Interdisciplinary Strategies In Order To Optimize The Results Of Contact Sports

Abstract

Problem statement in the context of performance sports, along with normal physiological reactions, there is competitive stress, which varies in relation to the type of sport practiced. Purpose of study: to test sports subjects at the beginning and end of the application of the intervention program. To test the biochemical and physiological condition of athletes and to modulate the reactivity of athletes to the stress of competition. Methods we proposed a training scheme that includes assessing the hormonal status of athletes by non-invasive methods, such as salivary and urinary determination. Research designs: the subjects of the study were juniors aged 14-16 from sports clubs in Satu-Mare County and Cluj-Napoca. Sampling: were urine and saliva samples were taken before and after training. These were in average volumes of 1 ml. Findings and Results: the statistics were processed with GraphPad Prism 5 software, with the student t test for unmatched values associated with Welch's correction. For biochemical markers that have been dosed the statistical significance is p <0.05 with a probability > 95%. Discussion: biochemical parameters for saliva and urine were assayed by immunochemical and spectrophotometric methods. It has been shown that specific training in this case contributes to the biochemical reaction of adaptation to stress (coping). Conclusions this approach is applicable in planning pre-competitive training to target the level of positive and negative emotions (functional and dysfunctional) in association with a level of stress.

Keywords: Biochemical analysis, contact sports, hormonal changes, training

Introduction

The interdisciplinary approach in exploring motor functions and bringing them to the level of sports performance, showed the multidimensionality of the psychophysiological act associated with both physical effort and sports performance. From a psychophysiological point of view, in the context of performance sports, along with normal physiological reactions, there is competitive stress, which varies in relation to the type of sport practiced, age, sex, environment, type of training, psychological character of the athlete. coach or even with the major objective of the competition (Șalgău, 2011). The human body, subjected to psycho-motor pressures associated with the achievement or improvement of dynamic stereotypes essential to sports activity, presents from a psychological and biological point of view a series of physiological changes framed as adaptive reactions in the field of biological stress syndrome (Alkadhi, 2013; Buynitsky & Mostofsky, 2009). The human body, subjected to psycho-motor pressures associated with the achievement or improvement of dynamic stereotypes essential to sports activity, presents from a psychological and biological point of view a series of physiological changes framed as adaptive reactions in the field of biological stress syndrome. Stress is a concept with wide implications in psychology and sociology, often erroneously used by Selye's definition in 1943. The author defines stress as the sum of nonspecific responses to any request of the body, distinguishing between specific adaptive reactions and nonspecific, the latter being responsible for the biological stress syndrome (Derevenco et al., 1992).

The adrenal glands play a role in the behavioral regulation of stress indirectly

Hormones modulate adaptive behavior in competition, especially through: glucocorticoids, catecholamines, and sex hormones, which act on specific receptors in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, or hypothalamus (Argus et al., 2009).

Biochemical and physiological changes are due to competitive stress being naturally interconnected. (Toma et al., 2019).

On the other hand, physiological variations of some biochemical markers (hormones, minerals, enzymes, glycemia, etc.) or functional (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, electrical function of the myocardium, regulation of gastrointestinal secretions, salivary, pancreatic, aerobic / anaerobic muscle metabolism, etc.) are also observed in the absence of competitive stress. Physiological reactivity to effort leads to the body's adaptation to the new requirements of physical activity, marked by biochemical and functional variations as mentioned by Taffala and Evans (1997) and Marcora (2009).

Some research makes a clear distinction between exertion physiology and exertion psychology, as shown by Dijksterhuis et al. (2011). The authors demonstrate using special simulators that mental effort does not overlap biochemically and / or functionally with physical effort. However, parallel research shows that there is a dependence between mental effort and physical effort and the link between the two types of effort is made through stress-specific hormones such as corticosterone, catecholamines or testosterone (Fibiger et al., 1984; Smit et al., 2005).

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone, secreted mainly by the fasciculated area of the adrenal gland, under the action of CRH (corticotropic releasing hormone), secreted in turn by the pituitary gland, especially under stress but also, in the background, intense physical exertion Staufenbiel et al., 2013). Cortisol secretion is also regulated by higher nervous mechanisms such as the ability to integrate emotions, modulate anxiety or the existence of dynamic stereotypes integrated with experience, at the cortical and cerebellar level (Montoya et al., 2012). Cortisol increases blood sugar, mobilizes fat in lipids, amplifies the rate of energy production at the cellular level and contributes decisively to the adaptation of the central nervous system to competitive stress.

