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The continuous execution of swimming techniques may cause muscle imbalances in shoulder rotators leading to injury. However, there is a lack of published research studies on this topic. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of a competitive swim period on the shoulder rotator–cuff balance in young swimmers. A randomized controlled pretest–posttest design was used, with two measurements performed during the first macrocycle of the swimming season (baseline and 16 weeks). Twenty-seven young male swimmers (experimental group) and 22 male students who were not involved in swim training (control group) with the same characteristics were evaluated. Peak torque of shoulder internal and external rotators was assessed. Concentric action at 1.04 rad s−1 (3 repetitions) and 3.14 rad s−1 (20 repetitions) was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex System 3). External/internal rotators strength ratios were also obtained. For both protocols, there were significant training effects on internal rotator strength and external/internal rotator ratios (p ≤.05). This trend was the same for both shoulders. Within-group analysis showed significant changes from baseline to 16 weeks for internal rotators strength and unilateral ratios of the experimental group. Swimmers' internal rotator strength levels increased significantly. In contrast, a significant decrease of the unilateral ratios was observed. Findings suggest that a competitive swim macrocycle leads to an increase in muscular imbalances in the shoulder rotators of young competitive swimmers. Swimming coaches should consider implementing a compensatory strength-training program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging produces several respiratory limitations and reduces tolerance to physical efforts, sometimes leading to pulmonary diseases in the elderly. The literature draws attention to the possible benefits of Yoga practice among the elderly, presenting evidence for significant improvements in quality of life. It was hypothesized that yoga practice can improve respiratory function in the elderly. The effects of a yoga program on pulmonary volumes and respiratory muscle strength were verified in 36 elderly women divided into a yoga group [YG] (63.1 ± 13.3 years of age) and a control group (61.0 ± 6.9 years of age). Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure (MIP and MEP) were assessed by a manovacuometer and tidal volume (VT), vital capacity (VC) and minute ventilation (VE) were measured by a ventilometer. The program comprised 65 min sessions, 3 times/week during 12 weeks. The heart rate and respiratory rate decreased significantly in the YG (76-39 ± 8-03 vs. 74-61±10.26 bpm and 18.61 ± 3.15 vs. 16.72 ± 3.12 resp/min, respectively). In the YG, VT and VE increased significantly (0.55 ± 0.22 vs. 0.64 ± 0.2 ml and 9.19 ± 2.39 vs. 10.05 ± 2.11 ml, respectively), as well as VC (1.48 ± 0.45 vs. 2.03 ± 0.72 ml). Improvements were also found in MIP and MEP in the YG (62.17 ± 14.77 vs. 73.06 ± 20.16 cmH2O and 80.56 ± 23.94 vs. 86.39 ± 20.16 cmH2O, respectively). It was concluded that a 12-week yoga program significantly improves pulmonary function of aged women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In recent years molecular simulation has emerged as a useful tool to predict physical properties of complex chemical systems. A methodology to estimate the n-hexane/water and 1-octanol/water partition coefficients of environmentally relevant solutes, namely substituted alkyl-aromatic molecules, chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) using molecular simulation is elucidated here. The partition coefficients are calculated based on the absolute solvation Gibbs energies in each phase which are estimated from molecular dynamics simulations employing the thermodynamic integration approach. Very encouraging results, with average absolute deviations of 0.4 log P units are presented. Consequently, this molecular-based approach with a strong physical background can provide reliable prediction of the partition coefficients in different solvent pairs without the a priori knowledge of experimental data. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1929-1938, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation for a major competition is an important concern of coaches and athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution in sprint performance during a training macro cycle in age-group swimmers of both genders. The sample comprised twenty four age-group swimmers (12.0 0.72 years old, 41.43 6.88 kg, 1.51 ± 0.09 m). The evaluations occurred during nine weeks of swimming training in the first macro cycle. During this period the subjects performed 54 training units (6 units per week). In all weeks, the performance in two trials of a 25 m front crawl all out test, with 15 min of rest, was recorded. Only the best performance was used to assess the effects of training. Comparisons between the first week and the following weeks were conducted using pair-sample t-test. The significance level was set at 5%. The sprint performance did not change during the first 6 weeks of preparation. In the last three weeks the performance in the 25 m front crawl test was improved when compared with the first week, although the major changes occurred at the last week of preparation. It seems that in age-group swimmers seven weeks of specific swimming training enables improving swimmer's sprint performance, although some differences exists between male and female swimmers. These data could be used by coaches to program the training season and the evolution of the load components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air Bike ergometers have recently appeared and become popular among fitness. These ergometers combine the use of upper or lower limbs while remaining seated. Its characteristic is that of a system of external load imposed through air resistance which increases with the cadence imposed on the equipment. The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability of the ramp test and standard leg-cycle ergometer to assess maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). For this purpose, 18 physically active young men, aged between 19 and 29 years (mean ± standard deviation= 21.78 ± 2.44), performed three maximal incremental ramp tests in random order: one test on a cycle ergometer and two tests on an Air Bike arm- and leg- ergometer (test and re-test) with cardiorespiratory measurements throughout the tests. VO2max and maximum heart rate (HRmax) were significantly higher in the Air Bike compared with the cycle ergometer (53.06 ± 8.72 vs 47.38 ± 9.15 mL/min/kg), 181.93 ± 10.20 vs 176.07 ± 5.28 bpm, p< 0.001; 95%CI 3.41-7.95; ES= 0.30 and p= 0.01; 95%CI 1.44-10.29; ES= 0.34, respectively for VO2max and HRmax). There were no differences between the two ergometers in the maximum respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and test duration (1.21 ± 0.13 vs 1.21 ± 0.13, 598.06 ± 37.28 vs 612.22 ± 86.40 s, p= 0.9; IC95% -0.05 - -0.05; ES= 0 and p= 0.4; 95%CI -46.12-17.79; ES= -0.11, respectively for RER and test duration). Both VO2max and HRmax showed to be reliable when assessed with the Air Bike ergometer. The maximal test carried out on the Air Bike is a reliable ergometer to assess VO2max and probably enables a higher VO2max as compared with a standard leg-cycle ergometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to compare the inter-limb symmetry between alternated and simultaneous arms flexion during water fitness sessions. Twenty-three elderly women were recruited to perform flexion by the elbow with different mechanical strategies: (a) simultaneous and (b) alternated. An incremental protocol was used, with four music cadences, starting at 105 beats per minute up to 150. The peak force of dominant and non-dominant upper-limbs was retrieved. A symmetry index (SI, %) was also used to quantify coordination. There were significant variations in force produced by the dominant and non-dominant limbs in most of the cadences in the alternated or simultaneous actions. Differences with a medium effect between upper-limbs were shown when moving simultaneously indicating that an alternated movement can be a more proper strategy to work with. Despite that, both strategies seemed to be characterized by an asymmetric pattern (SI from 20 to 30%), requiring full attention from water fitness practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of the combination of resistance training (RT) and the hydroethanolic extract (EHE) of Bowdichia virgilioides as markers of oxidative stress (OS) in rats with peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Rats were allocated into six groups (n = 10): animals without interventions (C), animals with an exposed nerve but without injury, injured animals, trained and injured animals, injured animals that received EHE, and animals that received a combination of RT and EHE. RT comprised the climbing of stairs. EHE was orally administered (200 mg/kg) for 21 days after PNI induction. RT reduced the amount of lipoperoxidation in plasma (14.11%). EHE reduced lipoperoxidation in the plasma (20.72%) and the brain (41.36). RT associated with the extract simultaneously reduced lipoperoxidation in the plasma (34.23%), muscle (25.13%), and brain (43.98%). There was an increase in total sulhydrilyl levels (a) in the brain (33.33%) via RT; (b) in the brain (44.44%) and muscle (44.51%) using EHE; and (c) in the plasma (54.02%), brain (54.25%), and muscle using the combination of RT + EHE. These results suggest that RT associated with oral EHE results in a decrease in OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), and as a non-profit organization runs by and for the research community. It mentions that ORCID provides the researcher with a unique identifier which connects researcher, research contributions and research affiliations. It states that reliably and simply connects authors with his/her contributions and affiliations;.

