To examine body image and possible distortion of body image among elite female dancers 10 members of a professional ballet company rated both current and ideal body shape. In addition, an objective measure of body composition was obtained via skinfold techniques. t tests indicated that the mean rating for current body image was significantly higher than the rating for ideal, despite the fact that body-composition measures for all subjects were in an "ideal" range according to normative standards. Analysis indicated a high distortion of body image among these dancers and support psychophysiological concerns previously raised.
Considerable research has documented a tendency towards exercise dependence among habitual exercisers; however, little research on possible differences in exercise dependence among men and women has been done. This question seems worthy of study given associations between exercise dependence and eating behavior problems and a greater incidence of eating disorders among women than men. Subjects, 18 men and 14 women competing in a marathon road race, completed an exercise dependence survey developed by Hailey and Bailey in 1982. There are 14 equally weighted items which focus exclusively on psychological rather than physiological aspects of exercise dependence. Analysis of variance indicated the women reported significantly higher scores (3.9 +/- 1.7) than men (3.7 +/- 1.2, p < .05). While the design does not allow assessment of mechanisms underlying the result, one may express concern about the motives for participation in athletic competition.
To determine the effects of cycle and run training on rating of perceived exertion at the lactate threshold (LT), college men completed a 40-session training program in 10 weeks (n = 6 run training, n = 5 cycle training, n = 5 controls). Pre- and post-training variables were measured during graded exercise tests on both the bicycle ergometer and treadmill. ANOVA on the pre- and post-training difference scores resulted in similar improvements in VO2max for both testing protocols, regardless of training mode. The run training group increased VO2 at the LT by 58.5% on the treadmill protocol and by 20.3% on the cycle ergometer. Cycle trainers increased VO2 LT only during cycle ergometry (+38.7%). No changes were observed in the control group. No differences for RPE at the LT were found before or after training, or between testing protocols for any group. Perception of exercise intensity at the LT ranged from "very light" to "light". The relationship between RPE and %VO2max was altered by the specific mode of training, with trained subjects having a lower RPE at a given %VO2max (no change in RPE at max.). It was concluded that RPE at the LT was not affected by training, despite the fact that after training the LT occurs at a higher work rate and was associated with higher absolute and relative metabolic and cardiorespiratory demands.
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