Do muscular strength and jump power tests reflect the effectiveness of training programs for basketball athletes?

Muscular strength (MS) and jump power (JP) tests are used to assess athletic ability and measure the effectiveness of training programs. However, their use in various sport modalities needs to be investigated further. This study aimed to explore the changes in MS and JP during three different moments of a macrocycle training session and verify the validity of the tests used to predict the effectiveness of basketball training programs. Methods: During macrocycle training (three different moments), sixteen basketball players were evaluated for MS (measured using isokinetic dynamometry at the speed of 60°/s) during concentric contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles and JP, using countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) on a force platform. Results: Peak torque and maximal work values for knee extension and flexion showed no differences, during the three moments analyzed. Additionally, no changes were observed for CMVJ. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the effectiveness of basketball training programs does not seem to be related to the performance achieved by athletes on the tests used. Moreover, the lack of changes in MS and JP values during the macrocycle could be related to the training structure used; volume, intensity, density and workload specificity.(AU)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Presents Higher Sympathetic Cardiac Autonomic Modulation that is not altered by Strength Training.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may present important comorbidities, such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which are often preceded by changes in cardiac autonomic modulation. Different types of physical exercises are frequently indicated for the prevention and treatment of PCOS. However, little is known about the effects of strength training on the metabolic, hormonal, and cardiac autonomic parameters. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects of strength training on the autonomic modulation of heart rate variability (HRV) and its relation to endocrine-metabolic parameters in women with PCOS. Fifty-three women were divided into two groups: CONTROL (n=26) and PCOS (n=27). The strength training lasted 4 months, which was divided into mesocycles of 4 weeks each. The training load started with 70% of one repetition maximum (1RM). Blood samples were collected before and after intervention for analysis of fasting insulin and glucose, HOMA-IR, testosterone, androstenedione and testosterone/androstenedione (T/A) ratio. Spectral analysis of HRV was performed to assess cardiac autonomic modulation indexes. The PCOS group presented higher insulin and testosterone levels, T/A ratio, along with increased sympathetic cardiac autonomic modulation before intervention. The training protocol used did not cause any change of endocrine-metabolic parameters in the CONTROL group. Interestingly, in the PCOS group, reduced testosterone levels and T/A ratio. Additionally, strength training did not have an effect on the spectral parameter values of HRV obtained in both groups. Strength training was not able to alter HRV autonomic modulation in women with PCOS, however may reduce testosterone levels and T/A ratio.

Cardiac autonomic modulation is determined by gender and is independent of aerobic physical capacity in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Aerobic physical capacity plays an important role in reducing morbidity and mortality rates in subjects with cardiovascular diseases. This action is often related to an improvement in the autonomic modulation of heart rate variability (HRV). However, controversies remain regarding the effects of physical training on cardiac autonomic control in healthy subjects. Therefore, our objective was to investigate whether aerobic capacity interferes with the autonomic modulation of HRV and whether gender differences exist. METHODS: Healthy men and women (N=96) were divided into groups according to aerobic capacity: low (VO2: 22-38 ml/kg(-1) min(-1)), moderate (VO2: 38-48 ml/kg(-1) min(-1)) and high (VO2 >48 ml/kg(-1) min(-1).) We evaluated the hemodynamic parameters and body composition. The autonomic modulation of HRV was investigated using spectral analysis. This procedure decomposes the heart rate oscillatory signal into frequency bands: low frequency (LF=0.04-0.15Hz) is mainly related to sympathetic modulation, and high frequency (HF=0.15-0.5Hz) corresponds to vagal modulation. RESULTS: Aerobic capacity, regardless of gender, determined lower values of body fat percentage, blood pressure and heart rate. In turn, the spectral analysis of HRV showed that this parameter did not differ when aerobic capacity was considered. However, when the genders were compared, women had lower LF values and higher HF values than the respective groups of men. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that aerobic physical capacity does not interfere with HRV modulation; however, the cardiac modulatory balance differs between genders and is characterized by a greater influence of the autonomic vagal component in women and by the sympathetic component in men.

Physical exercise improves cardiac autonomic modulation in hypertensive patients independently of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor treatment.

We investigated the influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) treatment and physical exercise on arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate variability (HRV) in volunteer patients with hypertension. A total of 54 sedentary volunteers were divided into three groups: normotensive (NT Group), hypertensive (HT Group) and HT volunteers treated with ACEi (ACEi Group). All volunteers underwent an aerobic physical-training protocol for 15 weeks. HRV was investigated using a spectral analysis of a time series of R-R interval (RRi) that was obtained in a supine position and during a tilt test. Physical training promoted a significant reduction in the mean arterial pressure of the HT group (113±3 vs. 106±1 mm Hg) and the ACEi group (104±2 vs. 98±2 mm Hg). Spectral analysis of RRi in the supine position before physical training demonstrated that the NT and ACEi groups had similar values at low frequency (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF; 0.15-0.5 Hz) oscillations. The HT group had an increase in LF oscillations in absolute and normalized units and a decrease in HF oscillations in normalized units compared with the other groups. The HT group had the lowest responses to the tilt test during LF oscillations in normalized units. Physical training improved the autonomic modulation of the heart rate in the supine position only in the HT group. Physical training promoted a similar increase in autonomic modulation responses in the tilt test in all groups. Our findings show that aerobic physical training improves cardiac autonomic modulation in HT volunteers independently of ACEi treatment.