An analysis of training load in highly trained female football players.

This observational study aimed to analyze external training load in highly trained female football players, comparing starters and non-starters across various cycle lengths and training days. METHOD: External training load [duration, total distance [TD], high-speed running distance [HSRD], sprint distance [SpD], and acceleration- and deceleration distance [AccDecdist] from 100 female football players (22.3 ± 3.7 years of age) in the Norwegian premier division were collected over two seasons using STATSports APEX. This resulted in a final dataset totaling 10498 observations after multiple imputation of missing data. Microcycle length was categorized based on the number of days between matches (2 to 7 days apart), while training days were categorized relative to match day (MD, MD+1, MD+2, MD-5, MD-4, MD-3, MD-2, MD-1). Linear mixed modeling was used to assess differences between days, and starters vs. non-starters. RESULTS: In longer cycle lengths (5-7 days between matches), the middle of the week (usually MD-4 or MD-3) consistently exhibited the highest external training load (~21-79% of MD TD, MD HSRD, MD SpD, and MD AccDecdist); though, with the exception of duration (~108-120% of MD duration), it remained lower than MD. External training load was lowest on MD+2 and MD-1 (~1-37% of MD TD, MD HSRD, MD SpD, MD AccDecdist, and ~73-88% of MD peak speed). Non-starters displayed higher loads (~137-400% of starter TD, HSRD, SpD, AccDecdist) on MD+2 in cycles with 3 to 7 days between matches, with non-significant differences (~76-116%) on other training days. CONCLUSION: Loading patterns resemble a pyramid or skewed pyramid during longer cycle lengths (5-7 days), with higher training loads towards the middle compared to the start and the end of the cycle. Non-starters displayed slightly higher loads on MD+2, with no significant load differentiation from MD-5 onwards.

Comparison of resistance training using barbell half squats and trap bar deadlifts on maximal strength, power performance, and lean mass in recreationally active females: an eight-week randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high load resistance training using barbell half squats compared with trap bar deadlifts on maximal strength, power performance, and lean mass in recreationally active females. METHODS: Twenty-two recreationally active female participants (age: 26.9 ± 7.7 yrs.; height: 166.0 ± 5.1 cm; weight: 68.6 ± 9.9 kg) were randomly assigned to either a barbell half squat group (SG: n = 10) or trap bar deadlift group (DG: n = 12). Training consisted of twice-weekly sessions for eight weeks. Both groups completed one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing for both barbell half squat and trap bar deadlift groups. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and sprint performance were also assessed. Total body (TBLM) and leg lean mass (LLM) were measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Between-group differences were analysed using analysis of covariance. RESULTS: SG tended to improve 1RM half squat (21.0 ± 11.5 kg vs. 13.1 ± 7.5 kg) more than DG (mean difference (MD): 8.0 kg, 95% CI: -0.36 - 16.3 kg). A similar pattern in favour of DG (18.4 ± 11.2 vs. 11.7 ± 8.1 kg) compared to SG was observed (MD: 6.5 kg, 95% CI: -2.5 - 15.6 kg). No between-group differences for sprint, jump or lean body mass changes was observed. For groups combined, the following changes in CMJ (2.0 ± 2.4 cm), 5-m sprint (-0.020 ± 0.039 s), 15-m sprint (-0.055 ± 0.230 s), TBLM (0.84 ± 1.12 kg), and LLM (0.27 ± 0.59 kg) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: An exercise intervention consisting of half squats or trap bar deadlift were associated with improved muscle strength, power, and lean mass. Our findings suggests that in recreationally active females, exercise selection is less of a concern provided that heavy loads are applied, and relevant muscle groups are targeted.

Females Display Lower Risk of Myocardial Infarction From Higher Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness Than Males: The Tromsø Study 1994-2014.

