Liette Ocker

The Internet and Steroids: A Less Than Honest Relationship

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO INFORM STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROFESSIONALS ABOUT POTENTIALLY DISHONEST TACTICS USED ON THE INTERNET TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE ANABOLIC STEROIDS. PRODUCTS PURCHASED THROUGH THIS MEDIUM MAY HAVE BROAD, DIVERSE, AND UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES FOR USERS. BY DISSEMINATION OF THIS INFORMATION, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROFESSIONALS CAN USE THEIR INFLUENCE TO EDUCATE THOSE INDIVIDUALS MOSTLY AT RISK FOR OBTAINING STEROIDS THROUGH THIS MEDIUM.

The Effects of a Pre-Workout Energy Drink on Measures of Physical Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a pre-workout commercial energy drink on parameters of exercise performance, including anaerobic power, muscular endurance, speed, and reaction time. This study used a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel design. Participants visited the laboratory on two different occasions. On the first visit, participants were assessed for anaerobic power (via a vertical jump test), muscular endurance, reaction time, reactive sprint test, and aerobic power (via a 1.5 mile run). On the second visit, participants were randomly assigned to ingest four ounces of the energy drink beverage or a similar-tasting placebo beverage 30-minutes prior to engaging in these same physical performance tests. The energy drink treatment had no effect on anaerobic power (vertical jump), reaction time, reactive sprint test, or aerobic power. For the push-up to fatigue test, a significant difference (p = 0.014) was observed with the energy drink treatment enhancing performance by 12% as compared to the placebo treatment (improvement of ~ 4%). For the sit-up to fatigue test, a non-significant difference (p = 0.075) was observed with the energy drink treatment resulting in an enhancement of performance by ~13% as compared to no improvement for the placebo treatment. In light of these findings, individuals whose upper-body muscular endurance performance is part of their physical fitness assessment program may benefit from pre-workout energy drink consumption. In contrast, individuals needing to demonstrate anaerobic/aerobic power, or reactive abilities should not expect an improvement in performance from pre-workout energy drink consumption.

Effect of a pre-exercise energy drink (Redline®) on muscular endurance of the trunk

Background Muscular endurance of the trunk is associated with successful performance in athletics, as well as activities of daily living. Furthermore, muscular endurance of the trunk may also play a critical role in injury prevention by allowing individuals to better withstand the effects of repetitive stressors. Pre-exercise, high energy supplements are frequently consumed as a method of improving exercise performance during an acute bout of exercise. Thus, the use of such supplements prior to an exercise session may allow the lifter to perform a greater total volume of work during training sessions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a high energy liquid supplement on a muscular endurance exerciseof the trunk. Methods Forty-one (n=41) healthy males (21.73 ± 1.74 yrs; 176.48 ± 7.54 cm; 81.16 ± 10.94 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. All test subjects completed a health history and caffeine usage questionnaires, as well as a consent form prior to participation. Subjects completed a pre and post sit-up to fatigue test within a week of one another. During the post-test session subjects were either given four ounces of an energy supplement (Redline by VPX) or a placebo, 30 minutes prior to testing. Administration of the supplement was double blind. Twenty-three (n=23) subjects received the supplement, while eighteen (n=18) subjects received the placebo. A 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA was used to determine between group differences for the muscular endurance assessments,at an alpha level of 0.10. Results

Effect of a pre-exercise energy drink (Redline®) on upper-body muscular endurance performance

Background Energy supplements are frequently consumed by athletes and recreational fitness enthusiasts as a method of improving exercise performance. Recent research indicates that these types of supplements influence exercise performance by increasing the number of repetitions that can be performed during an acute bout of exercise, thus increasing the total volume of work that can be performed during training sessions (Hoffman et al., 2008). Therefore, when aiming to improve muscular endurance performance the use of such a supplement may enhance one’s ability to withstand fatigue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a high energy liquid supplement on upper-body muscular endurance performance. Methods Forty-one healthy males (21.73 ± 1.74 yrs; 176.48 ± 7.54 cm; 81.16 ± 10.94 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. All test subjects completed a health history and caffeine usage questionnaire, as well as an informed consent form, prior to participating. Subjects completed a pre and post push-up to fatigue test within a week of one another. During the post-test session subjects were either given four ounces of an energy supplement (Redline by VPX) or a placebo, 30 minutes prior to the push-up to fatigue test. Administration of the supplement was double blind. Twenty-three (n=23) subjects received the supplement, while eighteen (n=18) subjects received the placebo. A 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA was used to determine between group differences for the muscular endurance assessment, at an alpha level of 0.05. Results Data analysis revealed a significant interaction between the treatment effect and the trials, F (1, 40) = 4.13, p = 0.024. Moreover, no significant difference was found between the pretest treatment group and the pretest placebo group, F (1, 40) = 3.07, p = 0.09, indicating that all subjects began the study with similar upper-body muscular endurance. Further examination of posttest main effects revealed a significant difference between the treatment group and the placebo group, F (1, 40) = 6.99, p = 0.01. The pretest push-up scores were similar for the treatment (52.91 ± 18.93) and the placebo group (44.22 ± 10.28). However, the treatment group showed substantially greater push-up scores for the posttest (59.34 ± 19.58) than the placebo group (45.66 ± 11.16). This represented a 12.15% increase in the treatment group’s posttest scores and a 3.25% increase in the placebo group’s posttest scores. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the pre-exercise, liquid energy drink energy supplement investigated in this research had a significant effect on upper-body muscular endurance as measured by the push-up to fatigue test.

