Affective Responses to Repeated Endurance Training Sessions with Different Intensities: A Randomized Trial.

The purpose was to examine differences in affective responses to repeated sessions of endurance training with different intensities in healthy adults. Thirty young, healthy, and recreationally physically active adults (50% women, age 24.4 ± 6.0 years, VO2max 48.6 ± 7.4 ml-1·kg-1·min-1, BMI 23.5 ± 2.4 kg·m2) performed a VO2max test. They were randomized to four sessions of either high intensity sprint interval training (SPRINT, n=10, 5 · 30-sec at >95 of HRpeak, 4-min recovery between intervals), high intensity aerobic interval training (HAIT, n=10, 4 · 4-min at ~90% of HRpeak, 4-min recovery between intervals) or moderate intensity continuous training (MIT, n=10, 50-min at ~75% HRpeak). Assessment during and after each session included HR, La-, Borg ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), affective state (positive/negative), valence (pleasure/displeasure), arousal (calmness/excitement), tension, irritation, pain, exhaustion, satisfaction, and motivation. HR, La- and Borg RPE were higher in SPRINT and HAIT compared to MIT (p < 0.001), no differences between SPRINT and HAIT. Displeasure and arousal were greater in SPRINT compared to HAIT (p < 0.05) and MIT (p < 0.001). Within each session, between-group effects showed that SPRINT differed from HAIT and MIT on valence (p < 0.01) and arousal (p < 0.01), and MIT differed from HAIT and SPRINT on La- (p < 0.001) and HR (p < 0.001). In conclusion, repeated sessions of HAIT produced similar physiological responses as SPRINT, and similar affective responses as MIT.

Exercise Dependence and Body Image Concerns Amongst Group Fitness Instructors: A Self-Determination Theory Approach.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the fact that group fitness instructors serve as significant role models with potentially great impact on class participants' motivation for exercise, they are a very under-researched group. The aim of this study was therefore to examine group fitness instructors' motivational regulations for exercise, and how these motivational regulations can predict symptoms of exercise dependence and body image concerns. METHODS: Group fitness instructors from the largest fitness companies in Norway (n = 837, response rate: 57%) completed an online survey with reference to the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), the Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS), the Eating Disorders Inventory subscales drive for thinness (EDI-DT) and body dissatisfaction (EDI-BD), and their weekly amount of exercise and instruction. RESULTS: The instructors scored high on identified regulation and intrinsic regulation for exercise. EDS total score was positively correlated with all SIMS subscales and weekly instruction was positively correlated with Intrinsic regulation. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses found that both self-determined motivational regulations as well as external regulation positively predicted their EDS score. External regulation positively predicted EDI-DT, and EDI-BD. CONCLUSION: Group fitness instructors seem highly intrinsically motivated for exercise, which is hypothesized to have a positive impact on group fitness class participants. High self-determined exercise behavior does not seem to buffer against symptoms of exercise dependence within this specific population. There is a need for awareness of group fitness instructors who show high exercise dependency scores due to the link to body image concerns, amotivation and external regulated motivation.

Changes in Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Well-Being Following a School-Based Health Promotion Program in a Norwegian Region with a Poor Public Health Profile: A Non-Randomized Controlled Study in Early Adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in physical activity (PA), physical fitness and psychosocial well-being in early adolescents following implementation of a school-based health promotion program in secondary schools. METHODS: Six municipalities in Telemark County, Norway, were recruited into intervention (6 schools) or control groups (9 schools). A total of 644 pupils participated in the study (response rate: 79%). The schools in the intervention group implemented the Active and Healthy Kids program, where the PA component consisted of (1) 120 min/week of physically active learning (PAL) and (2) 25 min/week of physical active breaks. Furthermore, both the intervention and control schools carried out 135 min/week of physical education. The primary outcome was PA. Secondary outcomes were sedentary time, physical fitness, subjective vitality and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in five domains: physical health, psychological well-being, parent, peers and school. RESULTS: There was a group x time effect on school-based PA (p < 0.05), but not total PA, as well as on physical fitness (p < 0.05) and vitality (p < 0.01). In girls, there also was a group x time effect on three out of the five domains on HRQoL (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A multi-component, school-based health-promotion program with emphasis on the use of PAL led to positive changes in school-based PA levels. Furthermore, positive changes were seen in physical fitness, vitality and HRQoL among early adolescents in a county with a poor public health profile. This might have implications for the development and promotion in schools of general health and well-being throughout adolescence.

Mental Toughness Moderates Social Loafing in Cycle Time-Trial Performance.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if mental toughness moderated the occurrence of social loafing in cycle time-trial performance. METHOD: Twenty-seven men (Mage = 17.7 years, SD = 0.6) completed the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire prior to completing a 1-min cycling trial under 2 conditions: once with individual performance identified, and once in a group with individual performance not identified. Using a median split of the mental toughness index, participants were divided into high and low mental toughness groups. Cycling distance was compared using a 2 (trial) × 2 (high-low mental toughness) analysis of variance. We hypothesized that mentally tough participants would perform equally well under both conditions (i.e., no indication of social loafing) compared with low mentally tough participants, who would perform less well when their individual performance was not identifiable (i.e., demonstrating the anticipated social loafing effect). RESULTS: The high mental toughness group demonstrated consistent performance across both conditions, while the low mental toughness group reduced their effort in the non-individually identifiable team condition. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that (a) clearly identifying individual effort/performance is an important situational variable that may impact team performance and (b) higher perceived mental toughness has the ability to negate the tendency to loaf.