The impact of nationality on the psychophysiological stress response and academic fulfilment in the final degree dissertation

The aims of this study were: i. to analyze the effect of nationality on the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertations; and ii. to analyze the relationship between the stress response and academic results according to nationality. We evaluated the autonomic stress response, cortical arousal, distress subjective perception, and objective and subjective academic fulfilment in Spanish, Italian, and French physiotherapy students during their final degree dissertation. Results showed a large anticipatory anxiety response before the dissertation in the three student groups. Only the Spanish group showed an increased tendency in the habituation process, reducing the psychophysiological stress response during the dissertation, while the Italian and French groups maintained a large sympathetic activation until the end of the dissertation. Cortical arousal and subjective perception of distress were similar in the three nationalities. In addition, no correlation between academic fulfilment and autonomic modulation was found. We concluded that there was no nationality effect in the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertation, all of them showing a large anticipatory anxiety response

Longitudinal changes in force production of young competitive swimmers: assessment tools for training control and optimization

The general purpose of this thesis was to analyze the changes in force production of young competitive swimmers during a full competitive season and over a detraining period. Simultaneously, there was an attempt to understand if a two-hand pressure system is a suitable tool to be used for monitoring in-water forces in swimmers from this age cohort. To support this, specific purposes were defined according to the following sequence: (i) to systematically review the available literature focusing on the human propulsive forces in swimming; (ii) to verify the reliability of a pressure sensors system; (iii) to understand if the system impairs the swimming mechanics and efficiency; (iv) to perform an agreement between available methods that measure in-water forces; (v) to determine the changes in force production of young swimmers during a competitive season; (vi) to understand how a detraining period affects in-water forces according to different maturity status. Main results suggest that: (i) there is a scarce number of studies dealing with long-term changes in-water forces of young swimmers, and the methods used for that purpose were little explored; (ii) a two-hand pressure sensors system showed to be reliable to measure in-water forces during front-crawl swimming; (iii) the system did not induced any mechanical or efficiency constraints; (iv) a correction factor is needed to compare the in-water forces obtained by different methods; (v) a full competitive season seems to promote improvements in force production along with an increase in asymmetric motion; and (vi) in-water forces seems to remain unchanged even with a six-weeks of training cessation.A presente tese objetivou analisar as alterações na produção da força ao longo de uma época competitiva e destreino em nadadores jovens. Simultaneamente, houve uma tentativa de compreender se um sistema de sensores de pressão para as mãos é uma ferramenta adequada para monitorizar as forças na água em nadadores desta faixa etária. Para tal, foram definidos objetivos específicos de acordo com a seguinte sequência: (i) rever sistematicamente a literatura disponível nas forças propulsivas humanas na natação; (ii) verificar a fiabilidade de um sistema de sensores de pressão; (iii) compreender se o sistema afeta a mecânica e eficiência do nado; (iv) realizar uma concordância entre os métodos disponíveis que medem as forças na água; (v) determinar as alterações na produção de força dos jovens nadadores durante uma época competitiva; e (vi) compreender de que forma um período de destreino afeta as forças na água de acordo com distintos estados de maturação. Os principais resultados sugerem que: (i) existe um número escasso de estudos que analisam as alterações a longo prazo das forças na água de jovens nadadores, e os métodos utilizados para esse fim foram pouco explorados; (ii) o sistema de sensores de pressão para as mãos mostrou ser fiável para medir as forças na água durante o nado de crol; (iii) o sistema não induziu quaisquer restrições mecânicas ou de eficiência; (iv) é necessário um fator de correção para comparar as forças na água obtidas por diferentes métodos; (v) uma época competitiva parece promover melhorias na produção de força juntamente com um aumento de um movimento assimétrico; e (vi) as forças na água parecem permanecer inalteradas mesmo com uma interrupção de seis semanas de treino

Influence of Two Exercise Programs on Heart Rate Variability, Body Temperature, Central Nervous System Fatigue, and Cortical Arousal after a Heart Attack

