Snow sports-specific extension of the IOC consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting epidemiological data on injury and illness in sports.

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on 'methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport' recommended standardising methods to advance data collection and reporting consistency. However, additional aspects need to be considered when these methods are applied to specific sports settings. Therefore, we have developed a snow sports-specific extension of the IOC statement to promote the harmonisation of injury and illness registration methods among athletes of all levels and categories in the different disciplines governed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which is also applicable to other related snow sports such as biathlon, ski mountaineering, and to some extent, para snow sports.

Changes in female football players' in-season training load, intensity and physical performance: training progression matters more than accumulated load.

Introduction: This observational study investigated: (1) potential changes in female football players' in-season training load, intensity and physical performance, and (2) if in-season accumulated training load, intensity, or their progression are associated to changes in physical performance.

Methods: Thirty-five national level female players (∼21 years,  = 35) from three top-teams of the Finnish national league participated. Players performed tests at the beginning and at the end of the 27-week in-season.

Influence of menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive phases on strength performance, neuromuscular fatigue, and perceived exertion.

The primary aim of the study was to assess differences in strength performance, neuromuscular fatigue, and perceived exertion across phases of the menstrual cycle [MC; early follicular (eFP), late follicular (lFP), and mid-luteal phase (mLP)] and oral contraceptives [OCs; active pill phase (aPP) and nonactive pill phase (nPP)]. The secondary aim was to analyze the influence of fluctuating serum 17β-estradiol and progesterone concentrations on these parameters in naturally menstruating women. Thirty-four women (21 with a natural MC and 13 using OCs) completed three or two experimental sessions, respectively.

Endurance training volume cannot entirely substitute for the lack of intensity.

Purpose: Very low intensity endurance training (LIT) does not seem to improve maximal oxygen uptake. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if very high volume of LIT could compensate the lack of intensity and is LIT affecting differently low and high intensity performances.

Methods: Recreationally active untrained participants (n = 35; 21 females) cycled either LIT (mean training time 6.

How to Equalize High- and Low-Intensity Endurance Exercise Dose.

Purpose: Without appropriate standardization of exercise doses, comparing high- (HI) and low-intensity (LI) training outcomes might become a matter of speculation. In athletic preparation, proper quantification ensures an optimized stress-to-recovery ratio. This review aims to compare HI and LI doses by estimating theoretically the conversion ratio, 1:x, between HI and LI: How many minutes, x, of LI are equivalent to 1 minute of HI using various quantification methods? A scrutinized analysis on how the dose increases in relation to duration and intensity was also made.

Beyond Menstrual Dysfunction: Does Altered Endocrine Function Caused by Problematic Low Energy Availability Impair Health and Sports Performance in Female Athletes?

Low energy availability, particularly when problematic (i.e., prolonged and/or severe), has numerous negative consequences for health and sports performance as characterized in relative energy deficiency in sport.

Classification of middle- and long-distance runners based upon their performance.

The scientific literature lacks consensus on classification of middle- and long-distance runners. This creates situations where the sample studied may not represent the target population and could produce misleading conclusions. Thus, we present an approach for a data-driven classification of middle- and long-distance runners according to their competition results.

Effect of menstrual cycle and contraceptive pill phase on aspects of exercise physiology and athletic performance in female athletes: protocol for the international multisite innovative project.

The idiom ' has become the slogan for sport and exercise physiology-based research in female athletes. However, in most instances, it is challenging to address this gap of high-quality research in elite female athletes at a single study site due to challenges in recruiting enough participants with numerous menstrual cycle and contraceptive pill permutations. Accordingly, we have assembled an international multisite team to undertake an innovative project for female athletes, which investigates the effects of changes in endogenous and exogenous oestrogen and progesterone/progestins across the menstrual cycle and in response to second-generation combined monophasic contraceptive pill use, on aspects of exercise physiology and athletic performance.

Average demands and most demanding passages of national-level female soccer matches: do small- and large-sided games replicate match demands?

Introduction: This study aims to (1) determine the average and most demanding passage (MDP) load of national-level female soccer matches and (2) evaluate the relationship between average and MDP load during small-sided games (SSGs), large-sided games (LSGs), and matches.

Methods: A total of 37 national-level female soccer players from a single club senior team and the U18 team participated. The average and 1-, 3-, and 5-min MDP external (total, high-speed, and very-high-speed running distances, acceleration and deceleration distances, average metabolic power, and high-metabolic load distance) and internal loads (average heart rate, rate of perceived exertion) of the 29 league matches, ten 4 vs.

Cross-country skiers often experience respiratory symptoms during and after exercise but have a low prevalence of prolonged cough.

