This study evaluated the anthropometric, speed and endurance characteristics of English academy soccer players, comparing players who obtained a 'professional' contract at 18 years old with those that did not ('academy').

15CoreScan is a new software for the GE Lunar iDXA, which provides a quantification of visceral 16 adipose tissue (VAT). The objective of this study was to determine the in-vivo precision of CoreScan 17 for the measurement of VAT mass in a heterogeneous group of adults. 45 adults were recruited for 18 this study (age 34.6 (8.6)

"The Corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all authors and does grant on behalf of all authors, an exclusive licence (or non exclusive for government employees) on a worldwide basis to the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and its Licensees to permit this article (if accepted) to be published in HEART editions and any other BMJPGL products to exploit all subsidiary rights" What is already known about this subject?There is a strong association between high levels of cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) and reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality; these data mainly emanate from large North American databases. However, the associations of CRF with increasing age and changes in body composition with ageing have yet to be determined. What does this study add?In the largest study of its type in a UK population, we have shown that the prevalence of MetS is approximately one quarter of apparently healthy British men. Across increasing agestrata (20 -69 years), prevalence of MetS was 32 to 53% lower in those men with good CRF ("Fit"). The association between CRF and MetS is stronger in younger men and, while it weakens with age, the association remains independent of BMI for men aged <50 years.How might it impact on clinical practice in the near future?Public health messages should advocate the need for improving CRF alongside weight management for enhancing cardio-metabolic health. Inclusion of CRF assessments in UK health screening would provide greater insight into individualised metabolic health. AbstractBackground: Age and body mass index (BMI) are positively associated with the development

Method:Using an observational between-subjects design, a non-probability sample of 22,836 participants provided data on total daily activity. A 2-step hierarchical cluster analysis identified the optimal number of clusters and the subset of distinguishing variables.Univariate analyses assessed significant cluster differences.

This study assessed the longer-term (12-month) variability in post-exercise heart rate recovery following a submaximal exercise test. Longitudinal data was analysed for 97 healthy middle-aged adults (74 male, 23 female) from two occasions, 12 months apart.Participants were retrospectively selected if they had stable physical activity habits, submaximal treadmill fitness and anthropometric measurements between the two assessment visits. A submaximal Bruce treadmill test was performed to at least 85% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Absolute heart rate and Δ heart rate recovery (change from peak exercise heart rate) were recorded for one and two minutes post-exercise in an immediate supine position. Heart rate recovery at both time-points was shown to be reliable with intraclass correlation coefficient values ≥ 0.714. Absolute heart rate one-minute post-exercise showed the strongest agreement between repeat tests (r=0.867, P<0.001). Lower coefficient of variation (≤10.2%) and narrower limits of agreement were found for actual heart rate values rather than Δ heart rate recovery, and for one-minute rather than two-minute postexercise recovery time points. Log-transformed values generated better variability with acceptable coefficient of variation for all measures (2.2 -10%). Overall, one minute postexercise heart rate recovery data had least variability over the 12-month period in apparently healthy middle-aged adults.