Inter-Set Foam Rolling of the Latissimus Dorsi Acutely Increases Repetitions in Lat Pull-Down Exercise without Affecting RPE.

Foam rolling is widely used in fitness, sports, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. However, there are limited data available on the effect of foam rolling techniques on the upper limbs. The aim of this investigation is to assess the effects of foam rolling the latissimus dorsi area during the rest period between two consecutive lat pull-down exercise (LPDE) sets. Seventeen resistance training experienced volunteer male subjects (25.8 ± 3.4 years; 180.3 ± 9.0 cm; 79.7 ± 9.9 kg) participated in this research. Each subject performed 2 training sessions of LPDE in a random order, separated by one week. Each session consisted of 2 sets of maximum repetitions using 85% of their one-repetition maximum (1RM), with a 7 min rest period between sets. The rest period condition between sets was different in the 2 sessions: passive rest (Pr) or foam rolling the latissimus dorsi muscle bilaterally for 3 sets of 45 s (FRr). The following variables were assessed for each LPDE set: number of repetitions (REPS), average excursion per repetition in millimeters (EXC), average power of the set in watts (AP) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Pr did not show any significant change between the first and the second LPDE set for REPS, EXC, and AP. However, there was a significant increase for RPE (8.4 ± 0.5 vs. 8.9 ± 0.5 a.u., p = 0.003) between the two sets. FRr resulted in an increase for REPS (7.1 ± 1.5 vs. 8.2 ± 1.3, p < 0.001) and AP (304.6 ± 61.5 W vs. 318.8 ± 60.8 W, p = 0.034) between the first and the second LPDE sets, but no changes were observed for EXC and RPE. The use of foam rolling techniques on the latissimus dorsi area during the complete rest period between sets in LPDE at 85% 1RM appears to improve the number of repetitions and the movement power without affecting the RPE during the second set.

Self-Myofascial Release of the Foot Plantar Surface: The Effects of a Single Exercise Session on the Posterior Muscular Chain Flexibility after One Hour.

This study evaluated the effects of a single exercise session of Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) on the posterior muscular chain flexibility after one hour from the intervention. Thirty-six participants performed SMR using a rigid ball under the surface of both feet. Participants were tested with the Sit and Reach (S&R) test at four different times: before (T0), immediately after (T1), 30 (T2), and 60 (T3) minutes after the SMR intervention. The sample (n = 36) was categorized into three groups: (1) flexible, (2) average, and (3) stiff, based on the flexibility level at T0 (S&R values of >10 cm, >0 but <10 cm and <0 cm, respectively). For the whole sample, we detected significant improvements in the S&R test between the T1, T2, and T3 compared to T0. The stiff group showed a significant (p < 0.05) improvement between T1−T2 and T1−T3. Results were similar between the average group and the whole sample. The flexible group did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05) over time. In conclusion, this investigation demonstrated that an SMR session of both feet was able to increase posterior muscular chain flexibility up to one hour after intervention. Considering that a standard training session generally lasts one hour, our study can help professionals take advantage of SMR effects for the entire training period. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that physical exercise practitioners should also assess individuals' flexibility before training, as the SMR procedure used in this work does not seem necessary in flexible individuals.

Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion on Recovery in High-Level Judokas.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) effect on recovery in high-level judokas. METHODS: The sample of participants consisted of 10 male judokas (Age = 20 ± 2.1 years) who are judo masters (black belt holders) with a minimum of 10 years of training and competition experience. The study was designed as a double-blinded crossover design with the order of treatments being randomly assigned. The washout period was 72 h. All subjects received a dose of sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g/kg body weight) or a placebo 120 min before the fatigue caused by the special judo fitness test (SJFT). Lactate concentration (LC), countermovement jump (CMJ), hand grip strength and degree of perceived fatigue on Borg's scale (RPE) were tested two times before SJFT and four times after SJFT. RESULTS: There was no interaction between groups and type of recovery at any time during the two types of recovery for RPE, grip strength, VJ and lactate concentration (p > 0.05). However, there was a main effect of time for dominant grip strength (F(1,8)= 3.3; p = 0.01; η2 = 0.25, (small)), non-dominant grip strength (F(1,8) = 3.2; p = 0.01; η2 = 0.24, (small)), CMJ (F(1,8) = 8.8; p = 0.01; η2 = 0.47, (small)), and LC (F(1,8) = 124.2; p = 0.001; η2 = 0.92, (moderate)). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show no significant difference between the NaHCO3 and placebo groups in RPE, handgrip strength, CMJ, and lactate concentration.

Effect of beetroot juice supplementation on aerobic response during swimming.

The beneficial effects of beetroot juice supplementation (BJS) have been tested during cycling, walking, and running. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether BJS can also improve performance in swimmers. Fourteen moderately trained male master swimmers were recruited and underwent two incremental swimming tests randomly assigned in a pool during which workload, oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), pulmonary ventilation (VE), and aerobic energy cost (AEC) of swimming were measured. One was a control swimming test (CSW) and the other a swimming test after six days of BJS (0.5 l/day organic beetroot juice containing about 5.5 mmol of NO3⁻). Results show that workload at anaerobic threshold was significantly increased by BJS as compared to the CSW test (6.3 ± 1 and 6.7 ± 1.1 kg during the CSW and the BJS test respectively). Moreover, AEC was significantly reduced during the BJS test (1.9 ± 0.5 during the SW test vs. 1.7 ± 0.3 kcal·kg⁻¹1·h⁻¹ during the BJS test). The other variables lacked a statistically significant effect with BJS. The present investigation provides evidence that BJS positively affects performance of swimmers as it reduces the AEC and increases the workload at anaerobic threshold.