A family-based approach examining perceptions of an Australian TRYathlon series on children's health and development.

Regular physical activity supports children's physical and psychological health and wellbeing, and provides opportunities to build social and emotional skills such as resilience, confidence, and self-efficacy. Research has demonstrated that mass participant sporting events can serve as important social and environmental correlates of physical activity. This study sought to explore parents and children's perceived motivations and perspectives of participation in the Australian Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon (a non-competitive triathlon series), on children's health and well-being. An exploratory qualitative design utilizing seven focus groups were conducted with 27 family units including 31 parents and 61 children (age 7-15 years old). Data were recorded, professionally transcribed and then analyzed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified, including (1) motivations for event and physical activity participation, revealing social interaction, peer support and friendly competition as motivators for participation as well as parents' interest in supporting the development of healthy habits; (2) Perceived physical activity, fitness, and developmental benefits, detailing changes to the types of physical activity children performed as well as opportunities for children to develop physical skills and competencies; and (3) Perceived psychosocial benefits of participation, highlighting opportunities for children to develop and demonstrate independence and autonomy through event participation. Notably, parents and children identified benefits beyond immediate participation including increased family engagement and social support. Mass participant events hold the potential to elicit a range of benefits for children and their families; however, further efforts may be needed to engage less active or disengaged families.

The physical and psychological benefits of being physically active during childhood are well established. However, most Australian children do not exercise at sufficient levels to receive the full extent of these health benefits. Research has demonstrated that mass participant sporting events can create supportive environments to engage in physical activity and sport whilst promoting mental, social and emotional well-being, but their impact on youth is unknown. Therefore, this study explored parents and children's perceived motivations and perspectives of participation in a mass participant sporting event, the Australian Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon, on children's health and well-being. Our research indicated a range of motivators for engaging in the event, including social interaction, peer support, friendly competition and parents' interest in supporting healthy habits. The study also highlighted numerous perceived physical and psychosocial benefits of participation, such as increased physical activity pre and post-event, improved physical competency, enhanced confidence and increased family engagement and social support. Nonetheless, we believe further efforts may be needed to engage less active or disengaged families in the Australian Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon and promote behaviour change.

It doesn't hurt to TRY - Experiences of youths participating in a TRYathlon event series.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Running since 1999, the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon (SWKT) is the world's largest triathlon series for children and adolescents up to 16 years. This report seeks to describe participants of the TRYathlon and their perceptions of the event. METHODS: An online survey was made available to Australian parents/guardians of participants enrolled in the 2020 SWKT. Organisational data was also employed to describe the reach of the SWKT since its inception. RESULTS: Parents/guardians (n = 568) reported that the average child age was 9.12 (SD = 1.95, range = 6-16) and 58.6% were male. Parents/guardians identified 12 children as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (2.0%) and 87 (14.6%) spoke a language other than English. The majority of parents/guardians rated their child's physical activity (PA) competencies as pretty good, or really good, for cycling (87.5%), swimming (80.9%) and running (79.5%). Most parents (66.0%) stated that their child was glowing with pride after completing the event, enjoyed or really enjoyed the event (98.8%), and thought their child would maintain their PA levels following the event (72.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The SWKT series has demonstrated longevity and an ability to reach a large number of participants, providing opportunities to build health promotion awareness. Importantly the event instils a sense of confidence and pride related to PA competency in its participants; however, its long-term effectiveness requires further exploration. SO WHAT?: Mass participation events such as SWKT could be incorporated into larger health promotion strategies to encourage childhood PA and foster healthy physical and psychosocial development.

Positional Demands and Physical Activity Profiles of Netball.

