Effect of Training Load Intensification on the Sleep Pattern of Young Soccer Players.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine how intensifying training loads over a week affects the sleep patterns of young soccer players on the nights immediately following the intensified training sessions. Methods: Quasi-experimental study. Fifteen young athletes participants of a team engaged in national level competition, underwent two weeks of training with varying load magnitudes-Week 1: low accumulated training load and Week 2: intensified training loads [40% increase in external training load(ETL)]. To characterize the intensification of the workload, the methods PlayerLoad and RPE-Session were employed to measure ETL and internal training load(ITL), respectively. Total sleep time(TST), total time in bed(TTB), sleep efficiency(SE), sleep latency(SL), and wake after sleep onset(WASO) were obtained using actigraphy and daily sleep log. The variables were compared among the days of week (e.g. Monday of week 1 with Monday of week 2, and so forth). Results: Acute training intensification in week 2 led to significant increases in ETL and ITL on Monday and on Wednesday(p < .05), and ETL(p < .05) on Friday on the second week. Improvements in sleep were observed (Tuesday-TST:+80 min, WASO:-29.3 min, SL:-8 min, SE:+9%; Thursday-TST:+86 min, SL:-4 min, SE:+4%; Saturday-TST:+40 min, SL:+1 min) compared to the same day of the previous week. Correlations between ETL and ITL(r = 0.637), ITL and TST(r = 0.572), ITL and SE(r = 0.548) were found. Conclusion: Intensification of training loads results in alterations in sleep variables, notably an elevated TST and SE in the days subsequent to the acute load increment.

Exercise Immunology Applied to Pediatric Sport and the Importance of Monitoring Stages of Puberty and Biological Maturation.

CONTEXT: Exercise immunology is aimed at understanding how exercise sessions can affect the immune system in athletic subjects of different age groups. The objective of the current study was to discuss in which stage of biological maturation (BM) young athletes may be more vulnerable in relation to the immune system, and whether there is a BM range in which it is safer to perform sports training with strenuous exercise loads. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Evidence from scientific research from several scientific disciplines (eg, immunology, sport immunology, pediatrics, sports medicine, human development) was gathered to holistically examine the main particularities of exercise immunology as applied to pediatric sport. STUDY DESIGN: Narrative review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5. RESULTS: In pediatric patients, lymphoid tissue expands during puberty and involutes after puberty until it returns to pre-expansion values. This suggests that there is a specific period in which the immune system may be stronger, which may provide opportunities for strenuous exercise in pediatric athletes. However, the chronological period when puberty occurs will be determined by BM, which is the rate at which the biological systems of the human body improves. This may affect the period of lymphoid tissue expansion and, consequently, the behavior of the immune system in pediatric subjects of the same age category. CONCLUSION: During puberty, there is a significant increase in the proinflammatory profile; to compensate for this, there is an expansion of lymphoid tissue that may favor the efficiency of the immune system. The period in which puberty is reached may vary according to the stages of BM. Therefore, in exercise immunology applied to pediatric sports, in addition to external and internal training loads, it is necessary to consider BM and puberty, which have been shown to be safer biomarkers than chronological age for determining immune system behavior in pediatric athletes. STRENGTH-OF-RECOMMENDATION TAXONOMY (SORT): Evidence B level 3.

Effects of Training Loads on Stress Tolerance and Mucosal Immunity in High-Intensity Functional Fitness Athletes.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the effects of training load on stress tolerance (ST) and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in male and female high-intensity functional fitness (HIFF) athletes during two different 10 and consecutive weekly training volume loads [higher (week 1) and lower volume (week 2)]. Methods: 14 athletes [7 males: 29.3 (±5.8) years; 86.3 (±8.2) kg and 176.8 (±3.8) cm and 7 females: 32.7 (±4.4) years; 60.0 (±6.7) kg and 162.5 (±5.9) cm] participated. The ST, assessed by Daily Analysis of Life Demand in Athletes questionnaire (DALDA) and Saliva sampling were performed in four time-points (pre (T1) and post (T2) week 1; pre (T3) and post (T4) week 2). Results: Female athletes showed a decrease in ST (symptoms of stress) from 15 T1 to T3 [F(3,36) = 7.184, p˂ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.374], without difference in male athletes (p > .05). There is a significant difference of SIgA concentration [F(3.36) = 3.551; p = .024; ηp2 = 0.228], with a significant decrease in female athletes group in T2 compared to T1 (p = .013) and T4 (p = .023). In addition, the different training volume loads did not impact mucosal immunity in male athletes (p > .05). Conclusion: The current findings suggest that higher HIFF volume results in decreased ST and SIgA concentration in female 20 athletes and a subsequent decrease in training volume loads contributed to restoring these variables.

