Adaptive changes in bodybuilders in conditions of different energy supply modes and intensity of training load regimes using machine and free weight exercises

Background

The research was aimed at comparing the effect of using two types of training load different in intensity and energy supply. We studied the influence of the proposed load variations (machine and free weight exercises) on long-term adaptation of the body at the stage of specialized basic training in bodybuilding.

Methods

A total of 64 athletes aged 18-20 years were examined. The research participants were randomly divided into four groups, 16 athletes in each group. Athletes of group 1 and 3 used a complex of free weight exercises. Group 2 and 4 participants performed machine exercises. Bodybuilders of group 1 and 2 were trained in conditions of medium intensity training load (R _a  = 0.58) in the anaerobic-glycolytic mode of energy supply. Athletes of the 3rd and 4th groups used high intensity load (R _a  = 0.71) in the anaerobic-alactate mode of energy supply. We managed to determine the nature of adaptation processes using methods of control testing of strength capabilities, bioimpedansometry, anthropometry, biochemical analysis of blood serum (LDH, creatinine).

Results

The study showed that the difference in the dynamics of the participants' maximum strength development (on example of chest muscles) did not depend on the content of machine or free weight exercises, but on the features of training load regimes. Thus, the controlled indicator of strength capabilities in athletes of groups 3 and 4 increased by 5.1% compared to groups 1 and 2. During all stages of the study, the indicators of the projectile working mass in athletes of groups 3 and 4 exceeded the results observed in groups 1 and 2 by 25.9%. At the same time, the amount of load in a set is on average 2 times higher in athletes of groups 1 and 2. Group 4 athletes, who used machine exercises and high intensity training load, increased the circumferential body measurements by 3.8 times (the chest), compared to the results recorded in group 1 athletes. Athletes of group 1 and 2 showed increasing in body fat by 3.4% compared to the initial level on the background of large load volume. The basal creatine level in bodybuilders of groups 3 and 4 increased by 3.7 times after 12 weeks of study, which indicates an accelerated growth of muscle mass.

Conclusion

The most pronounced adaptive body changes in bodybuilders at the stage of specialized basic training occurred during high intensity training load and anaerobic-alactate energy supply mode. Machine exercises contributed to increasing the morpho functional indicators of athletes more than free weight exercises.

Working conditions of physical education teachers in European higher education institutions

Aim: One of the problems of modern higher education is the so-called "New core curricula", which oblige PE teachers to make many changes in the way they work. PE teachers face several restrictions to provide PE programs that improve students' physical fitness, cognitive development, and overall health. The research aimed to investigate the working conditions of university PE teachers in selected European tertiary institutions. Materials and Methods: The quantitative research employed purposive sampling. Five academics volunteered to collect information on 66 European tertiary institutions located in Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Finland and Kosovo. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires with a set of questions concerning characteristics of tertiary institutions and various aspects of working conditions of university PE teachers. Results: Two thirds of the university PE teachers held master's degree in PE since in over 42% of surveyed institutions, a master's degree in physical education was required to conduct PE classes. The majority of PE teachers (84.4%) were employed full-time, and on average worked 38.6 days in an academic year. Significantly more PE teachers with masters and doctoral degrees (p = 0.012) were employed full-time, or fixed term in public, middle size HEIs (p <0.001). In HEIs in cities with less than 500,000 residents, PE teachers were more often encouraged for participation in CPD (p = 0.049). Significantly more public HEIs fully or partially covered the costs of CPD or conferences (p <0.001), whereas in non-public or small HEIs significantly more PE teachers had to finance the costs of CPD. Moreover, significantly more (p =0.037) universities implemented specific PE teachers’ evaluation criteria with a personal record of their achievements. Conclusion: There is a pressing need to improve qualifications of university PE teachers, as many European HEIs do not support PE teachers in CPD. Furthermore, lack of CPD opportunities, low salaries and lack of career promotion perspectives combined with lower psychological resilience, may result in professional burnout syndrome.

