Earticle

The talk test (TT) is a subjective, self-administered method used to gauge aerobic exercise intensity based on a person’s ability to speak comfortably during physical activity. This study aimed to validate the TT by examining its relationship with physiological markers collected during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) on both a treadmill and stationary bicycle in healthy adults. Twenty-two healthy participants (17 males and 5 females), with no known musculoskeletal, cardiovascu-lar, or pulmonary conditions, completed two exercise sessions—one on a treadmill and another on a stationary bicycle. Each session was structured into three stages of increasing intensity based on the TT. During each stage, various psychophysiological and cardiorespiratory variables were measured, including heart rate, rating of perceived ex-ertion, metabolic equivalents, arterial oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, minute ventilation, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, re-spiratory exchange ratio, and ventilatory threshold. Significant differ-ences were found across the three TT stages for all measured variables, with values increasing linearly as intensity progressed. However, no significant differences were observed between exercise modalities (treadmill vs. bicycle) or in the interaction between TT stages and mo-dality. The findings support the TT as a valid indicator of exercise inten-sity, correlating well with physiological responses measured during CPX. The consistency across both exercise modalities suggests that TT is a practical, effective tool for guiding aerobic exercise intensity, par-ticularly in clinical and rehabilitation settings.

This study examined the effects of circuit weight training (CWT) and traditional weight training on changes in blood lactate levels and stress indices and determined their impact on performance enhancement in sports climbing athletes specializing in speed and lead events. Thirty male sports climbing athletes were randomly assigned to the circuit weight-training group (n=15) or traditional weight-training group (n=15). Each training program was conducted for 60 min per session, 3 times/wk, for 30 sessions over 10 weeks. CWT was performed at an intensity of 40%–55% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) with maximum repeti-tions for 30 sec. Traditional weight training was performed at an intensi-ty of 70%–80% of 1RM with 8–10 repetitions. Both training protocols consisted of 3 sets, with rest intervals of 60 and 120 sec between sets for CWT and traditional weight training, respectively. Blood lactate and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels significantly decreased in the cir-cuit weight-training group. Norepinephrine and α-amylase levels de-creased in both groups, without significant differences between groups regarding the degree of change posttraining. Regarding performance changes posttraining, unlike speed records, lead records significantly differed between groups, with greater improvements in the circuit weight-training group. Changes in blood lactate affected lead records, whereas changes in stress indices influenced both speed and lead re-cords. However, effects of these changes did not significantly differ be-tween groups. Applying exercise programs tailored to sports climbing athletes according to specific events may contribute to improved per-formance by reducing blood lactate levels and stress indices, ultimately achieving better competition outcomes.

This study examined the impact of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on respiratory function, trunk control, and balance in individual’s post-stroke. Thirty stroke patients were randomly divided into an IMT group (n=15) and a conventional neurodevelopmental treatment (CNT) group (n=15). Both groups underwent 30-min sessions, 5 times per week, over 6 weeks. Respiratory function was measured using the POWER-breathe K5 and a spirometer. Balance was evaluated using the trunk impairment scale (TIS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. The IMT group showed significant improvements in maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal inspiratory flow rate, maximal inspiratory capacity, peak expiratory flow, and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (P<0.05). The CNT group showed no significant changes in re-spiratory outcomes. Both groups improved in TIS, BBS, and TUG scores, with no significant differences between them. IMT led to notable gains in respiratory function and showed positive trends in trunk control and balance. These results indicate that IMT may be a beneficial addition to stroke rehabilitation focused on respiratory and postural improvement.

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of foam rolling (FR) recovery tool on oxidative stress biomarkers and sport-spe-cific performance in male and female water polo (WP) players during a 7-week competitive period. The study also explored sex-based differ-ences to guide tailored recovery strategies. Thirty-four WP players were recruited, with 27 completing the protocol (13 males and 14 fe-males), and randomly assigned to a foam roller group or a control group (CG). Testing was conducted pre- and postintervention, measuring in-water boost, throwing speed, 20-m sprint swim, and oxidative stress biomarkers: Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), glutathione, oxida-tive damage in proteins (ODPs), total thiols. Dietary intake was evaluat-ed via a validated food frequency questionnaire in week 6. The FR posi-tively influenced throwing speed (P=0.021) and antioxidant capacity in male players (FRAP, P=0.006). However, no significant improvements in sprint or boost performance were observed in females, with ODP in-creasing in both sexes, particularly in CG females (P<0.001). Regres-sion analyses showed that FRAP improvements significantly predicted 20-m sprint performance (P=0.027 for females, P=0.043 for males). Di-etary analysis revealed adequate protein and antioxidant intake but suboptimal carbohydrate consumption. These findings suggest that FR may enhance specific performance outcomes and antioxidant capacity, particularly in male WP players, though its effect on oxidative damage appears limited. Managing oxidative stress through recovery tools like FR and nutritional strategies remains essential for optimizing perfor-mance in high-intensity team sports.