Objective: To examine the dose-response association between estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) and risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Patients and Methods: Adults who attended Tromsø Study surveys 4-6 (Janurary 1,1994-December 20, 2008) with no previous cardiovascular disease were followed up through December 31, 2014 for incident MI. Associations were examined using restricted cubic splines Fine and Gray regressions, adjusted for education, smoking, alcohol, diet, sex, adiposity, physical activity, study survey, and age (timescale) in the total cohort and subsamples with hyperlipidemia (n=2956), hypertension (n=8290), obesity (n=5784), metabolic syndrome (n=1410), smokers (n=3823), and poor diet (n=3463) and in those who were physically inactive (n=6255). Results: Of 14,285 participants (mean age ± SD, 53.7±11.4 years), 979 (6.9%) experienced MI during follow-up (median, 7.2 years; 25th-75th, 5.3-14.6 years). Females with median eCRF (32 mL/kg/min) had 43% lower MI risk (subdistributed hazard ratio [SHR], 0.57; 95% CI, 0.48-0.68) than those at the 10th percentile (25 mL/kg/min) as reference. The lowest MI risk was observed at 47 mL/kg/min (SHR, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01-0.11). Males had 26% lower MI risk at median eCRF (40 mL/kg/min; SHR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86) than those at the 10th percentile (32 mL/kg/min), and the lowest risk was 69% (SHR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.14-0.71) at 60 mL/kg/min. The associations were similar in subsamples with cardiovascular disease risk factors. Conclusion: Higher eCRF associated with lower MI risk in females and males, but associations were more pronounced among females than those in males. This suggest eCRF as a vital estimate to implement in medical care to identify individuals at high risk of future MI, especially for females.

A large-scale multivariate soccer athlete health, performance, and position monitoring dataset.

Data analysis for athletic performance optimization and injury prevention is of tremendous interest to sports teams and the scientific community. However, sports data are often sparse and hard to obtain due to legal restrictions, unwillingness to share, and lack of personnel resources to be assigned to the tedious process of data curation. These constraints make it difficult to develop automated systems for analysis, which require large datasets for learning. We therefore present SoccerMon, the largest soccer athlete dataset available today containing both subjective and objective metrics, collected from two different elite women's soccer teams over two years. Our dataset contains 33,849 subjective reports and 10,075 objective reports, the latter including over six billion GPS position measurements. SoccerMon can not only play a valuable role in developing better analysis and prediction systems for soccer, but also inspire similar data collection activities in other domains which can benefit from subjective athlete reports, GPS position information, and/or time-series data in general.

The influence of age on the match-to-match variability of physical performance in women's elite football.

Introduction: The fluctuation of external match load throughout a season is influenced by several contextual factors. While some, have been deeply analysed in men's football literature, information is lacking on how other contextual elements, such as player's age or experience, may affect the match-to-match variability of locomotor activities. In fact, aging has been described as a multifactorial process with the potential to affect human performance. The aim of this study is to assess if the variability of match locomotor performances fluctuates according to the players' age. Methods: 59 female players from four top-level clubs were divided into three age groups and monitored during two seasons using GPS APEX (STATSports, Northern Ireland), with a sampling frequency of 10Hz, in 150 official matches to determine the coefficient of variation (CV) of full-match and 1-min peak locomotor demands of total distance (TD), high-speed running distance, sprint distance (SpD), accelerations, and decelerations. To test whether there was a group effect of age on match-to-match variability we used a one-way ANOVA with CV% as the independent variable. Results: CV values of full match variables ranged from 3.8% to 27.8%, with total distance (3.8%) in the peak age group and SpD (27.8%) in the pre-peak age group. Similarly, CV values of 1-min peaks ranged from 4.1% (post-peak group) in TD to 22.3% (peak group) in SpD. Discussion: The main finding was that there were no significant differences between the different age groups in the metrics analysed although trends indicate less variability in the post-peak age group.

The variability of physical match demands in elite women's football.

Peak locomotor demands are considered as key metrics for conditioning drills prescription and training monitoring. However, research in female football has focused on absolute values when reporting match demands, leading to sparse information being provided regarding the degrees of variability of such metrics. Thus, the aims of this study were to investigate the sources of variability of match physical performance parameters in female football players and to provide a framework for the interpretation of meaningful changes between matches.54 female players from four top-level clubs were monitored during one season. GPS APEX (STATSports, Northern Ireland), with a sampling frequency of 10 Hz, were used in 60 official matches (n = 393) to determine the full-match and 1-min peak locomotor demands of total distance (TD), high-speed running distance (HSRD), sprint distance (SpD), accelerations and decelerations (Acc/Dec) and peak speed (Pspeed). For each variable, the between-team, between-match, between-position, between-player, and within-player variability was estimated using linear mixed-effect modelling.With exception to SpD (29.4 vs. 31.9%), all other metrics presented a higher observed match-to-match variability in the 1-min peaks than in the full-match (6.5 vs. 4.6%; 18.7% vs. 15.9%; 12.9 vs. 11.7%; for TD, HSRD and Acc/Dec, respectively). With the exception of SpD, higher changes in 1-min peaks than in full-match values are required to identify meaningful changes in each variable.Different sources of variability seem to impact differently the match physical performance of female football players. Furthermore, to identify meaningful changes, higher changes in 1-min peaks than in full-match values are required.

