scholarly journals The Biomechanics and Applications of Strongman Exercises: a Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R. Hindle ◽  
Anna Lorimer ◽  
Paul Winwood ◽  
Justin W. L. Keogh

Abstract Background The sport of strongman is becoming increasingly popular, catering for females, lightweight, and Masters competitors, with strongman exercises also being used by strength and conditioning coaches for a range of athletic groups. Thus, a systematic review was conducted to examine researchers’ current understanding of the biomechanics of strongman exercises, with a view to improve strongman athlete performance, provide biomechanical evidence supporting the transferability of strongman exercises to strength and conditioning/rehabilitation programs, and identify gaps in the current knowledge of the biomechanics of strongman exercises. Methods A two-level search term strategy was used to search five databases for studies relevant to strongman exercises and biomechanics. Results Eleven articles adherent to the inclusion criteria were returned from the search. The studies provided preliminary biomechanical analysis of various strongman exercises including the key biomechanical performance determinants of the farmer’s walk, heavy sled pull, and tire flip. Higher performing athletes in the farmer’s walk and heavy sled pull were characterized by a greater stride length and stride rate and reduced ground contact time, while higher performing athletes in the tire flip were characterized by a reduced second pull phase time when compared with lower performing athletes. Qualitative comparison of carrying/walking, pulling and static lifting strongman, traditional weight training exercises (TWTE), and common everyday activities (CEA), like loaded carriage and resisted sprinting, were discussed to further researchers’ understanding of the determinants of various strongman exercises and their applications to strength and conditioning practice. A lack of basic quantitative biomechanical data of the yoke walk, unilateral load carriage, vehicle pull, atlas stone lift and tire flip, and biomechanical performance determinants of the log lift were identified. Conclusions This review has demonstrated the likely applicability and benefit of current and future strongman exercise biomechanics research to strongman athletes and coaches, strength and conditioning coaches considering using strongman exercises in a training program, and tactical operators (e.g., military, army) and other manual labor occupations. Future research may provide a greater understanding of the biomechanical determinants of performance, potential training adaptations, and risks expected when performing and/or incorporating strongman exercises into strength and conditioning or injury rehabilitation programs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles James ◽  
Catherine Walshe ◽  
Katherine Froggatt

Abstract Background The knowledge about the experience of informal caregivers who provide care to people with moderate to advanced dementia in a domestic home setting is limited. A consequence of long hours of caregiving in addition to dealing with normal challenges of daily living is their experience of a poor quality of life. Some of their experiences may be described in terms of a feeling of powerlessness to make changes during care provision. This feeling may also suggest an experience of moral distress. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise qualitative evidence relating to these experiences. Methods This review adopts a narrative synthesis approach. A search will be conducted for studies written in the English language in the bibliographic databases MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Academic Search Complete covering periods from 1984 to present. Included studies will be qualitative or mixed-methods designs. The search terms will be related to dementia and caregivers, and the process will be focused on dementia at the moderate to the advanced stages within the domestic home setting. Reference lists of included papers will also be searched for additional relevant citations. Search terms and strategies will be checked by two independent reviewers. The identification of abstracts and full texts of studies will be done by the author, while the quality and the risk of bias will also be checked by the two independent reviewers. Discussion Psychological distress is cited as an experience reported within informal caregiving. For the caregiver, it is associated with a negative impact on general health. To date, no synthesis exists on the specific experience of informal caregiving for people with moderate to advanced dementia within the domestic home setting. This review considers that variation of accounts contributes to how the informal caregivers’ general experience is explored in future research. This may enable gaps in current knowledge to be highlighted within the wider context of caregiving in the domestic home setting. Systematic review registration This review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020183649).


2021 ◽  
pp. 019394592199089
Author(s):  
Hyeonmi Cho ◽  
Linsey M. Steege

Hospital nurses are at high risk of fatigue due to stressful work environments with heavy workloads and non-standard work schedules. This systematic review examined the relationship between hospital nurse fatigue and outcomes. Full-text English language quantitative studies published between January 2000 and July 2020 were included. A total of 22 articles were reviewed and synthesized. The findings were synthesized into three major categories: nurse outcomes, nurse-reported patient outcomes, and organizational outcomes. Some of the most commonly studied outcomes include nursing performance (n=3), sickness absence (n=3), and intention to leave (n=4). Fatigue was consistently associated with mental health problems, decreased nursing performance, and sickness absence. Many studies confirmed that nurse fatigue is negatively associated with nurse, patient-safety, and organizational outcomes. However, our findings highlight gaps in current knowledge and the need for future research using a longitudinal design and measuring additional outcomes to better understand the consequences of nurse fatigue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-848
Author(s):  
Alina Köchling ◽  
Marius Claus Wehner

