This study tested the hypothesis that athletes participating in intermittent sports would exhibit a faster heart rate recovery (HRR) during the initial phase (<30 s) following maximal exercise than athletes participating in continuous endurance sports. Forty-six male athletes were allocated into continuous (CNT, n = 24) or intermittent groups (INT, n = 22), matched for age and aerobic fitness. Athletes performed maximal exercise on a treadmill using the ramp protocol. Immediately upon exercise cessation, subjects were placed supine with continuous measurement of HR during the first minute of recovery. Data were analyzed in 10-s intervals and compared between the groups. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a group x time interaction effects (p

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Citrulline (CIT) and nitrate-rich beetroot extract (BR) are widely studied ergogenic aids. Nevertheless, both supplements have been studied in short-term trials and separately. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the effects of combining CIT and BR supplementation on recovery status observed by distance covered in the Cooper test, exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and anabolic/catabolic hormone status have not been investigated to date. Therefore, the main purpose of this research was to assess the effect of the long-term (9 weeks) mixture of 3 g/day of CIT plus 2.1 g/day of BR (300 mg/day of nitrates (NO3−)) supplementation on recovery by distance covered in the Cooper test, EIMD markers (urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, GGT, LDH and CK) and anabolic/catabolic hormones (testosterone, cortisol and testosterone/cortisol ratio (T/C)) in male trained triathletes. Thirty-two triathletes were randomized into four different groups of eight triathletes in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial: placebo group (PLG), CIT group (CITG; 3 g/day of CIT), BR group (BRG; 2.1 g/day of BR (300 mg/day of NO3−)) and CIT-BR group (CIT-BRG; 3 g/day of CIT plus 2.1 g/day of BR (300 mg/day of NO3−)). Distance covered in the Cooper test and blood samples were collected from all participants at baseline (T1) and after 9 weeks of supplementation (T2). There were no significant differences in the interaction between group and time in EIMD markers (urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, GGT, LDH and CK) (p > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed in the group-by-time interaction in distance covered in the Cooper test (p = 0.002; η2p = 0.418), cortisol (p = 0.044; η2p = 0.247) and T/C (p = 0.005; η²p = 0.359). Concretely, significant differences were observed in distance covered in the Cooper test percentage of change (p = 0.002; η²p = 0.418) between CIT-BRG and PLG and CITG, in cortisol percentage change (p = 0.049; η2p = 0.257) and in T/C percentage change (p = 0.018; η2p = 0.297) between CIT-BRG and PLG. In conclusion, the combination of 3 g/day of CIT plus 2.1 g/day of BR (300 mg/day of NO3−) supplementation for 9 weeks did not present any benefit for EIMD. However, CIT + BR improved recovery status by preventing an increase in cortisol and showing an increase in distance covered in the Cooper test and T/C.

Introduction. The effectiveness of using the heart rate (HR) as an indicator of exercise intensity to monitor basketball training has been the subject of intense investigation. However, recent new regulations and a trend towards a more conditional game have prompted a need to revise field study procedures and demanded the increased specialization of game positions. Objectives. Five preseason matches played by a Profesional men's Spanish league team LEB (Club Baloncesto León) were analyzed in terms of the HR response recorded in the four game quarters. Materials and Methods. Heart rates were recorded using Polar Team® monitors in a group of 8 players, whose playing positions were point guard (n=2), forward (n=3) or center (n=3). We recorded maxima (HRmax) and means (HRmean) for each player and also expressed rates as percentages of the individual maximum HR recorded in the 5 games (%HRmax and %HRmean). Results. For the point guards, forwards and centers, respectively, HRmax (in beats·min) were 186±11.7, 176±8.3 and 177±7.7; and HRmean (beats·min -1 ) were 163±14.3, 151±10.3 and 155±9.4. While similar HRmax were observed in each quarter, significant differences were detected between the %HRmax values for the point guards versus the forwards or centers (P<0.0001 and P<0.05, respectively). Conclusion. Our findings indicate that point guards show the highest HR and forwards the lowest. HRmax and %HRmax values were high during the first quarter and continued to increase during the game, peaking in the final quarter.

The scientific literature about probiotic intake and its effect on sports performance is growing. Therefore, the main aim of this systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression was to review all information about the effects of probiotic supplementation on performance tests with predominance of aerobic metabolism in trained populations (athletes and/or Division I players and/or trained population: ≥8 h/week and/or ≥5 workouts/week). A structured search was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA®) statement and PICOS guidelines in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus international databases from inception to 1 November 2021. Studies involving probiotic supplementation in trained population and execution of performance test with aerobic metabolism predominance (test lasted more than 5 min) were considered for inclusion. Fifteen articles were included in the final systematic review (in total, 388 participants were included). After 3 studies were removed due to a lack of data for the meta-analysis and meta-regression, 12 studies with 232 participants were involved. With the objective of assessing the risk of bias of included studies, Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale were performed. For all included studies the following data was extracted: authors, year of publication, study design, the size of the sample, probiotic administration (dose and time), and characteristics of participants. The random effects model and pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) were used according to Hedges’ g for the meta-analysis. In order to determine if dose and duration covariates could predict probiotic effects, a meta-regression was also conducted. Results showed a small positive and significant effect on the performance test with aerobic metabolic predominance (SMD = 0.29; CI = 0.08–0.50; p < 0.05). Moreover, the subgroup analysis displayed significant greater benefits when the dose was ≥30 × 109 colony forming units (CFU) (SMD, 0.47; CI, 0.05 to 0.89; p < 0.05), when supplementation duration was ≤4 weeks (SMD, 0.44; CI, 0.05 to 0.84; p < 0.05), when single strain probiotics were used (SMD, 0.33; CI, 0.06 to 0.60; p < 0.05), when participants were males (SMD, 0.30; CI, 0.04 to 0.56; p < 0.05), and when the test was performed to exhaustion (SMD, 0.45; CI, 0.05 to 0.48; p < 0.05). However, with references to the findings of the meta-regression, selected covariates did not predict probiotic effects in highly trained population. In summary, the current systematic review and meta-analysis supported the potential effects of probiotics supplementation to improve performance in a test in which aerobic metabolism is predominant in trained population. However, more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms of action of this supplement.

Water polo (WP) is a high-intensity intermittent aquatic sport, with a predominance of swimming skills and nonswimming activities and incomplete recovery periods. Consequently, recovery after exercise is a fundamental part of sports performance. The main purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of different recovery strategies in WP performance. The studies were found by searching in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines samples. A summary of results including five studies was followed. The results show that supplementation with cherry juice before training does not imply improvements in recovery; the full-body photobiomodulation therapy reduces muscle damage; reducing training load during the season increased the natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences and perceived state of recovery, and the heart rate variability stabilizes and could progressively increase at the end of a tournament; and when an increase in internal training load is less than 60%–70% autonomic cardiac disturbances during preseason training do not occur. Recovery in WP is a very limited field of study that needs future research in active recovery, hydrotherapy, massage, rest and sleep to help coaches formulate recommendations.