The Influence of Different Training Load Magnitudes on Sleep Pattern, Perceived Recovery, and Stress Tolerance in Young Soccer Players.

ABSTRACT: Ferreira, ABdM, Ribeiro, BLL, Batista, EdS, Dantas, MP, and Mortatti, AL. The influence of different training load magnitudes on sleep pattern, perceived recovery, and stress tolerance in young soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 37(2): 351-357, 2023-The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of 3 weeks on sleep parameters, perceived recovery, and stress tolerance in young soccer players using different training load magnitudes. A total of 13 young male soccer athletes (15.9 ± 0.5 years; 68.7 ± 6.1 kg; 170 ± 7 cm) who performed 3 typical training weeks with different workloads were analyzed. The external training load (ETL) was verified by the PlayerLoad method, and the internal training load (ITL) was determined using the session rating of perceived exertion method. Sleep was monitored using a wrist-actigraphy monitor. Sleep variables, including total time in bed (TTB), total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE), were evaluated across all nights of sleep. The recovery status was assessed with the perceived recovery status (PRS) scale, and the stress tolerance was monitored using the "daily analysis of life demands of athletes" questionnaire. There was an increase in sleep time during the week with the highest training load (week 2) (TTB: +35 minutes, TST: +46 minutes, SL: -5 minutes, SE: +3%). There was no difference in the PRS or in the stress tolerance during the evaluation weeks. A very large within-individual correlation was observed between ITL and ETL ( r = 0.78) and moderate within-individual correlation between ETL and TST ( r = 0.34), between ITL and TST ( r = 0.45), and between ITL and SE ( r = 0.359). These results showed that there was an increase in TST during a microcycle with intensified loads, without impairing bedtime and resulting in maintenance of the perceived recovery or stress tolerance values.

Level of physical activity and motor coordination of schoolchildren in different maturational stages / Nível de atividade física e coordenação motora de escolares em diferentes estágios maturacionais

INTRODUCTION: Studies and debates in the field of motor development reveal that sport and physical activity develop and improve motor skills. These studies seek to understand the changes that occur with movement, which becomes more complex as it develops through physical activity. OBJECTIVE: To compare the level of physical activity and motor coordination of students in different maturational stages and to relate the level of physical activity with the motor coordination of young people. METHODS: Descriptive research with cross section. The study included 46 male individuals, aged between 10 and 14 years. The Baecke Habitual Physical Activity questionnaire was applied; the maturity stage was verified through the Pubertal Maturation Prediction Equation; body composition was assessed using the Guedes protocol for children and adolescents; Finally, the coordinating performance was rated using the Korperkoordinationstest fur Kinder (KTK) test battery. RESULTS: There were significant differences for the variables Age and Height between all stages: P3, P4 and P5 of maturation. The differences found in body mass occurred only between stages P3 and P5; P4 and P5. It was also observed that no significant differences were found for motor coordination between the maturation stages. The same occurred when the physical activity indices were compared CONCLUSION: There is no difference in the level of physical activity between stages 3, 4 and 5 of sexual maturation, nor does the maturational stage seem to influence the level of motor coordination of young schoolchildren.

INTRODUÇÃO: Estudos e debates na área do desenvolvimento motor revelam que o esporte e a atividade física desenvolvem e melhoram as habilidades motoras. Esses estudos buscam compreender as mudanças que ocorrem com o movimento, o qual se torna mais complexo à medida que se desenvolve através da atividade física. OBJETIVO: Comparar o nível de atividade física e coordenação motora de escolares em diferentes estágios maturacionais e relacionar o nível de atividade física com a coordenação motora de jovens MÉTODO: Pesquisa descritiva com corte transversal. Participaram do estudo 46 indivíduos do sexo masculino, com idades entre 10 e 14 anos. Foi aplicado o questionário de Atividade Física Habitual de Baecke; o estágio de maturidade foi verificado através da Equação de Predição da Maturação Puberal; a composição corporal foi avaliada através do protocolo de Guedes para crianças e adolescentes; por fim, o desempenho coordenativo foi classificado por meio da bateria de testes Korperkoordinationstest fur Kinder (KTK). RESULTADOS: Houve diferenças significativas para as variáveis Idade e Estatura entre todos os estágios: P3, P4 e P5 de maturação. As diferenças encontradas na massa corporal ocorreram apenas entre os estágios P3 e P5; P4 e P5. Observou-se também que não foram encontradas diferenças significativas para a coordenação motora entre os estágios de maturação. O mesmo ocorreu quando os índices de atividade física foram comparados. CONCLUSÃO: Não existe diferença no nível de atividade física entre os estágios 3, 4 e 5 da maturação sexual, assim como o estágio maturacional não parece influenciar o nível de coordenação motora de jovens escolares