Joachim Mester

Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln | DSHS

Whole-body vibration (WBV) systems are increasingly used among athletes, yet the literature lacks input on differences in impact following high or low amplitudes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 4-week WBV training at high or low amplitudes, with external loads, on maximal isometric strength, muscular endurance, and differe...

Performance diagnostic is an indispensable process for optimizing individual training programs and monitoring an athlete’s development in all sports disciplines. Due to the high impact of biological maturation on performance development of young athletes, systematic and continuous physiological monitoring is even more important in this population t...

Introduction From a neuromuscular perspective, soccer is characterized by the need to move one's own body mass at high speed. In addition, rapid changes of direction and quick responses to visual stimuli are needed. For these reasons, performance diagnostics often include jumping, tapping, balance and sprint tests and are supplemented by tests on c...

Background and Objectives: Angiogenesis describes the outgrowth of new capillaries from already existing ones. Different biomarkers regulate this process. Physical exercise and hypoxia are key stimuli for the activation of different angiogenic molecules, such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). matrix metalloproteases (MMPs)-2 and -9...

Introduction: The whole-body vibration (WBV) approach is considered to be a unique training method for physical rehabilitation, injury preventions, and improving physical performance in athlete. The scientific literature about WBV is well documented and presents different vibration protocols, different measurements and, as a consequence-different r...

The current study aimed to explore the effect of long-term Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) in comparison to traditional training on muscular performance. Thirty healthy physical education students were randomly allocated into a Vibration Group (VG, n=13), which underwent a whole-body vibration training program with external load, and a Traditional Group...

Background and Objectives: During intense training periods, there is a high need to monitor the external and especially the internal training load in order to fine-tune the training process and to avoid overreaching or overtraining. However, data on stress reactions, especially of biomarkers, to high training loads in children and youth are rare. T...

Introduction: The whole-body vibration (WBV) approachis considered to be a unique training method for physicalrehabilitation, injury preventions, and improving physicalperformance in athlete. The scientific literature about WBV iswell documented and presents different vibration protocols,different measurements and, as a consequence - differentresul...

Biomarkers of cartilage metabolism are sensitive to changes in the biological and mechanical environment and can indicate early changes in cartilage homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine if a daily locomotion replacement program can serve as a countermeasure for changes in cartilage biomarker serum concentration caused by immobili...

Purpose This study examined the effects of daily post-exercise cold-water immersion (CWI) on match performance, perceptual recovery, and biomarkers of muscle damage and metabolic load during a 5-day international tournament of elite youth field-hockey players. Methods The entire German under-18 national squad (n = 18) was randomly assigned to a da...

Objectives: We hypothesized that the additional activation of motor units (MU) and the elevation of metabolic energy turnover resulting from whole-body vibration (WBV) superimposed to high intensity resistance training on a smith machine persist after 6 weeks of training with progressively increasing loads and vibration frequencies. Methods: Two...

Background: Allergic rhinitis has major impacts on sports performance of athletes. The present study aimed at determining the frequency of seasonal pollen allergy and analysing the impacts of pollen allergy, the choice of allergy treatments and their benefits for sports performance in a group of professional and recreational athletes. Methods: T...

PURPOSE: This study examined the acute effects of a single session of Whole-body Cryotherapy (WBC) following severe intermittent running exercise on biomarkers of inflammation, muscle damage and stress. METHODS: Endurance-trained males (n = 11) were tested twice using a within-participant, balanced cross-over design that consisted of 5 × 5 min of...

For many years, POCT devices have been employed alongside central laboratory methods to analyze biomarkers in high-performance and elite sports. However, there has been a paucity of publications to date on studies in high-performance and elite athletes where POCT is explicitly mentioned as measuring methodology. For this reason, the present chapter...

Objectives: We investigated if neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of calf muscles prevents spontaneous calf cramps. Materials and methods: In 19 individuals affected by more than or equal to one calf cramp per week the gastrocnemius of the predominantly affected leg was stimulated twice a week (intervention leg, IL) over six weeks (3 ×...

Zusammenfassung In der Sportmedizin und -wissenschaft sowie im Hochleistungssport werden Untersuchungen sowohl unter standardisierten Bedingungen im Labor als auch im Feld durchgeführt. Es kommen dabei die unterschiedlichsten medizinischen Messmethoden zum Einsatz. Fast immer werden sie von Blutanalysen begleitet, wobei sowohl hochkomplexe Laborver...

