Training Prescription Guided by Heart-Rate Variability in Cycling

Purpose: Road cycling is a sport with extreme physiological demands. Therefore, there is a need to find new strategies to improve performance. Heart-rate variability (HRV) has been suggested as an effective alternative for prescribing training load against predefined training programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of training prescription based on HRV in road cycling performance. Methods: Seventeen well-trained cyclists participated in this study. After an initial evaluation week, cyclists performed 4 baseline weeks of standardized training to establish their resting HRV. Then, cyclists were divided into 2 groups, an HRV-guided group and a traditional periodization group, and they carried out 8 training weeks. Cyclists performed 2 evaluation weeks, after and before a training week. During the evaluation weeks, cyclists performed a graded exercise test to assess maximal oxygen uptake, peak power output, and ventilatory thresholds with their corresponding power output (VT1, VT2, WVT1, and WVT2, respectively) and a 40-min simulated time trial. Results: The HRV-guided group improved peak power output (5.1% [4.5%]; P = .024), WVT2 (13.9% [8.8%]; P = .004), and 40-min all-out time trial (7.3% [4.5%]; P = .005). Maximal oxygen uptake and WVT1 remained similar. The traditional periodization group did not improve significantly after the training week. There were no differences between groups. However, magnitude-based inference analysis showed likely beneficial and possibly beneficial effects for the HRV-guided group instead of the traditional periodization group in 40-min all-out time trial and peak power output, respectively. Conclusion: Daily training prescription based on HRV could result in a better performance enhancement than a traditional periodization in well-trained cyclists

Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability Vs. Block Periodization in Well-Trained Cyclists

Predefined training programs are common place when prescribing training. Within predefined training, block periodization (BP) has emerged as a popular methodology because of its benefits. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been proposed as an effective tool for prescribing training. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of HRV-guided training against BP in road cycling. Twenty well-trained cyclists participated in this study. After a preliminary baseline period to establish their resting HRV, cyclists were divided into 2 groups: an HRV-guided group and a BP group, and they completed 8 training weeks. Cyclists completed 3 evaluations weeks, before and after each period. During the evaluation weeks, cyclists performed: (a) a graded exercise test to assess V̇O2max, peak power output (PPO), and ventilatory thresholds with their corresponding power output (VT1, VT2, WVT1, and WVT2, respectively) and (b) a 40-minute simulated time-trial (40 TT). The HRV-guided group improved V̇O2max (p 5 0.03), PPO (p 5 0.01), WVT2 (p 5 0.02), WVT1 (p 5 0.01), and 40 TT (p 5 0.04). The BP group improved WVT2 (p 5 0.02). Between-group fitness and performance were similar after the study. The HRV-guided training could lead to a better timing in training prescription than BP in road cycling

Effect of biological maturation on strength-related adaptations in young soccer players

Strength training is crucial for soccer players’ long-term development at early ages and the biological maturation may influence specific strength-training adaptations. The aim of this study was to propose a strength-training programme for the strength development of pre- pubertal players and to analyse the adaptations to this training programme in players with different maturity status. One hundred and thirty young male soccer players participated in an 8-week strength-training programme consisting of two sessions per week (20-minutes of a combination of plyometric and resistance exercises) which was conducted prior to their normal soccer training. Three maturity groups were defined according to the years from/to their peak height velocity (PHV) as Pre-, Mid- and Post-PHV. Initial differences between the maturity groups were found in anthropometrical (weight and height) and physical perfor- mance variables (One Repetition Maximum (RM), Peak Power output (PP), 30-m sprint and T-test). The strength-training programme was beneficial for the three maturity groups (p< 0.05) with general greater improvements for the Pre- and Mid-PHV groups, with large effects in RM, PP and T-test, than for the Post-PHV group (moderate effects). The strength-training programme proposed in the present study seems to be positive for the strength-related development in young soccer players especially for Pre- and Mid-PHV players. The differ- ences in the training adaptations for players with different maturity status suggest the indi- vidualization of the training stimulus for the correct long-term development of the playersSIThe authors received no specific funding for this work

Cardiac Rehabilitation Improves Endothelial Function in Coronary Artery Disease Patients

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation may be an effective nonpharmacological intervention for improving endothelial function in coronary artery disease patients. Therefore, this systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to (a) estimate the training-induced effect on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle function, assessed by flow-mediated dilation and nitroglycerin- mediated dilation, respectively, in coronary artery disease patients; and to (b) study the influence of potential trial-level variables (i. e. study and intervention characteristics) on the training-induced effect on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle function. Electronic searches were performed in Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase up to February 2021. Randomeffects models of standardised mean change were estimated. Heterogeneity analyses were performed by using the Chi2 test and I2 index. Our results showed that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation significantly enhanced flow-mediated dilation (1.04 [95 % confidence interval = 0.76 to 1.31]) but did not significantly change nitroglycerin-mediated dilation (0.05 [95 % confidence interval = –0.03 to 0.13]). Heterogeneity testing reached statistical significance (p < .001) with high inconsistency for flow-mediated dilation (I2 = 92 %). Nevertheless, none of the analysed variables influenced the training-induced effect on flow-mediated dilation. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation seems to be an effective therapeutic strategy for improving endothelial-dependent dilation in coronary artery disease patients, which may aid in the prevention of cardiovascular events

Hematological and ventilatory responses to a 3900 m altitude sojourn in an elite wheelchair-marathoner.

