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Kontro TK, Bondarev D, Pyykönen KM, von Bonsdorff M, Laakso L, Suominen H, Korhonen MT. Motives for competitive sports participation in masters track and field athletes: Impact of sociodemographic factors and competitive background. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275900. [PMID: 36322532 PMCID: PMC9629627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Masters athletes due to their lifelong engagement in sport represent a unique group to study motivation for regular physical activity, but there is less scientific data on the sport motives in masters athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association of age, sex, education, nationality, competitive background and training amount with sport motives of masters track and field athletes. METHODS 811 (254 women) athletes aged 35-89 years participated in European Veterans Athletics Championships in the year of 2000. Sport motives were assessed with a questionnaire and categorized into1) well-being, 2) competitive and performance 3) health and fitness motives. RESULTS Men considered health and fitness motives more important than women (p = 0.022). Over 65-year-old athletes considered health and fitness motives more important than the youngest, 35-49-year age group (p<0.001). Education was not associated with sport motives, while motives varied significantly among different nationalities. Athletes from Nordic Countries considered well-being motives more important than Southern Europeans (p<0.001) or Western Europeans (p<0.05). Athletes from Nordic Countries (p = 0.003), Eastern Europe (p<0.001) and Central Europe (p<0.001) found health and fitness motives more meaningful than athletes from the British Isles. Furthermore, athletes with competitive background before the age of 35 and training amount more than 7.5 h a week found competitive and performance motives more important than athletes without a competitive history (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that age, sex, nationality and former athleticism are associated with sports motives among international level masters track and field athletes. It seems that while for masters athletes with competitive background performance motives dominate, for older adults, particularly for males, health and fitness motives are more important. In addition, when designing the exercise interventions for older adults, different sport motives across countries should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Titta K. Kontro
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- * E-mail:
| | - Dmitriy Bondarev
- Gerontology Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | | | - Mikaela von Bonsdorff
- Gerontology Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Lauri Laakso
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Harri Suominen
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Marko T. Korhonen
- Gerontology Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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Gender and Age Differences in Performance of Over 70,000 Chinese Finishers in the Half- and Full-Marathon Events. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19137802. [PMID: 35805460 PMCID: PMC9266034 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the characteristics of over 70,000 long-distance finishers over the last four years in Chinese half- and full-marathon events; (2) Methods: The available data of all finishers (n = 73,485; women, n = 17,134; men, n = 56,351) who performed half- and full-marathon events in Hangzhou from 2016 to 2019 were further analyzed for the characteristics of gender, age and average running speed; (3) Results: The total men-to-women ratio was the lowest in the half-marathon event (1.86) and the highest in the full-marathon event (17.42). Faster running performance in males than in females and faster average running speed in short-distance runners were shown. Gender and race distance were observed to have the most significant effects on average running speed (p < 0.01). For both male and female finishers, the slowest running speed was shown in older age groups (p < 0.01) during the full marathon. Our results indicated that the gender difference in performance was attenuated in the longer race distances and older age groups; (4) Conclusions: Understanding the participation and performances across different running distances would provide insights into physiological and biomechanical characteristics for training protocols and sports gear development in different groups.
