Instytut Sportu

Background: Vertical jump performance is a key indicator of athletic ability, however, evidence on its relationship with body weight remains inconsistent. Since jump performance depends on strength, body composition, and neuromuscular factors, it was hypothesized that vertical jump performance would not be adversely affected by body weight in athletes with average BMI. This study examined the relationship between body weight, BMI, and vertical jump performance in young basketball players. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 29 male basketball players (mean body weight 77.27 9.20 kg; BMI 22.97 0.97) who volunteered to participate. Standardized biometric assessments and vertical jump tests were administered. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess associations between body weight, BMI, and jump performance. Results: Moderate positive correlations were identified between body weight and vertical jump performance (r = 0.392, p < 0.05) and between BMI and vertical jump performance (r = 0.394, p < 0.05). However, low explanatory power (R) indicates limited predictive value of body weight and BMI. A strong positive correlation between body weight and BMI (r = 0.550, p < 0.01) was also observed. Conclusion: Body weight and BMI showed limited predictive ability for vertical jump performance in young basketball players. Factors such as muscular strength, fat percentage, and neuromuscular efficiency may play a more significant role in jump ability. These findings highlight the necessity of comprehensive performance assessment and individualized training strategies in athletic populations.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of intense physical training on the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in URTI-free and URTI-prone athletes. Sixteen young male ice hockey players were monitored during a national training camp. Blood collection took place at the beginning and after the training camp. Blood tests included creatine kinase activity; white blood cell count and subpopulations; cortisol, immunoglobulin A and C-reactive protein concentrations; and the percentage of neutrophils releasing NETs. The occurrence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) was monitored using a validated URTI symptom questionnaire. There were no differences in immune and endocrine markers between URTI-free and URTI-prone athletes. Regardless of the subject’s health status, CK activity and uric acid levels increased significantly between the beginning and after the training camp. In both URTI-free and URTI-prone athletes, the percentage of neutrophils releasing NETs increased significantly after the training camp. Regardless of the athlete’s health status, a short period of intensive physical training itself may cause increased NET release in ice hockey players. The presence of mild URTI did not appear to be an additional factor influencing NET release during the several-day training camp.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-22886-3.

Varesco, G, Germain, M, Szocs, S, Martin, A, Toussaint, P-M, and Simonelli, G. Exploring the relationship between sleep hygiene recommendations and outcomes in sleep, fatigue, and cognitive performance among student-athletes. J Strength Cond Res 40(1): 48-55, 2026-Student-athletes often neglect sleep because of academic and training demands, highlighting the value of interventions targeting poor sleep habits. However, sleep hygiene research remains limited to individualized approaches, limiting reproducibility and posing challenges for implementation in large groups, such as collegiate sports teams. In this 4-week study, we assessed the sleep health of an elite collegiate Canadian football team through questionnaires (week 1). Players with poor sleep habits (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index > 5; 24 out of 64) participated in a 2-week sleep hygiene intervention. After a familiarization session (week 2), they completed 2 weeks of sleep assessment (actigraphy, sleep diary) and a post-training test, including a fatigue 10-cm visual analog scale, psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), and paced visual serial addition test (PVSAT). Subjects were unaware to be selected based on their poor sleep habits. After week 3, athletes received feedback on poor sleep habits and standardized written, evidence-based sleep hygiene recommendations. They were asked to comply with these recommendations before repeating experimental procedures at the end of week 4. Improvements were observed only in perceived total sleep time (sleep duration; 7:43 ± 1:29 vs. 8:03 ± 1:34 h:mm, p = 0.045) and PVSAT performance (1.44 ± 1.8 vs. 1.36 ± 1.63 seconds, p = 0.004), while PVT speed decreased (3.6 ± 0.4 vs. 3.5 ± 0.4 Hz, p = 0.043). Objective sleep duration (6:53 ± 1:19 vs. 7:04 ± 1:19 h:mm, p = 0.21), fatigue (6 ± 2.1 vs. 5.8 ± 2.1 AU, p = 0.55), and other outcomes remained unchanged ( p > 0.37). These results indicate that unsupervised and standardized sleep hygiene recommendations were not associated with changes in sleep habits, with changes in cognitive performance and fatigue level that could not be reconducted to better sleep.

Bartkowiak, S, Kozieł, S, Krzykała, M, Karpowicz, K, Konarski, JM, and Malak, B. Are sex differences in youth weightlifting performance explained by fat-free mass? A controlled analysis. J Strength Cond Res 40(1): 68–75, 2026—This study examined sex differences in weightlifting performance among youth athletes, emphasizing the role of fat‐free mass (FFM), strength, and power. Fifty-three competitive weightlifters (28 male, 25 female) aged 13–15 years were evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analyses to estimate FFM, along with assessments of hand grip strength, squat jump (SJ) power, and isometric mid‐thigh pull force. Competition outcomes for the snatch, clean & jerk (C&J), and total weight lifted were recorded. Male weightlifters demonstrated significantly higher absolute strength outputs compared with female weightlifters (p < 0.001). Regression analyses identified SJ power normalized to FFM as the strongest predictor of performance in male weightlifters across the snatch (r2 = 0.3742, p < 0.001), C&J (r2 = 0.3742, p < 0.001), and total (r2 = 0.3945, p < 0.001). In addition, results from the forward stepwise linear regression indicated that waist-to-hip ratio emerged as a significant, sex-specific predictor of C&J performance (p > 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of FFM and lower-body explosive strength in youth weightlifting success. However, inherent neuromuscular and biomechanical differences between sexes contribute to persistent performance gaps. The results support the implementation of sex-specific training strategies that target these unique physiologic profiles to optimize performance outcomes in youth weightlifters.

