The Seated Medicine Ball Throw as a Test of Upper Body Power in Older Adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 2344-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad Harris ◽  
Andrew P Wattles ◽  
Mark DeBeliso ◽  
Patricia G Sevene-Adams ◽  
Joseph M Berning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
Medicine Ball

The Seated Medicine Ball Throw As A Test Of Upper Body Power In Older Adults

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 371-372
Author(s):  
Chad Harris ◽  
Andrew P. Wattles ◽  
Mark DeBeliso ◽  
Kent J. Adams ◽  
Joseph M. Berning
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
Medicine Ball

scholarly journals Correlation between ball speed of the spike and the strength condition of a professional women’s volleyball team during the season

Kinesiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Valadés ◽  
José Manuel Palao ◽  
Ángel Aúnsolo ◽  
Aurelio Ureña
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Bench Press ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Ball Speed ◽  
Strength Performance ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Medicine Ball

The aim of this paper was to study the relationship between spike speed and the players’ characteristics, anthropometrics, and strength levels throughout the season for a women’s professional volleyball team. Players from a Spanish first division team performed a battery of tests evaluating anthropometric characteristics, strength performance, and spike speed at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of one competitive season. The variables were: age; training experience; height; one-hand standing reach height; body mass; body mass index; height of the vertical jump with an approach (spike jump); muscle percentage of arms; 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press; 1RM pullover; overhead medicine ball throws for distance using 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 kg; spike angles; and speed of standing and jump spikes. Results showed that players’ general strength (bench press and pullover) and power parameters (medicine ball throws) increased throughout theseason, while speed of the jump did not improve. The variable that best predicted the jump spike speed at all the three time points in the season was the standing spike speed. The players’ training increased their strength and upper-body power, but these improvements were not transferred to players’ hitting speed ability. Push-pull and throwing exercises were not specific enough to improve the hitting ability of the female senior volleyball players.

Adaptations of the Upper Body to Plyometric Training in Cricket Players of Different Age Groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-706
Author(s):  
Deepika Singla ◽  
M. Ejaz Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Plyometric Training ◽  
Body Balance ◽  
Neuromuscular Adaptations ◽  
Experimental Subjects ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Medicine Ball

Context: Neuromuscular adaptations following exercise training are believed to enhance sports performance. While abundant research is available on adaptations of the lower body to plyometric training, little is known about adaptations of the upper body to plyometric training. Objective: To examine the effect of plyometric training on neuromuscular adaptations in cricket players of different age groups. Design: Randomized parallel group active-controlled trial. Setting: Research laboratory, school cricket ground, and sports complex field. Participants: Fifty-nine cricket players were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. Interventions: The experimental group was subjected to 8 weeks of medicine ball plyometric training held thrice per week. Neuromuscular adaptations were analyzed pretraining and posttraining in 3 age groups: <18, 18–25, and >25 years. Analysis of variance was used to ascertain the training effects between and within the 6 subgroups, that is, age group <18 years (control and experimental), age group 18–25 years (control and experimental), and age group >25 years (control and experimental). Main outcome measures: Muscle activation, upper body balance, upper body power, and muscle strength. Results: Out of 59, 55 participants completed the study. Subjects aged <18 years (adolescents) showed significantly greater improvements than those from the groups 18–25 years and >25 years (adults) on upper body balance and upper body power. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental subjects of all age groups on their muscle activity of biceps brachii, upper body balance, and upper body power following medicine ball plyometric training. Conclusions: Though adolescent subjects were found to be more adaptive than adult subjects, experimental subjects showed significantly greater neuromuscular adaptations to medicine ball plyometric training than controls. These findings emphasize the need for coaches and athletic trainers to inculcate medicine ball plyometric exercises in training regimes of cricket players so as to improve their upper body performance.

scholarly journals Establishing Normative Reference Values for the Utah Seated Medicine Ball Throw Protocol in Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Bigger ◽  
Abigail Larson ◽  
Mark DeBeliso
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Field Test ◽  
Reference Values ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Physical Education Students ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
Medicine Ball

The seated medicine ball throw (SMBT) is a field test intended to assess upper-body muscular power by measuring the maximal distance an individual can throw a medicine ball from an isolated, seated position. The SMBT has been used to assess upper-body power in various populations and to establish concurrent validity for other measures of upper-body power such as the bench press power test and the plyometric push-up. The SMBT is less costly and simpler to incorporate into a field test battery than other upper body power assessments. While the SMBT is a valid, reliable field test for upper-body power, normative reference standards for most populations, including adolescent (12-15 years old) physical education students, do not exist. Purpose: This study reports distances thrown in the SMBT to establish normative reference values in male and female physical education students, ages 12-15 years old. Methods: One hundred thirteen untrained male and female physical education students aged 12-15 years performed the SMBT field test three times on a single testing day. Participants threw a 2kg medicine ball with a 19.5 cm diameter while seated at 90 degrees after recording height and weight. Results: Participant data was separated by age gender for analysis. Mean and standard deviation for the SMBT for males was 4.3+/-0.7m and 5.2+/-0.8 m for ages 12-13 and 14-15, respectively, and for females was 3.4+/-0.5m and 3.7+/-0.5m for ages 12-13 and 14-15, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients for between-trials comparisons for males and females ranged from r=0.85-0.97. Pearson correlation coefficients for average SMBT and age of participants was r=0.93. Normative reference values as percentile ranks for the SMBT scores for age groups 12-13 and 14-15 among males and females, respectively, were also established. Conclusion: The data presented provides an initial set of normative reference standards for coaches and students to determine upper-body muscular power using the SMBT.