The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that serum levels of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) would decrease and serum levels of tumor-necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and selected matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) would increase in response to bed rest (BR) and that these changes are unaffected by the intake of potassium bicarb...

We investigated if blood flow restriction (BFR, cuff pressure 20 mmHG below individual occlusion pressure) increases metabolic stress, hormonal response, release of muscle damage markers, and muscle swelling induced by moderate-intensity eccentric contractions. In a randomized, matched-pair design, 20 male subjects (25.3 ± 3.3 years) performed four...

Background: In the past years, there was an increasing development of physical activity tracker (Wearables). For recreational people, testing of these devices under walking or light jogging conditions might be sufficient. For (elite) athletes, however, scientific trustworthiness needs to be given for a broad spectrum of velocities or even fast chan...

Purpose: Previous data indicate that a strong sensory input from orally administered TRPV1 and TRPA1 activators alleviates muscle cramps in foot muscles by reducing the α-motor neuron hyperexcitability. We investigated if TRP activators increase the cramp threshold frequency of the medial gastrocnemius. Methods: We randomly assigned 22 healthy m...

Objectives We hypothesized that progressive whole-body vibration (WBV) superimposed to progressive high intensity resistance training has greater effects on muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), muscle force of leg muscles, and jump performance than progressive high intensity resistance training alone. Methods Two groups of healthy male subjects perf...

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether a combination of strength training (ST) and local vibration (LV) improved the isometric maximum force of arm flexor muscles. ST was applied to the left arm of the subjects; LV was applied to the right arm of the same subjects. The main aim was to examine the effect of LV during a dumbbell b...

Background: Muscle enzymes are cleared from the extracellular space by the lymphatic system, while smaller proteins enter the bloodstream directly. We investigated if manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), local cryotherapy (CRY), and rest (RST) differently affect the time course of creatine kinase (CK, 84 kDa) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein...

PurposeTo examine if chronic endurance training by means of simultaneously applied, superimposed electromyostimulation (EMS) can be used to improve performance and physiological core parameters compared to the traditional cycling. Methods Twenty-one male subjects (VO2peak 55.2 ± 5.1 ml min− 1 kg− 1) were assigned to either a cycling (C) or cycling...

Im Leistungs- und Spitzensport werden seit vielen Jahren zur Optimierung von Training sowie zur Beurteilung von Belastungs- und Erholungsprozessen, und damit zur Vermeidung von Überlastungsreaktionen von Athleten, neben komplexen Laborverfahren auch Messgeräte zur Analyse von Biomarkern eingesetzt, die zu den POCT-Mess systemen gezählt werden [56]....

Background and Study Aim:

Aim: To monitor the training intensity distribution (TID) and the development of physiological and performance parameters. Methods: During their preparation period for the RAAM, 4 athletes (plus 1 additional backup racer) performed 3 testing sessions; one before, one after 3, and one after 6 months of training. VO2max, maximal rate of lactate accum...

Aim: mircoRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression, are stably secreted into the blood and circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) may play an important role in cell–cell communication. Furthermore, c-miRNAs might serve as novel biomarkers of the current vascular cell status. Here, we examined how the levels of three vascular c-miRNAs...

Confirmation of endothelial cell apoptosis by TUNEL-staining.

Ultra-endurance athletes often accumulate an energy deficit when engaging in ultra-endurance exercise, and upon completion of the exercise, they exhibit endocrine changes that are reminiscent of starvation. However, it remains unclear whether these endocrine changes are a result of the exercise per se or secondary to the energy deficit, and more im...

PurposeThe aim of the present study was to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs high-volume training (HVT) on salivary stress markers [cortisol (sC), testosterone (sT), alpha-amylase (sAA)], metabolic and cardiorespiratory response in young athletes. Methods Twelve young male cyclists (14 ± 1 years; 57.9 ± 9.4 mL min−1...

This study evaluated the accuracy of a modified-lactate-minimum-test (mLMT), a modified-reverse-lactate-threshold-test (mRLT), in comparison to two established threshold concepts (OBLA & mDmax) to determine power output at maximal-lactate-steady-state (MLSS) in cycling. Nineteen subjects performed an mLMT, an mRLT, a graded-exercise-test (100W star...

Objective: A low cramp threshold frequency (CTF) is associated with an increased cramp susceptibility. Recent data indicate that the CTF can be substantially increased by a cramp training consisting of electrically induced muscle cramps (EIMCs). This study investigated if four cramp training sessions induce sustained effects on the CTF. Methods:...

