Masters Degrees (Exercise and Sport Sciences)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Exercise and Sport Sciences) by Author "Holtzhausen, L. J."

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    Body composition and blood measurements of elite senior South African body builders during a competitive season
    (University of the Free State, 2012-01) Barnard, Riaan; Holtzhausen, L. J.
    A dearth of literature exists surrounding the sport of Body Building. Anecdotally, when preparing for a competition, most elite body builders in South Africa will go through two totally different phases of training and dieting. The first phase is the bulking- or weight-gaining phase. During this phase, a structured diet with high carbohydrate component and moderate to high fat content will be followed for several months. During the weight-gaining phase, Androgenic-Anabolic Steroid (AAS) substances are used in moderately high doses compared to the pre-contest period. The second phase of training and dieting, is called the pre-contest preparation phase. This is a very intense phase of high volume training that usually starts about 16-13 weeks from the time of the competition. During this phase, extremely strict, structured diets are followed, with each meal being weighed. During the pre-contest phase, a multitude of chemical substances are used to enhance the desired physique – this strategy of using combinations of different classes of drugs, is called “stacking”. This will be the period with the highest AAS substance milligram usage per week. Very little current information on the profile of these athletes is available to the South African Medical Community, especially the Sports Medicine Community. There exists only a small body of knowledge in the literature on the dosing protocols abused by these athletes and the side effects they incur. Little is known of the usage of high dose AAS amongst the elite, competitive South African Body Building population and the possible side effects. A rare opportunity was presented to the author to study a group of elite level body builders during the 2010 competitive season. Obtaining participants for this cohort was difficult as these athletes form part of a very secluded group of sportsmen. Though the present cohort was disadvantaged in small cohort size, the opportunity to study such a group in depth will not be readily repeated. This is a novice study – to present, no similar study has been conducted in South Africa. All the athletes registered with the International Federation of Body Building South Africa were invited to participate in the study. Interested volunteers were asked to contact the researcher. More than 200 invitations were sent out to the existing database – only 19 athletes conveyed their interest in participation. Eventually, only 14 athletes partook in the full protocol. Blood assays were performed on each athlete on 3 different occasions, while anthropometric measurements and blood pressure readings were taken on 4 different occasions over the length of the competitive season. Each individual athlete recorded his AAS abuse, while some athletes provided sample diets as well. Data was captured on Excel spread sheets and forwarded to Department of Biostatistics, University of the Free State, South Africa. Along with the concomitant abuse of high doses of AAS over extended periods, the present study also found: - Minimal changes in blood pressure - Initial decrease in lean mass, followed by rapid increase in lean mass in just one week and failure to maintain that gain over the following weeks - Disturbed carbohydrate metabolism with increased risk for pre-diabetic status - Lipid profile changes, with decreased HDL, unchanged Total Cholesterol and decreased LDL - Liver enzyme changes highly suggestive of AAS-driven adverse effects - Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism status - Very high Androgen Status for the cohort with mean total AAS abuse per week measuring 1638,3 mg, with average AAS cycle lengths of 17.43 weeks. In conclusion, it should be noted that the present study’s cohort differed vastly from cohorts from other studies in the literature, as none of the latter observed cohorts under full pre-contest preparation conditions. It should also furthermore be understood that body builders under full pre-contest preparation will respond differently to the use of special diets, different training strategies and different types of AAS abused, than compared to when they train under normal out-of season conditions. The author recommends that sports physicians should continuously target their efforts at counselling adolescents and other athletes about the potential long-term harms of AAS abuse, as well as regularly and prudently follow-up on the potential adverse effects that may develop in current AAS abusers. The author further recommends that, if an opportunity to study such a secluded group of body builders would present itself again, it should be immediately fully utilised.
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    Factors associated with injuries sustained by players during a Currie Cup rugby competition
    (University of the Free State, 2004-10) Le Roux, Douglas Leonard; Holtzhausen, L. J.; Coetzee, F. F.
