Effects of Plyometric Training Volume on Physical Performance in Youth Basketball Players.

ABSTRACT: Aztarain-Cardiel, K, Garatachea, N, and Pareja-Blanco, F. Effects of plyometric training volume on physical performance in youth basketball players. J Strength Cond Res 38(7): 1275-1279, 2024-The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of different plyometric training volumes on jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performances in youth basketball players. Thirty-one young male basketball players (age: 15.1 ± 1.8 years) from 4 squads belonging to an elite basketball club were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) low-volume (LV) plyometric training, (b) high-volume (HV) plyometric training, and (c) control group (CG). The subjects followed a plyometric training program twice a week for 6 weeks, differing in the training volume controlled through the number of jumps per session. Both experimental groups performed 8 repetitions in each set of bilateral vertical jumps with free arms, but HV completed twice the training volume of LV (98.7 vs. 49.3 jumps per session). Pretraining and Posttraining measurements included the following: (a) squat jump (SJ); (b) countermovement jump (CMJ); (c) horizontal jump (HJ); (d) straight-line sprint in 20 m (Sprint); and (e) V-Cut change-of-direction test (V-Cut). The LV and HV groups showed similar increases in vertical jump performance. The LV group significantly increased its performance in SJ, CMJ, and HJ (p < 0.001-0.05), whereas the HV group showed significant improvements only in SJ and CMJ (p < 0.001). Furthermore, neither group increased their sprint or change of direction performance. Control group did not improve in any performance variable analyzed. Therefore, the LV and HV plyometric training programs produce similar benefits on jump performance variables, but LV is more repetition-efficient than HV in young basketball players. This supports the statement that there is a nonlinear relationship between training volume and performance improvements.

Prevention of Sudden Death in Sports: A Global and Multidisciplinary Observatory for Scientific Research and Knowledge Transfer (PREMUBID).

Background: The health benefits of sports and exercise training are well known. However, an acute bout of exercise transiently increases the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). To minimize the cardiovascular risks of exercise, more insight into the prevention and causes of SCD is needed. Methods: The observatory for the prevention of sudden death in sports, PREMUBID, was created with the aim of fostering research to assess the benefits and risks of exercise at different volumes and intensities and to get insight into the underlying mechanisms of potentially cardiac (mal) adaptations. Results: The observatory gathers researchers from a wide range of disciplines working at institutions in Europe and North America. The guiding principles of PREMUBID are to broaden the understanding of SCD in sports, strengthening collaborative research across the globe, and to develop, implement and evaluate robust pre-participation screening and emergency care strategies to further reduce the number of fatal cardiac events in sport events. During the inaugural meeting of the observatory, members and affiliated researchers discussed possibilities to initiate collaborative research projects and to exchange staff and students to share information and practices to prevent SCD. The final goal is to translate the obtained knowledge to understandable messages for the general population and healthcare workers to ensure that the population at large benefits from it. Conclusions: The PREMUBID consortium aims to produce novel knowledge and insights in SCD prevention, in order to maximize the health benefits associated with acute and long-term exercise training.

Influencia de las clases de educación física sobre el nivel de actividad física medido a través de una aplicación móvil en adolescentes / Influence of physical education classes on the level of physical activity measured through a mobile application in adolescents

La literatura científica ha demostrado a través de diversos métodos (cuestionarios y acelerómetros, principalmente) que las clases de educación física (EF) influyen positivamente en el logro de las recomendaciones de actividad física (AF) en la población escolar. Sin embargo, el uso de nuevas tecnologías como los teléfonos móviles o smartphone, parecen ser una interesante herramienta de bajo costo que también podrían ayudar a determinar el nivel de AF. Por tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue describir como influye la clase de EF en el número de pasos diarios en escolares que utilizaron una aplicación móvil “RuntasticPedometer” para monitorear dicha variable. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 50 estudiantes (edad media de 14.1 +/-1.6 años) pertenecientes al Instituto de Educación Secundaria “Melchor de Macanaz” de la localidad de Hellín (Albacete, España). Tras analizar los datos, se observaron diferencias significativas (p<0.05) durante los días en que los escolares realizaron la clase de EF y los que no (9.950 vs. 8.023 pasos/día,respectivamente). Además, la variación entre los días con y sin EF también fueron estadísticamente diferentes entre niños y niñas (2.644 vs. 1.579 pasos/día, respetivamente).Finalmente, se podría concluir que las clases de EF parecen influir positivamente en el aumento del número de pasos en escolares, lo que elevaría las posibilidades de que estos niños y niñas logren los parámetros mínimos de AF recomendada por las diversas organizaciones de salud. Por otro lado, cabe señalar que el uso de nuevas tecnologías de uso masivo como los smartphone, podrían ser una interesante herramienta a validar orientadas al monitoreo de la AF.

The scientific literature has demonstrated through various methods (questionnaires and accelerometers, mainly), the classes of physical education (PE) positively influence the achievement of the recommendations of physical activity (PA) in the school population. However, the use of new technologies such as mobile phones or smartphone, appear to be an interesting inexpensive tool that could also help determine the level of AF. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe as PE class influences in the daily number of steps in school who used a mobile application "Runtastic Pedometer" to monitor the variable. The sample consisted of 50 students (mean age 14.1 +/- 1.6 years) belonging to the Institute of Secondary Education "MelchorMacanaz" from the Hellín (Albacete, Spain). After analyzing the data, significant differences (p <0.05) were observed during the days when the school made PE class and those without (8,023 vs. 9,950 steps / day, respectively). Moreover, the variations between days with and without EF were also statistically different between boys and girls (2,644 vs. 1,579 steps/day,respectively). Finally, one could conclude that PE classes seem positively influence the increase in the number of steps in school raising the chances that these children achieve the minimum standards recommended HF various health organizations. On the other hand, it notes that the use of new technologies in widespread use as the smartphone could be an interesting tool to validate oriented monitoring AF.