Current results indicate that the WE and WL programs improved the cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular fitness of older women. Furthermore, when the effectiveness of the training programs were compared, it was verified that the WE program was more powerful in inducing changes in physical fitness versus the WL program.

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Among all nonpharmacological treatments, aerobic or resistance training (RT) has been indicated as a significantly important strategy to control hypertension. However, postexercise hypotension responses after intensity alterations in RT are not yet fully understood. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of differing intensities of RT on hypertensive older women. Twenty hypertensive older women participated voluntarily in this study. After a maximum voluntary contraction test (one repetition maximum) and determination of 40% and 80% experimental loads, the protocol (3 sets/90″ interset rest) was performed in a single session with the following exercises: leg press, leg extension, leg curl, chest press, elbow flexion, elbow extension, upper back row, and abdominal flexion. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were evaluated at rest, during exercise peak, and after 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes of exercise and compared to the control. Both experimental loads were effective (P<0.01) in promoting postexercise systolic hypotension (mmHg) compared to controls, after 30, 45, and 60 minutes, respectively, at 40% (113±2, 112±4, and 110±3 mmHg) and 80% (111±3, 111±4, and 110±4 mmHg). Both procedures promoted hypotension with similar systolic blood pressures (40%: −11%±1.0% and 80%: −13%±0.5%), mean arterial blood pressures (40%: −12%±5.5% and 80%: −12%±3.4%), and rate-pressure products (40%: −15%±2.1% and 80%: −17%±2.4%) compared to control measures (systolic blood pressure: 1%±1%, mean arterial blood pressure:\ 0.6%±1.5%, rate-pressure product: 0.33%±1.1%). No differences were found in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate measures. In conclusion, hypertensive older women exhibit postexercise hypotension independently of exercise intensity without expressed cardiovascular overload during the session.

Background. A systematised review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of school-based interventions that focus on changing dietary intake and physical activity levels to reduce childhood obesity. Methods. Multiple databases were searched for randomised and nonrandomised interventions from 2007 to 2016 in full-time elementary schools, which were delivered to the whole class, included dietary and physical activity components, involved both sexes, were written in English, and used body mass index (BMI) as an outcome. Results. The database search produced 8,866 titles from which 78 were deemed relevant and assessed for inclusion resulting in 15 studies meeting all inclusion criteria. From these 15 studies, 9 yielded a reduction or stabilisation in BMI or BMI z-score in the entire intervention group and/or subgroups. Programmes lasting between 6 and 12 months that involve multiple environmental, educational, and physical strategies appear to be most likely to result in BMI or BMI z-score improvement. Moderators most likely influencing an improvement in BMI included increased physical activity, decreased sugar sweetened beverages intake, and increased fruit intake. Conclusions. School-based interventions may be an effective means for child obesity prevention. The identification of consistent elements used in school-based interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness may aid in preventing child obesity.

Evangelista, AL, De Souza, EO, Moreira, DCB, Alonso, AC, Teixeira, CVLS, Wadhi, T, Rauch, J, Bocalini, DS, Pereira, PEDA, and Greve, JMDA. Interset stretching vs. traditional strength training: effects on muscle strength and size in untrained individuals. J Strength Cond Res 33(7S): S159–S166, 2019—This study compared the effects of 8 weeks of traditional strength training (TST) and interset stretching (ISS) combined with TST on muscular adaptations. Twenty-nine sedentary, healthy adults were randomly assigned to either the TST (n = 17; 28.0 ± 6.4 years) or ISS (n = 12; 26.8 ± 6.1 years) group. Both groups performed 6 strength exercises encompassing the whole body (bench press, elbow extension, seated rows, biceps curl, knee extension, and knee flexion) performing 4 sets of 8–12 repetition maximum (RM) with a 90-second rest between sets. However, the ISS group performed static passive stretching, at maximum amplitude, for 30 seconds between sets. Both groups performed training sessions twice a week on nonconsecutive days. Muscle strength (i.e., 1RM) and hypertrophy (i.e., muscle thickness [MT] by ultrasonography) were measured at pre-test and after 8 weeks of training. Both groups increased 1RM bench press (p ≤ 0.0001): ISS (23.4%, CIdiff: 4.3 kg–11.1 kg) and TST (22.2%, CIdiff: 5.2 kg–10.9 kg) and 1RM knee extension (p ≤ 0.0001): ISS (25.5%, CIdiff: 5.6 kg–15.0 kg) and TST (20.6%, CIdiff: 4.4 kg–12.3 kg). Both groups increased MT of biceps brachii (BIMT), triceps brachii (TRMT), and rectus femoris (RFMT) (p ≤ 0.0001). BIMT: ISS (7.2%, CIdiff: 1.14–3.5 mm) and TST (4.7%, CIdiff: 0.5–2.5 mm), TRMT: ISS (12.3%, CIdiff: 1.1–4.4 mm) and TST (7.1%, CIdiff: 0.3–3.1 mm), and RFMT: ISS (12.4%, CIdiff: 1.1–2.9 mm) and TST (9.1%, CIdiff: 0.7–2.2 mm). For vastus lateralis muscle thickness (VLMT) and sum of the 4 muscle thickness sites (ΣMT), there was a significant group by time interaction (p ≤ 0.02) in which ISS increased VLMT and ΣMT to a greater extent than TST. Vastus lateralis muscle thickness: ISS (17.0%, CIdiff: 1.5–3.1 mm) and TST (7.3%, CIdiff: 0.7–2.1 mm), and ΣMT: ISS (10.5%, CIdiff: 6.5–9.0 mm) and TST (6.7%, CIdiff: 3.9–8.3 mm). Although our findings might suggest a benefit of adding ISS into TST for optimizing muscle hypertrophy, our data are not sufficient enough to conclude that ISS is superior to TST for inducing muscle hypertrophic adaptations. More studies are warranted to elucidate the effects of ISS compared with TST protocols on skeletal muscle. However, our findings support that adding ISS to regular TST regimens does not compromise muscular adaptations during the early phase of training (<8 weeks) in untrained individuals.