This case study aimed to report blood markers and resting respiratory rate (RR) oscillations at sea level, during a 5-wk 3900 m altitude sojourn, and after returning to sea level in a 36-year-old professional wheelchair marathoner. Outcome measures plasma erythropoietin (EPO) concentration, hemoglobin, reticulocytes count, erythrocytes and hematocrit as well as RR were measured upon wakening 7-weeks pre-altitude, 7-days pre-altitude, 35 hours after arrival to altitude, on days 8, 15, 21, 28 and 35 at altitude, 6 and 16 days after returning to sea level. EPO increased up to 259 % (31.6 U l-1) 35 hours upon arrival at altitude and decreased below pre-altitude level (12.2 U l-1) on the 21st day of the camp (8.7 U l-1), reaching the lowest values 16 days after returning from altitude (1.9 U l-1). All blood parameters, except for reticulocytes, increased (range: +17.9 to +23.8%) after 35 days of altitude exposure. Compared to pre-altitude, RR increased during the first week of exposure to hypoxic conditions and remained elevated throughout the camp until the fifth week (5.1±0.4 vs. 9.1±1.6 and 6.6±0.8 breaths min-1; Cohen´s d = +3.4 and +2.4, respectively). A 5-wk high-altitude sojourn triggered polycythemia and elevations in RR (as indicators of effective hypoxic acclimatization) in a professional wheelchair-marathoner

Influence of Training Load on Mood Disturbance at Sea Level and 3900 m Altitude: A Case Study of a Wheelchair Athlete

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the influence of a training load (TL), oxygen saturation (SO2) and blood pressure (BP) on mood states in a wheelchair marathoner during (7 weeks at sea level (SL), 5 weeks at 3860 m altitude, 1 week returning to SL). TL was obtained with Foster's equation while mood states were obtained with the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS). Furthermore, SO2 and BP were assessed upon wakening. SO2 (%) decreased at altitude, compared to SL (88.31 ± 2.46 vs. 98.52 ± 0.11) and increased until the last week at altitude (92.64 ± 1.12). Systolic pressure (SP) increased at altitude compared to pre-altitude (126.0 ± 5.1 vs. 107.6 ± 4.4 mmhg), and was not different from the last week at altitude. Controlling for SO2 and SP, differences were also observed in fatigue (97.66 ± 18.92 vs. 17.39 ± 13.71) and vigor (73.23 ± 8.62 vs. 26.48 ± 11.89) as a function of altitude. Upon return to SL, fatigue, vigor, SO2 and SP returned to pre values. This case study demonstrated the POMS was sensitive to worsening patterns in fatigue and vigor at altitude through a practical survey approach combined with daily physiological assessment

El papel del clima motivacional, la relación con los demás, y la orientación de metas en la predicción del "flow" disposicional en educación física

El objetivo del estudio fue comprobar la relación existente entre el clima motivacional percibido en educación física, la orientación disposicional, el mediador relación con los demás y la propensión a experimentar flow disposicional en una muestra de 356 estudiantes de E.S.O con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y 16 años. Debido a que las escalas de clima y orientación motivacional de Papaioannou, Tsigilis y Kosmidou (2007) no habían sido aplicadas previamente al contexto educativo español, se analizaron sus propiedades psicométricas. Los resultados revelaron que las escalas eran válidas y fiables para medir el clima motivacional y la orientación disposicional en las clases de educación física con adolescentes españoles. Tras un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple se comprobó que el flow disposicional fue predicho positivamente en un 45% por la aproximación al rendimiento del clima percibido, así como la maestría y la aproximación al rendimiento de la orientación disposicional y el mediador relación con los demás. La inclusión de la visión de las metas de aproximación-evitación y sociales conjuntamente ha permitido un análisis más profundo de la motivación de logro en las aulas de educación físicaThe objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived motivational climate in physical education, dispositional goal orientation, relatedness and dispositional flow in a sample of 356 secondary school students between the ages of 12 and 16. Since Papaioannou, Tsigilis and Kosmidou's scales of perceived motivational climate and goal orientation (2007) had not previously been applied to the Spanish educational context, the psychometric properties were analysed. The results revealed that the scales were valid and reliable for measuring the perception of motivational climate and dispositional orientation in physical education classes with Spanish adolescents. A multiple linear regression analysis found that dispositional flow was predicted positively in 45% of the cases by the perception of the performance approach climate, mastery and performance orientation approaches and relatedness. The inclusion of social and approach-avoidance goals together allowed for a more complete analysis of achievement motivation in physical educatio

Exercise‑based cardiac rehabilitation and parasympathetic function in patients with coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta‑analysis