Affective Valence and Enjoyment in High- and Moderate-High Intensity Interval Exercise. The Tromsø Exercise Enjoyment Study.

Introduction: Exercise at high intensity may cause lower affective responses toward exercise compared with moderate intensity exercise. We aimed to elucidate affective valence and enjoyment in high- and moderate-high interval exercise. Methods: Twenty recreationally active participants (9 females, 11 males, age range: 20-51 years) underwent three different treadmill running exercise sessions per week over a 3-week period, in randomized order; (1) CE70: 45 min continuous exercise at 70% of heart rate maximum (HRmax), (2) INT80: 4 × 4 min intervals at 80% of HRmax, (3) INT90: 4 × 4 min intervals at 90% of HRmax. Pre-tests included graded submaximal steady state intensities and a test to exhaustion for determining peak oxygen uptake and HRmax. Affective valence (pleasure/displeasure) was measured before, during and after the sessions using the Feeling Scale (FS). Enjoyment was assessed before and after the sessions applying the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and during the sessions using the Exercise Enjoyment Scale (EES). Results: The participants felt lower pleasure (between-sessions effect: p = 0.02, p η2: 0.13) during INT90 sessions (FS: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.35-1.92) compared with INT80 (FS: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.62-3.08, p = 0.052) and CE70 sessions (FS: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.72-3.18, p = 0.03), with no differences between INT80 and CE70 sessions (p = 1.00). There were higher enjoyment after INT80 sessions (PACES: 101.5, 95% CI: 95.7-107.3) versus CE70 sessions (PACES: 91.3 95% CI: 85.5-97.1, p = 0.046), and no differences between INT90 (PACES: 98.2, 95% CI: 92.4-103.4) and CE70 (p = 0.29) or INT80 (p = 1.00). For enjoyment during exercise, CE70 were perceived more enjoyable, and INT80 and INT90 less enjoyable in week 2 (EES: week x session: p = 0.01, p η2: 0.11; CE70: 4.3, 95% CI: 3.6-4.9, INT80: 4.6, 95% CI: 3.9-5.2, INT90: 4.0, 95% CI: 3.4-4.7) and 3 (EES: CE70: 4.2, 95% CI: 3.7-4.8, INT80: 4.8, 95% CI: 4.2-5.3, INT90: 4.3, 95% CI: 3.8-4.9) than in week 1 (EES: CE70: 3.5, 95% CI: 3.0-4.0, INT80: 5.0, 95% CI: 4.5-5.5, INT90: 4.5, 95% CI: 4.0-5.0). Conclusion: The negative affective consequences associated with high intensity interval exercise can be alleviated by keeping the intensity at or around 80% of HRmax while preserving the beneficial enjoyment responses associated with interval exercise.

Complex lifestyle intervention among inactive older adults with elevated cardiovascular disease risk and obesity: a mixed-method, single-arm feasibility study for RESTART-a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity and obesity are global public health challenges. Older adults are important to target for prevention and management of disease and chronic conditions. However, many individuals struggle with maintaining increased physical activity (PA) and improved diet. This feasibility study provides the foundation for the RESTART trial, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test a complex intervention to facilitate favourable lifestyle changes older adults can sustain. The primary objective of this study was to investigate study feasibility (recruitment, adherence, side-effects, and logistics) using an interdisciplinary approach. METHODS: This 1-year prospective mixed-method single-arm feasibility study was conducted in Tromsø, Norway, from September 2017. We invited by mail randomly selected participants from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study (2015-2016) aged 55-75 years with sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and elevated cardiovascular risk. Participants attended a 6-month complex lifestyle intervention program, comprising instructor-led high-intensive exercise and nutritionist- and psychologist-led counselling, followed by a 6-month follow-up. All participants used a Polar activity tracker for daily activity monitoring during the intervention. Participants were interviewed three times throughout the study. Primary outcome was study feasibility measures. RESULTS: We invited potential participants (n=75) by mail of which 27 % (n=20) agreed to participate. Telephone screening excluded four participants, and altogether 16 participants completed baseline screening. The intervention and test procedures of primary and secondary outcomes were feasible and acceptable for the participants. There were no exercise-induced injuries, indicating that the intervention program is safe. Participants experienced that the dietary and psychological counselling were delivered too early in the intervention and in too close proximity to the start of the exercise program. Minor logistic improvements were implemented throughout the intervention period. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that it is feasible to conduct a full-scale RCT of a multi-component randomized intervention trial, based on the model of the present study. No dropouts due to exercise-induced injury indicates that the exercises were safe. While minor improvements in logistics were implemented during the intervention, we will improve recruitment and adherence strategies, rearrange schedule of intervention contents (exercise, diet, and psychology), as well as improve the content of the dietary and behavioural counselling to maximize outcome effects in the RESTART protocol. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03807323 Registered 16 January 2019 - retrospectively registered.

