Context: Athletic skills such as balance are considered physical skills. However, these skills may not just improve by physical training, but also by mental training. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mental training programs on balance skills and hemodynamic responses of the prefrontal cortex. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Fifty-seven healthy adults (28 females, 29 males), aged between 18–25 years, participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 groups: virtual reality mental training (VRMT) group, conventional mental training (CMT) group, and control group. The training program included action observation and motor imagery practices with balance exercise videos. The VRMT group trained with a VR head-mounted display, while the CMT group trained with a non-immersive computer screen, for 30 minutes, 3 days per week for 4 weeks. At baseline and after 4 weeks of training, balance was investigated with stabilometry and Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Balance tests were performed with simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging to measure prefrontal cortex oxygenation. Results: For the stabilometry test, at least 1 variable improved significantly in both VRMT and CMT groups but not in the control group. For SEBT, composite reach distance significantly increased in both VRMT and CMT groups but significantly decreased in the control group. For separate directional scores, reach distance was significantly increased in both mental training groups for nondominant leg posterolateral and posteromedial directions, and dominant leg posterolateral direction, while nondominant posteromedial score was significantly increased only in the VRMT group. Between-group comparisons showed that dominant leg posteromedial and posterolateral score improvements were significantly higher than control group for both mental training groups, while nondominant leg improvements were significantly higher than control group only for the VRMT group. The fNIRS oxyhemoglobin levels were not significantly changed during stabilometry tests. However, oxyhemoglobin levels significantly reduced only in the control group during SEBT. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that both mental training interventions can significantly improve balance test results. Additionally, VRMT may have some advantages over CMT. These findings are promising for the use of mental training in prevention and rehabilitation for special populations such as athletes and older adults.

A AB BS ST TR RA AC CT T OOb bj je ec ct ti iv ve e: : Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas which has vasodilator, antioxidant and metabolic regulator features. The positive effect of aerobic exercise is well known on the production of NO in healthy men. However, the effects of chronic anaerobic exercise on blood NO levels remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of both chronic aerobic and anaerobic exercise on basal serum nitric oxide (BSNO) levels, and the relationships between BSNO and some aerobic and anaerobic performance parameters. M Ma at te er ri ia al l a an nd d M Me et th ho od ds s: : Three groups participated in the present study, each of them was composed of 11 healthy men with similar physical characteristics. The groups consisted of volleyball players as the anaerobic group (AnG), swimmers as the aerobic group (AeG) with long-term exercise background and volunteers who did not exercise regularly as the control group (CG). BSNO (as total nitrite) analysis was determined in fasting venous blood by using Griess method. Mean power and peak power as the criteria of anaerobic performance were determined by using Wingate test, and lactate minimum speed (LMS) was determined as the criterion of aerobic endurance with the LMS test based on lactate elimination. Finger tip lactate measurements were taken during certain segments of LMS test. R Re es su ul lt ts s: : The BSNO value of the AeG was significantly higher compared to the CG (90.34 vs. 74.39 µM), but it was not different from that of the AnG (80.02 µM). No significant relationships were observed between the BSNO and LMS values in any group. The LMS value of the AeG was significantly greater than that in the CG (11.59 vs. 10.27 km/h). Peak power (13.11 vs. 9.84 w/kg) and mean power (8.55 vs. 7.36 w/kg) were significantly greater in the AnG compared to the AeG. A positive correlation was found between BSNO in the AeG and peak power (r=0.648, p=0.031) in the AeG. C Co on nc cl lu us si io on n: : Based on the results of the present study, it is suggested that regular aerobic exercise may improve blood NO levels while anaerobic exercise does not; nevertheless, NO may play a role in both aerobic and anaerobic adaptations to exercise. K Ke ey y W Wo or rd ds s: : Nitric oxid; lactic acid; exercise; anaerobic threshold Ö ÖZ ZE ET T A Am ma aç ç: : Nitrik oksit (NO) vazodilaör, antioksidan ve metabolik özelliklere sahip bir gazdır. Aerobik egzersizin kan NO düzeylerini iyileştirdiği bilinmektedir. Ancak anaerobik egzersizin kan NO düzeyleri üzerindeki etkisi belirsizdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; aerobik ve anaerobik egzersiz antrenmanlarının kan NO düzeyleri üzerindeki kronik etkilerinin ve bazal serum NO (BSNO) düzeyi ile bazı aerobik ve anaerobik performans parametreleri arasındaki ilişkilerin araştırılmasıdır. G Ge er re eç ç v ve e Y Yö ön nt te em ml le er r: : Çalışmaya benzer fiziksel özelliklere ve uzun bir antrenman geçmişine sahip üç grup katılmış olup, grupların herbiri sağlıklı 11 erkek gönüllüden oluşmaktadır. Anaerobik g...

