Off- and On-Bike Resistance Training in Cyclists: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: This study compared the effects of off- and on-bike resistance training (RT) on endurance cycling performance as well as muscle strength, power, and structure.

Methods: Well-trained male cyclists were randomly assigned to incorporate two sessions/week of off-bike (full squats, n = 12) or on-bike (all-out efforts performed against very high resistances and thus at very low cadences, n = 12) RT during 10 wk, with all RT-related variables (number of sessions, sets, and repetitions, duration of recovery periods, and relative loads [70% of one-repetition maximum]) matched between the two groups. A third, control group ( n = 13), did not receive any RT stimulus, but all groups completed a cycling training regime of the same volume and intensity.

Relative pedaling forces are low during cycling.

We quantified and compared the mechanical force demands relative to the maximum dynamic force (MDF) of 11 cyclists when pedaling at different intensities (ventilatory threshold, maximum lactate steady state, respiratory compensation point, and maximal aerobic power), cadences (free, 40, 60 and 80 rpm), and all-out resisted sprints. Relative force demands (expressed as %MDF) progressively increased with higher intensities (p < 0.001) and lower cadences (p < 0.

Torque-Cadence Profile and Maximal Dynamic Force in Cyclists: A Novel Approach.

We aimed to determine the feasibility, test-retest reliability and long-term stability of a novel method for assessing the force (torque)-velocity (cadence) profile and maximal dynamic force (MDF) during leg-pedaling using a friction-loaded isoinertial cycle ergometer and a high-precision power-meter device. Fifty-two trained male cyclists completed a progressive loading test up to the one-repetition maximum (1RM) on a cycle ergometer. The MDF was defined as the force attained at the cycle performed with the 1RM-load.

Effects of multicomponent training and HMB supplementation on disability, cognitive and physical function in institutionalized older adults aged over 70 years: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate the synergist effects of exercise and β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on disability, cognitive and physical function, and muscle power in institutionalized older people.

Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Participants: Seventy-two institutionalized older adults (age = 83 ± 10 years old; 63% women) were randomized in four groups: exercise plus placebo (EX), HMB supplementation, EX plus HMB supplementation (EX + HMB), and control (CT).

Load-velocity Relationship of the Bench Press Exercise is not Affected by Breast Cancer Surgery and Adjuvant Therapy.

We examined the effect of breast cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy on the relationship between bar velocity and relative intensity (load-velocity [L-V] relationship) of the bench press (BP) exercise. Twenty-two breast cancer survivors (age: 48.0±8.

Free-Weight and Machine-Based Training Are Equally Effective on Strength and Hypertrophy: Challenging a Traditional Myth.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effects of free-weight and machine-based resistance training on strength, hypertrophy, and joint discomfort.

Methods: Thirty-eight resistance-trained men participated in an 8-wk resistance program allocated into free-weight ( n = 19) or machine-based ( n = 19) groups. Training variables were identical for both modalities, so they only differed in the use of barbells or machines to execute the full squat, bench press, prone bench pull, and shoulder press exercises.

Adaptations in athletic performance and muscle architecture are not meaningfully conditioned by training free-weight versus machine-based exercises: Challenging a traditional assumption using the velocity-based method.

Background: Although the superior effectiveness of free-weight over machine-based training has been a traditionally widespread assumption, longitudinal studies comparing these training modalities were scarce and heterogeneous.

Objective: This research used the velocity-based method to compare the effects of free-weight and machine-based resistance training on athletic performance and muscle architecture.

Methods: Thirty-four resistance-trained men participated in an 8-week resistance training program allocated into free-weight (n = 17) or machine-based (n = 17) groups.

Velocity-Based Method in Free-Weight and Machine-Based Training Modalities: The Degree of Freedom Matters.

Hernández-Belmonte, A, Buendía-Romero, Á, Pallares, JG, and Martínez-Cava, A. Velocity-based method in free-weight and machine-based training modalities: the degree of freedom matters. J Strength Cond Res 37(9): e500-e509, 2023-This study aimed to analyze and compare the load-velocity relationships of free-weight and machine-based modalities of 4 resistance exercises.

