6277 research outputs found
Sort by
Test-retest reliability of a single isometric mid-thigh pull protocol to assess peak force and strength-endurance
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of strength-endurance protocols using isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). Twenty-eight participants (23.2 ± 4.9 years) completed two protocols across four testing sessions. Protocol one consisted of 10 maximal IMTP tests lasting 5 seconds each with 10 seconds rest between. Protocol two consisted of a prolonged 60 second maximal IMTP. Data from protocol 1 was analysed in two ways; (a) use of the highest peak value from the first three IMTP efforts, and the lowest peak value from the final three IMTP efforts, and (b) use of the mean peak force from the first three IMTP efforts and mean peak force from the final three IMTP efforts. Data from protocol two used the highest and lowest peak values in the first- and final-15 seconds. Analyses revealed excellent reliability for peak force across all four testing sessions (ICC = 0.94), as well as good test-retest reliability for strength-endurance for protocol 1 (a; ICC = 0.81, b; ICC = 0.79). Test-retest reliability for protocol 2 was poor (ICC = 0.305). Bland-Altman bias values were smaller for protocol 1(a = -8.8 Nm, b = 21.7 Nm) compared to protocol 2 = (119.3 Nm). Our data suggest that 10 maximal IMTP tests performed as described herein is a reliable method for exercise professionals to assess both peak force and strength-endurance in a single, time-efficient protocol. [Abstract copyright: ©2024 Grover et al.
Workload ratio assessment in football: Evaluating simple and exponential moving averages
Get PDFIntroduction: To identify the optimal technique for examining time series data related to the Acute Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR), correlations between the Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) were investigated in this study utilising a decay factor(λ) over a period of 7/28 days. Five GPS metrics were included in our analysis: Total Distance, Accelerations, Decelerations, High Metabolic Load Distance, and Distance in Speed Zones 3+4+5 (>19,9km/h). These data points were collected from 22 players across 47 days, excluding the first 28 days, for a total of 596 data points per pair [SMA/EWMA].Methods: Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality tests were performed on the SMA and EWMA datasets prior to using the Spearman, Kendall Tau, and Distance Correlation techniques to assess correlations and dependencies between pairings. Using Python and libraries including Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, SciPy, Scikit-Learn, Stats models, OpenPyXL, Dcor, and IPython.display, the analysis was carried out in Anaconda's Jupyter Notebook. Results and Discussion: Significant departures from the normal distribution were shown by normality tests (p<0.05 for most of the variables). With p-values of 0.00, Spearman analysis showed significant correlations for every pair of variables, ranging from moderate (0.46) to somewhat weak (0.23). Additionally, Kendall's Tau revealed statistically significant correlations (p=0.00) across strengths, ranging from moderate (0.32) to weak (0.16). With values ranging from 0.25 to 0.44, Distance Correlation showed significant connections(p<0.00), while Energy Distance values displayed a range of discrepancies. Interestingly, EWMA frequently displayed values that were marginally lower than SMA, highlighting a significance level of p=0.00. Conclusion: The results show continuous trends and modest to moderate positive correlations between the variables under study. Both SMA and EWMA can be used with the help of distance correlation. EWMA is typically chosen for responsive trend analysis and offering a realistic representation of current conditions in ACWR monitoring due to its emphasis on recent data. The decision between SMA and EWMA, however, may change depending on the coaching needs; in this study, EWMA approaches produced somewhat lower scores than SMA
Outdoor music festivals as cyclic places. Assessing authenticity, attachment and belonging