The Motor Activity Status and Students` Self-Assessment of Health During a COVID-19 Pandemic

In the context of distance learning, physical activity and social contacts of students decreased to minimum The aim of the research was to determine the self-assessment of health and well-being, physical activity status and behav- ioral aspect of a healthy lifestyle of PE students during quarantine, as well as to determine whether these indicators depend on place of students` education. The research involved 226 students (139 male and 87 famale subjects av- erage age – 19.7 years), receiving a Pedagogical Specialty in Physical Education at the Bachelor's level of higher ed- ucation. Independent samples included 77 students from a University in Ukraine; 74 – from Poland; 75 – from Italy. The study was conducted online in October-November 2020, during the period of quarantine in these countries. System analysis, questionnaire survey, survey analysis and descriptive statistics were used. The e-questionnaire in- cluded a set of methods: Health Self-Assessment Questionnaire (HSAQ), Health Attitude Index (HAI), Lifestyle Survey (LS) Leisure-Time Self-Assessment Questionnaire during quarantine (LTSAQ). It has been established that 23.4% of Ukrainian students have a tendency to be careless about their health. The majority of all students (Ukrainian – over 70%, Polish and Italian – over 90%) have adequate self-assessment of their own health. A high level of health-form- ing behavior dominate in all three groups. Italian students were not completely satisfied with their own physical activity during the quarantine. Most of the students in all samples exercised individually 3 times a week or more often. The dominant motives to excercises ere increasing physical fitness or improving the stature.

Types of convictions concerning coping with pain of the participants of territory defence activities

Introduction: The complexity of physiological, emotional and behavioural reactions is connected with experiencing pain. A few components appear here: sensory, affective, motivational and cognitive. Relatively strongly fixed beliefs, concerning the possibilities of coping with this feeling, make an important cognitive effect in coping with pain. Knowledge about beliefs about controlling pain influence understanding of pain mechanisms. Material and methods: The research covered 48 hospitalised participants of territorial defence (33.94±9.54 years old; range: 21-56 years old), provided treatment in hospitals in Luck and in the region (Ukraine) with the use of standardised questionnaires within psychology of health and documents’ analysis. The patients differed with respect to diagnosis concerning the presence of neuropathic pain: confirmed neuropathic pain and not fully confirmed neuropathic pain, and the lack of pain of a neuropathic character. Results: In the case of pain of a probable, but not fully confirmed neuropathic pain, the value of conviction relying on one's own internal abilities to coping with pain amounted to 20.73 ± 2.35. The values of the indicators of the two remaining types of convictions analysed in the research are lower. The obtained results indicate that neuropathic pain differentiated beliefs referring to the possibility of coping with pain on one’s own (p<0.001). Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that neuropathic pain differentiated beliefs referring to the possibility of copying with pain on one’s own. No significant correlations have been noticed between the level of externalised and extinguished anger and certain types of beliefs concerning coping with pain.

Level of and Factors Determining Physical Activity in Students in Ukraine and the Visegrad Countries

Background: Examining the level of physical activity in students is a vital issue as these young people are the future social elite. Methods: The research was conducted in the years 2013–2016 and comprised 5008 males and females, mean age of 20.5 ± 2.1 years, including 2237 (55.3%) students from students from Eastern European National University, Lutsk, and Ternopil State Medical University, Ukraine, as well as 2237 (44.7%) from the Visegrad countries, i.e., University of Pécs in Hungary, University in Kosice, Slovakia, University of Olomunec in the Czech Republic and the State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, Poland. It applied a diagnostic survey—the extended version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), supplemented with original questions regarding body weight, height, self-assessment of physical fitness and amount of leisure time. Results: The comparison of students’ PA from selected European countries, members of the Visegrad group and Ukraine, is particularly vital to the latter country as it demonstrates a different level of socio-economic development. There was noted a significantly higher level of physical activity in students from the Visegrad countries than in Ukraine. Further, there was an overall lower level of physical activity in females compared to males. What was positive about the studied samples was a healthy BMI index in the majority of the male and female respondents, with a significantly higher indicator in Ukraine. Conclusions: Among the factors significantly affecting higher physical activity in both researched samples were the BMI and high self-assessment of physical fitness. There was no significant variation in the level of physical activity and the amount of leisure time, both in those studying in the Visegrad states and Ukraine.

Forms of expressing anger in hospitalised Ukrainian post-deployed™ service members

INTRODUCTION

Military actions and injuries sustained make returning to ordinary life and everyday routine a challenge which soldiers need to face. Research on this subject shows that the consequences of post-traumatic stress extends further, beyond the victim's everyday life, resulting in health problems and problems with social relationships.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to gather knowledge of the ways of expressing anger in a group of hospitalized Ukrainian post-deployed servicemen. A research study was conducted concentrating on the two forms of managing anger, i.e. releasing or suppressing anger, and posing the following question: 'How are they manifested in the hospitalized Ukrainian combat veterans?

MATERIALS AND METHOD

The study included 35 hospitalized soldiers who had taken part in military operations in Ukraine (age: 34.61±9.23; age range: 21-56 years of age). The research was conducted in the hospitals in Lutsk. Measurements were conducted with the use of certified psychological tests, i.e. Anger Expression Scale (AES), medical documentation and oral reports given by the persons conducting the study.

