Men outperform women in many athletic endeavors due to physiological and anatomical differences (e.g. larger and faster muscle); however, the observed sex differences in elite athletic performance ...are typically larger than expected, and may reflect sex-related differences in opportunity or incentives. As collegiate rowing in the United States has been largely incentivized for women over the last 20 years, but not men, the purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in elite rowing performance over that timeframe. Finishing times from grand finale races for collegiate championship on-water performances (n = 480) and junior indoor performances (n = 1,280) were compared between men and women across 20 years (1997-2016), weight classes (heavy vs. lightweight) and finishing place. Participation of the numbers of men and women rowers were also quantified across years. Men were faster than women across all finishing places, weight classes and years of competition and performance declined across finishing place for both men and women (P<0.001). Interestingly, the reduction in performance time across finishing place was greater (P<0.001) for collegiate men compared to women in the heavyweight division. This result is opposite to other sports (e.g. running and swimming), and to lightweight rowing in this study, which provides women fewer incentives than in heavyweight rowing. Correspondingly, participation in collegiate rowing has increased by ~113 women per year (P<0.001), with no change (P = 0.899) for collegiate men. These results indicate that increased participation and incentives within collegiate rowing for women vs. men contribute to sex differences in athletic performance.
Recent technological developments have led to the production of inexpensive, non-invasive, miniature magneto-inertial sensors, ideal for obtaining sport performance measures during training or ...competition. This systematic review evaluates current evidence and the future potential of their use in sport performance evaluation. Articles published in English (April 2017) were searched in Web-of-Science, Scopus, Pubmed, and Sport-Discus databases. A keyword search of titles, abstracts and keywords which included studies using accelerometers, gyroscopes and/or magnetometers to analyse sport motor-tasks performed by athletes (excluding risk of injury, physical activity, and energy expenditure) resulted in 2040 papers. Papers and reference list screening led to the selection of 286 studies and 23 reviews. Information on sport, motor-tasks, participants, device characteristics, sensor position and fixing, experimental setting and performance indicators was extracted. The selected papers dealt with motor capacity assessment (51 papers), technique analysis (163), activity classification (19), and physical demands assessment (61). Focus was placed mainly on elite and sub-elite athletes (59%) performing their sport in-field during training (62%) and competition (7%). Measuring movement outdoors created opportunities in winter sports (8%), water sports (16%), team sports (25%), and other outdoor activities (27%). Indications on the reliability of sensor-based performance indicators are provided, together with critical considerations and future trends.
Gäbler, M, Prieske, O, Elferink-Gemser, MT, Hortobágyi, T, Warnke, T, and Granacher, U. Measures of physical fitness improve prediction of kayak and canoe sprint performance in young kayakers and ...canoeists. J Strength Cond Res 37(6): 1264-1270, 2023-Markers of talent selection and predictors of performance in canoe and kayak sprint are not yet well defined. We aimed to determine the combination of variables (i.e., demographic, anthropometric, and physical fitness) that most accurately predicts sprint performance (i.e., 500- and 2000-m race time) in semielite, young kayakers and canoeists ( n = 39, age 13 year, 10F). The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Linear regression analyses identified boat type (i.e., kayak or canoe), skeletal muscle mass, and average power during a 2-minute bench pull test, normalized to body mass, as predictors of 2000-m race time (R 22000 m = 0.69, Akaike information criterion AIC = 425) and together with vertical jump height, as predictors of 500-m race time (R 2500 m = 0.87, AIC = 255). This was an improvement over models containing solely demographic variables (R 2500 m = 0.66, AIC = 293; R 22000 m = 0.44, AIC = 446) and over models containing demographic and anthropometric variables (R 2500m = 0.79, AIC = 277; R 22000 m = 0.56, AIC = 437). Race time showed the strongest semipartial correlations with the 2-minute bench pull test (0.7 ≤ r ≤ 0.9). Adding physical fitness data (i.e., 2-minute bench pull test) to demographic and anthropometric data improves the prediction accuracy of race times in young kayak and canoe athletes. The characteristics of physical fitness tests should resemble as much as possible the biomechanical (e.g., prime movers) and metabolic (e.g., duration) demands of the sport.
Relevant properties of the somatotype as important indicators can be associated with the body composition characteristics as well as both metabolic and bio-mechanical efficiency of athletes in the ...sport concerned. The primary aim of this single cross-sectional study was to determine the somatotype profiles in association with body composition and nutritional profiles among Lithuanian elite athletes (
= 189) involved in water, cycling and combat sports. The body composition along with the somatotype profiles and the nutritional status of athletes were evaluated using a battery of multiple frequency (5, 50, 250, 550, and 1000 kHz) bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and a 3-day food record analysis. In terms of the prediction for athletes to be classified as endomorphs, mesomorphs or ectomorphs, the linear discriminant analysis was conducted to assess the grouping of samples. Both the multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression statistical analyses were performed to explore the associations between the independent and dependent variables. The central tendency values for the somatotype components of endomorphy, mesomorphy and ectomorphy in athletes playing water, cycling and combat sports were 4.3-4.9-3.4, 4.3-4.8-3.4 and 4.5-5.5-2.9, respectively. The central mesomorph somatotype with a trend towards endomorphy was dominant and varied according to a high muscle-to-fat ratio in elite athletes. Significant (
≤ 0.001) positive associations between both endomorphy and mesomorphy values and higher body fat percentage as well as lower and upper limb muscle mass were identified. The lower levels of trunk muscle mass were related to athletes' endomorphy and mesomorphy, too. Furthermore, in the athletes' sample under analysis, high-level mesomorphs were prone to consume low-carbohydrate (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 0.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2; 0.9) and high-protein diets (AOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1; 5.5). Contrastingly, the elite athletes with a higher expression of endomorphy were on high-carbohydrate (AOR 5.4, 95% CI 1.1; 8.3) and high-fat diets (AOR 4.6, 95% CI 1.5; 7.1) along with insufficient protein diet (AOR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1; 0.9). Finally, whilst nutrition goals as a mediator can play a significant role in undergoing the maintenance of balance between the optimal body composition for athletic performance and the development of an ecto-mesomorphic somatotype, the elite athletes with higher levels of endomorphy value should be aware of lowering the body fat percentage coupled with dietary fat reduction and higher protein intakes. The findings obtained from the study may serve as an antecedent for a more targeted management of the elite athletes' training process. Somatotyping as an additional assessment method can be successfully deployed in choosing correct coaching techniques, contributing to talent recognition processes or identifying reference morphometric parameters in elite athletes competing in water, cycling and combat sports.
