Beat Knechtle

Introduction Physical activity is an important tool to manage systemic arterial hypertension. However, less is known about the relationship of physical activity with the number of antihypertensive drugs used by older adults. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the number of antihypertensive drugs used by older female adults (aged ≥ 60 y...

Introduction Physical activity is an important tool to manage systemic arterial hypertension. However, less is known about the relationship of physical activity with the number of antihypertensive drugs used by older adults. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the number of antihypertensive drugs used by older female adults (aged ≥ 60 y...

Adiposity, a state characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat, is closely linked to metabolic complications and the secretion of specific adipokines. This study explores the potential of exercise and Spirulina supplementation to mitigate these complications and modulate adipokine release associated with obesity. The primary objective of th...

Complications such as diabetes and preeclampsia can occur during pregnancy. Moderate-intensity exercise can prevent such complications by releasing placentokines and exerkines, such as apelin, adiponectin, leptin, irisin, and chemerin. Exercise and apelin increase thermogenesis and glucose uptake in pregnancy by activating AMPK, PI3K, PGC-1α, AKT1,...

Background Although several studies have shown that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has had negative impacts on mental health and eating behaviors among the general population and athletes, few studies have examined the long-term effects on elite and sub-elite athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of...

Background Although several studies have shown that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has had negative impacts on mental health and eating behaviors among the general population and athletes, few studies have examined the long-term effects on elite and sub-elite athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of...

There are countless types of portable heart rate monitoring medical devices used variously by leisure-time exercisers, professional athletes, and chronically ill patients. Almost all the currently used heart rate monitors are capable of detecting arrhythmias, but this feature is not widely known or used among their millions of consumers. The aims o...

Few studies were developed to understand the relationship between running characteristics and motivation. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between running event history, running experience, and best race performances in recreational distance runners. We used a web survey to obtain information regarding running experience, ra...

Aim To investigate the effects of a 10-day tapering on swimming performance, metabolic and hematologic factors, and a 200-m crawl swimming record. Methods Eighteen male recreational swimmers (11–17 years) underwent an 8-week vigorous-intensity endurance training (three sessions per week, 90 min per session). Participants’ swimming records were obt...

Wet-cupping therapy (WCT) is one of the oldest known medical techniques, used as a traditional and complementary therapy with a wide application all around the world for general health. Research on the effects of WCT on sports performance are sparse and inconsistent. Thus, we aimed to explore the effects of WCT on repeated sprint ability, wellness,...

PurposeOur purpose was to investigate the interplay between runners and their environment using a network approach.Methods This cross-sectional study sampled Brazilian runners of both sexes, from the five macro-regions of the country. An electronic questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding age, sex, training volume, socio-economic leve...

Pacing during cycling and running in an IRONMAN triathlon has been investigated in only one study with elite IRONMAN triathletes. We have, however, no knowledge of how professional triathletes pace during an IRONMAN World Championship. To investigate the split-by-split speed, pacing strategies and pacing variability in professional female and male...

Background The sex difference in the three split disciplines (swimming, cycling, and running) and overall race times in triathlon races has mainly been investigated for the Olympic distance and IRONMAN® triathlon formats, but not for the half IRONMAN® distance, i.e., the IRONMAN® 70.3. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sex differe...

Objective Verbal encouragement (VE) can be used by coaches to boost morale and commitment during training exercises. This investigation aimed to study the impacts of VE given by coaches on the physiological aspects, players' internal intensity, mood, and perceived enjoyment of youth soccer players during repeated agility speed training (RAS). Meth...

A 36-year-old professional marathon runner reported sudden irregular palpitations occurring during competitions, with heart rates (HR) up to 230 bpm recorded on a sports HR monitor (HRM) over 4 years. These episodes subsided upon the cessation of exercise. Electrocardiograms, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging results were bor...

IntroductionSleep is considered a fundamental biological function in humans necessary for recovery from daily physical activities. Considering the increasing popularity of long-distance running and participation in races such as marathons and ultramarathons, the aim of the present study was to review the relationship of such strenuous physical acti...

Our purpose is to move beyond the borders of the athlete-centered approach by examining the runners' environment interplay as a key factor for performance. Based on the ecological systems theory, the micro-level (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and training characteristics), meso-level (a direct association with athletes is not observed, but the envi...

Background Among ultra-endurance runners (UER), the mental, behavioral, and physical demands of training/competition can result in maladaptive outcomes. Mental health issues are common in athletes and can impact psychology, physical health, and performance.Objective To synthesize information regarding the incidence/prevalence and factors associated...

Recent studies showed that female runners reduced the performance gap to male runners in endurance running with increasing age and race distance. However, the investigated samples were generally small. To investigate this further, the present study examined sex diferences by age across various race distances (5, 10 km, half-marathon, marathon, and...

BACKGROUND In recent decades the number of runners has increased significantly, but until now, we have yet to learn about the profile of participants and different types of running terrains and distances. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to compare road and trail-based races for different distances for a whole country (Switzerland) over two deca...