RESULTS

The average value of the suppressed anger indicator was 31.57±6.23 (p<0.05); respective value of the released anger 24.37 ±6.34 (p<0.05). For released anger, results at the level of the upper quartile (Q3=28) and above were obtained by 28.57 % of the soldiers in the study, while in the case of repressed anger, the results obtained at the level of the upper quartile (Q3 = 36) and above that value were obtained by 34.27% of the soldiers/patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained show that in the group of hospitalized patients/soldiers there is a higher level of repressed anger intensity than in the case of released anger. The study survey suggests that in their case expressing anger is usually a reaction to somebody's inappropriate-in-their-eyes behaviour. Curbing anger takes on various forms, from trying not to express annoyance and/or rage, to trying to keep calm in spite of growing anger caused by other people's behaviours.

Variations in physical activity of male and female students from the Ukraine in health-promoting life style

[b]Introduction. [/b]A large-scale research was performed concerning issues relating to physical activity as an important factor in a healthy lifestyle and involved observing the differences among males and females as future elites of the Ukraine. [b]Objective. [/b]The objective of the research is to assess the physical activity of students from the Ukraine, considering such factors as: gender, leisure time, time spent sitting, sports performed or intended to be performed, and the BMI. [b]Materials and method.[/b] The extended version of the IPAQ, supplemented with 3 original questions by the authors, was applied to a 2,125-strong student group from 12 majors of the University of Luck, Ukraine. [b]Results. [/b]Students from Ukraine portrayed a positive picture of physical activity with significantly higher values in male students of both total activity and its fields, i.e. sports activity and work (studying). The male students performed better in their fitness (condition) self-assessment and the amount of time spent sitting, whereas the female students had better BMI results. Both genders differed considerably in their choice of sport-recreational activities. [b]Conclusions. [/b]Females more than males demonstrated lower indices of participation in physical activity, which did not permit the formulation of a positive assessment of their lifestyle. A positive phenomenon is the normal BMI and trace values of overweight in women, exactly the reverse to males.

Place of residence as a factor differentiating physical activity in the life style of Ukrainian students

Determining the state of physical activity of societies as an important component of a health promoting life style is a very up-to-date problem. Studies of physical activity among students, the future elites in their environments, become of increasing importance. An important problem is the recognition of factors differentiating this activity on the example of place of residence. For this purpose, the study covered 2,125 students (60.8% females and 39.2% males) from the National Institute in Lutsk, Ukraine, aged 17-22 (mean age: 20.4). The method of a diagnostic survey was applied which included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The following measures of physical activity according to the place of residence (rural area, small town with a population up to 100,000; medium-size town - 100,000-200,000 inhabitants; large city - over 200,000) were taken into consideration: level of physical activity, self-reported physical fitness, sports disciplines practiced by the respondents, and those which they would like to practice, and the BMI, and leisure time possessed. The study showed that the place of residence positively differentiated physical activity among students from medium-size towns and rural areas, compared to their contemporaries from small towns and large cities. Significant differences were also found with respect to the BMI, which was significantly less favourable among respondents from the rural environment. However, no differences were observed between the place of residence for leisure time, self-reported physical activity, and forms of physical activity practiced, and those which the respondents would like to practice.

Factors determining physical activity of Ukrainian students

OBJECTIVE

Scientific reports provide information concerning an insufficient level of physical activity of societies. The objective of the study is recognition of the level of physical activity among Ukrainian students, and factors which condition this activity: gender, place of residence, self-reported physical fitness, and the BMI.

METHODS

The study was conducted in 2013 among 2,125 Ukrainian students using a long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), supplemented with data concerning the respondents' physical development.

RESULTS

The results of the study showed that the mean total physical activity of students was 3.560 MET, and its highest percentage pertained to the area of activity in sports - 1.124 MET. Significantly higher statistically physical activity was observed among males than females. In males, the highest activity was related to participation in sports classes, while in females - engagement in household chores. It was found that males, compared to females, were significantly more physically active in such areas as occupational activity (education) and sports activity, whereas females showed higher activity performing household chores. According to the place of residence, inhabitants of medium-size towns and rural areas obtained the most favourable results in activity, while the inhabitants of large cities the poorest. Self-reported physical fitness was significantly correlated with the results in physical activity obtained by the students. No relationship was found between the BMI and the level of student's physical activity.

CONCLUSION

Considering the very large population of respondents, the results obtained may be considered as an up-to-date pattern of physical activity among Ukrainian students.