Planned Physical Workload in Young Tennis Players Induces Changes in Iron Indicator Levels but Does Not Cause Overreaching

The Impact of Inadequate Sleep on Overtraining Syndrome in 18-22-Year-Old Male and Female College Athletes: A Literature Review

Both male and female athletes experience acute fatigue and decreased performance from intense training sessions and training cycles with inadequate recovery. The concept of training with insufficient recovery time is known as overtraining syndrome (OTS). Primary stressors leading to OTS include excessive training, environmental factors, and inadequate levels of sleep. Sleep is a critical component of rest, recovery, memory, and cognitive function in collegiate athletes, known as male and female athletes between 18 and 22 years old. Collegiate athletes are more prone to inadequate levels of sleep, which can lead to elevated levels of fatigue, a lack of energy, motivation, alertness, and a weakened immune system. Additionally, inadequate levels of sleep lead to decreased glycogen stores in the body, affecting the functioning of physiological pathways. The processes of removing toxins and the release of growth hormones (GHs) are also impacted. GH is secreted as the rapid eye movement (REM) phase alternates with the non-REM phase and continues to rise until it peaks in the REM sleep stage, which is important for physical recovery, memory formation, and emotional regulation. This literature review aims to summarize current research on overtraining and the physiological changes that are present in both males and females from inadequate levels of sleep, emphasizing its importance in body homeostasis.

Exercise training-induced changes in immunometabolic markers in youth badminton athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate the metabolic and inflammatory fluctuations in two seasonal phases of badminton training, and the ability of youth badminton athletes to respond to an inflammatory challenge given by acute exercise on these markers. Thirteen youth badminton athletes who participated in national and international competitions were recruited. Metabolic and cytokine profile were measured at rest and in response to a maximal exercise intermittent test, in the pre- and final phases of a badminton annual season. At rest, glucose (–7.58 mg/dL; p = 0.045) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) (–26.87 mg/dL; p < 0.0001) decreased at final-season. The variation of HDL-c in response to a maximal exercise test increased at final-season in comparison to pre-season (+ 10.20 mg/dL p = 0.042). Similarly, delta changes of IL-10 (+ 3.41 pg/ml; p = 0.047) and IL-1Ra (+ 141.3 pg/ml; p = 0.031) were greater at final-season. In addition, a significantly greater variation of the anti-inflammatory IL-10/IL-17 ratio was observed at final-season (+ 0.37; p = 0.010). In conclusion, our results showed a major responsivity of IL-10 and IL-1Ra to a maximal exercise even at the end of an entire season. The major responsivity of these cytokines at this time point suggests a more effective acute inflammatory response in youth badminton athletes. Therefore, the results of this study may be applied by coaches, trainers and sport nutritionist for proper training management.

Elite Tennis Players Experiencing High-Arched Supination and Cuboids Dropped Foot Syndromes in Daily Normal Gait

Many studies have focused on the plantar pressure characteristics of specific movements and footwork in tennis. However, little research has been conducted for exploring the foot characteristics among tennis professionals’ daily habitual paces. This study aims to examine the pressure profiles associated with foot posture and balance abilities of elite tennis players during normal gait to understand how foot loading patterns result from habitual paces that may be derived from intensive tennis training and competition. A cross-sectional comparative study is conducted on 95 male college elite tennis players (mean age: 20.2 ± 1.2 years) and 100 male recreational tennis players (mean age: 19.8 ± 0.9 years). Bipedal plantar pressure distributions (PPDs) associated with arch index (AI) and centers of gravity balance are explored through the plantar pressure device. The foot posture is estimated to determine the rearfoot postural alignment. During the midstance phase of walking with a normal gait, the bipedal AI values of the elite group are significantly lower, indicating that they have high-arched feet. Additionally, the elite group experienced higher PPDs at the lateral regions of their longitudinal arches and heels and relatively lower PPDs at the medial portions of both feet. Rearfoot postural alignment resonance analysis of the PPDs suggests that the elite group experienced foot supination associated with cuboid dropped. Moreover, the right foot bears heavier centers of gravity balance in the present study. The elite tennis players in the study are categorized as having high-arched supination with cuboids dropped when performing daily habitual paces. This finding warrants further investigation into the correlation between possible injuries and daily habitual paces that may result from tennis’ intensive training and competition.