The Relationship between VO2 and Muscle Deoxygenation Kinetics and Upper Body Repeated Sprint Performance in Trained Judokas and Healthy Individuals

The present study sought to investigate if faster upper body oxygen uptake (VO2) and hemoglobin/myoglobin deoxygenation ([HHb]) kinetics during heavy intensity exercise were associated with a greater upper body repeated-sprint ability (RSA) performance in a group of judokas and in a group of individuals of heterogenous fitness level. Eight judokas (JT) and seven untrained healthy participants (UT) completed an incremental step test, two heavy intensity square-wave transitions and an upper body RSA test consisting of four 15 s sprints, with 45 s rest, from which the experimental data were obtained. In the JT group, VO2 kinetics, [HHb] kinetics and the parameters determined in the incremental test were not associated with RSA. However, when the two groups were combined, the amplitude of the primary phase VO2 and [HHb] was positively associated with the accumulated work in the four sprints (ΣWork). Additionally, maximal aerobic power (MAP), peak VO2 and the first ventilatory threshold (VT1) showed a positive correlation with ΣWork and an inverse correlation with the decrease in peak power output (Dec-PPO) between the first and fourth sprints. Faster VO2 and [HHb] kinetics do not seem to be associated with an increased upper body RSA in JT. However, other variables of aerobic fitness seem to be associated with an increased upper body RSA performance in a group of individuals with heterogeneous fitness level.

Measuring the Impact of Operational Stress: The Relevance of Assessing Stress-related Health Across the Deployment Cycle

ABSTRACT Introduction Mental health issues from intense or prolonged stress are a common concern in regard to military deployment. Deployments can objectively vary in stress exposure, but it is the individuals’ perception of that stress that affects sustainability, mental health, and combat fitness, which calls for the need of a protocol to evaluate and maintain a current estimation of stress impact. So, how can we assess the impact of stressors during different phases of deployment? Materials and Methods We used three psychological self-rating forms, the PSS14—Perceived Stress Scale, SMBM—Shirom Melamed Burnout Measure, and KSQ—Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire, to measure the impact of stress before (T1), during (T2), and at homecoming (T3). We also wanted to see if T1 or T2 results could predict T3 results to be able to better prepare the homecoming program.The forms were handed out to Swedish soldiers deployed in Mali in 2017. The forms were collected as a way to assess the status of the mental health load at three timepoints based on the personnel function as a way to assess the current “psychological fitness level”. Results The results show that stress measured using PSS14 was high at homecoming. The same result was observed for SMBM. No measures from T1 or T2 could however predict the T3 results. Conclusions Taken together, we found that screening of all contingent staff is relatively easy and provides personnel with relevant data on mental health and stress at the current time. We also found that test results correlated between T1 and T2 but not with T3. This indicates that there might be different stressors that affect staff at different timepoints.

Fitness Of West Kalimantan Martial Arts PON Athletes: Independent Limited Exercise During Covid-19

Fitness is the ability and ability of the body to adjust to physical loading without significant fatigue. Physical activity is one way to create endurance and a fit body. Good endurance is very much needed by martial arts athletes, especially during this Covid-19 period, both in the daily training process and when competing. This study aims to analyze and determine the fitness level of athletes in martial arts during limited independent training, using a survey method in the form of descriptive research. The population is PON 2021 West Kalimantan athletes in martial sports, using a total sampling technique where the sample used is all athletes PON XX 2021 West Kalimantan in martial arts, totaling 12 athletes. The results of the fitness item test found that the average endurance ability was 42.69 (very poor category), average speed was 5.04 (poor category), average agility was 14.38 (enough category), average balance was 14.38 (enough category), average flexibility 18.59 (very good category). The conclusion from this study still needs special attention, especially in fixing some of the supporting elements of fitness that are still not in good condition, with a poor level of fitness it will have an impact on health, especially during the Covid-19 period so that it can affect the athlete's performance.

An Overview on How Exercise with Green Tea Consumption Can Prevent the Production of Reactive Oxygen Species and Improve Sports Performance

Free radicals are reactive products that have multiple effects on the human body. Endogenous and exogenous antioxidants manage the overproduction of free radicals. However, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidant factors causes oxidative stress. Exercise and physical activity are factors that increase oxidative stress and disrupts the body’s homeostasis. Intensity and duration of training, training characteristics, and fitness level can have positive or negative effects on oxidative stress. Green tea consumption is recommended for the prevention of a variety of diseases, health maintenance, and weight loss. The effectiveness of green tea is primarily due to the presence of catechins and polyphenols, specifically (–)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties based on clinical and animal studies. This review investigates the effect of green tea exercise and their interactive effects on free radicals and sports improvement.