The Relationship Between Fear of Falling and Functional Fitness among Older Adults Living in Rest Home

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Tuna ◽  
Ö Bozan ◽  
B Gürpınar ◽  
N İlçin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Fear Of Falling ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Functional Fitness ◽  
Fall Risk Factors ◽  
Rest Home ◽  
History Of

Objective: This study aimed to report the fear of falling and assess its associations with several fall-related characteristics and functional fitness parameters among older adults living in the rest home. Methods: Seventy-eight older adults aged between 65-94 years were included in the study. History of falling and the number of risk factors for falling were recorded. Fear of falling was evaluated with The Falls Efficacy ScaleInternational. Functional fitness was assessed with Senior Fitness Test, including tests for the functional measurement of strength, flexibility, aerobic endurance and dynamic balance. Result: The mean age of participants was 78.46±7.16 years. There were correlations exist between fear of falling and number of fall risk factors, dynamic balance, upper body flexibility and aerobic endurance (p<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the parameters with the highest determinants of fear of falling were the dynamic balance and history of falling (p<0.05). Conclusions: In our study, history of falling, number of fall risk factors, flexibility for the upper body, aerobic endurance and dynamic balance were parameters related to fear of falling among older adults, but the most influential factors in fear of falling were dynamic balance and history of falling.

The Effect of Unsupervised Home-Based Exercise Training on Physical Functioning Outcomes in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

2021 ◽  
pp. 109980042198943
Author(s):  
Mahdi Mahjur ◽  
Ali Asghar Norasteh
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Exercise Training ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Physical Functioning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Body Strength

Background: Exercise training such as balance, aerobic, and resistance training is able to improve physical functioning of older adults. Delivering such exercise regimes at home without supervision may be useful for older adults because they do not have to leave their homes. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials aimed to establish the effect of unsupervised home-based exercise training regimes on physical functioning (balance and muscle strength) in older adults. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases and reference lists of included investigations were searched. Study selection: Thirteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise training impact on balance and upper body strength with concurrent control groups were included in the analysis. Results: Our analyses revealed that in older adults, unsupervised home-based various exercise training was effective in improving measures of proactive balance (mean difference (MD) = −1.37 s; 95% confidence interval (CI), −2.24, −0.51 s; p = 0.002) and balance test battery (MD: 1.80; 95% CI, 0.46, 3.14 s; p = 0.009). There were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups for upper body strength ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: Unsupervised home-based exercise training improves balance in older adults. Future investigations are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying unsupervised home-based exercise training’s effect on this population’s physical functioning outcomes.

scholarly journals Effects of the lower jaw position on athletic performance of elite athletes

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000886
Author(s):  
John Patrick Haughey ◽  
Peter Fine
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
Hamstring Flexibility ◽  
Jaw Position ◽  
Upper Body Power ◽  
Lower Body Power

When an athlete wears a mouthguard, the position of the lower jaw is changed by virtue of the teeth being unable to occlude. Little research is available in in this area, which have indicated both positive impact and no positive impact.ObjectivesThis study aims to explore the influence of the lower jaw position on athletic performance in elite athletes.MethodsA repeated measures study compared two lower jaw positions, the athlete’s normal (habitual) bite and the lower jaw position when the muscles of mastication are at physiological rest (physiological rest bite). 15 athletes completed a medicine ball putt (upper body power), vertical jump (lower body power), sit and reach (composite hamstring flexibility), passive knee flexion (hamstring muscle length) and star excursion balance (stability and balance) tests in each condition.ResultsPaired t-tests showed the physiological rest bite had significant (p<0.05) positive effect on athletic performance for each test. On average the physiological rest bite provided an increase of lower body power (5.8%), upper body power (10%), hamstring flexibility (14%) and balance and stability (4.8%) compared to the habitual bite.ConclusionThis study provides evidence of the need for further research to confirm if the lower jaw position can be optimised for athletic performance in athletes.

Relationships Between Propulsion and Anthropometry in Paralympic Swimmers

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 978-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Dingley ◽  
David B. Pyne ◽  
Brendan Burkett
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Frontal Surface ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Arm Span ◽  
Upper Body Power

Purpose:To characterize relationships between propulsion, anthropometry, and performance in Paralympic swimming.Methods:A cross-sectional study of swimmers (13 male, 15 female) age 20.5 ± 4.4 y was conducted. Subject locomotor categorizations were no physical disability (n = 8, classes S13–S14) and low-severity (n = 11, classes S9–S10) or midseverity disability (n = 9, classes S6–S8). Full anthropometric profiles estimated muscle mass and body fat, a bilateral swim-bench ergometer quantified upper-body power production, and 100-m time trials quantified swimming performance.Results:Correlations between ergometer mean power and swimming performance increased with degree of physical disability (low-severity male r = .65, ±0.56, and female r = .68, ±0.64; midseverity, r = .87, ±0.41, and r = .79, ±0.75). The female midseverity group showed nearperfect (positive) relationships for taller swimmers’ (with a greater muscle mass and longer arm span) swimming faster, while for female no- and low-severity-disability groups, greater muscle mass was associated with slower velocity (r = .78, ±0.43, and r = .65, ±0.66). This was supported with lighter females (with less frontal surface area) in the low-severity group being faster (r = .94, ±0.24). In a gender contrast, low-severity males with less muscle mass (r = -.64, ±0.56), high skinfolds (r = .78, ±0.43), a longer arm span (r = .58, ±0.60) or smaller frontal surface area (r = -.93, ±0.19) were detrimental to swimming-velocity production.Conclusion:Low-severity male and midseverity female Paralympic swimmers should be encouraged to develop muscle mass and upper-body power to enhance swimming performance. The generalized anthropometric measures appear to be a secondary consideration for coaches.

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