Ceri W Nicholas

University of Chester | UC · Clinical Sciences

This study examined whether lower-volume exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) performed 2 weeks before high-volume muscle-damaging exercise protects against its detrimental effect on running performance. Sixteen male participants were randomly assigned to a lower-volume (five sets of ten squats, n = 8) or high-volume (ten sets of ten squats, n = 8...

Abstract Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), described as the acute weakness of the musculature after unaccustomed eccentric exercise, increases oxidative metabolism at rest and during endurance exercise. However, it is not known whether oxygen uptake during recovery from endurance exercise is increased when experiencing symptoms of EIMD. Theref...

Research on submaximal endurance exercise after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) has produced equivocal findings. One possible explanation for this is that the responses are likely to be sensitive to the mode of endurance exercise adopted. Therefore, this study examined the influence of exercise mode (cycling vs. running) after EIMD. Twenty-fo...

Abstract Acute carbohydrate-protein ingestion has been shown to improve steady-state endurance performance. This study compared the effects of carbohydrate and carbohydrate-protein ingestion on self-regulated simulated multiple-sprint sport performance. Nine participants completed two trials of a modified Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test invo...

Abstract The aim of this study was to devise a valid performance analysis system for the assessment of the movement characteristics associated with competitive amateur boxing and assess its reliability using analysts of varying experience of the sport and performance analysis. Key performance indicators to characterise the demands of an amateur con...

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the external validity and reliability of a novel rugby league match simulation protocol. With ethical approval, 16 males (age 22.4 ± 7.1 years, estimated [Formula: see text]52.1 ± 4.5 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1)) performed the rugby league match simulation protocol on two occasions 10 to 14 days apart. During...

It is well established that exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) has a detrimental effect on endurance exercise performed in the days that follow. However, it is unknown whether such effects remain after a repeated bout of EIMD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of repeated bouts of muscle-damaging exercise on sub-max...

This study examined the interday and intraday reliabilities and validities of various sprint performance variables on a nonmotorized treadmill (NMT) over distances of 10, 20, and 30 m. After habituation, 12 male team-sport players performed 3 sprints on the NMT on 2 separate days and an assessment of overground running performance, separated by 24...

The aim of this study was to quantify the changes in locomotive rates across the duration of senior elite rugby league matches. A semi-automated image recognition system (ProZone 3, ProZone®, Leeds, England) was used to track the movements of 59 players from six teams during three competitive matches. The players were classified into one of four po...

This study investigated the influences of player number and playing area size on the heart rate (HR) responses elicited by junior male rugby league players during small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-two players from a professional club (n = 22, mean age: 14.5 +/- 1.5 years; stature: 172.5 +/- 11.4 cm; body mass: 67.8 +/- 15.1 kg; Vo2peak: 53.3 +/- 5.6...

The aim of this study was to examine the movement demands of senior elite rugby league with consideration of the impact of player position and match phase. A semi-automated match analysis image recognition system (ProZone 3, ProZone®, Leeds, England) was used to track 78 players during three senior elite matches. Players were categorised as outside...

IntroductionMetabolic responses to sprinting in the laboratoryFatigue during sprintingInfluence of sprint training on energy productionNutritional influences on sprintingDietary supplements and sprintingReferences

Nutrition significantly influences sports performance; however, the efficacy of any nutritional supplement or strategy should be carefully considered in relation to the event and the sex, training and nutritional status of the participant. The causes of fatigue, mechanism of action, safety and legality of the supplement, together with the scientifi...

To investigate the effect of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (CHO-E), in subjects with reduced carbohydrate stores, during an intermittent shuttle running test (LIST) on soccer passing (LSPT) and shooting (LSST) performance. Sixteen healthy male university soccer players ingested either a 6.4% CHO-E or placebo (PLA) solution during 90...

This study examined the effect of variable-intensity shuttle running on gastric emptying of a carbohydrate-free placebo (Plac) drink and of a 6.4% carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO) sports drink. We compared the volume of test drink emptied during two 15-min periods of walking exercise (WE) with that during two 15-min periods of the Loughborough Interm...