Maximal Strength, Sprint, and Jump Performance in High-Level Female Football Players Are Maintained With a Customized Training Program During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 outbreak with partial lockdown has inevitably led to an alteration in training routines for football players worldwide. Thus, coaches had to face with the novel challenge of minimizing the potential decline in fitness during this period of training disruption. METHODS: In this observational pre- to posttest study involving Norwegian female football players (18.8 ± 1.9 years, height 1.68 ± 0.4 m, mass 61.3 ± 3.7 kg), we investigated the effects of a prescribed home-based and group-based intervention, implemented during the COVID-19 lockdown, on maximal muscular force production and high velocity variables. Specifically, maximal partial squat strength one repetition maximum (1RM), counter movement jump (CMJ) and 15 m sprint time were assessed 1 week prior to the lockdown and 12 weeks after the onset of lockdown. We also collected training content and volume from the prescribed training program and self-reported perceived training quality and motivation toward training. RESULTS: We observed no change in 1RM [pretest: 104 ± 12 kg, posttest: 101 ± 11 kg (P = 0.28)], CMJ height [pretest: 28.1 ± 2.3 cm, posttest: 26.8 ± 1.9 (P = 0.09)], and 15 m sprint time [pretest: 2.60 ± 0.08 s, posttest: 2.61 ± 0.07 s (P = 0.52)]. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a prescribed home-based and group-based intervention with increased training time devoted to strength, jump, and sprint ability, and regulated to obtain a sufficient infection control level is feasible and effective to preserve strength, jumping, and sprinting abilities of high-level female football players during a ∼ 3-month period of a pandemic-induced lockdown.

Flywheel squats versus free weight high load squats for improving high velocity movements in football. A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: High load (HL: > 85% of one repetition maximum (1RM)) squats with maximal intended velocity contractions (MIVC) combined with football sessions can be considered a relevant and time-efficient practice for maintaining and improving high velocity movements in football. Flywheel (FW) resistance exercise (RE) have recently emerged with promising results on physical parameters associated with football performance. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial over 6 weeks, 38 recreationally active male football players randomly performed RE with MIVCs two times per week as either 1) FW squats (n = 13) or 2) barbell free weight (BFW) HL squats (n = 13), where a third group served as controls (n = 12). All three groups conducted 2-3 football sessions and one friendly match a week during the intervention period. Pre- to post changes in 10-m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ) and 1RM partial squat were assessed with univariate analyses of variance. RESULTS: The FW and BFW group equally improved their 10-m sprint time (2 and 2%, respectively, within group: both p < 0.001) and jump height (9 and 8%, respectively, within group: both p < 0.001), which was superior to the control group's change (between groups: both p < 0.001). The BFW group experienced a larger increase (46%) in maximal squat strength than the FW group (17%, between groups: p < 0.001), which both were higher than the control group's change (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Squats carried out with FWs or BFWs where both are performed with MIVCs and combined with football sessions, were equally effective in improving sprint time and jump height in football players. The BFW group experienced a more than two-fold larger increase in maximal partial squat strength than the FW group in maximal partial squat strength. This presents FW RE as an alternative to BFW HL RE for improving high velocity movements in football. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04113031 (retrospectively registered, date: 02.10.2019).

Ski Skating Race Technique-Effect of Long Distance Cross-Country Ski Racing on Choice of Skating Technique in Moderate Uphill Terrain.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prolonged ski racing using skating style on technique choice in a transition section among female and male high-level skiers. Fifty three national-to-elite level skiers (20 females: 26.7 ± 4.8 years, 167.0 ± 6.5 m, 61.0 ± 5.1 kg, and 75.5 ± 68.8 FIS points; 33 males: 25.2 ± 3.5 years, 179.0 ± 5.2 cm, 73.1 ± 5.7 kg, and 73.7 ± 63.2 FIS points) were video recorded along a flat-to-uphill transition section of a course during the 30-km (females) and 50-km (males) races at the 2018 Norwegian National Championships. Across laps, section speeds decreased (P < 0.001) in all skiers, with the best-ranked skiers faster than the lowest-ranked (P < 0.001), and males faster than females in the first and middle laps. Section speed within each lap was associated with race performance (r = 0.76-0.86, P < 0.001 in females and r = 0.87-0.89, P < 0.001 in males). The prevalence of Gear 2 (G2) increased, while Gear 3 (G3) use decreased (both P < 0.001) across the subsequent laps, with females preferring G2 more than males in lap one (P = 0.027). In long-distance skate-style skiing, transition performance is representative of race performance and skiers decrease the use of the often-faster G3 technique while increasing the use of the slower G2 technique due to prolonged exercise. Especially female skiers should consider adding some flat-to-uphill G3 practice into established training, specifically early in the session before fatigue may occur.

