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- All Subjects: Athletes
- Creators: Broman, Tannah
Description
Training the bench press exercise on a traditional flat bench does not induce a level of instability as seen in sport movements and activities of daily living. Because of this, many new types of equipment have been created in an attempt to induce instability, such as the COR Bench. 15 males and 7 females between the ages of 18 and 30 were recruited for the present study, which tested two forms of instability: using one dumbbell rather than two, and lifting on the COR bench compared to a flat bench. Thusly, EMG was used to measure muscle activity in four separate conditions of unilateral bench press movements: on a flat bench with one dumbbell, on a flat bench with two dumbbells, on the COR Bench with one dumbbell, and on the COR Bench with two dumbbells. Results indicated that lifting with one dumbbell compared to two dumbbells on the flat bench significantly increased muscle activity across all four muscles being analyzed (pectoralis major, p = .005; middle trapezius, p = .008; external obliques, p = .004; and internal obliques, p = .003), but lifting with one dumbbell compared to two dumbbells on the COR Bench only significantly increased muscle activity in the middle trapezius (p = .001), external obliques(p = . 032), and internal obliques (p = .001). The only muscle to exhibit a significant increase in muscle activity when going from one dumbbell on the flat bench to one dumbbell on the COR Bench was the middle trapezius (p = .010). These results imply that the COR Bench itself does not increase muscle activity as much as switching from two dumbbells to one dumbbell, regardless of the bench being used.
ContributorsPatterson, Jeffrey (Author) / Harper, Erin (Thesis director) / Broman, Tannah (Committee member) / Cataldo, Donna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2013-12
Description
Athletes at any level of competition face high-stress environments in which they are still expected to perform at a high level. Because of this, athletes require mental toughness in order to skillfully perform and hopefully outperform their opponents. Mental toughness in sport is a term used to describe a variety of psychological skills that an athlete utilizes that allows them to perform better and more consistently than their competitors. This study was designed to determine whether mental toughness distinguished pole vaulters at three different levels of competition. It was hypothesized that post-collegiate athletes would have higher mental toughness scores than collegiate athletes who would subsequently score higher than high school athletes. Two questionnaires were given to high school, collegiate, and post-collegiate pole vaulters (n = 65) to determine total mental toughness scores as well as scores for eight different subcategories of mental toughness including motivation, self-belief, intensity, focus, control, coping, thriving on pressure, and assertiveness. ANOVA and multiple comparisons demonstrated that mental toughness differentiated post-collegiate pole vaulters from high school pole vaulters, but not between collegiate and post-collegiate. Additionally, collegiate and post-collegiate vaulters scored significantly higher than high school vaulters in the subcategories of motivation and control. Data also showed that male competitors demonstrated significantly higher mental toughness scores than female athletes on both questionnaires. Based on the research, knowing that mental toughness scores differentiate high school pole vaulters from elite pole vaulters (particularly in the areas of control and motivation) could set the foundation for training programs and targeted psychological interventions for younger athletes.
ContributorsWarren, Hannah Victoria (Author) / Hoffner, Kristin (Thesis director) / Broman, Tannah (Committee member) / Feser, Erin (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an intervention involving physical practice combined with motor imagery and physical practice alone on swimming performance for fifty-yard freestyle. Forty-five male and female high school swimmers were participants on two different high school teams. One team was the treatment group, which included the participants partaking in both motor imagery and physical practice. The other team served as the age matched control group, and the swimmers participated in physical practice only. The combined practice group performed motor imagery three times per week and physical practice five times per week. The physical practice only group performed physical practice five times per week. Each group performed their respective tasks for 9-weeks. Pre-, half-point, and post-tests consisted of a timed fifty-yard freestyle. The treatment group produced significantly faster times on the percent change in swim time scores in comparison to the control group for the half-time to post-time and pre-time to post-time score (p=.000). The treatment group also produced better performances on the pre-time to half-time scores, however, the results were not statistically significant (p = .009). Findings, therefore, support the effectiveness of motor imagery in enhancing swim performance, when combined with physical practice.
ContributorsSears, Mychaela Leduc (Author) / Hoffner, Kristin (Thesis director) / Broman, Tannah (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Athletes often train consecutive days in a row without a period of rest long enough to fully
recover before the next training session. Regular muscle soreness usually resolves in a week, but rarely do athletes get that time to recover. While muscle recovery is important for optimizing daily functioning, it is also of growing importance for athletes to optimize their athletic performance. Cold water immersion is a common technique used to improve muscle recovery. Whether CWI improves the body’s physiological recovery response or impacts the individual’s psychological recovery is unknown, but research has shown that cold water immersion performed at 10-15 degrees Celsius and immersion times between 5 and 15 minutes are better for muscle recovery than passive recovery.
recover before the next training session. Regular muscle soreness usually resolves in a week, but rarely do athletes get that time to recover. While muscle recovery is important for optimizing daily functioning, it is also of growing importance for athletes to optimize their athletic performance. Cold water immersion is a common technique used to improve muscle recovery. Whether CWI improves the body’s physiological recovery response or impacts the individual’s psychological recovery is unknown, but research has shown that cold water immersion performed at 10-15 degrees Celsius and immersion times between 5 and 15 minutes are better for muscle recovery than passive recovery.
ContributorsGinn, Jessica J (Author) / Nolan, Nicole (Thesis director) / Broman, Tannah (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05