Alexander Witzki

Importance of sports during youth and exercise barriers in 20- to 29-year-old male nonathletes differently motivated for regular physical activities.

Abstract Leyk, D, Witzki, A, Sievert, A, Rohde, U, Moedl, A, Rüther, T, Löllgen, H, and Hackfort, D. Importance of sports during youth and exercise barriers in 20- to 29-year-old male nonathletes differently motivated for regular physical activities. J Strength Cond Res 26(7): S15–S22, 2012—The number of sedentary young adults has dramatically increased in past decades, and sedentary lifestyles are adopted at an increasingly earlier age. Little is known about barriers or predictors to (re)initiate regular physical activity in this group. The purpose of the study is to (a) identify subgroups in nonathletes differing in their amenability to physical exercise, (b) to analyze them for differences in barriers and intention to exercise, and (c) compare importance of sports during youth in nonathletes to trained peers. Using a health and fitness questionnaire 589 nonathletes were queried in the cross-sectional survey and compared with 270 trained peers. Athletic abstainers (A), lower (L), and higher (H) motivated nonathletes were separated based on previous engagement in sports. Of the nonathletes, 54.7% reported only 1 barrier to exercise. Although this feature was most prominent in H (71.5%), the other groups showed significantly more barriers and a broader distribution. Similar characteristics but minor differences were observed for perceived importance of sports during youth. The most significant differences between athletes and nonathletes emerged enquiring the attitude and activity of the parents. The majority of nonathletes (72.8%) indicate their intention to exercise in the future. Their intention differed significantly in H (88.1%), L (76.1%), and A (59.1%). However, there are good reasons to doubt that most of those intending nonathletes will actually become physically active. Even in the analyzed narrow age range of men different motivated groups of nonathletes were found. Because of the differences in receptiveness and approachability health promotion policies may not only consider the often recommended tailored interventions but also carefully designed incentive programs.

Concept for a Predeployment Assessment of Basic Military Fitness in the German Armed Forces.

Abstract Rohde, U, Sievert, A, Rüther, T, Witzki, A, and Leyk, D. Concept for a predeployment assessment of Basic Military Fitness in the German armed forces. J Strength Cond Res 29(11S): S211–S215, 2015—Military fitness is defined as a hierarchical 4-level construct in the German armed forces: (a) “Fundamental/Baseline Fitness,” (b) “Basic Military Fitness,” (c) “Task Fitness,” and (d) “Mission Fitness.” “Fundamental/Baseline Fitness” is assessed with the “Basic Fitness Test.” However, this test alone is not sufficient to assess readiness for the physical demands of deployments. The first part of the article describes the development of a tool mirroring the specific physiological requirements of military operations on a joint forces level. The “Basic Military Fitness Tool” (BMFT) combines 4 crucial military demands into one single timed test run performed with field uniform (5 kg), body armor (13.4 kg), and helmet (1.6 kg): (a) maneuver under fire: 130 m run with changes in direction, velocity, and body position, (b) casualty rescue: 40 m of dragging a 50 kg load, (c) load carrying: 100 m carrying of two 18 kg loads, and (d) load lifting: lifting a 24 kg load on to a 1.25 m high rack 5 times. The second part covers the first assessment of BMFT selectivity between high- and low-performing groups. Muscle mass and strength are important factors for working with loads. Thus, female soldiers are expected to need more time to complete BMFT because of their on average lower muscle mass. Eighteen female (age = 28.5 ± 6.6 years, lean body mass [LBM] = 45.0 ± 4.5 kg; mean ± SD) and 104 male soldiers (age = 30.0 ± 8.4, LBM = 64.3 ± 7.1) completed isometric strength testing (hand grip = 344.3 ± 51.4 N and 547.3 ± 79.1 N, elbow flexors = 118.9 ± 16.9 and 235.1 ± 42.0, knee extensors = 433.2 ± 87.4 and 631.4 ± 111.4) and BMFT (259.2 ± 44.0 and 150.0 ± 21.1 s). Except age, all variables differed significantly (p < 0.01) between groups.

