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PubMed2004

Communication training for health professionals who care for patients with cancer: a systematic review of training methods.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication is increasingly recognised as a core clinical skill. Many health and social care professionals, however, do not feel adequately trained in communicating and in handling interpersonal issues that arise in the care of patients with cancer. AIM: The aim of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of different training methods used in communication training courses for health professionals. METHOD: We searched six computerised databases and augmented this with follow-up of references and grey (unpublished) literature. We included all studies evaluating communication training and assessed methodological quality according to the standard grading system of the Clinical Outcomes Group. Data on author, year, setting, objectives, study design and training methods were extracted and compared in tabular format. RESULTS: A total of 47 studies potentially assessing communication training were identified. Sixteen papers were included evaluating 13 interventions. Four were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (grade a); the others were grade III. Eleven interventions trained health professionals; two trained medical students. Interventions for training in communication skills were characterised by the variety of communication approaches used and a diversity of methods. They were applied to health professionals with very different roles, served different purposes and evaluated a variety of outcome measures: behavioural assessments, patient outcomes and professionals' self-report. CONCLUSIONS: The best results are to be expected from a training programme that is carried out over a longer period of time. Learner-centred programmes using several methods combining a didactic component focusing on theoretical knowledge with practical rehearsal and constructive feedback from peers and skilled facilitators proved to be very effective. Small groups encouraged more intensive participation. Training in communication for both medical or nursing students and senior health professionals is advisable.

Communication↗

PubMed1987

Spike trains in rat periaqueductal gray depend on the stochastic properties of interacting electrical stimulation trains.

Spike trains flowing into the periaqueductal gray (PAG) might be discriminated from one another by PAG neurons on the basis of the distribution or sequence of their respective interspike intervals. The various sequences of interspike intervals characteristic of spontaneous PAG unit activities were assessed in a preliminary experiment. These sequences were then simulated by means of appropriate mathematical functions. These functions allowed the production of stimulation trains that were applied to two PAG sites to induce spike trains with similar sequences in order to reveal the sensitivity of PAG neurons to the stochastic structure of afferent spike trains. We placed emphasis on parameters of the spike train that proved to be altered independently of any alteration of the corresponding parameters in the stimulation train. The mean pulse rate is the simplest example of such a parameter as it was never altered in the stimulation train. Alterations of either the distribution or sequence of pulses in the stimulation train were found to affect the mean discharge rate in a number of cases (30-40% of the cases). Despite their moderate degree (20-30% mean rate alteration) such differential effects could correspond to stimulation-induced differential behavioral effects as was shown in a previous study. Furthermore, a specific dependence of the generated spike trains on the sequential structure of the stimulation train was observed in some cases when appropriate stimulation trains were simultaneously applied to another PAG stimulation site. This fact is worth considering in relation to the integrative function of the PAG neuronal network.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2000

The effect of strength training and reduced training on rotator cuff musculature.

OBJECTIVE: Elucidate the training frequency required to maintain strength gains acquired via short-term resistance training on the rotator cuff. DESIGN: Twenty-one participants performed 12 wk resistance training followed by 12 wk reduced training. Following the training phase (three rotator-cuff-specific exercises; three sessions/wk), participants were randomly assigned to one of three reduced training groups (2, 1 or 0 session(s)/wk). METHODS: Isokinetic testing was done at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 wk to obtain mean and peak torque (N m). Testing involved concentric and eccentric actions of internal and external rotation for both shoulders at 60 and 120 degrees /s. RESULTS: Training produced increases in mean and peak torque for all tests but the four of concentric external rotation. A control group performed no training, showing no changes in strength at 0, 6 and 12 wk. Reduced training (2 or 1 session(s)/wk) produced no decreases in peak or mean torque. Detraining (0 session/wk) produced mean torque decreases in four tests, with eccentric strength showing greater losses. CONCLUSIONS: A training frequency of 1 session/wk maintains rotator cuff strength gains in previously untrained subjects. Further, eccentric strength may be more susceptible to detraining. RelevanceThese findings have direct relevance to functional rehabilitation practices for the rotator cuff. They may aid in resistance training programming for athletes during the off-season or returning from injury, particularly those in overhand sports.

Arm↗

PubMed1998

The influence of training characteristics and tapering on the adaptation in highly trained individuals: a review.

