scholarly journals The Relationship between Physical Fitness and Simulated Firefighting Task Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goris Nazari ◽  
Joy C. MacDermid ◽  
Kathryn E. Sinden ◽  
Tom J. Overend
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Fitness Parameters ◽  
Lower Body Strength ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Completion Times

The overall aim of this study was to measure the physiological responses of firefighters from a single fire service during simulated functional firefighting tasks and to establish the relationship between physical fitness parameters and task performance. 46 males and 3 females firefighters were recruited. Firefighters’ aerobic capacity levels were estimated using the Modified Canadian Aerobic Fitness Test (mCAFT). Grip strength levels, as a measure of upper body strength levels, were assessed using a calibrated J-Tech dynamometer. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) protocol for the static floor lifting test was used to quantify lower body strength levels. Firefighters then performed two simulated tasks: a hose drag task and a stair climb with a high-rise pack tasks. Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) were calculated between firefighters’ physical fitness parameters and task completion times. Two separate multivariable enter regression analyses were carried out to determine the predictive abilities of age, sex, muscle strength, and resting heart rate on task completion times. Our results displayed that near maximal heart rates of ≥88% of heart rate maximum were recorded during the two tasks. Correlation (r) ranged from −0.30 to 0.20. For the hose drag task, cardiorespiratory fitness and right grip strength (kg) demonstrated the highest correlations of −0.30 and −0.25, respectively. In predicting hose drag completion times, age and right grip strength scores were shown to be the statistically significant (p<0.05) independent variables in our regression model. In predicting stair climb completion times, age and NIOSH scores were shown to be the statistically significant (p<0.05) independent variables in our regression model. In conclusion, the hose drag and stair climb tasks were identified as physiological demanding tasks. Age, sex, resting heart rate, and upper body/lower body strength levels had similar predictive values on hose drag and stair climb completion times.

scholarly journals The relationship between second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), muscle strength and body composition to bone mineral density in young women

Kinesiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-245
Author(s):  
Hamid Arazi ◽  
Ehsan Eghbali
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Lower Body Strength ◽  
The Relationship

2D:4D ratio is determined by balance between androgens and estrogens. Low level estrogen reduces bone mineral density (BMD) and incurs negative changes to bone microarchitecture, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and, as a consequence, fracture risk in women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2D:4D, muscle strength and body composition to BMD in young women. One hundred twenty-seven young women (age range 24-36 years) voluntarily participated in this study. Lengths of the second (index) and fourth (ring) fingers, upper and lower body strength and body composition (body mass index, BMI; waist to hip ratio, WHR) and body fat percentage were estimated. Also, blood levels of calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) were evaluated and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry device was used to measure BMD in the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN). The results showed that digit ratios, upper body and lower body muscle strength, BMI and fat percentage had a positive relationship with LS and FN BMD (LS BMD: r=.47, r=.56, r=.46, r=.34, r=.28, p≤.001, respectively; FN BMD: r=.34, r=.49, r=.51, r=.45, r=.27, p≤.001, respectively). In addition, there was no significant relationship between WHR and BMD of LS and FN (p˃.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed the upper body strength was a stronger determinant of LS BMD and the lower body strength was a stronger determinant of FN BMD. Based on the results, the researchers concluded that upper and lower body strength, 2D:4D ratios and BMI were important determinants of young women’s BMD. Also, it seemed that some of these factors may be able to help predicting the osteoporosis potential in young women

Associations of Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain With Physical Fitness in Childhood

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
Konstantinos D. Tambalis ◽  
Stamatis Mourtakos ◽  
Labros S. Sidossis
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Gestational Weight ◽  
Prepregnancy Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Fitness Tests ◽  
Upper Body Strength ◽  
Lower Body Strength