Dietary Supplementation for Attenuating Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness in Humans

Dietary supplements are widely used as a nutritional strategy to improve and maintain performance and achieve faster recovery in sports and exercise. Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is caused by mechanical stress and subsequent inflammatory responses including reactive oxygen species and cytokine production. Therefore, dietary supplements with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have the potential to prevent and reduce muscle damage and symptoms characterized by loss of muscle strength and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). However, only a few supplements are considered to be effective at present. This review focuses on the effects of dietary supplements derived from phytochemicals and listed in the International Olympic Committee consensus statement on muscle damage evaluated by blood myofiber damage markers, muscle soreness, performance, and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. In this review, the effects of dietary supplements are also discussed in terms of study design (i.e., parallel and crossover studies), exercise model, and such subject characteristics as physical fitness level. Future perspectives and considerations for the use of dietary supplements to alleviate EIMD and DOMS are also discussed.

Association between Physical Literacy and Self-Perceived Fitness Level in Children and Adolescents

Background: Physical fitness is considered a predictor of mortality and comorbidities resulting from physical inactivity in children and adolescents. Physical literacy provides a robust and comprehensive assessment of physical fitness. Thus, it is considered a crucial element for understanding children and adolescents’ health status and their physical activity-related behaviours. Moreover, the self-perceived fitness should also be considered. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the relationship between physical literacy and self-perceived physical fitness in children and adolescents aged 8–12 years. Methods: A single-measure cross-sectional study was conducted with 135 children and adolescents. Anthropometric measurements and the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy Development (CAPL-2) were applied. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated. The Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FP VAS A) scale was also administered to assess participants’ self-perceived fitness. Results: Moderate significant correlations were found between “physical competence”, “motivation and confidence”, and the total CAPL-2 score with FP VAS A. Conclusions: The influence of motivation on self-perceived fitness has been demonstrated. Moreover, cardiorespiratory fitness could be considered one of the most relevant and influential factors in the total CAPL-2 score. It means that higher levels of self-perceived fitness would be associated with greater levels of physical literacy.

The Supervised Learning Model for Analyzing the Sportsperson Training Efficiency

The driving concept of students’ sports training involves a unique activity that is often tightly correlated to students’ efficiency and varies with the momentum of sports training. Supervised learning is one of the smart methods with positive results in the fields of classification techniques. Due to the excessive currency unit associated with sports, sports forecasting is a growing area that must be well predicted. Therefore, in this paper, sports training based on the supervised learning (STSLM) model has been proposed to evaluate and predict student sports efficiency. STSLM models are based on various variables, such as traditional student ratings, performance, and efficiency. The emphasis is on the efficiency of students predicting sports outcomes. STSLM defines evaluation methods, information sources, effective models for testing students’ sports training, and unique challenges to forecast sports outcomes. The experimental results have been performed. The suggested STSLM model enhances the efficiency ratio of 96.3%, injury prevention level of 98.2%, fitness level of 95.5%, evaluation ratio of 98.8%, and training optimization ratio of 97.2% compared to other existing approaches.

Eccentric Exercise: Adaptations and Applications for Health and Performance

The goals of this narrative review are to provide a brief overview of the muscle and tendon adaptations to eccentric resistance exercise and address the applications of this form of training to aid rehabilitative interventions and enhance sports performance. This work is centered on the author contributions to the Special Issue entitled “Eccentric Exercise: Adaptations and Applications for Health and Performance”. The major themes from the contributing authors include the need to place greater attention on eccentric exercise mode selection based on training goals and individual fitness level, optimal approaches to implementing eccentric resistance exercise for therapeutic purposes, factors that affect the use of eccentric exercise across the lifespan, and general recommendations to integrate eccentric exercise in athletic training regimens. The authors propose that movement velocity and the absorption or recovery of kinetic energy are critical components of eccentric exercise programming. Regarding the therapeutic use of eccentric resistance training, patient-level factors regarding condition severity, fitness level, and stage of rehabilitation should govern the plan of care. In athletic populations, use of eccentric exercise may improve movement competency and promote improved safety and performance of sport-specific tasks. Eccentric resistance training is a viable option for youth, young adults, and older adults when the exercise prescription appropriately addresses program goals, exercise tolerability, and compliance. Despite the benefits of eccentric exercise, several key questions remain unanswered regarding its application underscoring the need for further investigation.