    English: The aim of this study was to review the available literature on the epidemiology of injuries in professional rugby, and then to collect data on previous injuries and the influence of external factors on rugby injuries. Secondly, the incidence, nature and circumstances surrounding injuries in a cohort of professional South African provincial rugby players were documented. The data collected was compared with available data in order to determine trends of injuries that, if taken into consideration, could possibly lead to the prevention of injuries to future rugby players. No study has been done on injury rate and frequency in the Currie Cup competition. Being the cornerstone of providing players for competitions like the Super 12 and Tri-nations, it is certainly appropriate to record the incidence and nature of injuries in the Currie Cup competition. This study attempted to identify factors associated with injury, to direct further analytical research and suggest measures to reduce injury rate. It also drew a comparison between results obtained through this study, and results obtained by other relevant studies in other competitions. The epidemiological data used in this study were collected from two professional rugby teams that competed in the 2002 Currie Cup Rugby Competition. This competition is held annually in South Africa and includes provincial teams from 14 regions in South Africa.
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    Die verband tussen kompeteringsangs en beseringsinsidensie onder skole-rugbyspelers
    (University of the Free State, 2012-01) Pretorius, Stephanus; Holtzhausen, L. J.
    Afrikaans: Die doelwitte van hierdie studie was om die aard en omvang van beserings onder skole- rugbyspelers te bepaal en die verband tussen die onderskeie beseringsprofiele en kompeteringsangs te ondersoek. Die studie het die insidensie en erns van beserings onder hoërskoolleerders ondersoek gedurende 2006 – 2008 en het gepoog om te bepaal of kompeteringsangs ‘n voorspeller van beserings onder die populasie was. ‘n Totaal van 94 deelnemers het aan die insluitingskriteria voldoen en is tot die studie toegelaat. Die deelnemers se beseringsgeskiedenis gedurende 2006 - 2008 is versamel en in drie afdelings verdeel, naamlik die aantal beseerde liggaamsdele of –streke oor drie jaar periode, die aantal beserings gedurende die 2008 seisoen en die erns van beserings gedurende die 2006 en 2007-seisoene. Die omvang van kompeteringsangs is bepaal deur middel van vraelyste. Karakter-geassosieerde kompeteringsangs (KGA) is bepaal met behulp van die SCAT-vraelys en Geleentheidsgeassosieerde kompeteringsangs (GGA) met behulp van die CSAI-2-vraelys. Die insidensie van beserings was hoog in vergelyking met internasionale data. ‘n Hoë aantal beserings van ernstige aard het voorgekom, wat meer was as in vergelykende populasies. Die beseringsinsidensie van die boonste ledemate was die hoogste en die voorkoms van potensieel-katastrofiese beserings onder hierdie groep was opvallend. ‘n Positiewe verband tussen KGA en aantal liggaamsdele beseer gedurende 2006 en 2008, sowel as die aantal beserings opgedoen gedurende 2008 is aangetoon, maar geen verband kon met erns van beserings gedurende 2006 bewys word nie. Geen verband kon bewys word tussen GGA en die beseringsprofiele nie. Die studie het hoë beseringsinsidensies bevind, met veral die boonste ledemate wat prominent was. Die erns van beserings was ook opmerklik, met ‘n hoë aantal spelers wat ernstig beseer was, asook die relatief-verhoogde insidensie van lewensbedreigende beserings (nek- en rugbeserings asook konkussie) in ‘n jong populasie. In terme van identifikasie van sielkundige voorspellers, wil dit voorkom of ‘n verhoogde KGA, gemeet deur die SCAT-skaal, verband hou met beseringsinsidensie, maar nie met erns van besering nie. Dit wil voorkom of daar nie ‘n verband tussen GGA, gemeet met CSAI-2 en die beseringsprofiele, is nie. Bepaling van risikofaktore, programme om beserings te voorkom, die korrekte hantering van lewensbedreigende beserings en ‘n nasionale bewuswordingsveldtog met sentrale databasis op skolevlak word voorgestel om beserings te beperk. Verdere navorsing word aanbeveel om KGA as voorspeller van beseringsinsidensie te valideer deur herhaalstudies en om uitsluitsel te verkry omtrent GGA as voorspeller van die aard en omvang van beserings.