Introduction: The effects of aerobic exercise on the immune system are not yet fully defined in the scientific literature. This fact demonstrates the need to investigate its influence on existing immunological markers by classifying and quantifying their acute and chronic effects. Objective: To investigate the effects of acute and chronic aerobic exercise on inflammatory markers of healthy adults. Methods: This study is a systematic review according to PRISMA recommendations. The following databases were searched: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, Bireme and Cochrane Library, and article references. The last search was performed in March 2019. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs) investigating the acute and chronic effects of aerobic exercise on immune markers in healthy male and female adults aged 20 to 45 years, without restrictions in language or year of publication. Two authors independently analyzed the studies by reading the titles, abstracts, and full texts. Risk of Study bias was analyzed using Cochrane's Risk of Bias Tool. Outcomes: We included 15 studies in this systematic review, 13 of which were acute intervention and 2 were chronic, with 296 participants, 196 men and 100 women all being healthy individuals. It was observed that the acute intervention promotes changes in most immunological markers, while the chronic intervention interferes with a smaller proportion, this being in lymphocyte subpopulations. In the evaluation of quality, it was found that most studies did not present a high risk of bias in the evaluated aspects, but an unclear related risk of bias was observed, requiring a more careful analysis. Conclusion: Thus, it can be concluded that the evidence indicates that acute and chronic interventions may modify most immune markers, but aspects such as gender, contraceptive pill use in women, physical capacity of the investigated individuals, environment, and type and intensity of the exercises may interfere with these markers as well as the data analysis. Therefore, this review suggests that further research is needed to contribute to the confirmation and estimation of results.

Introduction: Physical capabilities are an important parameter of the functional development of adolescents, not only by chronological age but also by their maturational state, as individuals with the same chronological age can have different performance to their less mature counterparts. Objective: To compare and relate the physical capabilities and hormonal markers according to sex and maturity of adolescents. Method: The sample consisted of adolescents of both sexes, aged 10 to 14 years. We evaluated the maturity achieved by a predictive equation of skeletal age, physical capabilities (explosive power of upper and lower limbs, velocity of upper limbs and agility) and hormonal markers (testosterone and oestradiol) via chemiluminescence. Results: Females showed more advanced maturational status, higher weight, body height and oestradiol levels; males performed better in the explosive force of upper and lower limbs, upper limb speed, agility and testosterone levels. In the normal maturational state males showed greater skeletal age, body weight, body height, explosive strength of upper and lower limbs, and testosterone levels; the females in the normal maturational state had higher skeletal age, body weight, body height, explosive upper limb strength and oestradiol levels. In the male correlation analysis, bone age was related to the explosive strength of upper and lower limbs and testosterone; while bone age in females was related to explosive upper limb strength and oestradiol. Conclusion: It is concluded that maturation, testosterone and oestradiol levels play an important role in the physical aspects and performance of motor skills of adolescents, especially in upper limb force which was more related to the maturation obtained by skeletal age of males and females.

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This study aimed to identify the interactional relationships between maturation (biological age (BA)) and lean mass on strength development in young athletes from different sports. Using a cross-sectional study design, a sample of 64 young athletes (rowers, swimmers, jiu-jitsu, volleyball, soccer and tennis players) of both sexes (13.6 ± 1.17 years) were recruited. Body composition was assessed using dual energy bone densitometry with X-ray source (DEXA). Strength of upper limbs (ULS), force hand grip (HG), vertical jump (VJ) and jump against movement (CMJ) were recorded. BA was estimated from anthropometrics. BA relationships were identified with upper limb strength in all athletes, and with the lower limb strength of tennis players, only (p < 0.05). An interaction effect between lean mass and BA was found (η2p = 0.753), as was a local effect within the regression models (ƒ2 ≥ 0.33). Athletes with a higher concentration of lean mass had superior upper and lower limb strength (p < 0.05). Lean mass showed a local effect (ƒ2) greater than that associated with BA. Although maturation is related to strength development, the strength of the relationship is mitigated by the accrual of lean mass. Specifically, the local effect of lean mass on muscle strength is broader than that of maturation, especially for lower limb strength.

