Obscenities offstage is conceived and designed as a study in performance. It is alert to the dangers inherent in positing erotic fields, especially so-called 'gay saunas', as objects of study, dangers that have dogged the scientific research, both qualitative and quantitative, undertaken in this field since the 1960s. The dangers arise precisely because the positing of the sauna as a coherent unitary object to be studied by the researcher as a coherent unitary subject naturalises a discrete relation that is in effect utterly bogus. The project reconfigures the epistemic stage of sauna research. It recognises that the scene of the gay sauna resists anything more than incomplete, inconclusive or reductive representation, not through some teleological or mystificatory agency, but simply because it is technically, that is, materially and socially, designed to do so. With its focus on producing effects of ambiguity, anonymity, darkness, disorientation, excitation, hermeticism, muteness, obscurity, seclusion and synaesthesia, on producing these effects as the commodities on which its commercial viability effectively depends, the gay sauna can be recognised as a zone in which the knowledge sought by the physical and human sciences is necessarily and always located just out of reach, offstage. Performance as an episteme [sic] offers methodological opportunities here that have hitherto been unexplored. Performance produces effects of knowledge not in spite of but through the production, articulation, shimmer and play of contingent reality effects, and importantly for this project through an ontological intervention that deconstructs the 'naturalised' opposition of absence and presence. It is with the commonplace performative force known as 'offstage'—in Latin, obscaenus—that the current project strives to know the gay sauna, and yet let it remain 'obscene'.

Exposure to natural altitude using the "live high-train low" method improves athletic endurance performance at sea level by 1-2%. This method can also be employed with hypoxic devices that simulate altitude, but there is limited and conflicting research on their efficacy. Consequently, three studies were undertaken to investigate changes in sea level performance of endurance runners following exposure to altitude simulated with hypoxic tents. The device was chosen because of its potential for incorporation into the athlete's routine. In Study 1, 10 runners received altitude simulated with hypoxic tents (~9 h overnight at 2500-3500 m) and trained at sea level, while 10 runners in the control group performed usual training. Athletes in both groups performed a lactate-threshold test, but only the altitude group performed a run to exhaustion. The effect on 4-mM lactate speed was unclear, owing to poor reliability of this measure. There was a 16% increase in time to exhaustion in the hypoxic conditioning group, equivalent to a 1.9% (90% likely limits, ±1.4%) increase in speed in a time trial. Effects on performance were not apparent four and eight weeks after use of the tents. To improve precision of the effect of the tents and to determine the effects on performance of different durations, a further controlled trial was performed. A reliability study (Study 2) was first conducted to investigate the potential for runs to exhaustion to provide reliable measures of performance. Eight runners performed a test consisting of three runs to exhaustion lasting ~2, ~4 and ~8 min on six occasions over 14 wk. The critical power and log-log models were used to provide factors for converting variability in time to exhaustion into variability in equivalent time-trial time. Variabilities in time to exhaustion expressed as coefficients of variation for predicted 800-3000 m timetrial times were ~1-3%. A crossover study (Study 3) was then conducted in which 11 athletes performed usual (control) training and usual training with altitude exposure by using tents for 25 ± 3 days (mean ± SD) for 8.1 ± 0.6 h.d-1, progressing from a simulated altitude of 2500 m to 3500 m above sea level. Washout period between control and altitude treatments was four weeks. Performance was assessed with treadmill runs to exhaustion as in Study 2. Improvements in mean predicted times (altitude-control) for standard competition distances of 800, 1500 and 3000 m derived from the runs to exhaustion were 1.0% (±1.3%), 1.4% (±1.2%) and 1.9% (±1.5%) respectively. There was some evidence that hypoxic exposure favoured those athletes carrying the I allele for angiotensin converting enzyme. In summary, the main finding from the series of studies is that hypoxic tents are likely to enhance sea level endurance running performance by ~1-2%.

In a club rugby union environment, sports nutrition information is frequently delivered to players by the central team figure, the coach. Rugby coaches in New Zealand undertake negligible formal nutrition training to become a coach, and the development of their knowledge base remains their responsibility. There is currently no literature on the nutrition knowledge level of New Zealand coaches. Internationally, literature on coaches' nutrition knowledge and dissemination of that knowledge is scarce. Research to date has used questionnaire techniques to quantify coaches' knowledge. These questionnaires have not been assessed for their psychometric properties. As such, a true measure of knowledge cannot be guaranteed from any of these contemporary studies. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were: 1) To design a nutrition knowledge questionnaire satisfying adequate statistical measures of validity and reliability; 2) To utilise the validated questionnaire to investigate the nutrition knowledge level of these coaches 3) To investigate whether or not New Zealand premier club rugby coaches provide nutrition advice to their athletes and the factors affecting this; and 4) To investigate the factors that predict coaches' knowledge. Study 1 involved designing a questionnaire that satisfied acceptable psychometric criteria of validity (content and construct) and reliability (test-retest). It was designed by an expert panel of sports dietitians and distributed to five groups, dietitians, university business staff, and nutrition, business and fitness students, selected for their expected variation in sports nutrition knowledge. Construct validity was high as indicated by significant mean knowledge score differences between the groups (p = 0.0001). Dietitians and nutrition students achieved significantly greater mean scores than the remaining groups. The questionnaire was administered a second time to the business staff and the dietitians to assess test-retest reliability, for which two methods were used. The first method involved a Pearson's product-moment correlation, and demonstrated acceptable reliability (r = 0.74-0.93), aside from the fluid sub-category (r = 0.52). The second, and more robust, method involved a percentage calculation of questions answered in an identical manner on both test occasions. A good test-retest concordance was achieved, with 81.2% duplication of responses of all questions. The findings of this study indicated that the questionnaire was suitably valid and reliable to determine the sports nutrition knowledge of New Zealand premier club rugby coaches. In Study 2, coaches (n = 168) completed the validated questionnaire, received by Internet, linked via e-mail, or (in case of inaccessibility), standard mail. Coaches responded correctly to 55.6% of all knowledge questions. Those who provided nutrition advice to their players (83.8% of the group) obtained a significantly greater knowledge score, 56.8%, than those who did not provide advice, 48.4% (p = 0.008). The study also examined the factors determining nutrition knowledge level. Significant relationships were identified between total knowledge score of all coaches and their qualifications (p = 0.0001), their own knowledge rating (p = 0.0001), whether or not they underwent nutrition training (p = 0.002) and whether or not they provided nutrition advice (p = 0.004). It can be concluded that New Zealand premier club rugby coaches are inadequately prepared to impart nutrition advice to athletes and could benefit from further nutrition training.

The optimisation of strength and power through resistance training has been the source of debate amongst health professionals and researchers for many years. As resistance training involves the repeated activation and contraction of skeletal muscles, continuous training will ultimately result in a failure to sustain the training intensity especially when performing multiple sets and / or repetitions. Therefore the prescription of rest periods within the training session becomes an important consideration. Relatively short rest periods (60-90 seconds) have been traditionally used for the maximal strength adaptation involving increases in the cross-sectional area of the muscle, whereas longer rest periods (180-300 seconds) have traditionally been used for the maximal strength adaptation involving enhancement of neural function and maximal power adaptation. However, there is very little scientific evidence to support these current practices. In fact, the effect of different rest periods on maximal strength and power development has received very little research attention. Additionally, research that has been conducted in this area has been typified by a number of methodological inconsistencies, within and between studies, which confound scientific understanding. Although traditionally resistance training has employed continuous training schemes with inter-set rest periods, intra-set rest training methods which distribute rest intervals between groups of repetitions have also been investigated. It has been theorised that the short rest periods within the training set allow partial resynthesis of the intramuscular phosphocreatine stores, potentially allowing an athlete to increase their training volume by training at high intensities for longer durations, or performing additional repetitions (Berg, 2003). This is thought to lead to an increased exposure of the muscle to the kinematic and kinetic stimuli thought important for strength and power adaptation whilst minimising performance-inhibiting metabolic accumulation and substrate depletion. However, research into intra-set rest training schemes is still in its infancy, and many of the theories surrounding intra-set rest training are currently unsubstantiated. It is thought that examinations of the acute kinematic, kinetic and blood lactate profiles of continuous and intra-set rest training schemes may enhance scientific understanding regarding the efficacy of intra-set rest training. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the acute kinematic, kinetic and blood lactate responses to continuous and intra-set rest loading schemes. Nine male subjects performed an isoinertial Smith machine bench press task (6RM load) with a continuous loading scheme (CONT), an intra-set rest loading scheme equated by total rest time, volume and load (ISRV) and an intra-set rest loading scheme equated by total rest time and load (ISRR). The order of the loading schemes was assigned in a block randomised order with a minimum of 48 hours recovery between each testing session. Attached to the bar of the Smith machine was a linear position transducer that measured vertical displacement with an accuracy of 0.01cm. Displacement data was sampled at 1000Hz and collected by a laptop computer running custom built data acquisition software. Finger prick blood lactate samples were taken from the non-dominant hand using sterile techniques at the following time points: pre-exercise (Pre), immediately post-exercise (P0), five (P5), fifteen (P15) and thirty minutes (P30) post exercise. Blood glucose samples were taken pre-exercise only. It was observed that manipulating the rest period, by increasing the frequency but decreasing the length of each rest period, did not significantly influence the kinematics and kinetics associated with resistance training, but did have an effect on the post-exercise blood lactate response when the load, rest duration and training volume was equated (ISRV). This finding may be of practical significance if fatigue is important in strength development or conversely if power training needs to be performed with minimal fatigue. It was also observed that increasing the frequency of the rest period enabled the subjects to perform a greater number of repetitions (ISRR), resulting in significantly greater kinematics, kinetics and blood lactate accumulation. It may be speculated, therefore, that ISRR training may offer a superior training stimulus for the development of maximal strength and hypertrophy than CONT training methods, as ISRR loading increased the exposure of the muscle to the kinematic, kinetic and metabolic stimuli thought important for the development of these qualities.

'Cycling is one of the toughest sports and one of the most complex to analyse in scientific terms.' - Mr Hein Verbruggen,P residentU nion Cycliste International 1991-2005. Despite extensive research into sagittal plane lower limb cycling kinematics there is little scientific literature available investigating the three-dimensional joint kinematics of the cyclist, and especially so regarding the kinematics of the pelvis, trunk, and arms, and how these are affected by workload, upper body posture, and saddle setback. This Thesis developed a comprehensive full-body three dimensional kinematic model and then determined the effects of workload, Upper Body Posture, and Saddle Setback on the leg, trunk, and arm kinematics of the cyclist. Competitive cycling has an extremely high aerobic component, and yet ironically there have been few studies investigating how workload or riding position affect lower limb blood flow haemodynamics. By using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy a cycling specific technique was developed to enable tissue oxygenation status of the lower limbs to be determined during cycling, which was then used to assess the effects of workload, trunk and hip angle, and saddle set-back on lower limb blood flow haemodynamics. It is unclear to what extent saddle setback affects lower limb and trunk muscle activity and cycling performance, and yet the sub-disciplines of cycling use markedly different bicycle set-ups. By using a custom cycle ergometer developed by the author this Thesis systematically assessed the effects of saddle setback on muscle recruitment and activation magnitude. When investigating the effects of bicycle set-up on cycling performance it is important to consider all the physiological and biomechanical determinants of success in unison, and how they inter-relate. To date there are no studies that have comprehensively studied the kinematic, haemodynamic, electromyographic, and associated crank kinetics simultaneously. As such this Thesis developed a methodology to evaluate the effects of changing workload, upper body posture, and saddle setback on fullbody three-dimensionalk inematics, lower limb blood flow haemodynamicsl,e g and trunk electromyography, and crank torque profiles, in order to arrive at the optimum riding position and highlight the compromises required when aiming to maximise cycling performance. The effects of workload were assessed by undertaking a 25W. min" graded maximal exercise test to exhaustion. In order to assess the kinematic, haemodynamic, and electromyographic effects of altering riding position a custom independently adjustable cycle ergometer was developed to permit precise accurate adjustment of the four main macro settings (saddle height and setback, and saddle to handlebar reach and drop) while maintaining the spatial coordinates of the other parameters. Three Upper Body Postures (Hoods,D rops and a Time Trial position), and six SaddleS etbacksw ere used (100,50, and Omm behind the bottom bracket, and 50,100, and 150mm in front of the bottom bracket). For all three studies three-dimensional full body kinematics were recorded using a stereophotogrammetricin fra-red motion capture system. Leg and trunk muscle activity were recorded using an 8-lead surface electromyographic system, and tissue oxygenation levels were recorded using Near Infrared Spectroscopy on the Vastus Lateralis. Corresponding crank torque profiles were measured simultaneously using a crank dynamometer. Increasesi n workload produced progressived ecreasesin Oxyhaemoglobina nd pedalling smoothnessin dex, and continual increasesin total haemoglobinc ontenta nd muscle activity in the majority of muscle groups, but produced little change in full-body kinematics until 80% maximal aerobic power was surpassedC. hanging from the Hoods to the Drops and into a Time Trial position had little effect on lower and upper limb kinematics, but produced significant increases in all lower limb muscle activity except the gluteus maximus, as well as considerable reductions in tissue oxygenation status, and resulted in cyclists pedalling with greater peak torque values. Moving the saddle forwards significantly affected joint kinematics, muscle activity, tissue oxygenation status, and the crank torques profiles. A saddle positioned with the nose directly over the bottom bracket minimised angular rotations of the ankle, knee, hip, and trunk as well as global muscle activation. Tissue oxygenation status was also significantly higher using this setting, suggesting that although an aerodynamic cycling position must take priority, setting the saddle with the nose directly over the bottom bracket and maintaining the operating range of motion at the hip and knee appears to maximise cycling performance, and that the spinal kinematics appear to act as a torque-induced engine by means of increases in axial rotation magnitude in the lumbar, mid-thoracic and thoracic spinal segments.

