No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an overreach and taper on measures of muscle architecture, jumping, and throwing performance in Division I collegiate throwers preparing for conference championships. Six collegiate track and field throwers (3 hammer, 2 discus, 1 javelin) trained for 12 weeks using a block-periodization model culminating with a 1-week overreach followed by a 3-week taper (ORT). Session rating of perceived exertion training load (RPETL) and strength training volume-load times bar displacement (VLd) were recorded weekly. Athletes were tested pre-ORT and post-ORT on measures of vastus lateralis architecture, unloaded and loaded squat and countermovement jump performance, underhand and overhead throwing performance, and competition throwing performance. There was a statistical reduction in weight training VLd/session (d = 1.21, p ≤ 0.05) and RPETL/session (d = 0.9, p ≤ 0.05) between the in-season and ORT training phases. Five of 6 athletes improved overhead throw and competition throwing performance after the ORT (d = 0.50, p ≤ 0.05). Vastus lateralis muscle thickness statistically increased after the in-season training phase (d = 0.28, p ≤ 0.05) but did not change after the ORT. Unloaded countermovement jump peak force and relative peak power improved significantly after the ORT (d = 0.59, p ≤ 0.05, d = 0.31, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). These findings demonstrate that an overreaching week followed by a 3-week taper is an effective means of improving explosive ability and throwing performance in collegiate track and field throwers despite the absence of detectable changes in muscle architecture.

Average concentric velocity (ACV) can be used to objectively measure fatigue and intensity during resistance training and to assist in attempt selection during one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing. However, ACV may be different across individuals at similar intensities of 1RM, making it difficult for investigators to make objective load increases during 1RM testing. Further, it is unknown how strength levels are related to velocity at particular percentages of 1RM. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between absolute and relative strength in the back squat with ACV at various percentages of 1RM. Methods: Twenty-five college-aged, resistance trained men (Age: 23 ± 3 years, Body Mass: 87.70 ± 16.11 kg) performed a 1RM back squat followed by 2 single repetition sets at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% of the established 1RM. Three to 5 minutes of rest were administered between each single repetition set and the best velocity of the 2 sets at each intensity was used for analysis. ACV was calculated on each set using the Open Barbell System Version 2 (Seattle, WA, USA) linear position transducer. Wilks coefficient, a valid measure of relative strength, was also calculated from the 1RM squat. The difference between ACV at 90% of 1RM and ACV at 30% of 1RM was calculated and used as ACV decline. Pearson's product moment correlations were used to assess relationships between absolute and relative strength and ACV decline. Results: Mean squat 1RM was 167.0 ± 42.5, mean Wilks Coefficient was 109.75 ± 21.55 and mean ACV decline from 30 to 90%1RM was 0.65 ± 0.11m·s−1. There was a significant moderate correlation between 1RM and ACV decline from 30 to 90% 1RM (r = 0.48, p = 0.01). Additionally, there was a significant moderate correlation between relative back squat strength and ACV decline from 30 to 90% 1RM (r = 0.56, p= < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lifters with greater absolute and relative strength will experience a larger decrease in ACV between 30 and 90% of their 1RM. These findings may be due to stronger lifters possessing greater neuromuscular efficiency, resulting in a slower ACV at high percentages of 1RM; thus, displaying greater velocity decline from low to high intensities. Practical Applications: Therefore, if utilizing velocity based training at high intensities a stronger lifter might be prescribed a slower ACV than a weaker lifter.

Abstracts available in the : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Abstract available in the Faseb Journal

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Recent reductions in healthcare funding in the United States has pressured clinical laboratories to provide the same quality of diagnostic testing with fewer resources. Testing cascades have been developed to assist in the diagnosis of various illnesses, which use fewer tests and subsequently reduce costs. However, the cost effectiveness of a celiac disease (CD) testing cascade compared to a panel is currently unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if a CD testing cascade was equivalent to a panel in identifying patients deemed likely for CD, and to compare their cost effectiveness in a sample of symptomatic patients from Northeast Tennessee. A retrospective analysis using a CD testing cascade was performed on 933 outpatient samples referred to our laboratory from 2012 to 2017 with a request for a celiac disease serology panel. The seroprevalence of CD for the panel and the cascade were the same in this population (1.82%, 95% binomial confidence interval: 1.06% to 2.90%). The total cost of the CD cascade was 268% less than the cost of the panel resulting in a savings of $44,705, which translates to a savings of $47.92/patient. Based on these findings, we recommend utilization of the cascade to identify patients with likely CD. In the future, creative use of novel testing strategies can have significant contributions to healthcare reform and afford patients more cost-effective clinical diagnostic testing.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a recovery supplement compared with a placebo on muscle morphology in trained weightlifters. Vastus lateralis and muscle fiber cross sectional area of type I and type II fibers were compared between groups using a series of 2 × 2 (group × time) repeated measure ANOVAs. Both groups on average improved cross-sectional area of the vastus lateralis, type I and type II muscle fibers from pre-to-post but individual response varied within both groups. Greater magnitude of changes in type I and type II muscle fibers were observed for the placebo group but not for vastus lateralis cross sectional area. Additionally, subjects were divided into large and small fiber groups based on combined fiber size at the start of the investigation. These findings indicate that the recovery supplement utilized provided no greater effect compared with a placebo in a 12-week block periodization protocol in trained weightlifters. The primary determinate of fiber size changes in the study was determined to be the initial fiber size of muscle fibers with larger practical changes observed in the small fiber group compared with the large fiber group in type I, II, and ultrasound cross-sectional area (CSA).

The use of the isometric squat as a measure of strength and explosiveness. J Strength Cond Res 29(5): 1386–1392, 2015—The isometric squat has been used to detect changes in kinetic variables as a result of training; however, controversy exists in its application to dynamic multijoint tasks. Thus, the purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between isometric squat kinetic variables and isoinertial strength measures. Subjects (17 men, 1-repetition maximum [1RM]: 148.2 ± 23.4 kg) performed squats 2 d·wk−1 for 12 weeks and were tested on 1RM squat, 1RM partial squat, and isometric squat at 90° and 120° of knee flexion. Test-retest reliability was very good for all isometric measures (intraclass correlation coefficients > 0.90); however, rate of force development 250 milliseconds at 90° and 120° seemed to have a higher systematic error (relative technical error of measurement = 8.12%, 9.44%). Pearson product-moment correlations indicated strong relationships between isometric peak force at 90° (IPF 90°) and 1RM squat (r = 0.86), and IPF 120° and 1RM partial squat (r = 0.79). Impulse 250 milliseconds (IMP) at 90° and 120° exhibited moderate to strong correlations with 1RM squat (r = 0.70, 0.58) and partial squat (r = 0.73, 0.62), respectively. Rate of force development at 90° and 120° exhibited weak to moderate correlations with 1RM squat (r = 0.55, 0.43) and partial squat (r = 0.32, 0.42), respectively. These findings demonstrate a degree of joint angle specificity to dynamic tasks for rapid and peak isometric force production. In conclusion, an isometric squat performed at 90° and 120° is a reliable testing measure that can provide a strong indication of changes in strength and explosiveness during training.

Abstract available in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.