van Gogh, MJ, Wallace, LK, and Coutts, AJ. Positional demands and physical activity profiles of netball. J Strength Cond Res 34(5): 1422-1430, 2020-The aim of this study was to examine the activity profiles and physiological demands of netball. Eleven representative youth netball players participated in this study. Global positioning system, heart rate, and accelerometer data were collected during 8 competitive matches. Sport-specific skills were analyzed using notational methods. The main findings were that players traveled less distance during a match than previously reported. The center covered significantly greater distances than the other positions (p < 0.001). The goal shooter and goal keeper covered the least distance and endured lower accelerometer loads than other positions (p < 0.001). Very low levels of very high-speed running and sprint efforts were observed across all positions. The proportion of time spent in the high (>85% maximum heart rate [HRmax]) HR zone ranged from 7.0 to 62.6%, highlighting a high variation in cardiovascular demands between each position. The center and goal attack had the greatest cardiovascular demands spending significantly more time in the high (>85% HRmax) HR zone (p < 0.001). The goal shooter and goal keeper spent significantly more time in the low (<70% HRmax) HR zone (p < 0.001). Players in attacking positions were shown to pass/catch significantly more players than in defending positions (p < 0.001). Players in defending positions had higher number of deflections and intercepts compared with players in attacking positions (p < 0.001). These findings reveal significant positional differences in activity profiles and movement demands in netball. These data can be used to refine position-specific training practice and guide tactical strategies during competition.

Deletion of K1/K10 does not impair epidermal stratification but affects desmosomal structure and nuclear integrity.

Keratins K1 and K10 are the most abundant proteins in the upper epidermis where they polymerize to form intermediate filaments (IFs). In addition to their well-established function in providing epidermal stability, K1/K10 (i.e. the dimer between K1 and K10) IFs are supposed to be important for terminal epidermal differentiation and barrier formation. It was previously shown that the imbalanced deletion of one of the partner keratins, K10, disturbed epidermal homoeostasis, although stability was provided by compensatory upregulation of K5/K14, which formed IFs together with the remaining K1. Here, we show that deletion of both partner keratins, K1 and K10, results in lethal postnatal skin fragility in mice. Krt1(-/-);Krt10(-/-) mice revealed that K1/K10 IFs are unexpectedly dispensable for epidermal stratification. Although the stratum corneum was less compact and cornified envelope differentiation was impaired, a dye exclusion assay showed that the development of a functional water barrier was surprisingly independent from the presence of K1/K10 IFs. The deletion of K1/K10 was not compensated by any other keratin pair such as the basal epidermal keratins K5/K14, and electron microscopy revealed total absence of IFs in the suprabasal epidermis. Although plakoglobin was unchanged, the expression of the desmosomal proteins desmoplakin, desmocollin 1 and desmoglein 1 were altered and suprabasal desmosomes were smaller in Krt1(-/-);Krt10(-/-) than in wild-type epidermis suggesting an involvement of K1/K10 IFs in desmosome dynamics. Furthermore, Krt1(-/-);Krt10(-/-) mice showed premature loss of nuclei during epidermal differentiation and lower levels of emerin, lamin A/C and Sun1, revealing a previously unknown function for IFs in maintaining nuclear integrity in the upper epidermis.

Establishing the criterion validity and reliability of common methods for quantifying training load.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the criterion validity and test-retest reliability of common methods for quantifying training load. Ten (5 men and 5 women) recreational athletes (mean ± SD, VO2max: 37.0 ± 4.3 ml·kg-1·min-1; age: 23.8 ± 8.4 years) completed 18 randomly assigned steady state (SS) and interval (INT) training sessions during a 6-week period. Steady-state sessions were 18 minutes in duration and were performed at 35, 50, and 65% of maximum work capacity (Wmax). Interval sessions were performed at 50, 60, and 70% of Wmax with a work to rest ratio of 1:1 and matched for total work with the 50% SS session. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout all sessions, whereas blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) measures were taken every 6 minutes during sessions. Session-RPE (sRPE) was collected after each exercise bout. All individual correlations between VO2 and external work (r = 0.88-0.97), HR (r = 0.65-0.90), and RPE-based methods (r = 0.55-0.89) were statistically significant. External work correlated best with the total V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and was significantly different from RPE-based methods. A poor level of test-retest reliability was shown for Banister's TRIMP (15.6% coefficient of variation [CV]), Lucia's TRIMP (10.7% CV), and sRPE (28.1% CV). Good reliability was shown for HR (3.9% CV) and a moderate level for RPE 6-20 (8.5% CV) as a measure of exercise intensity. These results suggest external work to be the most valid and reliable method for quantifying training load. Poor levels of reliability were reported for each of the HR-based TRIMP methods and RPE-based methods.

Understanding the role of coaches in supporting the mental health of elite athletes.

