Coordination and coordination variability during single-leg drop jump landing in children.

Coordinative patterns require experience and learning to be acquired, producing movements that offer efficient solutions to various situations and involving certain degree of variability. This coordination variability implies functionality in movement, but it can be impacted by the type of sport practice from early years. The purpose of this work is to analyze the coordination variability and coordination patterns in a specific action such as single-leg landing in children practicing gymnastics, volleyball and non-sporting children. Thirty children (15 girls) performed 10 successful trials of single-leg landing from a height of 25 cm. A motion capture system (9 cameras) was used to capture 3D thigh and shank kinematics. To identify the significant effect of children's groups on coordination and coordination variability during single-leg landing, one-dimensional Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) was used. Regarding the coordination patterns, in the frontal plane, during the attenuation phase of single-leg landing, the control group exhibited a higher frequency of Anti-Phase with proximal dominancy compared to the sport groups (i.e., gymnastics, and volleyball). In addition, in the sagittal plane during the second peak phase, volleyball players exhibited a higher coordination variability than the gymnastics. The children in the control group showed a greater frequency of antiphasic movements, which indicates the influence of training at an early age, being a determining factor in the increase or not of variability.

Assessment of eating disorder symptoms, compulsive exercise, body dissatisfaction and depression in Swedish national team gymnasts, with a one-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore changes in symptoms of eating disorders, compulsive exercise, and depression, between two assessments 12 months apart, among elite gymnasts. METHOD: Factors related to the development of mental health symptoms in male and female Swedish national team gymnasts were investigated using baseline and 1-year follow-up scores in two subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory 3; drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction, two subscales of the Compulsive Exercise Test; avoidance and rule-driven behavior and exercise for weight control, and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self report (MADRS-S). Linear mixed models were used to investigate the influence of drive for thinness, exercise for weight control, avoidance and rule-driven behavior, and MADRS-S on body dissatisfaction. RESULTS: Body dissatisfaction increased from baseline to the follow-up assessment, while drive for thinness and depression remained stable. Symptoms of eating disorders and depression were generally low in this group of elite gymnasts at both assessments. Drive for thinness, exercise for weight control, and symptoms of depression were associated with body dissatisfaction. DISCUSSION: Our findings indicate that there were no significant changes over time in eating disorders and depression symptoms but significant associations with body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, we found independent effects of drive for thinness, exercise for weight control and symptoms of depression for body dissatisfaction.

Effects of Neuromuscular Training on Muscle Architecture, Isometric Force Production, and Stretch-Shortening Cycle Function in Trained Young Female Gymnasts.

ABSTRACT: Moeskops, S, Oliver, JL, Radnor, JM, Haff, GG, Myer, GD, Ramachandran, AK, Kember, LS, Pedley, JS, and Lloyd, RS. Effects of neuromuscular training on muscle architecture, isometric force production, and stretch-shortening cycle function in trained young female gymnasts. J Strength Cond Res 38(9): 1640-1650, 2024-This study evaluated the effects of a 10-month neuromuscular training (NMT) intervention on muscle architecture, isometric force production, and stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) function. Thirty-seven girls aged 6-12 years were placed into gymnastics + NMT (gNMT; n = 15), gymnastics only (GYM; n = 10), or maturity-matched control (CON; n = 12) groups. The gNMT group followed a 10-month NMT program in addition to gymnastics training, whereas the GYM group only participated in gymnastics training. Isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) and drop jump (DJ) kinetics were measured, in addition to muscle thickness, fascicle length, and pennation angle of the gastrocnemius medialis at baseline and at 4, 7, and 10 months. A 3 × 4 (group × time) repeated-measures ANCOVA (covariate, % predicted adult height) was used to evaluate within-group changes. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. Significant interaction effects were observed in muscle thickness, absolute (PF abs ) and relative peak force (PF rel ) in the IMTP and various DJ variables. The gNMT group demonstrated improvements in muscle thickness, IMTP PF abs and PF rel , and DJ kinetics, most commonly evidenced from 7 months onward. The GYM group's muscle thickness also significantly improved, accompanied by improvements in some DJ kinetics. The CON group did not experience any desirable changes. Overall, NMT elicited positive changes in muscle thickness, PF abs and PF rel , and SSC function to a greater extent than gymnastics training alone or growth and maturation. As most adaptations took 7 months, longer-term NMT programs should be implemented with youth female gymnasts.

