Competitions in combat sports are divided into certain weight classes in order to compete fairly among athletes of similar body weight. However, athletes lose weight compulsorily or tactically (to encounter weaker opponents, to be between two weights, to be faster and more agile, etc.). In many scientific studies, it is seen that the athletes lose…

Purpose: To examine the associations between muscular fitness (MF) and body composition. Method: MF was assessed with three tests of FitnessGram test battery. Total body fat percentage (BF%), abdominal fat percentage (AF%) and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The IOTF body mass index (BMI) cut-offs were…

The purpose of this study was to examine exercise preferences of college students (CS), and explore potential gender differences to inform interventions. Participants (N = 187, 18-25 years) completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics were conducted to characterize preferences for exercise type and mode of delivery, followed by X[superscript…

Introduction: This article reports the physical abilities and physical wellness of three groups of children with different neurodevelopmental disabilities--Autism, Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability. Methods: The causal-comparative research method was implemented in this study. The participants comprised 32 students with moderate…

We developed plank test standards, based on trunk lean mass-to-fat mass (LM/FM) ratio, in a sample of healthy Portuguese 10--18 year olds (n = 474, 46.4% female). Height and weight were measured and muscular endurance was assessed using the prone plank test. Trunk LM/FM ratio was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Plank standards…

Background: The Department of Defense (DOD) annually spends billions in medical care for military beneficiaries. Overweight and obesity are top concerns for dependents. Only 44% of military spouses (86% female, ages 25 to 34) meet Healthy People 2020 weight/BMI goals. Physical activity (PA) is an important modifiable behavior for preventing and…

Introduction: The aims of this study were to examine cross-sectional, and longitudinal association of different measures of obesity and physical fitness with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods: Longitudinal analysis included 90 adolescents with Down syndrome. Obesity and physical fitness were…

We designed grip strength standards for youth by back-extrapolating cutpoints based on weakness at age 65. Existing standards, based on insufficient bone mineral content (BMC), were also compared in a nationally representative sample. Altogether, 6837 participants (n = 2199 [less than or equal to] 18.9 years of age) from the National Health and…

This study evaluated test-equating methods to enable comparisons and conversions between the vertical jump (VJ) and standing long jump (SLJ) tests. A total of 528 youth (280 males) performed VJ and SLJ, and their scores were randomly split as the calibration (C) sample (n = 478) and cross-validation (CV) sample (n = 50). SLJ scores of the C sample…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact on health-related fitness resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns on male high school students in Melbourne, Australia. Method: A total of 146 students completed fitness testing in February and retesting in November following 7 months of remote learning. Fitness tests conducted were 20-m…

Childhood physical fitness relative to adult health outcomes coupled with scant longitudinal research indicates that tracking of fitness components throughout childhood/adolescence is imperative. The study examined the stability/tracking of 9 measures of fitness for boys and girls at 5 points throughout childhood/adolescence. Tracking coefficients…

Auditory feedback has been successfully used to enhance performance in several sports such as golf and dance. The current study used auditory feedback procedures (i.e., a clicker) to improve the performance of 3 students performing a handstand. Handstands are part of a discipline called "body weight training," that uses only the weight…

Many physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have adopted FITNESSGRAM® as the preferred method to assess teacher candidate fitness levels. The rationale, however, is unclear. This article presents fitness testing results of PETE candidates using FITNESSGRAM® with the aim to evaluate its appropriateness. 86 PETE students participated…

Incorporation of the vertical jump (VJ) test in health-related fitness batteries is predicated on the availability of prediction equations to accurately estimate VJ power. The purpose was to develop and validate a generalizable equation to estimate VJ power from VJ height, body mass, age, and sex in 10- to 18-year-olds. The sample (N = 529)…

The aim of the study is to evaluate the physical parameters of the futsal players before and after the season. In the study, the experimental group consisted of n = 10 male futsal players with an average age of 20.5±1.5 years, height 1.78±.03 cm, body weight 71.7±2.2 kg. The control group consisted of n = 10 male futsal players with an average age…