OBJECTIVES: Elite sport coaches often rely on their discretion when assisting athletes struggling with mental health, with clear guidelines yet to be broadly adopted. This study aimed to explore how coaches perceive their role in athlete mental health and their role clarity. DESIGN: This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. METHODS: 17 Australian elite level swimming coaches were interviewed, focusing on their perceived experiences with athlete mental health and any discrepancies between what their role is currently and what they perceive it should be. Thematic analysis was used to analyse results. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that coaches perceive their role to include open communication, actively observing their athletes' mood, and acknowledging their potential mental health knowledge deficits. They also indicated a lack of clarity for when to refer an athlete on to a medical professional. Athletes were perceived as responsible for maintaining self-awareness and help-seeking, whilst the organisational role included providing education and funding. Barriers for supporting athlete mental health included a lack of resources and poor mental health literacy. Coaches suggested a variety of recommendations to ameliorate these barriers including education and redesigning systems of support. CONCLUSIONS: Australian swimming coaches would greatly benefit from formal guidelines on how to identify, manage, and support athlete mental health. These guidelines should be established with input from coaches and key staff, in addition to clinical professionals and utilising evidence-based measures, including consideration of boundaries around coaches as non-mental health professionals.

Exploring subjective responses in high-intensity multimodal training: an online cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate exercise enjoyment in high-intensity multimodal training (HIMT) in current and previous HIMT participants and identify factors associated with HIMT that mediate exercise enjoyment and motivation. DESIGN AND SETTING: A 124-item web-based survey was distributed to a cross-sectional voluntary convenience sample from August to the end of September 2021. PARTICIPANTS: Global current and previous HIMT participants. RESULTS: The final sample included 469 responses (completion rate: 61.6%). Among eligible respondents (n=434), 379 were current HIMT participants, 55 were previous HIMT participants. Current participants demonstrated high enjoyment (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale). The most frequently reported reasons for increased enjoyment and motivation to continue HIMT in current participants included (1) it keeps me fit, (2) training in a group and (3) variety in a session. The most frequently reported reasons for reduced motivation to continue HIMT among previous HIMT participants included (1) other (injury, COVID-19 restrictions, low motivation, personal preferences), (2) work commitments and (3) I started another type of sport, exercise or training. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that HIMT is an enjoyable training method among current participants. The most commonly reported reasons for increased enjoyment and motivation were associated with the combined training method and the group environment. Reasons for reduced motivation to continue HIMT among previous HIMT participants may be related to commonly reported barriers to exercise and personal factors.

Collaborative learning and technology skills development: evaluation of an online annual grantee meeting.

Annual meetings provide the opportunity to communicate with colleagues with similar professional interests and bolster training initiatives. However, the cost of face-to-face meetings, including travel expenses and lost work time, is high. Although face-to-face meetings offer unique advantages, fiscal considerations compel consideration of alternatives. Distance Learning Grantees (Division of Research, Training and Education, MCH Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration) and MCH project staff conducted their annual grantee meeting online in 2010. The meeting featured project updates and technical skills training over the course of a three-day meeting. Direct costs of the online meeting were low, and evaluations indicated that all participants were satisfied with the online format.

The Effects of High-Intensity Multimodal Training in Apparently Healthy Populations: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity multimodal training (HIMT) is emerging as a popular training method that combines aerobic and resistance training throughout a single exercise session. The current literature is limited by a lack of terminology that broadly encompasses all styles of combined aerobic and resistance training. The magnitude of chronic or long-term (i.e. ≥ 4 weeks) effects of HIMT participation on aerobic and muscular fitness also remains unclear. Additionally, one of many complex reasons for the growing popularity of HIMT may be attributed to the affective response to exercise, namely levels of enjoyment. However, this concept is not yet well understood across all styles of HIMT. A comprehensive systematic review is required to synthesise the available literature and attempt to provide an operational definition of HIMT to capture the breadth of combined training styles that exist. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review was to determine the chronic effects of HIMT participation on aerobic and muscular fitness and to compare HIMT to established concurrent training methods. Enjoyability and other adherence-related subjective responses were also examined in HIMT participants. This review critically assessed the level of evidence and feasibility of current HIMT guidelines. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus to identify studies up until March 2021. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies were included for review. Studies generally reported moderate to large effects on aerobic fitness and subjective responses in favour of HIMT interventions. Mixed outcomes were demonstrated in muscular fitness. These results should be treated with caution due to high risk of bias among included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Few studies have assessed the chronic effects of HIMT participation on aerobic, and musculoskeletal adaptations and subjective responses, in particular exercise enjoyment. Research conclusions are limited by heterogeneity of experimental protocols and outcome measures. Furthermore, the inability of the literature to make adequate comparisons between various styles of HIMT and other concurrent training protocols limits understandings of the efficacy of HIMT. Registration This systematic review was registered on the Open Science Framework (10.17605/OSF.IO/2RE4B; 26 March 2021).

