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Background: Extreme conditioning programs (ECPs) are fitness training regimens relying on aerobic, plyometric, and resistance training exercises, often with high levels of intensity for a short duration of time. These programs have grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, but science describing the safety profile of these programs is lacking.Hypothesis: The rate of injury in the extreme conditioning program is greater than the injury rate of weightlifting and the majority of injuries occur to the shoulder and back.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Level Of Evidence: Level 4.Methods: This is a retrospective survey of injuries reported by athletes participating in an ECP. An injury survey was sent to 1100 members of Iron Tribe Fitness, a gym franchise with 5 locations across Birmingham, Alabama, that employs exercises consistent with an ECP in this study. An injury was defined as a physical condition resulting from ECP participation that caused the athlete to either seek medical treatment, take time off from exercising, or make modifications to his or her technique to continue.Results: A total of 247 athletes (22%) completed the survey. The majority (57%) of athletes were male (n = 139), and 94% of athletes were white (n = 227). The mean age of athletes was 38.9 years (±8.9 years). Athletes reported participation in the ECP for, on average, 3.6 hours per week (± 1.2 hours). Eighty-five athletes (34%) reported that they had sustained an injury while participating in the ECP. A total of 132 injuries were recorded, yielding an estimated incidence of 2.71 per 1000 hours. The shoulder or upper arm was the most commonly injured body site, accounting for 38 injuries (15% of athletes). Athletes with a previous shoulder injury were 8.1 times as likely to injure their shoulder in the ECP compared with athletes with healthy shoulders. The trunk, back, head, or neck (n = 29, 12%) and the leg or knee (n = 29, 12%) were the second most commonly injured sites. The injury incidence rate among athletes with <6 months of experience in the ECP was 2.5 times greater than that of more experienced athletes (≥6 months of experience). Of the 132 injuries, 23 (17%) required surgical intervention. Squat cleans, ring dips, overhead squats, and push presses were more likely to cause injury. Athletes reported that 35% of injuries were due to overexertion and 20% were due to improper technique.Conclusion: The estimated injury rate among athletes participating in this ECP was similar to the rate of injury in weightlifting and most other recreational activities. The shoulder or upper arm was the most commonly injured area, and previous shoulder injury predisposed to new shoulder injury. New athletes are at considerable risk of injury compared with more experienced athletes.Clinical Relevance: Extreme conditioning programs are growing in popularity, and there is disagreement between science and anecdotal reports from athletes, coaches, and physicians about their relative safety. This study estimates the incidence of injury in extreme conditioning programs, which appears to be similar to other weight-training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During acute exercise, the concentration of oxidized high-density lipoprotein (HDL) lipids (ox-HDL) is reported to increase suggesting that HDL may function in decreasing the concentration of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) lipids. However, the effect of exercise intervention on the lipid peroxide transport function of HDL is unknown. A randomized controlled trial with sedentary women (N = 161), aged 43–63, with no current use of hormone therapy, were randomized into a 6-month (mo) exercise group and a control group. During the 6-mo intervention, the concentration of ox-HDL increased in the exercise group by 5% and decreased in the control group by 2% (p = .003). Also, the ratio of ox-HDL to HDL-cholesterol increased by 5% in the exercise group and decreased by 1.5% in the control group (p = .036). The concentrations of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and adiponectin did not change during the intervention. The concentration of serum triglycerides trended to decrease by 6% in the intervention group (p = .051). We found that the concentration of ox-HDL increased during the 6-mo aerobic exercise intervention, but the increase was not related to changes in the levels of CETP or adiponectin. These results, together with earlier studies, suggest that HDL has an active role in the reverse transport of lipid peroxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study regarding force levels and muscle injuries. It mentions that the study aims to analyze the part of force in muscle injury with exercises. In addition, the researchers observe ten people including six men and four women. According to the author, the subjects are followed when doing exercises that perform eccentric contractions of quadriceps femoris. Furthermore, the researchers find out that high specific forces of humans are vital in the introduction of muscle injury due to exercise.

Exercises are inductive of increases in serun CK concentration, microinjuries marker, being speculated that the use of creatine supplementation would increases this effect. The aim of this study was to verify if creatine supplementation modifies the concentration of CK in sedentary submitted the exercises. Twenty seven sedentary men, between 18 and 25 years had participated of controlled a double-blind study placebo. In the first day all had been submitted to a evaluation and later divided in 2 groups: C (n = 15) and P (n = 12). After the supplementation all had been submitted to a program of 5 exercises (3×10 repetitions) 85% of 1RM. The subjects had the concentration of CK measured before the suplementação, immediately before, 4h and 24h after the exercises. It had increase in the MCT of the subjects supplemented with creatine (0,7 ± 0,3 kg). the variation of the concentration of CK did not have increase of measured after the supplementation and after the exercise, however the CK concentration after increased 24h in both the groups (253 ± 27% in 262 group C and ± 31% in group P). The difference of the CK concentration after-exercise (24h) was bigger in both the groups analyzed in this study without, however to show effect of the supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]