In the general population, the adaptation to training seems to be dependent on factors such as training intensity, volume and frequency, and the initial level of fitness. In highly trained athletes, however, training intensity and initial performance level appear to be the most important factors influencing the response to training, and therefore competition performance, provided that necessary training volume and frequency are assured. When preparing for a major competition, athletes tend to reduce their training load for a variable period of time. This technique, known as taper, can have a major influence on the athlete's performance. The response to taper may be affected by the degree to which training intensity, volume and frequency are reduced, as well as by the combined effects of these variables. A thorough review of the available literature suggests that training volume and frequency can be reduced to a higher extent than training intensity, if falling into detraining is to be avoided. Moreover, the duration of the taper period and the time constant of decay of the training load can also affect the response to taper. Indeed, slow progressive reductions appear to be more effective than sudden standardized reductions in improving the athlete's performance level.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1995

Training-induced protection and effect of terminated training on exercise-induced damage and water content in mouse skeletal muscles.

Muscle swelling in connection with training-induced protection against exercise-induced damage and the disappearance of the protective adaptation after termination of training was studied in male NMRI-mice, aged 8 weeks at the beginning of the experiment. Mice were randomly assigned to several different treatment groups (training, training-exercise, exercise, detraining, detraining-exercise, together with their respective controls). Training and prolonged exercise sessions were performed by running uphill (6 degrees) on a motor-driven treadmill. Muscle damage was estimated by the total activity of beta-glucuronidase and water content from the red parts of m. quadriceps femoris (MQF), m. soleus (MS), m. rectus femoris (MRF), and from m. triceps brachii (MTB). Training-induced protection was observed in MS after only one week of training. In MQF the protection was incomplete after 1 and 4 weeks' training. In MS the protection disappeared already one week after the cessation of training. In MQF the training-induced protection persisted in part for one week but after four-week's detraining no protection was observed. The present results suggest that diminution of muscle swelling forms part of the adaptation of skeletal muscle in resisting exercise damage, and, vice versa, increased susceptibility to exercise damage, which follows the termination of training, is linked to muscle reswelling.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of combined aerobic and resistance training versus aerobic training alone in cardiac rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of performing combined resistance and aerobic training, versus aerobic training alone, in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with coronary artery disease were randomized to either an aerobic-only training group (AE) or a combined aerobic and resistance training group (AE + R). Both groups performed 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 days/week for 6 months. In addition, AE + R group performed two sets of resistance exercise on seven different Nautilus machines after completion of aerobic training each day. Twenty patients (AE: n = 10; AE + R: n = 10) completed the training protocol with > 70% attendance. RESULTS: Strength gains for AE + R group were greater than for AE group on six of seven resistance machines (P < 0.05). VO2peak increased after training for both AE and AE + R (P < 0.01) with no difference in improvement between the groups. Resting and submaximal exercise heart rates and rate-pressure product were lower after training in the AE + R group (P < 0.01), but not in the AE group. AE + R increased lean mass in arm, trunk, and total body regions (P < 0.01), while AE increased lean mass in trunk region only (P < 0.01). Percent body fat was reduced for AE + R after training (P < 0.05) with a between group trend toward reduced body fat (P = 0.09). Lean mass gain significantly correlated with strength increase in five of seven resistance exercises for AE + R. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance training adds to the effects of aerobic training in cardiac rehabilitation patients by improving muscular strength, increasing lean body mass, and reducing body fat.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1996

Differential temporal evolution of post-training changes in regional brain glucose metabolism induced by repeated spatial discrimination training in mice: visualization of the memory consolidation process?