This study investigated the frequency-specific effects of high- and low- frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on neuromus-cular function and muscle quality. Sixteen healthy young males were randomly assigned to either a high-frequency stimulation group (HFES, 100 Hz; n=8) or a low-frequency stimulation group (LFES, 50 Hz; n=8) for 6 weeks of NMES intervention. Neuromuscular function was as-sessed using maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), while muscle quality of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) was evaluated via ultrasound echo intensity (EI). Assessments were taken at baseline, midintervention (week 3), and postintervention (weeks 6, 8 and 10). HFES significantly increased MVIC during the intervention, indi-cating an immediate neuromuscular improvement. In contrast, LFES showed delayed effects, with significant EI improvements in RF and VL emerging only after the intervention ended. Statistical analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between time and intervention for MVIC and EI, highlighting the frequency-dependent nature of NMES adapta-tions. These results suggest that NMES induces neuromuscular adap-tations in healthy adult males, with HFES promoting immediate gains and LFES leading to delayed benefits. Thus, frequency selection is criti-cal in designing effective NMES protocols.

This study aimed to propose the most effective exercise program for overweight female wrestlers by comparing aerobic exercise, resis-tance exercise, and a combination exercise program. Thirty overweight female wrestlers were randomly assigned to the aerobic exercise group (AEG, n=10), resistance exercise group (n=10), and combined exercise group (CEG, n=10). Exercise intensity was set at 70% of maxi-mal oxygen uptake and one-repetition maximum. Each group exercised for 50 min per session, 7 times per week, for 12 weeks. The study ana-lyzed body composition, insulin resistance (IR), tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP). After 12 weeks, body weight and body fat significantly decreased in all groups, with the most pronounced reduction observed in the AEG. IR also sig-nificantly improved in all groups, with the greatest reduction in the AEG. Finally, TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP levels decreased in all groups, with the most notable reduction observed in the CEG. The 12-week exercise program implemented in this study had positive effects on weight and body fat reduction, IR improvement, and decreases in TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP lev-els among overweight female wrestlers. These findings suggest that the program can contribute to enhancing athletic performance and dai-ly activities through weight management, metabolic health, and inflam-mation control.

This study was conducted to identify obesity status, body shape per-ception, and attempts at popular diet techniques, and to reveal the rela-tionship between satisfaction with popular diet techniques and various factors such as body shape perception, body mass index (BMI), distort-ed body shape perception, and interest in weight loss etc. This survey was conducted from April to September 2024 with 1,486 female college students in Seongnam. Following results were obtained. In the question about body shape perception, the results were very fat (2.69%), fat (27.46%), average (54.44%), thin (11.91%), and very thin (3.50%). Howev-er, according to BMI, the results were obese (1.14%), overweight (4.17%), normal weight (66.76%), and underweight (27.93%). The satisfaction with popular diet techniques was higher in the obese group than in the underweight group. People with distorted perceptions of their body shape tried popular diet techniques more often than those with normal perceptions. And they were less satisfied than those with normal per-ceptions. As interest in weight loss increased, attempts at popular diet techniques increased. However, there was no significant relationship between interest in weight loss and satisfaction with popular diet tech-niques.

The purpose of this study was to establish reference criteria for evalu-ating gait pattern similarity during normal gait in research using dynam-ic time warping (DTW). For this purpose, the DTW algorithm was imple-mented using the R programming language, and DTW analyses were conducted on normal gait data collected from the ankle, knee, and hip joints via 3-dimensional motion analysis in a sample of 55 healthy par-ticipants. The final optimal warping path identified by DTW was defined as the path having the smallest cumulative perpendicular distance from the diagonal of the cost matrix. DTW analyses were categorized into three groups: (1) same lower-limb within-subject, comparing identical limbs within each participant; (2) same lower-limb between-subjects, comparing identical limbs between different participants; and (3) oppo-site lower-limb within-subject, comparing the left and right limbs within each participant. A generalized linear model was employed to analyze the effects of group and gender. Reference criteria for gait pattern simi-larity are provided as estimated marginal means and 95% confidence intervals according to group and gender for each lower-limb joint during normal gait. Given statistically significant differences among groups, the results underscore the necessity of evaluating not only whether pa-tient gait patterns align within the normal range of healthy individuals but also the similarity between the patient’s own limbs for precise reha-bilitation assessment.