Mechanical demands and pacing profile adopted by elite mountain bikers during different cross-country events / Demandas mecânicas e perfil de ritmo adotado por ciclistas de montanha de elite durante diferentes eventos do cross-country

ABSTRACT Different competitive environments appears to affect the physical demands during the sports competitions. Thus, the aim of this study was to report the mechanical demand and pacing behaviour of twelve male elite mountain bikers on cross-country short track (XCC) and cross-country Olympic (XCO). During both competition, total race time, speed, power output (PO) and cadence (CA) were recorded. As the race time in the XCC is shorter (21.0 ± 0.5 vs 84.0 ± 3.0 min; p<0.01), the average speed (26.6 ± 0.6 vs 17.8 ± 0.6 km/h; p<0.01), PO (365.0 ± 26.7 vs 301.0 ± 26.2 watts; p<0.01) and CA (81.2 ± 4.7 vs 77.4 ± 4.3 rev∙min−1; p=0.01) were higher than the XCO. While a variable pacing was adopted during XCC, a positive profile was adopted in XCO. In addition, athletes adopted a more conservative starting pace during XCC (below average race speed) but a faster start during XCO (above average race speed). These findings demonstrated that mechanical parameters and pacing profile adopted by cyclists are different between XCC and XCO. Therefore, mountain bikers and coaches must develop specific strategy and training methods in order to obtain success in each competition.

RESUMO Diferentes ambientes competitivos parecem afetar as demandas físicas durante as competições esportivas. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi reportar as demandas mecânicas e o comportamento do pacing de doze homens ciclistas de montanha da categoria elite durante o cross-country de pista curta (XCC) e o cross-country Olímpico (XCO). Durante ambas as competições, o tempo total de corrida, velocidade, potência (PO) e cadência (CA) foram gravados. Como o tempo de prova do XCC é menor (21,0±0,5 vs 84,0±3,0 min; p<0,01), a velocidade média (26,6±0,6 vs 17,8±0,6 km/h; p<0,01), PO (365,0±26,7 vs 301,0±26,2 watts; p<0,01) e CA (81,2±4,7 vs 77,4±4,3 rev∙min−1; p=0,01) foram maiores que no XCO. Enquanto um ritmo variável foi adotado no XCC, um perfil positivo foi adotado no XCO. Além disso, os atletas adotaram um ritmo inicial mais conservador durante o XCC (abaixo da velocidade média da prova), mas um início mais rápido durante o XCO (velocidade acima da média da prova). Esses achados demonstraram que os parâmetros mecânicos e o ritmo adotados pelos ciclistas são diferentes entre o XCC e XCO. Portanto, ciclistas e treinadores devem desenvolver estratégias e métodos de treinamento específicos para obter sucesso em cada competição.

Is Social Media Spreading Misinformation on Exercise and Health in Brazil?

Instagram (IG) reaches millions of people, sharing personal content and all kinds of information, including those related to exercise and health. However, the scientific quality of the posted information is questionable. Thus, this study aimed to analyze whether exercise and health information posted by popular Brazilian IG influencers has technical-scientific accuracy. A personal IG account was created to identify Brazilian IG profiles. The inclusion criteria of the accounts were: (1) having 50% of all the shared posts related to topics about exercise and health, such as nutrition, health and wellness, medicine, or physical fitness; and (2) having over 100,000 followers. Qualitative analysis revealed a low quality percentage (38.79 ± 25.43%) for all analyzed posts. Out of all the posts, only 13 (~2.7%) cited a reference endorsing the information. Moreover, the higher quality-ratio score of the posts was not directly associated with the higher educational qualification of the influencers (r = 0.313; p = 0.076). Nevertheless, the number of followers was inversely correlated with the educational qualification of the influencers (r = -0.450; p = 0.009), but not with the quality-ratio score of the posts (r = -0.178 p = 0.322). We conclude that prominent Brazilian IG influencers disseminate low-quality information about exercise and health, contributing to the wide-spreading of misinformation to millions of followers.