The present study was designed to examine the effects of mixed high-carbohydrate meals with different glycaemic indices (GI) on substrate utilization during subsequent exercise. Nine healthy male recreational runners (age 26.8 (sem 1.1) years, body mass 74.7 (sem 2.4) kg, VO2max 58.1 (sem 1.7) ml/kg per min) completed three trials: high-glycaemic-i...

This study examined the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) intake during a 4 h recovery from prolonged running on muscle glycogen metabolism during subsequent exercise. On 2 occasions, 7 male subjects ran for 90 min at 70 % maximum oxygen uptake VO(2 max) on a motorized treadmill (R1) followed by a 4 h rest period (REC) and a 15 min run (R2) consisting o...

Ingesting carbohydrate (CHO) beverages during prolonged, continuous heavy exercise results in smaller changes in the plasma concentrations of several cytokines and attenuates a decline in neutrophil function. In contrast, ingesting CHO during prolonged intermittent exercise appears to have negligible influence on these responses, probably due to th...

Purpose: To investigate the effect of ingesting a carbohydrate–electrolyte solution (CHO-E), in subjects with reduced carbohydrate stores, during an intermittent shuttle running test (LIST) on soccer passing (LSPT) and shooting (LSST) performance. Methods: Sixteen healthy male university soccer players ingested either a 6.4% CHO-E or placebo (PLA)...

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether 2 weeks of vitamin C supplementation affects recovery from an unaccustomed bout of exercise. Sixteen male subjects were allocated to either a placebo (P; n = 8) or vitamin C group (VC; n = 8). The VC group consumed 200 mg of ascorbic acid twice a day, whereas the P group consumed identical cap...

Exercise-induced free-radical production may be partly responsible for muscle soreness and damage following demanding exercise. A number of studies have investigated the effect of antioxidant supplementation although there is a paucity of information regarding vitamin C. Therefore the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of vitami...

The aims of this study were to describe and determine the test-retest reliability of an exercise protocol, the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (the LIST), which was designed to simulate the activity pattern characteristic of the game of soccer. The protocol consisted of two parts: Part A comprised a fixed period of variable-intensity shuttle...

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of intermittent high-intensity shuttle running and fluid ingestion on the performance of a soccer skill. Nine semi-professional soccer players volunteered to participate in the study. Their mean (+/- s(x)) age, body mass and maximal oxygen uptake were 20.2+/-0.4 years, 73.2+/-1.8 kg and 59.1+/-1.3 ml...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage or a noncarbohydrate placebo on muscle glycogen utilization during 90 min of intermittent high-intensity running. Six trained games players (age 24.6 +/- 2.2 yr; height 179.6 +/- 1.9 cm; body mass 74.5 +/- 2.0 kg; VO2max 56.3 +/- 1.3 mL x kg(-1) x...

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of prolonged intermittent high-intensity shuttle running on soreness and markers of muscle damage. Sixteen males took part in the study, half of whom were assigned to a running group and half to a resting control group. The exercise protocol involved 90 min of intermittent shuttle running and walking...

In this study we examined the performance during, and the physiological and metabolic responses to, prolonged, intermittent, high-intensity shuttle running in hot (~30 C, dry bulb temperature) and moderate (~20 C) environmental conditions. Twelve male students, whose mean (sx) age, body mass and maximal oxygen uptake (V O2m ax) were 22 +/- 1 years,...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of an increased carbohydrate intake on the recovery of endurance running capacity after exhaustive intermittent running. Six male subjects were randomly assigned to two dietary recovery conditions, each involving two running tests separated by 22 hr. The protocol comprised a prolonged, i...

Rugby union enjoys worldwide popularity, but there is a lack of comprehensive research into the anthropometric and physiological characteristics of its players and the demands of the game, particularly at the elite level. One of the possible explanations for this is that the sport has previously been primarily concerned with the aspects of skill re...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution on endurance capacity during a prolonged intermittent, high-intensity shuttle running test (PIHSRT). Nine trained male games players performed two exercise trials, 7 days apart. On each occasion, they completed 75 min exercise, comprising of five 15-mi...