Background: The optimization of athlete training load is not a new concept; however in recent years, the concept of “load management” is one of the most widely studied and divisive topics in sports science and medicine. Purpose: Discuss the challenges faced by sports when utilizing training load monitoring and management, with a specific focus on the use of data to inform load management guidelines and policies/mandates, their consequences, and how we move this field forward. Challenges: While guidelines can theoretically help protect athletes, overzealous and overcautious guidelines may restrict an athlete’s preparedness, negatively influence performance, and increase injury risk. Poor methods, wrong interpretation of study findings, and faulty logic do not allow for systematic scientific evaluations to inform guidelines. Practical Solutions: Guidelines and mandates should be developed through a systematic research process with stronger research designs and clear research questions. Collaborating with statistical and epidemiological experts is essential. Implementing open science principles and sharing all sports training load data increase transparency and allow for more rapid and valid advancements in knowledge. Practitioners should incorporate multiple data streams and consider individual athlete responses, rather than applying broad guidelines based on average data. Conclusion: Many current training load guidelines and mandates in sports come from good intentions; however, they are arbitrary without sound knowledge of the underlying scientific principles or methods. Common sense guidelines are helpful when there is sparse literature, but they should be careful to avoid arbitrarily choosing findings from weak research. Without precise scientific inquiries, implementing training load interventions or guidelines can have negative implications.
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Training-Load Management Ambiguities and Weak Logic: Creating Potential Consequences in Sport Training and Performance
Stephen West, Ian Shrier, Franco M. Impellizzeri, Jo Clubb, Patrick Ward, and Garrett Bullock
Challenges and Future Directions for Promoting Intersectional Quantitative Studies in Physical Activity Research
Mari Sone, Teatske M. Altenburg, and Mai J.M. ChinAPaw
Understanding health inequalities is essential for improving social justice. Intersectionality refers to a theoretical framework for studying the intersection of multiple social categorizations that create unique experiences and related social inequalities. Currently, the majority of the intersectional studies in the physical activity field have a qualitative design; thus, there is a need for quantitative intersectional studies. This commentary aims to explore primary obstacles impeding intersectional quantitative research and provide recommendations for overcoming these obstacles in physical activity research. In the commentary, we discuss that the lack of accessibility of large-scale and diverse data sets, and suboptimal social categorizations and intersectionality-related questions may contribute to the scarcity of intersectional quantitative research in the field. To facilitate intersectional quantitative analyses, we advocate for making large-scale data sets accessible for intersectional secondary analyses, diverse sampling, standardizing questions and categories related to intersectionality, promoting inclusive research designs and methods, and using the appropriate questions and social categorization that reflect the distinct experiences of each subgroup. By addressing these challenges, researchers may gain new insights into health disparities, making physical activity research more inclusive and contributing to more equitable health outcomes.
A Holistic Way to Understand the Determinants of Physical Activity in Urban New South Wales, Australia: A Codesigned Systems Mapping Project
Mengyun Luo, Binh Nguyen, Tracy Nau, Simon K. Chiu, Adrian Bauman, Louise Freebairn, William Bellew, Lucie Rychetnik, David T. Burns, Elizabeth A. Calleja, Lucy Corbett, Jennifer L. Kent, David R. Lubans, Anthony D. Okely, Catherine Sherrington, Anne Tiedemann, and Ding Ding
Background: To meet the World Health Organization goal of reducing physical inactivity by 15% by 2030, a multisectoral system approach is urgently needed to promote physical activity (PA). We report the process of and findings from a codesigned systems mapping project to present determinants of PA in the context of urban New South Wales, Australia. Methods: A participatory conceptual mapping workshop was held in May 2023 with 19 participants working in education, transportation, urban planning, community, health, and sport and recreation. Initial maps were developed and refined using online feedback from the participants. Interviews were conducted with 10 additional policymakers from relevant sectors to further refine the maps. Results: Two systems maps were cocreated, identifying over 100 variables influencing PA and their interconnections. Five settings emerged from the adults’ map—social and community, policy, built environment and transportation, health care, and workplace—and 4 for the young people’s map—family, school, transportation, and community and environment. The maps share similarities, such as regarding potential drivers within the transportation, community, and built environment sectors; however, the young people’s map has a specific focus on the school setting and the adults’ map on workplace and health care settings. Interviews with policymakers provided further unique insights into understanding and intervening in the PA system. Conclusions: This codesigned participatory systems mapping process, supplemented by stakeholder interviews, provided a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders across sectors to understand the complexity within the PA system and begin to identify leverage points for tackling physical inactivity in New South Wales.