AbstractAlgorithmic decision-making is becoming increasingly common as a new source of advice in HR recruitment and HR development. While firms implement algorithmic decision-making to save costs as well as increase efficiency and objectivity, algorithmic decision-making might also lead to the unfair treatment of certain groups of people, implicit discrimination, and perceived unfairness. Current knowledge about the threats of unfairness and (implicit) discrimination by algorithmic decision-making is mostly unexplored in the human resource management context. Our goal is to clarify the current state of research related to HR recruitment and HR development, identify research gaps, and provide crucial future research directions. Based on a systematic review of 36 journal articles from 2014 to 2020, we present some applications of algorithmic decision-making and evaluate the possible pitfalls in these two essential HR functions. In doing this, we inform researchers and practitioners, offer important theoretical and practical implications, and suggest fruitful avenues for future research.


Author(s):  
Lucilia Maria Parron ◽  
Elaine Cristina Cardoso Fidalgo ◽  
Alessandra Polli Luz ◽  
Monica Matoso Campanha ◽  
Ana Paula Dias Turetta ◽  
...  

Studies using the ‘ecosystem services’ (ES) approach developed in Brazil based on the framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), and range from quantitative and qualitative evaluation to the development of economic instruments for payment for ecosystem services (PES) or compensation for their maintenance, mainly for hydrological services. In order to summarize current knowledge regarding ES, the structure for teaching in ES, and also to provide a basis for future research in Brazil, we carried out a systematic review of publications on ES and a study on the availability of undergraduate and graduate courses related to ES. We found 282 publications for the 2006-2017 period, which included peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, theses, dissertations, articles in annals and technical publications. We identified current knowledge, knowledge gaps and trends in ES researches that may guide surveys and scenario analyses for future studies, in different biomes and regions of the country. Atlantic Forest and Amazon are the most-studied biome. Most of the studies were related to the evaluation of different types of ES and to the development of methodologies for their evaluation and monitoring.  The most common ES are related to biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-L. Douglas ◽  
M. Price ◽  
D.M. Peters

This article presents a systematic review of the literature investigating physical fitness, physiological demands and biomechanical performance in equestrian athletes. Three databases (SportsDiscus, CAB abstracts and PubMed) were searched to identify the literature. The main search term of ‘horse-riding’ was combined with eleven specific keywords (‘fitness’, ‘physiology’, ‘biomechanics’, ‘equestrian’, ‘athlete’, ‘co-ordination’, ‘heart rate’, ‘oxygen consumption’ ‘kinematic’ ‘EMG’ and ‘skill’). Exclusion criteria were: conference proceedings, abstracts, theses, and non-peer reviewed articles. Subsequently, 15 peer-reviewed papers were identified and included within this review. The main research findings are that as a horse progresses through the gaits (walk, trot and canter), the rider's heart rate and oxygen consumption increase. The causal physiological factor at present is thought to be higher levels of tonic muscular contraction particularly of the trunk, which in elite equestrians achieves a more controlled upright trunk position, compared to their novice counterparts. It is the faster gaits, and jumping that require the rider to adopt a ‘forwards’ riding position that necessitates weight bearing to be through the rider's legs, as opposed to a seated position, where weight bearing is predominantly through the pelvis. It is apparent that these ‘forward position’ modes of riding significantly increase metabolic cost and result in elevated levels of blood lactate, thus implying that they incorporate some anaerobic demand. Due to the paucity of literature available for review and particularly that which incorporates data obtained from ‘competitive’ performances, future research should attempt to prioritise investigations in competitive in addition to simulated riding environments. Only when further physiological and biomechanical data are available from a greater range of equestrian disciplines and from a range of level of athletes, will the demands of these sports be more clearly understood. Until such time, the development of evidence-based sport specific and potentially performance enhancing rider strength and conditioning programmes cannot be realised.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Balhatchet ◽  
Heike Schütze ◽  
Nicole Williams ◽  
Bruce Ashford

