Associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and alcohol consumption among UK adults: Findings from the Health Behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic (HEBECO) study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and attendant lockdowns have had a substantial negative effect on alcohol consumption and physical activity globally. Pre-pandemic evidence in the adult population suggests that higher levels of physical activity were associated with higher levels of drinking, but it is unclear how the pandemic may have affected this. Therefore, this study aims to assess the association between alcohol consumption and physical activity in a UK cohort established during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agreement and relationship between measures of absolute and relative intensity during walking: A systematic review with meta-regression.

Introduction: A metabolic equivalent (MET) is one of the most common methods used to objectively quantify physical activity intensity. Although the MET provides an 'objective' measure, it does not account for inter-individual differences in cardiorespiratory fitness. In contrast, 'relative' measures of physical activity intensity, such as heart rate reserve (HRR), do account for cardiorespiratory fitness.

The effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of bio-banding on technical and tactical markers of talent identification in 11- to 14-year-old academy soccer players.

Methods: Using a repeated measures design, 92 players were bio-banded using percentage of estimated adult stature attainment (week 1), maturity-offset (week 2) and a mixed-maturity method (week 3). All players contested five maturity (mis)matched small-sided games with technical and tactical variables measured.

Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units.

Objectives: This study aimed to (i) establish the concurrent validity and intra-unit reliability of a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit for monitoring soccer technical actions, (ii) quantify the within-microcycle inter-positional differences in the technical actions of professional soccer training, and (iii) determine the influence of drill category on the technical actions of professional soccer training.

Methods: Twenty-one professional soccer players' technical performance data (ball touches, releases, ball touches per minute, releases per minute), collected during training sessions throughout twenty-four weekly microcycles, were analysed using general linear modelling.

Results: The inertial measurement unit exhibited good concurrent validity (P = 95.

The effect of bio-banding on physical and psychological indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of bio-banding on indicators of talent identification in academy soccer players. Seventy-two 11 to 14-year-old soccer players were bio-banded using percentage of estimated adult stature attainment (week 1), maturity-offset (week 2) or a mixed-maturity method (week 3). Players contested five maturity (mis)matched small-sided games with physical and psychological determinants measured.

Perceptions of professional soccer coaches, support staff and players toward virtual reality and the factors that modify their intention to use it.

A small evidence base supports the use of virtual reality in professional soccer, yet there is a lack of information available on perceptions and desire to use the technology from those employed at professional soccer clubs. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare and quantify the perceptions of virtual reality use in soccer, and to model behavioural intentions to use this technology. This study surveyed the perceptions of coaches, support staff, and players in relation to their knowledge, expectations, influences and barriers of using virtual reality via an internet-based questionnaire.

The effect of bio-banding on academy soccer player passing networks: Implications of relative pitch size.

The primary aims of this study were to examine the effects of bio-banding players on passing networks created during 4v4 small-sided games (SSGs), while also examining the interaction of pitch size using passing network analysis compared to a coach-based scoring system of player performance. Using a repeated measures design, 32 players from two English Championship soccer clubs contested mixed maturity and bio-banded SSGs. Each week, a different pitch size was used: Week 1) small (36.

Misuse of the term 'load' in sport and exercise science.

Despite the International System of Units (SI), as well as several publications guiding researchers on correct use of terminology, there continues to be widespread misuse of mechanical terms such as 'work' in sport and exercise science. A growing concern is the misuse of the term 'load'. Terms such as 'training load' and 'PlayerLoad' are popular in sport and exercise science vernacular.

Characterising the application of the "progressive overload" principle of exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation: A United Kingdom-based community programme.

Background: Recent concerns have cast doubt over the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation [CR] programmes for improving cardiorespiratory fitness [CRF] in patients with a history of cardiac disease in the United Kingdom [UK]. We aimed to characterise the weekly progression of exercise training dose over an 8-week Phase III CR programme as we felt this may be partly responsible for the lack of improvement in CRF reported in previous studies.

Design: Observational study.