Purpose: To investigate the potential associations of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (mppBMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with physical fitness in children. Methods: A random sample of 5125 children and their mothers was evaluated. The mothers provided data contained in their medical booklets and pregnancy ultrasound records. The data from 5 physical fitness tests (eg, 20-m shuttle run, 30-m sprint, vertical jump, standing long jump, and small ball throw) were used to assess children’s cardiorespiratory fitness, speed, explosive power, and lower and upper body strength, respectively. Results: MppBMI was inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (b = −0.02), lower body strength (b = −1.01), upper body strength (b = −0.07), and speed (b = 0.04). Also, GWG was unfavorably associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (b = −0.02), lower body strength (b = −1.12), upper body strength (b = −0.03), and speed (b = 0.03), after adjusting for sex, birth weight, and children’s BMI (all P values < .05). Children of mothers with an mppBMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and excess GWG had almost 30% and 20% increased odds for low performances in physical fitness tests than those of mothers with an mppBMI < 25 kg/m2 and adequate GWG, respectively. Conclusions: Antenatal factors such as increased mppBMI and excess GWG could play an unfavorable role in the future health of the offspring.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Physical Self-Esteem in Adolescents: The Role of Physical Fitness Indices

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommy Haugen ◽  
Yngvar Ommundsen ◽  
Stephen Seiler
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Physical Appearance ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Athletic Competence ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to investigate if physical fitness (strength/power, endurance, flexibility and coordination) mediates the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and physical self-perception (athletic competence and physical appearance) in a sample of 15-year old adolescents. We wanted to investigate the relative strength of each indirect effect. The present data are taken from two waves of a larger data collection for the project “Youth in Balance”, and was collected in the autumn of 2005 (N = 1207) and 2008 (N = 632). A total of 1839 students (889 girls and 950 boys) from 12 schools in Kristiansand took part. A bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to examine indirect effects. Results revealed that cardiovascular endurance, lower-body strength/power, and upper-body strength stood out as unique mediators in the relationship between physical activity and athletic competence in both genders. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect of physical activity on physical appearance through physical strength/power and flexibility in males. No indirect effects of physical activity on physical appearance through actual physical fitness indices were detected in females.

A Novel Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Classification and Its Relationship With Physical Fitness in Spanish Older Adults: The PHYSMED Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 815-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza ◽  
Raquel Pedrero-Chamizo ◽  
María del Mar Bibiloni ◽  
Gonzalo Palacios ◽  
Antoni Sureda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Working At Home ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Lower Body Strength ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
No Gold Standard

Background:As there is no gold-standard methodology to classify older people in relation to physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB), this paper aimed to propose a classification combining PA and SB.Methods:Within a broader study, 433 subjects, aged 55 years and older (57% females) from Madrid and Majorca, were evaluated for PA and SB by means of validated questionnaires. Physical fitness was analyzed objectively using the EXERNET test battery. Cluster analyses were used to establish behavioral patterns, combining PA and SB.Results:Males spent more time doing regular PA but less time walking and working at home than females (P < .001). Comparing the groups (inactive and high sedentary, inactive and low sedentary, active and high sedentary, and active and low sedentary), the worst aerobic endurance (P < .001) and lower body strength (P < .05) were obtained in males from both inactive groups. Agility was highest in the active and low sedentary group (P < .05). No significant differences were observed in females.Conclusions:The proposed classification is valid, as it classifies subjects according to their PA and SB, and outcomes are related to objectively measured fitness. It could facilitate the work of public health authorities, researchers, and physicians.