There is limited research on female football players, especially related to their physical and cognitive performance under different climactic conditions. We analyzed the impact of a hot environmental temperature on physical performance and anticipation in elite female football players during a fatigue‐inducing intermittent protocol. Elite female players (n = 21) performed the countermovement jump (CMJ) and responded to filmed sequences of offensive play under two distinct environmental temperatures (i.e., mild environment temperature‐ 20°C and 30% rh versus hot environment temperature‐ 38°C and 80% rh), interspersed by 1‐week interval. Linear mixed models were used. CMJ performance declined following the intermittent protocol on both temperature conditions (p < 0.05). Moreover, there were significant main effects for protocol on CMJ speed (m/s) (p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.12), CMJ power (p = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.11), and CMJ Heightmax (p = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.12). After performing the intermittent protocol, exposure to a hot temperature caused a greater decline in anticipation accuracy (mild temperature = 64.41% vs. hot temperature = 53.44%; p < 0.001). Our study shows impaired performance in elite female football players following an intermittent protocol under hot compared with mild environmental conditions. We report decreased performance in both CMJ and anticipation performance under hotter conditions. The results reveal that exposure to hot temperatures had a negative effect on the accuracy of their anticipatory behaviors. We consider the implication of the work for research and training interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss the theme of the issue, sixth International Symposium of Strength and Conditioning (ISSC) held in Fortaleza in September 2017.

The article presents updates relating to the publication as of April 2016 which include its plan to publish in 2016 a supplement of the International Congress of Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development and the cooperation protocol signed by the publication with the University of Beira Interior in May.

The purpose of this study was to learn the interplay between dry-land strength and conditioning, and stroke biomechanics in young swimmers, during a 34-week training programme. Twenty-seven swimmers (overall: 13.33 ± 0.85 years old; 11 boys: 13.5 ± 0.75 years old; 16 girls: 13.2 ± 0.92 years old) competing at regional- and national-level competitions were evaluated. The swimmers were submitted to a specific in-water and dry-land strength training over 34 weeks (and evaluated at three time points: pre-, mid-, and post-test; M1, M2, and M3, respectively). The 100-m freestyle performance was chosen as the main outcome (i.e. dependent variable). The arm span (AS; anthropometrics), throwing velocity (TV; strength), stroke length (SL), and stroke frequency (SF; kinematics) were selected as independent variables. There was a performance enhancement over time (M1 vs. M3: 68.72 ± 5.57 s, 66.23 ± 5.23 s; Δ = -3.77%; 95% CI: -3.98;-3.56) and an overall improvement of the remaining variables. At M1 and M2, all links between variables presented significant effects (p < .001), except the TV-SL and the TV-SF path. At M3, all links between variables presented significant effects (p ≤ .05). Between M1 and M3, the direct effect of the TV to the stroke biomechanics parameters (SL and SF) increased. The model predicted 89%, 88%, and 92% of the performance at M1, M2, and M3, respectively, with a reasonable adjustment (i.e. goodness-of-fit M1: χ²/df = 3.82; M2: χ²/df = 3.08; M3: χ2/df = 4.94). These findings show that strength and conditioning parameters have a direct effect on the stroke biomechanics, and the latter one on the swimming performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]