No abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the menstrual cycle on vertical jumping, sprint performance and force-velocity profiling in resistance-trained women. A group of resistance-trained eumenorrheic women (n = 9) were tested in three phases over the menstrual cycle: bleeding phase, follicular phase, and luteal phase (i.e., days 1–3, 7–10, and 19–21 of the cycle, respectively). Each testing phase consisted of a battery of jumping tests (i.e., squat jump [SJ], countermovement jump [CMJ], drop jump from a 30 cm box [DJ30], and the reactive strength index) and 30 m sprint running test. Two different applications for smartphone (My Jump 2 and My Sprint) were used to record the jumping and sprinting trials, respectively, at high speed (240 fps). The repeated measures ANOVA reported no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05, ES < 0.25) in CMJ, DJ30, reactive strength index and sprint times between the different phases of the menstrual cycle. A greater SJ height performance was observed during the follicular phase compared to the bleeding phase (p = 0.033, ES = −0.22). No differences (p ≥ 0.05, ES < 0.45) were found in the CMJ and sprint force-velocity profile over the different phases of the menstrual cycle. Vertical jump, sprint performance and the force-velocity profiling remain constant in trained women, regardless of the phase of the menstrual cycle.

García-Pinillos, F, Lago-Fuentes, C, Bujalance-Moreno, P, and P érez-Castilla, A. Effect of the menstrual cycle when estimating 1 repetition maximum from the load-velocity relationship during the bench press exercise. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): e55-e58, 2022-This study aimed to examine the effect of the ovulatory menstrual cycle (MC) when estimating the 1 repetition maximum (1RM) from the individual load-velocity relationship during the bench press (BP) exercise. Nine resistance-trained eumenorrheic women (age: 28.7 6 3.6 years) were tested in 3 different phases across the MC: menstrual or early follicular phase (i.e., testing between days 1-3), follicular or late follicular phase (i.e., testing between days 7-10), and luteal or mid-luteal phase (i.e., testing between days 19-21). Each testing trial consisted of an incremental loading protocol against 4 loading conditions (50-70-80-90% 1RM) in the concentric-only BP exercise. A smartphone application (MyLift) was used to collect the mean velocity (MV) of all repetitions. The 1RM was estimated from the individual load-velocity relationship by applying a linear regression model as the load associated with an MV of 0.17 m•s 21 . In addition, the MV obtained at each %1RM (i.e., from 20% 1RM to 80% 1RM in 20% increments), the load-velocity slope (i.e., the decrease in MV per each 1% of increment in the %1RM), and the y-intercept (i.e., the estimate of MV at 0% 1RM) were computed from the individual loadvelocity relationships. No significant differences were observed between the 3 phases of the MC for any of the measured load-velocity relationship parameters (corrected p-value $0.495; effect size #0.24). The results suggest that the estimation of the BP 1RM from the load-velocity relationship seems not to vary over the 3 different phases of the MC (i.e., menstrual, follicular, and luteal phases).

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate running kinematic characteristics and foot strike patterns (FSP) during early and late stages of actual and common high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT): 5 × 2000 m with 120-s recovery between runs. Thirteen healthy, elite, highly trained male endurance runners participated in this study. They each had a personal record in the half-marathon of 70 ± 2.24 min, and each had a minimum experience of 4 years of training and competition. Heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were monitored during HIIT. High levels of exhaustion were reached by the athletes during HIIT (HRpeak: 174.30 bpm; RPE: 17.23). There was a significant increase of HRpeak and RPE during HIIT; nevertheless, time for each run remained unchanged. A within-protocol paired t-test (first vs. last run) revealed no significant changes (P ≥ 0.05) in kinematics variables and FSP variables during HIIT. There were no substantial changes on kinematics and FSP characteristics in endurance runners after fatigue induced by a HIIT. Only the minimum ankle alignment showed a significant change. The author suggests that these results might be due to both the high athletic level of participants and their experience in HIIT.

The purpose of this study was to examine the training habits of eumenorrheic active women during their menstrual cycle (MC), and its perceived influence on physical performance regarding their athletic level. A group of 1250 sportswomen filled in a questionnaire referring to demographic information, athletic performance and MC-related training habits. Of the participants, 81% reported having a stable duration of MC, with most of them (57%) lasting 26–30 days. Concerning MC-related training habits, 79% indicated that their MC affects athletic performance, although 71% did not consider their MC in their training program, with no differences or modifications in training volume or in training intensity for low-level athletes (LLA) and high-level athletes (HLA) with hormonal contraceptive (HC) use. However, LLA with a normal MC adapted their training habits more, compared with HLA, also stopping their training (47.1% vs. 16.1%, respectively). Thus, different training strategies should be designed for HLA and LLA with a normal MC, but this is not so necessary for HLA and LLA who use HC. To sum up, training adaptations should be individually designed according to the training level and use or non-use of HC, always taking into account the pain suffered during the menstrual phase in most of the athletes.

The aim of this study was to examine acute physiological responses, physical fitness parameters and time-motion characteristics associated with a 4-a-side small-sided game in amateur level players. Sixteen male football players (age 23.9±4.2 years) completed one 4-a-side small-sided game with the aim of maintaining ball possession as long as possible. The participants were monitored for external load and physiological parameters, and tested before and after for physical fitness assessment. A Student’s paired t-test was conducted to determine the differences in physical fitness assessment. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Bonferroni post-hoc test, was used to determine the dynamics of physiological parameters in players, their RPE and time-motion characteristics of SSG. A significant difference was found in 20 m sprint time between before and after the SSG (Δ=+1.3%) . No significant differences were found between bouts or recovery periods for THb and SmO2, nor between HR-related variables (ES=.005-.383). Compared to RPE in bout 1, greater values were observed in bouts 2, 3, and 4 (Δ=+5.3%, p=.008, ES=.40; Δ=+9.6%, p=.002, ES=.98; Δ=+15.1%, p=.000, ES=1.29; respectively). No significant differences were found between bouts for time-motion characteristics. The results demonstrated that RPE responses increased throughout bout periods, whereas the rest of physiological parameters were maintained over the entire protocol. Due to possible fatigue accumulation, physical fitness performance was impaired (sprint) and the external load was reduced over the course of the protocol.

No abstract

This study determined the strength training (ST) habits of amateur endurance runners in Spain regarding athletic level. A sixteen-item online questionnaire comprised of (i) demographic information, (ii) performance, and (iii) training contents was completed by 1179 athletes. Five group levels were determined according to the personal best times of the athletes in a 10-km trial (LG1: level group 1, 50–55 min; LG2: level group 2, 45–50 min; LG3: level group 3, 40–45 min; LG4: level group 4, 35–40 min; LG5: level group 5, 30–35 min). Most athletes (n = 735, 62.3%) perceived ST as being a key component in their training program. Resistance training (RT) was reported as a ST type used by 63.4% of the athletes, 66.9% reported using bodyweight exercises, 46.8% reported using plyometric training, 65.6% reported using uphill runs, and 17.8% reported using resisted runs. The prevalence of runners who excluded ST from their training programs decreased as the athletic performance level increased (18.2% in lower-level athletes vs. 3.0% in higher-level), while the inclusion of RT, bodyweight exercises, plyometric training, and uphill and resisted runs was more frequent within higher-level groups. Most athletes included ST using low-to-moderate loads and high a number of repetitions/sets comprised of RT, plyometric training, resisted runs, and core, respiratory, and foot muscles training.