BACKGROUND Individual factors related to performance in age group triathletes competing in different race distances have been explored in scientific literature. However, only a few studies have been conducted using machine learning (ML) predictive models to explore the im-portance of those individual factors. OBJECTIVE This study intended to build...

Little is known about the prevalent nationalities among the best-placed athletes participating in “Ironman Hawaii.” Moreover, the age at which athletes achieve their best performances remains unclear. The present study aimed to compare the prevalent nationalities among the athletes, their respective placement among the top five, and the performance...

Introduction This study investigated the effects of 12 weeks of high-intensity functional training (HIFT) combined with spinach-derived thylakoid supplementation on some selected Adipokines and insulin resistance in males with obesity. Method Sixty-eight participants (mean age: 27.6 ± 8.4 yrs.; mean height: 168.4 ± 2.6 cm; mean weight: 95.7 ± 3.8...

Knowing which discipline contributes most to a triathlon performance is important to plan race pacing properly. To date, we know that the running split is the most decisive discipline in the Olympic distance triathlon, and the cycling split is the most important discipline in the full-distance Ironman® triathlon. However, we have no knowledge of th...

Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a 10-week plyometric training (PT) on changes of direction, jumping ability, repeated sprint ability, and both muscular strength and power in youth female handball players. Methods Twenty-eight participants (age: 15.8 ± 0.2 years) were randomly divided into a plyometric group (PG; n =...

Purpose Our purpose was to verify the existence of birthplace and relative age effect (RAE), as well as the association between birthplace effect and RAE among Brazilian athletes competing in the Olympic Games. Methods Data included information about Brazilian Summer Olympic athletes from 1920 to 2021. To investigate RAE, athletes’ birthdate was d...

While the butterfly stroke has received considerable attention in sports science, the origin of the fastest master butterfly swimmers remains unknown. The present study investigated which geographical locations produce the top-performing master butterfly swimmers within their age groups and gender. A total of 26,512 master butterfly swimmers (11,28...

Aim: To investigate the effects of a 10-day tapering on the metabolic and hematologic changes and a 200 m crawl swimming record. Methods:Eighteen male recreational swimmers (11-17 years) underwent an eight-week vigorous-intensity endurance training (3 sessions per week, 90 minutes per session). Participants' swimming records were obtained at the en...

A 36-year-old professional marathon runner reported sudden heart palpitations occurring during competitions, with heart rates (HR) of 230 bpm recorded on sports HR monitor (HRM) over 4 years. These episodes subsided upon the cessation of exercise. Electrocardiograms, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging results were borderline f...

Aim: Few research has been conducted on predictors of recreational runners’ performance, especially in half-marathon running. The purpose of our study was (a) to investigate the relationship of half-marathon race time with training, anthropometry and physiological characteristics, and (b) to develop a formula to predict half-marathon race time in m...

Participation and performance trends of male and female athletes have been thoroughly analyzed in various endurance sports. Knowing these trends can help coaches and athletes prepare for competitions and may influence their training strategy and career planning. However, duathlon events—consisted of two splits of running (Run1 and Run2) intersperse...

The benefits of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on brain function, cognitive response, and motor ability are well described in scientific literature. Nevertheless, the effects of tDCS on athletes’ performance remain unclear. To compare the acute effects of tDCS on the running performance of 5000 m (m) runners. Eighteen athletes were...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine skinfold thickness (SKF) distribution in youth and adult male soccer players regarding cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and the role of age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were youth [n=83, age 16.2 (1.0) years, mean (standard deviation)] and adult male soccer players [n=121, 23.2 (4.3) yea...

Performance in endurance sports decreases with aging, which has been primarily attributed to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal aging; however, there is still no clear information on the factors that are most affected by aging. The aim of this study was to compare two groups of runners (< 50 and > 50 years of age) according to their absolute, weigh...

Male athletes tend to outperform female athletes in several endurance sports. Maximum cardiac output can be estimated by maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2max), and it has been established that men present V˙O2max values about 20% higher than women. Although sex differences in V˙O2max have already been well studied, few studies have assessed sex diff...

BACKGROUND The IRONMAN® triathlon is a popular multi-sport, where age group athletes often strive to qualify for the IRONMAN® World Championship in Hawaii. The aim of the present study was to investigate the location of the fastest IRONMAN® racecourses for age group triathletes. This knowledge will help IRONMAN® age group triathletes find the best...

BACKGROUND The influence of environmental conditions on marathon running performance and pacing has been widely investigated among professional runners. However, environmental conditions' influence on recreational marathoners' pacing is less known. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate whether environmental conditions such as t...

The potential running or endurance performance difference based on following different general types of diets, such as omnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan, remains questionable. Several underlying modifiable factors of long-distance running performance, especially runner training behaviors and experience, diminish the clarity of results when analyzing...

We read with interest your editorial 'Sport and exercise medicine around the world: global challenges for a unique healthcare discipline' [1] in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. We would like to congratulate the authors for bringing the challenges of our speciality back into the spotlight again. While Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) may be...

