42 research outputs found
Absolute vs. weight-related maximum oxygen uptake in firefighters: fitness evaluation with and without protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus among age group.
No full textDuring fire emergencies, firefighters wear personal protective devices (PC) and a self-contained breathing apparatus (S.C.B.A.) to be protected from injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of aerobic level in 197 firefighters (age: 34±7 yr; BMI: 24.4±2.3 kg.m-2), evaluated by a Queen's College Step field Test (QCST), performed with and without fire protective garments, and to analyze the differences among age groups (40 yr). Variance analysis was applied to assess differences (p < 0.05) between tests and age groups observed in absolute and weight-related values, while a correlation was examined between QCST with and without PC+S.C.B.A. The results have shown that a 13% of firefighters failed to complete the test with PC+S.C.B.A. and significant differences between QCST performed with and without PC+S.C.B.A. in absolute (F(1,169) = 42.6, p < 0.0001) and weight-related (F(1,169) = 339.9, p < 0.0001) terms. A better correlation has been found in L•min-1 (r=0.67) than in ml•kg-1•min-1 (r=0.54). Moreover, we found significant differences among age groups both in absolute and weight-related values. The assessment of maximum oxygen uptake of firefighters in absolute term can be a useful tool to evaluate the firefighters' cardiovascular strain
Age-Related changes in Upper Body Strength and Lower Limb Power of Professional Italian Firefighters
No full textPurpose Considering that the decrease in strength can be observed with aging and
that muscular endurance and strength are essential factors for firefighting effectiveness
in critical situations, the purpose of this study were to evaluate the Upper Body
Strength and Lower Limb Power of Professional of Italian Firefighters of 229 Italian
male firefighters (age 32 ± 8 yrs, height: 177±6 cm, weight: 79 ± 9 kg, BMI: 24.5 ± 2.4
kg/m2) and to compare the results in relation to the age (< 30-year-old group; 31- to
35-year-old group; 36- to 40-year-old group; 41- to 45-year-old group; >45-year-old
group).
Methods Upper body strength (1RM bench-press), lower limb power (counter
movement jump -CMJ-, and sprint ability -20m-) were analysed. Descriptive statistics
and an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were applied to anthropometric and physical
fitness values to assess significant difference between age groups. When a significant
effect was found, Bonferroni's post hoc analysis was used.
Results Between age groups, anthropometric values showed an age-effect (p<0.05) for
BMI with 34 % of all firefighters in overweight and high prevalence (52%) in >45
compared to the other age group categories. Performances values showed differences
for 1RM bench-press (F(4,223) = 6.17; p<0.001), CMJ (F(4,223) = 3.04; p<0.05), 20m
(F(4,224) = 8.47; p<0.001) among age groups. A decrease of 12% for Bench-press,
13% for CMJ and 5% for 20 m between 45-year-old group were found.
Conclusions Considering that the ability to produce strength and power movements are
very important qualities to firefighters in each age, individual and specific training
programs should be planned with functional work activities to improve neuromuscular
function at any age
RSA, CMJ, Leger, 10m sprint responses to Pre-season training in semi-Professional Soccer Players
No full textAim: The aim of this study was to analyze RSA, CMJ, Leger, 10m sprint responses to Pre-season Training in Semi-Professional Soccer Players (SPSP). Considering that numerous studies1,2 highlighted the combination of high levels of physical, technical and tactical skills during a soccer match, the cure of physical training pose a particular attention on training load that generally increases up to 2.4 times during the pre-season period compared with the in-season3.
Methods: Six SPSP (age: 23±7yr; BMI: 23.3±1.8) were requested to perform aerobic training over an 8-week period on alternate days with the functional strength training sessions and sprint training drills as prescribed by the coaches and strength and conditioning staff. Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA, Total Time –TT- and percentage of fatigue index -%FI), Leger, 10m sprint and Counter Mouvement Jump (CMJ) tests, were performed before and after pre-season soccer training. ANOVA for repeated measures was conducted to assess differences (p<0.05) with respect to pre seasonal training. Correlation was calculated between the percentage of variation (Δ) of each test.
Results: Compared to the values recorded before the pre-season, improvement of Leger (3%) and %FI (17.6%) and a deterioration of TT (10%), 10m sprint (0.2%) and CMJ (2.4%) were found. In addition, we have found a main effect between before and after pre-seasonal training in TT (F(1,4)=60.2; p=0.001) and Leger (F(1,5)=25; p<0.005). ΔCMJ showed very large correlation with ΔLeger (r=-0.88) and nearly perfect with Δ%FI (r=0.93); while ΔLeger was largely correlated with Δ%FI (r=-0.69).