Jumping Interval Training: An Effective Training Method for Enhancing Anaerobic, Aerobic, and Jumping Performances in Aerobic Gymnastics.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of jumping interval training (JIT) and running high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the aerobic, anaerobic and jumping performances of youth female aerobic gymnasts. A randomized controlled study was conducted over an 8-week period, involving 73 youth female athletes (16.2 ± 1.3 years old) of aerobic gymnastics. The study comprised two experimental groups (JIT and HIIT) and a control group. Participants in the experimental groups engaged in two additional training sessions per week alongside their regular training regimen, while the control group followed their usual training routine. Before and after the intervention period, gymnasts were assessed for their performance in the countermovement jump test (CMJ), the specific aerobic gymnastics anaerobic test (SAGAT) and the 20-m multistage fitness test. Significant interactions time × group were found in SAGAT (p < 0.001; = 0.495), CMJ (p < 0.001; = 0.338) and 20-m multistage fitness test (p < 0.001; = 0.500). The time × group analysis post-intervention revealed significantly lower scores in SAGAT for the control group compared to the JIT (p = 0.003) and HIIT (p = 0.034). Additionally, significantly higher scores were observed for the JIT group in the CMJ test compared to the HIIT (p = 0.020) and control (p = 0.028) groups following the intervention. Finally, the 20 m multistage fitness test post-intervention revealed significantly lower scores for the control group compared to JIT (p < 0.001) and HIIT (p < 0.001). Both JIT and HIIT are recommended training strategies to adopt in aerobic gymnastics for significantly improving the aerobic and anaerobic performances of athletes. However, JIT may be particularly relevant to use as it offers additional benefits in improving vertical jumping performances.

Are the shoulder joint function, stability, and mobility tests predictive of handstand execution?

Handstand is a basic element common across gymnastic disciplines and physical education classes that is frequently evaluated for quality in competition or skill acquisition. The correct handstand execution relies on maintaining balance, for which the shoulders seem particularly important. This study explores the relationship between shoulder joint function and the quality of handstand execution in novice college athletes (n = 111; aged 19-23 years). We assessed the shoulder joint function using standardized field tests (Upper Quarter Y Balance Test and Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test) and evaluated handstand execution on official rating scale. Ordinal logistic regression models showed no relationship between the quality of handstand execution (E-score) and measures of shoulder joint stability or mobility in our sample (POR = 0.97 [0.91, 1.03] and 1.00 [0.91, 1.09] for E-score). Two major factors may have caused an observed pattern of results. Firstly, the standardized tests assess shoulder joints in different loads and ranges of motion compared to handstands. Secondly, our novice sample was not able to perform the handstand sufficiently well. In our sample of novice college athletes, shoulder function seems not related to handstand execution as other latent factors hindered their performance.

Effect of Eutony, Holistic Gymnastics and Pilates on hamstring flexibility and back pain in pre-adolescent girls: Randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Eutony, Holistic Gymnastics, and Pilates on hamstring flexibility and back pain in pre-adolescent girls. METHODS: This randomized prospective quantitative clinical trial compared the effects of Eutony, Holistic Gymnastics, and Pilates on hamstring flexibility and back pain. The sample consisted of 80 pre-adolescent girls aged 10-13 years and divided into three groups: Eutony, with 26 girls; Holistic Gymnastics, 27 girls; and Pilates, 27 girls. The participants underwent ten 1-h weekly interventions. Hamstring flexibility was evaluated using fingertip-to-floor, sit-and-reach, and hip angle tests; back pain was evaluated using the Body Posture Evaluation Instrument questionnaire and the way they carried their backpack by the Layout for Assessing Dynamic Posture. Descriptive statistical analysis, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed at a 5 % significance level (p < 0.05). RESULTS: The three body practices increased hamstring flexibility in all fingertip-to-floor (7.77 cm), hip angle (5.58°), and sit-and-reach evaluations (9.07 cm). Before the intervention, 66.25 % of participants complained of back pain. After the intervention, only 37.50 % continued with the complaint. Moreover, 25 % of pre-adolescent girls started to carry their school backpack correctly. CONCLUSION: Eutony, Holistic Gymnastics, and Pilates increased hamstring flexibility, reduced back pain complaints, and incentivized the girls to carry the school backpack correctly. REGISTRY OF CLINICAL TRIALS: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials ReBEC (RBR-25w6kk).

