View clinical trials related to Athletic Performance.
Filter by:This study investigated the effects of an inspiratory muscle training (IMT) program on the respiratory muscle strength and resistance and the aerobic physical performance (PP) of handball athletes. Nineteen male athletes took part in the study, allocated at random into the experimental group (EG, n=10) and the placebo group (PG, n=9), aged 19±1 and 22±5 years old, respectively. The respiratory muscle strength (RMS) was evaluated by measuring the maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP and MEP, respectively), the muscular respiratory resistance was evaluated by maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) and the aerobic PP by applying the cardiopulmonary exercise test. Subsequently the volunteers were submitted to an IMT protocol 5 times a week for 12 weeks.
Investigate the effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training on the physical performance and cardiorespiratory variables of wheelchair basketball players.
There are conflicting evidences of the effects of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on athletic performance. The investigators working hypothesis is based on the polyunsaturated fatty acids, given its pro-oxidative character and also by its action on transcription factors can modulate the antioxidant response and oxidative damage induced by physical activity.The overall objective of the study is to establish situations improving athletic performance and study the oxidative balance by manipulation of feeding patterns and consumption of nutritional supplements and investigate the involved mechanisms.
In the last few decades much knowledge has been accumulated on the connection between healthy, sufficient sleep and overall health, cognitive function, memory and job or school performance, motor vehicle accidents and work accidents. There has been growing awareness recently of the connection between physical activity and competitive sports performance, and the amount and quality of sleep. Despite the dearth of scientific studies, there is a constant effort to improve understanding in this field. An appropriate procedure designed to evaluate the influence of the quality and amount of sleep on ability and athletic performance must fulfill a number of basic requirements: 1. Isolating the influence of components related to sleep homeostasis and factors relating to circadian rhythm. 2. Neutralizing as much as possible the influence of motivation on the evaluation - one must presumably include a significant competitive event (it is not always possible to do a simple extrapolation between physiological measurements and competitive performance). 3. Isolating and canceling as much as possible additional factors affecting performance, such as: home advantage, weather, injury and field conditions. Athletic activity includes not just competitions but also training towards competitions, since it is difficult to control for influences of competitions and other occasional events, in this study the investigators focus on evaluation of the connection between sleep and athletic performance in training. Towards the end of adolescence, youth are busy in multiple activities related to studies, social obligations and athletic activity. This is also the age they learn to drive. This is an age in which physiologically a person needs more sleep relative to at other ages (9.25 hours of sleep a day), and paradoxically due to the multiple obligations the amount of sleep is lower than needed. Beyond the effect on mood, cognitive performance and memory, sleep deprivation causes far-reaching changes in multiple systems, such as: Cardiovascular System: - Many studies show that shortened sleep duration constitutes an independent cause of increased cardiac events. - Resting heart rate and maximum heart rate decrease after 30 hours of sleep deprivation. Respiratory System: - Significant decline in respiratory function as measured by: FVC, Maximal voluntary ventilation, Maximal static inspiratory/expiratory pressures, Time to exhaustion with exercise, Peak O2 consumption, Peak CO2 production. - Worsening of respiratory sleep disturbances. Digestive System: • Changes in food consumption accompanied by changes in body weight. Neurophysiological System • Disturbance of thermoregulation. Endocrine System: - Hormonal changes associated with hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis - Influence on secretion of Ghrelin and leptin - Influence on secretion of growth hormone. In light of this, there is sound basis for the presumption that athletic performance is connected to these influences directly and indirectly. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the connection between sleep quality and duration and athletic performance among young athletes living and training at the Sport-Gifted Centre at the Wingate Institute.
Glycocyamine (guanidinoacetic acid - GAA) is the biochemical precursor of creatine, which is phosphorylated and plays an important role as a high-energy carrier in the muscle. Since GAA can be administered in liquid solutions, such as sports drinks, it could be hypothesised that GAA could easily enhance creatine biosynthesis with clear physiological effects yet to be determined. No single study has examined the influence of GAA on health, human performance or body composition indicators in healthy human subjects. Moreover, the most effective dose of GAA is yet to be find. Finally, the adverse effects of GAA supplementation in humans are not determined. The main aims of the present study will be to identify if the 6-weeks of GAA supplementation improves human performance and body composition, to determine most effective dose regimens of GAA, and to analyze adverse effects of GAA supplementation. Forty eight healthy, trained (> 2 yr training experience) male and female subjects (aged 20 to 25 years) will give their informed consent and volunteer to participate in the study, which will obtain the approval of the University's Ethical Advisory Commission. The subjects will be allocated to four randomly assigned trials: ingesting GAA (1.2, 2.4, 4.8 g of GAA in a single dose) or placebo (PLA) for 6 weeks in a double-blind design. All testing including blood and urine samples, body composition and muscle strength and exercise performance (both aerobic and anaerobic) will be conducted at presupplementation (baseline), at 1 week, at 2 weeks, at 4 weeks, at 6 weeks of supplementation and at 8 and 10 weeks (2 and 4 weeks after the end of supplementation) to analyze wash-out period. According to previous investigations, the investigators expect that ingestion of GAA will significantly increase both serum creatine and total homocystein. The investigators expect that ingestion of GAA will significantly improve muscle strength parameters and exercise performance results as compared to placebo in long term. The investigators also expect to find prevalence of side-effects (i.e. gastrointestinal distress, retention of fluid).