Navigating Virtual Collisions: Insights Into Perception–Action Differences in Children and Young Adults Using a Head-On Avoidance Task
Megan Hammill, Victoria Rapos, and Michael Cinelli
Children tend to make more last-minute locomotor adjustments than adults when avoiding stationary obstacles. The purpose of this study was to compare avoidance behaviors of middle-aged children (10–12 years old) with young adults during a head-on collision course with an approaching virtual pedestrian. Participants were immersed in a virtual environment and completed a perceptual decision-making task in which they had to respond to the future direction of an approaching virtual pedestrian once they disappeared. Following the perceptual task, participants walked along an 8-m pathway toward a goal, while avoiding a collision with a virtual pedestrian who approached along the midline than veered toward the left, right, or continued walking straight. Results revealed that children were able to correctly predict the future directions of the virtual pedestrian similar to adults, albeit at a slower response time (0.55 s vs. 0.33 s). During the action task, children initiated a deviation in their travel path later (i.e., closer to the virtual pedestrian) compared to adults (1.65 s vs. 1.52 s). Children were also more variable in their onset of deviation and time-to-contact. Although children appear to have developed adult-like perceptual abilities and can avoid an approaching virtual pedestrian, children employ riskier avoidance strategies and are highly variable, suggesting middle-aged children are still fine-tuning their perception-action system.
Validating the Use of Continuous Glucose Monitors With Nondiabetic Recreational Runners
Lesley J. Mason, Timothy Hartwig, and David Greene
Purpose: Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are becoming increasingly popular among endurance athletes despite unconfirmed accuracy. We assessed the concurrent validity of the FreeStyle Libre 2 worn on 2 different sites at rest, during steady-state running, and postprandial. Methods: Thirteen nondiabetic, well-trained recreational runners (age = 40 [8] y, maximal aerobic oxygen consumption = 46.1 [6.4] mL·kg–1·min–1) wore a CGM on the upper arm and chest while treadmill running for 30, 60, and 90 minutes at intensities corresponding to 50%, 60%, and 70% of maximal aerobic oxygen consumption, respectively. Glucose was measured by manually scanning CGMs and obtaining a finger-prick capillary blood glucose sample. Mean absolute relative difference, time in range, and continuous glucose Clarke error grid analysis were used to compare paired CGM and blood glucose readings. Results: Across all intensities of steady-state running, we found a mean absolute relative difference of 13.8 (10.9) for the arm and 11.4 (9.0) for the chest. The coefficient of variation exceeded 70%. Approximately 47% of arm and 50% of chest paired glucose measurements had an absolute difference ≤10%. Continuous glucose Clarke error grid analysis indicated 99.8% (arm) and 99.6% (chest) CGM data fell in clinically acceptable zones A and B. Time-in-range analysis showed reduced accuracy at lower glucose levels. However, CGMs accurately detected trends in mean glucose readings over time. Conclusions: CGMs are not valid for point glucose monitoring but appear to be valid for monitoring glucose trends during steady-state exercise. Accuracy is similar for arm and chest. Further research is needed to determine whether CGMs can detect important events such as hypoglycemia during exercise.
Acute Response of Calcium Lactate Supplementation on the Athletic Performance of Soccer Players Under the Age of 15
Henrique Azevedo, Vitor Azevedo, Daniel Padilha, Irineu Loturco, Guilherme Artioli, David Santos, and Paulo Azevedo
Purpose: To determine the acute response of lactate supplementation on athletic performance. Method: Fifteen athletes under the age of 15 performed the following 4 sessions in a nonrandomized order: (1) familiarization, (2) control, (3) participants ingested calcium lactate (21.5 mg·kg−1 body mass), and (4) participants ingested a placebo (PLA, calcium carbonate, 21.5 mg·kg−1 body mass). The capsules were randomly offered and consumed 60 minutes before the physical tests. To assess the physical performance, the athletes executed squat jump, countermovement squat jump, 20-m linear sprint, change of direction test, and running anaerobic sprint test. Results: There were no significant differences between conditions for squat jump, countermovement jump, change of direction, and minimum power obtained in the running anaerobic sprint test (P > .05). Conversely, we observed a worse performance (P < .05) in the 20-m linear sprint test in the PLA and lactate conditions compared with control (P < .05). The lactate condition worsened performance during running anaerobic sprint test for peak power, mean power, and fatigue index compared with control and PLA (P < .05). Conclusions: Calcium lactate supplementation worsened repetitive running sprint ability and 20-m sprint performance. However, lactate supplementation does not affect jump or agility capacity. Therefore, calcium lactate supplementation seems to be an ineffective strategy to improve anaerobic and neuromuscular performance in soccer players 15 years of age or less.