The long-term intensive gymnastic training influences functional stability and integration: A resting-state fMRI study.

INTRODUCTION: Long-term motor skill training has been shown to induce anatomical and functional neuroplasticity. World class gymnasts (WCGs) provide a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of long-term intensive training on neuroplasticity. Previous resting-state fMRI studies have demonstrated a high efficient information processing related to motor and cognitive functions in gymnasts compared with healthy controls (HCs). However, most research treated brain signals as static, overlooking the fact that the brain is a complex and dynamic system. In this study, we employed functional stability, a new metric based on dynamic functional connectivity (FC), to examine the impact of long-term intensive training on the functional architecture in the WCGs. METHODS: We first conducted a voxel-wise analysis of functional stability between the WCGs and HCs. Then, we applied FC density (FCD) to explore whether regions with modified functional stability were also accompanied by changes in connection patterns in the WCGs. We identified overlapping regions showing significant differences in both functional stability and FCD. Finally, we applied seed-based correlation analysis (SCA) to determine the detailed changes in connection patterns between the WCGs and HCs within these overlapping regions. RESULTS: Compared with the HCs, the WCGs exhibited higher functional stability in the bilateral angular gyrus (AG), bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), bilateral precentral gyrus, and right superior frontal gyrus and lower functional stability in the bilateral hippocampus, bilateral caudate, right rolandic operculum, left superior temporal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, right middle cingular cortex, and right precuneus than the HCs. We found that the bilateral AG and ITG not only showed higher functional stability but also increased global and long-range FCD in the WCGs relative to the HCs. The right precuneus displayed lower functional stability as well as decreased local, long-range, and global FCD in the WCGs. Both AG and ITG showed higher FC with regions in the default mode network (DMN) in the WCGs than in the HCs. CONCLUSIONS: The increased functional stability in the AG and ITG might be associated with enhanced functional integration within the DMN in the WCGs. These findings may offer new spatiotemporal evidence for the impact of long-term intensive training on neuroplasticity.

Rehabilitation following ulnar collateral ligament injury of the elbow in a female acrobatic athlete: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of injury and the conservative rehabilitation of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow (UCL) are well studied and reported in overhead athletes, while research on gymnastic athletes is sparse. Evidence suggests exercise as the mainstay in UCL injury rehabilitation. With this report, we aimed to provide a complete rehabilitation protocol following a partial UCL tear of an acrobatic athlete, where exercise and adjunct treatments, such as manual therapy, were used in a progressive staged rehabilitation. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 16-year-old female acrobatic athlete was diagnosed with partial tear of the anterior band of UCL. The rehabilitation included progressive exercise loading in conjunction with manual therapy for 10 sessions in 8 weeks. Pain, UCL special tests, the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score Questionnaire (DASH), and the Upper Limb Functional Index (ULFI) were assessed and administered at baseline and at 3, 6, 10 weeks, and 3 months. RESULTS: Improvement in all outcome measures was noted at the 3-month follow-up indicating a substantial reduction in pain and disability, and an increase in stability of the elbow joint. Return to training was achieved at 8 weeks from the initial visit, while return to sport at the pre-injury level was achieved at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Progressive exercise loading along with the addition of manual therapy is an effective intervention for the rehabilitation and return to sport following a partial UCL tear. A progressive staged rehabilitation guideline for acrobatic athletes with UCL injuries has been provided to be used and guide clinical practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Perfectionism, disordered eating and well-being in aesthetic sports: The mediating role of passion.

