Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Relationships Between Muscle Characteristics And Step Outcomes In Young And Old Adults, Kareem Abubukker

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Background: Falls are a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in older adults. In an effort to assess falls, a number of studies have measured neurological, biomechanical, and neuromuscular function in relation to fall risk. Despite efforts, falls continue to affect the older adult population leading to subsequent impaired mobility and function. Multiple factors contribute to fall risk among older adults, however, a factor that has shown a consistent relationship with the prevalence of future falls is reduced muscle characteristics. Moreover, the ability to rapidly accelerate a limb, as captured by rate of power development (RPD), rate of velocity development …

Longitudinal Sport Science Implementation In American Collegiate Men’S Basketball, Jason Stone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The expanding opportunities to implement sport science frameworks in elite-level basketball environments coincide with the sport’s increasing global prominence. Concomitant to these opportunities is the continual growth of the sport technology market (e.g., wearables, force plates) and computational power (e.g., data management tools, coding capabilities), which yields solutions and challenges for both athletes and practitioners. Due to the rapid influx of new sport technologies in high performance environments, particularly American Collegiate Men’s Basketball, more formal and ecologically valid research on how to effectively utilize data derived from them, particularly over long periods of time (i.e., multiple seasons) is needed. To …

Wellness And Longevity Program For Adults And Older Adults, Oliver D. Fay

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

There are many areas of practice to choose from in the field of Occupational therapy (OT). OT has an incredibly diverse career path, with new opportunities being created every day. I completed my doctoral capstone experience at Iridium Enterprises with Dr. Aaron Green, who has a wealth of experience in business and entrepreneurship. My ACOTE focus areas were administration and program development. I wanted to learn how a business was properly developed and managed from the ground up.

Through this experience, I learned how to methodically approach market research and how to narrow in on a business idea. Our goal …

Effects Of Neuromuscular Fatigue Resulting From Repeat Sprint Exercise Among Trained Cyclists On Measures Of Strength And Power Performance, Robert B. Blaisdell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand the role of repeated-sprint ability (RSA) and resulting fatigue in cyclists; how it relates to measures of aerobic power and strength and power performance indices- due to the nature of cycling competitions and the necessity of RSA for success.

The first part of this dissertation attempted to elucidate the relationship between RSA and aerobic power and strength/ power measures in competitive cyclists. The purpose was to potentially illustrate the importance of the inclusion of strength and power training in the training regimen of cyclists. The findings showed several statistically significant relationships …

Effects Of Foam Rolling On Range Of Motion And Vertical Jump Height, Giovanna Leone, Chad Smith

Honors Theses

Static stretching has been shown to elicit an acute improvement in range of motion (ROM) in both the contralateral and ipsilateral limb. However, static stretching has also been shown to impair performance. Foam rolling has been used in clinical settings as well as by the general population to increase ROM without impairing performance. To date, there is limited research evaluating the effect of foam rolling on the contralateral limb. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect of foam rolling on ROM and single-leg drop jump performance in the foam rolled and non-foam rolled legs. The results …

The Influence Of Fatiguing Exercise On Power Output, Lena Kate Perry

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Physical fatigue impairs performance during high power, short duration activities. As technological developments permit new methods of measuring this effect, it is important to validate existing paradigms. The purpose was to determine if kinetic measurements from vertical jump (VJ) tests are influenced by fatigue based on explosive power outputs. A sample of athletes (9 men, 26 women) from a Division I NCAA sports program completed testing. To establish baseline VJ kinetics, athletes performed a controlled warm-up and then completed six jumps using Sparta Science technology, each separated by 15s rest. Sparta software computed three force outputs: Load, Explode and Drive. …

Differences In Lower Body Strength, Power Between Genders, Shonterious D. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Athletic individuals have many characteristics, which make them more elite than the average individual. When determining an individual’s physical fitness level, strength, power, and agility are commonly examined. When measuring strength, power, and agility in elite athletes the scores are compared to some portion of body composition such as muscle cross-sectional area and fat-free mass. When looking at the same factors in recreationally trained individuals the research mostly normalized to body weight. PURPOSE: To examine the differences in lower body strength, power, and agility in male and female recreationally trained individuals when normalized to body mass, fat-free mass, and …

