title: Changes in physical fitness profile during the competitive season in elite bandy players.
abstract: Nine bandy players from an elite team were used as subjects in order to examine effects of the competitive season on a physical fitness profile. The present findings demonstrated that the competitive season led to a minor change in maximum oxygen uptake (from 63.2 +/- 6.0 to 60.8 +/- 3.7 ml x kg-1 x min-1) but a significant (p less than 0.05) decrease occurred in oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold from 48.6 +/- 6.8 to 43.4 +/- 2.3 ml x kg-1 x min-1. Average anaerobic power output during a 60 s maximal work period remained statistically unaltered during the season. A statistically nonsignificant change (from 3233 +/- 493 to 3185 +/- 543 N) took place in maximal strength of the leg extensor muscles. A considerable change occurred during the competitive season in the shape of the isometric force-time curve so that the times of force production lengthened significantly (p less than 0.05) at all positions of the curve. The individual changes during the season in each of the characteristics of the physical fitness profile correlated (p less than 0.05-0.01) with the initial level recorded before the season. The present findings suggest that a competitive season in elite bandy players may lead to considerable decreases in selected characteristics of the physical fitness profile. The findings suggest that the magnitude and/or the frequency of physical training stimuli might be given more attention also during the competitive season and the individual needs of the players should be taken properly into consideration in the full training program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sinnemäki
mesh_terms: D003163:Competitive Behavior; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports