and performance (e.g., mental rest; Eccles et al., 2021 ). While the research on athlete health and performance continues, scholars have also begun to turn their attention to the health and performance of the team behind the team —the professionals operating in sport and performance environments
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A Novel Exploration of Occupational Recovery in Certified Mental Performance Consultants
Anthony Magdaleno and Barbara B. Meyer
A Comparison of High Intensity Functional Training and Circuit Training on Health and Performance Variables in Women: A Pilot Study
Gina Sobrero, Scott Arnett, Mark Schafer, Whitley Stone, T. A. Tolbert, Amanda Salyer-Funk, Jason Crandall, Lauren B. Farley, Josh Brown, Scott Lyons, Travis Esslinger, Keri Esslinger, and Jill Maples
High intensity functional training (HIFT) emphasizes constantly varied, high intensity, functional activity by programming strength and conditioning exercises, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, and specialty movements. Conversely, traditional circuit training (TCT) programs aim to improve muscular fitness by utilizing the progressive overload principle, similar movements weekly, and specified work-to-rest ratios. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if differences exist in health and performance measures in women participating in HIFT or TCT after a six-week training program. Recreationally active women were randomly assigned to a HIFT (n = 8, age 26.0 + 7.3 yrs) or TCT (n = 11, age 26.3 + 9.6 yrs) group. Participants trained three days a week for six weeks with certified trainers. Investigators examined body composition (BC), aerobic and anaerobic capacity, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, power, and agility. Repeated-measures ANOVA were used for statistical analyses with an alpha level of 0.05. Both groups increased body mass (p = .011), and improved muscular endurance (p < .000), upper body strength (p = .007), lower body power (p = .029) and agility (p = .003). In addition, the HIFT group decreased body fat (BF) %, while the TCT group increased BF% (p = .011). No changes were observed in aerobic or anaerobic capacity, flexibility, upper body power, or lower body stair climbing power. Newer, high intensity functional exercise programs such as HIFT may have better results on BC and similar effects when compared with TCT programs on health and fitness variables such as musculoskeletal strength and performance.
Perceptions of Current Issues in Female Sport Nutrition From Elite Athletes, Practitioners, and Researchers
Carl Langan-Evans, Colum Cronin, Mark A. Hearris, Kirsty J. Elliott-Sale, and James P. Morton
. However, it is important to note that such actions can result in a subsequent status of low energy availability, leading to acute and chronic maladaptive effects on both health and performance, as has been well characterized in both the Female Athlete Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports models
Research Across the Female Life Cycle: Reframing the Narrative for Health and Performance in Athletic Females and Showcasing Solutions to Drive Advancements in Research and Translation
Kelly L. McNulty, Bernadette C. Taim, Jessica A. Freemas, Amal Hassan, Carly Lupton Brantner, Chimsom T. Oleka, Dawn Scott, Glyn Howatson, Isabel S. Moore, Kate K. Yung, Kirsty M. Hicks, Matthew Whalan, Ric Lovell, Sam R. Moore, Suzanna Russell, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, and Georgie Bruinvels
base to support the individualized and integrated application of health and performance insights specific to athletic females in practice ( Emmonds et al., 2019 ), including across the many different subareas, such as training adaptation, recovery, nutrition, injury, and illness. Although further and
Mechanics of Jazz Shoes and Their Effect on Pointing in Child Dancers
Alycia Fong Yan, Richard Smith, Benedicte Vanwanseele, and Claire Hiller
There has been little scientific investigation of the impact of dance shoes on foot motion or dance injuries. The pointed (plantar-flexed) foot is a fundamental component of both the technical requirements and the traditional aesthetic of ballet and jazz dancing. The aims of this study were to quantify the externally observed angle of plantar flexion in various jazz shoes compared with barefoot and to compare the sagittal plane bending stiffness of the various jazz shoes. Sixteen female recreational child dancers were recruited for 3D motion analysis of active plantar flexion. The jazz shoes tested were a split-sole jazz shoe, full-sole jazz shoe, and jazz sneaker. A shoe dynamometer measured the stiffness of the jazz shoes. The shoes had a significant effect on ankle plantar flexion. All jazz shoes significantly restricted the midfoot plantar flexion angle compared with the barefoot condition. The split-sole jazz shoe demonstrated the least restriction, whereas the full-sole jazz shoe the most midfoot restriction. A small restriction in metartarsophalangeal plantar flexion and a greater restriction at the midfoot joint were demonstrated when wearing stiff jazz shoes. These restrictions will decrease the aesthetic of the pointed foot, may encourage incorrect muscle activation, and have an impact on dance performance.
