Enhance Sports Performance Research Articles

Post-activation potentiation and the shot put throw

Acute post activation potentiation (PAP) is a physical conditioning activity that incorporates intense muscle activation to enhance muscular force production. Practical applications of PAP as a conditioning activity to enhance sport performance are of interest to athletes and coaches. PURPOSE: This study compared the effects of a dynamic warm-up and a dynamic warm-up followed by a PAP conditioning activity on shot put throw distance. METHODS: NCAA Division I male (n=6) and female (n=7) track and field athletes volunteered as participants for the study. The study employed a randomized repeated measures crossover design where each participant was randomly placed into one of two groups. During the first test session one group performed a dynamic warm-up followed by an 8-minute rest period then a shot put throw test. The other group performed a dynamic warm-up followed by a PAP conditioning activity comprised of 3 repetitions of a hang clean and jerk at 80% 1-RM followed by an 8-minute rest period then a shot put throw test. During week 2 the two groups crossed over with respect to the warm-up conditions and repeated the shot put throw test. Three shot put trials were collected following each warm-up condition and the best score was used for subsequent analysis. The shot put throw distances were compared between warm-up strategies with a paired t-test. RESULTS: The shot put throw scores were: PAP 10.93±1.81* and non-PAP 10.57±1.84 meters (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Within the parameters of this study, when compared to a standard dynamic warm-up, a dynamic warm-up strategy that includes a PAP event significantly improves shot put throw performance. Coaches and athletes could apply the dynamic warm-up that includes a PAP conditioning activity as implemented in this study to enhance shot put performance during competitive scenarios.

Perceptions and Determinants of Eating for Health and Performance in High-Level Male Adolescent Rugby Union Players.

Sports nutrition recommendations provide guidance on dietary strategies to optimise sports performance. However, research indicates that young athletes often find it difficult to follow these guidelines in practice. Limited research exists on the determinants that influence adherence to sports nutrition guidelines. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and determinants of eating for health and performance in high-level male adolescent rugby union players. Determinants were explored using semi-structured individual interviews in New Zealand high-level male rugby union players (n = 20, 16–18 years). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then underwent thematic analysis. Perceptions of eating for health and performance included balance and variety, appropriate portions, and specific foods. Both adolescent- and sport-specific determinants influenced the food choices of participants. Determinants relevant to adolescent lifestyles included the influence of significant others such as peers and family but also included the taste, cost, convenience, and availability of food. Sports-specific determinants revolved around the desire to enhance sports performance, motivation to perform, and team culture. The media (mainstream and social media), physical appearance, and feeling good were identified as both adolescent- and sport-specific factors influencing food choice. These findings highlight the importance of having support and positive role modelling to help young athletes make optimal food choices for health and performance. Strategies to further enable healthy eating practices should aim to strengthen the support available to young athletes in the home, school, and sporting environments and should include education on appropriate social media use to inform eating for health and performance.

Qualified Coaches as a Requisite for Enhanced Sports Performance of Cross River State at National Sports Festival

This study investigates qualified coaches as a requisite for enhanced sports performance of Cross River State at National sports festival. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design of Expost-facto type. The study population consists of 344 sports personnel in the six (6) local government headquarters hosting the six zonal sports offices of the state adopting the total enumeration technique. The questionnaire was the main instrument used to elicit information from 344 sports personnel, out of which 270 (78.5%) copies of the questionnaire were duly completed and returned. The data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages and table with the aid of SPSS Version 21. The findings show that personnel have working experience, 65 accounting for 57% rated higher. Coaches had teacher’s Grade II Certificate, while some on the whole had professional certificate 2 and few were graduates. The study also revealed that two sports which are judo and wrestling have 1 – 2 coaches each while there are 3 – 4 Coaches each in badminton, basketball, tennis, squash, swimming and volleyball. Athletics, handball, soccer, and table tennis have more than 4 coaches while boxing, cricket, cycling, hockey, marathon taekwondo and weight lifting had no coach at all. The coach should have Psychological and communicative knowledge and ability, as an analyzer, a coach needs the appropriate analytical tool together with theoretical and real-life pattern of interpretation in order to initiate a formulation of the problem that is appropriate to the client’s particular issue and specify objective to bring about change. A coach should be able to reflect on both his analyses as well as his methods with regard to the underlying conception of humanity.

Moderate Load Resisted Sprints Do Not Improve Subsequent Sprint Performance in Varsity-Level Sprinters.

Thompson, K, Whinton, AK, Ferth, S, Spriet, LL, and Burr, JF. Moderate load resisted sprints do not improve subsequent sprint performance in varsity-level sprinters. J Strength Cond Res 35(1): 72-77, 2021-Resisted sprint training (RST) is commonly used for performance enhancement in athletics and team sports to develop acceleration ability. Evidence suggests that RST may be effective as a short-term intervention to improve successive sprints. Although these improvements have been measured in team sport athletes, limited research has considered the acute effects of RST training in sprint-trained athletes. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine whether performing RST with varsity-level sprinters using sled-equivalent resistive loads of ∼45% body mass results in a potentiation effect, leading to improvements in subsequent maximal sprint performance over 0-5 m and 0-20 m. Competitive sprinters (n = 20) were randomly assigned to perform a pre/post maximal 20-m sprint separated by either 3 resisted (RST group) or unresisted (URS group) sprints. The RST or URS protocol was performed on 4 occasions separated by at least 7 days. No significant differences were observed between the RST and URS groups comparing changes in sprint times over 0-5 m (URS Δ <0.01 ± 0.03 seconds, RST Δ <0.01 ± 0.03 seconds) and 0-20 m (URS Δ 0.013 ± 0.04 seconds, RST Δ <0.01 ± 0.04 seconds). We conclude that resisted sprints using sled-equivalent loads of 45% body mass are ineffective at inducing a potentiating effect on subsequent sprint performance in varsity-level sprinters. In this population of trained athletes, greater loads may be necessary to induce a potentiating effect.

Evidence-Based Supplements for the Enhancement of Athletic Performance.

A strong foundation in physical conditioning and sport-specific experience, in addition to a bespoke and periodized training and nutrition program, are essential for athlete development. Once these underpinning factors are accounted for, and the athlete reaches a training maturity and competition level where marginal gains determine success, a role may exist for the use of evidence-based performance supplements. However, it is important that any decisions surrounding performance supplements are made in consideration of robust information that suggests the use of a product is safe, legal, and effective. The following review focuses on the current evidence-base for a number of common (and emerging) performance supplements used in sport. The supplements discussed here are separated into three categories based on the level of evidence supporting their use for enhancing sports performance: (1)established (caffeine, creatine, nitrate, beta-alanine, bicarbonate); (2)equivocal (citrate, phosphate, carnitine); and (3)developing. Within each section, the relevant performance type, the potential mechanisms of action, and the most common protocols used in the supplement dosing schedule are summarized.

Getting More Than You Paid For: Unauthorized "Natural" Substances in Herbal Food Supplements on EU Market.

As the population in the industrialized world develops preference for what is perceived as a natural and holistic way of disease treatment, the popularity and the number of food supplements on the market, including herbal ones, is experiencing an unprecedented rise. However, unlike herbal medicinal products, intended for treating or preventing disease, current legislation classifies food supplements as products intended for achieving nutritional or physiological effect and to supplement the normal diet. Accordingly, most food supplements are not to be associated with specific health claims. However, either due to the subtle suggestions by the producers or the wishful thinking of the consumers, certain pharmacological effects from food supplements are often expected. Medicinal plants included in food supplements usually do not produce dramatic and instant pharmacological effects. Therefore, in order to meet the expectation of their customers, some producers have turned to the illicit and dangerous practice of adulterating their products with synthetic adulterants, including naturally occurring molecules, having the desired activity. Such practice is prevalent in, although not limited to, food supplements intended for use as weight-loss aids, as well as for sport performance and libido enhancement. The review is focusing on naturally occurring alkaloids, phenylethanolamines, and their semi-synthetic derivatives in food supplements in the European Union as reported by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Their desired and undesired pharmacological effects, as well as the methods for their detection and quantification in food supplements, will be reviewed.

A Multi-Disciplinary Examination of Psycho-Physiological Performance Among Youth and Junior Ball Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review

Objectives The primary purpose of our review was to systematically review the evolution of psycho-physiological performance analysis. Our secondary aim was to investigate the role of specific, multi-disciplinary performance indicators to identify future talents in the sport of soccer, handball and basketball. Methods A review protocol was set up in order to avoid individual bias and ensure an efficient searching prodedure. This enabled a search strategy to define which literature was to be included or excluded from our research. Certain inclusion criteria were identified, before performing a search using three electronic databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar) and reference lists for English-language articles, published from the year 1980 till 2017. Results The comprehensive search yielded 82 documents to be relevant to our purpose of the study, according to our inclusion criteria criteria, 58 were fully-reviewed and referred to in our study. As we previously expected, the review of related literature resulted investigations involving mostly soccer and basketball players, studies conducted on handball players are significantly fewer. The majority of those studies examined physical performance characteristics via various field test. Conclusions We concluded that further analysis is necessary to identify relevant psycho-physiological performance indicators, in order to properly enhance sports performance in the younger athlete population and in general too. Vienna Test System protocols may offer a great potential to provide valuable information for athletes and their coaches to enhance athletic performance. Future research should focus on specifically identify Vienna Test System test protocols that may be linked to each particular sport. Keywords: Sport performance analysis; Talent development; Vienna test system; Youth ball sports

Servant or Service? The Problem and a Conceptual Solution

The present article addresses issues within U.S. collegiate sport as it pertains to the physical preparation and health and well-being of intercollegiate athletes. Specifically, the sport coach is often perceived as “all knowing” about every facet of their sport when, in fact, they typically are not formally educated or well-trained in current methods of enhancing sport performance. Often strength and conditioning coaches, who may also be poorly trained, are tied directly (financially and administratively) to the sport coach—a situation which has led to a subservient role heavily influenced by the wishes of the sport coach. This has unfortunately resulted in the multidimensional well-being of the athlete clearly not being a primary objective in many programs.

The redundancy of the concept of ‘spirit of sport’ in discussions on the prohibited list of doping substances

ABSTRACTDoping is defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency as the occurrence of an anti-doping rule violation. These violations are mainly materialised by the content of the Prohibited List International Standard. A substance or method may be put on the prohibited list if it meets any two of the following three criteria: (1) the potential to enhance sport performance; (2) representing a potential health risk to the athlete; and (3) a determination that it violates the ‘spirit of sport’. The concept of the ‘spirit of sport’ is explained in the fundamental rationale for the World Anti-Doping Code. This means that the decision that doping violates a fundamental principle of sport has already been made. One may not agree with this decision, but apparently there is some ‘spirit of sport’ that is deemed worthy of protection. As such, this concept is present in all anti-doping rules and regulations, and also in all discussions on the Prohibited List. But this concept is subsequently offered as a potential criterion to add substances or methods to the prohibited list as well. It is unsatisfactory to call something both fundamental and optional. It is proposed in this article to eliminate the ‘spirit of sport’ clause as an optional criterion in the determination whether a substance should be prohibited or not. This will focus discussions regarding the contents of the Prohibited List on the potentially performance-enhancing and health risk properties, which will guide doping-related discussions towards the core of what the concept of ‘doping’ should be.

Faster, Stronger, Healthier: Adolescent-Stated Reasons for Dietary Supplementation

ObjectiveExamine the underlying reasons and sources of recommendation for dietary supplement (DS) use among adolescents. DesignCross-sectional analysis of children's development in Slovenia in September to October, 2014. SettingNationally recruited sample. ParticipantsAdolescents aged 14–19 years enrolled in 15 high schools (n = 1,463). Variables MeasuredReasons for and sources of recommendation for DS use, sports club membership, sports discipline, and extent of physical activity (PA) were self-reported data. AnalysisChi-square test of independence was performed to compare the prevalence of DS use between groups with different extents of PA and nonathletes/athletes, referring to 11 different reasons and 9 different sources of recommendation for DS use. ResultsUse of DS was widespread among adolescents (69%), athletes (76%), and nonathletes (66%). Higher prevalence of supplementation was observed in males, who justified it use for sports performance enhancement and better development and function of muscles. In contrast, females emphasized immune system improvement. Higher extent of PA was associated with a higher prevalence of DS use. This was especially evident in males, who participated in team sports. A high percentage of adolescents (41%) decided on their own to use DS and because of advice from parents or relatives (30%). Conclusions and ImplicationsSeveral reasons for the widespread use of DS in adolescents were associated with sports participation. Therefore, educational programs regarding DS use should be targeted primarily to adolescents and their parents who are involved in sports, and especially team sports.

Collegiate Athletes' Expectations and Experiences with Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement.

Although mindfulness training for athletes is an area of increasing interest, few studies have focused on the qualitative experiences of athletes in such programs. Prior to beginning six sessions of mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE) training, 45 mixed-sport collegiate athletes reported what they hoped and expected to get from the training, and responded afterward to open-ended questions about their experiences. Participants' responses were coded for themes with high inter-rater reliability. Athletes initially hoped to gain psychological benefits in both sport and everyday life, such as relaxation and less stress or anxiety, better emotion regulation, mental toughness, and self-awareness, as well as sport performance improvement. Overall, they found MSPE to be a positive experience and reported many of the same benefits that they expected. Participants also provided constructive feedback and recommendations for future MSPE training. Finally, there was evidence to suggest that athletes' expectations predicted similar improvements in outcome measures.

Hydration with maltodextrin vs. a regional beverage: effects on the performance of soccer players

ABSTRACT Introduction: It is known that ingestion of carbohydrate-containing beverages can enhance sports perfor-mance. However, many teams do not have sufficient financial resources to invest in commercial products and need to prepare their own hydration drinks. Jacuba is a beverage used as sport drink (source of carbohydrate) in soccer clubs in Northeastern Brazil. Objective: To evaluate the influence of two beverages with carbohydrate on blood glucose, dehydration and fatigue in a soccer team of Northeastern Brazil. Methods: Twenty-two soccer players were evaluated in two days of physical training, with ingestion of water ad libitum and two beverages: 1) maltodextrin-based drink, or 2) Jacuba. Capillary blood glucose was measured before and after training. Fatigue was assessed using Borg Scale after exercise. To evaluate the dehydration of the athletes at the end of exercise, the urinalysis test and the verification of the body mass change during the training were performed. Results: Blood glucose changed to 13.1±29.5 mg/dL and 7.6±22.2 mg/dL on training days with consumption of maltodextrin and Jacuba, respectively, without statistical significance. There were no changes in body mass and in water and total fluids intake in the two days of training. The Borg Scale score after training was 15.2±2.6 and 14.9±3.0 for maltodextrin and Jacuba, respectively (p=0.12). Conclusion: Jacuba can be used to improve hydration and maintain blood glucose in soccer players because their results do not differ with those of mal-todextrin-based drink.

Comparison Of Dietary Energy And Macronutrient Intakes Of Division Iii Athletes To Sports Nutrition Guidelines

Sports nutrition guidelines have been proposed that aim to enhance sports performance and support overall health. However, collegiate athletes often struggle to meet these guidelines for several reasons (e.g., cafeteria meal plans, travel schedules, and lack of nutrition knowledge). PURPOSE: To determine if Division III athletes are meeting recommended intakes for energy and macronutrients based on the guidelines set forth by American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand on Nutrition and Athletic Performance. METHODS: This retrospective chart review assessed energy and macronutrient intakes of 56 Division III athletes from 3-day food analyzed in Food Processor (Salem, OR). Data was summarized as means (standard deviations). Wilcoxon Sign Rank t-test was used to evaluated macronutrients intakes against recommendations. RESULTS: Energy and macronutrients intakes by sports are presented in Table 1. Overall, carbohydrate intake was 4.6(0.4) g/kg/d for all athletes and below targeted levels appropriate for their sports (p<0.0001). Protein intake of 1.4(0.4) g/kg/d was adequate across sports and greater than lower end of recommended range for protein of 1.2 g/kg/d (p=0.0013). However, ~one-third of athletes had intakes <1.2 g/kg/d. Dietary fat intake was on the upper end of recommendations (intake=32.6 (6.4)% of total kcal/d) with 19 athletes having intakes >35% of total kcal/d. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, collegiate athletes could benefit from strategies to include carbohydrate-rich foods in their diet and a possible reduction in saturated dietary fat intake.Table 1: Energy and Macronutrient Intakes by Sports Expressed as Means (SD)