Abstract Background The stressful nature of medical training and other work-related factors put postgraduate medical trainees at high risk of burnout and poor psychological wellbeing. This has negative implications for patient care and the effectiveness of the healthcare system. The structure of the healthcare system and postgraduate medical education in Australia is different to that of other countries. Whilst a significant body of research exists on burnout and wellbeing in trainees in the USA, evidence specific to Australian trainees is lacking. The aim of this review is to synthesise the current knowledge on the factors that impact burnout and psychological wellbeing in Australian postgraduate medical trainees. Methods/design A systematic review will be conducted across eight digital databases: Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Scopus, CINAHL Plus and Informit Health Collection. Peer reviewed empirical studies and relevant grey literature published after 2000 that address an aspect of burnout or psychological wellbeing in Australian postgraduate medical trainees will be included. Two reviewers will independently review each article against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with disagreements resolved via discussion and consensus. Data will be extracted using a standard form and quality will be assessed using the assessment tools available from the Joanna Briggs Institute. A thematic narrative synthesis of the studies will be presented, along with an assessment of current gaps in the literature and areas for future research. Discussion This review will be the first to integrate the evidence on burnout and psychological wellbeing specific to Australian postgraduate medical trainees. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of the factors that impact burnout and psychological wellbeing in this population and will lay the foundation for future research into appropriate strategic interventions. Systematic review registration This protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42020203195).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles James ◽  
Catherine Walshe ◽  
Katherine Froggatt

Abstract BackgroundThe knowledge about the experience of informal caregivers who provide care to people with moderate to advanced dementia in a domestic home setting is limited. A consequence of long hours of caregiving in addition to dealing with normal challenges of daily living is their experience of a poor quality of life. Some of their experiences may be described in terms of a feeling of powerlessness to make changes during care provision. This feeling may also suggest an experience of moral distress. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise qualitative evidence relating to these experiences.MethodsThis review adopts a narrative synthesis approach. A search will be conducted for studies written in English language in the bibliographic databases MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Academic Search Complete covering periods from 1984 to present. Included studies will be qualitative or mixed method designs. The search terms will be related to dementia and caregivers, and the process will be focused on dementia at the moderate to the advanced stages within the domestic home-setting. Reference lists of included papers will also be searched for additional relevant citations. Search terms and strategy will be checked by two independent reviewers. The identification of abstracts and full texts of studies will be done by the author, while the quality and the risk of bias will also be checked by the two independent reviewers.DiscussionPsychological distress is cited as an experience reported within informal caregiving. For the caregiver, it is associated with a negative impact on general health. To date, no synthesis exists on the specific experience of informal caregiving for people with moderate to advanced dementia within the domestic home setting. This review considers that variation of accounts contributes to how the informal caregivers’ general experience is explored in future research. This may enable gaps in current knowledge to be highlighted within the wider context of caregiving in the domestic home setting.Systematic review registrationThis review was registered and published online in the PROSPERO database of systematic reviews (www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO registration number: #CRD42020183649).


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 984-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonchan Choi ◽  
Hua Zheng ◽  
Patricia Franklin ◽  
Bengisu Tulu

Osteoarthritis is a common chronic disease that can be better treated with the help of self-management interventions. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are becoming a popular means to deliver such interventions. We reviewed the current state of research and development of mHealth technologies for osteoarthritis self-management to determine gaps future research could address. We conducted a systematic review of English articles and a survey of apps available in the marketplace as of 2016. Among 117 unique articles identified, 25 articles that met our inclusion criteria were reviewed in-depth. The app search identified 23 relevant apps for osteoarthritis self-management. Through the synthesis of three research themes (osteoarthritis assessment tools, osteoarthritis measurement tools, and osteoarthritis motion monitoring tools) that emerged from the current knowledge base, we provide a design framework to guide the development of more comprehensive osteoarthritis mHealth apps that facilitate self-management, decision support, and shared decision-making.


Sexual Abuse ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107906322110242
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Crookes ◽  
Carlo Tramontano ◽  
Sarah J. Brown ◽  
Kate Walker ◽  
Hayley Wright

The population of older individuals convicted of sexual offenses (OSOs) is rapidly increasing. However, we have little understanding of their characteristics (e.g., demographic, psychological, individual, offense, and risk) and needs. To identify any similarities or differences that are unique to older individuals convicted of sexual offending, it is important to compare such characteristics across the adult lifespan. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to specify and synthesize the current knowledge of characteristics across the adult lifespan of the population of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. Five databases were searched and 10,680 results were screened, resulting in 100 studies included in the final review. The findings were grouped into four emergent themes: age of onset and prevalence; offender and offense characteristics; age and the risk of reoffending; and treatment. Implications of the findings from this review are discussed in relation to future research and clinical practice.


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