The effects of the iPlayClean education programme on doping attitudes and susceptibility to use banned substances among high-level adolescent athletes from the UK: A cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background This study examined the effects of the iPlayClean anti-doping intervention on attitudes towards doping and susceptibility, and whether delivery mode affected the results. Methods A total of 1081 high-level UK athletes (14-18 years old, 904 males, 177 females) were cluster-randomised to the control (11 teams/organisations/schools, 314 athletes), face-to-face group presentation (8 teams/organisations/schools, 254 athletes), online (11 teams/organisations/schools, 251 athletes), or face-to-face presentation with online access (5 teams/organisations/schools, 262 athletes). Results Compared to the control group, all modes of the iPlayClean anti-doping education programme reduced favourable attitudes towards doping immediately after the intervention, which was sustained across all intervention groups 8 weeks later.

The relative contribution of training intensity and duration to daily measures of training load in professional rugby league and union.

This study examined the relative contribution of exercise duration and intensity to team-sport athlete's training load. Male, professional rugby league (n = 10) and union (n = 22) players were monitored over 6- and 52-week training periods, respectively. Whole-session (load) and per-minute (intensity) metrics were monitored (league: session rating of perceived exertion training load [sRPE-TL], individualised training impulse, total distance, BodyLoad™; union: sRPE-TL, total distance, high-speed running distance, PlayerLoad™).

A 12-month continuous and intermittent high-impact exercise intervention and its effects on bone mineral density in early postmenopausal women: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.

Background: Intermittent mechanical loading generates greater bone adaptations than continuous mechanical loading in rodents but has never been evaluated in humans. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a continuous and intermittent countermovement jump (CMJ) intervention for attenuating early postmenopausal BMD loss.

Methods: 41 healthy early postmenopausal women (age=54.

Effectiveness of Short-Term Heat Acclimation on Intermittent Sprint Performance With Moderately Trained Females Controlling for Menstrual Cycle Phase.

Introduction: Investigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA), over 5-days (permissive dehydration), on an intermittent sprint exercise protocol (HST) with females. Controlling for menstrual cycle phase.

Materials And Methods: Ten, moderately trained, females (Mean [SD]; age 22.

Visualizing the Complexity of the Athlete-Monitoring Cycle Through Principal-Component Analysis.

Purpose: To discuss the use of principal-component analysis (PCA) as a dimension-reduction and visualization tool to assist in decision making and communication when analyzing complex multivariate data sets associated with the training of athletes.

Conclusions: Using PCA, it is possible to transform a data matrix into a set of orthogonal composite variables called principal components (PCs), with each PC being a linear weighted combination of the observed variables and with all PCs uncorrelated to each other. The benefit of transforming the data using PCA is that the first few PCs generally capture the majority of the information (ie, variance) contained in the observed data, with the first PC accounting for the highest amount of variance and each subsequent PC capturing less of the total information.

Insufficient exercise intensity for clinical benefit? Monitoring and quantification of a community-based Phase III cardiac rehabilitation programme: A United Kingdom perspective.

Background: In recent years, criticism of the percentage range approach for individualised exercise prescription has intensified and we were concerned that sub-optimal exercise dose (especially intensity) may be in part responsible for the variability in the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes in the United Kingdom (UK). The aim was to investigate the fidelity of a structured Phase III CR programme, by monitoring and quantifying exercise training intensity.

Design: Observational study.

Walking cadence required to elicit criterion moderate-intensity physical activity is moderated by fitness status.

The aims of this study were to estimate the walking cadence required to elicit a VOreserve (VOR) of 40% and determine if fitness status moderates the relationship between walking cadence and %VOR. Twenty participants (10 male, mean() age 32(10) years; VOmax 45(10) mL·kg·min) completed resting and maximal oxygen consumption tests prior to 7 x 5-min bouts of treadmill walking at increasing speed while wearing an Apple Watch and measuring oxygen consumption continuously. The 7 x 5-min exercise bouts were performed at speeds between 3 and 6 km·h with 5-min seated rest following each bout.