Continuous Glucose Monitoring Underreports Blood Glucose During a Simulated Ultraendurance Run in Eumenorrheic Female Runners.

Purpose: Continuous-glucose-monitoring (CGM) sensors provide near-real-time glucose data and have been introduced commercially as a tool to inform nutrition decisions. The aim of this pilot study was to explore how factors such as the menstrual phase, extended running duration, and carbohydrates affect CGM outcomes among trained eumenorrheic females in an outdoor simulated ultraendurance running event.

Methods: Twelve experienced female ultrarunners (age 39 [6] y) participated in this crossover study.

Acute physiological responses of blood flow restriction between high-intensity interval repetitions in trained cyclists.

Blood flow restriction (BFR) is increasingly being used to enhance aerobic performance in endurance athletes. This study examined physiological responses to BFR applied in recovery phases within a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session in trained cyclists. Eleven competitive road cyclists (mean ± SD, age: 28 ± 7 years, body mass: 69 ± 6 kg, peak oxygen uptake: 65 ± 9 mL · kg · min) completed two randomised crossover conditions: HIIT with (BFR) and without (CON) BFR applied during recovery phases.

Comparing Perceived Sleep Quality, Practices, and Behaviors of Male and Female Elite Rugby Union Athletes with the Use of Sleep Questionnaires.

 To evaluate the differences in subjective sleep quality, quantity, and behaviors among male and female elite rugby union athletes through two common sleep questionnaires.  A sample of 38 male and 27 female elite rugby union athletes filled out the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Global scores and individual items for each questionnaire were compared to assess differences between sexes.

Eccentric Force-Velocity-Load Relationship in Trained Rugby Union Athletes.

McNeill, C, Beaven, CM, McMaster, DT, Ward, P, and Gill, N. Eccentric force-velocity-load relationship in trained rugby union athletes. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): 549-555, 2024-The force-velocity relationship is traditionally believed to resemble a hyperbolic shape, known as the "force-velocity curve.

Positive effects of blue light on motor coordination in older adults: A pilot study.

Purpose: Falls are a risk factor for mortality in older adults. Lighting interventions can improve cognitive and motor task performance, but the effect on postural control with relevance to falling is unknown.

Methods: Sixteen older adults participated in an intervention study with blue-enriched light delivered visually and/or transcranially for 12 min.

Automatic-Scoring Actigraph Compares Favourably to a Manually-Scored Actigraph for Sleep Measurement in Healthy Adults.

 Actigraphy has been used widely in sleep research due to its non-invasive, cost-effective ability to monitor sleep. Traditionally, manually-scored actigraphy has been deemed the most appropriate in the research setting; however, technological advances have seen the emergence of automatic-scoring wearable devices and software.  A total of 60-nights of sleep data from 20-healthy adult participants (10 male, 10 female, age: 26 ± 10 years) were collected while wearing two devices concomitantly.

Mental Rehearsal Improves Passing Skill and Stress Resilience in Rugby Players.

Purpose: Mental rehearsal is commonly employed, with positive visualization proposed to enhance complex skill performance. Additionally, video stimulus has been associated with enhanced kinesthetic sensations and rapid hormone fluctuations that may contribute to enhancing mental rehearsal and the conscious and unconscious emotional state for skill execution. Here, we assessed the impact of a 15-minute mental rehearsal intervention on rugby-specific tasks and the associated hormone profile.

Operation early-bird: Investigating altered light exposure in military barracks on sleep and performance-a placebo-controlled study.

The manipulation of light exposure in the evening has been shown to modulate sleep, and may be beneficial in a military setting where sleep is reported to be problematic. This study investigated the efficacy of low-temperature lighting on objective sleep measures and physical performance in military trainees. Sixty-four officer-trainees (52 male/12 female, mean ± SD age: 25 ± 5 years) wore wrist-actigraphs for 6 weeks during military training to quantify sleep metrics.

Heating Up to Keep Cool: Benefits and Persistence of a Practical Heat Acclimation Protocol in Elite Female Olympic Team-Sport Athletes.

Purpose: Although recommendations for effective heat acclimation (HA) strategies for many circumstances exist, best-practice HA protocols specific to elite female team-sport athletes are yet to be established. Therefore, the authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness and retention of a passive HA protocol integrated in a female Olympic rugby sevens team training program.

Methods: Twelve elite female rugby sevens athletes undertook 10 days of passive HA across 2 training weeks.

Reliability of Repeated Nordic Hamstring Strength in Rugby Players Using a Load Cell Device.

Hamstring strain injuries are one of the most common injuries in Rugby Union players, representing up to 15% of all sustained injuries. The Nordic eccentric hamstring test assesses the maximal hamstring eccentric strength and imbalances between limbs. Asymmetries and deficits in hamstring strength between legs are commonly assessed and used as screening methods to prevent injuries which can only be proven effective if hamstring strength measures are reliable over time.

Critical Power, Work Capacity, and Recovery Characteristics of Team-Pursuit Cyclists.

Purpose: Leading a 4-km team pursuit (TP) requires high-intensity efforts above critical power (CP) that deplete riders' finite work capacity (W'), whereas riders following in the aerodynamic draft may experience some recovery due to reduced power demands. This study aimed to determine how rider ability and CP and W' measures impact TP performance and the extent to which W' can reconstitute during recovery positions in a TP race.

Methods: Three TP teams, each consisting of 4 males, completed individual performance tests to determine their CP and W'.

Comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal tracking to establish percentile data and assess performance progression in swimmers.