Ischemia-Reperfusion Intervention: From Enhancements in Exercise Performance to Accelerated Performance Recovery-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

It has been demonstrated that brief cycles of ischemia followed by reperfusion (IR) applied before exercise can improve performance and, IR intervention, applied immediately after exercise (post-exercise ischemic conditioning-PEIC) exerts a potential ergogenic effect to accelerate recovery. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to identify the effects of PEIC on exercise performance, recovery and the responses of associated physiological parameters, such as creatine kinase, perceived recovery and muscle soreness, over 24 h after its application. From 3281 studies, six involving 106 subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Compared to sham (cuff administration with low pressure) and control interventions (no cuff administration), PEIC led to faster performance recovery (p = 0.004; ES = -0.49) and lower increase in creatine kinase (p < 0.001; effect size (ES) = -0.74) and muscle soreness (p < 0.001; ES = -0.88) over 24 h. The effectiveness of this intervention is more pronounced in subjects with low/moderate fitness level and at least a total time of 10 min of ischemia (e.g., two cycles of 5 min) is necessary to promote positive effects.

Ischemic preconditioning delays the time of exhaustion in cycling performance during the early but not in the late phase

Aims: To investigate the early and late ischemic preconditioning (IPC) effect on the trained cyclists' performance during incremental cycling test until exhaustion. Methods: Twenty-one male cyclists allocated to an IPC (2 x 5-min of blood flow occlusion at 50 mm Hg above systolic pressure followed + 5-min of deflation), SHAM (2 x 5-min at 20 mm Hg) or control (CON; no occlusion) interventions, performed three incremental cycling test (ICT) until exhaustion on separate days. The ICT were conducted pre interventions (baseline), 5-min and 24-h after interventions. The heart rate (HR) and power output (PO) were recorded during all ICT. Results: The IPC group increased ICT performance (4.4 ± 4.0 %; effect size (ES) = 0.27) 5-min post intervention, accompanied by HR mean reduction, compared to baseline (p < 0.05). However, there were no changes in SHAM (2.2 ± 4.2%; ES = 0.07) and CON (2.9 ± 5.0%; ES = 0.06) groups. In 24-h post intervention, SHAM (0.2 ± 4.7%; ES = 0.02) and CON (-1.0 ±1.6; ES = 0.03) maintained (p > 0.05) and IPC group decreased the performance (-4.6 ± 3.6 %; ES = 0.16) compared to 5-min post intervention (p < 0.05), but all groups were similar to baseline (p > 0.05). There were no difference (p > 0.05) among groups for PO peak, HR and ICT performance in all moments (baseline, 5-min and 24-h post intervention). Conclusion: The IPC increases early but not late incremental cycling test performance.(AU)

Declines in exercise performance are prevented 24 hours after post-exercise ischemic conditioning in amateur cyclists.

Brief moments of blood flow occlusion followed by reperfusion may promote enhancements in exercise performance. Thus, this study assessed the 24-h effect of post-exercise ischemic conditioning (PEIC) on exercise performance and physiological variables in trained cyclists. In a randomized, single-blind study, 28 trained cyclists (27.1 ± 1.4 years) performed a maximal incremental cycling test (MICT). The outcome measures were creatine kinase (CK), muscle soreness and perceived recovery status, heart rate, perceived exertion and power output. Immediately after the MICT, the cyclists performed 1 of the following 4 interventions: 2 sessions of 5-min occlusion/5-min reperfusion (PEIC or SHAM, 2 x 5) or 5 sessions of 2-min occlusion/2-min reperfusion (PEIC or SHAM, 5 x 2). The PEIC (50 mm Hg above the systolic blood pressure) or SHAM (20 mm Hg) treatment was applied unilaterally on alternating thighs. At 24 h after the interventions, a second MICT was performed. In all the groups, the CK levels were increased compared with the baseline (p < 0.05) after the 24-h MICT. The PEIC groups (2 x 5 and 5 x 2) felt more tired at 24 h post intervention (p < 0.05). However, both PEIC groups maintained their performance (2 x 5: p = 0.819; 5 x 2: p = 0.790), while the SHAM groups exhibited decreased performance at 24 h post intervention compared to baseline (2 x 5: p = 0.015; 5 x 2: p = 0.045). A decrease in the maximal heart rate (HR) was found only in the SHAM 2 x 5 group (p = 0.015). There were no other significant differences in the heart rate, power output or perceived exertion after 24 h compared with the baseline values for any of the interventions (p > 0.05). In conclusion, PEIC led to maintained exercise performance 24 h post intervention in trained cyclists.

