Background: Endocrine mechanisms can be a determining factor in the neuromuscular performance of young athletes. Objective: The objective of the present study was to relate maturational and hormonal markers to neuromuscular performance, as well as to verify whether young athletes with different testosterone levels show differences in muscle strength. Methods: The sample consisted of 37 young male Brazilian athletes (11.3 ± 0.94 years) who were members of a sports initiation project. Hormonal markers were analyzed biochemically by blood samples, and maturation markers by mathematical models based on anthropometry. Body composition was verified by tetrapolar bioimpedance. The performance of upper and lower limb strength and body speed were analyzed. Results: Hormonal and maturational markers were related to neuromuscular performance (p < 0.05). Young people with higher testosterone levels showed higher muscle strength (p < 0.05). Artificial neural networks showed that testosterone predicted the performance of upper limbs by 49%, and maturation by 60%. Maturation foreshadowed the performance of lower limbs by 30.3%. Conclusion: Biological maturation and hormonal levels can be related to neuromuscular performance, and young people with higher testosterone levels show superior muscle strength in relation to the others.

Background: Paralympic Powerlifting (PP) training tends to promote fatigue and oxidative stress. Objective: To analyze the effects of ibuprofen use on performance and oxidative stress in post-training PP athletes. Methodology: Ten national level PP athletes (age: 27.13 ± 5.57) were analyzed for oxidative stress in post-training. The study was carried out in three weeks, (1) familiarization and (2 and 3) evaluated the recovery with the use of a placebo (PLA) and ibuprofen (IBU), 800 mg. The Peak Torque (PT), Torque Development Rate (TDR), Fatigue Index (FI), reactive substances to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and sulfhydryl groups (SH) were evaluated. The training consisted of five sets of five repetitions (80–90%) 1-Repetition Maximum (1-RM) in the bench press. Results: The IBU showed a higher PT (24 and 48 h, p = 0.04, ɳ2 p = 0.39), a lower FI (24 h, p = 0.01, ɳ2p = 0.74) and an increased lymphocyte count (p < 0.001; ɳ2p = 4.36). There was no change in oxidative stress. Conclusions: The use of IBU provided improvements in strength and did not protect against oxidative stress.

Background: Variable resistance training has recently become a component of strength and conditioning programs. Objective: This randomized counterbalanced cross-over study aimed to investigate the use of elastic bands (EB) and the traditional method (TRAD) and force indicators in a training session. Methods: 12 Paralympic athletes (age: 28.60 ± 7.60 years) participated in this three-week study. In the first week, the participants were familiarized with EB and TRAD and were tested for maximal repetition (1-RM). The research occurred in weeks 2 and 3, which included the pre-post training, during which the following measures were extracted: maximum isometric force (MIF), the peak torque (PT), rate of force development (RFD), fatigue index (FI), and time to MIF (Time). The athletes performed two tests, EB and TRAD, separated by a one-week interval. Results: Significant differences were found between the pre- and post-test for 1RM (p = 0.018, η2p = 0.412), MIF (p = 0.011, η2p = 0.415), PT (p = 0.012, η2p = 0.413), and RFD (p = 0.0002, η2p = 0.761). With the use of EB, there was a difference in RFD between TRAD before and EB after (p = 0.016, η2p = 0.761). There were significant differences in the before and after for FI between TRAD and EB (p < 0.001) and for Time (p < 0.001), indicating that training with the use of elastic bands promotes overload, characterized by increased fatigue and decreased strength. Conclusions: Training with EB did not decrease 1RM, PT, MIF or RFD, however, there was an increase in fatigue and time to reach MIF when compared to the method with fixed resistance.

Purpose. The study aim was to evaluate the maximum dynamic strength (MDS), mood levels, stress, and recovery during strength training in Paralympic powerlifting (PP). Methods. The study involved 7 male PP athletes (41.0 ± 10.1 years; 84.7 ± 21.1 kg). MDS (one-repetition maximum [1RM] with bench press), stress/recovery (RESTQ-Sport), mood status (BRUMS), and resting heart rate (oximeter) were determined before and after a PP training mesocycle (4 weeks). The bench press training was performed with 5 sets of 5 repetitions (5 × 5) with 80-85% of 1RM in the 1 st week, 5 × 3 with 85-90% of 1RM in the 2 nd week, 5 × 1-3 with 90-95% of 1RM in the 3 rd week, and 5 × 5 with 40-70% of 1RM in the 4 th week.Results. There was a significant increase in MDS (p < 0.001; effect size [ES]: 0.50). In the RESTQ-Sport scales, lack of energy (p < 0.022; ES: 1.30), success (p < 0.035; ES: 0.33), and sleep quality (p < 0.007; ES: 0.62) increased. The scales of general well-being (p < 0.012; ES: 2.18), interval disturbances (p < 0.021; ES: 3.14), personal acceptance, and self-regulation (p < 0.006; ES: 2.21) decreased. Regarding mood, the dimensions of tension (p < 0.003; ES: 1.32), depression (p < 0.001; ES: 5.00), anger (p < 0.001; ES: 4.75), fatigue (p < 0.002; ES: 0.72), and confusion (p < 0.002; ES: 2.09) increased and the vigour decreased (p < 0.001; ES: 0.87). Conclusions. The internal training load can be controlled by psychophysiological indicators in PP.

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