Franco Merni

• University of Bologna

Introduction: After transplantation, engaging in regular physical activity (PA) or sport is recommended for health. Participation to competitive sports is increasingly common among kidney transplant recipients while little is known on how training affects the physical performance in transplanted athletes. Aim: The purpose of this case study was...

Background: To understand the technical differences between shot putters of different ages, this study compared biomechanical parameters of the best senior and youth Italian athletes and then to world-class athletes (WC) assessed in previous investigations. Methods: The best throws of 16 shot putters [8 Senior (SG) and 8 Youth (YG)] were recorded b...

Background: Despite the benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular risk in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), the long-term effects of exercise have been poorly investigated. This is a three-year observational study comparing graft function and cardiovascular risk factors in active KTRs (AKTRs) vs. sedentary KTRs (SKTRs). Methods: KTRs with...

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Mirwald formula (MF) as an estimate of stature in a cohort of rugby players. Methods: This was a prospective study with agreement analysis of stature assessments conducted in 39 male youth rugby players (mean age 15.1  0.9 years). The athletes were selected during the season 2007/2008 b...

Objectives: We investigated the validity of the Mirwald equation as an estimate of height in a cohort of rugby players. Methods: This was a prospective study with agreement analysis of height assessments conducted in 39 male youth rugby players (mean age 15.1 ± 0.9 years). During the 2007/2008 season, 151 young athletes were selected by rugby co...

INTRODUCTION. Amputee soccer (AS) is a relatively recent discipline, where six lower limb amputees play soccer in the field using crutches (CR). CR can be used for assisting the player in moving only. Biomechanical investigations focused on ambulation on CR has been previously examined from a biomechanical point of view but researches were focused...

The purpose of the present study was to validate the ballistic push-up test performed with hands on a force plate (BPU) as a method to measure upper-body power. Twenty-eight experienced resistance trained men (age = 25.4 ± 5.2 y; body mass = 78.5 ± 9.0 kg; body height = 179.6 ± 7.8 cm) performed, two days apart, a bench press 1RM test and upper-bod...

AIM To evaluate the effect of a 12-mo supervised aerobic and resistance training, on renal function and exercise capacity compared to usual care recommendations. METHODS Ninety-nine kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) were assigned to interventional exercise (Group A; n = 52) and a usual care cohort (Group B; n = 47). Blood and urine chemistry, ex...

Recently, some studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of two latent variable approaches in which hand preferences are analysed using either latent class methods or latent class factor (LCF) methods. The main aims of this study are: (i) to establish whether these approaches are adequate for assessing footedness, (ii) to evaluate their appropria...

The purpose of the present study was to compare the anthropometric and performance profiles of division I (D1) and division II (D2) Italian field hockey players.Fifteen DI players and fifteen D2 players (age = 25.4 ± 5.2 y; body mass = 78.5 ± 9.0 kg; body height = 179.6 ± 7.8 cm) were assessed on one occasion for anthropometry, body composition, ph...

Running with the ball is a soccer-specific activity frequently used by players during match play and training drills. Nevertheless, the energy cost (EC) of on-grass running with the ball has not yet been determined. The purpose of this study was therefore to assess the EC of constant-speed running with the ball, and to compare it with the EC of nor...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of ammonia inhalants on lower body power and maximal isometric strength in trained men. Twenty experienced resistance trained men (age = 26.7 ± 3.7 y; body weight = 80.59 ± 9.0 kg; body height = 179.5 ± 5.7 cm) were tested for counter movement jump power (CMJP), maximal force and rate of...

The aim of the study was to compare results of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) (Kowalski 1997) with the measure of the physical activity performed by accelerometers GT3X+ (Actigraph). Many algorithms has been created and are used to elaborate the raw-data obtained by accelerometers. The construct validity of the Evenson...

Sprinting is a key factor in many sports and specific sprint tests are often performed to detect talent in youth. The main pourpose of this study was to assess the validity and the reliability of two 30 meter sprint tests using different starting conditions: from rest (RST) and from a flying start (FST). In addition the aim was to verify the differ...

L’obiettivo dello studio è confrontare i valori di potenza alle soglie aerobica (SA) ed anaerobica (SAN) determinate con diversi metodi. 7 ciclisti (15.1±1.2 anni) e 6 triatleti (14.8±0.6 anni) allenati, hanno effettuato un test incrementale al cicloergometro. Dopo un riscaldamento standard, i test prevedevano uno step di tre minuti, con potenza in...