Aesthetic athletes face higher risks of disordered eating, and perfectionism is one of the determinants involved. While research suggests that perfectionism in sport may play a role in physical and psychological well-being, its influence remains to be confirmed. As such, further examination of the influence of perfectionism on health is warranted as it could lead to better interventions. This preregistered research sought to shed new light on these relationships by investigating the mediating role of passion in the perfectionism-disordered eating relationship as well as physical and psychological well-being in aesthetic sports. In Study 1, 229 American recreational and competitive athletes practicing either gymnastics (n = 150) or artistic swimming (n = 79) were recruited on MTurk to complete an online questionnaire. The same recruitment procedure was used for Study 2, with 107 American gymnasts (n = 69) and artistic swimmers (n = 38) completing the questionnaire at two timepoints, one year apart. Results from path analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with obsessive passion, which in turn was associated with disordered eating. Self-oriented perfectionism was associated with both obsessive and harmonious passion, the latter being more adaptative as it was associated with physical and psychological well-being. Thus, the way one engages in aesthetic sports matters, as engaging with obsessive passion may take a toll on one's health and lead to disordered eating. Conversely, fostering harmonious engagement seems to temper the negative associations between perfectionism and health outcomes and promote positive relationships with athlete's well-being, but requires further study.

Epidemiology and patterns of gymnastics-related head & neck trauma injuries: A NEISS database study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology and patterns of gymnastics-related Head & Neck trauma injuries using the NEISS database from 2001 to 2020. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analysis of a national database. METHODS: Gymnastics-related ED visits between 2001 and 2020 were queried from the NEISS database. Bivariate chi-squared analyses were used to compare injury demographics, location, type, and disposition. Fracture location was identified using the narrative description of each case and were divided into subtypes for further analysis. RESULTS: 1455 gymnastics-related head and neck traumatic injuries were identified. The majority were in females (65.8%). The most common presenting age group was pediatric (≤18 years) (92.7%), and the largest racial group was Caucasian (51.5%). Of all location subtypes, facial injuries were the most common presenting injury type overall (45.2%). Regarding injury types, lacerations were most common (36.8%), followed by dental injury (30.7%) and fractures (21.2%). The most common location of head and neck fractures was the nose (45.8%), followed by cervical spine (16.7%) and orbit (13.3%). The majority (95.7%) of gymnastics-related head and neck traumatic injuries presenting to the ED were treated and discharged. CONCLUSION: This study characterizes gymnastics-related head and neck injuries which is a topic that is under-studied. The findings from this study are helpful for gymnasts and those who care for them including providers, coaches and guardians, and this data may help inform future guidelines for treatment and injury prevention.

Examining the Influence of Warm-Up Static and Dynamic Stretching, as well as Post-Activation Potentiation Effects, on the Acute Enhancement of Gymnastic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

The primary objective of this systematic review with meta-analysis is to methodically discern and compare the impact of diverse warm-up strategies, including both static and dynamic stretching, as well as post-activation potentiation techniques, on the immediate performance of gymnasts. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this paper evaluated studies that examined the gymnasts' performance after different warm-up strategies namely stretching (static [SS] or dynamic), vibration platforms (VP) or post-activation, in comparison to control conditions (e.g., mixed warm-up routines; no warm-up). The principal outcomes were centered on technical performance metrics (e.g., split, gymnastic jumps) and physical performance metrics (e.g., squat jump, countermovement jump, drop jump, balance, range of motion). Methodological assessments of the included studies were conducted using the Downs and Black Checklist. From the initial search across PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science databases, a total of 591 titles were retrieved, and 19 articles were ultimately incorporated in the analysis. The results revealed a non-significant differences (p > 0.05) between the SS condition and control conditions in squat jump performance, countermovement jump and gymnastic technical performance (e.g., split; split jump). Despite the difference in warm-up strategies and outcomes analyzed, the results suggest that there is no significant impairment of lower-limb power after SS. Additionally, technical elements dependent on flexibility appear to be enhanced by SS. Conversely, dynamic stretching and VP seem to be more effective for augmenting power-related and dynamic performance in gymnasts.

