sports science – Seite 3

elite sports performance sports medicine preparticipation sports science

Vitamin D levels and predictors in Swiss elite athletes – recommandation for supplementation

Background: Vitamin D concentrations corresponding to 75 nmol/L of 25(OH)D or more have been related to maintained muscle function, growth and regeneration, to optimal bone health and immunology in athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate prevalence and predictors of insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations in athletes and to come up with recommendations for our Swiss athletes. Methods: 603 competitive Swiss athletes were assessed during their annual pre-participation examination. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information about potential predictors for 25(OH)D concentrations.

elite sports sports medicine preparticipation sports science monitoring

Iron deficiency in athletes – new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment

Background: Iron deficiency (ID), worldwide a common affection is associated with reduced performance, fatigue and increased risk for infections. Athletes are a risk-population due to a higher prevalence of restrictive diets or exercise-induced inflammation. Particularly in athletes, the diagnosis of ID based on unspecific symptomes or routine laboratory diagnostics with ferritin is not always reliable. The goal of this study was therefore to discover if a new diagnostic approach adding zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) or soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) in the routine assessment of ID in athletes is helpful or even necessary.

sports science

The climbing protocol of the Swiss Alpine Club – an approximation of biological correlates?

Introduction: Sport climbing is becoming more and more popular however, protocols for analyzing technique do rarely exist. One common tool in Switzerland is the standard climbing protocol of SAC, which is oriented at the standard movement of climbing allowing to rate individual technique. In this study interaction of blood lactate concentration and its interaction with technique scores were analyzed. Methods: 12 sportclimbers of good leisure sport level with regular climbing activity performed 3 previously unknown routes with difficulties of 6–, 6, 6+ (UIAA Scale) in a climbing hall.

sports science education innovation

Follow sports science news with pictures : the value of infographics

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die Zahl der wissenschaftlichen Studien im Gebiet der Sportmedizin oder zu sportlichen Leistungen im weiteren Sinne erheblich zugenommen. Immer mehr Fachzeitschriften sind verfügbar, und die Zahl der eingereichten Manuskripte nimmt im Laufe der Jahre weiter zu. Interessanterweise beschäftigt sich ein wachsender Teil dieser Arbeiten mit Themen, die direkt die Akteure (Ärzte, Physiotherapeuten, Trainer, Sportlehrer, Sportwissenschaftler usw.) betreffen, welche sich täglich mit den Athleten befassen.

sports and youth sports science

Diving medicine in children and adolescents

The special feature in recreational scuba diving is the high ambient pressure under water. As a consequence, specific behavioral rules and special requirements exist for safe diving in children and adolescents, especially for the preparticipation examination done by the diving physician. In this overview article, we describe the physical basics of diving, the sport-specific characteristics of recreational scuba diving with a special focus on children and adolescents (Declaration of Eisenach). We describe the requirements for health and for the medical certification for scuba diving.

elite sports performance exercise physiology sports and technology sports medicine sports science

Genetic polymorphisms in alpha-actinin 3 and adrenoceptor beta genes in Austrian elite athletes and healthy controls

Background: During the last years many studies were conducted to investigate the contribution of various genetic variants to endurance and sprint/power performance of elite athletes. Data on team sport athletes are missing to a large extent. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of selected polymorphisms on elite athlete status in Austrian team sport (handball, soccer), endurance and power athletes as well as in healthy control subjects.

coaching exercise physiology load training sports science

Influense of exercise duration in HIT strength training

High intensity training (HIT) is a variant of single-set training. It is becoming increasingly popular in strength training practice. Contrary to the large number of research on multiple-set training, empirical investigations addressing HIT are rare. There is evidence that an important factor for muscle hypertrophy is the muscle time under tension (TUT). However, scientific knowledge about the optimal length of the TUT is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the effects of a rather short TUT (20–40 s) with a rather long TUT (50–70 s) during HIT strength training. Nine experienced recreational sportsmen completed a ten week HIT strength training either with the short or the long TUT.

antidoping elite sports sports medicine pharmacology sports science monitoring

Challenges with the biological passport: from sampling to interpretation

In 2008, the World Anti-Doping Agency officially launched the biological passport. The first validated module to operate was the blood module to fight erythropoietin (EPO) and blood transfusion abuse. It has been quite efficient to catch some doped athletes, but above all, was very good in reducing the prevalence of doping. It is unclear if athletes stopped doping or have adapted and are taking micro doses of EPO or transfusing small blood volumes. More recently, the steroid module was released, but until now, the number of urine adverse passport cases is very low.

exercise physiology load training sports science

Increase in explosive strength using sensorimotor training: a study of acute effects

The knowledge of the effects of conditioning muscle activities on the following performances is highly relevant in professional sports. In this paper, an attempt was made to analyse the direct effects of a sensorimotor training (SMT) on the explosive leg strength. Therefore 28 physically active subjects were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG). Subjects were tested on two separate days. Isometric maximum voluntary contractions were investigated in a leg press. Maximum rate of force development RFDmax as well as neuromuscular activation of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles were analysed in all subjects and compared between days.

elite sports performance sports science

High relevance of difference in trail characteristics for average running times in orienteering

Background Orienteering takes place in a range of different areas including mountains and woodlands, whereby motoric and coordinative requirements on the orienteers differ strongly depending on the respective terrain. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in average speed of orienteers in three terrain types in Switzerland: Alps, Jura and Mittelland.