Daniel J. Peart

The effect of heavy resistance exercise on repeated sprint performance in youth athletes

Abstract This investigation assessed whether prior heavy resistance exercise would improve the repeated sprint performance of 16 trained youth soccer players (Age 17.05 ± 0.65 years; height 182.6 ± 8.9 cm; body mass 77.8 ± 8.2 kg). In session 1, individual 1 repetition max was measured utilising a squat movement. In sessions 2 and 3, participants performed a running-based repeated anaerobic sprint test with and without prior heavy resistance exercise of 91% of their 1 repetition max. Times were recorded for each of the 6 sprints performed in the repeated sprint test and summed to provide total time. T-tests compared the two exercise conditions via differences in corresponding sprint times and total time. Analysis revealed significantly reduced total time with use of heavy resistance exercise (33.48 (±1.27) vs. 33.59 (±1.27); P = 0.01). Sprints 1 (P = 0.05) and 2 (P = 0.02) were also faster in the heavy resistance exercise condition (5.09 (±0.16) vs. 5.11 (±0.16) and 5.36 (±0.24) vs. 5.45 (±0.26) seconds respectively) although no other differences were shown. Findings demonstrate improved sprint times of trained adolescent soccer players after heavy resistance exercise although benefits appear not as sustained as in adult participants.

Coconut Water Does Not Improve Markers of Hydration During Sub-maximal Exercise and Performance in a Subsequent Time Trial Compared with Water Alone

The purpose of this study was to compare markers of hydration during submaximal exercise and subsequent time trial performance when consuming water (PW) or coconut water (CW). There was also a secondary aim to assess the palatability of CW during exercise and voluntary intake during intense exercise. 10 males (age 27.9 ± 4.9 years, body mass 78.1 ± 10.1kg, average max minute power 300.2 ± 28.2W) completed 60-min of submaximal cycling followed by a 10-km time trial on two occasions. During these trials participants consumed either PW or CW in a randomized manner, drinking a 250 ml of the assigned drink between 10-15 min, 25-30 min and 40-45 min, and then drinking ad libitum from 55-min until the end of the time trial. Body mass and urine osmolality were recorded preexercise and then after 30-min, 60-min, and post time trial. Blood glucose, lactate, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion (RPE; 6-20) and ratings of thirst, sweetness, nausea, fullness and stomach upset (1 =very low/none, 5= very high) were recorded during each drink period. CW did not significantly improve time trial performance compared with PW (971.4 ± 50.5 and 966.6 ± 44.8 s respectively; p = .698) and there was also no significant differences between trials for any of the physiological variables measured. However there were subjective differences between the beverages for taste, resulting in a significantly reduced volume of voluntary intake in the CW trial (115 ± 95.41 ml and 208.7 ± 86.22 ml; p < .001).

An investigation into a contactless photoplethysmographic mobile application to record heart rate post-exercise: Implications for field testing

Summary Study aim: the aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of a contactless photoplethysmographic mobile application (CPA) to record post-exercise heart rate and estimate maximal aerobic capacity after the Queen’s College Step Test. It was hypothesised that the CPA may present a cost effective heart rate measurement tool for educators and practitioners with limited access to specialised laboratory equipment. Materials and Methods: seventeen participants (eleven males and six females, 28 ± 9 years, 75.5 ± 15.5 kg, 173.6 ± 9.8 cm) had their heart rate measured immediately after the 3-min test simultaneously using the CPA, a wireless heart rate monitor (HRM) and manually via palpation of the radial artery (MAN). Results: both the CPA and MAN measurements had high variance compared to the HRM (CV = 31 and 11% respectively, ES = 1.79 and 0.65 respectively), and there were no significant correlations between the methods. Maximal oxygen consumption was estimated 17% higher in CPA compared to HRM (p < 0.001). Conclusions: in conclusion it is recommended that field practitioners should exercise caution and assess the accuracy of new freely available technologies if they are to be used in practice.