Study protocol for a prospective cohort study describing the injury characteristics in elite gymnasts in TeamGym: the Swedish TeamGym Injury Cohort - STIC.

INTRODUCTION: Gymnastics consists of several different disciplines, whereof TeamGym is one. TeamGym is a young discipline with sparse research. The aim of the study is to investigate the injury characteristics in Swedish elite gymnasts competing in TeamGym including training load and other physical and psychological factors associated with injury. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Swedish TeamGym Injury Cohort is a longitudinal prospective cohort study for 52 weeks that includes the junior (15-17 years) and senior (≥18 years) Swedish female and male national teams in TeamGym. A baseline questionnaire will be sent out in an online application (SmartaBase) regarding demographics, previous injuries, gymnastics-related factors, for example, time at elite level and psychosocial factors such as stress, athletic identity, coping skills, personality traits and coach-athlete relation. A weekly questionnaire will be sent out in SmartaBase every Sunday and will monitor injuries using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Questionnaire, gymnastics-related factors, for example, landing surfaces, stress, recovery and training load. A test battery for the lower extremity will be performed. Data for ankle dorsiflexion, hop tests and ankle plantarflexion strength/endurance will be collected. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This project was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2023-06653-01) and is performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences and shared with the Swedish Gymnastics Federation.

Trunk muscle activation in prone plank exercises with different body tilts.

BACKGROUND: Body tilt changes could affect the intensity/difficulty of core stability exercises, but there is still a lack of knowledge about its impact. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the trunk muscles activation during prone plank exercises at different body tilts. METHODS: Twenty-four young adults who performed recreational gymnastic activities participated in this study. Electromyography activity of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), internal oblique (IO) and erector spinae (ES) was recorded during the performance of six variations of the prone plank exercise (planking with feet supported on the ground [conventional horizontal position] and planking with feet supported on wall bars at five different heights increasing the angle tilt) and an inverted position exercise. RESULTS: The RA, EO and IO activation in all prone plank variations were higher than those observed in the conventional prone plank. In addition, the coefficient of variation of the muscle activation increased with the declination angle, reaching the highest values in the inverted position for the RA and ES muscles. CONCLUSION: The results seem to indicate that the body tilt variation could be used as an easy and inexpensive strategy for modulating the neuromuscular demands and the motor control challenge during planking exercises.

Higher risk of Achilles tendon ruptures at competition than training sites in female collegiate gymnasts.

BACKGROUND: Reportedly, 17.2% of collegiate female gymnasts experience Achilles tendon ruptures (ATRs). Cumulative microtraumas resulting in chronic tendinopathy/tendinitis may contribute to this high injury risk. We hypothesized that the risk of ATRs in female collegiate gymnasts increases with years of competitive gymnastics, that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use is associated with less ATRs, and that the risk is larger during competition than training. METHODS: Female gymnasts from 78 USA collegiate teams completed a survey assessing the prevalence of ATRs, NSAID use, age at which competitive gymnastics started and age at which ATR occurred, and whether ATRs occurred during training or competition. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 103 gymnasts (20.4%, 95% CI: 13.6% to 29.4%) experienced ATRs. Eighteen of 21 ruptures (85.7%, 95% CI: 61.3% to 95.8%) occurred after more than ten years of competitive gymnastics (mean: 14.0±2.6 years, 95% CI: 12.8 to 15.2 years). ATRs occurred 0.08±0.01 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.11) times per 1000 hours at training versus 1.85±0.11 (95% CI: 1.60 to 2.10) times per 1000 hours at competition (P<0.05). Prevalence of NSAID use was 27.6% (95% CI: 18.6% to 39.0%) in gymnasts without ATR but only 5.5% (95% CI: 0.6% to 35.5%, P=0.09) in gymnasts with ATR. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated a negative association between NSAID use and incidence of ATRs (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Female collegiate gymnasts are at high risk for ATRs, especially after more than ten years of competitive gymnastics and during competition.

