Background/Objectives: Today’s high school students often engage in sedentary behavior by choosing passive activities during leisure time. Increasing research shows that regular physical activity (PA) provides benefits beyond physical health, especially important during childhood and adolescence. Our study investigated the association between physical activity levels and academic performance (AP) in Serbian adolescents. Methods: We selected a sample of 836 fourth-grade high school students (avg. 17.9 ± 0.7 years old) who completed the IPAQ (short-version) and the Academic Performance Scale. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 21.0. Due to non-normal data distribution, Spearman’s correlation was used and hierarchical regression analysis to assess the association between PA and AP. Results: The findings revealed significant correlations between vigorous, moderate and light PA, as well as overall units of metabolic equivalent of task (METs), with AP (p-values: 0.000, 0.005, 0.021, 0.004, respectively), although with weak correlation coefficients (0.127, 0.098, 0.080, 0.181, respectively). Vigorous PA influenced AP by 10.1%, moderate PA by 8.2%, and light PA by 11.4%. Conclusions: These results suggest that adolescents engaging in higher PA levels tend to have better AP. This finding indicates a substantial association between PA levels and AP, with both moderate and vigorous PA showing a positive correlation and influence. Further investigation is necessary to comprehensively grasp the link between light PA and AP.

This overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effects of resistance training (RT) on physical fitness of people with Down syndrom (DS). A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus, up until January 30th, 2024. The search included key terms like resistance training, strength training, weight training, intellectual disability, and Down syndrome. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration assessment tool. Eighteen articles were reviewed, with nine included in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that RT interventions positively impacted physical fitness in individuals with DS, with significant improvements in both upper and lower limb strength and cardiorespiratory endurance, as indicated by VO_2peak (p = 0.000). Eleven studies were classified as high quality with low risk of bias, four had some methodological concerns, and three non-randomized studies exhibited a high risk of bias. RT interventions appear to significantly enhance physical fitness, including muscle strength, functional abilities, cardiorespiratory fitness, and balance, among individuals with DS, regardless of variations in training methods or program designs.

Background and purpose Physical activity has been shown to produce numerous beneficial effects, including improved cardiovascular function, reduced body fat percentage, increased muscular strength, enhanced endurance, and greater flexibility. Accordingly, physical activity is considered a crucial factor in enhancing the quality of life in older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze literature that investigates the effects of resistance training on fitness parameters in older adults. Material and methods A systematic search was conducted using databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research Gate, focusing on studies published between 2015 and December 31, 2024. Keywords used included: elderly, physical fitness, strength training, health outcomes. The inclusion criteria comprised original scientific studies, tested at least one measure of fitness parameters and involving older adult participants and experimental interventions with resistance training. A total of 17 studies met the criteria and were analyzed in detail. Results The findings indicate that resistance training regardless of intensity level (low, moderate, or high) has a consistently positive effect on muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular function, body composition, balance, and overall functional mobility in older individuals. Training modalities included the use of weights, bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and unstable surfaces. The frequency of interventions ranged from 8 weeks to 2.3 years, with training frequency mostly between two and three sessions per week. Studies combining resistance training with balance training or aerobic exercises demonstrated additional benefits. Conclusions The reviewed evidence suggests that resistance training is an effective and safe strategy for improving the physical fitness and health of older adults, potentially reducing the risk of falls and chronic diseases. It is recommended that resistance training be incorporated into regular physical activity routines, ideally alongside aerobic and flexibility exercises, to maximize overall health outcomes in the aging population.

Purpose: The aim of this review was to determine the influence of physical activity on the arterial blood pressure of the elderly through a review of previous research. Methods: The search was performed on the Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed databases. The first search identified 1112 articles. In the initial assessment carried out in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were found suitable and were included in the study, while 1097 studies were excluded. The search was limited to articles published in period of 2002­–2022. Results: After the applied exercise programs and evaluation at the final measurements, the mean values of systolic blood pressure, on the total sample, were 131 mmHg, while the values of diastolic blood pressure were 77 mmHg, which indicates that physical activity (regardless of whether swimming, walking, yoga, resistance training, high interval training, Tai Chi) have a positive effect on the arterial blood pressure of the elderly. Conclusion: All studies, except one, showed a positive influence of physical activity on the arterial blood pressure of elderly people. In this regard, it can be concluded that physical activity, regardless of the type of activity, has a positive effect on the arterial blood pressure of the elderly, in the form of a reduction in blood pressure values.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to review the literature analyzing the effects of aerobic interval training in the rehabilitation of cardiovascular patients. Methods: Research data was collected considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the research studies published in English. In order for the study to be included in the analysis, it had to meet the following criteria: year of publication (2004–2022), respondents were people with cardiovascular disease, and the studies included in this review must contain data on disease, training programme and outcomes. Papers without full texts available and systematic review studies were excluded. The first search identified 71 articles. In the initial assessment carried out in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were found suitable and were included in the study, while 20 studies were excluded for being duplicates, 28 studies excluded for not having the full text available and eight for non-compliance. Results: The reviewed materials indicate that aerobic interval training has an impact on VO2 max, functional abilities, Vo2 peak and functional capacity in the rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases, especially in the elderly. The duration of the programme in most studies has a similar time range from 10 to 16 weeks. The programmes that showed the best effects are related to aerobic interval training, from 2 to 3 times per week with moderate (50–60% of VO2 max) or high intensity (80–90% of VO2 max). Conclusion: Studies indicate that properly dosed physical activity contributes to a better lifestyle for people with cardiovascular diseases. All 15 studies showed positive effects of aerobic interval training in cardiovascular disease rehabilitation.

Success in the basketball game does not only require technical, tactical and psychological abilities, but also depends on body composition and motor abilities. The motor abilities that contribute most to success in basketball are explosive power, agility with and without the ball, and speed of cyclic or acyclic movements. Given that body composition and motor abilities are the basis for every sport, the aim of this study is to determine whether there is a connection between body composition and motor abilities of female basketball players. The sample of respondents consisted of female basketball players who play in the cadet league, with an average chronological age of 15.08 ± 0.94 years, who trained volleyball for an average of 5.93 ± 2.46 years. First, the subjects' body composition parameters were measured (body height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), fat percentage (BF), muscle percentage (Muscle%), followed by agility tests (T-test, Slalom, Slalom with ball), speed (5m, 10m and 20m sprint), and explosive power (Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Counter Movement Jump With Arm Swing (CMJwas), Squat Jump (SJ)). The results showed that there is a relationship between the parameter BH with CMJ, CMJwas and SJ, then BW with CMJ, 20m and Slalom. Furthermore, BMI was correlated with CMJ and Slalom, and the parameters BF% and Muscle % with the motor abilities of explosive power, speed and agility. Based on the obtained results, it can be conclude that there is a statistically significant correlation between body composition parameters and motor abilities of female basketball players.