Top of the podium, at what cost? injuries in female international elite climbers.

Objectives: Competitive sport climbing has made its way to the Olympic stage. This prestige has brought about route setting and training alterations which presumably affect injury epidemiology. Most of the climbing injury literature contains male climbers and lacks high performing athletes. Studies with both female and male climbers, rarely included separate analyses for performance level or sex. Therefore, injury concerns for elite female competitive climbers are impossible to discern. A former study examined the prevalence of amenorrhea in elite international female climbers (n = 114) and reported that 53.5% had at least one injury in the past 12 months, but injury details were excluded. This study's aim was to report these injury details and their associations with BMI, menstrual status and eating disorders of the cohort. Methods: Online survey was emailed to competitive female climbers recruited through the IFSC database between June and August 2021. Data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, χ2 and logistic regression. Results: 229 registered IFSC climbers opened the questionnaire and 114 (49.7%) provided valid responses. Respondents (mean ± SD; age = 22.9 ± 5 year) represented 30 different countries and more than half (53.5%, n = 61) reported an injury in the prior 12 months with the majority in shoulders (37.7%, n = 23) and fingers (34.4%, n = 21). Injury prevalence in climbers with amenorrhea was 55.6% (n = 10). BMI was not a significant predictor of injury risk (OR = 1.082, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.3; p = 0.440) while accounting for current ED over the past 12 months. However, the odds ratio for having an injury was doubled for those with an ED (OR = 2.129, 95% CI: 0.905, 5.010; p = 0.08). Conclusion: With over half reporting recent injuries (<12 months) mostly to shoulders and fingers, development of new strategies for injury prevention in competitive female climbers are warranted. In addition, climbers with disordered eating behaviors and/or menstrual disturbances might be more prone to injury. More research in this population is required. Suitable screening to prevent these health issues and proper monitoring of these athletes are paramount to long-term athlete success.

The experience of laser light feedback in back-squat resistance training.

Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature on performance in resistance training (RT) by addressing how a phenomenological perspective on experiences with inter kinaesthetic affectivity can illuminate experience of practicing RT with non-verbal, visual feedback provided through laser lights attached to the barbell. Method: The material is created from qualitative interviews and using inter-kinaesthetic affectivity as analytical lenses. Results: The findings show how participants interpret the feedback in the moment and explain how they adjust their movement in dialogue with the feedback and enable the "uptake" of feedback in their embodied experience. The findings show how the participants developed an awareness of how they can equalize the balance on their feet. Discussion: We discuss what this means for the understanding of the training process in terms of how practitioners can use the uptake of non-verbal, visual feedback to immediately adjust the quality of their performance by responding kinaesthetically and bodily. The discussion contributes to the question of what kind of role a practitioner's own kinaesthetic and bodily experiences have in the development and organization of RT. Perspectives that include the lived and intersubjective body as a knowledge position are promising for illuminating the whole bodied engagement that is necessary to understand how to perform RT.

The effects of technological and traditional feedback on back squat performance in untrained women.

BACKGROUND: Recently, a novel method for improving movement quality called open-ended augmented feedback has been introduced. However, the effects of using such feedback in a training intervention have not yet been examined. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in performance and movement quality following a five-week resistance-training program with either (1) technological feedback or (2) traditional, verbal feedback from an experienced trainer. METHODS: Nineteen untrained females (age: 21.84 ± 2.24 years, height: 169.95 ± 5.92 cm, body mass: 65.05 ± 7.93 kg) randomly allocated to one of the two conditions completed five weeks of training with two weekly sessions. Pre- and post-intervention, participants were tested for physical performance (i.e., back squat and isometric mid-thigh pull strength) and movement quality parameters (weight distribution, center of gravity variation, and subjective rating of the back squat technique). RESULTS: Both groups similarly increased the training resistance throughout the intervention (p < 0.01), as well as strength in the back squat (technological feedback group: effect size (ES) = 1.31, p = 0.002; traditional feedback group: ES = 1.48, p = 0.002). Only the traditional feedback group increased isometric mid-thigh pull strength (ES = 1.11, p = 0.008) and subjectively rated lifting technique at the same load (p = 0.046). No changes in force distribution (p = 0.062-0.993) or center of gravity variation (p = 0.160-0.969) occurred in either group when lifting the same absolute loads at post-test. However, both groups displayed a greater variation in center of gravity when lifting the same relative load at post-test (technological feedback group: p < 0.001; traditional feedback group: p = 0.006). No differences were found between the groups for any of the observed changes (p = 0.205-0.401). CONCLUSIONS: Five weeks of back-squat training with verbal feedback increased isometric mid-thigh pull strength and subjectively rated lifting technique from pre- to post-test, whereas technological feedback did not. Both methods improved back squat strength and training resistance. For resistance-training beginners, the choice between feedback methods should be based on the desired outcomes and the availability of expertise and equipment.

Muscle activation and strength in squat and Bulgarian squat on stable and unstable surface.

The aim of the study was to compare muscle activity using the same relative resistance in squats and Bulgarian squats on stable and unstable surface. Muscle strength and activity were assessed by 6-repetition maximum and concomitant surface electromyography. A cohort of 15 resistance-trained males performed the exercises on the floor or a foam cushion in randomized order. The muscle activity was greater in biceps femoris (63-77%, p<0.01) and core muscle external obliques (58-62%, p<0.05) for the Bulgarian squat compared to regular squats, but lower for rectus femoris (16-21%, p<0.05). Only Bulgarian squat showed differences concerning the surface, e. g. the unstable surface reduced the activation of erector spinae (10%, p<0.05) and biceps femoris (10%, p<0.05) compared to a stable surface. There were similar activations in the vasti muscles and rectus abdominis between the different exercises (p=0.313-0.995). Unstable surfaces resulted in a load decrement of 7% and 10% compared to stable surfaces (p<0.001). In conclusion, the squat was somewhat favorable for the activation of agonists, whereas Bulgarian squat was advantageous for the antagonist and somewhat for core muscles. Bulgarian- and regular squats complement each other, and it may be useful to include both in a periodized resistance training program.