High Intensity Long Interval Sets Provides Similar Enjoyment as Continuous Moderate Intensity Exercise. The Tromsø Exercise Enjoyment Study.

OBJECTIVE: High intensity interval exercise sessions with interval sets over 3 min may provide superior cardiorespiratory fitness benefits. To our knowledge, the exercise enjoyment of interval sets over 3 min is not yet elucidated. The aim of this study was to examine exercise enjoyment following one session with four intervals of 4 min high intensity exercise (HIIE) versus one session of 45 min moderate intensity continuous exercise (CE) in iso-caloric conditions using a randomized crossover design. METHODS: Seven young healthy participants were recruited to undergo two different exercise sessions in a randomized order: (1) 4 × 4 min intervals at >90% of maximum heart rate (HR max ) with 3 min of rest between interval sets, and (2) 45 min CE at 70% of HR max . Peak oxygen uptake and HR max were evaluated prior to the experiment. The participants reported their perceived exercise enjoyment using the 18-item physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES) questionnaire and their rating of perceived exertion (RPE) using Borg's 6-20 scale. RESULTS: There was no difference in the PACES score between the high intensity interval exercise session [median: 95.5 (inter-quartile range: 21.8)] and the moderate intensity CE session [91.0 (13.5), p = 0.36, r = -0.22]. The participants reported a higher RPE in the high intensity interval exercise session [16.5 (2.0)] compared with the CE session [9.0 (2.0), p = 0.01, r = -0.88]. CONCLUSION: Similar exercise enjoyment was reported following four high intensity intervals of 4 min compared with a moderate intensity CE session in this randomized crossover study with iso-caloric conditions. If enjoyment is a mediating factor for engaging in exercise, one should expect a similar probability of exercise adherence following high intensity 4 min intervals and continuous moderate intensity exercise when prescribing aerobic exercise as preventive medicine.

Improved maximal strength is not associated with improvements in sprint time or jump height in high-level female football players: a clusterrendomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Maximal strength increments are reported to result in improvements in sprint speed and jump height in elite male football players. Although similar effects are expected in females, this is yet to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of maximal strength training on sprint speed and jump height in high-level female football players. METHODS: Two female football teams were team-cluster-randomized to a training group (TG) performing maximal strength training (MST) twice a week for 5 weeks, or control group (CG) doing their regular pre-season preparations. The MST consisted of 3-4 sets of 4-6 repetitions at ≥85% of 1 repetitions maximum (1RM) in a squat exercise. Sprint speed and jump height were assessed in 5-, 10- and 15 m sprints and a counter-movement jump (CMJ) test, respectively. Nineteen participants in TG (18.3 ± 2.7 years) and 14 in CG (18.3 ± 2.4 years) completed pre- and posttests and were carried forward for final analyses. RESULTS: There was no improvement in neither of the sprint times (p > 0.36), nor jump height (p = 0.87). The players increased their 1RM in squats (main of effect of time: p < 0.00, pη2 = 0.704), and an interaction effect of time x group was observed (p < 0.00, pη2 = 0.516) where the TG increased their 1RM more than the CT (between subjects effects: p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.965). CONCLUSIONS: MST improved maximal strength in female football players to a large extent; however, the improvement in maximal strength did not result in any transference to sprint speed or jump height. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov PRS (Protocol registration and results System) with the code NCT04048928, 07.08.2019, retrospectively registered.