Standardized vs. Relative Intensity in CrossFit.

CrossFit is characterized by being a standardized training program that improves physical performance through the provision of several stimuli regardless of the participant's strength level. This study aimed to compare the acute response in total repetitions as a measurement of performance, jump ability, physiological demand (heart rate and blood lactate), and perceived effort considering the participants' strength level with individualized intensity in CrossFit. Thirty-five participants were assessed and asked to participate on two separate days in a standardized and relative 'As Many Repetitions As Possible' (AMRAP) CrossFit circuit. Both AMRAPs comprised strength, gymnastic and aerobic exercises, although only strength was individualized according to the participant's level. Before the statistical analysis, participants were allocated to higher- or lower-strength groups following the one-repetition maximum-bodyweight ratio in the push press exercise. Results support the existence of a strong relationship between strength level and total repetitions in both AMRAPs. In addition, differences in total repetitions and rate of perceived exertion between strength groups are discarded when AMRAP intensity is individualized while physiological demand and jump ability are maintained. Thus, the higher-strength participants may benefit from similar responses with a lower number of repetitions. Therefore, CrossFit trainers should be encouraged to prescribe strength tasks based on the percentage of 1RM for every training.

"All manner of gymnastic evolutions" for science: Dorothea Klumpke (1861-1942) and a life in astronomical research.

In this article, the extraordinary life of the astronomer Dorothea Klumpke (1861-1942) is described in detail for the first time, focussing on the four phases of her career, in which she researched various astronomical questions both as an amateur and as an employee of an observatory and as one half of a couple in science. For this reason, Klumpke's biography provides insights into the cornucopia of research approaches in astronomy at the time, in which professional and amateur astronomers explored the heavens in observatories, on field trips to exotic countries, in their own backyards, or aboard hot air balloons, using telescopes, gazing through the lenses of cameras and spectroscopes, or based on mathematical reasoning. By comparing her life to biographies of other contemporary women, including Klumpke's sisters, among them the famous neurologist Augusta Klumpke-Déjerine, the criteria that women had to fulfill in order to pursue an academic career in the long nineteenth century will be discussed at the same time. In this, particular attention will be paid to factors over which women themselves had no influence, also to show that before the middle of the twentieth century, many stars had to align in order to have such an unusual career as Dorothea Klumpke.

Evaluación de la calidad del desempeño en la técnica de los ejercicios en barras paralelas / Quality evaluation of the performance in parallel bars exercise technique

Introducción: La dificultad y la ejecución de los elementos desempeñan un papel importante en las competiciones de la gimnasia artística masculina. Sin embargo, resultan escasos los estudios que evalúen la técnica de los ejercicios en esta modalidad. Objetivo: Diseñar un instrumento para la evaluación de la calidad del desempeño en la técnica de los ejercicios de barras paralelas en gimnasia artística masculina. Método: Participaron 3 gimnastas juveniles masculinos de la Selección Norte de Gimnasia Artística Masculina (edad 15,67 ± 0,58; talla 1,65 ± 0,08 m; masa corporal 55,67 ± 3,40 kg; IMC 20,37 ± 0,69; grasa corporal 5,90 ± 0,61 por ciento; masa muscular 46,50 ± 2,85 por ciento; experiencia 9,75 ± 0,96 años; competiciones nacionales 7,00 ± 0,82; competiciones internacionales 5,50 ± 1,29). El diseño se estructuró a partir de cada elemento de la rutina en barras paralelas y se determinaron indicadores de calidad, dificultad, ejecución, entre otros. Se pronosticó la rutina a ejecutar y se comparó con los resultados en competición real. Resultados: El puntaje pronosticado resultó similar al de la competencia. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas con el valor obtenido en la competición (p> 0,05). Conclusiones: Este diseño constituye una herramienta viable para estructurar rutinas en barras paralelas. Como permite obtener resultados similares a los de competiciones, puede controlar el entrenamiento y las competencias de gimnastas masculinos juveniles(AU)

