Implementation of Nutrition Labels at the 2022 European Athletics Championships: An Observational Study of the Use and Perceptions of Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel.

Background/objectives: Nutrition labels are an effective tool for providing nutrition information. Additionally, nutrient composition is one of the most dictating factors for athletes' food choices; thus, we aimed to evaluate the use and perceptions regarding the nutrition labels implemented for the meals served at the 2022 European Athletics Championships (EAC).

Methods: During mealtime at the team restaurants, participants completed an online self-administered questionnaire.

Impact of Congested Match Schedules on Countermovement Jump Metrics in Elite Volleyball Players.

Rebelo, A, Loturco, I, Pereira, JR, Martinho, DV, Valente-dos-Santos, J, and Broek, GV. Impact of congested match schedules on countermovement jump metrics in elite volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a congested match schedule on various countermovement jump (CMJ) metrics recorded across the braking, transfer, propulsive, and flight phases of the CMJ.

Impact of local sports policies in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease: An assessment with spatial data analysis.

According to the World Health Organization, 17 million people die every year of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), particularly heart attacks and strokes. More than half of all deaths across the Europe are caused by CVDs. 80 % of premature deaths from these causes could be avoided by controlling the main risk factors: tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Psychological traits of extreme sport participants: a scoping review.

Background: Extreme sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Theories explaining participation in extreme sports tend to focus on risk. Consequently, extreme sports participants are often characterized by an accentuated desire for risk and abnormal personal traits, but the positive aspects of extreme sports are often neglected in the literature.

Concurrent Validity and Reliability of a Free Smartphone Application for Evaluation of Jump Height.

: Jump test assessment is commonly used for physical tests, with different type of devices used for its evaluation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a freely accessible mobile application (VertVision, version 2.0.

Bridging the Gap Between Training and Competition in Elite Rink Hockey: A Pilot Study.

Background: Monitoring training load and competition load is crucial for evaluating and improving athlete performance. This study proposes an applied approach to characterize and classify the training task specificity in relation to competition in a top-level rink hockey team, considering external and internal load from training tasks and competition.

Hypothesis: Training tasks and game demands have significant dose-response differences, and exercises can be classified successfully based on their physiological and biomechanical demands.

Injury Risk in Elite Young Male Soccer Players: A Review on the Impact of Growth, Maturation, and Workload.

Ribeiro, N, Martinho, DV, Pereira, JR, Rebelo, A, Monasterio, X, Gonzalo-Skok, O, Valente-dos-Santos, J, and Tavares, F. Injury risk in elite young male soccer players: a review on the impact of growth, maturation, and workload. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-The long-term development of young male soccer players involves a prolonged period of significant adjustments, highlighting the importance of studying the complex interaction between dynamic variables, including workload, and inherent elements like growth and maturity.

Nutritional perspectives in female soccer: a scoping review.

Background: The purpose of the review was to evaluate the literature exploring nutritional habits and practices in female soccer players.

Methods: The PRISMA-ScR Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews were followed. Searches of Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases were conducted for studies exploring the nutritional habits and practices of female soccer players.

Study of Body Composition and Motor Skills of Futsal Athletes of Different Competitive Levels.

This study aimed to verify whether there are differences in the body composition, functionality, lower-limb power, agility, and cardiorespiratory capacity in futsal players, comparing futsal athletes by competitive level. The athletes (N = 84) were divided into three groups: group Elite (N = 29), group Sub-Elite (N = 29), and group Non-Elite (N = 26). Anthropometric variables were analyzed through a bioimpedance scale (Inbody 270), and functionality was analyzed through a functional movement screen battery.

Subjective and Objective Monitoring Markers: Are They Related to Game Performance Indicators in Elite Female Volleyball Players?

Purpose: This cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship between subjective (wellness and internal training load [ITL]) and objective (neuromuscular fatigue) monitoring markers and performance aspects (reception quality [RQ] and attack efficiency [AE]) in professional female volleyball players.

Methods: The study was conducted over an 8-week period during the final mesocycle of the competitive phase. A total of 24 training sessions and 10 matches were included in the analysis.

Beyond the Jump: A Scoping Review of External Training Load Metrics in Volleyball.

Context: Volleyball is a complex sport involving multifaceted movements and high-velocity actions, leading to diverse external training loads (ETLs) that have profound implications for player performance and injury risk.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive overview of the measurement of ETL in volleyball, identify gaps in current understanding, and offer valuable insights for stakeholders in the field.

Data Sources: The literature search was conducted across the following electronic databases: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus.

The Quantification of Physical Performance and Internal Training Load in Youth Male Soccer Players During Preseason.

Purpose: The monitoring of training loads and quantification of physical performance are common practices in youth soccer academies to support coaches in prescribing and programming training for individuals. The interaction between training load and physical performance is unknown during a preseason period in youth soccer players. The current study assessed changes in training load and physical assessments across a 4-week preseason period.

