.89–0.93) and between-day (CV%: 4.34–8.62%, ICC: 0.87–0.92) reliability for IMTP. Most CMJ variables demonstrated acceptable within-day reliability (CV%: 3.03–7.34%, ICC: 0.82–0.98), but only six (i.e., flight-time, PF, peak power (PP), relative PP, velocity at take-off (VTO), jump-height (JH)) showed acceptable between-day reliability (CV%: 2.56–6.79%, ICC: 0.83–0.91). Only total wellness demonstrated acceptable between-day reliability (CV%: 7.05%, ICC: 0.90) from the questionnaire. In part B, reductions of 4.75% and 9.23% (vs. baseline; 2.54 m·s−1; 0.33 m) occurred at +24 h for CMJ VTO, and JH, respectively. Acceptable reliability was observed in some, but not all, variables and the magnitude and time-course of post-match responses were test and variable specific. Practitioners should therefore be mindful of the influence that the choice of recovery monitoring tool may have upon the practical interpretation of the data

The dangers of estimating V˙O2max using linear, nonexercise prediction models

Purpose This study aimed to compare the accuracy and goodness of fit of two competing models (linear vs allometric) when estimating V˙O2max (mL·kg−1·min−1) using nonexercise prediction models. Methods The two competing models were fitted to the V˙O2max (mL·kg−1·min−1) data taken from two previously published studies. Study 1 (the Allied Dunbar National Fitness Survey) recruited 1732 randomly selected healthy participants, 16 yr and older, from 30 English parliamentary constituencies. Estimates of V˙O2max were obtained using a progressive incremental test on a motorized treadmill. In study 2, maximal oxygen uptake was measured directly during a fatigue limited treadmill test in older men (n = 152) and women (n = 146) 55 to 86 yr old. Results In both studies, the quality of fit associated with estimating V˙O2max (mL·kg−1·min−1) was superior using allometric rather than linear (additive) models based on all criteria (R2, maximum log-likelihood, and Akaike information criteria). Results suggest that linear models will systematically overestimate V˙O2max for participants in their 20s and underestimate V˙O2max for participants in their 60s and older. The residuals saved from the linear models were neither normally distributed nor independent of the predicted values nor age. This will probably explain the absence of a key quadratic age2 term in the linear models, crucially identified using allometric models. Not only does the curvilinear age decline within an exponential function follow a more realistic age decline (the right-hand side of a bell-shaped curve), but the allometric models identified either a stature-to-body mass ratio (study 1) or a fat-free mass-to-body mass ratio (study 2), both associated with leanness when estimating V˙O2max. Conclusions Adopting allometric models will provide more accurate predictions of V˙O2max (mL·kg−1·min−1) using plausible, biologically sound, and interpretable models

The effect of pre-exercise galactose and glucose ingestion on high-intensity endurance cycling.

This study evaluated the effects of the pre-exercise (30 minutes) ingestion of galactose (Gal) or glucose (Glu) on endurance capacity as well as glycemic and insulinemic responses. Ten trained male cyclists completed 3 randomized high-intensity cycling endurance tests. Thirty minutes before each trial, cyclists ingested 1 L of either 40 g of glucose, 40 g of galactose, or a placebo in a double-blind manner. The protocol comprised 20 minutes of progressive incremental exercise (70-85% maximal power output [Wmax]); ten 90-second bouts at 90% Wmax, separated by 180 seconds at 55% Wmax; and 90% Wmax until exhaustion. Blood samples were drawn throughout the protocol. Times to exhaustion were longer with Gal (68.7 ± 10.2 minutes, p = 0.005) compared with Glu (58.5 ± 24.9 minutes), with neither being different to placebo (63.9 ± 16.2 minutes). Twenty-eight minutes after Glu consumption, plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations were higher than with Gal and placebo (p < 0.001). After the initial 20 minutes of exercise, plasma glucose concentrations increased to a relative hyperglycemia during the Gal and placebo, compared with Glu condition. Higher plasma glucose concentrations during exercise, and the attenuated serum insulin response at rest, may explain the significantly longer times to exhaustion produced by Gal compared with Glu. However, neither carbohydrate treatment produced significantly longer times to exhaustion than placebo, suggesting that the pre-exercise ingestion of galactose and glucose alone is not sufficient to support this type of endurance performance