Līga Vecbērza, Zane Šmite, Līga Plakane, Ilvis Ābeļkalns
{"title":"The Impact of Ankle Plantar-Flexor Muscle Strength on Sprint Acceleration in Floorball Players.","authors":"Līga Vecbērza, Zane Šmite, Līga Plakane, Ilvis Ābeļkalns","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0272","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Speed is a crucial physical characteristic where each lower-limb ankle plantar-flexor (PF) muscle needs to generate significant force; however, there is limited evidence about the relationship between single-limb isometric, and reactive strength forms, and linear sprint. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the maximal unilateral isometric strength of the ankle PF muscle and reactive strength on sprint acceleration performance.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>Thirty-two male floorball players (mean [SD] age 20.3 [3.0] y, height 181.5 [8.5] cm, body mass 77.4 [12.2] kg, and body mass index 22.3 [2.8]) from 2 clubs in the highest division in Latvia performed 20-m linear sprint, unilateral 10/5 repeated jump (reactive strength index [RSI]), ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion, and isometric seated plantar-flexion strength tests, where all data were used for correlational analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Unilateral RSI was associated with 20-m sprint time (r = -.52, P < .01) and average speed from 10 to 20 m (r = .72, P < .01). Relative PF strength was associated with unilateral RSI (r = .35, P < .05) and 20-m sprint time (r = -.36, P < .05), whereas ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion was associated with unilateral RSI jump height (r = .47, P < .05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Floorball athletes with higher unilateral RSI and isometric PF muscle strength tend to accelerate faster, but subjects with better ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion jump higher in vertical repeated jumps. These findings suggest that both reactive and isometric strength are key indicators for sprint acceleration performance in floorball athletes, providing coaches with tools to monitor and improve performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"393-398"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143004930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Kwan Nicholas Lam, John Sproule, Shaun M Phillips
{"title":"Future Directions in Understanding Acute and Chronic Effects of Mental Fatigue in Sports: A Commentary on Bridging Laboratory Findings and Real-World Applications.","authors":"Hui Kwan Nicholas Lam, John Sproule, Shaun M Phillips","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2024-0363","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mental fatigue (MF) is a psychobiological state that could negatively impact physical and cognitive performance, although the extent of this impact remains controversial. While laboratory studies have provided valuable insights into the acute effects of MF, their ecological validity in real-world sport settings remains limited. Recent research indicates that MF can naturally arise during sport activities, leading to chronic effects on endurance and perceptual-cognitive skills. These effects may persist beyond individual sessions, potentially increasing the risk of injury due to their cumulative nature.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This commentary aims to guide future research by emphasizing the need to investigate the natural occurrence and chronic effects of MF in applied sport settings.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Understanding how MF develops and manifests in real-world settings, particularly individual differences in perception and response, is crucial for creating more effective management strategies. Addressing these factors will enable better support for athletes who may experience prolonged periods of MF that could affect their training and competitive performance. Future research should prioritize studying MF in natural sport settings to enhance the ecological validity of findings. By focusing on the chronic and cumulative nature of MF, as well as individual variability, researchers can develop more tailored and effective strategies for managing MF. This research will not only bridge the gap between laboratory studies and real-world applications but also contribute to more precise monitoring and intervention techniques. Ultimately, these advancements will improve athletes' ability to maintain peak performance and reduce the risk of injury, thereby enhancing overall athletic well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143004713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fatma Chaari, Abderrahmane Rahmani, Nicolas Peyrot, Mohamed A Harrabi, Thouraya Fendri, Haithem Rebai, Sébastien Boyas, Sonia Sahli
{"title":"Does Core Training Improve Agility Performance in Soccer Players With Groin Pain? A Randomized, Single-Blind Study.","authors":"Fatma Chaari, Abderrahmane Rahmani, Nicolas Peyrot, Mohamed A Harrabi, Thouraya Fendri, Haithem Rebai, Sébastien Boyas, Sonia Sahli","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0259","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0259","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Agility is crucial for soccer players, and core training can improve it. One study showed significant agility improvements after an intervention including core training for athletes with groin pain. However, it is unclear if these improvements resulted specifically from the core exercises or the entire program. Additionally, the study lacked a control group, making the findings inconclusive.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The current study aimed to explore the effect of core training, previously reported in the context of groin-pain rehabilitation, on agility performance in soccer players with groin pain.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty soccer players with groin pain volunteered to participate. They were randomly assigned to a core training group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10). Before and immediately after that period, agility performance (T test and Edgren Side Step Test) and self-reported outcomes (Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score) were assessed in both groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No significant session × group interaction was observed in agility T test (F = 2.55; P = .12; ηp2=.12) and Edgren Side Step Test (F = 3.18; P = .09; ηp2=.15) performances. Besides, Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome scores showed significant improvements (P = .007 to <.001) in the core training group following the 12 weeks of core training and compared with the control group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results showed that soccer players with groin pain who received or did not receive core training showed similar agility performance. However, significant improvements in self-reported outcomes were observed in soccer players compared with the control group. Clinicians and coaches should therefore consider core training when designing training and rehabilitation programs for this population to enhance recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"385-392"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143004162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Selected Immunoendocrine and Physiological Performance Adaptations to Different Volume of Upper-Body Plyometric Training in National-Level Male Volleyball Players.","authors":"Changfeng Ning, Mohsen Sheykhlouvand","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0229","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 6-week upper-body plyometric-training (PT) program with varying volumes on the immunoendocrine, physiological parameters, and physical performance adaptations in male volleyball players.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-four trained college players were randomly allocated into 3 groups with 8 participants. Each group performed 5 exercises at maximal effort with differences in volume: low (3 sets of 7 repetitions), moderate (3 sets of 10 repetitions), and high (3 sets of 13 repetitions). The training program lasted 6 weeks with participants undertaking 3 sessions of PT per week.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Following the intervention, all groups exhibited significant (P = .001) improvements in physical and physiological parameters, as well as skill-based performances, with effect sizes ranging from small to very large. Comparative analysis of individual changes indicated that the high-volume group resulted in greater adaptive responses in the medicine-ball throw (P = .004), peak (P = .001) and average (P = .022) power output, push-ups (P = .001), and strength (P = .032) compared with the low-volume group. No significant between-groups difference (P > .05) was observed regarding immunoendocrine measures, reaction time, attacking, and serving skills.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that short-term upper-body PT positively influenced performance adaptations, emphasizing that the adaptive response to PT depends on the varying volumes. The study proposes that integrating higher volumes of PT results in more significant adaptive responses among volleyball players with the same immunoendocrine responses as the other training volumes.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"363-371"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142978445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saida Riddell, Christoph Zinner, Sean M Lubiak, Gillian Tiralla, Travis Foster, Nauris Tamulevicius, Oliver J Quittmann, Martin Lange, Simon Gavanda