Mindfulness y rendimiento deportivo

Resumen: La inclusión del mindfulness en el deporte es un campo reciente. Mientras que la psicología del deporte ha dependido principalmente de la “segunda ola” de intervenciones cognitivo-conductuales durante las últimas cuatro décadas, una nueva aproximación que incluye al mindfulness se ha desarrollado recientemente: la “tercera ola”. Esta nueva aproximación asume la idea de que el rendimiento es un estado que no se basa en el auto-control o cambio del comportamiento, sino que es un estado que emerge del reconcomiendo y aceptación de los pensamientos, emociones y sensaciones corporales. La práctica del mindfulness permite aprender a observar y aceptar los pensamientos, emociones y sensaciones corporales sin intentar eliminarlos o modificarlos. Este trabajo revisa los dos principales programas de mindfulness para el rendimiento deportivo, ambos de la “tercera ola”: el Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) y el Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC). Mindfulness and sport performance Abstract: Mindfulness in sports is a recent field. While sport psychology relied mainly on “second wave” cognitive-behavioural interventions for the last four decades, a new approach has recently been developed in sport psychology including mindfulness: a “third wave” approach. This new approach assumes that ideal performance is a state that is not based on self-control or change in behaviour, but rather a state that arises from recognition and acceptance of thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. Practicing mindfulness allows learns to observe and accept the thoughts, emotions, and body sensations, without making any attempt to eliminate or modify them. This paper reviews the main programs of mindfulness in sport performance both from the “third wave”: Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) and Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC).

Clinical Applications of Iso-Inertial, Eccentric-Overload (YoYo™) Resistance Exercise.

In the quest for a viable non-gravity dependent method to “lift weights” in space, our laboratory introduced iso-inertial resistance (YoYo™) exercise using spinning flywheel(s), more than 25 years ago. After being thoroughly tested in individuals subjected to various established spaceflight analogs, a multi-mode YoYo™ exercise apparatus was eventually installed on the International Space Station in 2009. The method, applicable to any muscle group, provides accommodated resistance and optimal muscle loading through the full range of motion of concentric actions, and brief episodes of eccentric overload. This exercise intervention has found terrestrial applications and shown success in enhancing sports performance and preventing injury and aiding neurological or orthopedic rehabilitation. Research has proven that this technique offers unique physiological responses not possible with other exercise hardware solutions. This paper provides a brief overview of research that has made use, and explored the efficacy, of this method in healthy sedentary or physically active individuals and populations suffering from muscle wasting, disease or injury. While the collective evidence to date suggests YoYo™ offers a potent stimulus to optimize the benefits of resistance exercise, systematic research to support clinical use of this method has only begun to emerge. Thus, we also offer perspectives on unresolved issues, unexplored applications for clinical conditions, and how this particular exercise paradigm could be implemented in future clinical research and eventually being prescribed. Fields of particular interest are those aimed at promoting muscle health by preventing injury or combating muscle wasting and neurological or metabolic dysfunction due to aging or illness, or those serving in rehabilitation following trauma and/or surgery.

Implications of altered autonomic control on sports performance in athletes with spinal cord injury.

It is well known that athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI) may experience altered autonomic physiology that impacts their exercise capacity and sports performance. This is particularly relevant given the ever-increasing number of individuals with SCI who are actively engaged in sports at all levels, from community-based adaptive sports to elite Paralympic competitions. As such, the purpose of this article is to review the present literature regarding the implications of altered autonomic control on the safety and performance of athletes with SCI. A particular emphasis will be placed on the autonomic aspects of cardiovascular and thermoregulatory control in the athlete population, as well as the implications of autonomic dysreflexia in enhancing sports performance. Further research is needed to understand the autonomic factors that influence athletes with SCI in order to ensure optimal and safe sports competition. Additionally, this information is crucially relevant to the coaches, sports administrators, and team medical staff who work closely with athletes with SCI.