The present study analyses the effects of the stage of learning on the spatial patterns and time-course of [14C]glucose uptake in BALB/c mice brain regions produced by spatial discrimination training in an eight-arm radial maze. Our particular approach was designed to follow, during the post-training period, the level of functional activity in individual brain areas which may underlie the memory consolidation process. Regional mapping of relative [14C]glucose uptake was assessed at three post-training time intervals (5 min, 1 and 3 h) after either the first (Day 1), the fourth (Day 4) or the last (Day 9) daily training session of the discrimination task and compared with sham-conditioned animals placed in the same experimental environment. The results indicated that numerous subcortical and cortical brain regions exhibit metabolic alterations following the acquisition of the spatial discrimination task. These alterations, which were specifically related to learning since they did not appear in sham-conditioned animals, were functions both of the post-training interval studied and of the degree of mastery of the task. On Day 1, a progressive, time-dependent and sequential increase in labelling was found from subcortical (5 min post-training) to cortical regions (3 h post-training). On Day 4, a peak of cortical metabolic activation was identified at 1 h post-training. In contrast, on Day 9, maximum labelling was found 5 min post-training in all subcortical and cortical regions followed by a general monotonic decline at 1 and 3 h post-training. These findings, which show widely distributed changes of metabolic activity in the brain, are consistent with the hypothesis that learning involves distributed neural networks. The sequential activation from subcortical to cortical regions seems to indicate a general mechanism whose function would ultimately be to store cortical memory representations. The acquisition-dependent shifts in the patterns of post-training metabolic labelling observed as a function of task mastery may be taken to represent a visualization of the spatio-temporal evolution of the networks of brain structures actively engaged in the memory consolidation process. In particular, the present data suggest that the duration of post-acquisition memory processing is a function of the quantity of new information which has to be dealt with by the central nervous system.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Summation and inhibition by ultrarapid train pulses in dogs: effects of frequency and duration of trains, lidocaine, and beta blockade.

To test whether summation and inhibition of excitation by ultrarapid train pulses were modified by frequency and duration of trains, using lidocaine and beta blockade, the strength-interval relationship was determined with a single extrastimulus and train pulses (100 and 200 Hz) in 28 anesthetized, open-chest dogs. The effective refractory period (ERP) determined at greater than or equal to 5 mA was shorter for trains than for single stimulus (summation). Summation determined at 15 mA increased progressively as the duration of trains was increased to 50 msec after which it reached a plateau. ERP determined at less than or equal to 2 mA was longer with train pulses than with single stimulus (inhibition). Inhibition for 200 Hz trains increased linearly with train duration up to 200 msec, while for 100 Hz trains it became constant when the duration was greater than or equal to 80 msec. Lidocaine (plasma concentration: 2.6 +/- 1.0 micrograms/mL) did not affect inhibition and summation in 11 dogs. Propranolol (1 mg/kg, iv) increased summation at 15 mA (n = 7, 30 +/- 10 vs 46 +/- 11 msec with 100 Hz trains, P less than 0.01), but did not affect inhibition (37 +/- 26 vs 29 +/- 17 msec, NS). In conclusion, (1) effect of frequency of train pulses was more on inhibition than on summation; (2) lidocaine did not affect inhibition and summation; and (3) propranolol increased summation but not inhibition.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Echocardiographic parameters in training compared with non-training greyhounds.

Echocardiographic parameters were compared between training and non-training greyhound dogs. When indexed to body weight there was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in the interventricular septal thickness (systole) and when indexed to body surface area there were increased interventricular septal (systole) and left ventricular free wall measurements (systole) in training compared with non-training greyhounds. When each gender was analyzed separately and echocardiographic parameters were indexed to body size, both genders had an increase in the interventricular septal thickness (diastolic in the female, systolic in the male) in the training compared with non-training greyhounds. In male training greyhounds there was additionally an increase in the left ventricular internal dimension (systole) and free wall thickness (systole) when echocardiographic parameters were indexed to body surface area compared with non-training greyhounds (p < 0.05). The results indicate that certain training greyhound echocardiographic parameters are larger than non-training greyhound echocardiographic parameters. The potential effects of training, body size and gender should be considered when interpreting echocardiographic parameters in populations of greyhounds.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Living and training in moderate hypoxia does not improve VO2 max more than living and training in normoxia.

The objective of these experiments was to determine whether living and training in moderate hypoxia (MHx) confers an advantage on maximal normoxic exercise capacity compared with living and training in normoxia. Rats were acclimatized to and trained in MHx [inspired PO2 (PI(O2)) = 110 Torr] for 10 wk (HTH). Rats living in normoxia trained under normoxic conditions (NTN) at the same absolute work rate: 30 m/min on a 10 degrees incline, 1 h/day, 5 days/wk. At the end of training, rats exercised maximally in normoxia. Training increased maximal O2 consumption (VO2 max) in NTN and HTH above normoxic (NS) and hypoxic (HS) sedentary controls. However, VO2 max and O2 transport variables were not significantly different between NTN and HTH: VO2 max 86.6 +/- 1.5 vs. 86.8 +/- 1.1 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1); maximal cardiac output 456 +/- 7 vs. 443 +/- 12 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1); tissue blood O2 delivery (cardiac output x arterial O2 content) 95 +/- 2 vs. 96 +/- 2 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1); and O2 extraction ratio (arteriovenous O2 content difference/arterial O2 content) 0.91 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.90 +/- 0.01. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa, mmHg) was significantly higher in HS vs. NS (P < 0.05) at rest (24.5 +/- 0.8 vs. 18.1 +/- 0.8) and during maximal exercise (32.0 +/- 0.9 vs. 23.8 +/- 0.6). Training in MHx significantly attenuated the degree of pulmonary hypertension, with Ppa being significantly lower at rest (19.3 +/- 0.8) and during maximal exercise (29.2 +/- 0.5) in HTH vs. HS. These data indicate that, despite maintaining equal absolute training intensity levels, acclimatization to and training in MHx does not confer significant advantages over normoxic training. On the other hand, the pulmonary hypertension associated with acclimatization to hypoxia is reduced with hypoxic exercise training.

Altitude↗

PubMed2006

CPR training and CPR performance: do CPR-trained bystanders perform CPR?

OBJECTIVES: To determine factors associated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provision by CPR-trained bystanders and to determine factors associated with CPR performance by trained bystanders. METHODS: The authors performed a prospective, observational study (January 1997 to May 2003) of individuals who called 911 (bystanders) at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A structured telephone interview of adult cardiac-arrest bystanders was performed beginning two weeks after the incident. Elements gathered during interviews included bystander and patient demographics, identifying whether the bystander was CPR trained, when and by whom the CPR was performed, and describing the circumstances of the event. If CPR was not performed, we asked the bystanders why CPR was not performed. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for factors associated with CPR performance. RESULTS: Of 868 cardiac arrests, 684 (78.1%) bystander interviews were completed. Of all bystanders interviewed, 69.6% were family members of the victims, 36.8% of the bystanders had more than a high-school education, and 54.1% had been taught CPR at some time. In 21.2% of patients, the bystander immediately started CPR, and in 33.6% of cases, someone started CPR before the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS). Important overall predictors of CPR performance were the following: witnessed arrest (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.4 to 3.8); bystander was CPR trained (OR = 6.6; 95% CI = 3.5 to 12.5); bystander had more than a high-school education (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.2 to 3.1), or arrest occurred in a public location (OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.7 to 5.8). These variables were significant predictors of CPR performance among CPR-trained bystanders, as was CPR training within five years (OR = 4.5; 95% CI = 2.8 to 7.3). Common reasons that the CPR-trained bystanders cited for not performing CPR were the following: 37.5% stated that they panicked, 9.1% perceived that they would not be able to do CPR correctly, and 1.1% thought that they would hurt the patient. Surprisingly, only 1.1% objected to performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: A minority of CPR-trained bystanders performed CPR. CPR provision was more common in CPR-trained bystanders with more than a high-school education and when CPR training had been within five years. Previously espoused reasons for not doing CPR (mouth-to-mouth, infectious-disease risk) were not the reasons that bystanders cited for not doing CPR. Further work is needed to maximize CPR provision after CPR training.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Training enlisted men on sexually transmitted diseases and preparation of a training model.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are serious public health concerns in many countries. One of the main strategies in prevention of STDs is training people who are at high risk for STDs. We aimed to train enlisted men in the Turkish Armed Forces while they served their compulsory military service because every healthy Turkish man has to complete this service and they are at high risk for STDs, as well. This study contains two main parts: trainer training and training of enlisted men. The target groups are health noncommissioned officer school students for the trainer training and enlisted men serving in a military medical academy for STD training. For both groups, we prepared and applied different training programs considering each group's knowledge needs on the topic. To describe knowledge needs, we administered a pretest on both groups. First, we trained candidate trainers, then they trained the enlisted men. We evaluated both programs comparing pre- and posttest results. In both programs, mean test scores of the groups increased significantly. Success levels of the groups also increased significantly after using a cutoff point for test scores. With respect to relative effectiveness, attributed effectiveness, and effectiveness ration, the trainers training program was more effective than the other. As a result, our approach to training enlisted men as young adults is effective. We should evaluate the limitations of the study and consider our experiences to make the program more effective.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Computer-assisted cognitive training of schizophrenic patients. Use of evaluation outcome for developing an individualized training method].