High-intensity interval walking in combination with acute green tea extract supplementation reduces postprandial blood glucose concentrations in physically inactive participants

Background: Exercise and green tea supplementation have been shown to have the potential to improve postprandial blood glucose concentrations, but past interventions have not often investigated attainable and time effective exercise protocols. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interval walking exercise and acute green tea extract supplementation on the glycaemic response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Method: Twelve physically inactive participants (nine male, three female, age: 22 ± 1 years; body mass: 81.2 ± 16.3 kg; stature: 175.7 ± 9.6 cm; body mass index (in kg/m2): 26.2 ± 4.3) underwent a 2-h OGTT immediately following i) no intervention (REST), ii) placebo and exercise (EX-PLAC), iii) green tea extract supplementation and exercise (EX-GTE), in a random order. The walking exercise consisted of 6 × 1 min of brisk walking (7.92 ± 0.56 km/h) separated by 1 min of slower walking (4.8 km/h). Differences between groups were identified using magnitude-based inferences. Results: The EX-GTE intervention resulted in a ∼9% most likely beneficial effect on blood glucose area under the curve response to the OGTT (702.18 ± 76.90 mmol/L–1·120 min–1) compared with REST (775.30 ± 86.76 mmol/L–1·120 min–1), and a very likely beneficial effect compared with the EX-PLAC (772.04 ± 81.53 mmol/L–1·120 min–1). Conclusion: These data suggest that an EX-GTE intervention can reduce postprandial glucose concentrations in physically inactive individuals.

Perceived Stress in University Students Studying in a Further Education College.

Abstract Previous research investigating perceived stress and mental health in UK university students has used a sample population from higher education institutes (HEIs). To the authors’ knowledge, there is no literature specifically examining stress in a student population within a higher education in further education (HE-in-FE) environment. The aim of this study was to address this gap in the literature by investigating the perceived stress of HE-in-FE students. Ninety-four participants (mean age 28.7 ± SD 9.6 years) completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), with a mean score of 17.9 ± 7.2. The unidimensional measure was correlated with various demographical characteristics including age, gender, employment, self-directed study time, and time spent caring for others (e.g. children). Findings are comparable to previous investigations that used students at HEIs, and it can be suggested that despite the different context in which HE-in-FE students complete their higher education study and the ‘untraditional’ demographic from which they come, levels of perceived stress appear to be comparable to those of the ‘traditional’ undergraduate. Further analysis revealed significantly greater perceived stress in female students and it is recommended that future work employs a mixed-methods approach to further examine the implications of and possible reasons for this.

Student use and perception of technology enhanced learning in a mass lecture knowledge-rich domain first year undergraduate module

The purpose of this study was to examine student use and perceptions of technology enhanced learning tools (TELTs), including their value for learning. Students enrolled onto a 12-week undergraduate science module had access to four TELTs each week, (i) a recording of the lecture (Panopto™), (ii) an animated mini review of the lecture (ShowMe), (iii) a multiple choice quiz hosted on Blackboard® (MCQ), and (iv) a module Twitter feed. Ninety-five students completed a survey at the end of the module, which included quantitative and qualitative questions, to examine whether they perceived the TELT to be useful for their learning. Analysis of the quantitative data suggest that Twitter was used significantly less than the other three TELTs (pu2009<u20090.001) with less people agreeing that it helped their learning (pu2009<u20090.001), whilst ShowMe and MCQ had a greater occurrence of an ‘agree’ rating compared to Twitter and Panopto (pu2009≤u20090.002). A thematic analysis of the qualitative responses identified assessment as a common theme across all four TELTs, being a positive factor for Panopto, ShowMe and MCQ, but negative for Twitter. Students highlighted ShowMe as being particularly useful for simplifying information. Based on this study TELTs similar to ShowMe (i.e. animations) are most recommended as this was one of the two highly rated TELTs (alongside MCQ), but may have more potential for crossover with other subjects, and students found it useful for more than just assessment.

Comparison of a mobile application to estimate percentage body fat to other non-laboratory based measurements

Summary Study aim: The measurement of body composition is important from a population perspective as it is a variable associated with a person’s health, and also from a sporting perspective as it can be used to evaluate training. This study aimed to examine the reliability of a mobile application that estimates body composition by digitising a two-dimensional image. Materials and methods: Thirty participants (15 men and 15 women) volunteered to have their percentage body fat (%BF) estimated via three different methods (skinfold measurements, SFM; bio-electrical impedance, BIA; LeanScreenTM mobile application, LSA). Intra-method reproducibility was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficient of variance (CV) and typical error of measurement (TEM). The average measurement for each method were also compared. Results: There were no significant differences between the methods for estimated %BF (p = 0.818) and the reliability of each method as assessed via ICC was good (≥0.974). However the absolute reproducibility, as measured by CV and TEM, was much higher in SFM and BIA (≤1.07 and ≤0.37 respectively) compared with LSA (CV 6.47, TEM 1.6). Conclusion: LSA may offer an alternative to other field-based measures for practitioners, however individual variance should be considered to develop an understanding of minimal worthwhile change, as it may not be suitable for a one-off measurement.