The purpose of the study was to explore the validity, test–retest reliability and affective responses of a submaximal 20-m shuttle-run test (20mSRT) stopped at 6 on the Eston–Parfitt (EP) scale. The secondary aim was to examine and compare two submaximal 20mSRT protocols with different RPE end points (EP6 vs. EP7) using previously published data. Twenty-five children (16 boys; 13...
The effects of low-intensity exercise, heat-induced hypo-hydration and rehydration on maximal strength and the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are not well understood. To assess this, 12 participants took part in a randomised crossover study, in a prolonged (3 h) submaximal (60 W) cycling protocol under 3 conditions: (i) in 45 °C (achieving ~ 5% body mass reduction...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 300 intermittent countermovement jumps (CMJs) on the mechanical power distribution at the joints of the lower limbs and the influence of the upper body to explain vertical jump performance. Fifteen male sport students (age 24.5 ± 2.3 years; body height 1.85 ± 0.06 m; body mass 84.8 ± 8.5 kg) performed a set of intermittent...
Human presence in space is increasingly frequent, but we must not forget that it is a hostile environment. We aimed to study the characteristics of experimental scenarios, to obtain data on human response to isolation, disruption of circadian rhythm and high levels of psychophysical stress. In these experiments, we evaluated stress response in five young healthy subjects inside...
To analyze the influence of training status on the percentage of maximum oxygen consumption, heart rate and velocity (%VO2max, %HRmax and %Vmax) at which ventilatory threshold 1 and ventilatory threshold 2 occur (VT1 and VT2, respectively), in males and females separately considering age, during a ramp incremental treadmill test. 791 males (36.8 ± 9.9 years) and 301 females (33.9...
Recent studies suggest that, compared to healthy individuals, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (pwCOPD) present a reduced capacity to perform cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT). However, these studies were focused on short-duration CMDT offering limited insight to prolonged CMDT inducing fatigue, which can be encountered in daily life. The present study aimed to...
To determine the occurrence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in different settings among cyclists participating in a non-professional cycling event. The nutritional intake during the event and the association between GI symptoms and both nutritional and non-nutritional factors were also analyzed. A descriptive correlational study was performed among participants in the 2023...
Examine the acute hormonal and cytokine responses to free-weight resistance training in trained prepubertal and pubertal male children. Prepubertal (n = 21; age 11.4 ± 1.1 years; Tanner I–II) and pubertal male children (n = 20; age 15.8 ± 0.7 years; Tanner III–V) conducted a moderate-intensity free-weight resistance training program to failure with venous blood sampling before...
Compared to the determination of exercise thresholds based on systemic changes in blood lactate concentrations or gas exchange data, the determination of breakpoints based on muscle oxygen saturation offers a valid alternative to provide specific information on muscle-derived thresholds. Our study explored the profiles and timing of the second muscle oxygenation threshold (MOT2...
Physique athletes engage in rigorous competition preparation involving intense energy restriction and physical training to enhance muscle definition. This study investigates hormonal changes and their physiological and performance impacts during such preparation. Participants included female (10 competing (COMP) and 10 non-dieting controls (CTRL)) and male (13 COMP and 10 CTRL...
we investigated the effects of a 10 week training program (i.e., minute oscillatory stretching; MOS) on the mechanical responses and walking capability in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). seventeen T2D patients performed maximum voluntary contractions of the plantar flexor muscles during which Achilles tendon stiffness (kT) and muscle–tendon stiffness (kM) were evaluated at...
Muscle quantity, defined as appendicular lean mass (ALM); muscle quality, defined as the ratio of muscle strength to ALM; and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived phase angle (PhA) are determinants of physical performance. We examined whether muscle quality indices were significant predictors of the whole-body reaction time (WBRT) in healthy female and male adults aged...
Professional boxing is a sport that requires a high aerobic capacity to prevent fatigue and allow athletes to perform over 4–12 rounds. Typically, athletes will go into a heavy training period in a pre-bout camp lasting 6 to 9 weeks. This study investigates the impact of 3 weeks of repeated Wingate sprint interval training, performed on standard gym ergometer bikes, on skeletal...
This study compared heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of cardiovascular autonomic regulation between well-trained masters and young cyclists at rest, during and following a continuous cycle (CTS) protocol. Ten masters (age = 56 ± 5 years) and eight young (age = 26 ± 3 years) cyclists completed a 100 min experimental protocol consisting of a 60 min CTS cycling bout at 95% of...
Sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation is an ergogenic strategy for athletes competing in high-intensity exercise, but the efficacy of SB for accelerating recovery from exercise and thus improving performance during repeated bouts of exercise is not fully understood. In a similar fashion to using SB as a pre-exercise buffer, it is possible accelerated restoration of blood pH and...
Ischemic pre-conditioning (IPC) offers protection against future ischemic events and may improve sports performance due to several mechanisms at local and systemic levels. This study investigates the local effects on muscle contractility in electrically induced muscle contractions, thus effectively excluding any uncontrolled change in the motor drive. Twenty-one subjects were...
Fat free mass (FFM) is considered the metabolically active component of human body and is positively associated with maximal oxygen uptake ( $${\text{VO}}_{2} {\text{max}}$$ ). However, FFM is composed of metabolically active and inactive subcomponents whose proportion can vary depending on body composition and clinical condition, possibly affecting such association. Although it...
To evaluate the precision and accuracy in measured blood lactate concentrations among four commonly used handheld lactate analyzers compared to two stationary analyzers. Venous blood samples were taken at exercise intensities ranging from low to high. The blood lactate concentration was measured simultaneously with four pairs of handheld lactate analyzers (two new units of each...
To test the hypothesis that training with reduced carbohydrate (CHO) availability increases bone resorption in adolescent soccer players. In a randomised crossover design, ten male players (age: 17.4 ± 0.8 years) from an English Premier League academy completed an acute 90-min field-based training session (occurring between 10:30–12:00) in conditions of high (TRAIN HIGH; 1.5 g.kg...
To investigate the impact of voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volumes (VHL) during upper body repeated sprints (RS) on performance, metabolic markers and muscle oxygenation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) athletes. Eighteen male well-trained athletes performed two randomized RS sessions, one with normal breathing (RSN) and another with VHL (RS-VHL), on an arm cycle ergometer...
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of vibration on motor unit (MU) firing behavior and physical performance of antagonist muscles in healthy young adult males. Fourteen males (age = 24.3 ± 3.6 years) were included in this study. There were two conditions, one in which participants received 80 Hz vibration in the distal tendon of the hamstring for 30 s and the control...
When measuring maximum strength, a high accuracy and precision is required to monitor the training adaptations. Based on available reliability parameters, the literature suggests the replacement of the one repetition maximum (1RM) by isometric testing to save testing time. However, from a statistical point of view, correlation coefficients do not provide the required information...
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) ingestion has been found to be ergogenic in high-intensity exercise that ranges from 1 to 10 min; however, limited studies have investigated high-intensity exercise beyond this duration. The present study aimed to determine the effect of NaHCO3 ingested using a carbohydrate hydrogel delivery system on 40 km time trial (TT) performance in trained male...