Creating a Healthier Campus: A Report on the Effectiveness of NSU’s “Slimming with the Sharks” Wellness Program

With a recent increase in college obesity rates, it is imperative to assess the effectiveness of campus-wide fitness programs while encouraging other institutes of higher education to do so. It is presently uncertain whether these programs are advantageous or disadvantageous for improving campus-wide obesity rates; therefore, assessing campus-wide fitness programs and reporting results may bring awareness to college campus obesity rates and clarify a solution to the problem. NSU’s RecPlex offered “Slimming with the Sharks,” a structured, multiple-component, weight loss initiative available to all students, faculty, and staff. The following is a brief report of “Slimming with the Sharks” data within NSU faculty, staff, and students

CONTACT TIME, FLIGHT TIME AND GROUND REACTION FORCES DURING A CONTROLLED RUNNING TRIAL OF ELITE AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Running speed is influenced by vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) application, foot-ground contact time (Tc), flight time (TF), and time taken to reposition the limbs in swing. The purpose of this study was to investigate running speed modulators in two groups of elite American football players [Skill (i.e. wide receivers, defensive backs, n=8) and Big Skill (i.e. linebackers, tight ends, n=8)]. Subjects ran at 6.5 m/s for 5 sec on an instrumented treadmill. Peak vGRF, Tc and TF were examined for overall associations and compared between groups. Tc was strongly associated with vGRF, p\u3c.001. Big Skill had larger absolute vGRF, p=.012 than Skill. Skill players had larger TF, smaller TC, and smaller relative vGRF, although not significant. Elite American football players apply large forces over long foot-ground contact time during a controlled ru

BILATERAL JUMP PERFORMANCE IS NOT RELATED TO KINETIC ASYMMETRY IN ELITE AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Monitoring kinetic asymmetry may provide coaches with a modifiable variable to improve performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and relationship of kinetic asymmetry during a countermovement jump (CMJ) and jumping performance. 26 elite American football players performed drop jumps onto an electronic timing mat and CMJ onto a force plate. Kinetic asymmetry was assessed calculating a symmetry index (SI) from inter-limb peak vertical ground reaction forces at propulsion during the CMJ. Pearson correlation coefficients quantified relationships between SI, reactive strength and jump height from the drop jumps, and jump height from the CMJ, p10%. SI was not significantly associated with any variables. p\u3e.05. Players may compensate for asymmetry in a manner that preserves performance

Peak Speeds of Professional Football Players During Bouts of Non-curved, Manual Treadmill Sprints

Purpose: Speed training and short distance sprints have become an essential component of preparation for professional football players. Current trends in speed training have included the application of non-curved, manual treadmills, as they may enhance peak speeds with less biomechanical stress. A lack of data currently exists in regards to the effectiveness of different settings and peak speed response. Therefore, we proposed to compare peak speeds during different settings of non-curved, manual treadmills. It was hypothesized that as resistance/incline increased, peak sprinting speeds would decrease and vice versa. Methods: Fourteen male professional football players (27.14 ± 3.11 yrs., 183.93 ± 8.52 cm, 100.36 ± 15.60 kg) sprinted at peak speeds during four different incline/resistance bouts. Paired samples T-tests examined differences between bouts, and significance was set at p ≤ 0.008. Results: A significant difference (p \u3c 0.001) existed for peak speeds between each incline/resistance bout (i.e. INC15R8, INC15R5, INC20R3, INC20R1). Conclusions: The observed data differences existed between all bouts, indicating that as resistance and/or incline increased, peak speed decreased. This also indicated that as resistance and/or incline decreased, peak speed increased during sprint bouts in professional football players

Measuring Energy Expenditure and Heart Rate during Maximum Aerobic Testing with the Apple Watch Series 7

Introduction: Wrist-worn devices such as the Apple Watch have emerged as technology for tracking physical activity. The aim of this research study is to analyze the Apple Watch Series 7 (AW7) with measurements of the maximum heart rate (MHR) and maximum energy expenditure (MEE) during a maximal aerobic capacity test on the treadmill. AW7 measurements will be compared to the Polar Heart Rate Monitor (Polar) and the PARVO Metabolic Cart (PARVO). Methods: 22 healthy and active subjects (mean ± SD: age 23.8 ± 4.0 years; BMI 23.0 ± 5.9 kg/m2 ) volunteered for the study. The subjects confirmed their activity, health status, and were measured for body composition and aerobic capacity. Results: No significant difference was found in MEE between PARVO (109.6 ± 41.7 kcal) and AW7 (98.7 ± 24.3 kcal) conditions; t(21)=1.5, p = 0.153. In addition, there was no significant difference in MHR between PARVO (186.2 ± 16.2 BPM) and AW7 (189.3 ± 8.5 BPM) conditions; t(21)=-0.9, p = 0.379. Conclusions: The main findings of this study show that the MEE as well as the MHR between the AW7 compared to the PARVO are not different

Whey Versus Casein Supplementation in Physically Active, Healthy Individuals

Purpose: Research shows the benefits of whey isolate protein powder and casein protein powder supplementation in regard to body composition and resting metabolic rate; however, minimal research exists comparing the effectiveness of whey to casein supplementation. Methods: Eighteen (18) physically trained, healthy individuals (23±3.1 yrs.; 171.7cm; 12 males; 6 females) completed a randomized two condition [Combat 100% Isolate (Whey) versus Combat 100% (Casein)] by two time point [Pre-, Post-] intervention. The intervention consisted of subjects supplementing on either whey or casein in conjunction with resistance training over an 8-week period. Pre and post testing included % body fat and metabolic rate. Results: A 2x2, repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated non-significant (p ≥ 0.05) effects on changes in % body fat and resting metabolic rate following the 8-week intervention. Conclusions: The data concludes no differences in the effects of whey versus casein protein supplementation in physically active, healthy individual

The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals

BACKGROUND: The consumption of dietary protein is important for resistance-trained individuals. It has been posited that intakes of 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day are needed for physically active individuals. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a very high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained men and women. METHODS: Thirty healthy resistance-trained individuals participated in this study (mean ± SD; age: 24.1 ± 5.6 yr; height: 171.4 ± 8.8 cm; weight: 73.3 ± 11.5 kg). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: Control (CON) or high protein (HP). The CON group was instructed to maintain the same training and dietary habits over the course of the 8 week study. The HP group was instructed to consume 4.4 grams of protein per kg body weight daily. They were also instructed to maintain the same training and dietary habits (e.g. maintain the same fat and carbohydrate intake). Body composition (Bod Pod®), training volume (i.e. volume load), and food intake were determined at baseline and over the 8 week treatment period. RESULTS: The HP group consumed significantly more protein and calories pre vs post (p \u3c 0.05). Furthermore, the HP group consumed significantly more protein and calories than the CON (p \u3c 0.05). The HP group consumed on average 307 ± 69 grams of protein compared to 138 ± 42 in the CON. When expressed per unit body weight, the HP group consumed 4.4 ± 0.8 g/kg/d of protein versus 1.8 ± 0.4 g/kg/d in the CON. There were no changes in training volume for either group. Moreover, there were no significant changes over time or between groups for body weight, fat mass, fat free mass, or percent body fat. CONCLUSIONS: Consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein has no effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who otherwise maintain the same training regimen. This is the first interventional study to demonstrate that consuming a hypercaloric high protein diet does not result in an increase in body fat

Trait Anxiety in Mixed Martial Artists

ABSTRACT Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a hybrid combat sport incorporating techniques from boxing, wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and other disciplines. Having only been deemed a competitive sport in 1993 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), not a lot of research has been done on these athletes. Research done so far on other areas of athletics has shown that personality traits can predict various cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, elevated levels of Trait Anxiety have been shown to deteriorate non-MMA athletes’ overall performance in high-pressure situations. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of Trait Anxiety in both professional fighters and Mixed Martial Artists, thenceforth comparing them to the control of non-Mixed Martial Artists. The hypothesis was that MMA and professional fighters would have significantly higher scores of trait anxiety on the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) scale while scoring significantly lower on the secondary subscales of trait anger, trait depression, and trait curiosity. The independent samples T-test score for the subscale of trait curiosity on the STPI revealed a significantly greater trait curiosity score for fighters (M = 6.25, SD = 1.89) relative to the control group (M = 5.20, SD = 2.29), t (63) = 2.01, p = .048. According to Cohen’s d, this effect is considered medium-to-large, d = .502. The independent samples T-test score for trait anxiety comparing the fighters (M= 10.92, SD= 4.33) to the control group (M=11.38, SD=5.44) was not significant, t (63) = -.382, p=.704. The T-test scores when measuring trait anger for the fighters (M=16.50, SD=5.71) and the control (M=16.51, SD= 7.12) was not significant, t (63) = -.010, p=.992. Lastly, the T-test scores when measuring trait depression between the fighters (M=7.25, SD=2.72) and the control (M=6.89, SD=3.22) was also not significant, t (63) = .480, p= .633. Key words: Trait Anxiety, Professional Fighters, STP