Male Sport Research Articles

Predicting Loading Intensity Measuring Velocity in Barbell Hip Thrust Exercise

de Hoyo, M, Núñez, FJ, Sañudo, B, Gonzalo-Skok, O, Muñoz-López, A, Romero-Boza, S, Otero-Esquina, C, Sánchez, H, and Nimphius, S. Predicting loading intensity measuring velocity in barbell hip thrust exercise. J Strength Cond Res 35(8): 2075-2081, 2021-The barbell hip thrust is an increasingly used exercise to target the hip extensors. Direct and indirect measurement of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) to determine the relative load of each exercise is time-consuming; therefore, practitioners may be more in favor of monitoring velocity and determining relative load through velocity-based prediction models for an exercise. This study aimed to assess the relationship between mean velocity (MV) and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) at different relative training loads (%1RM) in the barbell hip thrust exercise. One hundred two male sport science students performed an incremental 1RM testing protocol for the barbell hip thrust exercise, and a linear position transducer measured MV and MPV of the barbell. The 1RM was reached at 0.25 ± 0.03 m·s-1, and the regression model generated to estimate a relative load showed an acceptable standard error of estimate (7.01 ± 1.05% 1RM and 7.36 ± 1.05% 1RM for MV and MPV, respectively) with a very large explained variance (R2 = 0.94). These results may have important practical applications for the prescription and monitoring of the accessory exercise of the hip thrust for monitoring training load and predicting 1RM without undertaking a RM test.

‘Battle of the sixes’: Investigating print media representations of female professional golfers competing in a men’s tour event

In May 2018, the men’s European Tour invited five female professional golfers to compete in its GolfSixes event in England, against 27 professional male players. This was significant, particularly given the female struggle for equality of access, participation, employment and decision making in golf settings. This research investigates the print media representation of these five female professional golfers competing in this male domain. Using the Nexis database, data were collected from print newspapers in the United Kingdom and Ireland over six days before, during and after the event. Following thematic analysis, findings highlight a double-edged sword with regard to media coverage of female athletes competing against men: women received greater media coverage when in the male sport spotlight, but the coverage was framed by gendered discourses. The results document a slow shift towards more equal and equitable print media coverage of female athletes, whilst drawing attention to the problematic ways in which sportswomen are represented.

Sport Spectator Consumption and Sustainable Management of Sport Event Tourism; Fan Motivation in High Performance Sport and Non-Elite Sport. A Case Study of Horseback Riding and Running: A Comparative Analysis

Understanding the sociodemographic characteristics and motivations of participants in contemporary sports events is important for event organizers, host cities and tourist destinations who seek to acquire rights to organise sports events of various types. It is also important to know what functions sporting events have for fans—their needs, thanks to passive sports consumption, are now being met. This research was conducted to broaden knowledge about fan motivation of participation in individual high-performance and non-elite sport and to analyse the differences between them. The case study was a running event of mass character (the 6th edition of half-marathon held in Poznań, Poland) and a horseback riding elite event (“Cavaliada”, held in Poznań, Poland). The empirical research among fans of these disciplines conducted during popular running and horseback riding Polish events allowed to characterise the sociodemographic profile of fans of individual mass and elite sports and the motivations of passive sports consumption. The motives were divided into four groups connected with social, experiential, factual and results orientation. We used a standardised interview technique and diagnostic survey method. 1328 sports fans participated in our study (510 fans of half-marathon [non-elite sport] and 818 fans of Cavaliada [high performance sport]). We developed a self-constructed questionnaire according to the motivation typology of Freyer and Gross. Research results indicate that supporters of individual mass and elite sports have thoroughly different motivations. On 14 examined motives, 13 statistically significant differences were found. Moreover, the article presents the division of motivation among female and male supporters, young people, elderly people, local (hosts) and sport tourist supporters. The research has shown what the sociopsychological impact of watching sports competition on fans of various categories is. For example, what is the motivation of sports tourists (N = 764) to participate in mass and elite sports events. We also investigated the influence of participation in sporting events in the level of life satisfaction and the impact of running and horse event in destination image (Poznań) in the opinion of supporters.

