Many strength and conditioning professionals have included the use of foam rolling devices within a warm-up routine prior to both training and competition. Multiple studies have investigated foam rolling in regards to performance, flexibility, and rehabilitation; however, additional research is necessary in supporting the topic. Furthermore, as multiple foam rolling progressions exist, researching differences that may result from each is required. To investigate differences in foam rolling progressions, 16 athletically trained males underwent a 2-condition within-subjects protocol comparing the differences of 2 common foam rolling progressions in regards to performance testing. The 2 conditions included a foam rolling progression targeting the mediolateral axis of the body (FRml) and foam rolling progression targeting the anteroposterior axis (FRap). Each was administered in adjunct with a full-body dynamic warm-up. After each rolling progression, subjects performed National Football League combine drills, flexibility, and subjective scaling measures. The data demonstrated that FRml was effective at improving flexibility (p ≤ 0.05) when compared with FRap. No other differences existed between progressions.

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Background Antioxidant supplementation may provide protection against negative health consequences of oxygen-free radicals caused by aerobic and re-sustained exercise. The aim is to find out the efficacy of antioxidant rich nutrient bar supplementation on the antioxidant status and physical fitness components of athletes. Method Forty track and field athletes were selected using convenience sampling technique. The Human Research Ethics Committee of PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore approved the study. Voluntary participation of the subjects was emphasized and a written consent was obtained from them in order to be included in the study. An interview schedule was formulated to collect general information such as name, age, gender, and academic qualifications, as well as information pertaining to the types of sporting activity, duration of the activity per day, number of years involved in the respective sports and level of participation (district/state/national). Nutrient bars each weighing 50gm were prepared with rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, dehydrated carrots, flax seeds, peanuts, almonds, honey and date syrup as ingredients. Each athlete was provided with two bars containing 110 mg of antioxidant. The prepared bars were analyzed for their total anti-oxidant content using DPPH method. The experimental group (n = 20) was supplemented with the formulated nutrient bars every day for a period of 3 months, and the control group (n = 20) with a placebo. Bio-chemical parameters namely GSH, GSH-px, SOD, vitamin C, serum LPO and physical fitness tests such as 12 minutes test, speed test, step test, push-ups test, vertical jump test and hexagon agility test were assessed at baseline and after 90 days. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 15). ResultsThe mean age was 18 ± 3.2 yrs. Sixty percent of the selected athletes were males and 40 % females. The main source of nutrition information was from coaches (56 %) and magazines (30 %). The athletes of the experimental group, when compared with the control group, showed a significant increase in serum levels from 37.42 ± 12.01 units/min/ml to 42.08 ± 13.16 units/min/ml of SOD (p = 0.000). LPO increased from 2.89 ± 0.82 μg/ml to 3.80 ± 1.37 μg/ml (p = 0.005), GSH increased from 209.76 ± 8.17 μg/ml to 244.58 ± 33.36 μg/ml (p = 0.000). The mean levels of vitamin C and GSH-px decreased minimally in the experimental group but significantly in the control group. Significant improvement in all six physical fitness tests namely 12 minutes test (from 1.44 ± 0.142 to 1.56 ± 0.134) , speed test (from 6.5940 ± 0.258 to 6.7435 ± 0.25) step test (from 68.65 ± 5.51 to 78.35 ± 4.004) push-ups (from 22.25 ± 3.97 to 29.70 ± 3.40), vertical jumps test (from 60.00 ± 5.620 to 63.75 ± 6.043) and hexagon agility tests (from 12.255 ± 0.42 to 12.400 ± 0.51) were observed in the experimental group). However in the control group, the improvements were significant only in the 12 minutes test, step test and speed test. Conclusion Supplementation of athletes with antioxidant-rich...