Caffeine prevents changes in muscle caused by high-intensity interval training.

The use of ergogenic substances such as caffeine has become a strategy to enhance sports performance. In the present study we evaluated the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) associated with caffeine intake on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Ca2+ATPase activity and glycogen levels in the muscles of rats were evaluated. The animals were divided in groups: control, caffeine 4 or 8mg/kg, HIIT, HIIT plus caffeine 4 or caffeine 8mg/kg. Our results showed a decrease in glycogen levels in muscle in all trained groups after acute session exercise, while that an increase in glycogen levels was observed in all groups in relation to control in chronic exercise protocol. HIIT increases the thickness of the left ventricle and the Ca2+-ATPase activity and decrease the AChE activity in gastrocnemius muscle. Caffeine treatment prevents changes in enzymes activities as well as left ventricular hypertrophy adaptation induced by HIIT. Our findings suggest that caffeine modulates crucial pathways for muscle contraction in HIIT.

Sources of self-efficacy in springboard and highboard diving: A qualitative investigation

Self-efficacy has been linked with enhanced sports performance and has shown to have a mediating effect on stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of self-efficacy as well as the sources and influences on self-efficacy beliefs in competitive springboard and highboard divers. Participants were two adult (M Age=39.5 years) and ten adolescent divers (M Age=14.5 years) with an average of four years experience and were required to participate in semi-structured focus groups. Each focus group consisted of six participants; allocation to focus groups was based on convenience for the participant. Transcripts were analysed through abductive reasoning, nine first order themes emerged through the data analysis process; preparatory skills, family influences, coach influences, peer influences, competition, emotions, imaginary barriers, watching diving, and memories. These findings suggest that the effects of physiological and emotional reactions are influential in the development of divers’ perceptions, and suggest the use of self-efficacy theory as a mediator of these effects.

The Effect of Turmeric Consumption to VO2Max and Lactate Threshold

Ergogenic aids is any substance or phenomenon that allow to enhance sport performance. Despite the list of possible ergogenic aids are much, it isn’t always considered as safe and legally utilize. It’s anticipated by making use of natural food as an ergogenic aids. Spices are the one of many kind of natural foods which has been thoughtfully considered as an ergogenic aids and the one is turmeric. Turmeric is a horticultural plant which contains cur cumin and it’s valuable to our body. The aim of this study is to figure out the effect of turmeric consumption which combined with aerobic exercise to VO2Max and Lactate Threshold (LT). 12 students (19, 7±0, 45) of Sport Science major batch 2014 became the participants in this study. Experimental study was used as the research method by using randomized pretest-posttest comparison group as the design. This study was divided into 2 periods, each period was completed in 2 weeks. This study applied 4-weeks-wash-out-phase in order to avoid the carry out effect from previous period. Turmeric was orally consumed in the dose of 2 capsules (@ 550 mg) per day during the treatment period. Cardiopulmonary exercise test (12km/h protocol) with gas analysis method was utilized as the instrument to obtain the data. This study revealed the different mean value between before and after treatment in both of variables with sig.>0.05. With those results it can be concluded that there is no significant effect between before and after turmeric consumption to VO2Max and LT.

Quantum Biofeedback Therapy for Sport Performance

An advanced biofeedback technology, named Scientific Consciousness Interface Operation System (SCIO) that has proven applications in primary preventive medicine and athletic performance enhancement. There are over 25,000 of the devices in use worldwide in hospitals, medical clinics, naturopathic clinics, wellness centre, private offices, and homes. SCIO quantum biofeedback program has been implemented for Chinese Olympic Team prior to and during the Beijing Olympic Games. This program is implemented to assist coaches, trainers, and physicians to prevent athlete injuries, enhance contest preparation, accelerate training and post-contest recovery, and optimize overall athletic performances. Biofeedback has been used for sport performance enhancement, including at the Olympic level, for 40 years, because athletic performance is intimately linked with the athlete’s ability to relax, recover, sleep, manage pain, and mentally and emotionally prepare for competition.