The present study aimed to determine the effect of mental fatigue (MF) on total training volume (TTV; number of repetitions x number of sets x load) and on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; Borg, 1982 ) in the half-back squat exercise (HBSE). Nine male subjects ( M age = 22.6 years, SD =  2.3; M height = 172.3 cm , SD =  6.8; M weight = 76.2 kg , SD =  9.8; M years of resistance training experience = 4.1, SD = 2.3 years) recruited from a university population were study participants in this participant-blind cross-over and randomized study. Participants underwent either the Stroop task – a highly demanding cognitive task (CT) – or a control condition (CON) in which they viewed a documentary exhibition for 30 minutes. Perception of MF and motivation were assessed after treatments using a visual analog scale of 100 mm. Participants then engaged in a countermovement jump (CMJ) test and three sets of HBSE until they reached momentary concentric failure, reporting RPE at the end of each exercise set. Following the CT, participants showed a significantly increased self-perception of MF in relation to the CON condition ( p = 0.01; d = 1.2), but this did not affect their motivation to engage in subsequent tests ( p = 0.99; d = 0.006). Neither the CMJ performances nor the RPE were statistically different between CT and CON conditions ( p = 0.33; d = 0.09 and p = 0.20 ; η2 = 0.20, respectively). TTV was significantly lower in the CT relative to the CON experimental condition (Δ = −15.8%; p = 0.04; η2 = 0.48). Prolonged involvement in a CT was associated with reduced volume on a resistance exercise, though this effect was not associated with changes in CMJ performance or motivation to exercise.

The physiological benefits of applying blood flow restriction (BFR) in isolation or in the presence of physical exercise have been widely documented in the scientific literature. Most investigations carried out under controlled laboratory conditions have found the technique to be safe. However, few studies have analyzed the use of the technique in clinical settings. To analyze how the BFR technique has been applied by professionals working in the clinical area and the prevalence of side effects (SEs) resulting from the use of this technique. This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 136 Brazilian professionals who perform some function related to physical rehabilitation, sports science, or physical conditioning participated in this study. Participants answered a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 21 questions related to the professional profile and methodological aspects and SEs of the BFR technique. Professionals reported applying the BFR technique on individuals from different age groups from youth (≤18 years; 3.5%) to older adults (60–80 years; 30.7%), but mainly on people within the age group of 20 to 29 years (74.6%). A total of 99.1% of the professionals coupled the BFR technique with resistance exercise. Their main goals were muscle hypertrophy and physical rehabilitation. The majority (60.9%) of interviewees reported using BFR in durations of less than 5 minutes and the pressure used was mainly determined through the values of brachial blood pressure and arterial occlusion. Moreover, 92% of professionals declared observing at least 1 SE resulting from the BFR technique. Most professionals observed tingling (71.2%) and delayed onset of muscle soreness (55.8%). Rhabdomyolysis, fainting, and subcutaneous hemorrhaging were reported less frequently (1.9%, 3.8%, and 4.8%, respectively). Our findings indicate that the prescription of blood flow restriction technique results in minimal serious side effects when it is done in a proper clinical environment and follows the proposed recommendations found in relevant scientific literature.

The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors and the incidence of injuries in high-intensity functional training (HIFT) practitioners. A survey was administered to 213 HIFT practitioners. Participants reported the number of injuries, the location of the injuries, and training exposure during the preceding six months and answered questions regarding potential risk factors for injury. We found there were 7.1 injuries for every 1000 hours of training. In addition, we found that individuals with experience in the modality (>2 years) were 3.77 times more likely to be affected by injury when compared with beginner individuals (<6 months) (CI95%=1.59–8.92; p=0.003). When the analysis was performed only for the competitive level, we found that practitioners competing at the national level were 5.69 times more likely to experience an injury than competitors who do not compete (CI95%=1.10–29.54; p=0.038). We also found that the injuries mainly affect the shoulder and lumbar regions. It was possible to conclude that subjects with a higher level of experience in the modality are more likely to be affected by injuries and that the shoulder and lumbar areas are most likely to be injured during HIFT.

Objetivo: Verificar a incidência e as localizações das lesões atribuídas à participação no treinamento funcional de alta intensidade. Método: 189 sujeitos de ambos os sexos inseridos em dois centros de treinamento participaram deste estudo retrospectivo. Como instrumento de coleta de dados foi utilizado um questionário contendo perguntas subjetivas e de múltipla escolha. A proposta do questionário foi examinar a localização, o número de lesões e os possíveis fatores de risco para lesão em praticantes/atletas de treinamento funcional de alta intensidade. Resultados: Foi identificada uma incidência de 6.1 lesões por 1000 horas de treinamento. Os segmentos corporais com maior frequência de lesão foram o ombro (35.4%), lombar (20.3%), joelho (12.7%) e punho (8.9%). Além disso, as principais causas de lesões identificadas em nosso estudo foram técnicas de execução incorreta (34.2%), esforço repetitivo (29.1%) e elevadas cargas (17.7%). Conclusão: Estes resultados fornecem dados relevantes para a compreensão da etiologia das lesões em praticantes de treinamento funcional de alta intensidade. Desta forma, é possível que profissionais envolvidos em treinamento funcional de alta intensidade monitorem as respostas do treinamento e atuem na prevenção de lesões durante o programa de condicionamento.