Strength Training for Women as a Vehicle for Health Promotion at Work

BACKGROUND Women, on average, have less muscle strength than men. This anthropometric-physiological trait may make them more vulnerable to ex - cessive physical strain, injury, and inability to work. Strength training is used for preventive health maintenance and to lessen musculoskeletal symptoms. In this context, we studied whether the degree of muscle strength has any effect on womens health in everyday working life, and also the effects of strength training for women on their health in the workplace. METHODS We systematically searched the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and SPOLIT databases for pertinent publications, in accordance with the PRISMA criteria for literature searches. We analyzed all of the retrieved randomized controlled trials conducted on women aged 18 to 65 to determine the effects of training on muscle strength, physical performance ability, and health-related parameters including body composition, musculo - skeletal pain, and subjective well-being. RESULTS We did not find any studies that provided answers to the first question. As for the second question, the selection criteria were met by 12 of the 4969 retrieved studies, which dealt with the effect of strength training on health in the occupational environment and involved a total of 1365 female subjects. These studies were carried out in heterogeneous subject groups, with a variety of overlapping interventions consisting of both strength and endurance training. Significantly increased strength was found in all studies, as was a reduction of pain in all of the studies where this question was asked. Inconsistent results were obtained with respect to body weight, body composition, and subjective well-being. CONCLUSION The interventions that were conducted in these studies succeeded in increasing strength and reducing pain, even when the training was brief and of low intensity. This was true not only for women working in occupations requiring unusual physical strength, but also for those in sedentary occupations. The small number of studies performed on this subject to date is surprising in view of the high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in women.

Reliability and Validity of Low Temporal Resolution Eye Tracking Systems in Cognitive Performance Tasks

Eyetrackingexperimentsareanimportantcontributiontohumancomputerinteraction(HCI)research. Eyemovementsindicateattention,informationprocessing,andcognitivestate.Oculomotoractivity isusuallycapturedwithhightemporalresolutioneye trackingsystems,whichareexpensiveand notaffordableforeveryone.Moreover,thesesystemsrequirespecifichard-andsoftware.However, affordableandpracticalsystemsareneededespeciallyforappliedresearchconcerningmobileHCI in everyday life. This study examined the reliability/validity of low temporal resolution devices bycomparingdataofatable-mountedsystemwithanelectrooculogram.Gazepatternsoftwenty participantswererecordedwhileperformingavisual reactionandasurveillance task.Statistical analysesshowedhighconsistencybetweenbothmeasurementsystemsforrecordedgazeparameters. Theseresultsindicatethatdatafromlowtemporalresolutioneyetrackersaresufficienttoderive performancerelatedoculomotorparametersandthatsuchsolutionspresentaviablealternativefor appliedHCIresearch. KEywoRdS Cognition, Electrooculogram, EOG, Eye Movement, Fixations, Gazing, Oculomotor System, Saccades

Even One Is Too Much: Sole Presence of One of the Risk Factors Overweight, Lack of Exercise, and Smoking Reduces Physical Fitness of Young Soldiers.

Abstract Leyk, D, Witzki, A, Willi, G, Rohde, U, and Rüther, T. Even one is too much: Sole presence of one of the risk factors overweight, lack of exercise, and smoking reduces physical fitness of young soldiers. J Strength Cond Res 29(11S): S199–S203, 2015—Health and physical fitness are key factors for soldiers. Increased sedentary military work, significant sitting periods during commuting and leisure time, and unhealthy dietary habits have caused a considerable increase in the number of physically unfit soldiers. Even worse, the adoption of harmful lifestyle habits occurs increasingly earlier in life. The aim of this cross-sectional study was (a) to determine the physical fitness of young male soldiers and (b) to investigate the association between physical fitness and both the presence and frequency of the health risk factors overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. A total of 4,553 volunteers aged 18–25 years performed the Basis Fitness Test consisting of the 3 disciplines agility (11 × 10 m shuttle sprint), strength (flexed-arm hang), and endurance (1,000-m run). The presence and frequency of risk factors were determined by means of anthropometric measures (body mass index, waist circumference) and questionnaire data. The portion of soldiers without risk factors decreased from 49.4% (18-year-olds) to 16.4% for 25-year-olds. Persons without risk factors completed the agility test in 41.1 ± 3.7 seconds, flexed-arm hang in 60.1 ± 19.7 seconds, and 1,000-m run in 235 ± 32 seconds. Physical performance in all dimensions tested (agility, strength, endurance) notably deteriorated with the sole presence of one of the risk factors overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. Any further risk factor led to further fitness decreases (p < 0.001). Mean performances of soldiers with 3 risk factors were 46.7 ± 4.1 seconds (11 × 10 m shuttle sprint), 27.6 ± 6.4 seconds (flexed-arm hang), and 298 ± 45 seconds (1,000-m run). Impacts of unhealthy lifestyles and significant losses in physical fitness are already visible in young male soldiers. Armed Forces must intensify their efforts to maintain health and performance of their soldiers.