The paper deals with the evaluation of a computer-based cognitive group training programme for schizophrenic patients. The evaluation of the training results of 100 patients who participated in an earlier training scheme showed ceiling effects in up to 46% of the cases. In the remaining cases the improvements varied in a wide range between 1.6 and 20%. These results implied that the training had to be adapted more closely to the specific needs of the individual patient. To this end we developed criteria for each task to decide whether training in this task is necessary or the performance is sufficient. This approach limits training to those tasks in which patients display deficits. Satisfactory improvement terminating training for the specific task, is defined as an increase in correct responses of at least 10%. For those tasks in which reaction times are used as performance measure, the criterion is a 10% increase in percentile rank. An analysis of the new training programme with the data of 20 patients revealed that 27% of the tasks showed ceiling performance with no further training need. In the remaining tasks the patients' performance attained the training criterion in 68%, at instances mostly even after one additional session. These preliminary results indicate that the new training scheme is able to provide more flexibility, individualization and an enhanced focus on the patients' deficits.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

[Physical training as interval or continuous training in chronic heart failure for improving functional capacity, hemodynamics and quality of life--a controlled study].

We conducted a three-week randomized trial comparing the improvement of functional capacity by exercise training in chronic heart failure by the steady-state (EF 27.3%, n = 20) and the interval modus (EF 29.3%, n = 20) with a control group (EF = 26.6%, n = 10). Minimal EF was 10%, the lowest maximal oxygen consumption was 9.3 ml/kg/min and the lowest cardiac output was 1.9 l/min; 9 patients had been evaluated for HTX. VO2 at the anaerobic threshold and at maximal exercise increased in the continuous exercise group by 1.4 or 1.6 ml/kg/min, respectively, corresponding to an increase of 13.7% (p < 0.05) and 9.3% (p < 0.05). In the interval training group the increase was 1.3 and 1.5 ml/kg/min corresponding to 14% (p < 0.05) and 8.1% (p < 0.05). Continuous short-term exercise had no impact to central hemodynamics as pulmonary artery pressure (PA), capillary wedge pressure (pc), cardiac index (CI) or stroke volume index (SVI), whereas after interval training a significant increase at maximal exercise could be seen in CI (p < 0.05) and SVI (p < 0.01) with a concomitant drop in systemic peripheral resistance (p < 0.05) compared to the steady-state modus. Interval training was further characterized by a higher short-term but lower mean work load with a significantly smaller increase in lactate. Quality of life was improved according to the SF-36 questionnaire in both training groups but the psychologic sum factor was three times as high, increasing to 24.2% in the steady-state exercise group. It can be concluded that clinically stable patients with heart failure and even those already having been evaluated for cardiac transplantation profit from short-term physical training. Both training modalities seem equally suited to improve functional capacity. However interval training leads to more pronounced improvement in hemodynamics compared to the steady-state exercise, whereas the later had a greater impact on psychological well-being and quality of life. Patients with heart failure and severe peripheral deconditioning tolerate higher workloads with more peripheral stress by an interval training modus. Long-term training modalities need to be established to further improve and stabilize functional status.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Effect of training on postural control in figure skaters: a randomized controlled trial of neuromuscular versus basic off-ice training programs.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of a neuromuscular training program and a basic exercise program on postural control in figure skaters. DESIGN: Two groups; parallel design; prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Postural control laboratory, arenas, September 2001 to December 2002. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-four young, healthy figure skaters (18 years +/- 3 years). INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive a neuromuscular training program (n = 22) or a basic exercise training program (n = 22). Both programs were completed 3 times per week for 4 weeks, and each session was supervised. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed baseline and postintervention measures of postural control on a force plate. Postural control was quantified as the center of pressure (CoP) path length during tests of single-limb standing balance that mimicked figure skating skills and challenged the postural control system to varying degrees. The primary outcome measure was the CoP path length observed during a landing jump test completed with eyes closed. RESULTS: The post intervention CoP path lengths during the more challenging tests were significantly (P < 0.05) lower (indicating better postural control) for the neuromuscular trained group than for the basic exercise-trained group. For the landing jump test completed with eyes closed, the percent improvement in the neuromuscular trained group was significantly greater (mean = 21.0 +/- 22.0%) than the basic exercise trained group (mean = -4.9 +/- 24.9%; P < 0.05). The magnitude of improvement in the neuromuscular-trained group ranged from approximately 1% to 21%, depending on the specific postural control test used. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that off-ice neuromuscular training can significantly improve postural control in figure skaters, whereas basic exercise training does not.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Detraining: loss of training-induced physiological and performance adaptations. Part II: Long term insufficient training stimulus.