Get PDFOutdoor music festivals are temporary events hosted in locations that are physical, social, imaginative, and heterotopic in form. Some festivals develop a sense of authenticity and a sense of place (Relph 1976) which is aligned to the location in which they are held and, through cyclic restaging and the repeat attendance of festivalgoers and others, fosters a sense of authenticity, attachment and belonging: of the festival to a place, and of festivalgoers to both the event and the location in which it is hosted. To paraphrase and twist a quote from the ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl (1973), an authentic festival might be regarded as one thought to truly belong to the people who attend it, as one that ‘reflects their spirit and personality.’ Such identifications and interrelationships between an event and its attendees is a crucial element for those long-lived events that are less reliant on headliners or novelty, and more reliant on repeat attendance (an annual pilgrimage of cultural and social renewal) to be economically sustainable. As the cultural geographer Stanley Waterman (1998) has noted, festivals are ‘not simply bought and “consumed”.’ This presentation will explore theoretical understandings of belonging, authenticity and attachment in relation to the spaces, places and attendees of outdoor music festivals, drawing on fieldwork carried out over the past twenty years
The role of collaborative podcasting in developing student engagement and reflective practices
Get PDFIger goes to China: Disney's corporate strategy - between glocalization & grobalization
No full textPhysiological and performance adaptations to interval training in endurance-trained cyclists: an exploratory systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: In endurance cycling, both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) have become popular training modalities due to their ability to elicit improvements in performance. Studies have attempted to ascertain which form of interval training might be more beneficial for maximising cycling performance as well as a range of physiological parameters, but an amalgamation of results which explores the influence of different interval training programming variables in trained cyclists has not yet been conducted.Objective: The aims of this study were to: (1) systematically investigate training interventions to determine which training modality, HIIT, SIT or low- to moderate-intensity continuous training (LIT/MICT), leads to greater physiological and performance adaptations in trained cyclists; and (2) determine the moderating effects of interval work-bout duration and intervention length on the overall HIIT/SIT programme.Data Sources: Electronic database searches were conducted using SPORTDiscus and PubMed.Study Selection: Inclusion criteria were: (1) at least recreationally-trained cyclists aged 18–49 years (maximum/peak oxygen uptake [V̇O2max/V̇O2peak] ≥45 mL·kg-1·min-1); (2) training interventions that included a HIIT or SIT group and a control group (or two interval training groups for direct comparisons); (3) minimum intervention length of 2 weeks; (4) interventions that consisted of 2–3 weekly interval training sessions.Results: Interval training leads to small improvements in all outcome measures combined (overall main effects model, SMD: 0.33 [95%CI = 0.06 to 0.60]) when compared to LIT/MICT in trained cyclists. At the individual level, point estimates favouring HIIT/SIT were negligible (Wingate model: 0.01 [95%CI = -3.56 to 3.57]), trivial (relative V̇O2max/V̇O2peak: 0.10 [95%CI = -0.34 to 0.54]), small (absolute V̇O2max/V̇O2peak: 0.28 [95%CI = 0.15 to 0.40], absolute maximum aerobic power/peak power output: 0.38 [95%CI = 0.15 to 0.61], relative absolute maximum aerobic power/peak power output: 0.43 [95%CI = -0.09 to 0.95], physiological thresholds: 0.46 [95%CI = -0.24 to 1.17]), and large (time-trial/time-to-exhaustion: 0.96 [95%CI = -0.81 to 2.73]) improvements in physiological/performance variables compared to controls, with very imprecise interval estimates for most outcomes. In addition, intervention length did not contribute significantly to the improvements in outcome measures in this population, as the effect estimate was only trivial (βDuration: 0.04 [ 95%CI = -0.07 to 0.15]). Finally, the network meta-analysis did not reveal a clear superior effect of any HIIT/SIT types when directly comparing interval training differing in interval work-bout duration.Conclusion: The results of the meta-analysis indicate that both HIIT and SIT are effective training modalities to elicit physiological adaptations and performance improvements in trained cyclists. Our analyses highlight that the optimisation of interval training prescription in trained cyclists cannot be solely explained by interval type or interval work-bout duration and an individualised approach that takes into account the training/competitive needs of the athlete is warranted
Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations
No full textBackground. Based on emerging evidence that brief periods of cessation from resistance training (RT) may re-sensitize muscle to anabolic stimuli, we aimed to investigate the effects of a 1-week deload interval at the midpoint of a 9-week RT program on muscular adaptations in resistance-trained individuals. Methods. Thirty-nine young men (n = 29) and women (n = 10) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental, parallel groups: An experimental group that abstained from RT for 1 week at the midpoint of a 9-week, high-volume RT program (DELOAD) or a traditional training group that performed the same RT program continuously over the study period (TRAD). The lower body routines were directly supervised by the research staff while upper body training was carried out in an unsupervised fashion. Muscle growth outcomes included assessments of muscle thickness along proximal, mid and distal regions of the middle and lateral quadriceps femoris as well as the mid-region of the triceps surae. Adaptions in lower body isometric and dynamic strength, local muscular endurance of the quadriceps, and lower body muscle power were also assessed. Results. Results indicated no appreciable differences in increases of lower body muscle size, local endurance, and power between groups. Alternatively, TRAD showed greater improvements in both isometric and dynamic lower body strength compared to DELOAD. Additionally, TRAD showed some slight psychological benefits as assessed by the readiness to train questionnaire over DELOAD. Conclusion. In conclusion, our findings suggest that a 1-week deload period at the midpoint of a 9-week RT program appears to negatively influence measures of lower body muscle strength but has no effect on lower body hypertrophy, power or local muscular endurance
Interaction of orientation cues within a nested virtual environment
No full textThree experiments examined whether three factors (view of external targets, coloured wall cues, previous exploration of room) facilitate orientation within a virtual building and whether the interaction between the first two factors align with predictions from associative learning. Participants were teleported into a virtual room and asked to face in the direction of an external occluded target using all, none, or a combination of these factors. Experiment 1(n = 62) showed all 3 factors individually improved orientation. Experiment 2 (n = 28) illustrated that the interaction between external targets and colored wall cues was similar to an associative learning phenomenon, where more salient cues inhibit learning about less salient cues (called overshadowing). Previous research suggests salience of spatial cues can be moderated by familiarity with the cues. In both Experiment 1 and 2, participants were familiar with the external targets but not the colored wall cues. Experiment 3 (n = 92) manipulated familiarity with the external targets and found that when participants were not familiar with the external targets, they became overshadowed by coloured wall cues. The results are a novel demonstration that spatial cues within a nested environment interact in a way predicted by associative learning
Exploring the need of establishing geriatric care centre in Ghana: the perspective of healthcare practitioners and elderly patients
No full textBackgroundOlder patients in developing countries face major challenges in accessing comprehensive medical care. The assessment of the need to establish a geriatric center has been poorly studied in Ghana. This study explored the need of establishing geriatric care center among healthcare practitioners and elderly patients at the Presbyterian Hospital, Dormaa Ahenkro of Ghana. Methodology An exploratory qualitative study employed purposive sampling technique to recruit participants. Applying In-depth interview guide to solicit study data. Data was collected face to face with the help of audio recorded devices and notes taking alongside with participants. Data was transcribed verbatim using NVivo (v16). Braun and Clarke thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data to generate themes and sub-themes.ResultsFour themes and nine sub-themes evolved out of the study. It was established that, health care practitioners had experienced in providing care to geriatrics. Skill acquisition and continuous training enhanced practitioner’s experience. practitioners indicated the need of establishing geriatric friendly center with the supportive equipment. Elderly patients revealed common disease conditions that compel them to frequently visit the hospital. It was also reported that elderly patients face financial challenges and delayence while accessing healthcare.ConclusionDespite the vast experience and demonstration of good knowledge by healthcare practitioners in providing geriatric care, aged patients complained of financial challenges and service delayence. Establishing geriatric friendly center with functional equipment and financial support would ease aged patients challenge in accessing healthcare. Further study is required to explore elderly patients experience of home support system from immediate relatives
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Solent University Research Portal? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!