Ben Stephenson

Loughborough University | Lough · School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Purpose: To examine the efficacy of per-cooling via ice slurry ingestion (ICE) in wheelchair tennis players exercising in the heat. Method: Eight wheelchair tennis players undertook sprints (4 sets of 10 × 5 s over 40 min) in a hot environment (∼32°C), interspersed by 3 boluses of 2.67 g·kg (6.8 g·kg total) ICE or drinking temperate water (control...

Objectives For individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI), thermoregulatory challenges presented by the environment are amplified, increasing the risk of exertional heat illness. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to quantify the effects of pre- and per-cooling on core temperature (Tc), skin temperature (Tsk) and thermal sensation...

Objectives: To adapt key components of exertional heat stroke (EHS) prehospital management proposed by the Intenational Olympic Committee Adverse Weather Impact Expert Working Group for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 so that it is applicable for the Paralympic athletes. Methods: An expert working group representing members with research, clinical...

Handcycling is a mode of mobility, and sport format within Para-cycling, for those with a lower limb impairment. The exercise modality has been researched extensively in the rehabilitation setting. However, there is an emerging body of evidence detailing the physiological responses to handcycling in the competitive sport domain. Competitive handcyc...

PurposeTo characterise the physiological profiles of trained handcyclists, during recumbent handcycling, to describe the physiological responses during a 16 km time trial (TT) and to identify the determinants of this TT performance.Methods Eleven male handcyclists performed a sub-maximal and maximal incremental exercise test in their recumbent hand...

The purpose was to determine the physiological correlates to cycling performance within a competitive paratriathlon. Five wheelchair user and ten ambulant paratriathletes undertook laboratory-based testing to determine their: peak rate of oxygen uptake; blood lactate- and ventilatory-derived physiological thresholds; and, their maximal aerobic powe...

Paratriathlon is a multi-impairment, Paralympic, endurance sport with athletes’ impairments typically consisting of spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy or other neurological disorders, amputations, or visual impairments. As the sport made its Paralympic Games debut only in 2016, there is a dearth of literature concerning the sport. This opposes able...

Purpose To explore the effectiveness of mixed, active and passive heat acclimation (HA), controlling the relative intensity of exercise by heart rate (HR) in paratriathletes (PARA) and determine adaptation differences to able-bodied (AB) triathletes. Methods Seven elite paratriathletes and thirteen AB triathletes undertook an 8-d HA intervention co...

Purpose: Paratriathletes may display impairments in autonomic (sudomotor and/or vasomotor function) or behavioural (drinking and/or pacing of effort) thermoregulation. As such, this study aimed to describe the thermoregulatory profile of athletes competing in the heat. Methods: Core temperature (Tc) was recorded at 30 s intervals in 28 mixed-imp...

International sporting competitions, including the Paralympic Games, are increasingly being held in hot and/or humid environmental conditions. Thus, a greater emphasis is being placed on preparing athletes for the potentially challenging environmental conditions of the host cities, such as the upcoming Games in Tokyo in 2020. However, evidence-...

Purpose:: To gain an exploratory insight into the relationship between training load (TL), salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and upper respiratory tract illness (URI) in elite paratriathletes. Methods:: Seven paratriathletes were recruited. Athletes provided weekly saliva samples for the measurement of sIgA over 23 consecutive weeks (Fe...

This study investigates the relationship between autonomic function and the inflammatory response to a wheelchair half-marathon in people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Seventeen wheelchair athletes with a cervical SCI (CSCI, N = 7) and without CSCI (NON-CSCI, N = 10) participated in a wheelchair half-marathon. Blood was taken prior, post and 1 h...

Paratriathlon is a multi-impairment, endurance sport which made its Paralympic Games debut in 2016. Athletes’ impairments typically include but, are not limited to, spinal cord injury; cerebral palsy, or other neurological disorders; amputations or visual impairments. However, despite athletes displaying impairments that present several considerati...

PURPOSE:: In able-bodied athletes, several hormonal, immunological and psychological parameters are commonly assessed in response to intensified training due to their potential relationship to acute fatigue and training/non-training stress. This has yet to be studied in Paralympic athletes. METHODS:: Ten elite paratriathletes were studied for five...

An investigation of the reliability and validity of the Garmin Vector power meter in comparison to the Cyclus 2 ergometer