Does Grappling Combat Sports Experience Influence Exercise Tolerance of Handgrip Muscles in the Severe-Intensity Domain?

Successful performance in grappling combat sports (GCS) can be influenced by the fighter's capacity to sustain high-intensity contractions of the handgrip muscles during combat. This study investigated the influence of GCS experience on the critical torque (CT), impulse above CT (W'), tolerance, and neuromuscular fatigue development during severe-intensity handgrip exercise by comparing fighters and untrained individuals. Eleven GCS fighters and twelve untrained individuals participated in three experimental sessions for handgrip muscles: (1) familiarization with the experimental procedures and strength assessment; (2) an all-out test to determine CT and W'; and (3) intermittent exercise performed in the severe-intensity domain (CT + 15%) until task failure. No significant differences were found in CT and neuromuscular fatigue between groups (p > 0.05). However, GCS fighters showed greater W' (GCS fighters 2238.8 ± 581.2 N·m·s vs. untrained 1670.4 ± 680.6 N·m·s, p < 0.05) and exercise tolerance (GCS fighters 8.38 ± 2.93 min vs. untrained 5.36 ± 1.42 min, p < 0.05) than untrained individuals. These results suggest that long-term GCS sports training can promote increased tolerance to severe-intensity handgrip exercise and improved W' without changes in CT or the magnitude of neuromuscular fatigue.

Post-activation performance enhancement does not occur following a large hand-paddles and parachute-resisted warm-up routine in collegiate swimmers.

Our aim was to investigate if using a warm-up routine that included parachute-resisted sprints with large hand-paddles improves 50 m freestyle performance in trained collegiate swimmers. Twelve swimmers (23.9 ± 2.2 years, 179 ± 7 cm, 77.1 ± 10.6 kg) participated in the study and completed two 50-m freestyle races, each preceded by a different warm-up routine, either control (CON) or experimental (EXP). The warm-up routines consisted of 500 m of swimming at self-selected speed, followed by four 10 s sprints with 1 min rest intervals. During EXP, sprints were performed using large hand-paddles and a swimming parachute, while during CON, sprints were performed freely. Performance and technique were assessed during the 50 m freestyle races. We found no significant differences in 25- and 50 m performance times (CON: 12.6 ± 0.8 vs. EXP: 12.5 ± 0.8 s, ES = 0.125; and CON: 26.8 ± 1.6 vs. EXP: 26.7 ± 1.7 s, ES = 0.06, respectively) between the two conditions. Mean stroke length (CON: 2.04 ± 0.21 vs. EXP: 2.02 ± 0.22 m·cycle-1, ES = 0.09), stroke frequency (CON: 55.4 ± 5.3 vs. EXP: 56.3 ± 5.2 cycles s-1, ES = 0.17), and propulsive time (CON: 0.62 ± 0.07 vs. EXP: 0.61 ± 0.06 s, ES = 0.15) were also not different between conditions. It is possible that the CON warm-up routine induced the priming effects that lead to PAPE, or that the EXP warm-up routine primed the athletes further but also induced greater fatigue, resulting in no significant effects on swimming performance. Our findings suggest that parachute-resisted sprints with hand-paddles during warm-up do not enhance 50 m freestyle swimming performance in trained collegiate swimmers. Coaches and practitioners should consider exploring different warm-up protocols to identify what works best for their athletes.

Notificações de óbitos por causas externas e violência contra idosos: uma realidade velada / Reporting of deaths from external causes and violence against older people: a veiled reality

Objetivo: Descrever o perfil da morbimortalidade da violência contra a pessoa idosa. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e retrospectivo de 14.900 notificações extraídas do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) e de 18.228 casos do Sistema de Informação de Mortalidade (SIM), de 2012 a 2017, do estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Analisaram-se as notificações de violência segundo características das vítimas (sexo, faixa etária, raça/cor e escolaridade), da ocorrência (local, tipo de violência, características do agressor) e as variáveis referentes ao óbito (sexo, faixa etária, raça/cor, estado civil, local de ocorrência e causa do óbito). Resultados: Das notificações analisadas, 54,5% (8.116) das vítimas eram mulheres, 42,8% (6.384) brancos e 47,6% (7.082) com ensino fundamental incompleto/analfabeto. A violência física deu-se em 69,5% (10.356) dos casos, e o filho apresenta maior frequência no perfil de agressor, com 26,4% (3.928). Em relação aos óbitos por causas externas, 60,9% (11.096) eram homens, 37,4% (6.815) com mais de 80 anos, 54,9% (10.011) brancos e 37,7% (6.867) casados. O hospital é o local de óbito mais relatado, 64% (11.664). Óbitos por outras causas externas: 42,5% (7.741), sendo as quedas 32,4% (5.897) do total. Conclusão: As principais vítimas são as mulheres idosas, com baixa escolaridade, e de violência física perpetrada, principalmente, pelo filho, porém aqueles que vêm a óbito com mais frequência são os homens idosos, tendo como principal causa as quedas e os acidentes de transporte. (AU)