This part II discusses detraining following an insufficient training stimulus period longer than 4 weeks, as well as several strategies that may be useful to avoid its negative impact. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) of athletes declines markedly but remains above control values during long term detraining, whereas recently acquired VO2max gains are completely lost. This is partly due to reduced blood volume, cardiac dimensions and ventilatory efficiency, resulting in lower stroke volume and cardiac output, despite increased heart rates. Endurance performance is accordingly impaired. Resting muscle glycogen levels return to baseline, carbohydrate utilisation increases and the lactate threshold is lowered, although it remains above untrained values in the highly trained. At the muscle level, capillarisation, arterial-venous oxygen difference and oxidative enzyme activities decline in athletes and are completely reversed in recently trained individuals, contributing significantly to the long term loss in VO2max. Oxidative fibre proportion is decreased in endurance athletes, whereas it increases in strength athletes, whose fibre areas are significantly reduced. Force production declines slowly, and usually remains above control values for very long periods. All these negative effects can be avoided or limited by reduced training strategies, as long as training intensity is maintained and frequency reduced only moderately. On the other hand, training volume can be markedly reduced. Cross-training may also be effective in maintaining training-induced adaptations. Athletes should use similar-mode exercise, but moderately trained individuals could also benefit from dissimilar-mode cross-training. Finally, the existence of a cross-transfer effect between ipsilateral and contralateral limbs should be considered in order to limit detraining during periods of unilateral immobilisation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2001

Effects of plyometric training followed by a reduced training programme on physical performance in prepubescent soccer players.

BACKGROUND: In adult population, stretch-shortening cycle exercise (plyometric exercise) is often used to improve leg muscle power and vertical jump performance. In children, limited information regarding this type of exercise is available. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of plyometric training and maintenance training on physical performances in prepubescent soccer players. METHODS: Twenty boys aged 12-13 years was divided in two groups (10 in each): jump group (JG) and control group (CG). JG trained 3 days/week during 10 weeks, and performed various plyometric exercises including jumping, hurdling and skipping. The subsequent reduced training period lasted 8 weeks. However, all subjects continued their soccer training. Maximal cycling power (Pmax) was calculated using a force-velocity cycling test. Jumping power was assessed by using the following tests: countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), drop jump (DJ), multiple 5 bounds (MB5) and repeated rebound jump for 15 seconds (RRJ15). Running velocities included: 20, 30 and 40 m (V20, V30, V40 m). Body fat percentage (BF percent) and lean leg volume were estimated by anthropometry. RESULTS: Before training, except for BF percent, all baseline anthropometric characteristics were similar between JG and CG. After the training programme, Pmax (p<0.01), CMJ (p<0.01), SJ (p<0.05), MB5 (p<0.01), RRJ15 (p<0.01) and V20 m (p<0.05), performances increased in the JG. During this period no significant performance increase was obtained in the CG. After the 8-week of reduced training, except Pmax (p<0.05) for CG, any increase was observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that short-term plyometric training programmes increase athletic performances in prepubescent boys. These improvements were maintained after a period of reduced training.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Adaptations to swimming training: influence of training volume.

In an effort to assess the contributions of a period of increased training volume on swimming performance, two matched groups of collegiate male swimmers were studied before and during 25 wk of training. For the first 4 wk of this study, the two groups trained together in one session per day for approximately 1.5 h.d-1. During the following 6 wk (weeks 5-11), one group (LONG) trained two sessions per day, 1.5 h in the morning and 1.5 h in the afternoon. The other group (SHORT) continued to train once each day, in the afternoon with the LONG group. Over the final 14 wk of the study, both groups trained together in one session per day (1.5 h.d-1). Although the swimmers experienced significant improvements in swimming power, endurance, and performance throughout the 25 wk study, there were no differences between the groups. However, during the 6 wk period of increased training, the LONG group experienced a decline in sprinting velocity, whereas the SHORT group showed a significant increase in sprinting performance. The test results suggest that a 6 wk period of two 1.5 h training sessions per day does not enhance performance above that experienced with a single training session of 1.5 h each day. It was also noted that both groups showed little change in swimming endurance and power after the first 8 wk of training, though their performances improved significantly after each taper period.

Analysis of Variance↗