Introduction: The difficulty and performance of the apparatuses play an important role in men's artistic gymnastics competitions. However, there are few studies evaluating the exercise technique in parallel bars. Objective: To design an instrument for evaluating the quality of performance in the technique of parallel bars exercises in men's artistic gymnastics. Method: Three male young gymnasts, from the North Men's Artistic Gymnastics Team, participated (age 15.67 ± 0.58; height 1.65 ± 0.08 m; body mass 55.67 ± 3.40 kg; BMI 20.37 ± 0.69; body fat 5.90 ± 0.61 percent; muscle mass 46.50 ± 2.85 percent; experience 9.75 ± 0.96 years; national competitions 7.00 ± 0.82; international competitions 5.50 ± 1.29). The design was structured based on each apparatus of the routine in parallel bars and indicators were determined in quality, difficulty, performance, among others. The routine to be performed was predicted and compared with the results in real competition. Results: The predicted score was similar to that of the competition. There were no statistically significant differences with the value obtained in the competition (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This design constitutes a viable tool to structure routines on parallel bars. In addition, it can control the training and competitions of young male gymnasts because it allows obtaining results similar to those of competitions(AU)

Differential improvements between men and women in repeated CrossFit open workouts.

INTRODUCTION: The CrossFit® Open (CFO) acts a preliminary round that qualifies men and women for later stages of its annual Games competition. The CFO typically consists of 4-6 workouts that variably challenge an athlete's weightlifting strength, gymnastic skill, and endurance capacity. Except for differences in prescribed intensity loads, workouts are designed the same for men and women to elicit a similar challenge. While all workouts within a single year are unique to each other, one has been repeated from a previous CFO each year between 2012 and 2021. Because previous CFO workouts are often integrated into training, improvements are expected when a workout is officially repeated. However, besides documented record performances, it is unclear whether most athletes are improving, if these improvements affect ranking, or if differences exist between men and women. PURPOSE: To examine sex-division differences and performance changes across repeated CFO workouts, as well as their effect on CFO and workout ranking. METHODS: Eleven separate samples of 500 men and 500 women, who were representative of the same overall percent rank within each year involving one of the nine repeated CFO workouts (2011-2021) were drawn for this study. Each athlete's age (18-54 years), rank (overall and within each workout), and reported workout scores were collected from the competition's publicly-available leaderboard. Each sample had excluded any athlete who had not met minimum performance criteria (e.g., at least one completed round) for all prescribed (Rx) workouts within a given year (including those not analyzed). Since some workouts could be scored as repetitions completed or time-to-completion (TTC), and because programming was often scaled between men and women, all scores were converted to a repetition completion rate (repetitions divided by TTC [in minutes]). RESULTS: Separate sex-division x time analyses of variance with repeated measures revealed significant (p < 0.05) interactions in all but one repeated workout comparison. Initially, men were faster in four workouts (~18.5%, range = 3.9-35.0%, p < 0.001), women in two (~7.1%, range = 5.2-9.0%, p < 0.001), and they tied in the remaining three workouts. When workouts were repeated in subsequent years, men were faster in three workouts (~5.4%, range = 0.9-7.8%, p < 0.05), while women were faster in two (~3.8%, range = 3.5-4.1%, p < 0.01). Though performance improved in seven of the nine workouts (~14.3%, p < 0.001) and percentile rank was controlled, athletes earned a lower rank (overall and within workout) on each repeated workout (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Performance (measured as repetition completion rate) has improved in most repeated CFO workouts, particularly for women. However, improvements seen among all athletes, along with increased participation, have made it more difficult for athletes to improve their overall rank. To rank higher, individual athletes must improve their pace to a greater degree than the average improvements seen across the competitive field.

