The purpose of this study was to assess a wide range of physiological and performance variables and investigate whether and to what extent these variables are associated with each other in soccer. Twenty-five male soccer players (25.1 ± 4.56 years; body mass, 75.2 ± 5.92 kg; body height, 180.6 ± 5.45 cm) performed: 5- and 30-m sprints (T5m and T30m, respectively), 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) half squat, maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors, countermovement jump (CMJ) to obtain vertical jump height (CMJheight) and power output (CMJpower), the 10-s Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) to obtain peak power (Pmax), and the 20-m multi-stage shuttle run test (MST) to evaluate aerobic capacity. 1RM, MVIC, and Pmax were normalized to body mass. Large negative correlations were found between sprint times and 1RM half back squat/BM (r = -0.510 to -0.570, r2 = 0.260–0.325, both p < 0.01) and Pmax/BM (r = -0.501, r2 = 0.251, p < 0.01). T30m most strongly and negatively correlated with CMJheight (r = -0.744, r2 = 0.554, p < 0.001). WAnT-determined Pmax showed a very large correlation between absolute Pmax and knee-extensor MVIC (r = 0.827, r2 = 0.684, p < 0.001) and large correlations between absolute Pmax and 1RM half squat (r = 0.674, r2 = 0.454, p < 0.001) and CMJpower (r = 0.579, r2 = 0.335, p < 0.01). We also identified a large inverse relationship between CMJheight and T30m (r = -0.744, r2 = 0.554, p < 0.001) and large positive correlation between CMJheight and MVIC/BM (r = 0.702, p < 0.001). The results demonstrate that elite soccer players with greater lower body strength (quantified by the MVIC of the knee extensor and the 1RM half squat) show better sprint and CMJ performance, suggesting the incorporation of soccer-specific resistance training to develop lower body musculature and therefore maximize sprinting ability. The higher correlation coefficients found between T30m and the physiological and athletic measures compared with T5m promote the use of this sprint distance when assessing performance. The use of relative measures (normalized to body mass) is advisable when comparing strength variables with sprint and CMJ performance or anaerobic power. Considering the correlations of WAnT-determined Pmax versus CMJpower, coaches should administer tests that assess jumping and linear sprint performance rather than the cycling-specific WAnT.
Introduction. Summer camps are the most important form of organised leisure activity for children and adolescents, and their popularity has been increasing year after year. Providing tourism services for this group of recipients constitutes a big challenge for the organisers because they have to satisfy the expectations of not only the participants but also their parents. Hence, the aim of the study was to obtain data making it possible to estimate the degree of convergence between the needs of summer camp participants, their parents’ needs, and the tourism product, that is summer camp. Materials and methods. The study involved one hundred participants of a summer camp, aged 11-17 years. A diagnostic survey carried using direct interviews and questionnaires. The data have been processed and analysed statistically by means of Excel and Statistica v.12; a significance test was used for comparing two proportions at the significance level α = 0.05 (with p < α indicating the presence of statistically significant differences and p ≥ α indicating a lack of statistically significant differences). Results. The children of educated mothers participated in summer camps significantly more often than children of mothers with vocational education (p = 0.0115) and secondary education (p = 0.0422). When selecting the summer camp, most respondents (44.57%) paid attention to the degree of correspondence between the programme and their interests. The camps that were the most popular were sport summer camps (41.30%). Boys chose survival summer camps more often than girls (p = 0.0360) whereas girls preferred active and sailing summer camps (p = 0.006). The most attention in a summer camp was paid to the staff. Conclusions. When choosing a summer camp, children and parents pay special attention to whether or not the programme is rich in attractions; however, it is the staff that conditions positive emotions of the participants as well as their good memories. Organisers know how important the staff are and that they are the warrant of the summer camp’s success. The results presented confirm that preparing a summer camp offering requires much work and involvement because one must satisfy the expectations of both participants and parents, who use different criteria of camp evaluation.
Background: Physical inactivity and resultant lower energy expenditure contribute unequivocally to cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and stroke, which are considered major causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of physical activity (PA) and exercise on different aspects of healthgenetics, endothelium function, blood pressure, lipid concentrations, glucose intolerance, thrombosis, and selfsatisfaction. Materials and Methods: In this article, we conducted a narrative review of the influence PA and exercise have on the cardiovascular system, risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, searching the online databases; Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar, and, subsequently, discuss possible mechanisms of this action. Results and Discussion: Based on our narrative review of literature, discussed the effects of PA on telomere length, nitric oxide synthesis, thrombosis risk, blood pressure, serum glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and indicated possible mechanisms by which physical training may lead to improvement in chronic cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion: PA is effective for the improvement of exercise tolerance, lipid concentrations, blood pressure, it may also reduce the serum glucose level and risk of thrombosis, thus should be advocated concomitant to, or in some cases instead of, traditional drug-therapy.
Although age is a dominant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), epidemiological studies have shown that physical activity may significantly decrease age-related risks for AD, and indeed mitigate the impact in existing diagnosis. The aim of this study was to perform a narrative review on the preventative, and mitigating, effects of physical activity on AD onset, including genetic factors, mechanism of action and physical activity typology. In this article, we conducted a narrative review of the influence physical activity and exercise have on AD, utilising key terms related to AD, physical activity, mechanism and prevention, searching the online databases; Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar, and, subsequently, discuss possible mechanisms of this action. On the basis of this review, it is evident that physical activity and exercise may be incorporated in AD, notwithstanding, a greater number of high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed, moreover, physical activity typology must be acutely considered, primarily due to a dearth of research on the efficacy of physical activity types other than aerobic.
Aim: This article presents cross-sectional data collected from the population of first-year students at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn in 2000-2016. The aim of the study was to investigate changes in the following trends among university students after Poland's accession to the European Union (2004): (1) alcohol consumption, (2) alcoholic beverage preferences, and (3) attitudes towards alcohol. Method: The study relied on data from anonymous surveys conducted every two years between 2000 and 2016 among a representative sample of first-year university students. A total of 9778 individuals (4264 males and 5514 females) completed anonymous questionnaires during the period under analysis. Statistical analyses were performed by comparing the frequency of answers given by male and female students in the first and last year of the study. Results: There was a steady linear decrease in the percentages of abstainers of both genders and a regular linear increase in the number of female students abusing alcohol to blackout level in the analysed period of 2000 to 2016. The respondents' preferences for alcohol brands became more
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