Humour, masculinities and youth sport coaching: ‘Good morning, ladies!’

ABSTRACTIn this paper, I explore male youth sport coaches’ use of humour in relation to the reconstruction of masculinities, contributing to an emergent body of literature on the role of humour in coaching. Three creative non-fiction stories developed from my own coaching experiences in a competitive youth football (soccer) academy are used to examine: (1) coaches’ reconstruction of hegemonic/esteemed masculinities; (2) coaches’ use of humour to encourage re-alignment with hegemonic masculinities, and; (3) coaches’ use of (counter-)humour to disrupt hegemonic representations of masculinities. The stories offer sport coaches and educators with a resource to reflect on masculinities, gender relations, and the everyday use of humour within their own contexts.

Aqua cycling for immunological recovery after intensive, eccentric exercise.

Alterations in immunological homeostasis induced by acute exercise have been frequently reported. In view of the growing amount of repetitive exercise stimuli in competitive sports, quick recovery plays a superior role. Therefore, we examined whether aqua cycling affects cellular immunological recovery. After performing 300 countermovement jumps with maximal effort male sport students (n = 20; 24.4 ± 2.2years) were randomized into either an aqua cycling (AC) or a passive recovery (P) group. AC pedaled in chest-deep water without resistance, while P lay in a supine position. Each recovery protocols lasted 30min. Blood samples were taken at Baseline, Post-exercise, Post-recovery and 1h (h), 2h, 4h, 24h, 48h and 72h after recovery. Outcomes comprised white blood cell (WBC) counts, lymphocyte (LYM) counts and LYM subsets (CD4/CD8 ratio). Additionally, cellular inflammation markers (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII)) were calculated. In both groups, WBC, NLR and SII were significantly increased compared to Baseline up to and including 4h after recovery. Significant interaction effects were found for WBC (Post-recovery, 2h and 4h), NLR (Post-recovery), SII (Post-recovery) and CD4/CD8 ratio (2h) with values of AC being higher than of P. Interestingly, AC provoked a stronger but not prolonged immunological disturbance than P. NLR and SII may present simple, more integrative markers to screen exercise-induced alterations in immune homeostasis/recovery in athletes and clinical populations. More research is warranted to elucidate the clinical and practical relevance of these findings.

ACL GRAFT FAILURE IN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES COMPARED TO THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION

BACKGROUND Re-tear rates in pediatric and adolescent patients undergoing ACL reconstruction are higher than the general adult population. This has been postulated to be due to many reasons; one of which is participation in high risk activities. Athletes in professional sports are at increased risk of re-injury as well with high activity levels and often face additional pressure to return to sports quickly. The purpose of the study was to analyze ACL re-tear rates across male professional sports leagues in athletes following ACL reconstruction and return to play at the professional level to determine if there are similarities with the pediatric and adolescent population. METHODS This descriptive epidemiological study involved a comprehensive online search to identify male athletes in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB) who had a reported ACL tear between 2007 and 2017. The search included these professional sports league databases, public injury databases, and sports news reports. Each player with an identified ACL tear was searched for history of additional ACL injury. Re-tear rate was calculated for each league. For each ACL tear, the laterality, player position, return to play (defined as playing at least one game in a major or minor league in that sport), and approximate time to re-tear (months) were documented. Mechanism of tear (contact vs. non-contact) was recorded when available for the initial tears and retears via news reports or available video. Fisher’s exact test was performed to evaluate differences amongst re-tear rates and ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in time to re-tear amongst the three leagues. RESULTS The total number of ACL tears identified was 109 and the total number of re-tears was 13, for a total re-tear rate of 11.9%. ACL re-tear rates by league did not statistically differ, and were as follows: MLB, 11.5%; NBA, 9.3%; and NHL, 15.0%. Average time to re-tear was also not significantly different and was 24.7 months for MLB, 31.8 months for NBA, and 26.0 months for NHL. Return to play rate after index surgery was 94%, whereas return to play after a revision procedure was 84.6%. Our prior published meta-analysis of pediatric and adolescent ACL reconstruction failure rates was 8.3%. CONCLUSIONS / SIGNIFICANCE The ACL re-tear rates in multiple male professional sports leagues are higher than those reported in large registry studies and similar to the ACL re-injury rates previously reported in the NFL (12.3%). These revision rates are also more similar to those reported for pediatric patients. Exposure to high-risk sporting activity is likely a primary cause of ACL re-tear. The cited rates of ACL re-tear may thus be interpreted as a ‘best-case scenario’ in athletes returning to the highest level of activity, and may help to explain the similar high re-tear rates in the pediatric and adolescent population. TABLES AND FIGURES [Figure: see text]

Possible Hormone Predictors of Physical Performance in Adolescent Team Sport Athletes.

Martin, AC, Heazlewood, IT, Kitic, CM, Lys, I, and Johnson, L. Possible hormone predictors of physical performance in adolescent team sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res 33(2): 417-425, 2019-The research aim of this study was to determine possible hormone predictors of physical performance in adolescent team sport athletes. Saliva samples were collected immediately before performance testing sessions from 114 state squad athletes (77 males, 37 females) participating in either Australian football, basketball, hockey, or netball. Participants completed tests of aerobic and anaerobic capacity, agility, power, and speed. Samples were collected over 22 months at quarterly, six-monthly, and/or yearly intervals depending on the testing schedule of the athlete. Saliva was analyzed for testosterone (T), cortisol (C), estradiol (E), and progesterone (P) levels. A strong negative correlation existed between multistage fitness test performance and T:E ratio (r = -0.76, p = 0.01) in females not taking oral contraceptives, and a strong positive correlation existed between repeat agility total time and estradiol levels (r = -0.71, p = 0.001) in females taking oral contraceptives. In males, strong negative correlations were evident for individual changes in planned agility time and estradiol levels (r = 0.87, p = 0.02), and countermovement jump (CMJ) height and T:C (r = -0.88, p = 0.01). In females taking oral contraceptives, a strong positive correlation was noted between individual change in yo-yo intermittent recovery test performance and T:E (r = 0.74, p = 0.01) and a strong negative correlation was noted between 20-m speed and T:P (r = 0.73, p = 0.01). In females not taking oral contraceptives, a strong negative correlation was found between individual change in CMJ height and T:P (r = -0.72, p = 0.02). The findings show that in adolescent team sport athletes, the P:E, T:E, and the T:P ratios are important predictors of performance in tests of physical capacity. The findings also indicate that estradiol and progesterone have a predictive function in the physical performance of adolescent male team sport athletes.

The Role of Sport Passion Level of Athletes in Determining Love Attitude and Relation Satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of sport passion level of athletes in determinig love attitude and relation satisfaction. 218 athletes participated in this study as volunteers, 94 of the mare female (Xage=20,46±3,12), 124 of the mare male (Xage=22,81±4,05) sport experience of athletes dealing with different branches of team and individual sports (football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, track and field, bike… etc.) is 110,15±54,59 monts. To achieve the purpose of the study, Passion Scala was developed by Vallerand and his friends (2003) and it was adapted to Turkish culture by Kelecek (2013). Love Attitudes Scale (short form), was developed by Hendrick and Hendrick’ in (1986, 1990), and it was adapted to Turkish culture by Buyuksahin and Hovardaoglu (2004), Fianlly, Relationship Assessment Scala which were developed by Hendrick (1988) and adapted to Turkish culture by Curun (2001) were used. For solution and interpretation of the datas, descriptive statistical methods; for independent samples T-test, One Way Anova test and Multiple Step wise regression analysis were used. Analysis performed by using SPSS and research significance was accepted as P<0,05. As a result of this study, it has been observed that athletes’ sport passion level sare important determiners of love attitude and relation satisfactions, as well as it has also been observed that athletes love attitude level safe determiners of relation satisfactions.

Changing the game: the legal framework for the laws of the game, management of human performance data and related safety considerations in women’s professional sport

This article discusses the responsibility of codes of football to adapt and evolve the medical, human performance and/or regulatory frameworks to properly accommodate the emergence of elite women competitions within their traditionally male-dominated sports. It further considers whether the historic model of male sport built over generations—through the development of sporting rules and human performance protocols—needs to be reconsidered for girls and women to ensure that the wellbeing of those athletes recruited to compete as professionals is safeguarded to the appropriate legal standard. In undertaking this analysis, this article considers the following: the professional characterisation of selected women’s professional sports; the historic health challenges for women within elite sport; existing human performance protocols within professional Australian sport; and an analysis of the legal, ethical, and regulatory framework for the conducting of a sport.

Eating disorders risk assessment on semi-professional male team sports players

Introduction: eating disorders (EDs) are characterized by an extreme concern about body weight and body image. Male team sports players are usually excluded from the population at risk of developing EDs. This exemption can be questioned based on previous studies identifying a great body concern in male team athletes along with a increase of the sport-thinness relation. Objective: to detect EDs symptoms and to assess risk factors of its development in male team sports players. Methodology: a descriptive-analytical study was carried out with 49 male adult semiprofessional team sports players (football, basketball and rugby) between 18 and 35 years old. All subjects authorized their participation through informed consent. Data was collected through a general assessment sheet along with four validates tools: the Eating Habits Questionnaire for Athletes (CHAD), the Test of Food Attitudes (EAT-40), the Inventory of Eating (EDI-2), and the Questionnaire on the Body Shape (BSQ). All data were analyzed with a Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Student's t, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Results: it was observed that 14% of the subjects presented symptoms of EDs. Positive correlation was observed between score of the questionnaires, weekly training load and body mass index. Also football players score and rugbiers score were higher than basketball players score. Conclusion: male sports team players could also be a group of risk for EDs development. EDs risk greats when BMI and weekly training load high.

What do we want and what do we get from the coach? Preferred and perceived leadership in male and female team sports

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to investigate any similarities or differences between the genders in the scope of preferred coaching behaviours. Moreover, it was an attempt at establishing whether there are discrepancies between the respondents’ expectations and their evaluation of the actual perceived behaviour of the coaches towards them. It was also considered whether the type of the played sport would differentiate the respondents depending on their expectations.MethodsThe study consisted of two stages. The athletes’ preferences concerning coaching behaviours were studied with the ‘athletes’ preferences’ version of the Leadership Scale for Sports. The perceived coaching behaviour was evaluated by the athletes at the end of the season with the ‘coach’s behaviour as perceived by the athletes’ version of the scale.ResultsSignificant differences between women and men were observed when it comes to their preferences concerning coaching behaviours. Moreover, the analysis for dependent samples demonstrated that the athletes received from the coaches fewer coaching-related instructions, less feedback, and fewer democratic behaviours than they would have expected.ConclusionsThe results indicate that women and men differ in their preferences concerning coaching behaviours. These differences, however, are not big. The played sport may also have a significant influence on the expectations regarding the coach’s behaviour; this observation is, however, limited to women. Regardless of the athletes’ gender, coaches provided them with less behaviours than the athletes would have expected. This implies that coaches adjust their behaviour to the athletes’ preferences and the situational requirements in an inadequate manner.

Влияние высокоинтенсивной интервальной тренировки на гипертрофию, силу и окислительные способности рабочих мышц спортсменов силовых видов спорта: поперечное исследование

Objective: the purpose of the study was to evaluate how high-intensity interval training affects strength, oxidative capacity and hypertrophy of working muscles in power sports athletes. Materials and methods: the study included 35 male power sports athletes (powerlifting), the average age was 30 ± 5,4 years. Metabolic exhaled gas analysis (determination of the anaerobic threshold and heart rate, maximum oxygen consumption and pedaling power at the maximum oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold and maximum oxygen consumption), ultrasonographic measurements of the anatomical cross-sectional area of the quadriceps femoris, the assessment of the maximum strength of the quadriceps femoris and methods of mathematical statistics were utilized. Athletes were subject to bicycle ergometry testing 3 times a week during 120 days according to the following protocol: 7 intervals with pedaling power of 100% of the maximum oxygen consumption for 2 min, and intervals with a heart rate of 85% of the anaerobic threshold for 2 min. Results: after 120 days of training, power athletes significantly increased the anaerobic threshold, power and oxygen consumption by 22,7 and 14,5%, respectively, as well as power and oxygen consumption at the level of maximum oxygen consumption by 18,5 and 13,6%, respectively. Regular high-intensity training on a bicycle ergometer causes muscle-specific hypertrophy, which leads to regional changes in the quadriceps femoris muscle and an increase in its strength by 6,5%. Conclusions: the aerobic workout training protocol that we developed allows athletes to effectively and safely increase the oxidizing capacities of active muscles, while not losing their main strength indicators.

Influence of occlusal thickness of custom-made mouthguards on ventilatory parameters, rate of perceived exertion, and peak velocity attained during an incremental test

Custom-made mouthguards are used to prevent orofacial injuries arising from falls and knocks. It has been observed that thicker custom-made mouthguards transmit less force to the mouth owing to their higher energy absorption capacity. However, it is believed that thicker custom-made mouthguards can alter ventilation during exercise because of the higher resistance or restriction of oral airflow. The purpose of this study was to investigate if a thicker custom-made mouthguard (occlusal thickness of 5 mm; 5MG) alters ventilatory parameters, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and peak velocity during an incremental test relative to a thinner custom-made mouthguard (occlusal thickness of 3 mm; 3MG) and no mouthguard (NoMG). Eleven male amateur contact team sports players completed three running incremental tests on different days. Each test was performed with either 3MG, 5MG, or without a mouthguard. The peak velocity during the incremental test was similar between the different conditions (14.9±0.6, 14.9±0.7, and 14.7±0.9 km·h-1 for NoMG, 3MG, and 5MG, respectively). Furthermore, no differences were found in the peaks of pulmonary oxygen uptake, minute ventilation and respiratory frequency, or second ventilatory threshold. RPE was higher when wearing 5MG than when running without a mouthguard only at the 12.5 km·h-1 stage (P=.03). These data indicate that wearing custom-made mouthguards with occlusal thicknesses between 3 mm and 5 mm does not alter ventilatory parameters at the end of an incremental test. Thus, custom-made mouthguards with an occlusal thickness of 5 mm should be preferred owing to their greater protection capacity.

Odnos trener-sportista mlađih uzrasnih kategorija iz Bosne i Hercegovine

This study is focused on getting feedback on positive and negative aspects of coach-athletes relationship and defining the quality of this relationship, as well as their implications to both coaches' and athletes' work. The multivariate analysis of variance shows that the interaction between athletes' gender and type of sport is significant for all three subtests (social support, depth and conflict) of the Quality Relationship Inventory questionnaire. Significant differences are noticed with young athletes receiving social support by their coaches, while individual athletes have shown a higher level of social support than their peers from team sports. The results of this study suggest that male individual sports athletes shows tenacious connection (depth) with their coaches, while the situation for the team sports is reversed. Also, female athletes have shown a higher level of conflict with their coaches in individual sports, whilst the level of conflict with male athletes is more common in team sports. Coach's support is of a high importance due to a significantly weakened relationship between athletes and parents in the age of adolescence. The coach is a person who has to play more active role in overall young athletes' personality development and thus the qualification of the staff working with younger age categories has to be at the highest level of their competences.

Students' Satisfaction of the Quality of Educational Services and Support of Medical Science Universities Sports Camps in Iran

Background: Evaluating the quality of educational services and the support offered by universities to prepare sport teams, as well as identifying factors affecting the satisfaction of students, play very important role in improving the future performance of universities to enhance the joyful participation of students in sports activities at universities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of university students with educational services and support of sports camps in the eleventh Male Students Sports Olympiad of the Universities of Medical Sciences in 2012.Materials and Methods: In this survey research, 330 of 2400 male students who participated in the competitions were randomly selected by Morgan table. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, including demographic information as well as 34 items and 2 open questions with five-point Likert scale (very good, good, moderate or fair, poor, very poor). The validity and reliability of the questionnaire (0.90) were confirmed by the university experts. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by SPSS 20.Results: The results of this study revealed that students’ overall satisfaction was at moderate level (3.11±0.79). Students were most satisfied with transportation (3.40 ± 0.93) and least satisfied with medical-health facilities (2.80 ± 1.09) and cultural activities (2.81±0.90).Conclusion: According to the point that satisfaction of students with sports camps was at moderate level, it is essential to pay more attention to the components with which students were least satisfied to improve the quality of services provided by universities.

An Examination of Title IX and its Impact on NCAA Male and Female Sports

An Examination of Title IX and its Impact on NCAA Male and Female Sports

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Athletic Trainers: Collegiate Student-Athletes' Perceptions.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) athletic trainers (ATs) face uncertain acceptance in the workplace. To examine the perceptions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes toward ATs who identified as LGBTQ. Cross-sectional design. Web-based survey. A total of 623 (males = 212, females = 403, other = 8; age = 19.7 ± 1.4 years) NCAA student-athletes completed the survey. Participants completed a 19-item survey to assess their perceptions about the appropriateness of, quality of care from, and comfort with ATs who identified as LGBTQ. We asked 10 demographic questions and 2 questions regarding the student-athlete's exposure to individuals who identified as LGBTQ. Five matrix questions had 5 stems each to represent LGBTQ individuals on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) and 2 open-ended questions elicited qualitative data. We analyzed characteristics of central tendency to evaluate the level of appropriateness, quality of care, and level of comfort perceived by student-athletes of ATs who identified as LGBTQ. We used Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests for post hoc analyses where appropriate. We used grounded theory to identify themes in the answers to the open-ended questions. Participants indicated they would seek health care and would feel comfortable approaching an AT who identified as LGBTQ. Participants agreed it was appropriate for an LGBTQ AT to work with both male and female sports and did not agree that health care provided by heterosexual and LGBTQ ATs differed. The open-ended responses revealed 4 themes: professionalism, upbringing, situational concerns, and concerns about specific populations that affected their perceptions. In general, the NCAA student-athletes had positive perceptions of ATs who identified as LGBTQ.

Selective Influences of Maximum Dynamic Strength and Bar-Power Output on Team Sports Performance: A Comprehensive Study of Four Different Disciplines.