Effects of Linear Versus Changes of Direction Repeated Sprints on Intermittent High Intensity Running Performance in High-level Junior Football Players over an Entire Season: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Changes of direction (COD) repeated sprints (RSs) might have greater relevance to football than linear RSs. We aimed to compare the effects of linear and COD RSs on intermittent high intensity running (HIR) over an entire season. METHODS: In total, 19 high-level male football players (16-19 years) randomly performed linear RSs or COD RSs twice a week during their competitive season over 22 weeks. Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2), and 10- and 20-m sprint was assessed pre-, mid- (11 weeks), and post-intervention (22 weeks). Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was assessed pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: There was no interaction effect (time x group) in Yo-Yo IR2 (p = 0.36, pη2 = 0.06) or sprint tests (10 m: p = 0.55, pη2 = 0.04, 20 m: p = 0.28 pη2 = 0.08), and no change differences between groups. There was a main effect of time for Yo-Yo IR2 (p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.31) but not in sprints or VO2max. CONCLUSION: Linear and COD RS exercise twice a week over 22 weeks equally improves intermittent HIR performance but does not improve sprint time or aerobic power in high-level junior football players. However, due to our two-armed intervention, we cannot exclude possible effects from other exercise components in the players' exercise program.

Physical activity levels in adults and elderly from triaxial and uniaxial accelerometry. The Tromsø Study.

INTRODUCTION: Surveillance of physical activity at the population level increases the knowledge on levels and trends of physical activity, which may support public health initiatives to promote physical activity. Physical activity assessed by accelerometry is challenged by varying data processing procedures, which influences the outcome. We aimed to describe the levels and prevalence estimates of physical activity, and to examine how triaxial and uniaxial accelerometry data influences these estimates, in a large population-based cohort of Norwegian adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 5918 women and men aged 40-84 years who participated in the seventh wave of the Tromsø Study (2015-16). The participants wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer attached to the hip for 24 hours per day over seven consecutive days. Accelerometry variables were expressed as volume (counts·minute-1 and steps·day-1) and as minutes per day in sedentary, light physical activity and moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA). RESULTS: From triaxial accelerometry data, 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 21-23%) of the participants fulfilled the current global recommendations for physical activity (≥150 minutes of MVPA per week in ≥10-minute bouts), while 70% (95% CI: 69-71%) accumulated ≥150 minutes of non-bouted MVPA per week. When analysing uniaxial data, 18% fulfilled the current recommendations (i.e. 20% difference compared with triaxial data), and 55% (95% CI: 53-56%) accumulated ≥150 minutes of non-bouted MVPA per week. We observed approximately 100 less minutes of sedentary time and 90 minutes more of light physical activity from triaxial data compared with uniaxial data (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence estimates of sufficiently active adults and elderly are more than three times higher (22% vs. 70%) when comparing triaxial bouted and non-bouted MVPA. Physical activity estimates are highly dependent on accelerometry data processing criteria and on different definitions of physical activity recommendations, which may influence prevalence estimates and tracking of physical activity patterns over time.

Physiological Comparisons of Elite Male Visma Ski Classics and National Level Cross-Country Skiers During Uphill Treadmill Roller Skiing.

Longer distance cross-country ski (14-220 km) races such as the Visma Ski Classics (VSC) has recently gained attention in addition to the traditional Olympic distances (5-50 km) associated with cross-country (XC) skiing. These long-distance races are characterized by extensive use of the upper body while double poling (DP). While there is a substantial amount of research on Olympic distance XC skiing, the physiological capacities of VSC skiers has not yet been explored. We recruited seven elite male VSC skiers and seven well-trained national level male XC skiers to undergo three tests in the laboratory: (1) a one repetition maximum (1RM) strength test in a cable pulldown; (2) roller skiing tests on a treadmill (10.5% inclination) for determination of gross efficiency (GE) at submaximal speeds (8 and 10 km·h-1) in DP and diagonal stride (DS); (3) two ramp protocols to exhaustion (15% inclination, starting speed 7 km·h-1) in DP and DS for the assessment of peak and maximal oxygen uptake ( V . O2peak and V . O2max), respectively. Compared with the national level XC skiers, the VSC skiers performed similar in the 1RM cable pulldown, displayed 12.2% higher GE in DP at 8 km·h-1 but did not display any difference at 10 km·h-1, and had lower blood lactate concentration and heart rate at both submaximal speeds. The VSC skiers had longer time to exhaustion compared with the national level XC skiers during the two ramp protocols in DS (18%) and in DP (29%). The V . O2max was 10% higher in DS compared with DP, with no differences between the groups. The V . O2peak/ V . O2max-ratio of 90% did not differ between the two groups. In conclusion, the main differences were lower cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses at submaximal speeds as well as longer time to exhaustion in VSC skiers compared with national level XC skiers. This suggest efficiency to be the main difference between VSC and national level XC skiers.