Assessment Of Joint Kinetics In Elite Sprint Cyclists, Lynne Munro

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sprint cycling requires the production of explosive muscle power outputs up to very high pedalling rates. The ability to assess muscular function through the course of the sprint would aid training practices for high-level performers. Inverse dynamics provides a non-invasive means of estimating the net muscle actions acting across any joint contributing to movement. However, analysis of joint kinetics requires motion-capture techniques that present some unique challenges for cycling. This thesis presents three studies investigating the application of a custom-designed force pedal system to examine the joint kinetics of elite trained track sprint cyclists. To provide the basis for selecting …

The Bobsled Push Start: Influence On Race Outcome And Push Athlete Talent Identification And Monitoring, Alex Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bobsled is an Olympic sport that has progressed from rudimentary in the 1800’s to highly technological replete with biomechanical analyses and investment in engineering from the world’s top engineers. Little to no investigation has been carried out on all the tracks and the interrelationship between various measures of starts and sled-travel down-track. Further, little quality research has been produced in the athletic characteristics required for high-level competition in bobsled.

The present manuscript investigates the reliability of, and interrelationship between, start time, start velocity, split times, and finish times in World Cup 2- and 4-man bobsled competition. A strong relationship between …

Dry Land Strength And Power Training To Enhance Swimming In-Water Turn Performance, Julian Jones

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Undertaking dry-land strength and power training to increase leg extensor power output is believed to increase a swimmer’s ability to start and turn during a swim race. Swimmers generally undertake dry-land strength and power training as part of their overall training regime to increase lower body force output and impulse, in order to improve both swim start and turning performance. Elite swimmers demonstrate faster swimming turn times that are potentially a result of having better strength-power characteristics than sub-elite swimmers. The aim of this research was to quantify differences in dry-land and swimming turn leg extensor force-time characteristics between elite …

Training Adaptations In Lower-Body Muscle Structure And Physical Performance Capacities Of Competitive Surfing Athletes, Josh Secomb

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The overall aim of this thesis was to increase strength and conditioning coaches, and sport scientists’ understanding of the lower-body muscle structures related to enhanced lower-body physical capacities, and how to best evoke desirable training-specific adaptations. To address this aim, three successive steps of research were evaluated: (1) analysis of the factors related to increased performance in competitive surfing, (2) relationships between lower-body muscle structures and factors associated with enhanced physical performance, and (3) comparison of the training-specific adaptations evoked from various training methods. Whilst this research specifically focused on competitive surfing athletes, these results may benefit the training practices …

Effects Of Caffeine On Reaction Time, Peak Muscle Power, And 30 Meter Sprint Time, Kasara Mahlmeister

Culminating Projects in Kinesiology

This study aimed to determine how caffeine affects reaction time, peak muscle power calculated from vertical jump height, and 30 meter sprint time. Each individual ingested either a placebo (white flower) or 5 mg/kg of caffeine in addition to their estimated daily average caffeine consumption (mg). After 60 minutes of rest, subjects (N=15) performed a reaction time test followed by a vertical jump test and a timed 30m sprint. The dependent measures were reaction time (msec), peak muscle power (watts) calculated from vertical jump height (cm) and 30m sprint times (s). A covariate of habitual or naive caffeine users was …

Lower Body Strength And Power Characteristics Influencing Change Of Direction And Straight-Line Sprinting Performance In Division I Soccer Players: An Exploratory Study, Chieh-Ying Chiang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the influence of lower body strength characteristics on change of direction (COD) performance in NCAA Division I soccer athletes. Specifically, this dissertation served to examine: 1) whether the lower body strength and power were related to COD performance, 2) whether stronger athletes had superior COD performance than weaker athletes, 3) whether the force production asymmetry and strength dominant (SD) associated with COD performance, and 4) weather sex differences existed in kinetic variables during the stand phase of cutting.

