Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Lower-Limb Muscle Endurance Following an Acute Bout of Aerobic Exercise in Young Men

Effects of strength training with free weights and elastic resistance in older adults: A randomised clinical study

BACKGROUND

The aging process leads to negative changes in various bodily systems, including the neuromuscular system. Strength training, is considered the best strategy to counteract these neuromuscular changes, preventing sarcopenia and frailty in older adults.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of strength training with elastic resistance and free weights on the muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors and functional performance in the older adults.

METHODS

This was a randomised clinical study. Thirty-one participants of both sexes were allocated randomly into two groups: Training Group Free Weight (TGFW, n = 15) and Training Group with Elastic Resistance (TGER, n = 16). Two individuals were excluded and so, twenty-nine individuals were evaluated before and after eight weeks training protocol, which was performed three times a week. The determination of the training load was obtained using a protocol of 10 repetitions maximum.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found in either the intra- or the inter-group comparisons, on functional performance and peak muscle strength. In the intra-groups (pre- and post-strength training), it was observed that both groups significantly increased the training load (10 RM) for the extensors (TGFW p = 0.0002; TGER p = 0.0001) and the knee flexors (TGFW p = 0.006; TGER p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Both training protocols similarly were effective in increasing the training load observed by the 10 RM test of the extension and flexion movements of the knee.

A randomized open-labeled study to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate and combined training on jump and scoring performance in young basketball players

Background

Creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation has been shown to be an effective and safe nutritional supplement to improve performance; however, the impact of CrM supplementation in young basketball players is less clear. This study evaluated the effects of CrM supplementation during a strength and conditioning training (SCT) program on lower-limb strength parameters and performance in under-16 (U16) basketball players.

Methods

Twenty-three male U16 basketball players participated in this study (14.3 ± 0.4 years; BMI: 20.7 ± 2.2 kg∙m⁻²). The players were randomly assigned to either a CrM group (n = 12) that ingested 0.1 g·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹ of CrM or to a non-supplemented control group (n = 11, CON). The athletes participated in an 8-week SCT program consisting of two lower-limb resistance-training sessions and two plyometric sessions per week. Squat jump (SJ), drop jump (DP), countermovement jump (CMJ), and Abalakov (ABK) jump power tests as well as basketball performance (points and minutes per game) were measured before, during and/or after the intervention. Data were analyzed using a general linear model with repeated measures with independent Student’s t-test pairwise comparisons.

Results

The results (95% confidence interval for mean change from baseline) show that there were significant differences for all variables for CrM and CON, respectively: SJ (cm): 2.6 – 6.4, P < 0.01 and 2.2–5.1 P < 0.01; DJ (cm): 2.5–5.6, P < 0.01, and 1.8–4.4, P < 0.01; CMJ (cm): 0.3–0.8, P < 0.01, and 0.2–0.5, P < 0.01; ABK (cm): 2.8–5.5, P < 0.01 and 0.7–2.6, P = 0.003. A significant group x time interaction (p = 0.003, η_p² = 0.342) was observed in ABK performance. No significant group x time effects were seen in squat jump (p = 0.449, η_p² = 0.028), drop jump (p = 0.143, η_p² = 0.099), or counter movement jump (p = 0.304, η_p² = 0.05). A significant interaction effect was also observed in points per game (p = 0.049, η_p² = 0.149), while a non-significant but medium effect was seen in minutes per game (p = 0.166, η_p² = 0.094).

Conclusions

CrM supplementation in conjunction with resistance and plyometric training increased the lower-limb ABK power and scoring performance in U16 basketball players.

Creatine Supplementation: An Update

ABSTRACT

Creatine is a popular and widely used ergogenic dietary supplement among athletes, for which studies have consistently shown increased lean muscle mass and exercise capacity when used with short-duration, high-intensity exercise. In addition to strength gains, research has shown that creatine supplementation may provide additional benefits including enhanced postexercise recovery, injury prevention, rehabilitation, as well as a number of potential neurologic benefits that may be relevant to sports. Studies show that short- and long-term supplementation is safe and well tolerated in healthy individuals and in a number of patient populations.