Salivary markers have been proposed as noninvasive and easy-to-collect indicators of dehydrations during physical exercise. It has been demonstrated that threshold-based classifications can distinguish dehydrated from euhydrated subjects. However, considerable challenges were reported simultaneously, for example, high inter-subject variabilities in...

We investigated alternatives to commonly used biomarkers of exercise-induced tissue damage. Over 5 days following two bouts of 100 drop-to-vertical jumps (inter-bout rest period of 3 weeks), myosin heavy chain 1, hydroxylysine (HYL), hydroxyproline (HYP), spermine (SPM) and spermine synthase (SMS) were measured in the serum of 10 participants. HYL...

There is a debate on the optimal way of monitoring training loads in elite endurance athletes especially during altitude training camps. In this case report, including nine members of the German national middle distance running team, we describe a practical approach to monitor the psychobiological stress markers during 21 days of altitude training...

Background Healthy articular cartilage is important for proper joint function. The impact of unloading due to disease or injury on healthy and diseased articular cartilage is not well understood and bed rest (BR) studies offer a unique and well-standardized model to study the effects of immobilization. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is...

To examine the effects of aqua-cycling (AC) vs. passive-recovery (P) on performance, markers of muscle damage, delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS), and the persons perceived physical state (PEPS) after 300 counter movement jumps (CMJ).20 male participants completed 300 CMJ. Afterwards, they were randomly assigned to either the P-group or the AC...

Aim: The aim of the present study was to analyze the response of vascular circulating microRNAs (miRNAs; miR-16, miR-21, miR-126) and the VEGF mRNA following an acute bout of HIIT and HVT in children. Methods: Twelve healthy competitive young male cyclists (14.4 ± 0.8 years; 57.9 ± 9.4 ml·min(-1)·kg(-1) peak oxygen uptake) performed one session...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a multiple set squat exercise training intervention with superimposed electromyostimulation (EMS) on strength and power, sprint and jump performance. Twenty athletes from different disciplines participated and were divided into two groups: strength training (S) or strength training with...

Objectives: The aim was to determine metabolic and hormonal responses to strength training with or without superimposed electromyostimulation (EMS) at the beginning and the end of a 6 week training period. Methods: 20 strength trained subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group (S) performed 4 sets of back squats with a consta...

Incremental exercise testing is frequently used as a tool for evaluating determinants of endurance performance. The available reference values for the peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ), % of VO 2peak , running speed at the lactate threshold (v LT ), running economy (RE), and maximal running speed (v peak ) for different age, gender, and disciplines ar...

Background: High-intensity training (HIT) can improve endurance performance and VO2max more effectively than high-volume training (HVT). Hence, the implementation of HIT protocols such as 4x30 s "all-out" and 4x4 min at 90-95% VO2max is currently existent in various sports. However, there is limited awareness of the acute changes in blood cell cou...

The cramp threshold frequency (CTF) is known to be positively correlated with the individual cramp susceptibility. Here we assessed CTF changes after two bouts of electrically induced muscle cramps (EIMCs). The EIMCs (6×5 sec) were unilaterally induced twice (separated by one week) in the gastrocnemius of an intervention group (n=8), while 5 partic...

We investigated the effect of stimulation intensity (in percent of maximal tolerated stimulation current, mTSC), frequency, and impulse width on muscle fatigue. Using a randomized crossover design, 6 parameter combinations (80% mTSC, 80 Hz, 400µs; 60% mTSC, 80 Hz, 400 µs; 80% mTSC, 20 Hz, 400µs; 60% mTSC, 20 Hz, 400 µs; 80% mTSC, 80 Hz, 150 µs; 60%...

Background: In this study, we examine the biomechanical advantage of combining localized vibrations to hamstring muscles involved in a traditional resistance training routine. Methods: Thirty-six male and female participants with at least 2 years of experience in resistance training were recruited from the German Sport University Cologne. The pa...

We tested a simple and compact device designed for manual resistance training in conditions of microgravity (Self-Powered Rope Trainer Duo (SPoRT Duo)) to increase muscle performance. Twenty-four participants (20.8 ± 2.1 years) were randomly assigned to a manual resistance group (n = 12) and a free-weight group (n = 12). Participants performed eigh...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an individually designed incremental exercise protocol results in greater rates of oxygen uptake (VO2max) than standardized testing. Fourteen well-trained, male runners performed five incremental protocols in randomized order to measure their VO2max: i) an incremental test (INCS+I) with pre-defined...