The major findings of this dissertation include: 1) strength and power characteristics were moderately …

Laboratory And Field-Based Correlates Of Off-Road Cycling Performance, Joshua Adams

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The aims of this study were to identify physiologic characteristics among trained off-road cyclists and correlate them with a field-based time trial to determine predictors of live performance. Fourteen trained male off-road cyclists were recruited for this study, and measured for maximum aerobic capacity (VO_2max), peak aerobic power (W_peak), maximum anaerobic power (W_max), time trial performance (sec), and climbing ability (vertical feet per second – VFS). VO_2max and W_peak were measured during an incremental cycling test to exhaustion, W_max was measured during a 30-second Wingate test and time trial, and VFS …

The Effect Of Different Set-Repetition Protocols On Squat Technique In Resistance Trained Individuals, Ashley Pandit

Master's Theses

The effect of different set-repetition protocols on squat technique in resistance trained individuals.

Pandit, AL, Kraemer, WJ, Hooper, DR.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether or not the increase in repetitions within a set will change the technique of the exercise, and how repetition number in a set affects exercise technique in resistance trained individuals in three different set-repetition protocols equated by total volume.

Methods: 10 men (24.3 ± 2.8 yrs; 179.7 ± 5.7 cm; 85.5 ± 12.5 kg) and 10 women (23.9 ± 2.4 yrs; 166.2 ± 9.1 cm; 66.8 ± 8.4 kg) were the …

A Comparison Of Three Bicycle Pedal Types And Power Output, Brandon Kuhn

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the power output over a 30-second maximum effort bicycle sprint with three different pedal types; clipless, toe-strap, and flat. The participants for this investigation were eight (7 males and 1 female) mountain bikers with ages between 20 and 55 ( Age = 40) from the Central Kansas Mountain Bike Club. Each participant was required to provide his or her own bicycle and the researchers provided the training stand, Saris CycleOps PowerTap rear wheel, and Garmin Edge 500 cycling computer used for data collection. Testing procedure consisted of a warmup, 30- second maximal …

Monitoring Neuromuscular Fatigue In High Performance Athletes, Kristie-Lee Taylor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With improving professionalism of sports around the world, the volume and frequency of training required for competitive performances at the elite level has increased concurrently. With this amplification in training load comes an increased need to closely monitor the associated fatigue responses, since maximising the adaptive response to training is also reliant on avoiding the negative consequences of excessive fatigue. The rationale for the experimental chapters in this thesis was established after considering survey responses regarding current best practice for monitoring fatigue in high performance sporting environments (Chapter 3). On the basis of the results, vertical jump assessments were selected …

Physical Activity Assessment In Wheelchair Users, Scott Alexander Conger

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: To examine the relationship between hand rim propulsion power and energy expenditure during wheelchair locomotion. Methods: Fourteen individuals who used manual wheelchairs were included in this study. Each participant performed five different locomotion activities in a wheelchair with a PowerTap hub built into the rear wheel. The activities included wheeling on a level surface that elicited a low rolling resistance at three different speeds (4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 km∙hr^-1), wheeling on a rubberized 400m track that elicited a higher rolling resistance at one speed (5.5 km∙hr^-1), and wheeling on a sidewalk course that included uphill …

A Series Of Studies On Professional Rugby League Players, Daniel G. Baker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Rugby league football is a popular game in Australia, which appears to rely heavily upon strength, power, speed and endurance due to the nature of the phyiscal contacts. In an effort to discern the importance of upper body strength, power speed and endurance to rugby league players a retrospective data analysis was performed. Three areas of investigation were: 1) the testing of upper body physical qualities of strength, power, speed and strength-endurance and their significance to playing status in the elite national first-division (NRL), second-division (SRL) and third-division (CRL), 2) the effect of acute training variable manipulations upon power output …