Analysis of the Sustainability of Long-Term Detraining Caused by COVID-19 Lockdown: Impact on the Maximal Aerobic Speed of Under-16 Soccer Players

Effects of 8 weeks pre-season training on physical fitness, heart rate variability and cognition in women soccer players

The aim of this study was to explore the variations (pre-post) of (i) Anthropometric measures: weight, body mass index, lean and muscle mass, (ii) Physical fitness: countermovement jump (CMJ) and VO2max, (iii) heart rate variability (HRV) (recumbent and sitting): mean RR, RMSSD, NN50 and NN50 %, (iv) Psychomotor Vigilance Task, and v) SART: ACC Go, ACC NoGo and reaction times in semi-professional women soccer players from the second division of the Spanish League. The analysis indicated that lean mass improved after the observation period (p = .05, d = -0.38), while no other significant changes in anthropometric measures were observed. Additionally, CMJ and aerobic power were also improved (p<.01, d>0.50). The RMSSD [recumbent (d = -0.73) and sitting (d = -0.52)] and NN50 [recumbent (d = -0.69) and sitting (d = -0.70)] increased after the period of observation (p < .05). Reaction time also significantly improved after the period of observation [PVT (d = 0.42) and SART (d = -0.89)]. Correlations performed between measures revealed that smaller body mass and body mass index were largely associated with greater NN50 (r < 0.83, p = .001). Additionally, greater CMJ and aerobic fitness were associated with greater HRV [recumbent (r = -51, p = .001) and sitting (r = -0.60, p = .01). The main findings of this study were that there was no relationship between cognitive performance and physical fitness, but HRV was related to body composition and physical fitness during the pre-season in women soccer players.

The Effect of Physical Exercise during COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted an effect on the general population that went over every expectation. To explore the effect of physical exercise (PE) during the national lockdown in Italy, a survey was drawn up and administered to a sample composed of 208 subjects. The questionnaire comprised 81 multiple-choice items, including sociodemographic data, health-related questions, and assessment of physical exercise, satisfaction with life, depression, and personality. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of physical exercise during the outbreak following the present hypothesis: first, if a link exists between the time spent on physical exercise during the lockdown and the perceived health condition, depressive and somatic symptomatology, and life satisfaction; second, to find associations among the SF-12 component summaries and the other psychological outcomes; and finally, to explore how physical and psychological variables are predictive of PCS-12 and MCS-12. The results showed that both vigorous and moderate physical exercise was strongly correlated with psychological variables, with statistically significant negative correlations found between age and physical exercise. Additionally, significant positive correlations were observed between physical exercise and mental health indices, such as MCS-12 and SWLS, whereas negative correlations were found with BDI, PCS-12, and SOM-H. The correlation analysis also revealed that physical and individual mental health summaries were associated with psychological outcomes, with statistically significant negative correlations found between PCS-12 and MCS, PCS-12 and SOM-H, and MCS-12 and BDI scores. Regression analysis showed that physical activities and psychological status both had a direct influence on perceived mental and physical well-being during the lockdown, accounting for 56.7% and 35.5% of the variance, respectively. The p-values for the significant correlations ranged from <0.05 to <0.01. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of physical exercise and psychological well-being in maintaining good health during the pandemic.