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This study investigated whether a heavy-intensity priming exercise precisely prescribed within the heavy-intensity domain would lead to a greater peak-power output (POpeak) and a longer maximal oxygen uptake (V̇ o 2max) plateau. Twelve recreationally active adults participated in this study. Two visits were required: 1) a step-ramp-step test [ramp-incremental (RI) control], and 2) an RI test preceded by a priming exercise within the heavy-intensity domain (RI primed). A piecewise equation was used to quantify the V̇ o 2 plateau duration (V̇ o 2plateau-time). The mean response time (MRT) was computed during the RI control condition. The delta (Δ) V̇ o 2 slope (S; mL·min−1·W−1) and V̇ o 2-Y intercept (Y; mL·min−1) within the moderate-intensity domain between conditions (RI primed minus RI control) were also assessed using a novel graphical analysis. V̇ o 2plateau-time (P = 0.001; d = 1.27) and POpeak (P = 0.003; d = 1.08) were all greater in the RI primed. MRT (P < 0.001; d = 2.45) was shorter in the RI primed compared with the RI control. A larger ΔV̇ o 2plateau-time was correlated with a larger ΔMRT between conditions (r = –0.79; P = 0.002). This study demonstrated that heavy-intensity priming exercise lengthened the V̇ o 2plateau-time and increased POpeak. The overall faster RI-V̇ o 2 responses seem to be responsible for the longer V̇ o 2plateau-time. Specifically, a shorter MRT, but not changes in RI-V̇ o 2-slopes, was associated with a longer V̇ o 2plateau-time following priming exercise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: It remains unclear whether priming exercise extends the maximal oxygen uptake (V̇ o 2max) plateau and increases peak-power output (POpeak) during ramp-incremental (RI) tests. This study demonstrates that a priming exercise, precisely prescribed within the heavy-intensity domain, extends the plateau at V̇ o 2max and leads to a greater POpeak. Specifically, the extended V̇ o 2max plateau was associated with accelerated RI-V̇ o 2 responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to identify and quantify the metabolites profile and metabolic pathways in human muscle tissue engaged during exhaustive high‐intensity cycling exercise. Seven healthy physically active men performed a graded exercise test and an exhaustive supramaximal effort at 115% of maximal aerobic power with muscles biopsies performed in rest and immediately after exhaustion for quantifying of muscle metabolites changes by 1H‐NMR spectroscopy. The time until exhaustion (tlim) recorded was 224.7 ± 35.5 s whereas the muscle pH at exhaustion was 6.48 ± 0.05. A total of 54 metabolites were identified and quantified. The most enriched and impacted pathways included: beta oxidation of very long chain fatty acids, mitochondrial electron transport chain, alanine aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis, propanoate metabolism, threonine and 2‐oxobutanoate degradation and pyruvate metabolism. In addition, the muscle concentrations in Post exercise, compared to Pre increased significantly (p < 0.0398) for fumarate (42.0%), succinate (101.2%), glucose (249.7%), lactate (122.8%), O‐acetylcarnitine (164.7%), glycerol (79.3%), AMP (288.2%), 2‐oxobutyrate (121.0%), and methanol (58.5%), whereas decreased significantly (p < 0.010) for creatine phosphate (−70.2%), ADP (−56.5%), carnitine (−33.5%), and glutamate (−42.3%). Only the succinate was significantly correlated with tlim (r = −0.76; p = 0.0497). Besides the classical expected contribution of glycolytic and phosphagen energetic pathways, it was demonstrated that the high‐intensity exercise is also associated with pathways indicatives of amino acid and fatty acid oxidation metabolisms, highlighting the inverse relation between changes in the intramuscular succinate levels and tlim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the effects of drop jumps (DJs) on supramaximal cycling performance, anaerobic capacity (AC), electromyography, and fatigue. Thirty-eight recreational cyclists participated into 3 independent studies. In study 1 (n = 14), neuromuscular fatigue was assessed with the twitch interpolation technique. In study 2 (n = 16), the AC and metabolic contributions were measured with the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit method and the sum of the glycolytic and phosphagen pathways. In study 3 (n = 8), postactivation potentiation (PAP) induced by repeated DJs was evaluated. The DJ protocol was effective