This study examined the selective influences of one-repetition maximum (1RM) values [assessed in the half-squat (HS)] and bar-power production [assessed in both HS and jump squat (JS) exercises] on the physical performance of male and female team sport athletes from four different sports. Three-hundred and three elite players (31 Olympians) from four different disciplines (47 male soccer players, 58 female soccer players, 28 male handball players, 58 female handball players, 49 male rugby players, and 63 male futsal players) participated in this study. The physical tests were performed over 2 consecutive days for soccer and rugby players, and in 1 day for the remaining athletes. On the first day, rugby and soccer athletes performed squat jumps (SJ), countermovement jumps (CMJ), and HS 1RM. On the second day, they executed HS and JS tests (to assess the maximum bar-power output) and the linear and change-of-direction (COD) speed tests. For the other players, the sequence of the measurements was the same; however, they did not perform the HS exercise. Athletes were separated, using a median split analysis, into two distinct groups, according to their bar-power output in both JS and HS exercises and their performance in HS 1RM. The magnitude-based inferences method was used to examine the differences between “higher” and “lower” performance groups. Overall, the bar-power outputs were better connected to improved acceleration, speed, and jump performance than the 1RM measures. From these findings, it is possible to infer that players able to produce higher bar-power outputs are likely to sprint faster and jump higher. Therefore, coaches involved in team sports are strongly encouraged to use the bar-power method to evaluate the athletic performance of their players.

Intimations of masculinities among young male sports bettors

ABSTRACTThis study explored intimations of masculinities within narratives of young Australian men who bet regularly on sport. Qualitative data collected from white, heterosexual Australian men aged 18–34 revealed their sports betting as characterised by four interrelated intimations of masculinities. Sports betting was portrayed as masculine leisure with the young men’s sports betting interest often influenced by older males and male peers. A foundation and context for social interactions among male peers, sports betting provided a backdrop for formative masculine identity construction. An entrenched male peer group norm, sports betting success produced cultural capital and subsequent social status by virtue of analytic skill, risk-taking and boisterous, competitive social interactions. However, sports betting was widely perceived as stigmatised leisure capable of prejudicing the young men’s prospective or existing intimate relationships with women. The young men negotiated this dilemma by adopting softer projections of masculinity in which sports betting was concealed in the presence of their spouse or prospective female partners. We therefore theorise sports betting as an augmentation to sport as a bastion for the construction of heteronormative masculinity, whilst lending further support to conceptualisations of masculine identities as plural and fluid.

Effects of an Eight-Week Superimposed Submaximal Dynamic Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Training on Strength and Power Parameters of the Leg Muscles: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of dynamic superimposed submaximal whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) training on maximal strength and power parameters of the leg muscles compared with a similar dynamic training without WB-EMS. Eighteen male sport students were randomly assigned either to a WB-EMS intervention (INT; n = 9; age: 28.8 (SD: 3.0) years; body mass: 80.2 (6.6) kg; strength training experience: 4.6 (2.8) years) or a traditional strength training group (CON; n = 9; age: 22.8 (2.5) years; body mass: 77.6 (9.0) kg; strength training experience: 4.5 (2.9) years). Both training intervention programs were performed twice a week over a period of 8 weeks with the only difference that INT performed all dynamic exercises (e.g., split squats, glute-ham raises, jumps, and tappings) with superimposed WB-EMS. WB-EMS intensity was adjusted to 70% of the individual maximal tolerable pain to ensure dynamic movement. Before (PRE), after (POST) and 2 weeks after the intervention (FU), performance indices were assessed by maximal strength (Fmax) and maximal power (Pmax) testing on the leg extension (LE), leg curl (LC), and leg press (LP) machine as primary endpoints. Additionally, vertical and horizontal jumps and 30 m sprint tests were conducted as secondary endpoints at PRE, POST and FU testing. Significant time effects were observed for strength and power parameters on LE and LC (LE Fmax +5.0%; LC Pmax +13.5%). A significant time × group interaction effect was merely observed for Fmax on the LE where follow-up post hoc testing showed significantly higher improvements in the INT group from PRE to POST and PRE to FU (INT: +7.7%, p < 0.01; CON: +2.1%). These findings indicate that the combination of dynamic exercises and superimposed submaximal WB-EMS seems to be effective in order to improve leg strength and power. However, in young healthy adults the effects of superimposed WB-EMS were similar to the effects of dynamic resistance training without EMS, with the only exception of a significantly greater increase in leg extension Fmax in the WB-EMS group.