Barbara Gilic

This study aimed to investigate whether wrestlers of different competitive qualities (i.e., medalists vs. non-medallists) would differ in terms of specific test performance and cardiac and metabolic responses after a demanding testing protocol. The research included 29 wrestlers aged 17.62 ± 1.86 years divided into two performance categories: successful (medallists at the National Championships; n = 13) and less successful (non-medallists; n = 16). The variables included anthropometric indices and specific wrestling fitness test (SWFT) parameters, including the number of throws, heart rate, lactate concentration and calculated cardiac and metabolic indexes. To show differences between quality categories, Student’s t-test and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were calculated. Two-way ANOVA for repeated measurements was used to evaluate the differences in performance, cardiac, and metabolic characteristics between the test trials and quality categories. Wrestlers differed in the total number of throws (p < 0.01, AUC = 0.82), cardiac indices (p < 0.03, AUC = 0.73), and metabolic indices (p < 0.04, AUC = 0.75) after the second SWFT trial, with successful wrestlers reaching better results. There were no differences in the first testing trial. The findings of this study indicate that wrestlers exhibit differences in specific performance variables after undergoing an exhaustive testing protocol. Therefore, this study suggests that future research on sport-specific performance in wrestlers should include exhaustive exercise or testing protocols.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed social distancing measures caused negative changes in physical activity levels (PALs) and physical fitness (PF) among adolescents, but the potential mediating effect of the pandemic on the association between PAL and PF is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate gender-specific associations between objectively measured PAL and indices of PF among high school adolescents during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 150 adolescents (101 females) aged 14–18 years; their anthropometrics were evaluated, and they were tested on PF (cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF; beep test), power (broad jump), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), and abdominal strength (sit-ups)) and PAL (using a pedometer for 7 days) during the pandemic period. A T-test was calculated to determine differences between genders. Associations between variables were evaluated using Pearson correlations. Additionally, multivariate taxonomic classification was used to sort participants into homogenous groups (clusters) according to their PF, and then analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to differentiate them according to PAL. For the total sample, PAL was correlated with CRF only (R = 0.25, p < 0.05), while gender-stratified correlations showed that PAL was significantly associated with CRF among girls only (R = 0.29, p < 0.05), which was additionally confirmed with multivariate cluster analysis and subsequent ANOVA. No association between PAL and PF was found for boys. The relatively low association between PAL and PF is most likely related to the mediating effect of the change in life circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, and limited applicability of pedometers in evaluating high-intensity PAL. Further studies in other age groups and environments are warranted.

Study aim : The increase in the number of professional climbers led to the development of climbers since early age. Therefore, the average age of elite climbers has decreased over the last decade. Consequently, age and maturity specifics should be investigated with the influential factors in climbing. This research aimed to investigate the forearm muscle strength in youth sport climbers and determine the gender, age, and maturity status as factors of influence on forearm muscle performance in elite youth climbers. Materials and methods : This research included 18 elite sport climbers (Croatian National team members), divided into two age groups: younger (aged 13–15 years) and older (aged 16–18 years). Variables included anthropometric indices (body mass, body height, body fat percentage, ape index), handgrip strength, and climbing-specific forearm strength. Results : Climbers did not differ between age groups in the studied variables. Also, no significant correlations were found among anthropometric/body-built indices and forearm muscle performances, with age and maturity offset. However, when gender stratified, there were associations between forearm capacity in sitting position and maturity offset in girls (r = 0.73; p < 0.05) but not in boys. Conclusion : Results could be explained by the assumption that each subsequent generation is better than the previous one. Also, the associations between performance variables and biological age in girls are probably related to girls’ earlier maturation and specificity of sports selection. Forearm muscle capacities are a crucial determinant of success in sports climbing, and a good assessment of these muscle groups could serve as a tool for sport-specific selection.