Short-Term Creatine Supplementation and Repeated Sprint Ability—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Mark Glaister and Lauren Rhodes
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of short-term creatine supplementation on repeated sprint ability. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria of adopting double-blind randomized placebo-controlled designs in which participants (age: 18–60 years) completed a repeated sprint test (number of sprints: 4 < n ≤ 20; sprint duration: ≤10 s; recovery duration: ≤90 s) before and after supplementing with creatine or placebo for 3–7 days in a dose of ∼20 g/day. No exclusion restrictions were placed on the mode of exercise. Meta-analyses were completed using random-effects models, with effects on measures of peak power output, mean power output, and fatigue (performance decline) during each repeated sprint test presented as standardized mean difference (δ), and with effects on body mass and posttest blood lactate concentration presented as raw mean difference (D). Relative to placebo, creatine resulted in a significant increase in body mass (D = 0.79 kg; p < .00001) and mean power output (δ = 0.61; p = .002). However, there was no effect of creatine on measures of peak power (δ = 0.41; p = .10), fatigue (δ = 0.08; p = .61), or posttest blood lactate concentration (D = 0.22 L/min; p = .60). In conclusion, creatine supplementation may increase mean power output during repeated sprint tests, although the absence of corresponding effects on peak power and fatigue means that more research, with measurements of intramuscular creatine content, is necessary to confirm.
Sport Nutrition for Health and Performance
Kathy Beals
Methodology Review: A Protocol to Audit the Representation of Female Athletes in Sports Science and Sports Medicine Research
Ella S. Smith, Alannah K.A. McKay, Kathryn E. Ackerman, Rachel Harris, Kirsty J. Elliott-Sale, Trent Stellingwerff, and Louise M. Burke
exercise and nutritional strategies to optimize health and performance in women . Experimental Physiology, 101 ( 2 ), 243 – 249 . https://doi.org/10.1113/EP085369 10.1113/EP085369 Douglas , L. ( 2018 ). The rise of women’s sports . https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/04/the
A Qualitative Analysis of a Positive Elite Parasport Performance Culture
Athina Papailiou, Janine K. Coates, Carolyn R. Plateau, Hugh Gilmore, and Jamie B. Barker
Organizational culture in sports affects well-being, performance, and overall success. Although team culture has been explored within able-bodied teams, little is known about culture development within parasport. Using a descriptive case study approach, our study examined the culture development and experiences of an elite parasport team. Two semistructured individual telephone interviews were conducted with nine participants (athletes and staff), and one athlete-participant completed one interview. An inductive thematic analysis revealed two themes: approach to culture development and team culture components. Culture development was linked with facilitative leadership and important resources. This supported the team to create their shared values and mechanisms, including a behavioral framework, other artifacts (e.g., shared language and team motto), and a relaxed environment. These helped to maintain their agreed culture and benefited their well-being, progress, and team cohesion. Our results offer a starting point regarding research into the culture of elite parasport and have practical implications for managers, coaches, and psychologists.
The Role of Musculoskeletal Training During Return to Performance Following Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
Richard C. Blagrove, Katherine Brooke-Wavell, Carolyn R. Plateau, Carolyn Nahman, Amal Hassan, and Trent Stellingwerff
Relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) is a multifactorial syndrome associated with negative long-term health and performance consequences. 1 REDs affects a high number of athletes, with those competing in endurance, aesthetic, and weight-classification sports particularly vulnerable. 2 The
