The acute effect of passively assisted trunk stretching on central arterial stiffness and blood pressure in middle-aged to older adults.

PURPOSE: We examined the effects of acute trunk stretching on central arterial stiffness and central and peripheral blood pressure in middle-aged to older adults. METHODS: Twenty-eight middle-aged to older adults (14M/14F, 72 ± 7 years, 28.5 ± 5.3 kg/m2) completed this randomized, controlled, crossover design trial. We measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and central and peripheral blood pressures (BP) before and after a single bout of passively assisted trunk stretching (i.e., five rounds of six 30-s stretches) and a time-matched seated control visit (i.e., 30-min). Changes (Δ; post - pre) in cf-PWV and central and peripheral BP were compared between visits and sexes using separate linear mixed-effects models controlling for baseline values. RESULTS: Compared with seated control, central (systolic: - 3 ± 7 mmHg; diastolic: - 2 ± 5 mmHg) and peripheral (systolic: - 2 ± 8 mmHg; diastolic: - 1 ± 4 mmHg) BP were reduced following acute trunk stretching (ps ≤ 0.001). Between-visit differences for ∆cf-PWV (stretch: 0.09 ± 0.61 m/s; control: 0.37 ± 0.68 m/s, p = 0.038) were abolished when controlling for change in mean arterial pressure (∆MAP) (p = 0.687). The main effects of sex were detected for changes in systolic BPs (ps ≤ 0.029); more males (n = 13) saw BP reductions than females (n = 7). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the superiority of acute trunk stretching over passive sitting of equated duration for BP in middle-aged to older adults, with an appreciable effect in males compared to females.

The Relationship between Cognition, Preseason Hitting Assessments, and In-Game Batting Performance in Collegiate Baseball and Softball Players.

Successful hitting performance may be related to perceptual processing of visual information. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between preseason cognitive assessments, off-field preseason hitting assessment, and in-game batting performing in collegiate baseball and softball athletes. Collegiate varsity baseball (n = 10, 20.5 ± 1.0 years) and softball (n = 16, 20.3 ± 1.3 years) underwent Flanker Task and Trail Maker Tests A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) 24 hours prior to a pre-seasoning indoor hitting assessment. During pre-season hitting assessment, athletes selected 10 underhand pitches and were outfitted with commercially available measurement tools (i.e., HitTrax and The Blast) to quantify swing characteristics. Batting average (BA), slugging percentage (SLUG) and on-base percentage (OBP) was obtained from subsequent 14 non-conference baseball and softball games. The data from this study demonstrated a relationship between the ball's exit velocity (r = .501), bat velocity (r = .524) and average distance traveled (r = .449) during the hitting assessment and in-game BA, p < 0.05. No relationship between hitting assessment outcomes and OBP or SLUG were detected, p > 0.05. Furthermore, the Flanker-Task, TMT-A and TMT-B were not related to in game batting outcomes, p > 0.05. Therefore, these data suggest that off-season preparation should be designed to maximize swing velocity while maintaining performance (i.e., skill) of the coordinated swing.

Effects of Acute High-Intensity Interval Training on Information Processing Speed.

ABSTRACT: Kendall, BJ, Siekirk, NJ, and Lai, Q. Effects of acute high-intensity interval training on information processing speed. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3081-3086, 2022-This study investigated the effects of acute exercise on reaction time (RT), premotor time (i.e., central processing), and motor time (i.e., peripheral processing) using surface electromyography to fractionate RT. Fifty-eight young adults (27 men, 31 women) between the age of 18 and 40 years participated in 2 testing sessions. During visit one, subjects performed a simple RT task under regular (i.e., consistent timing) and irregular (i.e., variable timing) foreperiods. Subjects were then randomized to either an aerobic-only high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group (HIIT-A), an aerobic/resistance HIIT group (HIIT-AR), or a resting control group (CG). Both exercise groups performed a 20-minute, digital video disc-delivered HIIT exercise protocol. After exercise or rest, when controlling for cardiovascular fitness, no statistical differences were observed for the regular foreperiod conditions ( p > 0.05). For the irregular foreperiod conditions, the HIIT-A group (M = 219.8, SE = 6.5) and the HIIT-AR group (M = 218.2, SE = 5.8) had significantly faster mean RTs than the CG (M = 248.1, SE = 8.1). In addition, the HIIT-A (M = 172.1, SE = 4.6) and HIIT-AR exercise groups (M = 171.3, SE = 4.8) had significantly faster mean PMTs than the CG (M = 189.7, SE = 5.7). These findings suggest that tasks dependent on central processing may benefit from an acute bout of exercise.

Acute high-intensity interval training improves motor skill acquisition.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that acute exercise improves cognitive function. However, less is known about the effects of exercise on motor skill acquisition. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of acute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on motor skill acquisition. METHODS: Sixty individuals (27 males, 33 females) between 18 and 40 years of age participated in two testing sessions separated by one week. During visit 1, participants performed one block of a continuous tracking, force control task to establish baseline ability. Participants were then randomized to either an aerobic-only HIIT group (HIIT-A), an aerobic/resistance HIIT group (HIIT-AR), or a resting control group. Both exercise groups performed a 20-minute, digital versatile disc (DVD)-delivered HIIT exercise protocol during visit 2. Following exercise or rest, all participants performed five blocks of the same force control task to assess skill acquisition. RESULTS: On visit 2, the HIIT-A group had a significantly lower total performance error (E) compared to the control group (P<0.05). Both exercise groups (HIIT-A and HIIT-AR) had a significantly lower peak amplitude error (PE) following exercise compared to the control group (P<0.05). No significant group differences were observed for temporal error (TE). Additionally, no significant differences were observed between the exercise groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that acute HIIT-A improves motor skill acquisition compared to rest. Furthermore, improvements in acquisition appeared to be a result of improved spatial accuracy. Therefore, performing HIIT-A prior to practicing a motor task may help reduce total error during the motor skill acquisition phase.