Longitudinal Strength, Power, and Push-Start Performance Changes in a Skeleton Athlete: Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Tim J. Mosey ◽  
Lachlan J.G. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Linear Model ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Start Time ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Longitudinal Strength ◽  
Lower Body Strength ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to document the longitudinal strength and power characteristic changes and race performance changes of a skeleton athlete. Method: Longitudinal strength and power changes were assessed with strength and power diagnostic testing over a 9-year period. Trends over 9 years for relative strength were analyzed using a linear model. Push-start time was recorded across multiple tracks. Trends over 9 years for start performance at each track were assessed using a mixed-effects linear model to account for the impact of different tracks. Lower-body strength and power changes were assessed via a 1-repetition-maximum squat and a body-weight countermovement jump. The relationship between strength and power changes was assessed over time. The relationship between strength changes and start performance was determined by assessing the fixed effect of relative strength changes on push-start time. Results: Relative lower-body strength ranged from 1.6 kg per body weight to 1.9 kg per body weight and showed a significant mean improvement of 0.05 kg per body weight per year (R2 = .71, P < .01). A negative correlation (R2 = .79) between relative strength changes and push-start performance across multiple tracks was found. The mixed-effects model indicated that push-start time improved significantly year to year (0.02 s; P < .001; R2 = .74) when controlling for the effect of track. Conclusions: The longitudinal analysis of push-start time and the associations with changes in strength suggest that training this quality can have a positive effect on push-start performance.

scholarly journals Relationship between Firefighter Physical Fitness and Special Ability Performance: Predictive Research Based on Machine Learning Algorithms

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7689
Author(s):  
Datao Xu ◽  
Yang Song ◽  
Yao Meng ◽  
Bíró István ◽  
Yaodong Gu
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Muscular Power ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Fitness Parameters ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Health Parameters

Firefighters require a high level of physical fitness to meet the demands of their job. The correlations and contributions of individual physical health parameters to the tasks of firefighting would enable firefighters to focus on the effects of specific physical conditions during their physical training programs. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to identify the relationships between various physical health parameters (weight, maximum oxygen uptake, body fat percentage, upper body muscular power and lower body muscular power) and performance on simulated firefighting ability tasks, which included a set of seven tasks (rope climb, run 200 m round trip with load, 60 m carrying a ladder, climb stairs with load, evacuation of 400 m with supplies, run 5 km with an air respirator, run 100 m with the water hose). Through use of a partial least-squares regression (PLSR) algorithm to analyze the linear correlation, we revealed the change in various training performances of specific ability tests with physical fitness parameters. The present study demonstrated significant relationships among physical health parameters and performance on simulated firefighting ability tasks, which also represent that those parameters contributed significantly to the model’s predictive power and were suitable predictors of the simulated firefighting tasks score.

scholarly journals Depressive Symptoms are Associated with Heart Rate Variability Independently of Fitness: A Cross-Sectional Study of Patients with Heart Failure

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 955-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawn A Walter ◽  
Emily Gathright ◽  
Joseph D Redle ◽  
John Gunstad ◽  
Joel W Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Step Test ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Depression is associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy and cardiac samples, which may be accounted for by physical fitness. In a small sample of cardiac patients, activity and fitness levels attenuated the relationship between HRV and depression. In the current study of heart failure (HF) patients, we hypothesized that depressive symptoms and HRV would be inversely related and physical fitness would attenuate this association. Purpose To determine if previous associations among depressive symptoms, physical fitness, and HRV would replicate in a sample of HF patients. Methods The sample consisted of HF patients (N = 125) aged 68.55 ± 8.92 years, 68.8% male, and 83.2% Caucasian. The study was cross-sectional and a secondary analysis of a nonrandomized clinical trial (Trial Identifier: NCT00871897). Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II, fitness with the 2 min step test (2MST), and HRV during a 10 min resting laboratory psychophysiology protocol. The dependent variable in hierarchical linear regressions was the root mean square of successive differences. Results Controlling for sex, age, β-blocker use, hypertension, and diabetes, higher BDI-II scores significantly predicted lower HRV, β = −.29, t(92) = −2.79, p < .01. Adding 2MST did not attenuate the relationship in a follow-up regression. Conclusion Depressive symptoms were associated with lower HRV in HF patients, independent of physical fitness. Given the prevalence of depression and suppressed HRV common among HF patients, interventions addressing depressive symptoms and other predictors of poor outcomes may be warranted.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document