Journal of Kinesiology & Wellness

Acute Beetroot Supplementation May Improve Blood Pressure But Not Exercise Economy in Female Masters Swimmers

Alyssa Q. Eastman, Owen Sloop, Rohit A. Gokhale, Lisa M. Ferguson-Stegall — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It is known that beetroot supplements may improve exercise economy and blood pressure, but this has mainly been studied in males. Given that older female athletes are underrepresented in the literature, we aimed to determine if acute beetroot supplementation (BRS) improves exercise economy and blood pressure in masters female athletes (swimmers) during a treadmill exercise test. Methods: 11 participants (57.8±10.5 y) underwent 2 randomized, double-blinded trials, ingesting beetroot (BE) or placebo (PL). Salivary NO2- (sNO2-) and blood pressure (BP) were measured pre-ingestion (Base), pre-exercise (Pre), and 5 min post-exercise (Post). Oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured during the modified Balke test until HR reached 85% of age-predicted maximum. Exercise economy (ExEc) was defined as the average relative VO2 during min 3-4.5 of the test. sNO2- was determined using NO2- detection strips. Results: sNO2- increased from Base to Post in BE vs PL (32.5±7.0 vs 2.7±3.9% change, p=0.001). No treatment differences existed for ExEc (BE: 15.51±0.47 vs PL: 15.71±0.53 ml·kg-1·min-1, p=0.48). Diastolic BP was significantly lower in BE vs PL (Base: 74.6±1.7 vs 73.2±2.3, Pre: 73.6±1.8 vs 74.5±2.1, Post: 74.5±1.7 vs 76.1±2.2 mmHg, p=0.03, treatment by time). Conclusion: Acute BRS lowered diastolic BP, but did not improve exercise economy in these trained, normotensive athletes. Further research is warranted in menopausal and post-menopausal females, including those who are hypertensive, and in other female masters athlete groups.

Acute Effects of Different Number of Sets and Non-Equalized Volume on Muscle Thickness, Peak Force, and Physical Performance in Recreationally-Trained Participants

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to measure the acute effects of resistance training (RT) protocols with a different number of sets and non-equalized volume on muscle thickness, peak force, and physical performance in recreationally-trained participants. Fifteen participants performed the unilateral biceps curl exercise in four different RT protocols (G₄: 4 sets of 10RM, G₈: 8 sets of 10RM, G₁₂: 12 sets of 10RM, and G₁₆: 16 sets of 10RM). The average number of repetitions (ANR), the total number of repetitions (TNR), time under tension (TUT), muscle thickness (MT), peak force (PF), and rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) were measured pre-test and post-test. ANOVAs were used to test differences between all dependent variables. For ANR, there were differences between G₄xG₈, G₄xG₁₂, and G₄xG₁₆ and between RT protocols for TNR (p<0.05). There were differences for all RT protocols and between G₁₂ and G₄, G₈, and G₁₆for TUT (p<0.05). MT increased and PF decreased for all RT protocols (p<0.001). In conclusion, G₈, G₁₂, and G₁₆ showed lower ANR than G₄, TNR increased with increasing sets, and TUT increased in all RT protocols. PF decreased with increasing sets and all RT protocols increased MT. The sRPE was similar between RT protocols.

Adult Outdoor Play Preferences: Why Nature Space Design Matters

Debbie Rhea, Dr. David Farbo, Dr. Daryl Campbell-Pierre — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Adults from many communities who value unstructured, outdoor play and want to play have limited resources to engage in play (Talarowski et al., 2019). Many parks and playgrounds today are designed with children in mind and do not offer many adult-friendly play options. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine outdoor and indoor adult play preferences to establish a baseline for adult play or nature space design. The survey was distributed to male (N=61) and female (N=261) 18–80-year-old participants through email and posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and given a three-week window to complete. The participants were asked to pick their five top activity preferences. Overall, 33% of the participants preferred nature activities, 24% preferred playground equipment, 22% preferred sports, and 21% preferred large-yard games. The top preferences predominately came from nature activities and large-yard games. Responses from write in questions showed this group of participants preferred being outdoors (84%), active (85%), and socially driven (97%). More opportunities that match these specific preferred activities must be considered so that adults can take full advantage of the benefits play can provide.

Examining the Relationship Between BMI, Sex, and Fundamental Movement Skill Performance in Low-Income Rural Children

Mariah Bolin, Ovande Furtado Jr. — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI), Sex, and Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) performance among low-income rural children aged 5 to 7 years. 39 children (20 boys and 19 girls) participated in the study. FMS proficiency was evaluated using the Furtado-Gallagher Child Observational Movement Pattern Assessment System (FG-COMPASS). The children’s height and weight were measured to calculate BMI, which was then classified into ‘normal weight’ and 'overweight'. A two-way factorial ANOVA assessed the effects of sex and BMI group on manipulative fundamental motor skills (MFMS), locomotor fundamental motor skills (LFMS), and total fundamental motor skills (TFMS). We hypothesized that normal weight children would outperform their overweight counterparts in locomotor (LFMS), manipulative (MFMS), and total (TFMS) fundamental motor skills and that boys would outperform girls on MFMS and TFMS but not on LFMS. Our findings showed a significant main effect of sex on MFMS, with boys performing significantly better than girls. However, no significant main effects were found for LFMS or TFMS based on sex or BMI group. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis revealed weak, negative, non-significant correlations between BMI percentiles and all three motor skill scores. The study’s results highlight the importance of considering sex differences when assessing FMS in children and indicate that overweight status may not necessarily relate to poorer motor skill performance in a rural, low-income context. Further research should ensure a balanced representation across BMI categories and explore the potential influence of demographic factors on motor skill development.