The focus of this project was to detect differences in running gait (at a fixed speed) induced by differences in shoes and surfaces. A review of the literature indicated that improvements in the measurement and analysis techniques were necessary to yield results accurate and reliable enough to. detect these differences. A pilot study was therefore performed to evaluate the magnitude of the measurement errors and the repeatibility of the results. One subject completed 98 trials (emcompassing 10 different shoe­surface conditions) at a fixed speed (approximately 4.46 m/sec) and the vertical (FZ) and horizontal (FY) ground reaction forces were measured. Parameters were developed ·to completely describe the characteristics of the ground reactions (FZ, FY). A statistical analysis performed using these parameters concluded that 10 trial repetitions were required for a reliable result. An X-ray study of one subject was also performed. This study evaluated the errors due to skin markers ( used for filming) moving with respect to the underlying bone. As a result of the X-ray study a new technique to reduce the marker motion errors was developed, tested and found to be potentially powerful. On the basis of the pilot study, the main experiment was designed to test five male subjects under four shoe-surface conditions. High speed films in conjunction with force platform data were collected. A two-dimensional model of the human leg was employed to yield resultant forces and moments at four joints (hip, knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal). Parameters were developed to describe these resultants. The force parameters, joint resultant parameters and shoe /surface parameters (from friction, resilience and flexibility tests of the shoes) were correlated and discussed in relation to performance and injury potential. Methods of applying the conclusions to shoe and surface design were suggested.

No description available.

Oral creatine supplementation has been shown to increase skeletal muscle total creatine (TCr) content, and in some cases improve performance in high-intensity short duration exercise. A variety of factors related to an enhanced efficacy of adenine nucleotide metabolism have been demonstrated as partly responsible for this ergogenic effect. Also, there is evidence that high-intensity sprint training results in a decrease in muscle total adenine nucleotide (TAN) and/or ATP stores. This placebo controlled double-blind study examined whether an oral creatine supplementation regimen would 1) increase muscle TCr content, 2) attenuate any loss in TAN or ATP during intermittent sprint training, and 3) have an ergogenic effect on performance after sprint training. Thirteen male endurance trained cyclists ingested 20 g of creatine monohydrate supplement or placebo per day for 7 days, after which they ingested a maintenance dose of 2 g creatine or placebo per day for the remainder of the trial (15d). While on the maintenance dose, subjects performed intermittent sprint training (ST) on a cycle ergometer (10 x 10 s sprints with 140 s active recovery) for 6 consecutive days and a 7th day after one day of rest. Performance tests were performed before and after ST, and metabolic tests were performed on the 1st and 7th day of ST. TCr increased significantly with creatine supplementation (creatine group pre: 121 ± 4, post: 147 ± 9; vs. placebo group pre: 122 ± 4, post: 125 ± 4 mmol/kg dm; mean± SEM; p<0.05). The increase in TCr correlated with the percentage Type IIB fibres (r=0.95, p<0.005). By day 7 of ST, TCr content was no longer significantly higher than pre-supplementation levels despite the maintenance dose of creatine. ST resulted in a significant decrease in resting muscle TAN and ATP content in both groups (ATP content in creatine group pre: 24.1 ± 0.8, post: 17.2 ± 0.5; and placebo group pre: 26.5 ± 1.1, post: 18.0 ± 0.6 mmol/kg dm; p<0.001). During and in recovery from ST on day 7, both groups had lower plasma ammonia (p<0.05), hypoxanthine (p<0.001) and urate (p<0.001) accumulation than on day 1 of ST. There was no improvement in 1-hr cycle distance performance after ST, but peak sustained power output increased in the creatine group and not in the placebo group after ST (p<0.05). Peak and mean power during a 30 s Wingate test increased significantly (p<0.05) after ST but there was no additional ergogenic effect of creatine supplementation. In conclusion, this study shows that 1) the efficacy of muscle creatine uptake was dependent on the percentage of Type IIB fibres, 2) creatine supplementation and maintenance (2 g/d) did not attenuate ATP or TAN loss during 7 days of ST, 3) ST decreased the accumulation of plasma products of adenine nucleotide degradation and improved 30 s sprint performance, and 4) creatine supplementation and ST did not improve I-hr cycle distance performance.