Purpose Recreational and competitive slalom waterskiing is increasingly popular among individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), particularly for those with paraplegia using sit-skis. A key ...component of slalom skiing is the deep-water start (DWS), yet little is known about the physiological and physical demands of this activity when the athlete is seated. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the training requirements for a seated slalom athlete. Materials and methods Focusing on a young male athlete with paraplegia, this case study evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of traditional (TDWS) and alternative (ADWS) DWS techniques during seated slalom waterskiing sessions. It assesses internal training load (TL) through heart rate (HR) zones and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), alongside pre- and post-session handgrip strength measurements to gauge peripheral muscle fatigue. Results and conclusions Performing the ADWS, achieving a full success rate, proved more effective but slightly more time-consuming than TDWS, which had limited success. HR during DWS maneuvers ranged from 63.2 to 81.3% of maximal HR, with most sessions occurring below the ventilatory threshold, thus perceived as hard effort. A moderate yet non-significant correlation was found between HR and sRPE-based TL. A significant reduction in handgrip strength post-session underscores the activity’s demands. These insights illuminate the technical, physiological, and physical challenges in mastering DWS for seated slalom athletes with SCI, providing valuable guidance for the development of tailored training programs and techniques in this sport.
Research has yet to examine the experiences of paddle boarders, or of kayakers with disabilities other than spinal cord injuries. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of kayakers and ...paddle boarders in two adaptive paddling programs.
Participants were children and adults requiring physical, cognitive, and/or psychosocial supports. Using an ethnographic approach, participant observations (n = 24) and semi-structured interviews (n = 11) were completed. Data were analyzed thematically.
We identified three main themes. "Different Strokes" described the personal meaning participants ascribed to aspects of paddling, including valuing fun, exercise and relaxation. "Turning the Tide" illustrated the process of becoming a paddler, from doubting capacity to feeling competent. "Headwinds" explored paddlers' interactions with the broader social, institutional, and economic environments, such as inadequate funding and program aversion to risk.
Programs offering a variety of adaptive paddle boarding and kayaking configurations enable paddlers to make valued choices about their participation. In addition to providing equipment and support to meet paddlers' functional abilities, program developers and clinicians should also consider individual preferences for exercise, socialization, risk taking, self-presentation of disability, and independence.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
People living with physical, cognitive, and/or psychosocial impairments perceive kayaking and paddle boarding as meaningful activities offering opportunities to exercise, have fun, achieve goals, socialize, and/or relax on the water.
Kayakers and paddle boarders value equipment options that meet their physical and disability-disclosure preferences.
Despite the existence of adaptive paddling programs, participation may be restricted by program availability, risk management policies, and leisure funding.
Organizational stressors can undermine the psychological well-being and performance of athletes. Less is known, however, about how these relationships unfold over time and whether organizational ...stressors can impact upon perceived physical health. The current study, therefore, used a repeated-measures design to examine relationships between organizational stressors with components of perceived psychological (anxiety and depression) and physical (illness symptoms and missed training days via illness) ill-health, and perceived performance at the within-person level. Twenty-three semi-elite female rowers completed monthly measures of study variables for six-months. Multilevel models indicated that selection-related stressors positively predicted symptoms of perceived psychological and physical ill-health, and negatively predicted perceived performance. Conversely, coaching stressors negatively predicted symptoms of perceived psychological ill-health. Logistics and operations stressors positively predicted perceived performance, whereas goals and development stressors negatively predicted perceived performance. These findings demonstrate for the first time that, with a repeated-measures design, organizational stressors can predict components of perceived physical and psychological ill-health, and perceived performance at the within-person level in athletes. From a practical perspective, practitioners should incorporate these findings when diagnosing the need for, developing, and optimally implementing primary and secondary stress management interventions.
Background and objectives: In recent years, exercise immunology studies have focused on key components of immune function, such as immune cells, immunoglobulins, and messenger molecules, as well as ...the effects of environmental and exercise factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of 8 weeks of selected training on serum levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and motor performance in elite water polo players. Methods: For this purpose, 20 male water polo players (mean age: 23 years) were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=10, selected water polo training) and a control group (n=10, traditional water polo training). The selected water polo training was performed for 8 weeks, 6 sessions per week. The intensity of training was controlled using maximum heart rate (80-100%) and increased by 5% every week. Water polo performance tests included a record of 50 meters swimming, 100 meters high swimming, 200 meters’ breaststroke, 6 ×50 meters swimming, and 400 meters swimming. To evaluate the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-4, venous blood (5 ml) was taken in the pretest and posttest stages. The serum levels of IL-4 and IL-6 were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mean values were compared using the t-test, at significant level of 0.05. Results: The selected water polo training significantly changed IL-4 levels in elite water polo players (p<0.05). However, IL-6 levels and performance of the subjects did not change significantly. Conclusion: The selected swimming exercises could relatively improve swimming stagnation of water polo players. However, due to the limited knowledge in this regard, there is a need for further research.
PDF