L’obiettivo dello studio è confrontare i valori di potenza alle soglie aerobica (SA) ed anaerobica (SAN) determinate con diversi metodi. Sono stati utilizzati un metabolimetro Cosmed per la misurazione dei parametri respiratori di VO2, VE e VCO2 utili per il calcolo della SA e SAN ventilatorie (SV). Un cardiofrequenzimetro Polar per la misurazione...

The purpose of this study was to compare the power expressed during the bench press exercise in resistance-trained men following different pre-activation conditions. Twenty-two trained men (age 24.1 ± 1.7 years, height 178.6 ± 6.1 cm, body mass 81.1 ± 10.6 kg) completed a maximal effort bench press (1-RM) test (100.0 kg ± 8.1 kg). In a subsequent a...

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of two different lower body strength training schemes on upper body adaptations to resistance training. Twenty resistance-trained males (4.25+/-1.6 y of experience) were randomly assigned to either a high-intensity (HI; n=9; age=24.9+/-2.9 y; body mass=88.7+/-17.2 kg; height=177.0+/-5.6 cm) or a mixed...

The start kinematics has been reported to differ between male and female sprinters. This study aimed to determine whether kinematic differences between the sexes are attributable to an effect of sex per se, or rather to the absolute performance level of the sprinters, quantified by the 100-m time. A total of 20 sprinters (10 M, 10 F), including wor...

The aim of this study was to examine the hormonal and strength responses to different periodization models of resistance training in male athletes. Eighteen experienced resistance trained males were randomly assigned to either a block (BP; n=10; age: 23.7±2.9 yr; body mass: 78.5±11.3 kg; height: 1.77±0.05 m) or weekly undulating (WUP; n=8; age: 26....

Background: Organ transplant recipients frequently have chronic inflammation, with a weighty impact on cardiovascular risk. These patients can benefit from exercise, although the role of intense training is unclear. We evaluated the effect of a 130-km cycling race on inflammatory cytokines and adiponectin levels in transplant recipients. Methods:...

Listening to music during strength workouts has become a very common practice. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of listening to self-selected music on strength performances. Thirty-one resistance-trained men (M age = 24.7yr., SD = 5.9; M height = 178.7cm, SD = 4.7; M body mass = 83.54kg, SD = 12.0) were randomly assigned to either a...

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of resistance training utilizing block periodization (BP) and weekly undulating model (WUD) on maximal strength and hypertrophy in recreationally strength trained women. Seventeen recreationally trained women were randomly assigned to either a BP group (n = 9; age = 24.7 ± 4.2 y; body mass = 62.1 ± 5...

Strength test

Training periodization, defined as a planned distribution of workload over time, has been used for several decades in strength and power sport training. The early model proposed by Matveev at the beginning of the 1960s has been deeply changed in subsequent development by other eastern european scientists. The aim of the study was to describe the or...

Introduction. The overrepresentation of left-handers in interactive sports lead to suppose that they have some kind of advantage in those sports (Hagemann, 2009). Groothuis et al. (2013) suggested that left-handed athletes have a fighting superiority, higher level of aggressiveness, and tactical advantages over their right-handed counterparts. This...

The purpose of this study was to compare two different periodization models in strength and power athletes. Twenty-four experienced resistance trained man were randomly assigned to either a block periodization training program (BP; age = 24.2±3.1 years, body mass = 78.5±11.0 kg, height = 177.6±4.9 cm) or to a traditional periodization program (TP;...

Patent RM2013A000688 “Attrezzo ginnico in particolare per l’allenamento della forza esplosiva VISB” (Explosive strength training device). Class A63B. Roma 13/12/2013. Inventors: Bartolomei S, Merni F. University of Bologna.

Recently several studies in which handedness was evaluated as a latent construct have been performed. In those studies, handedness was modelled using a qualitative latent variable (latent class models), a continuous latent variable (factor models), or both a qualitative latent variable and a continuous latent trait (mixed Rasch models). The aim of...

Context Kinematic asymmetry is believed to be associated with elevated risk for muscle injury, but little is known about the links between hamstring injuries and asymmetry of sprinting mechanics. Objective To evaluate the value of kinematic analysis of sprinting for the detection of injury-related asymmetry in athletes with a history of hamstring...