Training stress, neuromuscular fatigue and well-being in volleyball: a systematic review.

Background: Volleyball, with its unique calendar structure, presents distinct challenges in training and competition scheduling. Like many team sports, volleyball features an unconventional schedule with brief off-season and pre-season phases, juxtaposed against an extensive in-season phase characterized by a high density of matches and training. This compact calendar necessitates careful management of training loads and recovery periods.

From data to action: a scoping review of wearable technologies and biomechanical assessments informing injury prevention strategies in sport.

Background: The purpose of this scoping review was to evaluate the current use of technologies in sports settings for training adaptation and injury prevention. The review aimed to map the existing literature, identify key concepts and themes, and highlight gaps in research, thus offering guidance for future studies.

Methods: This study followed the guidelines of the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and a search in four major databases was conducted.

Tracking devices and physical performance analysis in team sports: a comprehensive framework for research-trends and future directions.

Background: Tracking devices, such as global (GPS) and local (LPS) positioning systems, combined with physiological measurements, have become reliable tools to characterize movement patterns, assessing the external load (EL), internal load (IL), fatigue, and performance of athletes in team sports. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the applicability of tracking systems in physical performance analysis within team sports and the wellbeing of athletes based on research strategies and combined variables.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases according to PRISMA guidelines.

A Systematic Review of the Physical, Physiological, Nutritional and Anthropometric Profiles of Soccer Referees.

Background: The importance of soccer referees is widely accepted by international soccer organizations and governing bodies, although there is little research summarizing and appraising the literature on soccer referees. The aim of this study was to systematically review the information related to physical demands, nutrition and physiological profiling of soccer referees.

Methods: Conforming with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searches of three electronic databases (Web of Sciences, PubMed and Scopus) were conducted on 24 April 2022.

Predicting resting energy expenditure among athletes: a systematic review.

Resting energy expenditure (REE) is often estimated in athletes using equations developed from the general population however, the application in athletic-specific populations is questionable. The aim of this systematic review was to compare measured REE and estimations of REE obtained from non-sport participants and athletes. Inclusion criteria met PICO criteria: population - participants involved in organized sport; intervention - resting energy expenditure was obtained by calorimetry; comparator - equations to estimate REE; outcomes - comparisons between measured REE and predicted REE.

Rating of Perceived Exertion in Professional Volleyball: A Systematic Review.

The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a non-invasive, cost effective, and time efficient strategy to measure training loads. However, data can be collected without following specific procedures and across a range of methods (e.g.

Effects of a Velocity-Based Complex Training Program in Young Female Artistic Roller Skating Athletes.

Complex training consists of a near maximal strength effort followed by a biomechanically similar explosive exercise. One of many complex training methods that have been proposed is the French Contrast Method. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the French Contrast Method on maximal strength and power of young female artistic roller skating athletes with the help of velocity-based training to prescribe the intervention program.

Dietary intakes and daily distribution patterns of macronutrients in youth soccer players.

Introduction: There has been an abundance of dietary analysis research conducted on adult male soccer players, while studies on youth players are lacking. Furthermore, the daily distribution of energy and macronutrient intake throughout the day has been reported to influence training adaptations, but this is often not considered in the literature. This study aims to quantify daily energy and macronutrient intake and assess their distribution over 5 days, and compare daily energy intakes and predicted daily energy expenditure in under-16 male soccer players.

Using inertial measurement units for quantifying the most intense jumping movements occurring in professional male volleyball players.

The purpose of this study was to use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to analyze variations in the jump outcomes concerning weekly training days, and the dependencies between the number of jumps per minute and the jump height. An experimental research design was adopted across three weeks of the final play-off of a volleyball championship. Through an IMU, the external load of seven male elite volleyball athletes of a top rating team from Portuguese 1st Division (age: 30.

Training Load, Neuromuscular Fatigue, and Well-Being of Elite Male Volleyball Athletes During an In-Season Mesocycle.

Purpose: Most high-intensity bouts of exercise in volleyball consist of jumping activities, which are responsible for inducing muscle damage, high levels of fatigue, and muscle soreness. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to quantify and analyze the training loads, neuromuscular fatigue, and perceptual well-being of a 5-week in-season mesocycle carried out by a professional male volleyball team.

Methods: Fifteen volleyball players (age 28.

How to Improve the Reactive Strength Index among Male Athletes? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

The reactive strength index (RSI) describes the individual's capability to quickly change from an eccentric muscular contraction to a concentric one and can be used to monitor, assess, and reduce the risk of athlete's injury. The purpose of this review is to compare the effectiveness of different training programs on RSI. Electronic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science from database inception to 11 February 2022.