The issue of the warm-up, esspecially that used in sport was addressed by many authors. Apart from good prepearing of muscles to maximal effort determined by individual physiological and biochemical factors, warm-up has the aim to optimize move and behave coordination to reach the maximum in the sport and to avoid injuries. Movement coordination processes manifest in adequate but also dynamic change and effectively adjusted of the muscle play to existing situation depends on efficiency of the nervous system, and they both parts central and peripheral. These processes also are subjected to training (are trained). So proper activization of the nervous system should be integral part of the warm-up. High trained athletes during multiple competitions and systematical training get acquainted with the functions of their organism (body) and based on their experience they individualise the warm-up to achive the maximal (peak) preparation) of the body to competition and achive the success. Contemporary warm-up, independently from the sport consists of the three parts: general, specific (depending on the sport) and imaginery. The last one is to recreate in the imagination (to visualise), the most important and the best trained techniques (technical tips) so called aces and adds significant value in the proccess of the athlete’s prepearation to competition. Some athletes try to imagine their kinestethic impressions known from their’s experiences. The time of the whole warm-up depends on the sport, the level of training, athlete’s well-being and above all the temperamental features. For these reasons it seems the warm-up should be individualised and fitted to any athlete. This fact is often ignored by the authors dealing with that issue esspecially regarding team games and results in performing exercises the same way by all members of the national team of one the famous polish sport during warm-up. Another problem is to decide if the stretching technique used during warm-up delivers optimal level of athletes performance in effective sports rivalry. Presenting of these actual issues related to the warm-up optimalization and the attempt to answer questions raised above are the main part of our presentation.

The present review summarizes findings from the NOODLE ("predictioN mOdels fOr enDurance athLetEs") study. The research aimed to refine variables obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in a large cohort of highly trained endurance athletes by adjusting general reference values and predictive equations to better reflect the unique physiological profiles of this population. Ventilatory efficiency, oxygen uptake efficiency slope, oxygen uptake efficiency plateau, and peak oxygen pulse were analyzed, as they were recently applied in various models concerning risk stratification and treatment optimization. As more people engage in endurance sports, tailored CPET assessments are crucial for accurate performance evaluation and health monitoring. By characterizing differences between general formulas and those suited for endurance athletes, we offered improved tools for optimizing training and ensuring athlete safety. The findings are in line with the existing trend of precision medicine that tailors diagnostics, treatments, and interventions to individual patients' characteristics. Moreover, we review the recent advances from widely applied CPET-obtained indices, such as maximum oxygen uptake, maximum heart rate, and breathing reserve. We also gave the recommendation for a comprehensive CPET assessment based on the relationships between all of the variables.

The World Health Organization’s declaration of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in July 2022, followed by its resurgence in 2024, has sparked concerns about its potential impact on sports, especially contact sports such as football. Although mpox is not a pandemic (as of late September 2024), the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience offers valuable lessons for proactive planning in sports. Our conceptual framework has been designed to draw insightful lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to assist sports organizations in planning for and preventing similar situations. We aimed to draw lessons from COVID-19 to help sports organizations enhance practical preparedness through effective planning and mitigation strategies. Accordingly, we sought to assess the potential impact of mpox on sports, with a focus on football (soccer), and to develop strategies for prevention, management, and preparedness based on epidemiological insights and lessons from COVID-19 pandemic experience. Here we review mpox’s pathophysiology and possibility of transmission in sports settings and discuss tailored strategies, including risk assessments, testing protocols, hygiene measures, and return-to-play policies. This review highlights key differences between mpox and COVID-19 in transmission, incubation, and management, emphasizing the need for customized prevention and control measures in sports. We propose innovative risk assessment methods using global positioning system tracking and machine learning for contact analysis, alongside tailored testing and hygiene protocols. We emphasize the importance of proactive planning, noting improved preparedness in the sports community compared to the early days of COVID-19. In conclusion, our proposed framework provides sports organizations with practical tools to manage potential risks associated with mpox, ensuring the continuity of activities while prioritizing public health.

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioelectrical activity of the rectus femoris muscle during traditional and modified squats (with medicine ball and Gymstick). Material and methods. The study involved 36 women aged 19 to 25. The following research techniques and tools were used: surface electromyography (sEMG) using a Neuro Trac Myo Plus 2 dual-channel device. All women performed three series of five squats over 10 seconds. The subjects were instructed on how to correctly perform them – as far as possible, the centre of gravity should move in one plane. Three types of squats were performed: traditional squats, squats with a 3 kg medicine ball, squats with a Gymstick. Results. The rectus femoris muscle was least active during traditional squats. The highest average activity of the rectus femoris muscle was observed during exercises with the Gymstick, although the activity of the examined muscle during squats with a medicine ball and with the Gymstick did not differ significantly. Conclusion. Exercises with a medicine ball and a Gymstick activated muscles to a similar extent, significantly more than during traditional exercises. Therefore, they can be used to increase the intensity of the therapeutic procedure and training process.