This week in the world of sports science, here’s what happened…
- How to do Bulgarian splits squats
- Importance of sleep for adolescent athletes
- Is there a relative age effect in track and field?
How to do Bulgarian splits squats
Bulgarian split squats are a fantastic exercise but are often performed and coached poorly. A recent video released by Jeff Cavaliere (AKA Athlean X) has been positively received over the past few days. In the video, Cavaliere discusses the importance of the set-up position.
Cavaliere demonstrates a practical process for determining the correct front foot position, the optimum length of the stance, and how to comfortably set up the back foot on the bench. Cavaliere then discusses how changing the torso angle when executing the exercise targets different muscle groups. Staying more upright during the exercise targets the quadriceps whereas angling the torso more forward shifts the focus to the glutes. Lastly, Cavaliere discusses how to program the Bulgarian split squats, depending on the athlete’s needs.
If you want to get better performing or coaching the Bulgarian split squat, this video is a fantastic coaching resource!
Importance of sleep for adolescent athletes
Irish researchers published an excellent narrative review on the importance of sleep for adolescent athletes this past week. I was quickly drawn to this research as an Irish S&C coach working with youth athletes across multiple sports.
An alarming statistic from the study was that adolescent athletes average 6.3 hours of sleep. This falls significantly below the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep required for adolescent athletes. During the adolescent period rapid growth and maturation occur, emphasising the importance of sleep and nutrition for adequate recovery. Without adequate recovery, injury risk is going to be higher.
This research excellently illustrates the negative impact of poor sleep on injury risk for adolescent athletes and highlights the importance of sleep and nutrition needs during this time.
If you coach adolescent adults, this research is well worth reading. It also highlights the importance of better sleep strategies for our athletes of the future.
Is there a relative age effect in track and field?
(Image: Youth Runner)
The prevalence of the relative age effect in track and field athletes has been expertly researched in a new study. Dates of births from medallists at World Championships under 18, under 20, and senior level from the last 22 years were analysed. A total of 1,858 outdoor track and field dates of births were examined.
The relative age effect was found to be widespread across a plethora of track and field disciplines at under 18 and 20 age grades across both sexes. Interestingly, at the senior level, the relative age effect was not present and there was a significant number of “late-born” senior athletes. This research indicates that the relative age effect in track and field is pronounced at the youth level, but it is not present at the senior level.
The researchers of the study provide some excellent discussion on the relative age effect and comment on prevention strategies such as bio-banding. If you are a youth coach working with track and field athletes, this study is well worth reading.
If you would like to find out more about the relative age effect, we have an excellent course on this topic:
From us this week:
>> New course: Ownership
>> New podcast: How To Train Like A Masters World Champion
>> New infographic: Band-assisted Jumping Is Worse Than Unloaded Jumping For Performance
>> New article: kBox
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I hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup of the hottest sports science news, and as always, we’ll be back next week with more to keep you at the forefront of the industry.
