Factors associated with perceived performance drops and musculoskeletal injuries in Brazilian recreational triathletes

V. de Oliveira, D. Santos, R. Sinisgalli, R. Vancini, G. Costa, P.T. Nikolaidis, B. Knechtle, K. Weiss, M. Andrade, C. de Lira

Human and Exercise Physiology Division, Faculty of Physical Education and Dance, Federal  University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil. beat.knechtle@hispeed.ch

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• Sports Medicine

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate sleep characteristics, use of supplements, and training volume of recreational triathletes, and to verify possible associations with perceived performance drops and occurrence of injuries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recreational triathletes (n=942) answered a questionnaire inquiring about their demographic characteristics, performance, injuries and training volume.

RESULTS: When comparing athletes who slept more (9-10 hours) with those who slept less, less sleep was associated with a higher prevalence of perceived performance drops. Regarding difficulties in initiating sleep, the absence of initiating difficulties (p<0.001) was a protective factor against perceived performance drops. Regarding weekly training volume, compared to those who trained more than 20 hours, training less than 3 hours (p<0.001), 3-5 hours (p<0.001), or 12-14 hours (p<0.001) were protective factors against perceived performance drops. Concerning training volume and injuries, we found that compared to those who trained more than 20 hours, training 18-20 hours (p<0.001), 15-17 hours (p<0.001), 12-14 hours (p<0.001), 6-8 hours (p<0.001), or 3-5 hours (p<0.001) were protective factors against injuries.

CONCLUSIONS: Triathletes with a lower sleep quantity and those who have difficulties initiating sleep frequently experience drops in performance. Training volumes can influence both performance and the likelihood of injuries.

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