Abstract This study aimed to analyse selected shot characteristics in top-level table tennis matches, with a special focus on comparing the playing style of Asian and European players. Ten men's matches played by 20 top-ranked players (14 Asians and 6 Europeans) were analysed. The indicators examined were the area of ball bouncing for serves (n =91...

Running economy is a key determinant of endurance performance, and understanding the biomechanical factors that affect it is of great theoretical and applied interest. This study aimed to analyse how the ground-contact time and strike pattern used by competitive runners concurrently affect running economy. Cross-sectional. Fourteen sub-elite male c...

To investigate the causes of the overuse shoulder joint injury, the tennis serve of a wheelchair tennis player was analysed twice and compared with that of an able-bodied player. A validated specific protocol of the upper limbs was used by means of stereophoto-grammetry. Different patterns for the shoulder girdle and smaller range of motion for the...

This study aimed to assess the mechanical and metabolic responses of competitive runners throughout a high-intensity circuit training (HICT) workout, designed to improve explosive strength under acute metabolic fatigue. Eight high-level endurance runners (age: 21.8±3.7 y; body mass: 61.5±5.7 kg; height: 175.2±5.2 cm; 1500-m record: 3 min 54±7 s) co...

Di Michele, R, Gatta, G, Di Leo, A, Cortesi, M, Andina, F, Tam, E, Da Boit, M, and Merni, F. Estimation of the anaerobic threshold from heart rate variability in an incremental swimming test. J Strength Cond Res 26(11): 3059-3066, 2012-This study aimed to evaluate, in swimming, the agreement between the anaerobic threshold (AT) as determined from t...

Match Analysis in Table Tennis

To investigate the causes of the overuse shoulder joint injury, the tennis serve of a wheelchair tennis player was analysed twice, before and after a period of training, and compared with that of an able-bodied tennis player. A validated specific protocol of the upper limbs was applied using stereophoto-grammetry. The protocol adopted allowed to di...

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the back handspring from a round off in gymnastics via kinematics. A secondary purpose was to explore the use of an optoelectronic system in studying the nature of this skill. Five female gymnasts, with differing levels of expertise volunteered as subjects. An optoelectronic system (Vicon Motion 460) was emp...

Knee injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament lesions and patellar tendonitis are very frequent in volleyball, and are often attributed to micro traumas that occur during the landing phase of airborne actions. The aim of the present study was to compare different jumping activities during official men's and women's volleyball games. Twelve top-l...

The contact time (CT) and the ratio between the duration of braking (BP) and propulsion phase (PP) during the support are two mechanical parameters that are relevant for the performance in sprinting. Several different kinematic methods have been used to estimate the BP-PP transition point, with some disagreements among studies. The purpose of this...

This study aimed to compare the physiological responses to a running test often used to assess lactate thresholds in soccer players when performed with an identical protocol on treadmill (Tr), natural grass (Nat), and synthetic turf (Synt). Eighteen young soccer players (mean +/- SD: age, 17.4 +/- 0.8 years; body mass, 66.2 +/- 6.7 kg; height, 175....

Aim of this study was to investigate leaping ability and morphological characteristics in rhythmic gymnastics, in order to verify which parameters are useful indicators for the talent identification. Twenty-five national gymnasts of international level (age 14.7+/-2.2 years) underwent three testing sessions: anthropometric measurements, vertical ju...

INTRODUCTION Sprint running represents the most popular speciality in track-and-field-sports. Several studies investigated the parameters influencing the performance [2,3]. 3D kinematic analysis is fundamental to determine these parameters and give them to the trainer. These parameters are necessary not only to build an appropriate training [2] , b...

The object of this study is the kinematics analysis of the center of mass (COM) in the springboard phase of the Yurchenko-style vault performed by 14 female gymnasts during the 2006 Italian Championship for Clubs. The purpose was to widen the biomechanics knowledge about this phase. Temporal, horizontal and vertical spatial, horizontal and vertical...

Previous studies analyzing the performance in road and MTB cyclists report usually oxygen uptake and lactate data collected during incremental tests. Infrequent are the observations of physiological parameters during the race. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of Cyclists of Italian National Team during an official MTB competition...

The purpose of this study was to determine tendencies in lateral footwork techniques used by volleyball players when blocking. Videos of 16 female and 15 male matches from the 2004-2005 season of the Italian Professional Leagues were analysed and the blockers' movements were classified. The seven techniques identified (slide step, cross-over, verti...