METHODS: The data in this study were presented based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Using scientific databases and web search engines including Scopus, Ebscohost, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, researchers collected studies from the published literature. Only 26 of the 84 articles satisfied all the inclusion criteria and were thus included in the systematic review. The quality of each study was determined using the PEDro scale. The scores for 26 studies range between three and six.
RESULTS: Core training can improve soccer players' skill-related physical fitness, including their power, speed, balance, and agility.
CONCLUSION: The core is the anatomic and functional center of the body as well as its "engine." All movements emanate from the center of the body and are transmitted to the extremities. The core muscles differ from the limb muscles because they frequently cocontract, thus making the torso hard to the point whereby all the muscles work together to become synergists. Theoretically, a strong core permits the passage of force from the lower body to the upper body with minimal energy loss in the torso. Based on the 26 studies, this review suggests that core training should be incorporated into the daily training sessions of soccer players, with a minimum frequency and length of 15 min per training session, twice per week, for 4 weeks.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://inplasy.com, identifier INPLASY202290045.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study employing a one-group pre- and post-intervention was carried out involving 142 male firefighter recruits from a Fire and Rescue Academy in Malaysia. Various aspects of physical fitness changes, including speed, agility, and coordination (SAC), muscle strength, endurance, and power, were evaluated at baseline (Week 1) and upon completion of the first phase (Week 5). Changes in health parameters, such as blood pressure, resting heart rate, body weight, muscle mass, body fat percentage, and body mass index, were also assessed. A paired sample t-test was conducted with the significance level set at 0.05. The magnitude of changes was assessed using the following criteria: values of 0.3 were considered a small effect size, 0.5 indicated a moderate effect size, and 0.8 signified a large effect size.
RESULTS: Upon completion of the first phase of the physical training regimen, there was a statistically significant improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness, with a mean increment of VO2max was 9 mL/kg/min (95% CI: 8.33, 9.58, p<0.001, large effect size of 2.40). Both pre-and postintervention assessments of abdominal and upper body muscle strength and endurance showed statistically significant improvement with the mean difference of 11 situps (95%CI: 10.08, 12.01; p<0.001, large effect size of 1.89) and 1.5 pull-ups (95%CI: 1.07, 1.86; p<0.001, moderate effect size of 0.63), respectively. Health parameters showed similar, except for systolic BP (SBP). There was a small increment in recruits' SBP following the 4-week training period with a mean difference of 4.3 mmHg (95%CI: 2.37, 6.24; effect size = 0.37, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: The first phase of the newly introduced fourweek physical training regimen has proven effective in enhancing cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as abdominal and upper body muscle strength and endurance. Additionally, the regimen has positively influenced several health parameters, except for systolic blood pressure. The observed increase in average systolic blood pressure indicates a necessity for continuous monitoring at the academy to address this issue effectively. confirm our findings.
METHODS: The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus were systematically searched up to June 2023 without placing any restrictions on the publication dates. The PICOS method was adopted to establish the inclusion criteria: (a) healthy athletes who participate in racket sports; (b) a PT program; (c) a control group; (d) assessment of physical fitness components pre- and post-PT; and (e) RCTs. The records' methodological quality was assessed utilizing the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The certainty in the evidence related to each outcome was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment. A random-effects model was used to calculate effect sizes (ES; Hedges' g) between experimental and control groups.
RESULTS: There were 14 eligible studies of moderate-to-high-quality, involving 746 athletes in total. The results revealed small-to-moderate effects (p < 0.05) of PT on muscle power (ES = 0.46), muscle strength (ES = 0.50), sprint speed (ES = 0.45), change of direction ability (ES = 0.76), and reaction time (ES = 0.67), while no clear evidence was found on balance and flexibility. The training-induced changes in muscle power showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between youth (ES = 0.72) and adults (ES = 0.40). There were also similar muscle power improvements (ES = 0.36-0.54 vs 0.38-0.56, all p > 0.05) for a length of ≤7 weeks with ≤14 total PT sessions vs >7 weeks with >14 total PT sessions, and ≤2 weekly sessions vs >2 sessions. No adverse effects were reported in the included studies regarding the PT intervention. The certainty of evidence varied from very low to moderate. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that PT has positive effects on important indices of physical fitness among athletes participating in racket sports. Future studies are required to clarify the optimal doses and examine interactions among training variables to further promote the physical fitness of this specific population.