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Jofré-Saldía E, Villalobos-Gorigoitía Á, Gea-García G. Methodological Proposal for Strength and Power Training in Older Athletes: A Narrative Review. Curr Aging Sci 2022; 15:135-146. [PMID: 35227189 DOI: 10.2174/1874609815666220228153646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Within the adult population, it is not uncommon to meet older athletes who challenge the negative stereotypes associated with aging. Although their physical performance is superior to their sedentary counterparts, they are not immune to impaired neuromuscular function, leading to a decreased physical capacity and an increased risk of injuries. Despite the abundant information about the benefits of strength/power training in advanced ages, there are no methodological proposals that guide physical activity professionals to program this type of training. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to review the factors related to the decrease in sports performance within older athletes and the benefits of a strength/power program in order to provide a methodological proposal to organize training in this population. METHODS This is a review article. First, databases from PubMed, Science Direct, and SPORTSDiscus and search engines, namely Google Scholar and Scielo, were reviewed, using standard keywords such as strength and power training, evaluation of physical performance, neuromuscular function, and risk of injury in the elderly athlete. All related articles published during the period 1963 to 2020 were considered. A total of 1837 documents were found. By removing 1715 unrelated documents, 122 articles were included in the study after revision control. RESULTS Strength/power training is key to alleviating the loss of performance in older athletes and the benefits in neuromuscular function, which helps reduce the rate of serious injuries, maintaining sports practice for a longer period of time. In order to design an appropriate program, a prior evaluation of the individual's physical-technical level must be carried out, respecting the biologicalpedagogical principles and safety regulations. CONCLUSION The methodological proposal delivered in this review can serve as a technical guide for physical activity professionals, which will be able to structure the strength/power training and thus preserve the sports practice in older athletes for a longer time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Jofré-Saldía
- Instituto del Deporte, Universidad de las Américas, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, Facultad de Deporte, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, Murcia, España
| | | | - Gemma Gea-García
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, Facultad de Deporte, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, Murcia, España
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Knechtle B, Lepers R, Nikolaidis PT, Sousa CV. Editorial: The Elderly Athlete. Front Physiol 2021; 12:686858. [PMID: 34025460 PMCID: PMC8138177 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.686858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Beat Knechtle
- Medbase St. Gallen Am Vadianplatz, St. Gallen, Switzerland.,Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Romuald Lepers
- CAPS UMR1093 INSERM, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France
| | | | - Caio Victor Sousa
- Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
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Ganse B, Drey M, Hildebrand F, Knobe M, Degens H. Performance Declines Are Accelerated in the Oldest-Old Track and Field Athletes 80 to 94 Years of Age. Rejuvenation Res 2020; 24:20-27. [PMID: 32449641 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2020.2337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical performance declines with age, even in exercising, healthy individuals without major illnesses or orthopedic issues. The rate of performance decline is often reported to accelerate after the age of 70 years, but almost no data are available on performance in the fittest oldest-old. To assess their rate of decline in performance, the biggest data set of track and field athletes aged ≥80 years (1567 results) ever published was generated for different disciplines from German Athletics Federations including 1997-2019. Performance at age 80 years of athletes still participating at age 85 years was compared with those who discontinued. Only 1 of every 22 athletes competing at age 80 years still competed at age 90 years. The performance decline was more than three times as steep in athletes aged ≥80 years (on average 1.62%/year, men: 100 m, R = 0.31, p < 0.001; 200 m, R = 0.17, p = 0.037; long jump, R = -0.37, p < 0.001; shot put, R = -0.32, p < 0.001; discus, R = -0.34, p < 0.001; javelin, R = -0.43, p < 0.001; women: shot put, R = -0.24, p = 0.017; discus, R = -0.33, p = 0.010) compared with athletes aged 30-69 years (0.46%/year) and accelerated at an average of 67 years. This accelerated decline was most pronounced in the sprint disciplines and lowest in the throws. Performance at age 80 years was similar in athletes still participating at age 85 years to those who discontinued, and the variability in results was decreased after age 90 years. In conclusion, physical performance declines more than three times as fast after around the age of 67 years compared with before. This was particularly the case for sprinting but was not a result of dropout of poorer performing athletes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bergita Ganse
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Research Centre for Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Drey
- Department of Medicine IV, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Frank Hildebrand
- Department of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias Knobe
- Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Hans Degens
