This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference between the levels of imagery and mental toughness in the context of sports performance in male and female athletes. A total of 344 track and field athletes, 205 male (59.6%, 23.3 ± 4.0 years) and 139 female (40.4%, 22.9 ± 4.0 years), voluntarily participated in the study. Imagery Inventory and Mental Toughness Inventory in Sport were used as data collection tools in the study. In the evaluation of athletic performance, athletes were asked about their ranks in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 and were categorized according to the scoring tables specified by the International Association of Athletics Federation. A MANOVA analysis was used to determine whether there was a difference between low (−2% to +5%), medium (+6 to +11%), and high (+12 to +17%) performers among male and female athletes, and a post hoc analysis was used to determine the source of the difference. According to the present findings, there was no significant difference between the imagery and mental toughness levels of athletes with high, medium, and low performance among male athletes. On the contrary, a significant difference was detected between the imagery and mental toughness levels of female athletes with medium and high performances, showing that athletes in the high-performance range had higher levels of imagery (Eta² = 8) and mental toughness (Eta² = 10) than athletes in the medium- and low-performance ranges. The findings of this study show that imagery and emotional intelligence are important factors for sports performance. In this context, coaches and sports psychologists can include these parameters in their training programs to achieve the optimal performance range.

Background. The health and fitness industry is evolving and appears to be a dynamic space for all involved stakeholders with great potential worldwide. Objectives. The purpose of this observational study was to identify the most popular health and fitness trends in Turkey for the first time after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ...

Introduction: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene plays an important role in the expression of genes involved in fatty acid, glucose, and energy metabolism. PPARα intron 7 G/C polymorphism (rs4253778) is one of the genes associated with athletic performance. This study aimed to investigate the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of PPARα G/C of endurance-oriented athletes (long-distance runners) and power/endurance-oriented athletes (wrestlers and football players) (n=158) and non-athletic individuals (n=56). Material and Methods: PPARα intron 7 G/C gene polymorphism was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. Results: Genotypes and allele frequencies of PPARα intron 7 G/C were compared between endurance-oriented athletes (long-distance runners) and power/endurance-oriented athletes (wrestlers, and football players) categorized according to their sport disciplines. In addition, athletes were compared to non-athletic individuals. The genotype and allele frequencies of PPARα intron 7 G/C were similar in the groups of athlete and non-athletic individuals (p˃0.05). There was no statistically significant association in genotype distribution and allele frequencies of the PPARα gene among endurance-oriented athletes, power/endurance-oriented athletes, and non-athletic individuals (p˃0.05). Conclusion: The PPARα gene polymorphism may not be considered as a distinctive genetic marker in endurance and mixed sport disciplines.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Life Kinetik (LK) exercises on balance, agility, jumping performance, proprioception, and cognitive functions in recreationally active preadolescents participating in fencing. The study lasted 8 weeks and included 22 preadolescents recreationally engaged in fencing, aged 11.6 ± 1.2 years, with an average weight of 49.5 ± 10.5 kg and an average height of 157.5 ± 10.0 cm. Preadolescents were randomly assigned to either the LK group or the control group. The experimental group participated in LK exercises twice per week, with each session lasting one hour. The results indicate that the changes in Stroop, agility, vertical jump, and proprioception test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the control group are not statistically significant. However, the LK group showed statistically significant improvements in Stroop, agility, and vertical jump performance between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001). Conversely, the change in proprioception test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the LK training group was not statistically significant. The changes in star balance test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the control group was not statistically significant. In contrast, the LK group showed a statistically significant improvement in star balance test performance between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that while LK exercises are effective in boosting overall athletic performance, they may not be sufficient for developing specific skills such as proprioception. The randomized controlled trial was registered on 04/01/2025 at ClinicalTrials.gov, under the registration number NCT06781268.

This study investigated the effect of limb occlusion pressure (LOP) position on exercise performance, cardiovascular responses, and perceptual experiences during seated bilateral leg extensions with and without blood flow restriction (BFR). Thirty resistance-trained males (age: 22 ± 2 years; weight: 74.4 ± 13.6 kg; height: 177.4 ± 6.4 cm; BMI: 23.5 ± 3.3 kg/m²) participated. Each performed exercise to failure (4 sets, 30% 1RM, 1 min rest) in three conditions: Supine LOP-BFR, Seated LOP-BFR, and no-BFR. BFR was applied at 60% LOP. Significant interaction effects were found for RPE (p = 0.021, d = 0.76), RPD (p < 0.01, d = 1.72), and DOMS (p < 0.01, d = 2.28). Statistically significant fewer repetitions were completed in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 0.5), Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 1.0), and Seated LOP-BFR vs. Supine LOP-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 0.6). RPE was higher in Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 0.52). RPD was higher in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 0.62) and Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 1.25). DOMS was higher in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 0.77) and Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR (p < 0.01, d = 3.52). Seated LOP-BFR increased perceptual demands and reduced repetitions compared to Supine LOP-BFR. Both LOP-BFR conditions reduced repetitions compared to no-BFR without affecting cardiovascular measures.

Athletic performance is a complex genetic trait influenced by environmental interaction and genetic make-up. The α actinin-3 protein encoded by the ACTN3 gene might be associated with athletic status. The aims of this study were to evaluate the differences in the genotype distribution of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism in elite Turkish wrestlers, football players, and endurance runners and to investigate whether this polymorphism is associated power/strength (wrestling and football) and endurance-based athletes (endurance running) with athletic performance. 53 wrestlers, 71 football players, 34 endurance runners, including 56 controls were participated to this study. Genotyping of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The ACTN3 genotype frequencies of athletes were 37.7% RR, 52.8% RX, and 9.4% XX for wrestling, 43.7% RR, 40.8% XX, and 15.5% XX for fooball players, and 32.4% RR, 47.1% RX, and 20.6% XX for endurance running. To establish the differences in the genotype distribution and allelic frequency of the ACTN3 R577X were compared elite Turkish athletes with controls, and power/strength with endurance-based athletes. No significant difference was observed among athlete cohorts (p>0.05). Our findings verified that although there are many diverse over metabolic and mechanical determinants, the ACTN3 gene is similar over distinct types of sports disciplines, such as wrestling, endurance running and soccer.