Critical incidents which limit performance of Chilean University rowers who won a medal in the Pan American Games of Lima 2019

Main objective of this study was to provide a basis for the comprehension of the main critical incidents (i.e. obstacles) that Chilean rowers who were medallists in the Pan American Games of Lima 2019 have to face within the academic, socioeconomic and sports processes. 19 athletes were selected through a non-probabilistic sampling. A content validated questionnaire and an in-deep interview were used. Higher levels of consistency were observed. Through the inferential analysis (ANOVA) it was possible to conclude that athletes are concerned with some academic and social crisis within their sporting career. This fact does not allow them to concentration and integral tranquillity to be focused and achieve proper results in academic and sports areas. Results presented in this study may contribute to the improvement of public policies and, specifically, contingency and innovation plans for improvement within higher education institutions. This study is framed within the context of social transformation that Chile is currently living.Agencies: Chilean Rowing Federation; Chilean Olympic Committee

Applying a menthol pain reliever prior to strength training reduces chronic low back pain and increases functional capacity in overweight or obese older adult

The combined effect of a muscle strength training program with the previous application of a topical menthol gel on the intensity of chronic low back pain (CLP) and the functional capacity of overweight/obese older women was evaluated. A randomized controlled clinical trial with parallel group comparison was conducted. In Phase 1 (12-weeks), 31 women were randomly assigned: (i) a control group that did not change their habits (CG; n = 11); (ii) group of strength training prior to application of a gel with menthol (RTM; n = 10) and (iii) group that performed the same training prior to application of a placebo gel (RTP; n = 10). After 12 weeks of no training, phase 2 of the study (32-week duration) was run, where the RTM and RTP women were randomly reassigned. It was evaluated before and after each phase: body composition, functional capacity, pain perception and Oswestry disability index. The significance level established for the study was p ≤ .05. Both training groups significantly improved all variables after stages 1 and 2, with significant post-intervention differences but no significant intergroup differences, although RTM obtained better results. The percentage of improvement in pain perception and functional parameters were related to the intervention time without positive effects for CG. In conclusion, the use of menthol gel prior to a muscle strength program reduced pain and enhanced the functional improvements achieved as a result of moderate-high intensity training in older adult women with CLP and overweight or obesity

A systematic review on the muscular activation on the lower limbs with five different variations of the deadlift exercise

The deadlift is one of the most widely used resistance exercises by different types of trainees and with different aims including aesthetics, performance and health. There are numerous variations of the deadlift exercise which have different effects on the exercise biomechanics and muscular activation. The main objective of this research was to systematically review the literature looking forward to gathering data on the muscular activation on the lower limbs with different variations of the deadlift exercise (conventional, sumo, Romanian, straight legs and hex-bar). 19 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Quality of the articles was assessed through the PEDro scale. Main findings were that deadlift is a posterior-chain dominant exercise. Changes in activation between the variations majorly depend on the hip flexion in relation to the knee flexion. For instance, the straight-legs deadlift does not involve knee flexion and mainly activates hip extensors. Other factors such as the distance between the load and the centre of mass, the knee flexion planes, or the total intensity also condition the muscular activation. For example, the hex-bar deadlift allows the subject being in alignment with the load and performing the exercise with relatively vertical back, which provokes an increase on the activation of the knee extensors. In conclusion, this study may help the strength and conditioning professionals and practitioners with the exercise selection depending on the muscular targets and the individual characteristics of the athlete

Resistance training for chronic low back pain in the elderly: A systematic review

Chronic low back pain is a musculoskeletal pathology with a considerably high prevalence in the elderly. This condition increases disability and negatively affects the quality of life. Muscular resistance training is being used as a cornerstone in interventions for elder people due to the numerous benefits associated with physical and functional health. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on the main characteristics of resistance training programs in the elder population with chronic low back pain. A literature search in five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Sports Discuss, and Cochrane Library) was carried out. Inclusion-exclusion criteria were used to select experimental studies applying resistance training programs to aging adults older than 60 ages with chronic lumbar pain. PEDro scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. From the first 223 articles retrieved, 8 were selected to be further analysed. All the studies presented good methodological quality (PEDro scale from 6 to 10) and low bias risk. In summary, resistance training programs have been proven useful to significantly reduce pain and inability. Furthermore, significant improvements in quality of life and muscular strength parameters are guaranteed

Incidence and prevalence of injuries in futsal: A systematic review of the literature

