Objective: Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March–June 2020). Results: Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to “maintain training,” and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is “okay to not train during lockdown,” with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered “coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)” to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], plyometric exercise [30%]) at pre-lockdown levels (higher among world-class, international, and national athletes), with most (83%) training for “general fitness and health maintenance” during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (from ≥ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification. Conclusions: COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to “maintain” training and the greatest opposition to “not training” during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered “coaching by correspondence” as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletes’ physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletes’ mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness).

TEH, K. C. and A. R. AZIZ. Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy cost of ascending and descending the stairs. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 695–699, 2002. Purpose This study describes the heart rate and oxygen uptake responses during, and the intensity and caloric cost of, ascending and descending a public-access staircase. Methods Subjects were initially assessed for their maximum oxygen uptake and heart rate on a treadmill in the laboratory. For field measurements, subjects ascended (N = 103) and descended (N = 49) 11 stories of 180 steps, each step of 15 cm in height, for a total vertical displacement of 27.0 m. Results The mean oxygen uptake and heart rate during the last 30 s of ascending were 33.5 ± 4.8 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ and 159 ± 15 beats·min⁻¹, respectively. During the descent, oxygen uptake and heart rate during the last 30 s of the climb were 17.0 ± 3.8 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ and 107 ± 18 beats·min⁻¹, respectively. The estimated gross energy expended during ascending and descending were 19.7 and 9.0 kcal, or equivalent to an intensity of 9.6 and 4.9 metabolic equivalents (METs), respectively (or 10.2 and 5.2 kcal·min⁻¹, respectively). The caloric cost of stepping up and down a step was calculated to be 0.11 and 0.05 kcal, respectively. Conclusion Stair-climbing exercise using a local public-access staircase met the minimum requirements for cardiorespiratory benefits and can therefore be considered a viable exercise for most people and suitable for promotion of physical activity.

The purpose of this study was to assess the intensity and energy cost of dance simulation in relation to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations on the quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness, and to assess its safety. Forty subjects (21 males and 19 females, age 17.5 ± 0.7 years) had their heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (V˙O₂) measured during maximal treadmill exercise and during a dance simulation game at a self-selected level of difficulty. They were monitored for injuries during and after the study. The results showed a mean HR of 137 beats × min^-1 (139 beats × min^-1 for males and 136 beats × min^-1 for females) and a mean V˙O₂ of 24.6 ml × kg^-1 × min^-1 (25.3 ml × kg^-1 × min^-1 for males and 23.8 ml × kg^-1 × min^-1 for females) during the dance simulation game test, with an estimated energy expenditure of 480 W (550 W for males and 410 W for females). The dance intensity only just meets the minimum ACSM guidelines, so dancer-players will need to play for extended periods to improve or maintain cardiorespiratory fitness or to lose weight. No injuries occurred during 201 hours of dance time.

Our study aimed to profile the effect of fasting during the Ramadan month on cognitive function in a group of healthy Muslim athletes.Eighteen male athletes underwent computerized neuropsychological testing during (fasting) and after (non-fasting) Ramadan. Diet was standardized, and tests were performed at 0900h and 1600h to characterize potential time-of-day (TOD) interactions. Psychomotor function (processing speed), vigilance (visual attention), visual learning and memory, working memory (executive function), verbal learning and memory were examined. Capillary glucose, body temperature, urine specific gravity, and sleep volume were also recorded.Fasting effects were observed for psychomotor function (Cohen's d=1.3, P=0.01) and vigilance (d=0.6, P=0.004), with improved performance at 0900h during fasting; verbal learning and memory was poorer at 1600h (d=-0.8, P=0.03). A TOD effect was present for psychomotor function (d=-0.4, P<0.001), visual learning (d=-0.5, P=0.04), verbal learning and memory (d=-1.3, P=0.001), with poorer performances at 1600h. There was no significant fasting effect on visual learning and working memory.Our results show that the effect of fasting on cognition is heterogeneous and domain-specific. Performance in functions requiring sustained rapid responses was better in the morning, declining in the late afternoon, whereas performance in non-speed dependent accuracy measures was more resilient.

The behavioural modifications that accompany Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF) are usually associated with some alterations in the metabolic, physiological, and psychological responses of athletes that may affect sport performance. Muslim athletes who are required to train and/or compete during the month-long, diurnal fast must adopt coping strategies that allow them to maintain physical fitness and motivation if they are to perform at the highest level. This updated review aims to present the current state of knowledge of the effects of RIF on training and performance, focusing on key-factors that contribute to the effects of Ramadan on exercise performance: energy restriction, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm perturbation, dehydration, and alterations in the training load. The available literature contain few studies that have examined the effects of RIF on physical performance in athletes and, to date, the results are inconclusive, so the effects of RIF on competition outcomes are not at present wholly understood. The diverse findings probably indicate individual differences in the adaptability and self-generated coping strategies of athletes during fasting and training. However, the results of the small number of well-controlled studies that have examined the effects of Ramadan on athletic performance suggest that few aspects of physical fitness are negatively affected, and where decrements are observed these are usually modest. Subjective feelings of fatigue and other mood indicators are often cited as implying additional stress on the athlete throughout Ramadan, but most studies show that these factors may not result in decreases in performance and that perceived exercise intensity is unlikely to increase to any significant degree. Current evidence from good, well-controlled research supports the conclusion that athletes who maintain their total energy and macronutrient intake, training load, body composition, and sleep length and quality are unlikely to suffer any substantial decrements in performance during Ramadan. Further research is required to determine the effect of RIF on the most challenging events or exercise protocols and on elite athletes competing in extreme environments.

Objective: This study examines the effects of Ramadan fasting on endurance performance.Method: Using a crossover design, 10 moderately trained, active Muslim men performed 60 min runs on a treadmill in the fasted (Ramadan, RAM) and non-fasted (Control, CON) state on two separate counterbalanced occasions. After familiarisation, four subjects performed their CON trial 1 week before Ramadan, while the other six subjects performed their CON trial 1 week after the Ramadan month. The subjects' last meals were standardised before their exercise trials. The 60 min continuous endurance running criteria test consisted of 30 min preloading run at 65% maximum oxygen consumption (Vo_2max) intensity speed, followed by another 30 min time trial (TT) where subjects manually adjusted their speeds so as to cover the greatest possible distance.Results: Subjects ran significantly further during the 30 min TT run in the CON compared to RAM condition (5649±715 vs 5448±847 m, p=0.023). Blood glucose concentration was significantly lower (4.5±0.3 vs 4.9±0.4 mmol/l, p=0.003) and urine specific gravity was significantly higher (1.018±0.006 vs 1.006±0.004, p=0.001) at the start of exercise in the RAM condition than in CON. Physiological responses during the 30 min TT run (mean heart rate, blood lactate and ratings of perceived exertion) were, however, not significantly different between the two conditions (all p>0.05). There were also no significant differences in the subjects' daytime sleepiness or mood profile between the RAM and CON conditions (all p>0.05).Conclusion: Ramadan fasting has a small yet significant negative impact on endurance running performance, although the impact varies across individuals.