The impact of sport and physical activity programs on the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A systematic review.

This review aimed to identify and assess existing evidence of the impact of sport and physical activity programs on mental health and social and emotional wellbeing outcomes within young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The review also aimed to highlight limitations of current practice within the research area. A systematic search of literature was undertaken on three peer-reviewed databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE and SPORTSDiscus) and grey literature from January to March 2021. Studies were included if they described a sport and physical activity program for young (10-24 years) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reported mental health or social and emotional wellbeing outcomes. Seventeen studies were selected for this review. Within these studies, the most commonly reported outcomes were related to psychosocial development (N = 12) and a sense of connectedness (N = 12). Mental illness related outcomes (N = 1) were rarely reported, as were substance use (N = 2) and social and emotional literacy (N = 1). Promising outcomes included increased connection to culture, self-esteem and confidence. Nonetheless, due to indirectness and suboptimal study design the precise impact on these outcomes could not be determined. A relevant evidence base is emerging on the impact sport and physical activity programs have on the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, further research that utilises robust, culturally appropriate methodologies and tools needs to be undertaken before the effects of sport and physical activity programs can reliably be discerned.

Development of a Revised Conceptual Framework of Physical Training for Use in Research and Practice.

A conceptual framework has a central role in the scientific process. Its purpose is to synthesize evidence, assist in understanding phenomena, inform future research and act as a reference operational guide in practical settings. We propose an updated conceptual framework intended to facilitate the validation and interpretation of physical training measures. This revised conceptual framework was constructed through a process of qualitative analysis involving a synthesis of the literature, analysis and integration with existing frameworks (Banister and PerPot models). We identified, expanded, and integrated four constructs that are important in the conceptualization of the process and outcomes of physical training. These are: (1) formal introduction of a new measurable component 'training effects', a higher-order construct resulting from the combined effect of four possible responses (acute and chronic, positive and negative); (2) explanation, clarification and examples of training effect measures such as performance, physiological, subjective and other measures (cognitive, biomechanical, etc.); (3) integration of the sport performance outcome continuum (from performance improvements to overtraining); (4) extension and definition of the network of linkages (uni and bidirectional) between individual and contextual factors and other constructs. Additionally, we provided constitutive and operational definitions, and examples of theoretical and practical applications of the framework. These include validation and conceptualization of constructs (e.g., performance readiness), and understanding of higher-order constructs, such as training tolerance, when monitoring training to adapt it to individual responses and effects. This proposed conceptual framework provides an overarching model that may help understand and guide the development, validation, implementation and interpretation of measures used for athlete monitoring.

Symptoms of Overtraining in Resistance Exercise: International Cross-Sectional Survey.

PURPOSE: To provide details on the nature and symptomatic profile of training maladaptation in competitive resistance-based athletes to examine whether there are symptoms that may be used as prognostic indicators of overtraining. Identifying prognostic tools to assess for training maladaptation is essential for avoiding severe overtraining conditions. METHODS: A Web-based survey was distributed to a cross-sectional convenience sample of competitive athletes involved in sports with a significant resistance-training component. The 46-item anonymous survey was distributed via industry experts and social media from July to August 2019. RESULTS: The final sample included 605 responses (completion rate: 84%). About 71% of the respondents indicated that they had previously experienced an unexplained decrease in performance. Among those, the majority reported a performance decrement lasting 1 wk to 1 mo (43.8%). General feelings of fatigue were the most frequent self-reported symptom of maladaptation. Acute training maladaptation, lasting <1 mo, was also accompanied by symptoms of musculoskeletal aches and pain. In the majority of cases (92.5%), training maladaptation was accompanied by additional nontraining stressors. A greater proportion of the respondents with more severe maladaptation (>4 mo) were training to muscle failure. CONCLUSION: The results from this study support the multifactorial nature of training maladaptation. The multidimensional nature of fatigue and individual variability in symptomatic responses precludes definitive prognostic symptoms or differential diagnostic factors of functional/nonfunctional overreaching or the overtraining syndrome in resistance exercise.

