Self-efficacy, Effort, and Performance Perceptions Enhance Psychological Responses to Strength Training in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletes.

ABSTRACT: Biscardi, LM, Miller, AD, Andre, MJ, and Stroiney, DA. Self-efficacy, effort, and performance perceptions enhance psychological responses to strength training in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 898-905, 2024-This study examined the effect of self-efficacy, effort, and perceived performance on positive well-being (PWB) and psychological distress (PD) following high-intensity resistance training sessions in collegiate student-athletes. An observational field study design was used to collect data before and after resistance training sessions in a 4-week preseason strength training block. A multilevel model assessed day-level and person-level variance in acute PWB and PD. Interaction terms were also tested at the day level. Alpha was set at 0.05. Within a 4-week training block, training session intensity did not predict changes in acute psychological responses. After controlling for an athlete's preexercise psychological state, higher self-efficacy, daily effort, and perceived performance predicted higher PWB and lower PD following training (p < 0.05). Self-efficacy moderated the relationships of daily effort and performance with PD (p < 0.05). When athletes experienced lower self-efficacy, producing a higher effort and perceiving better performance reduced the negative psychological response. These findings highlight the important mediating role of cognitive variables in the acute psychological response to high-intensity resistance training. Coaches should identify and mitigate low cognitive states to facilitate a positive psychological response to resistance training. This strategy promotes a positive psychological response without altering training prescription.

Comparison of Physical Fitness Parameters for Starters vs. Nonstarters in an NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Team.

Sell, KM, Prendergast, JM, Ghigiarelli, JJ, Gonzalez, AM, Biscardi, LM, Jajtner, AR, and Rothstein, AS. Comparison of physical fitness parameters for starters vs. nonstarters in an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse team. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3160-3168, 2018-The purpose of this study was to present a fitness profile of Division I male lacrosse players and compare the fitness attributes across different positions and starting status. Forty-one Division I men's lacrosse players (19.6 ± 1.6 years, 82.5 ± 9.5 kg, 182.0 ± 5.4 cm) volunteered to participate in the study. Fitness attributes assessed included aerobic fitness (1.5-mile run), muscular strength (1 repetition maximum bench press, squat, and hang clean), grip strength (hand dynamometer), explosive power (vertical jump), agility (3-cone drill, pro-agility), body composition (7-site skinfold), and speed (20- and 40-yard sprint). All testing was conducted by a certified strength and conditioning coach and occurred at the conclusion of pre-season training. The only significant difference across positions was for body mass, whereby defensemen were significantly heavier than attacking players (p < 0.05). Starters were significantly faster on the 3-cone drill, 20- and 40-yard sprint, and jumped significantly higher on the vertical jump compared with nonstarters (p < 0.05). Attributes pertaining to anaerobic fitness (speed, agility, and explosive power) may be better predictors of starting status than aerobic fitness in men's NCAA Division I lacrosse players. This differs from previous research on men's club lacrosse players where a difference in aerobic fitness and body composition was shown between starters and nonstarters. The normative data presented in this study may assist strength and conditioning coaches in the development of sport-specific training programs and motivate athletes toward achieving sport-specific fitness goals by helping identify areas of weakness before the start of the season.