{"title":"Physiological Responses of Elite Cheerleaders During Training and Simulated Competition Routines.","authors":"Saida Riddell, Christoph Zinner, Sean M Lubiak, Gillian Tiralla, Travis Foster, Nauris Tamulevicius, Oliver J Quittmann, Martin Lange, Simon Gavanda","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0269","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0269","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Competitive cheerleading (cheersport) is a physically demanding sport; however, there is a lack of information regarding its acute physiological responses during training or competition in these athletes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate these responses during both training sessions and simulated cheerleading competition routines (full-outs) among elite cheersport athletes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Six Coed and 10 All Girl elite cheerleaders were included in this study. Countermovement-jump (CMJ) height and blood lactate concentration were measured prepractice, after warm-up, after a full-out, and at the end of the training session. Heart rate (HR) was monitored throughout all the sessions. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze changes over time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most of the training time (51%-68%) was spent between 50% and 69% maximum HR. Only 3% to 4% was spent above 90% HRmax. During full-outs, most of the time (67%-80%), HR was ≥80% maximum HR. The blood lactate concentration was significantly elevated post-full-out (6.4 [1.6] mmol/L) compared with pretraining and post-warm-up (P < .001). In addition, blood lactate concentration was higher after training (3.4 [2.2] mmol/L) compared with prepractice and post-warm-up (P ≤ .025). CMJ height did not change over time (P ≤ .268).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cheersport training leads to a low overall metabolic demand but is interspersed with short, high-intensity \"intervals.\" The highest intensities were achieved during full-outs, indicating the anaerobic nature of competition routines. Therefore, cheerleaders should train both the aerobic and the anaerobic systems to increase recovery capacity between drills and to maximize anaerobic power during competition.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"355-362"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142948867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Óscar López-Belmonte, Roberto Baldassarre, Jesús J Ruiz-Navarro, Marco Bonifazi, Raúl Arellano, Maria Francesca Piacentini
{"title":"Lactate Threshold and Swimming Performance in World-Class Open-Water Swimmers.","authors":"Óscar López-Belmonte, Roberto Baldassarre, Jesús J Ruiz-Navarro, Marco Bonifazi, Raúl Arellano, Maria Francesca Piacentini","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0342","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0342","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The assessment of lactate threshold (LT) and its relationship to open-water (OW) performance is crucial. This study aimed (1) to analyze LT in world-class OW swimmers, (2) to compare swimming speed at LT (SSLT) and 4 mmol·L-1 of blood lactate concentration ([La-]; SS4), and (3) to examine the relationships between SSLT and swimming performance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty world-class and elite (11 male, 26.4 [3.0] y; 9 female, 25.8 [3.6] y) OW swimmers voluntarily participated. A total of 46 (29 male and 17 female) intermittent incremental tests (7 × 400 m) conducted in a 50-m pool were analyzed. Seasonal best performances on 400-, 800-, and 1500-m and 10-km OW swimming events were obtained.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The SSLT was 1.62 (0.02) (3.8 [1.0] mmol·L-1) and 1.46 (0.04) m·s-1 (3.0 [0.7] mmol·L-1) in males and females, respectively, which corresponded to 97% of the peak speed reached in the tests. There were no differences (P = .148) between SSLT and SS4 in males; however, SSLT was lower (P = .019) than SS4 in females. The SSLT was negatively correlated with swimming performance, with the exception of 10-km OW and 400-m times in males and females, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>World-class and elite OW swimmers exhibited a greatly developed aerobic capacity with LT close to their maximum speed. The SS4 could be used as an approximation to SSLT in males but overestimates true aerobic capacity in females. LT is a useful tool for assessing performance, as OW swimmers with higher SSLT showed better swimming performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"309-315"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142948865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Janik Arnet, Raphael Knaier, Raphael Schoch, Gommaar D'Hulst, Fabienne Bruggisser, Andri Feldmann, Rahel Leuenberger, Elena Westerhuis, Denis Infanger, Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Jonathan Wagner