Abstract:The aim of this study was to determine the anthropometric profiles of young male and female swimmers and to investigate the contribution of anthropometric characteristics to two determinants of swimming performance: critical velocity and estimated propulsive force. The study sample consisted of 25 female (age: 12.0 ± 0.9 years, height: 152.2 ± 8.3 cm, body mass: 42.0 ± 7.8 kg) and 25 male (age: 12.4 ± 1.2 years, height: 154.7 ± 11.3 cm, body mass: 49.1 ± 12.0 kg) swimmers. The swimmers were grouped in gender categories. For this study, the anthropometry was divided into 3 categories: length (cm), breadth (cm), and girth (cm) measurements. The critical velocity was estimated from 200-m and 400-m freestyle swimming performance. The estimated propulsive force was calculated using arm muscle area. Statistically significant correlation coefficients (ranging from 0.34 to 0.66) were found between the anthropometric characteristics (19 characteristics) and critical velocity for the female swimmers. Regarding swimming performance determinants, the highest correlations were between the hip girth and critical velocity (r = 0.66; p < 0.05) and between the flexed arm and estimated propulsive force (r = 0.87; p < 0.05). For the male swimmers, the highest correlations were between the transverse chest and critical velocity (r = 0.81; p < 0.05) and between the thoracic girth and estimated propulsive force (r = 0.90; p < 0.05). The somatotype analysis showed that the female swimmers were of the ectomesomorph type, and the male swimmers were of the endo-mesomorph type. The skinfold, length, girth and breadth could be used as predictors of critical velocity and estimated propulsive force in young swimmers. This study could help swimming coaches attain objective knowledge about the swimming performance of their athletes after basic anthropometric measurements and help them to benefit from this knowledge while monitoring the athletes' developmental process.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate relationships between the muscular force in the isometric bench press and squat movements and the Wingate anaerobic test (WanT) results for the upper and lower body. Secondary purpose was to investigate possible correlations between the WanT and the explosive isometric force. Eighteen healthy male volunteer athletes (age: 23.37 ± 1.65, height: 178.37 ± 5.67, body mass; 76.69 ± 3.73) with at least 2 years of strength training participated in the study. During the two test sessions, one-repetition maximum (1-RM), isometric squat and isometric bench press tests and anaerobic power tests with Wingate anaerobic power and arm ergometer were performed. Results of the study showed a high degree of correlation between isometric squat (Squatiso) and lower body Peak Power and Average Power (r (14) = 0.766, p &lt; 0.001 and r (14) = 0.690, p &lt; 0.003 respectively). However, there was no significant relationship between Squatiso and Fatigue Index (FI) (p &gt; 0.05). In isometric bench press, there was also a high level of correlation between upper body peak power and average power (r (14) = 0.620, p &lt; 0.01 and r (14) = 0.749, p &lt; 0.001 respectively). These data can be used to classify the power capabilities of the athletes and determining the training loads to be used in achieving the training goals. In addition, periodic measurements of the maximum power and strength performances of the athletes with field tests and laboratory test batteries according to the characteristics of the sports branch can also provide significant contributions to the coaches and researchers.

The aim of the present study was to examine the time course of changes of the effects of static stretching on straddle jump, vertical jump height and flexibility after performing dynamic movements in artistic gymnasts. The study was participated by 14 female artistic gymnasts aged between 9 and 14. Vertical jump heights were measured using the New Test 2000 testing device. Flexibility measurement was performed with sit and reach flexibility test. Artistic gymnastics-specific jump movement was evaluated looking at the angle between lower extremities using the Dartfish motion analysis program. Baseline measurements taken before the standard warm-up and the measurements taken after static stretching were assessed. Four sets of gymnastics moves each lasting two minutes were performed. The tests were repeated after each set. Static stretching was found to affect vertical jump performance significantly. Significant differences were found between Jump2 and Jump1 (p=0.01), Jump2 and Jump3 (p=0.03), Jump2 and Jump4 (p=0.01), Jump2 and Jumop5 (p=0.004), and Jump2 and Jump6 (p=0.009). In flexibility-related changes, significant differences were found between Reach2 and Reach3 (p=0.03), and Reach2 and Reach6 (p=0.006). Static stretching was found to have no significant effect on the lower extremity straddle jump degree. In conclusion, although the static stretching protocol reduced vertical jump performance significantly, it did not affect the artistic gymnastics-specific jump move. The negative effects of static stretching on jump height approached the baseline value approximately 4 minutes later.