Derivation of an Age and Weight Handicap for the 5K Run

The adverse effect of increasing age and/or body weight on distance run performance has been well documented. Accordingly, nearly all five kilometer (5K) road races employ age categories and, sometimes, a heavier body weight classification. Problems with such conventions include small numbers of runners within older age categories and the advantage given to the lightest runners within each weight category. We developed a 5K Handicap (5KH), a model that calculates an adjusted run time based on the inputs of actual 5K run time, age, and body weight for men and women. This adjusted time, then, can be compared between runners of different ages and body weights. The purpose of this paper was to explain, in detail, the derivation of the 5KH formula using published theoretical and empirical findings on age, body weight and distance run time relationships. To our knowledge, the 5KH is the first such model and overcomes the problems associated with being heavier within one weight class and having too few runners in certain age categories. We are currently undertaking large-scale validation studies and evaluation of its race day implementation

Body Mass Bias in a Competition of Muscle Strength and Aerobic Power

Recently, a fitness competition called the Pump and Run (PR) has been popularized. Composed of 2 events, a 5-km road race time (RT) in seconds and a maximal-repetition bench press (BPR) with resistance based on a percentage of body mass (M), the final score (RTadj) equals RT - 30(BPR). From published findings, the authors hypothesized that the PR would impose a bias against heavier competitors. Furthermore, the potential for age bias in this event has not been evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate M and age bias in the PR for men and women. For 74 female and 343 male competitors in a large PR event, RT, BPR, M, and age were collected from official competition results. Two subsamples were randomly created from the original sample: the validation (VAL) (54 women and 258 men) and the cross-validation (CVAL) (20 women and 85 men). For the VAL sample, the RTadj showed significant bias against heavier runners (women r2 = 0.35; men r2 = 0.28;P \u3c 0.01 for both) but no age bias (women r2 = 0.04; men r2 = 0.005; P \u3e 0.05 for both). Using allometric modeling, the authors developed a set of M-based correction factors to be multiplied by each RTadj to yield new adjusted run times (NRTadj) that would be free of M bias. As applied to the CVAL sample, the NRTadj values virtually eliminated the M bias (women r2 = 0.04; men r2 = 0.002; P \u3e 0.05 for both) of the current PR scoring system and retained the absence of age bias (women r2 = 0.02; men r2 = 0.0002; P \u3e 0.05 for both). The authors recommend the use of the NRTadj scores for future PR competitions

Validation of a 5K Age and Weight Run Handicap Model

Though increasing age and body weight (BW) have been widely known to be associated with slower distance run times, the common convention in 5K road races is to categorize competitors by age and, sometimes, BW. This has the disadvantage of assigning only small numbers of competitors to age categories and giving advantage to runners close to the minimum age or BW values allowable. Using recent advances in the modeling of distance run performance by BW combined with empirical evidence quantifying the independent effect of age on cardiovascular endurance, we previously published the derivation of the 5K Handicap (5KH), an age and BW handicap model for the 5K road race. With the inputs of age, BW and actual run time, the 5KH computes an adjusted run time which can be used to compare runners of different age and BW within the same gender. In this study, we field tested the 5KH in two local races with 275 men and 126 women. Results suggest that the 5KH eliminates the age and BW bias, and may provide more incentive for older and heavier runners to compete. Furthermore, the BW bias in the 5K tended to be lower for women than for men. The first scientifically-based age and BW graded system, the 5KH appears valid for both genders and may have application for other race distances and fitness testing environments

A Home-based Exercise Program for the Foot and Ankle to Improve Balance, Muscle Performance and Flexibility in Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Background and purpose: Strength and range of motion of the foot and ankle have been shown to be related to measures of balance and fall risk in older adults. The primary purpose of this pilot investigation was to evaluate the feasibility of a 6-week home-based exercise program focusing on the foot and ankle and any associated changes in balance, muscle performance and range of motion in older adults. Methods: This single-group repeated measures study involved a convenience sample of 21 healthy communitydwelling older adults age 60-90. Nineteen participants completed all phases of the testing and training. The intervention was a 6-week home-based exercise program focusing on ankle musculature performed 3 times per week. Outcome measures were assessed on three separate occasions: baseline, pre-intervention, and post-intervention. Outcome measures included the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), gait speed, Timed Up and Go (TUG), Activities Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), gastrocnemius muscle strength and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion. Results: Following the intervention, there were significant improvements in the Mini-BESTest, gait speed, TUG, gastrocnemius strength and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion. There was also significant positive relationship between improvements in the Mini-BESTest and gastrocnemius strength. There were no unanticipated adverse events and compliance was high. Conclusions: A simple but progressive home-based exercise program for the foot and ankle appears to be feasible for older individuals and may lead to meaningful improvements in measures of balance and mobility. Further research of this targeted intervention may be warranted

A Multi-Directional Treadmill Training Program for Improving Gait, Balance, and Mobility in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(4): 372-384, 2015. Treadmill training is a commonly used intervention for improving gait in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about how treadmill training may also influence balance and other aspects of mobility. The purpose of this case series was to explore the feasibility and possible benefits of multi-directional treadmill training for individuals with PD. Four participants (62.3 ± 6.5 yrs, Hoehn & Yahr 2-4) performed 8 weeks of treadmill training 3 times per week. Weeks 1-4 included forward walking only, while weeks 5-8 included forward and multi-directional walking. Participants were tested every 4 weeks on 4 separate occasions. Outcome measures included the following: gait speed, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), instrumented Timed Up and Go, Four Square Step Test (FSST), Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), Activities Specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC) and the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Improvements were demonstrated for all gait and balance measures. Improvements exceeded minimal detectable change (MDC) and/or minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for gait speed (3 participants), 6MWT (all 4 participants), and the Mini-BESTest (2 participants). Participants experienced greater relative improvements for most measures during the multi-directional walking portion of the program. Multi-directional treadmill training was feasible for 4 individuals with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease and may have additional benefits for gait, balance and mobility than forward walking alone. Further research may be warranted for this novel intervention

Contributions of Body Fat and Effort in the 5K Run: Age and Body Weight Handicap

The 5K handicap (5KH), designed to eliminate the body weight (BW) and age biases inherent in the 5K run time (RT), yields an adjusted RT (RTadj) that can be compared between runners of different BW and age. As hypothesized in a validation study, however, not all BW bias may be removed, because of the influences of body fatness (BF) and effort (run speed; essentially the inverse as measured by rating of perceived exertion (RPE)). This study\u27s purpose was to determine the effects of BF and RPE on BW bias in the 5KH. For 99 male runners in a regional 5K race (age = 43.9 ± 12.1 years; BW = 83.4 ± 12.9 kg), BF was determined via sum of three skinfolds just before the race. RPE, on the 20-point Borg scale, was used to assess overall race effort on race completion. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop a new adjusted RT (NRTadj, the RTadj corrected for BF and RPE), which was computed for each runner and then correlated with BW to determine bias. Indicative of slight bias, BW was correlated with RTadj (r = 0.220, p = 0.029). Both BF (p = 0.00002) and RPE (p = 0.0005) were significant, independent predictors of RTadj. NRTadj was not significantly correlated with BW (r = 0.051, p = 0.61), but BF explained 90%, and RPE explained only 6%, of the remaining BW bias evidenced in the 5KH. The previous finding that the 5KH does not remove all BW bias is apparently accounted for by BF and not RPE. Because no handicap should be awarded for higher BF, this finding suggests that the 5KH, for men, appropriately adjusts for the age and BW vs. RT biases previously noted

Comparison of the Effect of Caffeine Ingestion on Time to Exhaustion between Endurance Trained and Untrained Men

This study compared the ergogenic effects of caffeine on men who were endurance trained to those who were untrained. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover experimental design. Ten endurance trained men (mean age 24.4 ± 2.0 yrs, weight 79.4 ± 8.5 kg, predicted VO2 max 46.3 ± 1.8 mL·kg-1·min-1) and 10 untrained men (mean age 22.8 ± 1.9 yrs, weight 88.9 ± 9.9 kg, predicted VO2 max 37.6 ± 2.7 mL·kg-1·min-1) completed two cycle ergometer trials to exhaustion at 80% of their predicted workload max 30 min after ingesting either 5 mg·kg-1 of body weight of caffeine or a placebo. Neither group displayed significant increases in time to exhaustion (Trained Group: 786.4 ± 251.5 sec for the placebo trial and 810.7 ± 209.4 sec for the caffeine trial and the Untrained Group: 514.6 ± 107.8 sec for the placebo trial and 567.3 ± 140.5 sec for the caffeine trial) after ingesting caffeine. When compared statistically between groups, the difference was not significant. When the groups were combined, the difference was caffeine and the placebo was not significant. The findings indicate that there was no ergogenic effect of caffeine on time to exhaustion in either endurance trained or untrained men

Fitness, Friendship, and Fun: University Sponsored Community PE Program

This paper describes a University-sponsored community physical education program and the feedback received about it from teachers, children, and the college students who oversaw it. The program, called Fitness, Friendship, and Fun, was staffed by 65 first-year student interns from the University of Dayton; four graduate assistants; and two university professors. It began with 65 male and female elementary students, primarily from the fifth and sixth grades at a nearby elementary school

Task-Oriented Ankle and Foot Training for Improving Gait, Balance, and Strength in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects and feasibility of a task-oriented ankle and foot exercise program on gait, balance, and strength in 6 adults with mild to moderate disability from multiple sclerosis (MS). The subjects participated in an 8-wk task-specific home-based ankle and foot exercise program. Outcome measures included stance phase ankle joint torque and power, limits of stability, isometric and isokinetic ankle strength, gait speed, and the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12). Five subjects completed the 8- wk intervention. Following training, there were significant increases in ankle power during early (38.1%) and late (11.8%) stance, limits of stability (6.1%), and isokinetic dorsiflexion (26.4%), and plantar flexion (15.0%) strength. There were no differences in isometric strength, gait speed, or the MSWS-12. The findings indicate that a task-oriented home-based ankle and foot exercise program appears to be safe and feasible and may improve select measures of gait, balance, and muscle performance in individuals with MS who have mild to moderate disability. Further research may be warranted

HIV Prevalence in a Gold Mining Camp in the Amazon Region, Guyana

The prevalence of HIV infection among men in a gold mining camp in the Amazon region of Guyana was 6.5%. This high percentage of HIV infection provides a reservoir for the virus in this region, warranting immediate public health intervention to curb its spread. As malaria is endemic in the Amazon Basin (>30,000 cases/year), the impact of coinfection may be substantial