Are the Dietary-Nutritional Recommendations Met? Analysis of Intake in Endurance Competitions.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades the number of endurance events has increased, as well as the number of athletes participating in them. Adequate nutritional and water planning is essential to maintain optimal sports performance and to reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal problems. The main objective of this study is to determine the dietary intake and compliance with nutritional recommendations of athletes in two endurance competitions, as well as to assess the incidence of gastrointestinal complaints. METHODS: An observational and cross-sectional study was carried out on the consumption of liquids, food, and supplements in 42 triathletes and mountain runners (MRs) participating in a Vi-Half-Gasteiz triathlon and the Ultra Sierra de Cazorla trail run. At the completion of the trials, participants completed a validated questionnaire (NIQEC). RESULTS: The mean caloric intake during the test of the participants in this study was 192.17 kcal/h, while the mean carbohydrate intake was 43.67 g/h, the mean sodium intake was 267.43 mg/h, and the mean caffeine intake was 15.53 mg/h, with no significant differences between the two sports. The amount of liquids consumed by the participants was 421.21 mL/h, with no significant differences between the triathletes and MRs. As for gastrointestinal problems, it was observed that the participants presented gastrointestinal discomfort in 61.9% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The intakes of energy, carbohydrates, water, sodium, and caffeine were lower than the current recommendations. There were no differences in the energy, carbohydrate, water, sodium, and caffeine intakes between the triathletes and mountain runners. Gastrointestinal problems showed a high prevalence in these athletes.

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement as a Strategy to Improve Bench Press Performance to Volitional Failure.

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement (PAPE) has been commonly used as a strategy to improve acute force production, although its effects on performance to volitional failure are still unknown. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of a PAPE protocol on bench press performance in a training set to volitional failure in trained individuals. Fourteen participants with at least two years of resistance training experience (age 24.57 ± 2.7 years; body mass 77.47 ± 12.2 kg; body height 174.21 ± 7.4 cm; medium grip bench press 1 repetition maximum (1RM): 101.6 ± 25.8 kg), of which 14 completed the control protocol and 12 completed the experimental protocol, took part in the study. After a standardised warm-up, participants completed three sessions: 1) a 1RM test for the medium grip bench press, 2) a control condition consisting of a set of the bench press to volitional failure with 80% 1RM (CON), and 3) an experimental condition consisting of a set of the bench press to volitional failure with 80% 1RM after a PAPE protocol (PAPE). The PAPE protocol consisted of a heavy set of one repetition with their 93% 1RM as the conditioning activity. Under the PAPE condition, participants performed significantly more repetitions than under the CON condition (p = 0.008, ES = 0.5, small effect), their last repetition was slower (p = 0.02, ES = 0.52, small effect) and presented a higher velocity loss (p = 0.004, ES = 0.75, moderate effect). These results suggest that a traditional PAPE protocol improves the number of repetitions performed to volitional failure.

Intermittent Voluntary Isometric Contractions Effects on Performance Enhancement and Sticking Region Kinematics in the Bench Press.

During the last years, post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) has gained notorious popularity due to the capacity to improve the acute rate of force development (RFD) using different strategies with different muscle contraction regimes as conditioning stimuli. The aim of the present study was to analyse the role of a maximal isometric post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol in performance and its effects on the kinematics of the sticking region. Twenty-one trained participants (age 26.4 ± 5.4 years) underwent two experimental sessions: an experimental session consisting of a single set and a single repetition of the bench press at the 93% of 1RM (which is considered a traditional conditioning activity to induce PAPE) (TRAD) and an isometric experimental session (ISO) consisting of 15 maximal voluntary isometric contractions in the sticking region of the medium grip bench press lasting 1 s with a 1 s rest interval between contractions. Both TRAD and ISO experimental conditions improved performance from post0 to post4, post8, post12 and post16, but only the ISO condition improved performance from the start of the lift to the start of the sticking region from pre to post (p < 0.001), and only the ISO condition improved maximum (p = 0.005) and minimum (p = 0.025) peak velocities. The results of this study suggest that short duration maximal voluntary isometric contractions improve the velocity of the lift prior to the initiation of the sticking region, which ultimately improves the impulse and facilitates the lift.

The role of exercise selection in regional Muscle Hypertrophy: A randomized controlled trial.

There is emerging evidence suggesting that muscle growth is not homogeneous through the muscle. The aim of the present study was to analyse the role of exercise selection in regional hypertrophy. Two randomly allocated groups with equal training volume and intensity performed squats in the smith machine (SMTH group) or the leg extension exercise (LEG group). Growth in proximal, central and distal regions of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles, jump height and body composition were analysed. Results show that the three regions of RF grew significantly in the participants of the LEG group (p < 0.05), while only the central region of VL grew significantly in the SMTH group (p < 0.05). In summary, this study confirms that exercise selection plays a role in regional hypertrophy. Whilst there may be still other factors that determine how muscles grow, it seems that the chosen exercises may be responsible of the differences observed in this study.

Post-Activation Potentiation in Strength Training: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature.

This review aimed to determine the ideal combination of post activation potentiation (PAP) strategies for an improved strength performance. After analysing 202 articles, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings of this review suggest that a potentiation effect exists as long as a minimum intensity and enough rest are provided. Although intensities of 65% 1RM are sufficient to elicit a potentiation effect, higher effects can be achieved with 85 - 90% 1RM intensities. Similarly, we found that experienced athletes will benefit more from a higher volume bout (1-3 sets), as long as 7-8 minutes of rest are allowed to avoid fatigue.

What are the Limiting Factors During an Ultra-Marathon? A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature.

This review aimed to analyse factors that limited performance in ultra-marathons and mountain ultra-marathons. A literature search in one database (PubMed) was conducted in February 2019. Quality of information of the articles was evaluated using the Oxford´s level of evidence and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The search strategy yielded 111 total citations from which 23 met the inclusion criteria. Twenty one of the 23 included studies had a level of evidence 2b (individual cohort study), while the 2 remaining studies had a level of evidence of 5 (expert opinion). Also, the mean score in the PEDro scale was 3.65 ± 1.61, with values ranging from 0 to 7. Participants were characterised as experienced or well-trained athletes in all of the studies. The total number of participants was 1002 (893 men, 86 women and 23 unknown). The findings of this review suggest that fatigue in ultra-endurance events is a multifactorial phenomenon that includes physiological, neuromuscular, biomechanical and cognitive factors. Improved exercise performance during ultra-endurance events seems to be related to higher VO2max values and maximal aerobic speed (especially during submaximal efforts sustained over a long time), lower oxygen cost of transport and greater running experience.