Background: Cross-country skiers train and compete during the winter for long periods of time in subfreezing conditions, which strains the airways and provokes respiratory symptoms. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of exercise-related symptoms and prolonged cough in competitive cross-country skiers versus the general population and to investigate the association between these symptoms and asthma.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to Finnish cross-country skiers (n=1282) and a random sample of the general population (n=1754), with response rates of 26.

Acute respiratory infections hamper training and competition in cross-country skiers, especially in those with asthma.

Acute respiratory infections (ARinf) are one of the leading causes that prevent athletes from training and competing. The aim of this study was to investigate the burden of ARinfs during one season among cross-country skiers. All Finnish cross-country skiers enrolled in the largest national competitions in winter 2019 ( = 1282) were sent a postal questionnaire.

Hemoglobin mass and performance responses during 4 weeks of normobaric "live high-train low and high".

Purpose: To investigate whether 4 weeks of normobaric "live high-train low and high" (LHTLH) causes different hematological, cardiorespiratory, and sea-level performance changes compared to living and training in normoxia during a preparation season.

Methods: Nineteen (13 women, 6 men) cross-country skiers competing at the national or international level completed a 28-day period (∼18 h day ) of LHTLH in normobaric hypoxia of ∼2400 m (LHTLH group) including two 1 h low-intensity training sessions per week in normobaric hypoxia of 2500 m while continuing their normal training program in normoxia. Hemoglobin mass (Hb ) was assessed using a carbon monoxide rebreathing method.

Durability is improved by both low and high intensity endurance training.

This is one of the first intervention studies to examine how low- (LIT) and high-intensity endurance training (HIT) affect durability, defined as 'time of onset and magnitude of deterioration in physiological-profiling characteristics over time during prolonged exercise'. Sedentary and recreationally active men (n = 16) and women (n = 19) completed either LIT (average weekly training time 6.8 0.

Heart rate dynamics during a simulated fireground test: The influence of physical characteristics and fitness1.

Background: Firefighting is a physiologically demanding occupation and there is a need to evaluate physical and fitness characteristics that are related to attenuated physiological stress during fireground tasks. Previous studies have not measured associations between heart rate responses during simulated fireground tasks with a standardized work rate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine associations between heart rate during a standardized pace simulated fireground test (SFGT) and heart rate recovery and variability following the SFGT.

Predicting Running Performance and Adaptations from Intervals at Maximal Sustainable Effort.

This study examined the predictive quality of intervals performed at maximal sustainable effort to predict 3-km and 10-km running times. In addition, changes in interval performance and associated changes in running performance were investigated. Either 6-week (10-km group, n=29) or 2-week (3-km group, n=16) interval training periods were performed by recreational runners.

Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and blood pressure with arterial stiffness in adolescent, young adult, and middle-aged women.

Few studies have investigated whether higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) or favourable body composition are related to lower arterial stiffness in women. We therefore investigated the associations of CRF, body fat percentage (BF%), fat free mass index (FFMI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) with arterial stiffness in 146 women aged 16-58 years. CRF was assessed by a maximal exercise test with respiratory gas analysis either on a cycle ergometer or a treadmill.

Sports and exercise medicine clinic in public hospital settings: a real-life concept and experiences of the treatment of the first 1151 patients.

Objective: Physical exercise has been shown to have a variety of health-promoting effects, including improvements in cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, symptoms and risk factors such as LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglyceride and glycosylated hemoglobin concentrations. Regular physical exercise may slow down or even reverse the progression of various non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Despite the overwhelming evidence, physical exercise is not comprehensively used as a treatment component either in primary care or in hospital settings.

Individualized Endurance Training Based on Recovery and Training Status in Recreational Runners.

Purpose: Long-term development of endurance performance requires a proper balance between strain and recovery. Because responses and adaptations to training are highly individual, this study examined whether individually adjusted endurance training based on recovery and training status would lead to greater adaptations compared with a predefined program.

Methods: Recreational runners were divided into predefined (PD; n = 14) or individualized (IND; n = 16) training groups.

Reliability and Sensitivity of Nocturnal Heart Rate and Heart-Rate Variability in Monitoring Individual Responses to Training Load.

Purpose: To assess the reliability of nocturnal heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) and to analyze the sensitivity of these markers to maximal endurance exercise.

Methods: Recreational runners recorded nocturnal HR and HRV on nights after 2 identical low-intensity training sessions (n = 15) and on nights before and after a 3000-m running test (n = 23). Average HR, the natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD), and the natural logarithm of the high-frequency power (LnHF) were analyzed from a full night (FULL), a 4-hour (4H) segment starting 30 minutes after going to sleep, and morning value (MOR) based on the endpoint of the linear fit through all 5-minute averages during the night.