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Special Issue "New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health"

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 6273

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Juan Pedro Fuentes García

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Guest Editor

Didactic and Behavioral Analysis of Sports (ADICODE) Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, The University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: psychophysiological evaluation; sports medicine and exercise; brain activity; cardiovascular physiology; rehabilitation; motor learning tennis training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jorge Pérez-Gómez

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Health, Economy, Motricity, and Education (HEME) Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, The University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: football training; injury prevention; physiology; physical and sports activities as a strategy to promote a healthy society; physical activity interventions; exercise training physical exercise; physical health; assessment of physical capacity; global health; health; quality of life in groups of subjects and active lifestyle; osteoporosis; fall prevention; body composition
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Dr. Santos Villafaina

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Guest Editor

1. Physical Activity and Quality of Life Research Group (AFYCAV), Faculty of Sport Sciences, The University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
2. Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Universidade de Évora, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
Interests: EEG; HRV; chronic pain; exercise; animal-assisted therapies
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Dr. Hadi Nobari

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
2. HEME Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
3. Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746-7344, Iran
4. Sports Scientist, Sepahan Football Club, Isfahan 81887-78473, Iran
Interests: sports performance; growth of youth and maturation; external load monitoring; training load; well-being; soccer training; injury prevention; strength and conditioning; sports nutrition and supplement; quality of life; reliability; validity of devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which is titled "New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health”.

A growing body of literature is using innovative methods to control the training load in different environments. This is relevant due to the impact of physical and cognitive load on wellbeing, stress, anxiety, or task performance, among other variables. For these reasons, controlling training and physical activity loads is a priority for coaches and clinicians.

Therefore, in the present Special Issue, we aim to publish high-quality original investigations which analyze different innovative methods to control physical load. We look forward to receiving contributions related (but not limited) to the following topics: training load monitoring, cognitive load monitoring, stress and anxiety assessment, neurophysiological indexes to control stress, physical or cognitive load, or recovery process after exercise. We welcome systematic reviews and meta-analyses, study protocols, and original papers. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed by experts in the field by October 2022.

Prof. Dr. Juan Pedro Fuentes García
Prof. Dr. Jorge Pérez-Gómez
Dr. Santos Villafaina
Dr. Hadi Nobari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fatigue
cognitive load
training load
stress
recovery
anxiety

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Basketball Match on the Pre-Competitive Anxiety and HRV of Youth Female Players

Juan M. García-Ceberino

Juan Pedro Fuentes-García

and

Santos Villafaina

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137894 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1373

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of a basketball competition on the pre-competitive anxiety and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) of young female basketball players. A total of 12 female basketball players participated in this cross-sectional study. Girls had a mean age of 14 (1.41) years old and a mean experience of 4 (0.85) years practicing basketball. The pre-competitive anxiety and the HRV was assessed the week before and immediately before and after the match. Results showed a significant reduction (p-value < 0.05) of the several HRV variables after the match compared to baseline and pre-competition measures. However, differences between baseline and pre-competition were not found. Furthermore, a significant increase in somatic anxiety after the competition was reported. Taking into account HRV, somatic anxiety, and cognitive anxiety results, young female basketball players did not exhibit an increase in pre-competition anxiety. HRV measurements before competition can help coaches and physical trainers to identify female players with higher pre-competitive anxiety and propose intervention to manage it. Future studies should investigate the impact of coaches and parents on the pre-competitive anxiety of female and male basketball players. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health)

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Open AccessArticle

Comparisons between Bioelectrical Impedance Variables, Functional Tests and Blood Markers Based on BMI in Older Women and Their Association with Phase Angle

Rafael Oliveira

César Leão

Ana Filipa Silva

Filipe Manuel Clemente

Carlos Tadeu Santamarinha

Hadi Nobari

and

João Paulo Brito

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6851; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116851 - 03 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1469

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare electrical bioimpedance variables, blood markers and functional tests based on Body Mass Index (BMI) in older women. Associations between Phase Angle (PhA) with functional tests and blood markers were also analyzed. A total of 46 independent elderly people participated in the study, and they were divided into four groups according to BMI values: Group 1 (G1, BMI < 25 kg/m²); Group 2 (G2, BMI > 25–30 kg/m²); Group 3 (G3, BMI > 30–35 kg/m²); Group 4 (G4, BMI > 35 kg/m²). In addition to the weight and height used to calculate the BMI, the following body composition variables were collected: fat mass (FM), fat-free mass, intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), total body water (TBW) and PhA (50 kHz) through InBody S10 equipment. Functional capacity was assessed using the Fullerton battery of tests: arm-curl; chair-stand; 6 min walking test (6MWT); time up-and-go test (TUG); standing on one leg (SOOL) and take 10 foot-lines (10FL). The main results showed differences between groups in the tests: 6MWT, SOOL and 10FL between G1 vs. G3 and G2 vs. G3 (p < 0.05); ACT, AIC and AEC between G1 vs. G4 (p < 0.05); FM among all groups (p < 0.05). Negative correlations were found between PhA and the agility test in G1 (r = −0.848; p = 0.008) and G4 (r = −0.909; p = 0.005); PhA and chair-stand in G3 (r = 0.527; p = 0.044); PhA and forearm flexion in G3 (r = 0.641; p = 0.010) and G4 (r = 0.943; p = 0.001); PhA and 6MWT in G4 (r = 0.771; p = 0.042). This study found that there is a clear trend towards better functional capacities with better parameters of body composition. Although there were no differences between groups in PhA, associations were found between different functional tests with PhA, which reveals the importance of this variable as a marker of health status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health)

Open AccessArticle

A Practical Approach to Assessing Physical Freshness: Utility of a Simple Perceived Physical Freshness Status Scale

Okba Selmi

Danielle E. Levitt

Filipe Manuel Clemente

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 5836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105836 - 11 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1246

Abstract

Background: Monitoring physical freshness is essential in assessing athletes’ conditions during training periods, training sessions, or competitions. To date, no single physical freshness scale has been successfully validated against training load variables and widely used scales measuring different facets of physical freshness. Objective: In this study, we develop and test the practical utility of a perceived physical freshness (RPF) scale to monitor the condition of the athletes and to prevent excessive fatigue and insufficient recovery during training sessions or competitions. Methods: Sixteen professional male soccer players (mean ± SD age 26 ± 4 years) were enrolled. Training load (TL), monotony, strain, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), well-being indices (sleep, stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness), total quality recovery (TQR) and RPF were determined each day for two weeks of training, including a week intensified training (IW) and a week taper (TW). The validity of the RPF scale was assessed by measuring the level of agreement of a player’s perceived physical freshness relative to their TL variables, recovery state and well-being indices during each training phase (IW and TW) and during the overall training period (TP). Results: RPF increased during the TW compared to IW (ES = 2.31, p < 0.001, large). For the TP, IW and TW, weekly RPF was related to weekly TL (r = −0.81, r = −0.80, r = −0.69, respectively), well-being (r = −0.91, r = −0.82, r = −0.84, respectively) and TQR (r = 0.76, r = 0.91, r = 0.52, respectively), all p < 0.01. For the TP, IW and TW, daily RPF was related to TL (r = −0.75, r = −0.66, r = −0.70, respectively), well-being (r = −0.84, r = −0.81, r = −0.78, respectively) and TQR (r = 0.82, r = 0.81, r = 0.75, respectively), all p < 0.01. Conclusions: RPF was effective for evaluating the professional soccer players’ physical freshness and may be a strategy for coaches to monitor the physical, psycho-physiological, and psychometric state of the players before training session or matches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health)

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Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Eye Blink Frequency and Incremental Exercise among Young Healthy Men

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4362; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074362 - 05 Apr 2022

Viewed by 1322

Abstract

The aim of the study was to verify the correlation between the frequency of blinking and aerobic physical exercise. The research subjects were 13 healthy man aged 23.3 ± 1 year. Measurements of the blink rate and eye closure times were performed during a progressive aerobic test on a cycle ergometer. During the test, power was gradually increased every minute by 25 W, starting from 50 W. Data acquisition involved using a GoPro camera mounted to the helmet of the research subject. The test continued until the research subject refused to continue. The subjects did not know the goal of the test, in order to ensure objectivity and obtain natural results. The largest number of statistically significant differences was observed between the initial stages and 250 W, as well as between 250 W and 325 W. The analysis showed no significant differences in blink rate, eye closure time, and single blink time in terms of heart rate ranges. Regression models were also determined for eye closure time, blink frequency, and single blink time. The analysis showed that blink frequency and eye closure time were determined by a group of factors (the value of cycle ergometer load power, heart rate, body weight, adipose tissue mass, fat-free mass, and total body water and body surface ratio). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights and Perspectives of Controlling the Physical Activity Load: Sports Performance and Health)

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