Context: Limited research reveals that the use of different soft tissue mobilization techniques increases tissue mobility in different regions of the body. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between administering instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and therapeutic cupping (TC) on hamstring tightness. Design: Subjects attended one session wherein treatment and leg order were randomized before attending the session. A statistical analysis was completed using a 2 (intervention) × 2 (time) repeated-measures analysis of variance at α level ≤ .05. Participants: Thirty-three subjects between the age of 18–35 years old with bilateral hamstring tightness participated in this study. Interventions: The IASTM and TC were administered on different legs for 5 minutes and over the entire area of the hamstring muscles. One TC was moved over the entire treatment area in a similar fashion as the IASTM. Main Outcome Measures: The intervention measurements included soreness numeric rating scale, Sit-n-Reach (single leg for side being tested), goniometric measurement for straight-leg hip-flexion motion, and superficial skin temperature. The timeline for data collection included: (1) intervention measurements for the first randomized leg, (2) 5-minute treatment with the first intervention treatment, (3) intervention measurements repeated for postintervention outcomes, and (4) repeat the same steps for 1 to 3 with the contralateral leg and the other intervention. Results: There was a main effect over time for Sit-n-Reach, measurement (pre-IASTM—29.50 [8.54], post-IASTM—32.11 [8.31] and pre-TC—29.67 [8.21], post-TC—32.05 [8.25]) and goniometric measurement (pre-IASTM—83.45 [13.86], post-IASTM—92.73 [13.20] and pre-TC—83.76 [11.97], post-TC—93.67 [12.15]; P < .05). Conclusion: Both IASTM and TC impacted hamstring mobility during a single treatment using only an instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization technique without any additional therapeutic intervention.

Cryotherapy is commonly utilized by physically active individuals through cold-water immersion (CWI) and ice packs to decrease muscle soreness and improve functional performance outcomes. 1 Exercise can induce microscopic tears in a muscle, leading to delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Characterized by inflammation, muscle soreness, decreased strength, and decreased power seen 24-72 hours following exercise, DOMS impairs performance, so it is imperative to address its symptoms. 2 Cryotherapy has been shown to induce local vasoconstriction, which reduces the overall metabolic demand for oxygen in damaged tissue leading to an overall reduction in hypoxic secondary injury. Cryotherapy may also decrease nerve conduction velocity and increase pain receptor threshold, decreasing exercise-associated pain. 3 Cryotherapy is also commonly used before athletic events to improve specific physical performance outcomes such as endurance and prevention of DOMS, as well as after events to decrease inflammation and soreness. 4 Many studies have evaluated the effect of post-exercise CWI on pain/fatigue associated with DOMS. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Generally, improvements in pain/fatigue have been noted in subjects 24, 48, 72, and even up to 96 hours following CWI, which includes the timeframe in which DOMS occurs. 2,4 Numerous studies have evaluated the psychological and physiological effects of CWI on exercise performance, but there has not been a comprehensive approach to address multiple factors that impact physical performance such as flexibility, strength, speed, agility, power, and pain. 5,7,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] In recent years, several studies 17,19 have found CWI AbstractAthletes in recent years are to prophylactically use cold-water immersion (CWI) 24 hours before a game, in hopes of improving performance and reduction of soreness. To assess the effects of pre-and post-exercise CWI on muscle performance or pain perception. Twenty subjects enrolled in the study. Muscle performance measures included flexibility, strength, power, agility, and speed for the lower extremity. The subjects were pseudo-randomly assigned to a CWI or control group. The independent variables were group (ice immersion vs control) and time (Baseline, 24 hours, and 48 hours). The dependent variables were muscle performance measurements and pain/soreness visual analog scale (VAS). A 2 × 3 mixed design ANOVA with repeated factors revealed a significant interaction for group × time for strength (P = .024), agility (P = .04), and VAS (P = .019). A post-hoc independent sample t test revealed significant differences at 24 hours for strength (P = .001), 48 hours for agility (P = .03), and 48 hours for VAS (P = .001). There were no significant differences in flexibility, power, and speed between the CWI and control groups. The use of CWI 24 hours pre-exercise improved strength, but improved agility 24 hours post-exercise, and less muscle soreness when compared to the control group. K E Y W O R D SCWI, pain perception, post-wo...