New Frontiers of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity for Health and Human Performance

Dear Colleagues,

Sports, exercise, and physical activity permeate all aspects of today's society. Having an active lifestyle is important for physical health (exercise is medicine), for mental health (exercise is wellness), for learning (exercise is education), for the economy (exercise is business), and for technological development (exercise is innovation). Physical inactivity has deleterious effects on population health and can lead to numerous diseases. Physical activity and an active lifestyle can counterbalance these effects, promoting both physical and mental wellbeing.

The link between physiology and human performance in all populations is well-known, ranging from high-performance athletes to generally-healthy to unhealthy subjects. Performance in sports is determined by the athlete's technical, tactical, physiological, and psychological/social characteristics. Physical activity benefits overall health and wellbeing for healthy individuals, and improved function in patients with health disorders. Population performance and health are affected by the relationships between stress, maturation, training load, and recovery. However, in different situations and conditions, this stimulus–performance–adaptation relationship varies. A multitude of motor performance factors is the underlying basis for maximized human performance, namely: muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, speed, agility, anaerobic power, flexibility, balance, coordination, body composition, and reaction time (i.e., physical fitness components).

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish original, high-quality articles, as well as narrative and systematic reviews with particular regard to the underlying physiological mechanisms in the fields of sport, exercise, and physical activity. As a result, we look forward to receiving contributions that are related, but not limited, to the following topics: (i) experimental studies and interventions using sports and exercise in healthy people or with health issues, (ii) observational analytic studies identifying the effects of practising sport and exercise on psychophysical health and quality of life, and (iii) systematic reviews and meta-analyses that may summarize the evidence about the effects of sport and exercise on healthy people or with health problems.

This Special Issue welcomes new ideas and approaches that could change paradigms in our understanding of the benefits of sport, exercise, and physical activity across the entire population, regardless of gender, age, country, income, or social background.

Dr. Gianpiero Greco
Dr. Filip Kukić
Prof. Dr. Katie M. Heinrich
Guest Editors

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