To provide percentile curves for short-course swimming events, including 5 swimming strokes, 6 race distances, and both sexes, as well as to compare differences in race times between cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal tracking, a total of 31,645,621 race times of male and female swimmers were analyzed. Two percentile datasets were established from individual swimmers' annual best times and a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences between cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal tracking. A software-based percentile calculator was provided to extract the exact percentile for a given race time.

Reliability of Repeated Isometric Neck Strength in Rugby Union Players Using a Load Cell Device.

Concussion is the most common injury in professional Rugby Union (RU) players, with increasing incidence and severity each year. Strengthening the neck is an intervention used to decrease concussion incidence and severity, which can only be proven effective if strength neck measures are reliable. We conducted a repeated-measures reliability study with 23 male RU players.

Hamstrings injury incidence, risk factors, and prevention in Rugby Union players: a systematic review.

Background: Hamstring strain injuries are one of the most common injuries in Rugby Union, representing up to 15% of all injuries sustained. We aimed to systematically review and summarize the scientific literature that addressed hamstring strain injury incidence, risk factors, injury prevention or strengthening strategies, and strength or asymmetry measures in Rugby Union.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search to locate published peer-reviewed articles from PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science®, and Scopus® e-databases.

Sleep and Performance during a Preseason in Elite Rugby Union Athletes.

Background: Preseason training optimises adaptations in the physical qualities required in rugby union athletes. Sleep can be compromised during periods of intensified training. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between sleep quantity and changes in physical performance over a preseason phase in professional rugby union athletes.

Eccentric Force-Velocity Characteristics during a Novel Squat Protocol in Trained Rugby Union Athletes-Pilot Study.

Eccentric strength characteristics have been shown to be important factors in physical performance. Many eccentric tests have been performed in isolation or with supramaximal loading. The purpose of this study was to investigate within- and between- session reliability of an incremental eccentric back squat protocol.

Neck strength in Rugby Union players: a systematic review of the literature.

The incidence and severity of concussion injuries are increasing every year. Scientific evidence indicates that neck strength and girth could play a role in preventing head and neck injuries, or at least mitigating their severity. We aimed to examine the scientific literature addressing neck strength in Rugby Union with a focus on the potential role of neck strength on injury incidence, neck assessment protocols, neck strength measures, and neck strengthening exercises.

Lower-body compression garments worn following exercise improves perceived recovery but not subsequent performance in basketball athletes.

This study examined the effects of lower-body compression garments on perceived recovery and subsequent performance in basketball athletes. In a parallel-group design, 30 recreational, male basketball athletes were randomly allocated to either a control (CON, n = 15, loose-fitting clothing) or experimental group (COMP, n = 15, compression garments) for 15 h following fatigue-inducing, basketball-specific exercise in the evening (1600-1800 h). Perceptual measures of fatigue and muscle soreness, as well as physical performance tests (sprints, jumps and agility), were performed pre-exercise, post-exercise, and post-recovery (15 h following exercise).

Biomechanical determinants of placekicking success in professional Rugby Union players.

The ability to score from placekicks discriminates winning from losing Rugby Union teams. We aimed to identify which biomechanical variables related to successful placekicking in professional Rugby Union players, and use self-organising maps (SOM) to determine whether meaningful sub-groups existed. Three professional placekickers performed 10 kicks outdoors.

The effect of carbohydrate and caffeine mouth rinsing on kicking performance in competitive Taekwondo athletes during Ramadan.

Mouth rinsing has been proposed as a strategy to minimize performance decrements during Ramadan. We investigated the effect of 4 weeks of Ramadan on kicking performance in 27 Taekwondo athletes performing weekly Taekwondo Anaerobic Intermittent Kick Tests (TAIKT). The effects of a placebo, 6.

Effectiveness of an Unexpected Disturbance Program in the Early Stage of Rehabilitation in Athletes With Unilateral Knee Ligament Injury.

Context: Sensorimotor, proprioceptive, and neuromuscular programs are critical for the successful rehabilitation of injured athletes, and these decrease reinjury rates.

Objective: To investigate the effects of an unexpected disturbance program (UDP) on balance and unilateral strength metrics in athletes with unilateral knee ligament injury.

Design: A 3-week parallel-group experimental design consisting of 9 rehabilitation sessions.

Eccentric Training Interventions and Team Sport Athletes.

Eccentric resistance training has been shown to improve performance outcomes in a range of populations, making it a popular choice for practitioners. Evidence suggests that neuromuscular adaptations resulting from eccentric overload (EO) and accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) methods could benefit athletic populations competing in team sports. The purpose of this review was to determine the effects of eccentric resistance training on performance qualities in trained male team sport athletes.

Reliability of Overground Running Measures from 2D Video Analyses in a Field Environment.

Two-dimensional running analyses are common in research and practice, and have been shown to be reliable when conducted on a treadmill. However, running is typically performed outdoors. Our aim was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of two-dimensional analyses of overground running in an outdoor environment.

Physiological, kinematic, and electromyographic responses to kinesiology-type patella tape in elite cyclists.

Kinesiology-type tape (KTT) has become popular in sports for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. Many cyclists use patella KTT; however, its benefits remain unclear, especially in uninjured elite cyclists. We used an integrated approach to investigate acute physiological, kinematic, and electromyographic responses to patella KTT in twelve national-level male cyclists.

Lower-Limb Passive Heat Maintenance Combined With Pre-cooling Improves Repeated Sprint Ability.

Pre-conditioning strategies to potentiate performance are a common feature of pre-competition routines. The elevation of muscle temperature is seen as a vital component of preparing for physical performance, while pre-cooling strategies have been adopted to offset fatigue during repeated efforts. We investigated the individual and combined effects of a passive heat maintenance strategy and the ingestion of an ice-water slurry on repeated sprint performance.