for significantly improving cycling performance by +9.8 and +7.4% in studies 1 and 2, respectively (p ≤ 0.05). No differences were observed in electromyography between conditions (p = 0.70); however, the force evoked by a doublet at low (10 Hz) and high frequencies (100 Hz) declined for control (-16.4 and -23.9%) and DJ protocols (-18.6 and -26.9%) (p < 0.01). Force decline was greater in the DJ condition (p < 0.03). Anaerobic capacity and glycolytic pathway contributions were +7.7 and +9.1% higher after DJ protocol (p = 0.01). Peak force during maximal voluntary contraction (+5.6%) and doublet evoked force at 100 Hz (+5.0%) were higher after DJs. The DJ protocol induced PAP, improved supramaximal cycling performance, and increased AC despite higher peripheral fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to describe the training load distribution of a young female water polo team in different cycles of the season and verify its subsequent effects on specific fitness measured by the repeated sprints ability (RSA) test, aerobic endurance measured by the lactate minimum test, incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms, and muscle damage markers. The training load (i.e., rating of perceived exertion × session duration) of 20 young female water polo players (mean ± SD: age = 15.65± 1.× years; body mass=60.9×611.0 kg; height=1.62±0.1 m) was monitored, and the incidence and severity of URTI was assessed during part of the season. In addition, we assessed the lactate minimum speed (LMS), RSA, creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) blood concentration during the season. The level of significance set was p < 0.05. The training loads were higher in the specific period (p<0.01), whereas a high incidence of URTI was observed in the general cycle. The LMS was greater in the general cycle (p < 0.05), whereas total time and best time in the RSA test were greater in the competitive cycle (p < 0.05). The CK and LDH concentrations were significantly lower during the competitive cycle (p < 0.01). The general cycle of a female water polo team is critical regarding URTI and muscle damage, even with smaller training loads than the specific period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research investigating the relationship between aerobic and anaerobic parameters from three-minute all-out tethered swimming and 400-meter (m) maximal front crawl effort in 30 swimmers. Topics include maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and measures of lactate minimum (LMI), three-minute final force, which is equivalent to critical force (CF3-MIN), and peak oxygen uptake (Vo2peak).

The article reports on research conducted to verify the physiological responses and the match characteristics of table tennis and to compare the responses in 2 different performance level athletes from official tournaments. Researchers evaluated 12 players with regional experience and eight with national and international experience. They found that table tennis matches present the aerobic system as a principal output energy with the phosphagenic system being the most important.

Goalball is a Paralympic sport involving people with visual impairment. Little is known about the physical fitness of elite players of this sport, as previous studies only evaluated body composition and aerobic capacity. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the performance of elite goalball players in different physical tests and to look for relationships between them. Eleven elite Brazilian goalball players, seven males and four females, were evaluated for body composition, maximal handgrip isometric force (MHGF), countermovement jump (CMJ), throwing velocity (TV) and the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). Players produced 41.54 ± 8.41 kgf in MHGF, 34.81 ± 7.2 cm in CMJ, 14.21 ± 1.89 m∙s−1 in TV, and 505 ± 313 m in Yo-Yo IR1, with an estimated maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) of 40.64 ± 2.63 mL∙kg−1∙min−1. Most performance tests exhibited moderate to high correlations among them, while the percentage of body fat correlated with both the CMJ and Yo-Yo IR1 results. The current study reveals that CMJ could be a valuable monitoring tool as it was correlated with all other performance tests. The highest correlation observed was with TV (r = 0.754; p < 0.05), which is a key capacity in goalball. Moreover, high levels of body fat could be detrimental to anaerobic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]