The Effects of Preferred Music and Its Timing on Performance, Pacing, and Psychophysiological Responses During the 6‐min Test

[EN] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of listening to preferred music during a warm up or exercise, on performance during a 6-min all-out exercise test (6-MT) in young adult males. Twenty-five healthy males volunteered to participate in this study. Following a within subject design, participants performed three test conditions (MDT: music during the test; MDW: music during the warm-up; WM: without music) in random order. Outcomes included mean running speed over the 6-min test (MRS6), total distance covered (TDC), heart rate responses (HRpeak, HRmean), blood lactate (3-min after the test), and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE); additionally, feeling scale scores were recorded. Listening to preferred music during running resulted in significant TDC (Δ↑10%, p=0.006, ES=0.80) and MRS6 (Δ↑14%, p=0.012, ES=1.02) improvement during the 6-MT, improvement was also noted for the warm-up with music condition (TDC:Δ↑8%, p=0.028, ES=0.63; MRS6:Δ↑8%, p=0.032, ES=0.61). A similar reverse “J-shaped” pacing profile was detected during the three conditions. Blood lactate was lower in the MDT condition by 8% (p=0.01, ES=1.10), but not the MDW condition, compared to MW. In addition, no statistically significant differences were found between the test sessions for the HR, RPE, and feeling scale scores. In conclusion, listening to music during exercise testing would be more beneficial for optimal TDC and MRS6 performances compared to MDW and WM

Effects of a Preseason Neuromuscular Training Program vs. an Endurance-Dominated Program on Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention in Female Soccer Players

Background: The pre-season preparatory period is considered key for optimizing the physical fitness levels needed to withstand congested match periods and preventing injuries during the regular soccer season. This study contrasted the effects s of neuromuscular training (NMT) versus an endurance-dominated training (ET) program conducted during the preseason on measures of physical fitness and injury occurrence in female soccer players. Methods: Twenty-four female soccer players aged 17.0 ± 1.3 years from a professional soccer club participated in this study. Players were randomly assigned to NMT (n = 12) or ET (n = 12) groups according to their playing position. The preseason intervention program lasted six weeks, with three weekly sessions with a duration of 45–60 min per session. Exercises in the NMT group included muscle strengthening exercises, plyometrics, agility and dynamic stability exercises, while the ET group practiced a traditional pre-season training program consisting of running and sprinting exercises, fartlek, and high-intensity interval training. The training volumes were similar in the two study groups. Anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests (i.e., linear and change-of-direction speed, muscle strength and power tests) and the overall injury rate per 1000 h of exposure (training, match) were recorded throughout the season. Results: No between group differences were found at pre (T1). Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for the 5, 10, and 30-m linear sprint speed tests (p < 0.001, 2.16 < d < 2.58), the T-test (p = 0.024, d = 1.03), the squat (p < 0.001, d = 4.04), and the countermovement jump test (p < 0.001, d = 2.21), the Loughborough soccer passing test (LSPT) (p = 0.019, d = 1.08), and the 1-RM back squat test (p < 0.001, d = 2.53). Post-hoc tests indicated that NMT provided larger improvements for SJ, CMJ, 1-RM back squat, the 5-m sprint, 10-m sprint, 30-m sprint, T-test and LSPT compared to ET (1.07 > d > 2.77). The injury rate across the season was significantly lower in the NMT (5.1/1000 h exposure) compared to ET (11.8/1000 h exposure) (p = 0.014). Conclusions: The findings support that six-weeks of preseason NMT versus ET induced larger performance improvements, and significantly reduced injury occurrence in elite female soccer players

Association between ACTN3 R577X genotype and risk of non-contact injury in trained athletes:A systematic review

International audienceBACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to review, systematically, evidence concerning the link between the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and the rates and severity of non-contact injuries and exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes and individuals enrolled in exercise training programs. METHODS: A computerized literature search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus, from inception until November 2020. All included studies compared the epidemiological characteristics of non-contact injury between the different genotypes of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism. RESULTS: Our search identified 492 records. After the screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts, 13 studies examining the association between the ACTN3 genotypes and the rate and severity of non-contact injury were included in the analysis. These studies were performed in 6 different countries (Spain, Japan, Brazil, China, Republic of Korea, and Italy) and involved a total participant pool of 1093 participants. Of the studies, 2 involved only women, 5 involved only men, and 6 involved both men and women. All the studies included were classified as high-quality studies (≥6 points on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database [PEDro] scale). Overall, evidence suggests there is an association between the ACTN3 R577X genotype and non-contact injury in 12 investigations. Six studies observed a significant association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and exercise induced muscle damage: 2 with non-contact ankle injury, 3 with non-contact muscle injury, and 1 with overall non-contact injury. CONCLUSION: The present findings support the premise that possessing the ACTN3 XX genotype may predispose athletes to a higher probability of some non-contact injuries, such as muscle injury, ankle sprains, and higher levels of exercise-induced muscle damage

Cold Water Immersion Enhanced Athletes’ Wellness and 10-m Short Sprint Performance 24-h After a Simulated Mixed Martial Arts Combat

Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Cold Water Immersion (CWI) on the recovery of physical performance, hematological stress markers and perceived wellness (i.e., Hooper scores) following a simulated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition.Methods: Participants completed two experimental sessions in a counter-balanced order (CWI or passive recovery for control condition: CON), after a simulated MMAs competition (3 × 5-min MMA rounds separated by 1-min of passive rest). During CWI, athletes were required to submerge their bodies, except the trunk, neck and head, in the seated position in a temperature-controlled bath (∼10°C) for 15-min. During CON, athletes were required to be in a seated position for 15-min in same room ambient temperature. Venous blood samples (creatine kinase, cortisol, and testosterone concentrations) were collected at rest (PRE-EX, i.e., before MMAs), immediately following MMAs (POST-EX), immediately following recovery (POST-R) and 24 h post MMAs (POST-24), whilst physical fitness (squat jump, countermovement-jump and 5- and 10-m sprints) and perceptual measures (well-being Hooper index: fatigue, stress, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and sleep) were collected at PRE-EX, POST-R and POST-24, and at PRE-EX and POST-24, respectively.Results: The main results indicate that POST-R sprint (5- and 10-m) performances were ‘likely to very likely’ (d = 0.64 and 0.65) impaired by prior CWI. However, moderate improvements were in 10-m sprint performance were ‘likely’ evident at POST-24 after CWI compared with CON (d = 0.53). Additionally, the use of CWI ‘almost certainly’ resulted in a large overall improvement in Hooper scores (d = 1.93). Specifically, CWI ‘almost certainly’ resulted in improved sleep quality (d = 1.36), stress (d = 1.56) and perceived fatigue (d = 1.51), and ‘likely’ resulted in a moderate decrease in DOMS (d = 0.60).Conclusion: The use of CWI resulted in an enhanced recovery of 10-m sprint performance, as well as improved perceived wellness 24-h following simulated MMA competition

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Solutions to the Physical Fitness Challenge

In 2022, the FIFA World Cup has been scheduled to take place in Qatar in November and December, months which coincide with the in-season period of the European soccer season. This will be challenging for the staff of the participating national teams and the domestic clubs to which participating players are attached. The aim of this letter to the editor is to propose solutions on how to manage the associated challenges. Regular training and competition over the course of a season in European professional soccer is generally characterized by a pre-competition preparation period of five to six weeks, followed by two competition phases, interspersed with a winter break (Eliakim et al., 2018). Certain leagues such as the English Premier League do not typically have a winter break meaning that games are played almost continuously across the season. During World Cup years, there is usually an average of four to five weeks between the end of national domestic championships and the start of the World Cup tournament (Table 1, Figure 1) which traditionally takes place during the off-season period. However, in 2022, the FIFA World Cup has been scheduled to take place in November and December, months which coincide with the in-season period of the European soccer season (Figure 1). With the World Cup being staged during this part of the season, many national team players (notably those in the major European Leagues) will have just one week of preparation between the last match of their domestic leagues and the start of the World Cup tournament (November 20th, 2022). More precisely, the major European soccer leagues will interrupt match schedules between November 9th and 13th with differences in the number of games completed at this time of the season ranging from 14 to 17 across the various leagues (Table 2). The physical and mental demands placed on modern professional players have steadily risen over recent years due to an increase in the number of matches played during congested periods across the season (Anderson et al., 2016). Since the number of matches is not evenly distributed across the typical 40-week season, players can often compete in as many as three matches in a seven-day period. Aside from the physical and mental demands that are imposed during a match, players might experience insufficient recovery between these games; in part due to extensive travelling which can disrupt the sleep/wake cycle (Lastella et al., 2019). Indeed, poor quality of sleep and the stress induced by a match can negatively affect physical fitness and may even increase the risk of sustaining injuries and/or infections (Clemente et al., 2021) in the period leading up to the World Cup. National teams are composed of players from different leagues who have varying levels of exposure to match-play (e.g., starters, non-starters) in terms of the average weekly volume of soccer matches at their clubs (“Rapports - Observatoire du football CIES”). Moreover, both starters and non-starters are exposed to different external match and training loads (Anderson et al., 2016). External loads have previously been defined as the overall volume of activity that a player performs during both training sessions and matches (Ravé et al., 2020). There is evidence that this metric correlates with a player’s physical fitness status (Clemente et al., 2019) and their injury risk (Malone et al., 2017). Accordingly, it will be challenging for national teams to manage the fitness of players such that they are physically ready to play at the World Cup tournament. This is especially applicable to individuals who play in the major European leagues and we note a significant contrast between European match schedules and those on other continents. For example, in Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America, match schedules will be interrupted from November 5th, 15 days before the World Cup tournament begins. Similarly, in the Japanese J-League in Asia, Saudi Pro League and Qatar Star League, matches will be interrupted one month before the World Cup tournament begins, leaving more time for players on these continents to prepare. It is also important to note that the French, Spanish and English domestic championships will resume their match schedules on December 27th which is just ten days after the end of the World Cup (Figure 1). Clubs will clearly want their players to return uninjured and with sufficient fitness levels to resume domestic competition but these goals could be compromised by the aforementioned scheduling of the World Cup tournament.</jats:p