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Research Centre for Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Institute of Sport Science and Innovations, Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Dahl J, Degens H, Hildebrand F, Ganse B. Age-Related Changes of Sprint Kinematics. Front Physiol 2019; 10:613. [PMID: 31249532 PMCID: PMC6583002 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The sprint performance of master athletes decreases with age, but little is known about possible contributions of changes in sprint kinematics. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of age, sex and sprinting kinematics on sprint performance. To investigate this, in 199 men (30–89 years) and 81 women (33–76 years), bending over, brake, propulsion, leg stiffness and hip flexion angles were assessed during a sprint stride using high-resolution video analyses. Propulsion angle (men 25 ± 4.2, women 23.7 ± 4) was larger and hip flexion angle (men 25.3 ± 7.3, women 28 ± 5.7) was smaller in men than in women (both p < 0.001). Bending over angle (p = 0.004), brake angle (p = 0.004) and hip flexion angle (p < 0.001) increased, whereas propulsion angle (p < 0.001) and leg stiffness angle (p = 0.001) decreased with age, irrespective of sex. While performance was mainly determined by age (R2 = 0.501, p < 0.001) and sex (adjusted R2 = 0.642), hip flexion angle (adjusted R2 = 0.686) and bending over angle (adjusted R2 = 0.705) contributed also to performance in 60-m sprint. In 200-m sprint, in addition to age and sex, only hip flexion angle (age: R2 = 0.506; age + sex adjusted: R2 = 641; age + sex + hip flexion adjusted: R2 = 0.655) contributed to performance. In conclusion, the kinematics of sprinting differ between sexes and change with age. The aging-related changes of sprinting kinematics have a minor contribution to the aging-related decline in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Dahl
- Department of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Hans Degens
- School of Healthcare Science, Research Center for Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Institute of Sport Science and Innovations, Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania.,University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mureș, Târgu Mureș, Romania
| | - Frank Hildebrand
- Department of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Bergita Ganse
- Department of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.,School of Healthcare Science, Research Center for Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Kundert AML, Nikolaidis PT, Di Gangi S, Rosemann T, Knechtle B. Changes in Jumping and Throwing Performances in Age-Group Athletes Competing in the European Masters Athletics Championships between 1978 and 2017. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16071200. [PMID: 30987143 PMCID: PMC6480250 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16071200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The results of master athletes have been used previously to examine the age-related differences in aerobic capacity, however, less research has been conducted on the variation of jumping and throwing performances with aging. Therefore, the aim of the present study of elite master athletes was to investigate (a) the age-related differences in throwing (i.e., discus, hammer, javelin, and shot put) and jumping events (i.e., high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump) in 5-year age-group intervals from 35-39 to 95-99 years of elite master athletes, and (b) the trends in performance and sex differences. The top eight female and male finalists for each age group and in each event from 20 European Masters Athletics Championships held between 1978 and 2017 were considered. Overall, 13,673 observations from 4726 master athletes were analyzed. For each event separately, a mixed regression model was performed with sex, age group, calendar year, and interaction terms (sex-age group, sex-year) defined as fixed effects. Performances were improving over time with a linear trend overall for each event. Men had better performances as compared to women, (i.e., in triple jump the estimated difference was 2.58 m, p < 0.001). Performances declined with age for each event (i.e., in triple jump, compared with the age group 45-49 years, performance in the age group 35-39 years was 0.98 m better and performance in the age group 85-89 years was 6.24 m worse). The decline of male performances with age was either slower or faster than the decline of female performances depending on age groups and events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stefania Di Gangi
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Thomas Rosemann
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Beat Knechtle
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.
- Medbase St. Gallen Am Vadianplatz, 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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Nikolaidis PT, Rosemann T, Knechtle B. A Brief Review of Personality in Marathon Runners: The Role of Sex, Age and Performance Level. Sports (Basel) 2018; 6:E99. [PMID: 30231559 PMCID: PMC6162387 DOI: 10.3390/sports6030099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The participation of recreational runners in sport events ranging from 5 km to ultra-endurance races have increased dramatically during the last decades and this phenomenon has attracted scientific interest. Most research has focused on the physiological characteristics of these runners and less in their psychological characteristics. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to review the existing knowledge with regards to the personality of recreational endurance runners and the role of sex, age and performance. It was concluded that limited information was available with regards to the personality of recreational marathon runners. So far, our knowledge on the personality of marathon runners relied on studies conducted a few decades ago, mostly on competitive marathon runners, highlighting the need for original research on recreational runners.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Rosemann
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 9001 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Beat Knechtle
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 9001 Zurich, Switzerland.
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