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs’ benefits are overall consensual; however, during exercise, progressive physiological effects have not been studied yet in cardiac patients. Our study aims to analyze physiological parameters of thermography, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, central nervous system (CNS) fatigue, and cortical arousal in heart attack patients (HAP) who belong to CR programs of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-intensity Continuous Training (MICT) compared to healthy participants. In this case control study, two HAP patients (both male, age 35 and 48, respectively) and two healthy people (both male, age 38 and 46, respectively) were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio to one of four groups: cardiac MICT, cardiac HIIT, control MICT, and control HIIT. The HIIT at _85–95% of peak heart rate (HR) was followed by a one-minute recovery interval at 40% peakHR, and MICT at _70–75% of peakHR. Outcome measurements included thermography, HRV, blood pressure, CNS fatigue, and cortical arousal; The HAP presents more than twice the CNS fatigue in MICT than control participants, but HIIT has almost the same CNS fatigue in HAP and control. In addition, both of the HAP groups presented higher temperatures in the chest. The HIIT protocol showed better physiological responses during exercise, compared to MICT in HAP

Predictors of Athlete’s Performance in Ultra-Endurance Mountain Races

Background: In previous studies, ultra-endurance performance has been associated with training and psychological variables. However, performance under extreme conditions is understudied, mainly due to difficulties in making field measures. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the role of training, hydration, nutrition, oral health status, and stress-related psychological factors in athletes’ performance in ultra-endurance mountain events. Methods: We analyzed the variables of race time and training, hydration state, nutrition, oral health status, and stress-related psychological factors in 448 ultra-endurance mountain race finishers divided into three groups according to race length (less than 45 km, 45–90 km, and greater than 90 km), using a questionnaire. Results: Higher performance in ultra-endurance mountain races was associated with better oral health status and higher accumulative altitude covered per week as well as higher positive accumulative change of altitude per week during training. In longer distance races, experience, a larger volume of training, and better hydration/nutrition prior to the competition were associated with better performance. Conclusions: Ultra-endurance mountain athletes competing in longer races (>90 km) have more experience and follow harder training schedules compared with athletes competing in shorter distances. In longer races, a larger fluid intake before the competition was the single best predictor of performance. For races between 45 and 90 km, training intensity and volume were key predictors of performance, and for races below 45 km, oral health status was a key predictor of performance. Psychological factors previously reported as ultra-endurance mountain race performance predictors were inconsistent or failed to predict the performance of athletes in the present research

Effectiveness of Reverse vs. Traditional Linear Training Periodization in Triathlon

The present research aimed to analyze the modification in performance, body composition, and autonomic modulation of reverse and traditional linear training periodization in amateur triathletes.We analyzed running and swimming performance, strengthmanifestation, body composition, and autonomic modulation before and after a traditional linear training periodization (four weeks of volume-based training plus four weeks of intensity-based training plus two-week tapering), a reverse linear training periodization (four weeks of intensity-based training plus four weeks of volume-based training plus two-week tapering), and a free training control physical active group (10-week free training) in 32 amateur athletes. Independently of the periodization model, the combination of two four-week mesocycles followed by a two-week taper is an e ciency strategy to avoid overreaching, obtaining an increase in parasympathetic modulation. Moreover, both types of training periodization proposed in this study do not modified body composition of amateur triathletes. Also, compared with traditional periodization, reverse periodization e ciently improves horizontal jump performance. Finally, reverse and traditional periodization were an e ective strategy to improve running biomechanical, performance, and physiological variables, as well as e cient periodization strategies to improve swimming technical ability, aerobic, and anaerobic swimming performance

The Effect of Periodization on Training Program Adherence

The present research aimed to study the effect of three different training periodization (traditional, reverse, and free training) on the aerobic performance, motivation, and adherence of physically active athletes. We analysed the adherence to three different periodization training programs: traditional, reverse, and free training periodization on the adherence of amateur triathletes. For this aim, the individual adherence, motivation, and aerobic performance time and heart rate (in a 1000 m running test) were evaluated before and after the completion of the three different 8-week periodization programs. The level of adherence to the reverse periodization was significantly higher than in traditional and free training. The number of dropouts in reverse and traditional periodization was similar but lower than in the free training. Finally, neither of the periodization programs improved aerobic performance and reverse training periodization decreased heart rate of participants in a 1000 m running tes

Achievement and Enhancement

We engage with the nature and the value of achievement through a critical examination of an argument according to which biomedical “enhancement” of our capacities is impermissible because enhancing ourselves in this way would threaten our achievements. We call this the argument against enhancement from achievement. We assess three versions of it, each admitting to a strong or a weak reading. We argue that strong readings fail, and that weak readings, while in some cases successful in showing that enhancement interferes with the nature or value of achievement, fail to establish that enhancement poses an unusual threat to achievement