Introduction: The primary objective of this study was to assess cardiovascular risk among members of the Bulgarian Antarctic expedition and identify strategies for risk reduction. The combination of intense physical and psychological stress, prolonged cold exposure, isolation, and challenging travel conditions contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially given the participants’ mature age, which is a key factor in greater cardiovascular disease susceptibility. Methods: This research included 29 participants (23 males and 6 females) with average ages of 43.0±8.00 y for the males and 45.5±11.31 y for the females. All participants spent 30 d in Antarctica. They were subjected to comprehensive assessments, including anthropometric measurements, physiologic evaluations, and biochemical analyses both before departure and shortly after return. The updated SCORE2 algorithm following the European guidelines was used to estimate the 10-y cardiovascular event risk, which factored in age, blood pressure, lipid profile, and smoking status. All participants underwent the veloergometer stress test under electrocardiographic control twice, before and after the expedition. Results: The results indicated that while most participants fell into the moderate-risk category, some of them exhibited elevated-risk profiles, primarily influenced by obesity, cholesterol levels, systolic blood pressure, and serum ferritin levels. No critical cardiovascular events were reported during the expedition. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of pre-expedition screening, including the conduct of an exercise stress test, targeted risk-factor management, and continuous monitoring for safeguarding the health and physiologic resilience of Antarctic expedition participants, ultimately underscoring the feasibility and necessity of cardiovascular prevention strategies in extreme environments.

Background: The number of people working in Antarctica has steadily increased. Identifying the characteristic functional changes in polar expeditioners can help preserve health, enhance work capacity, and improve adaptive potential in specific environments. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a short-term (30-day) expedition in Antarctica on selected physiological parameters among expedition participants, depending on their body mass index (BMI). Methods: Thirty-four expedition members, divided into 3 BMI groups, were examined before and after a one-month stay in Antarctica. The assessments included anthropometry, body composition analysis, blood pressure (BP) evaluation, and a cycle ergometer stress test, performed up to 85% of predicted maximal heart rate (PWC85%) with gas analyses and heart rate measured at the 3rd minute after exercise completion (HR3’), used as an indicator of cardiovascular recovery. Results: After the expedition, the participants with normal weight showed a modest but significant increase in body weight and BMI, and non-significant increases in fat mass (FM) and muscle mass (MM); cardiovascular recovery and physical working capacity were improved, while aerobic fitness remained unchanged. In the overweight group, post-expedition body weight and BMI did not change significantly, although small reductions in FM and improvements in MM, BP, PWC85%, and HR3’ were observed. Returning, the participants with obesity demonstrated non-significant improvements in body composition and modest declines in BP, together with a significant improvement in HR3’. Conclusions: Comparative analysis revealed significant differences in post-expedition changes in several functional parameters between the normal-weight and obese groups. Overall, the Antarctic expedition elicited beneficial cardiovascular and functional adaptations, particularly among overweight individuals, while body composition and aerobic capacity remained unchanged across all groups.

Volleyball is an intermittent sport dominated by the ability of competitors to perform explosive movements of both the lower and upper limbs. We find many studies related to the sport in the methodological literature, but most of them consider only one aspect. From this perspective, the present study aims to determine the differences in the manifestation of anaerobic power potential in volleyball players. To achieve the study's goal, we solved the following tasks: 1) Determining the level of development of indicators characterizing anaerobic potential in male and female volleyball players. 2) Determining their correlations 3) Comparing their level of development. We used speedometry, chronometry, force plate tests, anthropometry, and statistical methods (descriptive statistics, correlation, and comparative analysis) to solve the research tasks. After the analysis, we obtained the following results. The average values ​​for the individual tests for men and women show significant homogeneity. In all indicators, men have better indicators than women. The interrelationships among the studied indicators show that in women, there is a clear transfer of test results characterizing the anaerobic potential of the lower extremities, without this power being transferred to the upper extremities. Meanwhile, men tend to a complete transfer of anaerobic potential. Conclusions: Men and women demonstrate a good level of development of the explosive power abilities of the lower extremities and less of the speed abilities. These results indicate an incomplete deployment of upper-extremity explosive-power capabilities in women.

Introduction: Physical performance and aerobic endurance are key factors for the healthy functioning of the human body, and their assessment and analysis require the combined approach of laboratory tests and functional diagnostics. Objective: The present study aims to assess the functional performance of students from the National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" by analyzing fundamental physiological indicators related to aerobic endurance and cardiorespiratory efficiency. Methodology: The study subjects were 88 students (55 men and 33 women) who did not actively participate in sports activities. To assess their physical performance, a cardiopulmonary exercise test with increasing load on a bicycle ergometer (CPET) was used, through which the maximum oxygen capacity (VO₂ max), maximum heart rate (HRmax), maximum power (Wmax), and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Results show statistically significant differences between men and women regarding VO₂ max and Wmax. The average values of VO₂ max in women are 36 ml/min/kg, and in men, 42 ml/min/kg, which indicates better aerobic endurance in men. Similarly, Wmax is also higher in men, 270 W, compared to 210 W in women. Despite these differences, both groups demonstrate values corresponding to good general health. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of regular physical performance assessment in young people, even without systematic sports activities. The data obtained can serve as a basis for developing individualized programs for physical activity and health prevention.

There are a large number of publications related to conditioning in volleyball and in general. However, a very small part of them are related to the development of motor abilities in an age aspect. Such a study would be very difficult to implement, but at the same time, it would be beneficial in terms of the selection and sports orientation of youth volleyball. Volleyball as a sport has developed extremely dynamically in recent years, which makes it even more demanding in terms of fitness. The basic skills necessary for successful implementation in sports are complex and based on the athletes‘ ability to jump, sprint, and hit. From this point of view, the interest in this research was dictated, with the primary goal of determining the values of the main signs related to the volleyball game and compiling normative tables for control and assessment of preparedness. The research tasks also arise from the goal set in this way. To investigate the differences in the main essential characteristics of the volleyball game regarding age. To propose standards of control and evaluation. The methods we used to solve the problems are anthropometry, chronometry, tensiometry, speedometry, and mathematical-statistical methods (frequency, variation analysis, and sigma method). Results: The most significant increase in women was observed in the results of the jump tests and the speed of the serve (over 20 %) and smaller within 10% in the running tests. We attribute these results to the fact that the listed movements emphasize the training and competition process. Based on the obtained results, norms for evaluating the readiness of the contestants have been drawn up.