Effect of diaphragmatic breathing, respiratory muscle stretch gymnastics and conventional physiotherapy on chest expansion, pulmonary function and pain in patients with mechanical neck pain: A single group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental pilot study.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that mechanical neck pain results in respiratory dysfunction. Physiotherapy management for mechanical neck pain is well documented but the evidence regarding inclusion of breathing strategies to improve pulmonary functions in mechanical neck pain patients is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the combined effect of diaphragmatic breathing, respiratory muscles stretch gymnastics (RMSG) and conventional physiotherapy on chest expansion, pulmonary function and pain in patient with mechanical neck pain. METHOD: Thirteen patients with mechanical neck pain (18-35years) with neck pain history of ≥ three months and NPRS (numeric pain rating scale) score ≥3 were recruited for this single group pre pretest-posttest quasi experimental pilot study. Informed consent was taken from all participants. After initial screening and assessment, diaphragmatic breathing, RSMG (5 patterns) and conventional physiotherapy (hot pack and TENS for 10 min) were given for one week. Chest expansion, spirometry (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEFR), NDI (neck disability index) and NPRS were assessed on baseline and after one week following the intervention. RESULTS: The normality of data was tested by using Shapiro-wilk test and the data was found to be normally distributed. Paired t-test was used to compare the baseline and post intervention values. Diaphragmatic breathing, RMSG and conventional physiotherapy had significant effect on chest expansion, FEV1, NPRS and NDI in patients with mechanical neck pain. CONCLUSION: The rehabilitation strategies should emphasize breathing exercises to improve the lung function and pain scores in addition to conventional physiotherapy in rehabilitation of mechanical neck pain patients.

Wrist Guards/Supports in Gymnastics: Are They Helping or Hurting You?

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of wrist pain among gymnasts ranges from 46% to 79%. To alleviate wrist pain, gymnasts wear wrist guards/supports (WG/S). PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of WG/S on the wrist joint through joint moment, angles, total joint range of motion (ROM) arc, and ground-reaction force (GRF). STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to investigate 23 female gymnasts (mean ± SD: age, 12.3 ± 1.5 years; height, 143.4 ± 7.6 cm; mass, 37.7 ± 6.6 kg; body mass index, 18.6 ± 2.9) who performed back handsprings (analyzed by first half [phase 1] and second half [phase 2]) with the following 3 conditions: no WG/S, Skids/Ultimate Wrist Supports (S/UWS), and Tiger Paws (TP). Wrist joint moments, angles, total ROM arc, and GRF were examined by the 3 conditions using analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction and effect size (Cohen d). RESULTS: For mean wrist flexion moment, both S/UWS and TP showed significantly higher values than the no-WG/S condition in landing phase 1 (S/UWS: P = .001, d = 1.30; TP: P = .019, d = 0.87). In angle comparisons in landing phase 1, no WG/S showed greater mean wrist extension angles compared with S/UWS (P = .046; d = 0.80), but no significant differences with TP (P = .096; d = 0.65). Also, in landing phase 1, total ROM arc of the right wrist was greater in the no-WG/S condition compared with S/UWS (P = .018; d = 0.88), but there were no differences with TP (P = .400; d = 0.52). CONCLUSION: These data show an increased wrist flexion moment using S/UWS and TP compared with the no-WG/S condition in landing phase 1 of back handsprings. Also, increased wrist extension angles and total arc ROM of the right wrist were found in the no-WG/S condition compared with S/UWS, but not with TP in landing phase 1. S/UWS may be helpful to reduce wrist joint angles, specifically wrist extension in landing phase 1, but both S/UWS and TP caused higher wrist flexion joint moment in landing phase 1. There were no differences found in GFG among the three variables. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the first half of the back handspring, wrist guards can limit wrist extension joint angles and total arc ROM; however, an increased wrist flexion moment was found when wrist guards were worn, which may potentially lead to an increased risk of injury. Injury history, especially overuse signs/symptoms, and previous surgery on the wrist joint need to be well considered before the application or use of wrist guards. Also, the amount of time/exposure wearing wrist guards should be carefully controlled in young female gymnasts.