The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 8 weeks of whole-body vibrations on explosive and reactive leg strength. Thirty-three physically active students took part in the study and were randomly assigned to an individualized-vibration group, a fixed-vibration group or a control group. The frequency of vibration was set to 30 Hz for the fixed-vibration group, whereas the frequency for the individualized-vibration group was determined by monitoring the participants' EMGrms activity. The participants in the two vibration groups were exposed three times a week for 8 weeks to a series of 10 x 1-min whole-body vibrations with a 1-min pause between series of vibrations and a 4-min pause after the first five series of vibrations. Jump height in the squat jump increased significantly in all three groups (by 11% for the individualized-vibration group, p=0.001; by 3% for the fixed-vibration group, p=0.011; and by 2% for the control group, p=0.006), but countermovement jump height was not affected. In continuous rebound jumps by the individualized-vibration group, jumping height increased by 22% (p=0.006) and power increased by 18% (p=0.002). The results of this study suggest that the use of an individualized vibration frequency produces a greater response from the neuromuscular system and is more beneficial than vibrations at a fixed pre-selected frequency.

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Background There is a need to develop strategies that could contribute to the physical and mental preparation of motorsport athletes. A common method used by experienced motorsport athlete physical trainers is flashing light devices to train or assess reactive agility, despite limited evidence. Therefore, in the present study, we determined the effects of a 6-week reactive agility training program using light-based stimuli on the physiological and cognitive abilities of car racing drivers. Materials and Methods The CONSORT guidelines for randomized controlled trial were used. In a single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 24 car racing drivers (EXP, n = 12; CON, n = 12) performed a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests marketed specifically at motorsport athletes from Vienna test system (VTS) at rest or during moderate intensity exercise on a bicycle. Physiological abilities were determined via a maximal incremental cardio-respiratory treadmill test. Baseline and post-intervention tests were performed on three consecutive days. Participants in EXP underwent a 6-week intervention consisting of 60-min training sessions twice a week using the Witty SEM light stimulus. Results Participants in EXP but not in CON performed some of the VTS cognitive tasks with higher accuracy and/or shorter reaction time after the intervention at rest and during exercise. Car racing drivers performed the STROOP word-reading condition more accurately when the task was performed during the exercise vs. rest, regardless of group. In addition, the intervention induced beneficial changes in peak heart rate (HR), HR at gas exchange threshold, ventilation, and relative maximal oxygen consumption (rVO2 max). In contrast, body mass and fat mass increased, while peak HR and rVO2 max decreased in CON. Finally, participants in EXP improved their reactive agility performance and reaction time throughout the training program. Conclusion Overall, the reactive agility training program using light-based stimuli appeared to be efficient to induce beneficial effects on some physiological and cognitive performance measures; therefore, it may have the potential to contribute to car racing drivers’ physical and mental performance.

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Kutatásunk célja az volt, hogy megvizsgáljuk milyen kapcsolat áll fenn a magas intenzitású mikromozgások és az ütések pontossága között korosztályos teniszezőknél a ’PlayerLoad’ és az ’IMA’ mechanikai mutatók segítségével. A vizsgálatban 14 rendszeresen versenyző magyar, utánpótláskorú fiú teniszező vett részt (14,13 ± 2,03 év). A mérkőzések alatt leggyakrabban előforduló ütéseket (támadó, védekező és semleges), valamint az eközben végrehajtott magas intenzitású mikromozgások terjedelmi változóit két specifikus pályateszttel (’1-6’ teszt és ’Big X’ teszt) mértük fel. Az ’1-6’ teszt esetében a tenyeres támadó ütésnél, a ’Total PlayerLoad’ paraméternél jött létre szignifikáns kapcsolat (χ2 = 4,31; p = 0,04), míg a ’Big X’ tesztnél a fonák védekező ütés alatt, a ’Total IMA Events’ mutatott szignifikáns összefüggést a pontossággal (χ2 = 6,51; p = 0,04). Következtetésünk szerint ebben a korcsoportban az egyes ütések hatékonysága mögött elsősorban a megfelelő, stabil ütőállás és a mozdulatoknak a pontos technikája áll, és kevésbé súlyozható a magas intenzitású, kis terjedelmű mozgások teljesítménye.