Background Moderate joint loading is essential to maintain cartilage health and function but the impact of immobilization on articular cartilage in healthy individuals is not well understood. One established biomarker for monitoring cartilage metabolism in relation to joint degeneration is cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)1 which is sensit...

Purpose: Rapid weight reduction is part of the pre-competition routine and has been shown to negatively affect psychological and physiological performance of Taekwondo (TKD) athletes. This is caused by a reduction of the body water and an electrolyte imbalance. So far, it is unknown whether weight reduction also affects hemorheological properties...

The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to assess the eggbeater kick and throwing performance using a number of water polo specific tests, 2) to explore the relation between the eggbeater kick and throwing performance, and 3) to investigate the relation between the eggbeater kick in the water and strength tests performed in a controlled laborat...

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of superimposed electromyostimulation (E) during cycling on myokines and markers of muscle damage, as E might be a useful tool to induce a high local stimulus to skeletal muscle during endurance training without performing high external workloads. Methods: 13 subjects parti...

To examine the effects of a whole-body cryotherapy protocol (3 min at -110°C) on acute recovery and key variables of endurance performance during high-intensity intermittent exercise in a thermoneutral environment. Eleven endurance athletes were tested twice in a randomized crossover design. 5 x 5 min of high-intensity running (HIR) were followed b...

In sports medicine, muscle enzymes in the blood are frequently used as an indicator of muscle damage. It is commonly assumed that mechanical stress disrupts plasma membrane to an extent that allows large molecules, such as enzymes, to leak into the extracellular space. However, this does not appear to fully explain changes in muscle enzyme activity...

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate if there is a repeated bout effect for cartilage tissue, evident in the marker serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP). Ten healthy male subjects (26.4±3.14 years) performed two high impact interventions (100 drop jumps with a 30 second interval) carried out at a 3 week interval. Aft...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of superimposed electromyostimulation (E) during cycling on the acute hormonal and metabolic response, as E might be a useful tool to intensify endurance training without performing high external workloads. METHODS: Thirteen subjects participated in three experimental trials each...

Background & Study Aim: The results of previous studies regarding the impact of different forms of weight reduction on performance capacity are not consistent. Therefore, the purpose of this study was the knowledge about the effects of RWR and GWR in Taekwondo athletes on physiological and psychological changes and performance with the sport specif...

Introduction In several studies it has been shown that chronic pharmacological and dietary nitrate supplementation (3-6 days) decreases oxygen cost of sub-maximal and continuous exercise, improves exercise tolerance and time trial performance (Bailey et al., 2012). Studies investigating high-intensity interval exercise show inconsistent results. Th...

Objectives: Short-term exposure (2?30 seconds) to segmental mechanical vibrations with frequencies between 20 and 80 Hz affects proprioception of the central nervous system and manual dexterity and strength of man. It could be supposed that during fast-roping, Soldiers are exposed to hand?arm vibrations caused by the geometry of the rope. After th...

In this study, we examined the acute effects of a 5-day daily whole-body vibration (WBV) training on electromyography (EMG) responses of the m. rectus femoris and m. gastrocnemius lateralis, heart rate (HR, continuously recorded), and blood lactate levels. The purpose of the study was to investigate the adaptation of muscle activity, heart rate and...

Statistical analysis for the soccer matches of the First Bundesliga; i.e., the first national soccer league of Germany, during the period Aug. 5 to Nov. 27, 2011 is made in order to see which parameters are more important for the result of a match. It is found that the goal efficiency, defined by the number of goals divided by the number of shots,...

The preseason in soccer is a short period of 6-8 weeks where conditional abilities, technical and tactical elements need to be trained. Therefore, time is lacking to perform long term preparation periods for different abilities, especially endurance training. There is evidence that the implementation of high-intensity shock microcycles in preseason...

To investigate if the cramp threshold frequency (CTF) can be altered by electrical muscle stimulation in a shortened position. A total of 15 healthy male sport students were randomly allocated to an intervention (IG, n = 10) and a non-treatment control group (CG, n = 5). Calf muscles of both legs in the IG were stimulated equally twice a week over...

Endothelial microparticles (EMP) are complex vesicular structures shed from activated or apoptotic endothelial cells. As endurance exercise affects the endothelium, the objective of the study was to examine levels of EMP and angiogenic growth factors following different endurance exercise protocols. 12 subjects performed 3 different endurance exerc...