Music is widely used in the context of exercise and sports to enhance mood and motivation. This study aimed to explore the effects of different metronome tempos on mood, exercise motivation, time perception during exercise, subjective completion time, and self-paced running performance in nine healthy young adult males. Three conditions were established: a control (Con) condition with a silent environment, a 160 bpm condition, and a 170 bpm condition, where metronome tempos were set at 160 bpm and 170 bpm, respectively. The experiment used a counterbalanced design. Running was performed at a self-selected comfortable pace, with participants instructed to pay attention to the metronome beat in the 160 bpm and 170 bpm conditions. As a result, no significant differences were observed in pre- and postexercise mood assessed by the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale, Borg’s rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, self-paced completion time for the 750 m run, or heart rate during exercise. The perception of time flow during exercise was significantly faster in both the 160 bpm and 170 bpm conditions compared to the Con condition, with a stronger effect observed in the 170 bpm condition. In contrast, a reduction in subjective completion time and an increase in exercise motivation were observed only in the 160 bpm condition. These findings suggest that exercising in an environment with an appropriate tempo of auditory stimuli not only accelerates time perception during exercise and shortens subjective completion time but also enhances exercise motivation, thereby potentially contributing to the maintenance and improvement of exercise adherence.

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The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between reaction agility (simple reaction and choice reaction) , sprint and change of direction ability in 19 preschool children who regularly receive exercise guidance. The items measured were the 10m sprint, the Pro Agility 2.5-meter method, and the 4-sensor agility (simple reaction, choice reaction). The results showed that if the 10m sprint was fast, the simple reaction and choice reaction were also fast. In addition, there was no relationship between the 10m sprint and the Pro Agility 2.5-meter method in the rate of change calculated from the simple reaction and choice reaction. From the above, it was shown that in order to improve the reaction agility of preschool children who receive regular exercise guidance, it is necessary to improve their running ability, but it was also suggested that other factors besides exercise ability may be involved in cognitive function. In addition, it is thought that playing games that involve running and simultaneously processing cognitive tasks is effective for improving agility in preschool children.

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This study aimed to investigate whether grip orientation affects the muscle activities of the target muscles that are active during bench pull exercises. Nine male university students with experience of resistance training were tested for their muscle activities while using two different grip orientations: pronated grip (PG) or supinated grip (SG). The activities of five muscles (the latissimus dorsi, teres major, middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and biceps brachii) were determined by electromyography during the elbow flexion and elbow extension phases of bench pull exercises. The data was analyzed using root mean square % maximum voluntary contraction (RMS%MVC). The smallest worthwhile change (SWC) was investigated to compare the difference in muscle activity between PG and SG for each individual. The RMS%MVC for the latissimus dorsi using SG was significantly higher than those with PG, whereas the RMS%MVC for the middle trapezius using PG were significantly higher than those with SG. No significant difference between PG and SG was observed in the RMS%MVC of the teres major, lower trapezius, or biceps brachii. The SWC was minor for the latissimus dorsi and middle trapezius, but significant for the teres major, lower trapezius, and biceps brachii. These results suggest that, during bench pull exercise, higher muscle activity can be achieved for the middle trapezius by PG than SG, and higher muscle activity for the latissimus dorsi by SG than by PG.

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This study aimed to investigate whether trunk flexion angle affects the muscle activity of the primary muscles that are active during bent-over row exercises. Nine male university rugby players (19.6 ± 0.2 years old) were tested for their muscle activities while using two different trunk flexion angles: 65˚ or 40˚. The activities of four muscles (the latissimus dorsi, lower trapezius, middle trapezius, and biceps brachii) were determined by surface electromyography during the elbow flexion and elbow extension phases of these exercises. The data was analyzed using root mean square % maximum voluntary contraction (RMS%MVC). The smallest worthwhile change was investigated to compare the difference in muscle activity between 65˚ and 40˚ for each individual. The RMS%MVC for the latissimus dorsi (p = 0.01) and lower trapezius (p = 0.01) at 65˚ was significantly higher than those at 40˚. These results suggest that, during bent-over row exercise, higher muscle activity can be achieved for the latissimus dorsi and lower trapezius at 65˚ than at 40˚. Bent-over row exercises, however, need a variety of training styles, since, for the latissimus dorsi or lower trapezius, the RMS%MVC was not higher at 65˚ than at 40˚ in all subjects.

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This study aims to longitudinally observe the developmental processes of motor skills in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and provide foundational data to explore appropriate support methods. Currently, there is insufficient evidence regarding interventions for DCD, and reliability issues have been pointed out in case studies and systematic reviews. Against this backdrop, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique characteristics of DCD, capturing individual developmental trajectories, and clarifying directions for effective support.

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