Reasons for application of dietary supplements in fitness

In addition to reducing physical activity, we have a significant increase in living standards, which also increases the risk of developing overweight. Therefore, fitness as a physical activity, as a tool in terms of movement therapy, is increasingly finding application in contemporary life. With the increase of interest for fitness there is also the interest for the use of dietary supplements among the population which performing fitness.The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of use of dietary supplements in people who exercise in fitness centers, what are the reasons for their use and the types of supplements used by them. The Hi-square (x2) test is used to determine if there is a significant difference between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies. The results obtained show that the majority of respondents use supplements (78%), and that the source of information about the use of supplements in fitness is the fitness instructor with 56%.Among the reasons for applying supplements in fitness is the reduction of fat mass by 70%, weight loss by 70% and replacement of food deficiencies 46%. The most used supplements are Casein (protein) with 58%, L-carnitine / body attack (weight loss) with 34%, Fish oil omega 3 with 30%, Hydraxycut - elite (weight loss) with 26%.It has been proven that with the increase of interest of female persons for fitness, their interest for the use of dietary supplements has also increased

International Cooperation Through Erasmus+ and the Tendency to Return to the Normal Educational Process After the Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the Cooperation is the realization an Blended Intensive Programme between universities. The first international program was 5 days project Erasmus+ at a ski resort Popova Shapka in Macedonia between three universities of different countries Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia. Project Subject: Skiing and sport animations/game activities for children . The aim of the training program was for students to organize and implement sports animation programs for children and to teach them skiing, games and other physical indoors and outdoors activities. The sample of entities consists of 20 students and 8 professors. The demonstration method of work as well as other didactic and special methods were used in the educational process. Results and conclusion, the program resulted with professional development of the students for sports games and animation for children, social and communication competences, recognition of intercultural values through traditional games and dances, learning through observation using workshop and video recording on methods of training. The second International programme Sports Animation for Children and Water Sports at a Seaside Resort Kiten, Bulgaria was successfully completed. And as a recommendation, projects with an international character supported by Erasmus+ should have priority in higher education

SITUATIONAL BIOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS AT SLALOM CARVING SKIS IN TOP LEVEL SKIERS

Skiing is a sport performed under exceptional competition conditions, especially taking into consideration environment, skiing trail with its special characteristics. It is impossible to carry out an investigation of the alpine skiing technique in laboratory conditions. Because of that it is only possible to carry it out during a competition. In this paper we selected special parts of the trail based on the predetermined goal to determine the carving slalom skis efficiency. Besides this we determined certain markers of the slalom technique that represent biomechanical situational kinematical space parameters: length with five and angle with six variables. Besides the investigation results, after the statistical processing, we found that the certain kinematical situational variables of slalom technique at carving skis have different mutual relations

Training during the COVID-19 lockdown : knowledge, beliefs, and practices of 12,526 athletes from 142 countries and six continents

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March–June 2020). RESULTS Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to “maintain training,” and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is “okay to not train during lockdown,” with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered “coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)” to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], most (83%) training for “general fitness and health maintenance” during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (from ≥ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to “maintain” training and the greatest opposition to “not training” during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered “coaching by correspondence” as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletes’ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletes’ mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness).A specific funding was provided by the National Sports Institute of Malaysia for this study.The National Sports Institute of Malaysia.https://www.springer.com/journal/40279am2023Sports Medicin

Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents (vol 52, pg 933, 2021)

Washif JA, Farooq A, Krug I, et al. Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents (vol 52, pg 933, 2021). Sports Medicine . 2022;52:933-948.Objective Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March–June 2020). Results Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to “maintain training,” and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is “okay to not train during lockdown,” with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered “coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)” to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], plyometric exercise [30%]) at pre-lockdown levels (higher among world-class, international, and national athletes), with most (83%) training for “general fitness and health maintenance” during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (from ≥ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification. Conclusions COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to “maintain” training and the greatest opposition to “not training” during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered “coaching by correspondence” as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletes’ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletes’ mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness)