In 2016, a literature review to examine the psychological effects of strength exercises for people who are overweight or obese was conducted, incorporating 17 included studies. Although some positive results were found, the authors concluded that there is a strong need to accumulate more evidence before drawing conclusions. Therefore, the current review aimed to update the overview of existing literature on this topic repeating the same procedures. Additional relevant literature (updated search #1 on 6 April 2022, and #2 on 19 January 2024) was identified by use of the PubMed, PsycINFO, the Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, and SCOPUS databases. Following the original procedures, this review focused on studies with an independent identifiable effect of strength exercises on psychosocial determinants in people with overweight or obesity. Risk of bias was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. Effect sizes and corresponding variance estimates were extracted or calculated for the main effects of strength exercises on psychological outcomes. In total, 27 studies (10 additional studies compared to the 2016 review) representing 12,861 participants were included. In addition to the eight broad categories of psychological outcomes (psychological disorders, inhibition, mood, outcome expectations, quality of life, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and stress), two more outcome categories (motivation and executive functions) were identified. No large differences were found between the original and updated literature review: some weak positive effects were found for inhibition, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and psychological disorders but not for the other categories. In conclusion, the literature on the effects of strength exercises on psychological outcomes is - almost 8 years after the original review - still fragmented and more evidence is needed to draw profound conclusions. Future research may consider that the psychological effects of strength exercises might be stronger among people who are overweight or obese when they are in contexts in which they can engage in favorable comparisons with normal-weight counterparts.

Generic neuromuscular assessments are widely used to monitor training responses in team sports. Emerging running-based measures have been proposed to offer greater sensitivity to residual neuromuscular training effects by aligning more closely with the exercise dose, yet their practical utility remains ambiguous. Concurrent evaluation is thus necessary to identify athlete monitoring assessments that best capture meaningful responses.

There is no robust prognostic guides for patellar tendinopathy (PT), hence we do not understand who gets better, when and why. Therefore, we aimed to identify which combination of self-reported factors best predicts PT recovery. A previously validated, reliable online questionnaire battery yielded data from an international sample of professional and recreational jumping athletes with a one-year follow-up. Recovery was defined using Global Rating of Change, alongside full availability for training and competition. Data on > 100 plausible bio-psycho-social, demographic and sporting outcome predictors were collected; and a multivariable cox proportional-hazards model constructed.

Force plates have become one of the most frequently used assessment tools in the field of strength and conditioning research and applied practice. Their use for measuring force production characteristics among military personnel is growing. The aim of this scoping review is to: (1) Describe the current evidence base underpinning the use of force plates to assess maximal and rapid lower-limb force production in military in three priority areas; occupational task performance, injury risk profiling, and rehabilitation, (2) Identify potential trends and/or differences by participants' sex, job role, and/or level of performance in tests, methodologies, and metrics selected, and (3) Consider gaps in the existing evidence base and questions that should be addressed in future research.

The impact of physical activity during early-life is significant on long-term health outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine what factors contribute to the continuity or change in activity behaviors over time.

In baseball, batting performance can be measured using game and advanced statistics as well as hitting metrics. To date, the core set of individual characteristics or skills associated with superior batting performance remains to be identified. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and classify the individual characteristics or skills associated with baseball batting performance indicators and describe the methods used to assess these individual characteristics or skills and batting performance indicators.

There is controversy in the literature with regards to the short-term effects of wearing footwear with motion control features on running mechanics and whether commercially available footwear with motion control features has extra benefits compared with non-commercially available motion control footwear. In this systematic review with meta-analysis, we investigated the effects of wearing commercially available and non-commercially available footwear with motion control features versus standard shoes applied during one experimental session on lower limb joint angles and moments during running in adults.

Underpowered study designs undermine the reliability of experimental research, with growing concerns regarding randomised controlled trials (RCTs) informing musculoskeletal injury management. We assessed the statistical power and sample size calculations of such RCTs.

Intermittent hypoxia (IH) has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance physical performance by eliciting adaptive responses across cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular systems. Various IH protocols have been applied in both trained and untrained individuals to improve aerobic capacity, strength, and repeated sprint ability. However, the growing number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) has led to heterogeneous conclusions due to variability in populations, protocols, and outcome measures. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize and critically appraise the available SRs/MAs on the effects of IH protocols on physical performance across different fitness levels.

Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between modifiable (e.g. hamstring strength, muscle fascicle length and high-speed running load), non-modifiable factors (e.g. age, previous injury) and hamstring strain injury (HSI) risk. However, these factors have mostly been assessed in isolation and no study to date has investigated the associations between running load, strength and muscle architecture with HSI risk. The study aim was to explore the interactions between modifiable HSI risk factors that are commonly assessed within elite Australian footballers.

Knee injuries, including those requiring surgical intervention, are a leading cause of disability in U.S. Army soldiers. Previous studies investigating the risk of injury after surgery have primarily focused on civilian populations and lack specific information on the timing of new injuries.

Individual factors related to performance in age group triathletes competing in different race distances have been explored in scientific literature. However, only a few studies have been conducted using machine learning (ML) predictive models to explore the importance of those individual factors. This study intended to build and analyze machine learning regression models that predict the performance of IRONMAN 70.3 age group triathletes, considering sex, age, country of origin, and event location as predictive factors. A total of 823,464 finishers´ records (625,398 men and 198,066 women) of IRONMAN 70.3 age group triathletes participating in 197 different events in 183 different locations between 2004 and 2020 were analyzed. The triathletes' sex, age, country of origin, event location and year, and race finish times were thus obtained and considered for the study. Four different ML regression models were built to predict the triathletes' race times from their age, sex, country of origin, and race location. The model with the best performance was then selected and further analyzed using model-agnostic interpretability tools to understand which factors would contribute most to the model predictions.

Upper limb impairment is common among women receiving breast cancer treatment. Although yoga is popular and accessible in cancer support communities, its impact on upper limb function in these women is not well understood. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of yoga on shoulder range of motion in women recovering from breast cancer surgery. Eligible participants were Chinese women with early-stage breast cancer who had recently completed surgery and adjuvant treatment. Following the baseline assessment, they were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to a 12-week yoga intervention, a 12-week relaxation intervention (active control), or a postoperative exercise DVD (passive control). Primary outcomes measured shoulder rotation flexibility and range of motion. Secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life, fatigue, pain, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention.

'FUNBALL' is a new multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programme designed specifically for youth football players. Its efficacy in reducing the overall number of injuries has been previously reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the 'FUNBALL' programme in reducing the incidence of severe injuries (absence from training/match ≥ 28 days) in young male football players.

Stretch training can chronically increase the range of motion (ROM) of a joint. However, to date, there is still a need for a comprehensive synthesis of knowledge regarding the effects of training cessation (i.e., detraining) on ROM gains from stretching.

Sport-related concussions (SRCs) have emerged as a global health concern in sports medicine. Effective injury prevention programs have the potential to reduce the risk of SRCs, but, their efficacy remains inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of injury prevention programs in preventing SRCs and to examine whether different intervention types (physical- vs. educational-based) and athletic exposure context (practice vs. match) influenced the efficacy of interventions.

Brachial artery endothelial function, measured by the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) technique, serves as a surrogate for coronary endothelial function and is recognized as an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Despite the known benefits of physical exercise interventions (PEI) in improving endothelial function, limited evidence exists to guide practitioners on the most effective form of PEI for enhancing endothelial function. The aim of this article is to investigate the effects of different PEI modalities on brachial artery FMD, and to establish the most effective PEI through a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).

This study examines whether coaches use wearable technologies to individualize training procedures, and which factors influence both their current use and future intention to use such devices.

The notion that problems with prediction can be resolved with more, and better, data has a long history. In this paper, we examine the role of chance and randomness (i.e., events where there is a low probability of occurrence) in athlete development, focusing on the influence of 'luck' on this process. More specifically, we briefly summarize the way luck has been considered in previous research on human achievement and how different types of luck (i.e., luck related to elements of the task, the athlete development environment, and biological processes) can affect athlete development. In addition, the implications and challenges of embracing the influence of luck on models of athlete development are discussed. Acknowledging the role of luck may lead to developmental environments that are more equitable (e.g., by creating greater opportunities for more individuals to get lucky) and realistic (i.e., by acknowledging that predictions of sport- and athlete-related outcomes will never be perfect).

This study describes the long-term development of training characteristics and physiological performance-determining variables among six world-class (Tier 5) female cross-country skiers across three decades, collectively holding 61 Olympic/World Championship medals.

Although handgrip strength (HS) is a useful indicator of various diseases, no study has yet investigated the effects of various influencing factors on HS over time. This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal variation of relative HS, and its influencing factors, across diverse population groups in China.