Purpose The effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on parasympathetic modulation are controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to (a) determine the effect of exercise-based CR on heart-rate-derived indices associated with cardiac parasympathetic modulation in resting and post-exercise conditions in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and (b) identify the possible moderator variables of the effect of exercise-based CR on parasympathetic modulation. Methods We searched CENTRAL and Web of Science up to November 2018 for the following terms: adult CAD patients, controlled exercise-based CR interventions and parasympathetic modulation measured in resting (vagal-related heart rate variability [HRV] indices of the root mean square of the differences in successive in RR interval [RMSSD] and high frequency [HF]) and post-exercise (heart rate recovery [HRR]) pre- and post-intervention. We estimated a random-effects model of standardised mean difference (SMD) and mean difference (MD) for vagal-related HRV indices and HRR, respectively. We assessed the influence of categorical and continuous variables. Results The overall effect size showed significant differences in RMSSD (SMD+ = 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12–0.49) and HRR (MD+ = 5.35; 95% CI = 4.08–6.61 bpm) in favour of the exercise-based CR group. The overall effect size showed no differences in HF between groups (SMD+ = 0.14; 95% CI, −0.12–0.40). Heterogeneity analyses reached statistical significance, with high heterogeneity for HF (p < 0.001; I2 = 70%) and HRR (p < 0.001; I2 = 85%). Analysis of the moderator variables showed that the effect on HRR is greater in young patients (p = 0.008) and patients treated with percutaneous intervention (p = 0.020). Conclusions Exercise-based CR improves the post-exercise parasympathetic function, with greater effects in younger CAD patients and in those who were revascularised with percutaneous intervention. The effects on resting parasympathetic function are more controversial due to methodological inconsistencies in measuring HRV, with the use of RMSSD recommended instead of HF because its results show higher consistency. Future studies involving women, focusing on methodological issues, and performing other training methods are needed to increase our knowledge about this topic

Dose-response association between handgrip strength and hypertension: a longitudinal study of 76,503 european older adults

To examine the prospective dose-response association between handgrip strength and the incidence of hypertension in a representative sample of older European adults. We retrieved data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) waves 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Handgrip strength was measured and participants reported whether they had a medical diagnosis of hypertension. We assessed the longitudinal dose‐response associations of handgrip strength with hypertension using restricted cubic splines. During the follow-up, 27,149 (35.5%) were diagnosed with incident hypertension. At the fully adjusted model, the minimum and optimal dose of handgrip strength for a significant reduction in the risk of hypertension was 28 Kg (HR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.89-0.96) and 54 Kg (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.78-0.89), respectively. There exists an association between increased handgrip strength and reduced risk of developing hypertension in older European adults

Las exposiciones interactivas para escolares como herramienta de motivación de los estudiantes de Ingeniería Forestal y del Medio Natural

El perfil de alumnado de nuevo ingreso en el Grado en Ingeniería Forestal y del Medio Natural (IFMN) de la UEX es, con frecuencia, el de un titulado de ciclo formativo de grado superior con importantes carencias en las materias de tipo técnico, lo cual reduce su motivación para el estudio de éstas. Por otra parte, en el Grado en IFMN del Centro Universitario de Plasencia existe una preocupación por la innovación docente (llevada a cabo a través de varios proyectos competitivos) para lograr una mejor formación del alumnado tanto en competencias técnicas como en competencias transversales (entre las que se incluye la inteligencia emocional) y, paralelamente, mejorar las tasas de éxito y rendimiento de las materias implicadas. En este sentido, se ha diseñado una estrategia innovadora, bajo el lema general de 'FOREXPO: enseñando se aprende más', consistente en una exposición interactiva sobre Espacios Naturales Protegidos, Física y Medio Ambiente, que es ofrecida por los estudiantes universitarios de Ingeniería Forestal a los escolares de la ciudad de Plasencia, que visitan dicha exposición cada primavera, desde 2013, para aprender de manera directa y amena a través de maquetas y exposiciones de tipo interactivo donde pueden experimentar, observar, etc.La novedad de esta estrategia denominada FOREXPO es que combina diversas metodologías innovadoras como el ABP (Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas, ya que los estudiantes universitarios deben confeccionar las maquetas o exposiciones con un objetivo final), el ApS (puesto que en su aprendizaje realizan un servicio a la sociedad, como es mostrar ciencia cercana y divertida a los escolares de primaria de la ciudad de Plasencia), el “learning by teaching” o enseñando se aprende más (pues les empodera y motiva enormemente poder hablar a un público no especializado sobre cuestiones científicas de una cierta dificultad como la Física ambiental) y, por último, supone una colaboración entre dos materias del Grado, de forma que no se funcione de manera estanca.Esta experiencia innovadora es muy bien valorada por los estudiantes universitarios, tanto por la autoestima científica que les proporciona en materias difíciles como Física, como por las competencias transversales adquiridas al realizar las tareas organizativas que el ABP plantea como objetivo secundario. Asimismo, la acogida por parte de los centros educativos de primaria es muy buena en la ciudad, tanto por el contenido científico expuesto como por el buen hacer de los “monitores” universitarios y por la posibilidad de conocer la titulación en una especie de jornada de puertas abiertas que contribuye a difundir también la labor del Ingeniero Forestal en la sociedad, especialmente mediante lo expuesto en la materia de Gestión de Espacios Naturales Protegidos