{"title":"Determination of Ventilatory Thresholds Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Recreational Endurance and CrossFit Athletes.","authors":"Janik Arnet, Raphael Knaier, Raphael Schoch, Gommaar D'Hulst, Fabienne Bruggisser, Andri Feldmann, Rahel Leuenberger, Elena Westerhuis, Denis Infanger, Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Jonathan Wagner","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0265","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0265","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To define training zones, ventilatory thresholds (VTs) are commonly established by cardiopulmonary gas-exchange analysis during incremental exercise tests. Portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices have emerged as a potential tool for detecting these thresholds by monitoring muscle oxygenation. This study evaluated the accuracy of NIRS measurements to determine VTs or critical power (CP) based on muscle oxygen saturation and assesses the device's consistency across 2 constant-load tests. Data from 2 cross-sectional studies involving trained recreational endurance athletes (26 from study 1) and CrossFit athletes (59 from study 2) were examined. Incremental ramp tests on a cycle ergometer were performed and followed by either a constant-load test (study 1) or a CP test (study 2). When comparing power output or heart rate between NIRS-derived breakpoints and VTs, weak to moderate agreement was found. Mean differences in power output and heart rate ranged from 16.8 to 22.4 W and 3.8 to 6.0 beats·min-1 at the first threshold and 27.4 to 31.2 W and 7.1 to 7.8 beats·min-1 at the second threshold. Comparing with CP, mean differences ranged from -0.4 to 0.4 W and -0.6 to 0.9 beats·min-1. Test-retest reliability showed moderate agreement, with a mean bias of 1.2 percentage points between constant-load tests. Thus, NIRS may not be accurate for determining VTs or CP during exercise due to limited agreement in power output or hear rate, notable variability on individual level, and moderate reproducibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"345-354"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142948775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comment on Matomäki et al: Better Understand the Methods of Exercise-Dose Quantification Before Addressing the Issue of Protocol Equalization.","authors":"François-Denis Desgorces, Philippe Noirez","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0334","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0334","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":"20 1","pages":"2"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pekka Matomäki, Olli-Pekka Nuuttila, Olli J Heinonen, Heikki Kyröläinen
{"title":"Response to Desgorces and Noirez: Dose Quantification Is Indirect.","authors":"Pekka Matomäki, Olli-Pekka Nuuttila, Olli J Heinonen, Heikki Kyröläinen","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0427","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0427","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":"20 1","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juan Rodríguez-Medina, Belén Carballo-Leyenda, Jorge Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Fabio García-Heras, Jose A Rodríguez-Marroyo
{"title":"Analyzing Competitive Demands in Mountain Running Races: A Running Power-Based Approach.","authors":"Juan Rodríguez-Medina, Belén Carballo-Leyenda, Jorge Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Fabio García-Heras, Jose A Rodríguez-Marroyo","doi":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0234","DOIUrl":"10.1123/ijspp.2024-0234","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to analyze the competitive demands of mountain running races of varying lengths.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sixty-six male athletes competed in Vertical race (∼3 km and ∼1000 m of total elevation change), Sky race (∼25 km and ∼3000 m of total elevation change), and SkyUltra race (∼80 km and ∼9000 m of total elevation change). Exercise intensity and competition load (TL) were assessed using running power, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The highest exercise intensity was observed in Vertical race (3.9 [0.4] W·kg-1, 93.6% [2.8%] HRmax, and 9.5 [0.7] RPE) compared to Sky race (3.5 [0.5] W·kg-1, 89.9% [2.4%] HRmax, and 8.5 [1.2] RPE), and SkyUltra (2.7 [0.6] W·kg-1, 73.4% [1.1%] HRmax, and 8.2 [1.1] RPE). Vertical races had the highest mean maximal power outputs for periods <10 minutes. They also had the highest proportion of time spent >5 W·kg-1 and the most time spent above the respiratory compensation threshold. The majority of time in SkyUltra was spent at low intensity. The highest TLs were observed in these races (6200.5 [708.0] kJ, 842.0 [35.7] AU for TLHR, and 4897.3 [940.7] AU for TLRPE). However, when normalized to competition time, the SkyUltra event showed the lowest values compared with the Vertical and Sky races (∼11 vs ∼14.5 kJ·min-1, ∼1.5 vs ∼2.5 AU·m-1 for TLHR).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results of this study expand knowledge about the effort demands of mountain races and demonstrate how these demands are affected by race duration. Additionally, the study highlights the potential use of running power for quantifying exercise in this sport.</p>","PeriodicalId":14295,"journal":{"name":"International journal of sports physiology and performance","volume":" ","pages":"275-281"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}