Warm-up protocols with high intensities before continuous running provide potential benefits for middle-distance runners. Nevertheless , the effect of high-intensity warm-ups on long-distance runners remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of a high-intensity warm-up protocol on 5000 m performance in trained runners. Thi...

Objective This study examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation, sunlight radiationradiation, and home isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic on the seasonal changes in 25(OH)D concentration and selected biomarkers in young soccer players along a one-year training cycle. Method Forty elite young soccer players (age: 17.2 ± 1.16 years, body m...

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 12-week moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) vs. high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on body composition, physical fitness, and psychological valence in overweight/obese (OW/OB) female adolescents. Patients and methods: Thirty-eight OW/OB female students were randomized in...

Abstract: Just a few years ago, no one could imagine that ice swimming could evolve into a competitive sport. In the past, people swimming in ice-cold water were called madmen and, at best, were studied as scientific objects. Today regular competitions in ice swimming over different distances (ice mile, ice km, and shorter distances such as 50 m, 1...

Runners train for long-distance competitions based on underlying motivations, which may be similar to individual dietary motivations (e.g., well-being and performance). Fundamental training differences may arise in recreational runners following different diet types (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan) considering possible motive variations. Following a c...

BACKGROUND Several single race events (5 km, 10 km, half-marathon, marathon, ultra-marathon) have been analyzed in multiple studies. It is known that 5 km and 10 km races attract many athletes with a focus on women and that the top finishers are getting faster in 10 km races, while younger runners were the fastest. Regarding half-marathon and marat...

Sports performance is the result of a complex interaction between individual and environmental factors. The purpose of this paper is to explain the methods used in the InTrack Project, a cross-sectional and cross-cultural project developed to investigate the variance in the performance of runners from different countries and to understand whether t...

Background Physical exercise is a source of stress to the human body, triggering different ventilatory responses through different regulatory mechanisms and the aquatic environment imposes several restrictions to the swimmer, particularly regarding the restricted ventilation. Thus, we aimed to assess the acute ventilatory responses and to character...

Despite the increasing scientific interest in the relationship between pacing and performance in endurance sports, little information is available about pacing and pacing variation in ultra-endurance events such as ultra-triathlons. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the trends of pacing, pacing variation, the influence of age, sex, and performance...

Muscular weakness and strength imbalance between the thigh muscles are considered risk factors for knee injuries. Hormonal changes, characteristic of puberty, strongly affect muscle strength; however, it is unknown whether they affect muscular strength balance. The present study aimed to compare knee flexor strength, knee extensor strength, and str...

Background Running participation/performance is a complex system. Understanding the variables associated with these behaviors may help to increase population physical activity and improve performance. This study aimed to investigate social and training variables important for running performance using a network approach. Methods This cross-section...

Our purpose was to find the fastest race courses for elite Ironman ® 70.3 athletes, using machine learning (ML) algorithms. We collected the data of all professional triathletes competing between 2004 and 2020 in Ironman 70.3 races held worldwide. A sample of 16,611 professional athletes originating from 97 different countries and competing in 163...

BACKGROUND Ultra-marathon running is the most popular ultra-endurance competition in terms of the number of races and runners competing annually worldwide; however, no study has compared pacing and performance over a long period. OBJECTIVE The present study analyzed the pacing of successful finishers and non-finishers in multi-stage ultra-marathon...

Background Ultramarathon running is the most popular ultraendurance competition in terms of the number of races and runners competing annually worldwide; however, no study has compared pacing and performance over a long period. Objective This study analyzes the pacing of successful finishers and nonfinishers in multistage ultramarathons worldwide....

BACKGROUND Pacing during cycling and running in an IRONMAN® triathlon has been investigated in only one study with elite IRONMAN® triathletes. We have, however, no knowledge of how professional triathletes pace during an IRONMAN® World Championship. OBJECTIVE To investigate the split-by-split speed, pacing strategies and pacing variability in prof...

Maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max), ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) can be used to monitor the training intensity and the race strategy, and the elucidation of the specificities existing between the sexes can be interesting for coaches and athletes. The aim of the study was to compare ventilatory threshold (VT), res...

We purpose to determine the nationality of the European middle-distance athletes under 18 years (U18) and under 20 years (U20) during the last decade, to verify the participation trend for each country, and to assess whether the place of competition can be associated with the athletes ranking position. The sample comprised 902 European male runners...

This study aimed to examine the effects of incorporating 10-week elastic band strength training (EBST) program on change of direction, jumping ability, repeated sprint ability, and both muscular strength and power in adolescent female handball players. Participants aged 15.8 ± 0.2 years were divided by playing position, and players from each positi...

BACKGROUND The sex difference in athletic performance has been thoroughly investigated in single sport disciplines such as swimming, cycling, and running. In contrast, only small samples of long-distance triathlons, such as the IRONMAN® triathlon, have been investigated so far. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to examine a potential sex differen...