Train less and be better

In a recent scientific study just published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that doing 30-second ’sprints’ of exercise – whether jogging, cycling or swimming – boosted fitness levels quicker than exercising at the same pace continuously.

Lead by Human Kinetics’ author Jens Bangsbo, they demonstrated that reducing the volume of training by 25% and introducing the so-called speed endurance training (6 to 12 thirty second sprint runs 3 or 4 times a week), endurance trained runners can improve not only short-term but also long-term performance.

Have your say

The fitness industry is being offered the opportunity to have its say on the content of a new guideline initiative on physical activity in the UK.

The British Heart Foundation is inviting interested parties to log on and participate in a national web consultation. This is an opportunity for the fitness industry to comment on the draft recommendations on what new UK Guidelines on Physical Activity should include.

Environmental aspects of physiology

Using an integrative approach, Advanced Environmental Exercise Physiology, the first book in Human Kinetics’ Advanced Exercise Physiology series, considers the human capacity to exercise in and tolerate various environments.

Students entering advanced study of environmental physiology may have little experience in researching the subject or may not realise the depth and breadth of the field.

Advanced Environmental Exercise Physiology offers the first complete look at the scope and major ideas of the subject and provides students with a solid grounding in prominent research topics and a thorough understanding of the key concepts and current debates in the field.

New treatment for shoulder dislocations

The shoulder is the most commonly dislocated joint in the human body, occurring most often in young, athletic people but for some patients, standard stability-restoring procedures are ineffective.

New research from the University of Michigan Health System shows patients who have recurrent shoulder dislocations may benefit from surgical reconstruction using cadaver bone and cartilage to essentially ’sculpt’ a new shoulder.

Therapies for athletic injuries

Therapeutic Modalities for Musculoskeletal Injuries, Third Edition, provides comprehensive coverage of evidence-based therapies for rehabilitation of athletic injury.

The text goes beyond simply explaining how to apply each therapy, but goes on to explain why and when each course of treatment would prove safe and effective.

Therapeutic Modalities for Musculoskeletal Injuries offers balanced coverage of the uses and abuses of modality treatments, allowing readers to evaluate and apply the most effective modalities for specific injuries.

Modular development for sports science students

The fourth edition of Developing Clinical Proficiency in Athletic Training takes the skills that sports science students need to acquire and organises them into a modular system that will help their ongoing development and at the same time provide instructors with a systematic means of assessing their students’ progress.

The manual presents a flexible system consisting of three levels, broken down into 146 modules used for assessing students’ clinical skill development throughout the duration of their course. The text is presented in such a way that it allows instructors to adjust the order of presentation of the modules while maintaining a complete record of the competencies achieved.

Price: £36.50 I €40.20
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Does ‘blade runner’ have a major advantage?

The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-metre race time would be if his prosthesis behaved like intact limbs.

That’s the conclusion of human performance experts Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Matthew Bundle of the University of Wyoming as part of an online counterpoint debate in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

However a team including Rodger Kram of the University of Colorado argued that although very year, thousands of athletes run 400 metres in under 50 seconds, only one amputee has ever broken 50 seconds.
Would Weyand and Bundle predict that the world record holder, Michael Johnson, would run have run the distance in 31 seconds if he had had both legs amputated? they ask.

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Overweight kids risk back problems

Being overweight as a child could lead to early degeneration in the spine, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

“This is the first study to show an association between increased body mass index and disc abnormalities in children,” said the study’s lead author, Judah G. Burns, M.D.

Clock watching

When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat according to new research undertaken by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Their experiments in mice revealed that the daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver the body’s metabolic clearinghouse is mostly controlled by food intake and not by the body’s circadian clock as conventional wisdom had it.

Beckham’s asthma not that unusual

Splash News

The revelation that David Beckham has suffered from asthma since he was a child, prompted the player to play down fears that he could struggle in the thin air he would encounter at the World Cup in South Africa, where six venues are 3,000 feet or more above sea level.

The former England captain was photographed using an inhaler on the sidelines bench during the Los Angeles Galaxy’s penalty shoot-out defeat by Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final, the first time his condition has been brought to light.

Asthma expert, Dr John Dickinson said ‘Many elite athletes suffer from some form of asthma. The 2004 British Olympic Team had an asthma prevalence of 21% and in 2008 the prevalence was 25%. In some sports such as swimming and cycling the prevalence is closer 50%.”

What causes ‘Runners Knee’?

From professional athletes to weekend warriors, the condition known as “runner’s knee” is a painful and potentially debilitating injury suffered by millions of people – although until now, it has been unclear just what causes it.

But new research from the University of North Carolina has identified what appear to be the main culprits of the condition, formally known as patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, is believed to be the first large, long-term project to track athletes from before they developed runner’s knee.

Get a new position

Career Development in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism: A Positioning Approach outlines a step-by-step plan for career development based on the technique of positioning.

In contrast to traditional job search methods, the positioning approach shows how to increase the chances of securing a preferred job by placing yourself close to the person with whom you want to work, the place or organization where you want to work, or the position that fulfills your career goals.

Whether just beginning a course of study or entering the profession, Career Development in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism: A Positioning Approach will help readers develop the skills and tools to get the job they want.

Price: £29.50 I €35.40
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45’s in a spin

Researchers at the University of Houston have identified the age at which the body starts going its most marked decline.

While fitness declines gradually as we age, it’s in our mid-40s when the body is going through a series of key changes that the drop is most pronounced. The scientists discovered that although men reaching 45 are more prone to the fitness slump, it’s also a landmark for women.

People who do nothing to halt the body’s natural decline in middle age are at much greater risk of a whole range of conditions, including obesity, diabetes, raised blood pressure, heart problems, stroke and some forms of cancer.

Understanding Electromyography

The interest in electromyography (EMG)and its applications have grown significantly in recent years. Researchers have found numerous clinical and research uses for EMG, including biofeedback, gait analysis and clinical diagnosis for neuromuscular disorders.

Yet, until now, few sources have been available to help newcomers understand the characteristics of the instrumentation, signal analysis techniques and appropriate EMG applications.

Because it aids in the comprehension of issues ranging from handling noise contamination to the area, slope and variability of the EMG signal, Essentials of Electromyography provides the perfect starting point for those who plan to use EMG.

Olympic ban lifted

Bernard Atha

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA) is celebrating following the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decision to allow athletes with intellectual disability to compete in the Paralympic Games, starting with London 2012.

This important announcement ends the 9 year ban imposed after the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

Bernard Atha, Chairman, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability said;
“A great wrong has been put right. It has come just in time and I hope will allow athletes with a learning disability access to the training and support available to every other disabled athlete in order to participate in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”

Source: UK Sports Association
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