O uso de barra ou haltere não altera a ativação muscular durante o exercício pullover / The use of barbell or dumbbell does not affect muscle activation during pullover exercise / El uso de la barra o de pesas no altera la activación muscular durante el ejercicio de pullover

RESUMO Introdução: Inúmeras variações de exercícios têm sido aplicadas nas rotinas de treinamento de força, com o objetivo de otimizar os ganhos de força e hipertrofia e, entre os exercícios usados, podemos destacar o pullover. Objetivo: Comparar a atividade eletromiográfica da parte clavicular do músculo peitoral maior (PMC), parte esternocostal do peitoral maior (PME), cabeça longa do tríceps braquial (TBL), do deltoide anterior (DA), deltoide posterior (DP), latíssimo do dorso (LD) e serrátil anterior (SA) entre os exercícios pullover barra (PB) e pullover haltere (PH). Método: Participaram do estudo 11 homens treinados (idade, 24,50 ± 4,34 anos; percentual de gordura = 13,63 ± 1,94; estatura = 1,76 ± 0,04 m; massa corporal total = 73,12 ± 6,10 kg). A primeira fase do estudo consistiu em avaliações antropométricas e teste e re-teste de 10 repetições máximas (RM). A segunda fase do estudo foi composta pela coleta dos sinais eletromiográficos nos exercícios propostos. Para tal, foi realizada uma série com cargas ajustadas a 90% de 10 RM. Para verificar as diferenças na ativação dos respectivos músculos estudados entre os exercícios PB e PH adotou-se o teste t de Student pareado para amostras dependentes. Resultados: Não foram observadas mudanças na ativação de nenhum dos músculos analisados nos exercícios propostos (P > 0,05). Conclusão: Concluiu-se que a realização do exercício pullover com barra ou com o haltere não altera a participação/ativação dos músculos envolvidos.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Numerous variations of exercises have been applied in strength training routines, in order to optimize strength gains and hypertrophy, and among the used exercises, we can highlight the pullover. Objective: To compare the electromyographic activity of the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major (PMC), sternocostal head of the pectoralis major (PMS), long head of triceps brachii (TBL), anterior deltoid (AD), posterior deltoid (PD), latissimus dorsi (LD) and serratus anterior (SA) between the barbell pullover (BP) exercise and the dumbbell pullover (DP) exercise. Method: Eleven trained men (age, 24.50 ± 4.34 years; fat percentage = 13.63 ± 1.94, height = 1.76 ± 0.04 m, total body mass = 73.12 ± 6.10 kg). The first phase of the study consisted of anthropometric assessments and test and re-test of 10 maximal repetitions (MR). The second phase of the study consisted of the collection of electromyographic signals in the proposed exercises. For this, a series with loads adjusted to 90% of 10 MR was performed. To verify the differences in the activation of the respective muscles studied between the BP and DP exercises the paired student's T-test was used for dependent samples. Results: No changes were observed in the activation of any of the muscles analyzed in the proposed exercises (P>0.05). Conclusion: It was concluded that performing the pullover exercise with barbell or with dumbbell does not change the participation/activation of the involved muscles.

RESUMEN Introducción: Numerosas variaciones de ejercicios se han aplicado en las rutinas de entrenamiento de fuerza con el objetivo de optimizar las ganancias de fuerza e hipertrofia y, entre los ejercicios utilizados, podemos destacar el pullover. Objetivo: Comparar la actividad electromiográfica de la porción clavicular del músculo pectoral mayor (PMC), porción esternocostal del pectoral mayor (PME), cabeza larga del tríceps braquial (TBL), deltoides anterior (DA), deltoides posterior (DP), dorsal ancho (DA) y serrato anterior (SA) entre los ejercicios pullover barra (PB) y pullover pesas (PP). Método: Participaran del estudio 11 hombres entrenados (edad, 24,50 ± 4,34 años; porcentaje de grasa =13,63 ± 1,94; estatura = 1,76 ± 0,04 m; masa corporal total = 73,12 ± 6,10 kg). La primera fase del estudio consistió en las evaluaciones antropométricas y el test y re-test de 10 repeticiones máximas (RM). La segunda fase del estudio fue compuesta por la recolección de los signos electromiográficos en los ejercicios propuestos. Así, se realizó una serie con cargas ajustadas al 90% de 10 RM. Para verificar las diferencias en la activación de los respectivos músculos estudiados entre los ejercicios PB y PP se adoptó la prueba de la t de Student apareada para muestras dependientes. Resultados: No fueron observados cambios en la activación de ninguno de los músculos analizados en los ejercicios propuestos (P > 0,05). Conclusión: Se concluyó que la realización del ejercicio pullover con barra o con pesas no altera la participación/activación de los músculos involucrados.