Influence de la fatigue sur les forces musculaires des quadriceps et des ischios-jambiers chez des joueurs de football de haut niveau

Les résultats de nos 5 études expérimentales ont principalement montré qu'il existait lors des tests d'endurance isocinétique : un déclin de force concentrique supérieur des ischio-jambiers comparé aux quadriceps affectant le ratio IJ/Q ; une régression de force linéaire pour les quadriceps et les ischio-jambiers et quadratique pour le ratio IJcon/Qcon ; une reproductibilité inter-test élevée pour les moyennes de moments de force, le poucentage de déclin de force et le ratio IJcon/Qcon ; une décroissance de force des quadriceps et des ischio-jambiers inférieure lors de contractions excentriques comparées à celle enregistrée lors de contractions concentriques ; une augmentation du ratio fonctionnel IJexc/Qcon et du déficit critique des quadriceps et des ischio-jambiers. Ces résultats ont amélioré les connaissances quant à l'évolution de la force musculaire en situation de fatigue et apporté des précisions pour la réalisation des tests d'endurance sur dynamomètre isocinétique. L'ensemble de nos travaux est une étape de recherche préliminaire de l'influence de la fatigue sur la mécanique du genou chez les joueurs de football de haut niveauOur five experimental studies showed the following main results during isokinetic endurance testing : a greater concentric strength decline in the hamstrings compared with the quadriceps, affecting the H/Q ratio ; linear regressions for quadriceps and hamstring strength and a quadratic regression for the Hcon/Qcon ratio ; high inter-test reproducibility for the mean torques, percentages in strength decline, and the Hcon/Qcon ratio ; a lower strength decline in quadriceps and hamstrings during eccentric contractions than during concentric contractions ; an increase in the functional Hecc/Qcon ratio and a critical deficit in the quadriceps and hamstrings. These results have added to our understanding of how fatigue affects muscle strength and contribute new details for endurance testing on an isokinetic dynamometer. The set of studies constitutes preliminary research on the influence of fatigue on the knee-joint mechanics of high-level soccer playersROUEN-BU Lettres (764512101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Conventional vs. dynamic hamstring-quadriceps strength ratios: A comparison between players and sedentary subjects

International audienc

Conventional vs. dynamic hamstring quadriceps strength ratios: a comparison between players and sedentary subjects

International audienc

Impact des troubles liés à l'obésité sur la qualité de vie et la dépense énergétique

L'obésité est une pathologie qui augmente le risque de dévelopement d'anomalies métaboliques et autres co-morbidités. De part le déconditionnement physique qu'elle entraîne, elle dégrade l'efficience énergétique et mécanique, lors des activités physiques de faible intensité comme la marche. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse a donc été de déterminer et de quantifier l'impact des troubles liés à l'obésité sur la perception de la qualité de vie et de la dépense énergétique (DE), au travers de deux projets intitulés Obénergie et Obéaccéléro. Dans le projet Obénergie, la DE et la qualité de vie ont été étudiées, chez 69 sujets atteints d'obésité, au début et à l'issue de 6 mois de programme combinant la réalisation de 10000 pas par jour à des conseils diététiques. Ainsi, nos résultats ont montré que l'obésité morbide détériore l'aspect physique de la qualité de vie, augmente le risque de dépression et la dépense énergétique totale. Toutefois, notre programme combiné a permis d'améliorer les indices de l'obésité et la qualité de vie. Dans le projet Obéaccéléro, nous avons testé un nouvel accéléromètre pour mesurer la DE chez des sujets normo-pondérés et obèses. Quel que soit le groupe étudié, cet accéléromètre surestime la DE par rapport à un système de calorimétrie indirecte, sur l'ensemble de l'épreuve. Toutefois, une forte corrélation et concordance existent entre les deux systèmes de mesure. L'accéléromètre fournit une méthode de quantification simple et objective de la dépense énergétique.Obesity is a complex disease, which increases the risk of developing metabolic disorders and other co-morbidities. Due to physical deconditionning, obesity deteriorates mechanical and energetic efficiency in low intensity physical activity, such as walking. The aim of this thesis was to identify and quantify the impact of obesity-related disorders on Health-Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) and energy expenditure (EE), through two projects : Obénergie and Obéaccéléro. In Obénergie, DE and HRQOL were studied in 69 obese subjects, at baseline and after 6 months of daily walking (10,000 steps for day) associated with diet advice. Our results showed that morbidly obesity reduced physical aspect of HRQOL, but increased daily energy expenditure and the risk of depression. However, our combining program improved obesity indices and quality of life. In Obéaccéléro, we tested a new accelerometer to measure EE, upon healthy and obese sujects. In both groups, our accelerometer overestimated EE, compared to indirect calorimetry, in all combined activities. A strong correlation and agreement were observed between these two systems. Accelerometer is a tool that quantifies EE in objective and simple terms.ROUEN-BU Lettres (764512101) / SudocSudocFranceF