Psychophysiological Stress Markers During Preseason Among Elite Female Soccer Players.

ABSTRACT: Botelho, R, Abad, CCC, Spadari, RC, Winckler, C, Garcia, MC, and Guerra, RLF. Psychophysiological stress markers during preseason among elite female soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 36(6): 1648-1654, 2022-This study aimed to investigate changes and correlations between mood states and various physiological stress markers after a 7-week preseason period among elite female soccer players. Twenty-four elite female soccer players participated in this study (26.4 ± 3.7 years). Their internal training load, mood states, day and evening salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations, blood creatine kinase concentration (CK), and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed during the first week of preseason (PRE), and again 7 weeks after a systematic training period (END). After the preseason, there were significant increases in subject negative mood scales (p ≤ 0.03; Effect Size [ES] > 0.60), total mood scores (p = 0.01; QI = 100/0/0; ES = 1.32), day and evening testosterone and cortisol concentrations (p ≤ 0.03; ES > 0.54), and CK concentrations (p = 0.01; QI = 100/0/0; ES = 1.54). Correlations were found between cortisol and tension (r = 0.53 and 0.60; p ≤ 0.02), cortisol and confusion (r = 0.75; p = 0.01), and cortisol and the LF/HF index of HRV (r = -0.52; p = 0.04). Mood states (except vigor), salivary testosterone, and cortisol concentrations, as well as CK, showed significant changes after a 7-week systematic training system. The cortisol was the factor most highly related to various mood states (including tension and confusion), and with the HRV indices. Coaches and researchers can use these data to design, monitor, and control soccer training programs, in particular throughout the preseason period.

Effects of 2 or 5 consecutive exercise days on adipocyte area and lipid parameters in Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: Exercise has been prescribed in the treatment and control of dyslipidemias and cholesterolemia, however, lipid responses to different training frequencies in hypercholesterolemic men have been inconsistent. We sought to verify if different frequencies of continuous moderate exercise (2 or 5 days/week, swimming) can, after 8 weeks, promote adaptations in adipocyte area and lipid parameters, as well as body weight and relative weight of tissues in normo and hypercholesterolemic adult male rats. METHODS: Normal cholesterol chow diet or cholesterol-rich diet (1% cholesterol plus 0.25% cholic acid) were freely given during 8 weeks to the rats divided in 6 experimentals groups: sedentary normal cholesterol chow diet (C); sedentary cholesterol-rich diet (H); 5x per week continuous training normal cholesterol chow diet (TC5) and cholesterol-rich diet (TH5); 2x per week continuos traning normal cholesterol chow diet (TC2) and cholesterol-rich diet (TH2). RESULTS: No changes were observed in lipid profile in normal cholesterol chow diet, but both 2 a 5 days/week exercise improved this profile in cholesterol-rich diet. Body weight gain was lower in exercised rats. Decrease in retroperitoneal and epididymal relative weights as well as reductions in adipocyte areas under all diets types were observed only in 5 days/week, while 2 days/week showed improvements mainly in cholesterol-rich diet rats. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the importance of exercise protocols to control dyslipidemias and obesity in rats. The effects of 5 days/week exercise were more pronounced compared with those of 2 consecutive days/week training.

Does aerobic exercise intensity affect health-related parameters in overweight women?

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of a cycling training programme performed at intensity corresponding to the lowest value of the respiratory quotient (RQ) versus at intensity corresponding to the ventilatory threshold (VT), on body composition and health-related parameters in overweight women. Thirty-two sedentary obese women (27-42 years old) were studied in a randomized trial of either RQ (n = 17) or VT (n = 15). RQ and VT training sessions were equalized by time (60 min) and performed in a cycloergometer. Anthropometry, body composition, lipid profile, glucose, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and fitness (maximal oxygen uptake) were evaluated before and after 12 weeks of intervention. Body weight, body mass index, fatness and fitness were improved in both groups (P<0·001). Triglycerides (TG) levels decreased only in response to RQ (P<0·001) and fat-free mass (FFM) to VT (P = 0·002). No differences were observed between groups. Both exercise intensities seem to be effective for improving health in overweight women. However, low-intensity compared with the high-intensity exercise training appears to have additional benefits on TG levels and to maintenance of FFM.