title: Stress related changes during TeamGym competition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to investigate the stress--related changes of a TeamGym competition considering both physiological [i.e. salivary cortisol (sC) and alpha--amylase (sAA)] and psychological (i.e. state anxiety) responses in relation to exercise intensity and competition outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven (5 males and 6 females) elite TeamGym athletes (age: 21--28 yrs) were administered the State--Trait Anxiety Inventory before an official international TeamGym competition. sAA and sC samples were collected 15 minutes prior to competition, after each apparatus, 10--min and 30--min after competition. Exercise intensity was estimated by heart rate (HR) recording and performance was evaluated by three international judges. All these parameters were correlated with competition outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TeamGym competition posed a low exercise load (most of exercise was performed below 85% of the individual HR max ). Significant increases (P<0.004) in sAA (3.53 fold induction) and state anxiety (P=0.045) were observed, with respect to baseline values. Conversely, sC remained stable throughout the competition. Significant (P=0.029) correlation between sAA, state anxiety and competition outcomes emerged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present findings provide the first evidence that the psycho--physiological stress response prior to and during competition can affect performance outcome, especially in a technical sport such as TeamGym.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement and Sport Science, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Roma, Italy - mariafrancesca.piacentini@uniroma4.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Pero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cibelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cortis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sbriccoli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capranica
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Piacentini