Overtraining in Resistance Exercise: An Exploratory Systematic Review and Methodological Appraisal of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: The balance between training stress and recovery is important for inducing adaptations to improve athletic performance. However, continuously high training loads with insufficient recovery may cause fatigue to accumulate and result in overtraining. A comprehensive systematic review is required to collate overtraining literature and improve the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying functional overreaching (FOR), non-functional overreaching (NFOR) and the overtraining syndrome (OTS) in resistance training. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review was to establish markers of overtraining and elucidate the mechanisms underlying maladaptive resistance training conditions. Furthermore, this review aims to critically evaluate the methodological approaches of the overtraining literature. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus to identify studies up to June 2019. Electronic databases were searched using terms related to resistance training and overtraining. Records were included if they attempted to induce a state of overreaching or overtraining through resistance exercise in healthy participants. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies were selected for review. Among these studies, eight resulted in decrements in performance and measured changes in performance during a follow-up period. There were four studies that reported decrease in performance yet failed to implement follow-up measures. A total of 10 studies reported no decline in performance. Overall, a lack of standardisation in methodology (follow-up performance testing) and diagnostic criteria prevents consistent determination of FOR, NFOR and OTS in resistance training. CONCLUSIONS: Few studies have appropriately established FOR, NFOR or OTS in resistance training. Overtraining may be related to frequent high-intensity and monotonous resistance training. However, no marker other than a sustained decrease in performance has been established as a reliable indicator of overtraining in resistance exercise. REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/) (https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/5bmsp).

Injury, Illness, and Training Load in a Professional Contemporary Dance Company: A Prospective Study.

CONTEXT: Professional dance is a demanding physical activity with high injury rates. Currently, no epidemiologic data exist regarding the incidence of injury and illness together with training load (TL) over a long period of time. OBJECTIVE: To provide a detailed description of injury, illness, and TL occurring in professional contemporary dancers. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: A single professional contemporary dance company during a 1-year period. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 16 male and female professional contemporary dancers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Injury data consisted of medical-attention injury (Med-Inj) and time-loss injury (Time-Inj). Illness was measured using the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Survey. Training load was collected for each dance session using the session rating of perceived exertion and classified into 3 groups based on individual and group percentiles: low, medium, or high. RESULTS: Reported injuries totaled 79 (86.1% new, 6.3% reinjury, and 7.6% exacerbation). The Med-Inj incidence rate was 4.6 per 1000 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.8, 5.8), and the Time-Inj rate was 1.4 per 1000 hours (95% CI = 0.8, 2.1). The median time until injury for Med-Inj and Time-Inj was 3 months. The number of days dancers experienced illness symptoms was 39.9 ± 26.9 (range = 1-96), with an incidence rate of 9.1 per 1000 hours (95% CI = 7.7, 10.7). Mean weekly TL was 6685 ± 1605 (4641-10 391; arbitrary units). Inconsistent results were found for the incidence of injury and illness based on individual and group categorizations of TL. CONCLUSIONS: Professional dancing is associated with high injury and illness rates. This is worrying from a health perspective and underlines the need for further studies to understand how to decrease the risk. The TL is higher than in other sport disciplines, but whether the high incidence of injuries and illnesses is related to high training demands needs additional investigation, possibly conducted as international, multicenter collaborative studies.

Concurrent Heat and Intermittent Hypoxic Training: No Additional Performance Benefit Over Temperate Training.

