Misuse of "Power" and Other Mechanical Terms in Sport and Exercise Science Research.

Despite the Système International d'Unitès (SI) that was published in 1960, there continues to be widespread misuse of the terms and nomenclature of mechanics in descriptions of exercise performance. Misuse applies principally to failure to distinguish between mass and weight, velocity and speed, and especially the terms "work" and "power." These terms are incorrectly applied across the spectrum from high-intensity short-duration to long-duration endurance exercise.

Strength training and aerobic exercise: comparison and contrast.

Most exercise programs for conditioning and rehabilitation are oriented to strength development, aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness, or a combination of the 2. Because the 2 types of exercise are located at the opposite extremes of a muscular power continuum, the design of a program must be highly specific with regard to the exercise to be undertaken, as well as the intensity, duration, and frequency, in order to attain optimal results. Strength exercise programs involve weight training or the use of high-resistance machines with exercise that is limited to a few repetitions (generally less than 20) before exhaustion.

Changes in exercise performance and hormonal concentrations over a big ten soccer season in starters and nonstarters.

As a consequence of the physiological demands experienced during a competitive soccer season, the antagonistic relationship between anabolic and catabolic processes can affect performance. Twenty-five male collegiate soccer players were studied throughout a season (11 weeks) to investigate the effects of long-term training and competition. Subjects were grouped as starters (S; n = 11) and nonstarters (NS; n = 14).

What is exercise? A primer for practitioners.

Physical exercise has proven to be an extremely useful tool in health enhancement, health maintenance, and rehabilitation in addition to its role in conditioning for competitive sports. Exercise is defined as activity that involves the generation of force by the activated muscles. While various sport activities and events involve a wide range of metabolic power production, exercise for fitness and health occupies two discrete areas of the power scale: relatively low intensity that promotes cardiovascular or aerobic fitness and very high intensity that develops strength and maximal power.

Physiological changes with periodized resistance training in women tennis players.

Purpose: To compare the physiological and performance adaptations between periodized and nonperiodized resistance training in women collegiate tennis athletes.

Methods: Thirty women (19 +/- 1 yr) were assigned to either a periodized resistance training group (P), nonperiodized training group (NV), or a control group (C). Assessments for body composition, anaerobic power, VO2(max), speed, agility, maximal strength, jump height, tennis-service velocity, and resting serum hormonal concentrations were performed before and after 4, 6, and 9 months of resistance training performed 2-3 d.

Effect of acute postexercise ethanol intoxication on the neuroendocrine response to resistance exercise.

This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of postexercise ethanol intoxication (21.97 +/- 1.09 mmol/l blood) on the response of selected aspects of the neuroendocrine system to a resistance exercise (Ex) session.

Exercise and recovery responses of adrenal medullary neurohormones to heavy resistance exercise.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of dynamic resistance exercise on the response patterns of adrenal medullary neurohormones in strength-trained men.

Methods: Ten strength-trained men (21.7+/-0.

Performance decrements with high-intensity resistance exercise overtraining.

The purpose of this investigation was to study a high-intensity resistance exercise overtraining protocol resulting in muscular strength decrements. Seventeen weight-trained males were divided into an overtraining group (OT; N = 11; mean +/- SE, age = 22.0 +/- 0.

Effect of acid-base balance on the growth hormone response to acute high-intensity cycle exercise.

To investigate the effect of acid-base balance on serum human growth hormone (hGH) concentration after an acute high-intensity anaerobic exercise bout, 10 untrained but normally active men [age, 24.6 +/- 1.5 (SE) yr] participated in a randomized double-blind counterbalanced experiment.

Effects of high-intensity cycle exercise on sympathoadrenal-medullary response patterns.

Plasma proenkephalin peptide F immunoreactivity and catecholamines were examined on separate days in nine healthy males before and after maximal exercise to exhaustion at four intensities [36, 55, 73, and 100% of maximal leg power (MLP)] by use of a computerized cycle ergometer. The mean duration of 36, 55, 73, and 100% MLP was 3.31, 0.

Factors in maximal power production and in exercise endurance relative to maximal power.

The relationship of muscle fiber type and mass to maximal power production and the maintenance of power (endurance time to exhaustion) at 36%, 55%, and 73% of maximal power was investigated in 18 untrained but physically active men. Power output was determined at constant pedalling rate (60 rev.min-1) on a cycle ergometer instrumented with force transducers and interfaced with a computer.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responses to short-duration high-intensity cycle exercise.

beta-Endorphin (beta-EP), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), and cortisol plasma concentrations were examined before and after maximal exercise at four intensities [36, 55, 73, and 100% of maximal leg power (MLP)] by means of a computerized cycle ergometer. All intensities were greater than those eliciting peak O2 uptake for the individual subjects. Blood samples were collected at rest, immediately after exercise, and at 5 and 15 min postexercise.

Strength conditioning in older men: skeletal muscle hypertrophy and improved function.

The effects of strength conditioning on skeletal muscle function and mass were determined in older men. Twelve healthy untrained volunteers (age range 60-72 yr) participated in a 12-wk strength training program (8 repetitions/set; 3 sets/day; 3 days/wk) at 80% of the one repetition maximum (1 RM) for extensors and flexors of both knee joints. They were evaluated before the program and after 6 and 12 wk of training.

Exercise endurance time as a function of percent maximal power production.

To develop and validate a mathematical model of the relationship between endurance time (T) and power production, 15 male subjects were first tested for maximal power on an instrumented cycle ergometer at 60 rpm. On subsequent days, they were tested for T at various percentages of maximal power. Curves of T as a function of percent maximal power were curvilinear, and could be made to overlap among subjects by individual abscissa scaling, which resulted in the appearance of horizontal stretching or compression of the curves.

Automated data collection and processing for a cycle ergometer.

A system is described for collection and processing of data from a cycle ergometer. Cycle pedals, specially made to withstand the extremely high forces exerted during maximal power cycling, contain transducers to measure pedal angle relative to the crank and foot forces both perpendicular and parallel to the pedal surface. An additional transducer monitors crank position.

FIMS: Providing International Leadership in Sports Medicine.

Many physicians and scientists think of sports medicine as a new field, but it has attracted worldwide interest since 1928, when FIMS, an international sports medicine federation, was organized. The author, the newly elected cochairman of the FIMS Scientific Commission, describes the organization.

Quantifying Exercise Performance With SI Units.

The author argues that American exercise scientists and clinicians should voluntarily adopt the International System of Units, a refinement of the metric system. He shows how to use these units to describe two common exercise activities.

Metabolic changes following eccentric exercise in trained and untrained men.

The effects of one 45-min bout of high-intensity eccentric exercise (250 W) were studied in four male runners and five untrained men. Plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity in these runners was higher (P less than 0.001) than in the untrained men before exercise and peaked at 207 IU/ml 1 day after exercise, whereas in untrained men the maximum was 2,143 IU/ml 5 days after exercise.