Problem Statement

Previously published data showed that testosterone is also directly involved in modulating sports performance and resistance to competitive stress, in all age groups, both men and women (Toma et al., 2019) but its variations in biological fluids are much less dynamic than cortisol.

Together with cortisol and testosterone, catecholamines are the third indicator of resistance to stress and the modulation of competitive stress. Catecholamines with an essential physiological role include dopamine, norepinephrine and adrenaline, and their secretion is unevenly distributed in the central and peripheral nervous system but also in the endocrine system (Pan et al., 2018). Thus, the synthesis and release of catecholamines is found in the neuronal, lymph nodes but also in the adrenal medulla, the area of ​​nerve origin of the adrenal gland (O'Neill, 2019). The release of catecholamines into the bloodstream is a rapid process, at the moment, which leads to rapid amplification of motor performance (especially by increasing muscle oxygenation), cardio-respiratory rate, mobilization of energy reserves and causes a wide integration of stressors central nervous system (McMorris et al., 2016). Catecholamines are also released in the urine, their summary determination being a faithful indicator of their blood concentration (Takagi, et al., 2020). In general, competitive stress or intense physical activity amplifies the level of cortisol and catecholamines in biological fluids. Saliva and urine are accurate indicators of blood, the collection of these types of samples being non-invasive.

Research Questions

It is assumed that by applying an intervention program through a series of specific training, physiological and biochemical changes will occur in the profile of athletes. We assume that the reactivity of the athlete will be influenced in competitions by the structure of the training.

Purpose of the Study

The aim of the study was to establish the role of training in modulating reactivity to competitive stress. The biochemical and physiological state of the athletes will be monitored and outlined. They will participate in the intervention program, through special training, compared to athletes who do only normal training.

Research Methods

Findings

Interpretation of results

In figure 1., below we have salivary cortisol concentration in junior boys in the initial and final testing stage

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In figure 2 we can follow Salivary testosterone concentration in junior boys in the initial and final testing stage.

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In figure 3 it is about Concentration of urinary catecholamines in junior in the initial and final testing stage

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The results of biochemical analyzes in saliva and urine from juniors showed an independent variation of cortisol, testosterone and catecholamines.

Salivary cortisol levels decreased significantly (P <0.05) in the final harvest stage (0.44 ± 0.02 µg / mL) after 12 months of training, compared (initial phase) to 0.72 ± 0.08 µg / mL determined in the initial phase of activity.

Testosterone did not show statistically significant variations but only a decreasing trend in the final harvesting stage, after 12 months of training.

In urinary catecholamines, the data increased significantly from one (P <0.05) from a concentration value of 88.8 ± 7.4 µg / dL in the initial collection stage, to a value of 176.8 ± 21.8 µg / dL in the final stage, at the concentration urinary tract, see table 1

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The correlation analysis showed a negative correlation coefficient (-0.708) in relation to the variation of salivary cortisol. For salivary testosterone a positive correlation coefficient (0.161) and for urinary catecholamines a negative correlation coefficient (-0.467). P associated with the correlation analysis did not have values less than 0.05. Data are expressed as mean ± ES. Statistical significance is at P <0.05 (*), P <0.01 (**), P <0.001 (***).

Conclusion

The intervention program carried out through constant training, according to an application scheme established according to the preparation stage of the competition calendar, for 14-16 year olds determined the increase of the capacity to adapt to stress. This increase was marked by a decrease in salivary cortisol but did not influence the dynamics of urinary catecholamines. Instead, they grew as personal expectations and those of those around them increased.

In conclusion, we can say that constant training at 14-16 years old, in the conditions of performance sports, prevents the appearance of distress. The dynamics of the determined parameters suggest that the constant training maintains the eustress (capacitive stress).

In this study: the hypothesis that the training structure can influence the athlete's reactivity to competitive stress was confirmed; It was also confirmed the hypothesis according to which following the application of the intervention program, through specific training, the biochemical and physiological profile of the athletes can be established.

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