Skill-Related Fitness of Undergraduate Kinesiology Students

The purposes of this study were to investigate the skill-related fitness levels of undergraduate kinesiology majors in relation to the general population of college students of the same age, to investigate whether a difference exists between females and males in overall performance, and to examine the relationship between fitness and kinesiology specializations. Undergraduate kinesiology students were assessed using skill-related fitness tests that included scores from power, agility, speed, and balance tests. It was anticipated that undergraduate kinesiology students would possess higher skilled fitness than (or, at a minimum, equal to) the general public; however, the results were ambiguous and also no significant differences were found between female and male performance. Data from this study can serve to update normative population information, to add to the body of knowledge of current fitness levels for this population, and to contribute to the issue of inclusion of fitness standards for kinesiology preprofessionals.

Health-Related Fitness of Undergraduate Kinesiology Majors

PURPOSE: This study investigated the health-related fitness of undergraduate kinesiology majors. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-seven undergraduate kinesiology majors, 98 females (age 22.09 6 2.02 yrs.) and 129 males (age 22.58 6 2.17 yrs.), participated in the study. All participants were enrolled in a mandatory measurement and evaluation course. Participants completed six health-related fitness (HRF) tests covering the four major areas of fitness: body composition, flexibility, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and 3-site skinfold (SKF). Flexibility was assessed using the modified sit and reach. Muscular endurance was assessed using the one-minute situp and one-minute push up test. Cardiorespiratory endurance was assessed using the 1.5 mile run. Descriptive statistics were collected and data analysis was performed by utilizing one-sample t-tests, for each fitness test, to compare the means of HRF of undergraduate kinesiology majors with a set criterion standard of the general population. Raw scores were then standardized and independent t-tests were computed, for each fitness test, to compare the standardized means of HRF between genders. RESULTS: Statistical analyses indicated that female kinesiology majors scored significantly higher on the modified sit and reach (t (97) = 6.53, p = .00), one-minute push up (t (97) = 11.13, p = .00), one-minute sit up (t (97) = 8.21, p = .00) and the 1.5 mile run (t (97) = 24.01, p = .00) but significantly lower in BIA (t (97) = 2.05, p = .04) when compared to the general population. There was no significant difference in SKF (t (97) = 0.18, p = .86) for female kinesiology majors. Male kinesiology majors scored significantly higher in the modified sit and reach (t (128) = 4.01, p = .00), one-minute push up (t (128) = 8.53, p = .00), and the one-minute sit up tests (t (128) = 9.71, p = .00) but significantly lower in BIA (t (128) = 4.35, p = .00), SKF (t (128) = 2.91, p = .00), and the 1.5 mile run (t (128) = 1.98, p = .05) when compared to the general population. No significant differences were found regarding overall performance on fitness tests between genders. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate several significant

The Relationship Between Squat Strength, Vertical Jump, and Power Score of High School Football Players

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant relationship exists between 1RM squat strength, vertical jump performance, and power scores of high school football players. METHODS: Fifty-five male football players from a public high school in Corpus Christi, Texas were used for the study. Height, weight, school classification, 1RM squat strength, vertical jump performance, and power scores were obtained for all participants. The Vertec vertical jump apparatus, American College of Sports Medicine 1RM squat protocol, and the Lewis formula, which calculates power score, were all utilized for the study. The Lewis formula utilizes vertical jump in meters and body weight in kilograms to calculate lower body power production. A counter-movement jump with no step was used to determine vertical jump performance. Data was collected over a two-day period. Descriptive data and vertical jump performance were collected on Day One. One-repetition maximum squat values were collected on Day Two. Pearson’s r correlations were utilized to determine if significant relationships existed between 1RM squat strength and vertical jump, vertical jump and power score, and 1RM squat strength and power score. RESULTS: Correlations coefficients were calculated for 1RM squat strength and vertical jump (r = 0.09, p = 0.51), vertical jump and power score (r = 20.11, p = 0.42), and 1RM squat strength and power score (r = 0.48, p = 0.0002). Also, correlations coefficients were calculated for body weight and vertical jump (r = 20.43, p = 0.001) and body weight and 1RM squat strength (r = 0.4, p = 0.003). Mean 1RM squat strength was 132.9 6 29.9 kg, and mean vertical jump was 59.7 6 8.1 cm. Vertical jump performances by classification were as follows: freshmen (56.2 6 6.1 cm); sophomores (58 6 8.5 cm); juniors (64.4 6 6.3 cm). Mean power score was 2095.5 6 395.2 Watts. Power scores by classification were: freshmen (2149.6 6 411.9W); sophomores (2119.7 6 423.4W); and juniors (2029 6 346.6W). CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS indicated no significant relationship between 1RM squat strength and vertical jump (r = 0.09, p = 0.51) and vertical jump and power score (r = 20.11, p = 0.42). However, a significant relationship did exist between 1RM squat strength and power score (r = 0.48, p = 0.0002). PRACTICAL