Effects of a concurrent training, respiratory muscle exercise, and self-management recommendations on recovery from post-COVID-19 conditions: the RECOVE trial.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physical exercise, respiratory muscle training, and the self-management World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations leaflet on the recovery of physical fitness, quality of life, and symptom status in people with post-COVID-19 conditions. Eighty nonhospitalized adults with a post-COVID-19 condition were randomly assigned to one of four 8-wk parallel intervention groups: ) multicomponent exercise program based on concurrent training (CT, number of subjects () = 20; 3 resistance and endurance supervised sessions per week at low-moderate intensity); ) inspiratory muscle training (RM, = 17; 2 standardized daily sessions); ) a combination of both of the above (CTRM, = 23); and ) control group (CON, = 20; following the WHO guidelines for post-COVID-19-related illness rehabilitation). No significant differences between groups were detected at baseline.

Rehabilitation for post-COVID-19 condition through a supervised exercise intervention: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the outcomes of patients with post-COVID-19 condition undergoing supervised therapeutic exercise intervention or following the self-management WHO (World Health Organization) rehabilitation leaflet.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out that included 39 participants with post-COVID-19 condition who had a chronic symptomatic phase lasting >12 weeks. Comprehensive medical screening, patient-reported symptoms, and cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength were assessed.

Relationship between the severity of persistent symptoms, physical fitness, and cardiopulmonary function in post-COVID-19 condition. A population-based analysis.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical fitness, cardiopulmonary function and patient-reported severity of symptoms in people with post-COVID-19 condition. We examined ambulatory patients (n = 72) with post-COVID-19 condition who had a chronic symptomatic phase lasting > 12 weeks from the onset of symptoms, but had not been hospitalized for acute COVID-19. A comprehensive medical screening was conducted, including clinical history, symptomatology, comorbidities, body composition and physical activity levels.

The 2-Point Method: A Quick, Accurate, and Repeatable Approach to Estimate Ultrasound-Derived Quadriceps Femoris Cross-Sectional Area.

Purpose: To analyze the feasibility of the 2-point method for estimating ultrasound-derived quadriceps femoris cross-sectional area (QUADACSA). First, (1) the agreement between QUADACSA measured by panoramic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was studied, and thereafter, we examined 2 approaches of the 2-point method in terms of (2) estimation errors and (3) test-retest repeatability.

Methods: Both thighs of 16 young men were analyzed.

Strength and Athletic Adaptations Produced by 4 Programming Models: A Velocity-Based Intervention Using a Real-Context Routine.

Purpose: To compare the strength and athletic adaptations induced by 4 programming models.

Methods: Fifty-two men were allocated into 1 of the following models: linear programming (intensity increased while intraset volume decreased), undulating programming (intensity and intraset volume were varied in each session or set of sessions), reverse programming (intensity decreased while intraset volume increased), or constant programming (intensity and intraset volume kept constant throughout the training plan). All groups completed a 10-week resistance-training program made up of the free-weight bench press, squat, deadlift, prone bench pull, and shoulder press exercises.

Panoramic ultrasound requires a trained operator and specific evaluation sites to maximize its sensitivity: A comprehensive analysis of the measurement errors.

This study aimed to examine the validity and repeatability of panoramic ultrasound to evaluate the anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) of quadriceps femoris muscles. Specifically, we aimed to quantify the errors generated during the image acquisition and analysis (repeatability), as well as when comparing with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (validity). Moreover, we analyzed the influence of the operator's experience and the region of the thigh, on these errors.

Pectoralis Cross-Sectional Area can be Accurately Measured using Panoramic Ultrasound: A Validity and Repeatability Study.

The objective of the current study was to examine the validity and repeatability of panoramic ultrasound in evaluating the anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) of the pectoralis major. Specifically, we aimed to quantify the measurement errors generated during the image acquisition and analysis (repeatability), as well as when comparing with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (validity). Moreover, we aimed to analyze the influence of the operator's experience on these measurement errors.

Chronotropic Incompetence in Non-Hospitalized Patients with Post-COVID-19 Syndrome.

Patients recovering from COVID-19 commonly report persistence of dyspnea, exertional fatigue, and difficulties in carrying out their daily activities. However, the nature of these symptoms is still unknown. The purpose of the study was to identify limiting causes of cardiopulmonary origin for the performance of physical exercise in post-COVID-19 condition that could explain the symptomatic persistence of dyspnea or fatigue-related symptoms.

