The Acute Effects of High-Intensity Cycling Exercise on Arterial Stiffness in Adolescent Wrestlers.

The aim of this study was to determine the acute effects of high-intensity cycling exercise on the variables of carotid artery compliance, distensibility and beta stiffness index in elite adolescent wrestlers. The subjects were elite athletes competing in national, European and World Championships, who attended a training camp in the province of Kahramanmaras organized by the Turkish Centre for Olympic Preparation. The study sample comprised 31 male elite wrestlers with a mean age of 15.90 ± 0.87 years, body height of 165.97 ± 9.7 cm and body mass of 66.3 ± 18.45 kg. The arterial stiffness variables of the wrestlers were measured with high-resolution Doppler ultrasonography before and 5 min after 30 s of high-intensity cycling exercise (the Wingate Anaerobic Cycling test). The results showed a statistically significant correlation between mean power performance and carotid artery compliance at the 5th min after a single cycling sprint exercise (p < 0.05). No correlation was determined between peak power and the arterial stiffness variables (p > 0.05). The study results indicate that acute changes in arterial stiffness variables are associated with the performance level of high-intensity cycling exercise in a group of elite adolescent wrestlers.

Burnout among judo coaches in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of professional burnout experienced by Turkish judo coaches and to compare possible differences in the three burnout dimensions based on coaching experience in years and satisfaction status of their sport administrators. METHODS: The data were obtained by using a three-section questionnaire including a socio demographic data form and the Turkish version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory from 65 judo coaches working in the Turkish Judo and Kurash Federation. RESULTS: In the analysis of data, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and one-way ANOVA tests were used. This study showed that judo coaches have medium level burnout experience. The results also showed that there were significant differences in the emotional exhaustion levels of judo coaches based on coaching experience in years and satisfaction status from their sport administrators. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout appears to be a problematic issue for judo coaches. When coaches begin to feel emotionally depleted, they distance themselves from athletes, and experience a reduced sense of meaning about their work; it is likely to affect the quality of the athletic experience for both the coach and the athletes.