Performance assessment has become an invaluable component of monitoring player development and within talent identification programs in soccer, yet limited performance data are available for female soccer players across a wide age range. The aim of this study was to describe the physical performance characteristics of female soccer players ranging in age from 12 to 21 years. High-level female s...

AIMS Given design similarities and a common manufacturer, there have been suspicions regarding the Durata™ defibrillator (ICD) lead, in the aftermath of the Riata™ class I recall. We therefore examined the failure-free survival rates of the Durata™ compared with the Riata™ and Sprint Quattro™ ICD leads. METHODS AND RESULTS All patients (n = 2475) implanted with a Durata (n = 828), Riata [n = ...

Moderate intensity exercise has been shown to enhance cognition in an adolescent population, yet the effect of high-intensity sprint-based exercise remains unknown and was therefore examined in the present study. Following ethical approval and familiarisation, 44 adolescents (12.6 ± 0.6 y) completed an exercise (E) and resting (R) trial in a counter-balanced, randomised crossover design. The ex...

To compare the sensitivity of sprint and critical (Ucrit) swimming speeds to the condition of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and to identify the best anatomic, behavioural and biochemical correlates of these types of swimming, we established two groups of cod that were fed or starved for 12 weeks. We evaluated sprint swimming and Ucrit performance as well as the speed at which repeated burst-coast...

Plyometric training (PT) is a very popular form of physical conditioning of healthy individuals that has been extensively studied over the last decades. In this article, we critically review the available literature related to PT and its effects on physical fitness in team sport athletes. We also considered studies that combined PT with other popular training modalities (e.g. strength/sprint tr...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of four weeks of β-alanine supplementation on repeated sprint ability in water polo players. Twenty-two male water polo players participated in the study, divided randomly into two homogeneous groups (placebo and β-alanine groups). The study design was double-blind, parallel and placebo controlled. Before and after the supplementation peri...

The current study examined the adaptive response to both endurance (END) and sprint interval training (SIT) in a group of twenty-one recreationally active adults. All participants completed three weeks (four days/ week) of both END (30 minutes at ~65% VO2peak work rate (WR) and SIT (eight, 20-second intervals at ~170% VO2peak WR separated by 10 seconds of active rest) following a randomized cro...

The present study examined the physiological impact of a school based sprint interval training (SIT) intervention in replacement of standard physical education (SPE) class on cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) and glucose homeostasis during the semester following summer vacation. Participants (n=49) were randomly allocated to either intervention (SIT; n=26, aged 16.9 ± 0.3 yrs) or control group w...