Isometric knee extension test: A practical, repeatable, and suitable tool for lower-limb screening among institutionalized older adults.

We aimed to analyze the isometric knee extension test (IKE) test in terms of i) intra- and inter-session repeatability, and ii) relationship with functional and body composition factors of sarcopenia among institutionalized older adults. Thirteen institutionalized older adults (age = 87 ± 10 years, body mass [BM] = 73.1 ± 10.

Impact of Tailored Multicomponent Exercise for Preventing Weakness and Falls on Nursing Home Residents' Functional Capacity.

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether the benefits of long (24 weeks) and short (4 weeks) training programs persisted after short (6 weeks) and long (14 weeks) periods of inactivity in older adult nursing home residents with sarcopenia.

Design: Multicenter randomized trial.

Intervention: The Vivifrail tailored, multicomponent exercise program (http://vivifrail.

Reproducibility of the Rotor 2INpower Crankset for Monitoring Cycling Power Output: A Comprehensive Analysis in Different Real-Context Situations.

Purpose: To examine the reproducibility (intradevice and interdevice agreement) of the Rotor 2INpower device under a wide range of cycling conditions.

Methods: Twelve highly trained male cyclists and triathletes completed 5 cycling tests, including graded exercise tests at different cadences (70-100 rpm), workloads (100-650 W), pedaling positions (seated and standing), and vibration conditions (20-40 Hz) and an 8-second maximal sprint (>1000 W). An intradevice analysis included a comparison between the power output registered by 3 units of Rotor 2INpower, whereas the power output provided by each one of these units and the gold-standard SRM crankset were compared for the interdevice analysis.

Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Nowadays, there is a lack of consensus and high controversy about the most effective range of motion (ROM) to minimize the risk of injury and maximize the resistance training adaptations.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific evidence examining the effects of full and partial ROM resistance training interventions on neuromuscular, functional, and structural adaptations.

Methods: The original protocol (CRD42020160976) was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database.

A comprehensive analysis of the velocity-based method in the shoulder press exercise: stability of the load-velocity relationship and sticking region parameters.

The purpose of this study was threefold: i) to analyse the load-velocity relationship of the shoulder press (SP) exercise, ii) to investigate the stability (intra-individual variability) of this load-velocity relationship for athletes with different relative strength levels, and after a 10-week velocity-based resistance training (VBT), and iii) to describe the velocity-time pattern of the SP: first peak velocity [V], minimum velocity [V], and second peak velocity [V]. This study involves a cross-sectional (T1, n = 48 subjects with low, medium and high strength levels) and longitudinal (T2, n = 24 subjects randomly selected from T1 sample) design. In T1, subjects completed a progressive loading test up to the 1RM in the SP exercise.

Post-COVID-19 Syndrome and the Potential Benefits of Exercise.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is leading to unknown and unusual health conditions that are challenging to manage. Post-COVID-19 syndrome is one of those challenges, having become increasingly common as the pandemic evolves. The latest estimates suggest that 10 to 20% of the SARS-CoV-2 patients who undergo an acute symptomatic phase are experiencing effects of the disease beyond 12 weeks after diagnosis.

Level of Effort: A Reliable and Practical Alternative to the Velocity-Based Approach for Monitoring Resistance Training.

Hernández-Belmonte, A, Courel-Ibáñez, J, Conesa-Ros, E, Martínez-Cava, A, and Pallarés, JG. Level of effort: A reliable and practical alternative to the velocity-based approach for monitoring resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 2992-2999, 2022-This study analyzed the potential of the level of effort methodology as an accurate indicator of the programmed relative load (percentage of one-repetition maximum [%1RM]) and intraset volume of the set during resistance training in the bench press, full squat, shoulder press, and prone bench pull exercises, through 3 specific objectives: (a) to examine the intersubject and intrasubject variability in the number of repetitions to failure ( n RM) against the actual %1RM lifted (adjusted by the individual velocity), (b) to investigate the relationship between the number of repetitions completed and velocity loss reached, and (c) to study the influence of the subject's strength level on the aforementioned parameters.