Research indicates that endurance-trained men have lower basal testosterone concentrations than age-matched sedentary control men. The physiological cause for this finding is uncertain. Therefore, we examined the peripheral component in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (H-P-T) axis in endurance-trained men to determine if their basal testicular production of testosterone was compromised. The study design was retrospective, with a case-control approach. Age-matched, trained (n=5, TRN) and sedentary control men (n=6, SED) were infused with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to induce testicular testosterone production via subsequent luteinizing hormone elevations. Testosterone production rate was statistically analyzed with adjustments for confounding factors and compared between groups. The basal testosterone concentrations differed significantly between the TRN and SED groups [pooled mean values; 13.9 (3.0) nmol x l(-1) vs 23.4 (3.2) nmol x l(-1), P<0.05]. The testosterone production rate was significantly lower (approximately 20-30%; P<0.05) in the TRN men as compared with the SED men following GnRH infusion. It was concluded that the exogenous stimulated testicular production rate of endurance-trained men is suppressed. This finding may account, in part, for the lower circulating basal testosterone concentrations found in these men. The present evidence supports the hypothesis that endurance exercise training induces a degree of peripheral adaptation (i.e., testicle) in the H-P-T axis. Whether this adaptation in the axis is a permanent or transient phenomenon in these men remains to be determined.

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Research backgrounds and hypothesis. This study investigates the student teachers’ preparation for the practical school  placement  in  Poland  and  Kosovo.  Considering  the  two  countries  with  different  academic  backgrounds there might be reasonable differences in the state of students’ preparation to work practice. While other research concentrates on teachers’  supervision  during practical placement the literature review carried out for this paper illustrates that teaching practicum, which has been a focal point of many academic discussions, has been relatively little researched, especially from the students’ perspective of the process. Understanding the differences regarding various academic systems may bring some more light into the search for the most effective ways of preparing student teachers for the school practical placement. Research aim. The purpose of the study was to analyse the student teachers’ assessments of their actual teaching competencies in order to further prepare a Cooperating PE Teachers Programme (COPET) at both universities. A sample of 154 second year Bachelor undergraduates in Poznań and 128 students from Pristina and respectively 109 from Master students from Poznań, and 45 from Master students of the international post-graduate programme in Physical Education and Sport in Kosovo were surveyed.Research  method.  Quantitative  data  were  collected  via  the  Pre-Service  PE  Teachers  Self-Assessment Questionnaire including 25-items concerning three areas: organizational, didactic and pedagogical. A multivariate analysis of variance showed the differences between students from Poznań and Pristina. Research results. In our own research, the analysis of progression (visible in the difference between Bachelor and Master students) in their self-assessment indicates more critical self-reflection present in the assessments of students in Poznań. This was not common in the self-assessment of the students in Pristina as levels of their self-assessment at the two phases of the PETE programme (Bachelor and Master) were similar.Discussion and conclusions. Recommendations for further improvements of PETE programmes in both Polish and Kosovan Higher Education Institutions concern the introduction of a COPET programme. Improving teaching practice  and  professional  preparedness  of  student  teachers  requires  elevating  the  quality  of  academic  teaching delivered to students throughout their studies. This especially concerns subjects dealing with the teaching of practical and methodological skills. Equally important is the quality of early practical experience.

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Celem badań było określenie stopnia intensywności wysiłku fizycznego w trakcie amatorskich zawodów biegowych, odbywających się w Sudetach, na podstawie wyników pomiaru wydatku energetycznego. Badaniami objęto osoby biorące udział w tych zawodach w latach 2015–2017. Wydatek energetyczny zmierzono za pomocą przyrządu pomiarowego typu CALTRACTM. Wśród zawodników zebrano także dane metrykalne. Trasy zawodów charakteryzowały się ustalonym dystansem (w km) i przewyższeniami (w m). Dla amatorskich zawodów biegowych, podczas których przeprowadzono pomiary, obliczono średnie wartości wydatku energetycznego dla 19,2 km dystansu i 613,8 m przewyższeń. Był on na poziomie bardzo bardzo ciężkim. U kobiet wartość ta wyniosła 11,6 kcal/1 min/55 kg, a u mężczyzn – 12,7 kcal/1 min/65 kg.

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The aim of this paper was to determine the degree to which physical activity in women aged 45-55 was an independent influence on body mass, as expressed by BMI, and to what degree it occurred in interaction with their level of education, financial status, and self-evaluated physical efficiency and health status. The material consisted of 212 female inhabitants of three cities in Poland, participating in physical exercises for at least one year. Statistical analysis of the collected data was carried out by the χ2 test, the H test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). A statistically significant relation between the level of physical activity and BMI values was observed. Women with a medium and high level of physical activity were most often of normal body mass, whereas women with low activity were characteristically overweight. Analysis of the data revealed that the normal body mass of women aged 45-55 was influenced by: the level of physical activity, level of education, and financial status of respondents. Physical activity was an independent factor influencing normal body mass of women, irrespective of social features (i.e., education and financial status).

The purpose of this study was to examine physical performance and exercise tolerance in patients with scoliosis in comparison with healthy girls of the similar age. Results of the study show the similar aerobic performance in both groups. However, exercise tolerance was significantly lower in patients with scoliosis than in the control group. Similarly, resting values of cardiac output and stroke volume were significantly lower in girls with scoliosis as compared with healthy girls.