DATA SOURCE: Six major databases were searched from inception till June 2015: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychInfo, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Two reviewers independently rated methodological quality using the modified Downs and Black Scale and extracted and synthesized key findings (i.e., participant characteristics, study design, physical function and fitness outcomes, and adverse events).
RESULTS: Eight of 276 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which none showed high research quality. Four studies assessed physical function outcomes and 4 studies evaluated aerobic fitness as outcome measures. Significant improvements on these 2 outcomes were generally found. Other physical or fitness outcomes including body composition, muscular strength, and balance were rarely reported.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: There is weak evidence supporting aquatic exercise training to improve physical function and aerobic fitness among adults with spinal cord injury. Suggestions for future research include reporting details of exercise interventions, evaluating other physical or fitness outcomes, and improving methodological quality.
Methods: Towards Useful Aging (TUA) is a three-year longitudinal study conducted at baseline (2013-2014) and at follow-up (2015-2017) surveys. The number of participants dropped from 2322 during baseline study to 1787 and 1560 during the 18th and 36th month follow-up, respectively. Data on socio-demography, use of dietary supplement, biochemical indices, anthropometry, cognitive function, physical fitness and depressive symptoms were obtained. Longitudinal associations were done using the linear mixed model analysis among 1285 subjects with complete data.
Results: The most common vitamin and mineral supplementations consumed were multivitamin, B-complex, and calcium. Meanwhile, the herbal supplements consumed by participants were Eurycoma longifolia, Morinda citrifolia and Orthosiphon aristatus. Longitudinal analysis adjusted for multiple covariates showed improvement in both supplement users and non-users for global cognitive function, working memory, visual memory, 2-minute step test, chair stand test, chair sit and reach and time up and go test, waist circumference and hip circumference in both the supplement users and non-users.
Conclusion: Our findings indicated that dietary supplement intake is not associated with cognitive function, physical fitness, nutritional status, depressive symptoms or biochemical indices since improvement in the parameters was observed among both supplement users and non-users.
INTRODUCTION: The major goal of this study was to determine the effects of short-term group-based step aerobics (GBSA) exercise on the bone metabolism, bone mineral density (BMD), and functional fitness of postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass.
METHODS: Forty-eight PMW (aged 58.2 ± 3.5 years) with low bone mass (lumbar spine BMD T-score of -2.00 ± 0.67) were recruited and randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) or to a control group (CG). Participants from the EG attended a progressive 10-week GBSA exercise at an intensity of 75-85 % of heart rate reserve, 90 min per session, and three sessions per week. Serum bone metabolic markers (C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTX] and osteocalcin), BMD, and functional fitness components were measured before and after the training program. Mixed-models repeated measures method was used to compare differences between the groups (α = 0.05).
RESULTS: After the 10-week intervention period, there was no significant exercise program by time interaction for CTX; however, the percent change for CTX was significantly different between the groups (EG = -13.1 ± 24.4 % vs. CG = 11.0 ± 51.5 %, P
METHODS: Sixty NAFLD patients (32 males, 28 females; age: 49.7±8.7 years; BMI: 31.1±3.3 kg/m2) were randomized into HIIT, aerobic training, and control cohorts. The HIIT cohort performed 4-minute high-intensity intervals at 85-95% of peak heart rate, interspersed with 3-minute active recovery at 60-70% of peak heart rate for 30-40 minutes per session. The aerobic training cohort performed continuous exercise at 60-70% of peak heart rate for 45-60 minutes per session. Both intervention cohorts underwent 12 weeks of supervised training, thrice weekly. Before and after the intervention, assessments included cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, lipid profile, liver enzymes, inflammatory markers, insulin sensitivity, and oxidative stress markers.
RESULTS: Compared to controls, both exercise cohorts showed significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. However, HIIT elicited superior enhancements in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. Biochemically, both exercise cohorts exhibited reductions in triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST]), inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6]), insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]), and oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde [MDA], protein carbonyl). Notably, HIIT yielded more substantial improvements in these parameters.
CONCLUSIONS: HIIT and traditional aerobic training are effective in improving physical fitness and ameliorating biochemical indicators in NAFLD patients. Notably, HIIT appears to be more advantageous in enhancing cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress profiles, suggesting its potential as a time-efficient and effective exercise modality for managing NAFLD.