PURPOSE: To examine whether concurrent heat and intermittent hypoxic training can improve endurance performance and physiological responses relative to independent heat or temperate interval training. METHODS: Well-trained male cyclists (N = 29) completed 3 weeks of moderate- to high-intensity interval training (4 × 60 min·wk-1) in 1 of 3 conditions: (1) heat (HOT: 32°C, 50% relative humidity, 20.8% fraction of inspired oxygen, (2) heat + hypoxia (H+H: 32°C, 50% relative humidity, 16.2% fraction of inspired oxygen), or (3) temperate environment (CONT: 22°C, 50% relative humidity, 20.8% fraction of inspired oxygen). Performance 20-km time trials (TTs) were conducted in both temperate (TTtemperate) and assigned condition (TTenvironment) before (base), immediately after (mid), and after a 3-week taper (end). Measures of hemoglobin mass, plasma volume, and blood volume were also assessed. RESULTS: There was improved 20-km TT performance to a similar extent across all groups in both TTtemperate (mean ±90% confidence interval HOT, -2.8% ±1.8%; H+H, -2.0% ±1.5%; CONT, -2.0% ±1.8%) and TTenvironment (HOT, -3.3% ±1.7%; H+H, -3.1% ±1.6%; CONT, -3.2% ±1.1%). Plasma volume (HOT, 3.8% ±4.7%; H+H, 3.3% ±4.7%) and blood volume (HOT, 3.0% ±4.1%; H+H, 4.6% ±3.9%) were both increased at mid in HOT and H+H over CONT. Increased hemoglobin mass was observed in H+H only (3.0% ±1.8%). CONCLUSION: Three weeks of interval training in heat, concurrent heat and hypoxia, or temperate environments improve 20-km TT performance to the same extent. Despite indications of physiological adaptations, the addition of independent heat or concurrent heat and hypoxia provided no greater performance benefits in a temperate environment than temperate training alone.

Athlete-Reported Outcome Measures for Monitoring Training Responses: A Systematic Review of Risk of Bias and Measurement Property Quality According to the COSMIN Guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Athlete-reported outcome measures (AROMs) are frequently used in research and practice but no studies have examined their psychometric properties. OBJECTIVES: Part 1-identify the most commonly used AROMs in sport for monitoring training responses; part 2-assess risk of bias, measurement properties, and level of evidence, based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Methodological quality of the studies, quality of measurement properties, and level of evidence were determined using the COSMIN checklist and criteria. RESULTS: Part 1-from 9446 articles screened for title and abstract, 310 out of 334 full texts were included; 53.9% of the AROMs contained multiple items, while 46.1% contained single items. Part 2-from 1895 articles screened for title and abstract, 71 were selected. Most measurement properties of multiple-item AROMs were adequate, but content validity and measurement error were inadequate. With the exclusion of 2 studies examining reliability and responsiveness, no validity studies were found for single items. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement properties of multiple-item AROMs derived from psychometrics were acceptable (with the exclusion of content validity and measurement error). The single-item AROMs most frequently used in sport science have not been validated. Additionally, nonvalidated modified versions of the originally nonvalidated items are common. Until proper validation studies are completed, all conclusions based on these AROMs are questionable. Established reference methods, such as those of clinimetrics, should be used to develop and assess the validity of AROMs.

The ecological validity and application of the session-RPE method for quantifying training loads in swimming.

There are few practical methods available for evaluating training loads (TL) during swimming. The purpose of this study was to examine the ecological validity of the session-rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method for quantifying internal TL in competitive swimmers using heart rate (HR)-based methods and distance as criterion measures. This study also examined the correspondence between athlete and coach perceptions of internal TL using the session-RPE method. Twelve (six male, six female) well-trained swimmers (mean +/- SD: age 22.3 +/- 3.1 years, weight 71.8 +/- 11.6 kg, height 175.0 +/- 9.0 cm) participated in this study. All subjects completed a swimming step test to evaluate individual HR zones and blood lactate profile before undertaking 20 swim training sessions where RPE, HR, and distance covered were recorded. Training load was then calculated for each session using the session-RPE, HR-based methods, and session distance. The session-RPE scores were correlated to HR-based methods for measuring internal TL as well as training distance for each swimmer. All individual correlations between session-RPE, HR-based methods (r = 0.55-0.94; p < 0.05), and distance measures (r = 0.37-0.81; p < 0.05) were significant. Two-way ANOVA showed that there was a significant interaction for training intensity x coach-athlete perception, indicating that coach RPE was lower than athlete RPE for low-intensity sessions and higher than athlete RPE at high-intensity sessions. The results of this study suggest that session-RPE may provide a practical, noninvasive method for quantifying internal TL in competitive swimmers.