Conclusions: Given that the cure of the physical preparation is considered as an important element in order to influence the final soccer game result, this study want to be useful information for the coach in order to maximize the best physical condition of the whole team relative to the beginning of the regular season
Age-Related changes in Upper Body Strength of Italian Firefighters
No full textConsidering that the decrease in strength can be observedwith aging and that muscular endurance and strength are essential factors for firefighting effectiveness in critical situations (Michaelides et al. 2008), the aim of this studywas to evaluate theUpper Body (UBS) and Grip (GS) Strength of Italian Firefighters and to compare the results in relation to the age. Bench press (1RM, kg) and Maximal peak grip strength (MPGS, N) were used to analysed 185 firefighters (age: 38 ± 8 yr; height: 1.77 ± 0.06 cm, weight: 76.6 ± 8.6 kg, BMI: 24.2 ± 2.2 kg m.2). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to anthropometric and physical fitness values to assess significant difference (p.05) between age groups: B30 yrs, 31–35 yrs, 36–40 yrs, 41–45 yrs, and [45 yrs. When a significant effect was found, post hoc Fisher protected least significant difference were used. Anthropometric values showed differences among ages groups for height and BMI. Despite 1RM showed significant differences among age group (F(4.178) = 6.96; p.001), no statistical differences emerged between age group in MPGS values. In particular, 1RM showed no difference between yr 31–35 age groups and significant a decrease in 36–40 yr group. A decrease of 14 % in 1RM was reached betweenyrs and[45yrs. The results of this study could provide useful information
to development appropriate UBS conditioning programs to increase the job performance and decrease the percentage of risks due
to increased age in firefighters. With the knowledge of the limiting factors of age in strength performance of firefighters, the strength and conditioning firefighters instructor can more effectively tailor the training so that a job performance increase can be achieved in safety
Psychophysiological responses of firefighters to emergencies: a review
No full textFirefighters perform strenuous muscular works in hazardous environments and chaotic conditions, under time pressure and psychological stress. Various have shown high values of oxygen uptake, heart rate, blood lactate concentrations and salivary cortisol and A-Amylase in laboratory test, in real-life and simulated interventions. These high values have been attributed to the combined effect of the metabolically active muscle, thermoregulatory strain and fatigue resulting from the protective gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus in addition to further supplementary overweight (i.e., lifting weights, rescuing victims). In order to protect health and safety of firefighters and victims during emergencies, high levels of cardiovascular endurance and strength in firefighters are strongly recommended. In fact, high levels of physical fitness showed to increase firefighters’ work ability, their safety and decreased risk of injury
Physical Fitness Profile of Professional Italian Firefighters: differences between age-group
No full text
RSA response to preseason training in semiprofessional soccer players
No full textAbstract This study has investigated the effect of 8 weeks of preseason training on the repeated sprinting ability (RSA) in semiprofessional soccer players (SPSP). An RSA test, consisting of 7 9 30 m sprint with 25 s active rest, was administered to 12 SPSP (age 23 ± 6 years) pre- and post-8 weeks of preseason soccer training. Preseasonal training consisting of aerobic sessions (high-intensity intermittent training) was provided three times a week on alternate days with the strength training sessions (basic and functional strength training) and sprint training drills. Analysis of variance for repeated measures was conducted to assess differences (p.05) in RSA test and fatigue index with time (i.e., pre-post) as within factor. Multivariate analysis of variance, with the seven repeated sprint tests as dependent variables and time (i.e. pre-post) as within factor, was conducted to test differences in sprint performance over the time. The main effect (p.001) was found before (pre-) and after (post-) the preseasonal training in global RSA performance;
conversely, no statistical differences were found between fatigue index values. An overall significant effect was found for the seven sprints performed pre- and post. Univariate
analysis shows that each sprint time was significantly (p.001) lower in the pre- than in the post-RSA tests. This study provides useful information for the coach to understanding the training process of SPSP and to maximize the best physical condition of the whole team
Do Italian Fire- Fighting Recruits Have an Adequate Physical Fitness Profile for Fire Fighting?
No full textAbstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the fitness level of Italian male recruits with (volunteers) and without (novices) previous fire-fighting experience. Strength (handgrip; 1RM bench-press), power (counter movement jump (CMJ)), velocity (20 m) and endurance (with and without self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)) performances of 29 volunteer (age: 22±3 years; BMI: 23±2) and 51 novice (age 30±5 years; BMI 25±2) fire-fighting recruits were compared (p<0.05). Volunteers showed better performances (p<0.01) for 1RM (80.5±16.5 kg), CMJ (31.4±4.8 cm) and 20 m (3.1±0.2 s) than novices (1RM=68.3±10.5 kg; CMJ=28.0±4.5 cm; 20 m=3.2±0.2 s). No difference emerged for handgrip (481.7±71.4 N) and VO2max with (42.9±5.2 ml/kg/min) and without (54.7±6.2 ml/kg/min) SCBA. Wearing the SCBA, 3% of volunteers and 16% of novices failed to complete the endurance test. Considering that fire fighters perform their job wearing SCBA, it could be advisable to test the fitness level of recruits in this condition
