Competencies for rating perceived exertion in amateur soccer players with and without intellectual disabilities

Validity and reliability of SEIS-3: An instrument for subjective measuring of strength in older adults

The use of rating of perceived exertion (RPE) has grown substantially, providing a valuable alternative for exercise intensity monitoring, especially for older adults. However, some challenges, such as cross-cultural validity, age-related differences, and reliability issues, necessitate the development of a concise and user-friendly RPE instrument, particularly for strength training in this population. This study aimed to validate the Subjective Effort Induction Scale (SEIS-3), a simplified tool for measuring effort during strength training. SEIS-3 is a graded instrument with three exertion levels: 1) Light effort, 2) Moderate effort, and 3) Strong effort. Twenty seniors, aged 71±7 years, of both genders participated in the study (CEP/Unimontes 2,741,071/2018). We collected maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) data using a digital dynamometer. Subsequently, participants underwent the initial test, following the three SEIS-3 categories in a randomly assigned order of induced subjective effort. SEIS-3 instrument was evaluated by the approaches:•Linear regression analysis: employed to assess the validity of the instrument.•Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC): employed to assess the reliability of the instrument.SEIS-3 effort categories correlated with MIVC in both hands (R2=0.80, F = 25.596, df=3, p < 0.01 for right hand; R2=0.56, F = 9.132, p < 0.01 for left hand). Test-retest reliability for grip strength across effort categories was excellent (ICC > 0.9). SEIS-3 is a valid and reliable user-friendly tool for accurately assessing and regulating exercise intensity in older adults during strength tasks, benefiting their health, functional capacity, and overall quality of life. This low-cost instrument can help health professionals in their activities.

Differences in physical activity volume and intensity between Unified and non-Unified Special Olympics football training: An observational pilot study

BACKGROUND

The participation of people with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics sports and training opportunities offers numerous benefits for health and inclusion. However, little is known about the impact of such training on physical activity behaviour. Here, we evaluate the differences in physical activity volume and intensity of Special Olympics athletes between Unified and non-Unified football training.

METHOD

Accelerometer data of 12 male athletes from eight standardised training sessions (four Unified, four non-Unified) were analysed.

RESULTS

While there was no statistically significant difference for the main part of the training, athletes showed higher levels of physical activity intensity (MVPA: Mdiff  = 11.74%; 95% CI = 5.50-17.97) and volume (average acceleration ENMO: Mdiff  = 112.82 mg; 95% CI = 24.73-200.90) in a Unified compared to non-Unified endurance-related exercise task.

CONCLUSION

Understanding physical activity participation in different training types can help to design and implement future training programmes.

Children can rate perceived effort but do not follow intensity instructions during soccer training

The perception of effort is elementary for the self-regulation of exercise intensity in sports. The competence for rating perceived effort (RPE) seems to be related to physical and cognitive development. Children accurately rate perceived effort during incremental exercise tests when loads progressively increase, but it remains unclear how children perform when they participate in sports games, which are characterized by complex tasks with varying intensity profiles. The present study investigates children's competencies for rating perceived effort and producing predetermined intensities during soccer training. Twenty-five children aged 11-13 years performed two similar training sessions. In the first session, the children trained without intensity instructions and continuously rated their effort. In the second session, the children were instructed to produce predefined intensities. Before the first training session, executive functions were assessed by cognitive performance tests and a self-report measure. RPE correlated significantly with heart rate measures (R2 = 0.27, p < 0.001). As confirmed by factor analysis, individual differences in these correlations were related to the outcomes of the cognitive tests and the self-report measure. RPE in training session 2 differed from RPE in training session 1 (d = 1.22, p < 0.001), although the heart rate data did not differ significantly between training sessions (d = -0.19, p = 0.780). Thirteen-year-old children performed significantly better than eleven-year-old children (d = 1.69, p = 0.027). The results suggest that children are able to rate perceived effort during soccer training and that this ability is related to executive functions. Conversely, children may not be able to alter their intensities in response to instructions, although their ratings suggest that they have largely succeeded in doing so.

Moderators of Perceived Effort in Adolescent Rowers During a Graded Exercise Test

Physical activity promotes mental health. A key factor is self-regulation. In the field of sports, self-regulation is related to the psychophysiological competence of rating of perceived effort (RPE). It was reported that adolescents have lower RPE competencies than adults, and it was hypothesized that this effect depends on physiological and cognitive development. The present study investigated in a sample of adolescents whether the RPE is related to basic cognitive competencies. Twelve rowers performed cognitive tests and a graded exercise test on a rowing ergometer, in which they continuously rated their perceived effort. Objective load measures and subjective perceptions were highly correlated (rho = 0.95-0.99). Furthermore, these correlations were inter-individually moderated by measures of mental speed and spontaneous flexibility. The results confirm the significance of basal cognitive competencies for conscious load perception. It is discussed whether regular sport has beneficial effects on the development of RPE competencies by enhancing cognitive regulation.