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is life-altering, resulting in neurological deficits and a multitude of secondary complications. South Africa holds one of the highest traumatic SCI incidence rates in the world, where the social need for SCI prevention and rehabilitation is immense. Robotic locomotor training (RLT) is a novel rehabilitation technique that may improve health and wellbeing after SCI. A systematic review was conducted across 27 studies and 308 participants to explore the systemic effects of RLT. This review demonstrated that RLT shows promise as a tool for improving neurological rehabilitation outcomes; providing individuals with a SCI the ability to walk safely while improving their walking performance, as well as potentially improving cardiovascular outcomes and psychosocial factors. However, the studies reviewed were non-controlled with small, heterogenous sample sizes. Further high-powered, randomised controlled trials, with homogenous samples, are required to investigate these effects. If widespread adoption of these new technologies is to occur, sound evidence demonstrating efficacy and long-term cost saving is required. This dissertation aimed to explore some of these under-researched areas in a sample of sixteen persons with incomplete tetraplegia. Areas of focus included, 1) rehabilitation feasibility, adherence, and research challenges in an under-resourced environment 2) cardiovascular functioning and adaptation to a rehabilitation programme, and 3) psychological well-being. We implemented two interventions, robotic locomotor training (RLT) and activity-based training (ABT), over a 24-week pilot randomised control trial. Adherence to the interventions was high (93.9 ± 6.2%). Challenges to the study's feasibility included: ethical approval, medical clearance, transport and limited human/financial resources. Cardiovascular parameters demonstrated that efficiency of exoskeleton walking improved during the intervention. RLT may be more effective than ABT in improving cardiac responses to orthostatic stress, with standing heart rate at 24-weeks being significantly lower in the RLT group (75.1 ± 15.0 beats/min) compared to the ABT group (95.6 ± 12.6 beats/min). Standing and RLT had similar effects on the parasympathetic nervous system, whilst both interventions were limited in their effect on brachial and ankle blood pressure. Despite experiencing past trauma, participants possessed psychological resources including resilience, self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth which contributed to high perceptions of quality of life. The use of an exoskeleton may have had a greater positive impact on subjective psychological well-being. Expectations of participants entering the study centred around regaining the ability to walk again, despite past experiences and medical advice suggesting otherwise. Hope aids in buffering against negative emotions, however, a thin line exists between supporting high expectations and confronting unrealistic hope. Initial high expectations of recovery decreased and became more realistic during the intervention. This dissertation demonstrates potential physiological and psychological benefits that RLT provides. Despite this potential, barriers exist in the use of RLT in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa, primarily due to a lack of financial and human resources. The development of lower-cost exoskeletons would lessen the burden of conducting large-scale trials and increase the likelihood of adopting these innovative rehabilitation tools into current standard of care practices.

Physical activity is associated with a host of health benefits across childhood. Despite this, most children are not engaging in enough physical activity to achieve health benefits, and there is growing evidence that lifelong physical activity habits may be established in childhood. Theories suggest that physical literacy may be associated with health benefits due to its reciprocal relationship with physical activity participation. The associations between physical literacy, physical activity and health in children remain largely unstudied. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the relationships between physical literacy, physical activity and health across early and middle childhood. The first study assessed the measurement properties of the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth Tools, an assessment battery for physical literacy. We determined that this assessment had acceptable internal consistency, construct validity, and offered unique perspectives of a child’s physical literacy. We then determined that physical literacy was associated favourably with body composition, blood pressure, quality of life, and aerobic fitness in school-age children. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity mediated the associations between physical literacy and aerobic fitness. Finally, the third study observed that physical activity trajectories from preschool to school-age were associated with school-age physical literacy. These results highlight the importance of physical literacy in childhood, given its associations with physical activity and health indicators. Physical literacy was associated with favourable health indicators, supporting its position as a determinant of health. The participants in the lowest physical activity trajectory groups had the lowest physical literacy. These finds suggest that physical activity across early and middle childhood may play a formative role in the development of physical literacy. Future work should determine if these results are applicable to other age groups, such as early years or adolescents, and if changes in physical activity over time are associated with changes in physical literacy over time. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD) / Kids who are active every day will be healthier that those who aren’t. Unfortunately, most Canadian kids are not active enough to be healthy. We still don’t really know why some kids are active and some kids aren’t active. We think that physical literacy might be the missing piece to help kids be more active as they grow. This thesis studied the links between physical literacy, physical activity and health in kids. We found that we could measure physical literacy well in school-age kids. We also found that physical literacy was linked to health in kids. Kids who were the most active as they grew had the highest physical literacy. We saw that boys were more active than girls as they grew. Kids should start being active as preschoolers to help develop physical literacy. We need more programs and activities for kids to be more active to help develop physical literacy.