Antidoping 2.0: Is Adding Power-Output Data to the Antidoping Pool the Next Step? Experts’ Viewpoint
Sebastian Sitko, Pedro Valenzuela, Nathan Townsend, Marco Pinotti, Mikel Zabala, Xabier Artetxe, Gabriele Gallo, Manuel Mateo-March, Dajo Sanders, Frédéric Grappe, David C. Clarke, Teun van Erp, and Aitor Viribay
Background: Efforts are needed to improve antidoping procedures. The widespread use of power meters among cyclists could help in this regard. However, controversy exists on whether performance monitoring through power-output data could be of help for antidoping purposes. Purpose: The objective of the present study was to provide insight into the feasibility and utility of implementing power-based performance monitoring in elite cycling. An expert panel of 15 applied sport scientists and professional cycling coaches were asked for their opinions and perspectives on incorporating power data into the antidoping risk-assessment process. Results: Two different viewpoints were identified from the responses provided by the experts. Some believed that power monitoring could be implemented as an antidoping tool, provided that several surmountable challenges are first addressed. These authors provided suggestions related to the potential practical implementation of such measures. Others, on the contrary, believed that power meters lack sufficient reliability and suggest that the professional cycling world presents conflicts of interest that make this intervention impossible to implement nowadays. Conclusions: The debate around the utility of power-meter data in the antidoping fight has been ongoing for more than a decade. According to the opinions provided by the experts’ panel, there is still no consensus on the real utility and practical implementation of this intervention.
Community-Based Physical Activity Programs for Blood Pressure Management in African Americans: A Scoping Review
Dennis Miezah, Julie A. Wright, and Laura L. Hayman
Background: Hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with a higher prevalence among African Americans (AA) than other racial groups. The impact of community-based interventions on managing blood pressure (BP) in AA communities is not fully understood. The purpose of this review was to synthesize literature on community-based physical activity (PA) programs designed to manage BP in AA populations. Methods: We conducted a scoping review by searching 4 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and APA PsycInfo) and reference lists of studies. Search terms included community PA, community-based, hypertension, high BP, AA, Black Americans, PA, and exercise. Inclusion criteria were studies (1) conducted in the United States and (2) published in English language from January 2013 to September 2023, with community-based interventions that included PA for BP management among AA aged ≥18 years. Results: Search results yielded 260 studies, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria. BP decreased over time in studies that incorporated PA, faith-based therapeutic lifestyle changes with nutritional education. The duration of the PA interventions varied, with moderate to vigorous PAs implemented for 12 weeks or longer having a greater impact on BP management. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that community-based PA programs can potentially reduce BP among AA. PA programs incorporating faith-based therapeutic lifestyle change with nutritional education appear to reduce BP. Practitioners should consider multicomponent community-based PA initiatives to improve BP outcomes in AA communities.
Content Validation and Pilot Testing of the Promoting Active Lifestyle Among Children With Disability Questionnaire in Filipino and English
Mary-Grace Kang, Gabriella Isabel Tablante, Kristofferson Mendoza, Aila Nica Bandong, Roselle Guisihan, Audrey Anne Lim, Frances Rom Lunar, Carlos Dominic Olegario, Esmerita Rotor, and Yves Palad
Background: Primary carers, school teachers, and administrators are key influencers in promoting active lifestyle among children with disabilities (CWD). Guided by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior Model, the Promoting Active Lifestyle among CWD (PALS) Questionnaire aims to determine these influencers’ perceptions, capabilities, opportunities, and motivations in active healthy lifestyle promotion. This study evaluated the content validity and feasibility of the PALS Questionnaire in Filipino and English. Methods: Six experts rated the relevance of the items in the Filipino and English versions of the PALS Questionnaire. Item and scale content validity indices and agreement among raters (modified kappa k*) were computed. The questionnaires were revised and pilot tested among 11 participants comprising primary carers, and special education teachers and administrators using 3 methods of administration: online survey, phone interview, and pen-and-paper survey. Results: Scale-level content validity index indicated excellent content validity (0.96–0.97). Item-level content validity index ranged between 0.67 and 1.00. Interrater agreement on the relevance of all items was excellent (k* = .82–1.00), except for the item on teaching assistants (k* = .56). Most participants found the items easy to understand. The average time needed to complete a questionnaire was 30 minutes. The online version of the questionnaire was identified as the most feasible mode of administration. Conclusion: The PALS Questionnaire is a useful instrument for understanding Filipino primary carers’ and educators’ perceptions on promoting CWD’s active healthy lifestyle. Information from the PALS Questionnaire could inform initiatives toward better CWD health and quality of life.
