Sleep Data, Physical Performance, and Injuries in Preparation for Professional Mixed Martial Arts.

The purpose of this investigation is to present observational data regarding sleep variables in professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes. These sleep performance measures were related to physical performance and injury in MMA athletes. Eight professional athletes were placed into a quasi-controlled, multivariable fight-camp environment for a six-week period in preparation for fight competition.

High protein consumption in trained women: bad to the bone?

Background: It has been posited that the consumption of extra protein (> 0.8 g/kg/d) may be deleterious to bone mineral content. However, there is no direct evidence to show that consuming a high-protein diet results in a demineralization of the skeleton.

Casein Protein Supplementation in Trained Men and Women: Morning versus Evening.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of casein supplementation (54 grams) in the morning (Casein-MOR) or evening (Casein-EVE) (90 minutes or less prior to sleep) on measures of body composition and exercise performance in trained men and women. Twenty-six healthy men and women who had been training regularly for greater than 12 months completed this 8-week study (meanSD; Casein-MOR group [n=14, seven male, seven female]: 30.08.

A High Protein Diet Has No Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a high protein diet over a one-year period. Fourteen healthy resistance-trained men completed the study (mean ± SD; age 26.3 ± 3.

Exploring fall training adaptations while walking.

Background: Trips are common in and out of the workplace with most people recovering to avoid a subsequent fall. However, when the recovery attempt fails, a fall can be detrimental.

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine adaptations to the elevating response during obstacle tripping while walking on a treadmill.

The effects of a high protein diet on indices of health and body composition--a crossover trial in resistance-trained men.

Background: Eight weeks of a high protein diet (>3 g/kg/day) coupled with a periodized heavy resistance training program has been shown to positively affect body composition with no deleterious effects on health. Using a randomized, crossover design, resistance-trained male subjects underwent a 16-week intervention (i.e.

A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women--a follow-up investigation.

Background: The consumption of a high protein diet (>4 g/kg/d) in trained men and women who did not alter their exercise program has been previously shown to have no significant effect on body composition. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine if a high protein diet in conjunction with a periodized heavy resistance training program would affect indices of body composition, performance and health.

Methods: Forty-eight healthy resistance-trained men and women completed this study (mean ± SD; Normal Protein group [NP n = 17, four female and 13 male]: 24.

Comparing Acute Bouts of Sagittal Plane Progression Foam Rolling vs. Frontal Plane Progression Foam Rolling.

Many strength and conditioning professionals have included the use of foam rolling devices within a warm-up routine prior to both training and competition. Multiple studies have investigated foam rolling in regards to performance, flexibility, and rehabilitation; however, additional research is necessary in supporting the topic. Furthermore, as multiple foam rolling progressions exist, researching differences that may result from each is required.

The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals.

Background: The consumption of dietary protein is important for resistance-trained individuals. It has been posited that intakes of 1.4 to 2.

An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release in the Form of Foam Rolling Improves Performance Testing.

Recent developments in the strength and conditioning field have shown the incorporation of foam rolling self-myofascial release in adjunct with a dynamic warm-up. This is thought to improve overall training performance; however, minimal research exists supporting this theory. Therefore, determining if an acute bout of foam rolling self-myofascial release in addition to a dynamic warm-up could influence performance is of importance.

Postural asymmetries in response to holding evenly and unevenly distributed loads during self-selected stance.

The authors examined postural asymmetries during quiet stance and while holding evenly or unevenly distributed loads. Right-hand dominant subjects preferentially loaded their right lower limb when holding no load or a load evenly distributed in both hands, but no differences in center of pressure (CoP) were observed between the left and right limbs. However, longer CoP displacement was observed under the preferentially loaded limb, which may reflect a functional asymmetry that allows quick movement of one limb in response to a potential perturbation.

Noise and complexity in human postural control: interpreting the different estimations of entropy.

Background: Over the last two decades, various measures of entropy have been used to examine the complexity of human postural control. In general, entropy measures provide information regarding the health, stability and adaptability of the postural system that is not captured when using more traditional analytical techniques. The purpose of this study was to examine how noise, sampling frequency and time series length influence various measures of entropy when applied to human center of pressure (CoP) data, as well as in synthetic signals with known properties.

Multiple timescales in postural dynamics associated with vision and a secondary task are revealed by wavelet analysis.

Discrete wavelet analysis is used to resolve the center of pressure time series data into several timescale components, providing new insights into postural control. Healthy young and elderly participants stood quietly with their eyes open or closed and either performed a secondary task or stood quietly. Without vision, both younger and older participants had reduced energy in the long timescales, supporting the concept that vision is used to control low frequency postural sway.

Effects of the bench shirt on sagittal bar path.

Powerlifting, like many sports, uses specialized equipment to enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether wearing a bench press shirt would alter the natural mechanics of the bench press, causing a more efficient lift when pressing the same weight as without the bench shirt. Participants (n = 5) completed 2 series of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) bench press tests, with 1 week of rest in between 1 series without the bench shirt (no-shirt), and 1 series with a bench shirt (bench shirt).