The Effects of Sleep Loss on Military Physical Performance.

As part of both training and active service, military members can be exposed to prolonged periods of sleep loss. Given the extent of physical and cognitive performances viewed as critical to successful military performance, such sleep disruption may present risk to health and performance. The primary aim of this narrative review was to investigate evidence on the effect of inadequate sleep on measures of aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, muscular strength and muscular endurance in military personnel. Sleep loss appears to have the greatest negative impact on aerobic capacity, muscular endurance and military-specific performance in military populations. The findings showed varied results for handgrip strength and anaerobic capacity, with sleep loss inducing a decrease in mean power of the upper body. In comparison to other measures of performance, lower-body muscular strength appeared to be resilient to sleep restriction. However, due to the limited evidence and inter-individual variability in results there is no clear consensus on the specific volume of sleep loss that induces significant or meaningful performance decrements. The difficulties of conducting well-designed and -controlled interventions in military populations are appreciated. However, due to the low quality of reporting and lack of control for confounders (i.e. physical activity, load carriage, prior sleep debt, motivation and energy intake) in the majority of studies, it is difficult to establish the relationship between sleep loss and physical performance in military populations.

Practical tests for monitoring performance, fatigue and recovery in triathletes.

Few studies have described simple tests which can be used to provide an early warning of overreaching. The purpose of this study was to examine selected practical tests for monitoring changes in performance, fatigue and recovery of endurance athletes. Sixteen male triathletes were randomly assigned into matched groups. The normal training (NT) and intensified training (IT) groups completed 4 weeks of training followed by a 2-week taper. Physiological measures were taken pre- and post-overload and post-taper periods during an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion. Performance was assessed weekly using a 3-km run time trial (3 kmTT). Five-bound jump for distance (5BT) and submaximal running heart rate (HR(submax)) test were measured twice weekly and the Daily Analyses of Life Demands for Athletes (DALDA) were recorded. During the overload training period, the IT group completed approximately 290% more training load than the NT group (p<0.001). After the overload training period, 3kmTT in the IT group was reduced compared to both pre-training (3.7%, p<0.05) and the NT group (6.8%, p<0.05). 5BT was decreased by 7.9% in the IT group following the overload period (p<0.05). The IT group also demonstrated increases in stress reaction symptoms from the DALDA. Following the taper, the IT group improved 3 kmTT. In contrast, the performance, physiological and psychological markers of NT group remained relatively unchanged throughout the 6-week training period. There were weak significant correlations between weekly changes in 3 kmTT and 5BT (r=-0.37, p<0.01). The DALDA and 5BT may be practical tests for assessing changes in performance, fatigue and recovery of endurance athletes.

Quantifying Training Loads in Contemporary Dance.

PURPOSE: To describe the training demands of contemporary dance and determine the validity of using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) to monitor exercise intensity and training load in this activity. In addition, the authors examined the contribution of training (ie, accelerometry and heart rate) and non-training-related factors (ie, sleep and wellness) to perceived exertion during dance training. METHODS: Training load and ActiGraphy for 16 elite amateur contemporary dancers were collected during a 49-d period, using heart-rate monitors, accelerometry, and sRPE. Within-individual correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between sRPE and several other measures of training intensity and load. Stepwise multiple regressions were used to determine a predictive equation to estimate sRPE during dance training. RESULTS: Average weekly training load was 4283 ± 2442 arbitrary units (AU), monotony 2.13 ± 0.92 AU, strain 10677 ± 9438 AU, and average weekly vector magnitude load 1809,707 ± 1015,402 AU. There were large to very large within-individual correlations between training-load sRPE and various other internal and external measures of intensity and load. The stepwise multiple-regression analysis also revealed that 49.7% of the adjusted variance in training-load sRPE was explained by peak heart rate, metabolic equivalents, soreness, motivation, and sleep quality (y = -4.637 + 13.817%HRpeak + 0.316 METS + 0.100 soreness + 0.116 motivation - 0.204 sleep quality). CONCLUSION: The current findings demonstrate the validity of the sRPE method for quantifying training load in dance, that dancers undertake very high training loads, and a combination of training and nontraining factors contribute to perceived exertion in dance training.