The Influence of Body Position on Determining Aerobic Exercise Intensity for Healthy Individuals

To verify the influence of the resting heart rate (RHR) measurement on different positions in the calculation of VO_2max intensities in young individuals of both sexes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with a correlational design with a sample of 22 men and 11 women, aged 27.8 ± 6.5 years and 29.0 ± 8.6 years, respectively, healthy, active and sedentary, who performed the stress test on a treadmill until fatigue. For the treatment of the data, a repeated measures ANOVA was carried out with Bonferroni's post hoc test.

RESULTS

The comparison of the mean values of baseline heart rate (Bhr) between the groups of women and men showed significant differences (t = 2.329; gl 31; p = 0.027). However, no significant differences were noted for lying (t = 0.057; gl 31; p = 0.95), sitting (t = 0.196 gl 31; p = 0.85) or standing (t = -0.290; gl 31; p = 0.77). But in the analysis of the intensities of the RHR in different positions, the calculations with baseline and lying HR were significantly different (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The determination of aerobic training intensities by RHR method must observe the heart rate measurement at rest in the sitting and/or standing positions minutes before the training session.

Speed and throwing the ball are related to jump capacity and skeletal muscle mass in university basketball players

BACKGROUND

Speed and throw ball in basketball players are determinant skills for basketball performance. The purpose of this study was to determinate the relationship between speed and throw the ball with jump capacity and body composition in university basketball players.

METHODS

A comparative descriptive study with transversal design and a quantitative approach was performed. Seventeen male University basketball players (age = 23.60±3.45 years, height = 180.41±7.99 cm and Body Mass = 86.48±20.07 Kg) completed the following test: throwing the ball (m/s), handgrip strength (kg), speed 5-20 m (i.e., with and without the ball), jumping and reactive strength. Likewise, anthropometric variables and body composition were evaluated.

RESULTS

A very high correlation was found between the throw ball and the skeletal muscle mass (r=0.810, P<0.001) dominant handgrip strength (r=0.709, P<0.001) and non-dominant handgrip strength (r=0.610, P<0.01). The throw ball reported association with skeletal muscle mass (r2=0.67, P<0.001, 67% of the variance). Significant differences were found in speed with and without the ball at 10 m (P=0.003, ES=-0.854), 15 m (P=<001, ES=-1.548) and 20 m (P=<001, ES=-1.644). The speed of displacement without ball correlated high with the countermovement jump (CMJ) (r=-0.530, P≤0.05) Abalakov (r=-0.586, P≤0.05) and Drop Jump (DJ) (r=-0.685, P≤0.01) in the first 5 m.

CONCLUSIONS

The speed and throwing of the ball are associated with jumping capacity and skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, it is necessary to work these capacities in the university basketball player to improve performance.

High-Intensity Interval Training as a Tool for Counteracting Dyslipidemia in Women

Sedentary overweight or obese adult (age<60 years) women, allocated in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n=13), dyslipidemia alone (DYS, n=12), dyslipidemia associated with hyperglycaemia (DYSHG, N=12), or healthy control (CON, n=10) groups, had their lipid, glucose, blood pressure, endurance performance, and anthropometry variables assessed before and after 16 weeks of a thrice-weekly high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program. Triglycerides reduced significantly (P<0.05) in all groups, and high-density lipoprotein increased (P<0.01) in T2DM, DYS and DYSHG; however, low-density lipoprotein reduced (P<0.05) only in DYSHG, and total cholesterol reduced (P<0.01) only in DYS and DYSHG. Fasting glucose reduced (P<0.05) significantly in T2DM, DYS and DYSHG, but with higher decreases in T2DM and DYSHG. Blood pressure, endurance performance and body composition improved (P<0.05) in all groups. The HIIT program was effective for restoring lipid profile of DYS and DYSHG, and fasting glucose of DYSHG to levels similar to those of CON, with a weekly time commitment 25% to 56% lower than the minimum recommended in current exercise guidelines. These findings suggest that HIIT may be a time-efficient intervention for counteracting dyslipidemia.

Effects of different doses of high-speed resistance training on physical performance and quality of life in older women: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the effects of two frequencies of high-speed resistance training (HSRT) on physical performance and quality of life of older women.

METHODS

A total of 24 older women participated in a 12-week HSRT program composed of either two or three sessions/week (equated for volume and intensity). Women were randomized into three arms: a control group (CG, n=8), a resistance training group performing two sessions/week (RT2, n=8), and a resistance training group performing three sessions/week (RT3, n=8). The training program for both experimental groups included exercises that required high-speed concentric muscle actions.

RESULTS

No baseline differences were observed among groups. Compared with the CG, both training groups showed similar small to moderate improvements (P<0.05) in muscle strength, power, functional performance, balance, and quality of life.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that equated for volume and intensity, two and three training sessions/week of HSRT are equally effective for improving physical performance and quality of life of older women.

Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Training as a Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes

Our purpose was to investigate the effects of low-volume, high-intensity interval training (HIT) on cardiometabolic risk and exercise capacity in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sedentary overweight/obese T2DM women (age=44.5±1.8 years; BMI=30.5±0.6 kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to a tri-weekly running-based HIT program (n=13) or non-exercise control follow-up (CON; n=10). Glycemic control, lipid and blood pressure levels, endurance performance, and anthropometry were measured before and after the follow-up (16 weeks) in both groups. Medication intake was also assessed throughout the follow-up. Improvements (P<0.05) on fasting glucose (14.3±1.4%), HbA1c (12.8±1.1%), systolic blood pressure (3.7±0.5 mmHg), HDL-cholesterol (21.1±2.8%), triglycerides (17.7±2.8%), endurance performance (9.8±1.0%), body weight (2.2±0.3%), BMI (2.1±0.3%), waist circumference (4.0±0.5%) and subcutaneous fat (18.6±1.4%) were found after HIT intervention. Patients of HIT group also showed reductions in daily dosage of antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive medication during follow-up. No changes were found in any variable of CON group. The HIT-induced improvements occurred with a weekly time commitment 56-25% lower than the minimal recommended in current guidelines. These findings suggest that low-volume HIT may be a time-efficient intervention to treat T2DM women.