Futsal athletes are exposed to a high number of injures. Purpose: This study aimed to gather data on the injures produced in futsal, attending to the prevalence, part of the body injured, type of injury and mechanism, and severity. Also, to evaluate the influence that sociodemographic factors and the position on the pitch may have on the injuries. Finally, we pursued to summarize the prevention strategies proposed by the expert literature. Design: Different search strategies were entered in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Sport Discuss databases. Results: 36 articles were selected to be reviewed. Futsal is situated among the sports with the highest injury incidence, being the main body part injured the lower limb, specifically the knees and ankles. Regarding the type of injury and the mechanism causing the injury, bone injuries are usually related to contact with rivals and muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries related to non-contact mechanisms. In this concern, non-contact injuries are frequently more severe than impact injuries. There is not a clear consensus on if more injuries occur in training or games, and on the severity of the major part of the injuries that occur in futsal. Concerning sex, male players seem to present a higher prevalence of ankle injuries while woman players present more incidence of knee sprains. The age was reported to be correlated with the incidence of injuries during futsal practice. No influence of the position on the field of play on the prevalence of injuries was observed in the literature. Some recommendations are gathered concerning the prevention of injuries. These recommendations are focused on player equipment, playing facilities, rules, physical assessment, and appropriate strength and conditioning preparation. Conclusion: The results presented in this study may help coaches and practitioners to understand crucial factors on the common injuries that occur in futsal. This may allow them to prevent potential injuries and maintain the athlete’s performance

Exploring of two different equated instability resistance training programs on measure of physical fitness and lower limb asymmetry in pre-pubertal weightlifters

Background: Although previous research in pediatric populations has reported performance enhancements following instability resistance training, the effects of different volumes on measures of balance, strength and power and lower limb asymmetry remain unclear. Objective: To compare the effect of two 8-week instability resistance training programs (IRT1: 2 sets x 8 repetitions, 20% one-repetition maximum (1RM); IRT2: 2 sets x 4 repetitions, 40% 1RM) in balance (center of pressure displacements), 1RM, single-leg jumps, and inter-limb asymmetry of prepubescent weightlifters. Methods: Thirty-two male athletes (10.94 ± 0.47 yrs, 17.05 ± 0.14 kg/m2, and 6.44 ± 0.93% bodyfat) voluntarily participated and combined IRT (front and back squat, lunge, and deadlift) with their usual weightlifting training. Nonparametric tests evaluated the differences between pre- and post-intervention. Results: Significant improvements were encountered in all the variables for both groups (effect sizes [ES] from 0.46 to 2.60), except the inter-limb asymmetry and the velocity of displacement of the center of pressure, which did not improve in IRT2. It is also worth highlighting that in the single-leg jumps and center of pressure displacements, whereas no significant differences were observed between IRT1 and IRT2 in the baseline, significant differences appeared in the follow-up measurements. Conclusion: IRT combined with weight-lifting training improves prepubescent weightlifters' performance; therefore, strength and conditioning coaches may consider including unstable devices with low loads into an overall conditioning program and warm-ups for prepuberal male weightlifters to promote their physical fitness and potentially decrease inter-limb asymmetry. Trial registration: This study does not report results related to healthcare interventions using human participants; therefore, it was not prospectively registered

Effects of black Berberis vulgaris L combined with aerobic and resistance exercise on blood metabolic parameters and liver enzymes in obese rats

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a six-week intake of Berberis vulgaris L in combination with resistance and aerobic exercise on the lipid profile, metabolic parameters, and liver enzymes of obese male rats. Methods: 56 male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: 1) healthy control (n = 8); 2) hypercaloric fatty-food-based diet (n = 8); 3) aerobic exercise (AE, n = 8); 4) resistance exercise (RE, n = 8); 5) black Berberis vulgaris L extract intake (n = 8); 6) Berberis intake combined with aerobic exercise (BAE, n = 8); and 7) Berberis intake combined with resistance exercise (BRE, n = 8). All the rats (except the controls) were induced fatty liver by six weeks of a hypercaloric diet before the intervention. After six weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken to obtain cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), glucose of c-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urea. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis test with post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: All the intervention groups significantly (p < .05) improved the parameters compared to the hypercaloric group in almost all the assessed parameters, reaching in many cases significantly better values than the healthy group (control). Similar results were obtained between the experimental groups; however, the outcomes were slightly better (non-significant differences) for the combination of the Berberis extract and both exercise methodologies. Conclusion: The use of herbal medicines such as Berberis vulgaris L in combination with aerobic or resistance exercises may be useful in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by improving risk factors such as blood lipid levels.The authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Shahrekord Medicinal Plants Research Center, which supported and funded this project

Effects of game weekly frequency on subjective training load, wellness, and injury rate in male elite soccer players

To compare the effects of playing one or two games per week on subjective perceived exertion (RPE) and (RPE-based) training load, monotony index, sleep, stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness (Hooper index), total mood disturbance, and injury rate in elite soccer players. Fourteen males from a first-division soccer club (age: 24.42 ± 4.80 years) competed in two games per week for six weeks and one game per week for twelve weeks (a total of 24 games). Paired t-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon signed ranks evaluated the significance of the differences (p < 0.05). The main findings were that RPE was significantly larger when playing two games per week compared with one game. However, subject total and mean training load, mood disturbance, monotony, and subjective perception of sleep, stress, fatigue, muscle soreness monitoring (Hooper index), and the number of injuries were not different. The findings suggested that competing in two matches per week does not negatively influence injury rate and players’ perceptions of training load or wellness, even though players perceive two games per week as more physically demanding compared with one game per week.publishedVersio