Performance and Physical Fitness Effect of Training and Exercise

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2021) | Viewed by 19445

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Sport Sciences Research Centre, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
Interests: force-velocity profiling; strength and conditioning; athlete testing and monitoring; sprinting; jumping; fatigue; optimized training
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, the achievement of success in sports has become a difficult target for both athletes and coaches. The overall purpose of the training process is to induce positive physical adaptations that, in turn, may create optimal conditions to enhance sport-specific performance and health. Improvements in the physical capabilities of athletes (e.g., strength, sprinting, endurance) are paramount, and these outcomes are most likely the result of positive adaptation to specific training and/or exercise. However, in order to maximize training adaptations and physical performance, practitioners should correctly manipulate training and exercise parameters (e.g., volume, intensity, distribution) across the training process. Thus, the training process requires a stricter monitoring and a closer examination of training loads and its effects, and therefore the training load should be carefully planned for the optimization of athletic performance and health. Furthermore, although many practitioners work in a team sport context with groups of athletes, it should be relevant to focus on individual athletes’ responses rather than only on the group’s results, since average results could result in missing important individual responses. Hence, an individualized approach to athlete monitoring is critical to get the best results from a training system. Advancing the knowledge and understanding of training responses in different types and proposals of training and exercise will facilitate training planning for performance enhancement and optimization of the training process. This Special Issue aims to address some of these issues and thus further our understanding about the response and effectiveness to different training and exercise methods, considered together with the importance of considering an individualized approach in training and exercise.

Dr. Pedro Jimenez-Reyes
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • performance
  • training load
  • acute adaptations
  • enhancement of physical capacities
  • strength
  • sprinting
  • force-velocity profiling
  • monitoring
  • fatigue

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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9 pages, 657 KiB  
Article
Total Training Volume and Muscle Soreness Parameters Performing Agonist or Antagonist Foam Rolling between Sets
by Haroldo Gualter Santana, Bruno Lara, Filipe Canuto Almeida da Silva, Pedro Medina Eiras, Gabriel Andrade Paz, Jeffrey M. Willardson and Humberto Miranda
Sports 2021, 9(5), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9050057 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4416
Abstract
Background: Foam rolling (FR) has become very popular in recent years; however, the practice of FR between sets of resistance training (RT) for the lower limbs needs further examination. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of [...] Read more.
Background: Foam rolling (FR) has become very popular in recent years; however, the practice of FR between sets of resistance training (RT) for the lower limbs needs further examination. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of FR for the agonists (quadriceps) and antagonists (hamstrings) between multiple sets of the leg extension on repetition maximum performance (RM), fatigue resistance index (FRI), and muscle soreness (MS). Study design: Quasi-experimental clinical trial. Methods: Twenty trained men participated in this study (30.35 ± 6.56 years, 1.77 ± 0.05 cm, 87.70 ± 7.6 kg) and attended seven sessions with 48 h between sessions, (one familiarization session; two 10-RM test and retest sessions; and four experimental sessions). The four experimental sessions were performed in random order and included: agonist foam rolling (AFR), antagonist foam rolling (ANTFR), agonist/antagonist foam rolling (A/ANTFR), and traditional control (TP, without foam rolling). All sessions consisted of three sets for maximal repetitions with a 10-RM load for the leg extension. In the AFR and ANTFR sessions, there was a 120 s rest interval between sets, during which FR was done for the agonists or antagonists, respectively. In the A/ANTFR protocol, there was a 120 s rest interval between sets, during which FR was done for the agonists and antagonists. In the traditional protocol (TP), there was a 120 s passive rest interval between sets. Results: Regarding the total training volume (TTV), significant differences were noted between sessions (F3,57 = 11.014; p = 0.0001). The AFR, ANTFR, and A/ANTFR sessions had significantly higher TTV versus the TP (p < 0.05). Regarding the FRI, significant differences were noted between sessions (F3,57 = 2917, p = 0.042). A significantly higher fatigue index was shown for the ANTFR and AFR sessions versus the TP (p < 0.05). Regarding the total number of repetitions, significant differences were noted between sessions (F3,57 = 11.086, p = 0.0001). The total number of repetitions was significantly higher in the A/ANTFR, ANTFR, and AFR versus the TP session (p < 0.05). MS was significantly lower in the A/ANTFR, ANTFR, and AFR sessions versus the TP session (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, foam rolling between sets for the agonist or antagonist separately or in succession, resulted in greater neuromuscular performance and higher fatigue indices, as well as reducing the perception of acute muscle soreness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance and Physical Fitness Effect of Training and Exercise)
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10 pages, 994 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Stretching Intensity and Changes in Passive Properties of Gastrocnemius Muscle-Tendon Unit after Static Stretching
by Taizan Fukaya, Masatoshi Nakamura, Shigeru Sato, Ryosuke Kiyono, Kaoru Yahata, Kazuki Inaba, Satoru Nishishita and Hideaki Onishi
Sports 2020, 8(11), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8110140 - 23 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3248
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between relative or absolute intensity and changes in range of motion and passive stiffness after static stretching. A total of 65 healthy young adults voluntarily participated in this study and performed static stretching of the plantar [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between relative or absolute intensity and changes in range of motion and passive stiffness after static stretching. A total of 65 healthy young adults voluntarily participated in this study and performed static stretching of the plantar flexor-muscle for 120 s. Dorsiflexion range of motion and passive torque during passive dorsiflexion before and after stretching were assessed. We measured the passive torque at a given angle when the minimum angle was recorded before and after stretching. The angle during stretching was defined as the absolute intensity. Dorsiflexion range of motion before stretching was defined as 100%, and the ratio (%) of the angle during stretching was defined as the relative intensity. A significant correlation was found between absolute intensity and change in passive torque at a given angle (r = −0.342), but relative intensity and range of motion (r = 0.444) and passive torque at dorsiflexion range of motion (r = 0.259). A higher absolute intensity of stretching might be effective in changing the passive properties of the muscle-tendon unit. In contrast, a higher relative intensity might be effective in changing the range of motion, which could be contributed by stretch tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance and Physical Fitness Effect of Training and Exercise)
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11 pages, 1066 KiB  
Article
Short-Term Compound Training on Physical Performance in Young Soccer Players
by Athos Trecroci, Marco Duca, Damiano Formenti, Giampietro Alberti, F. Marcello Iaia and Stefano Longo
Sports 2020, 8(8), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8080108 - 30 Jul 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4521
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of a five-week compound training (with strength and plyometric exercises performed on separate days) on sprint, change of direction, and vertical jump in young soccer players. Eighteen novices in strength and plyometric training were assigned to [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of a five-week compound training (with strength and plyometric exercises performed on separate days) on sprint, change of direction, and vertical jump in young soccer players. Eighteen novices in strength and plyometric training were assigned to either a compound training (CMPT) or a control condition (CNT). Both groups trained three times per week. One session was dedicated to soccer-specific drills. The other two weekly sessions were dedicated to circuit-based training routines employing on one-day strength exercises and on the other day plyometric exercises in the CMPT group. At the same time, the CNT group performed two weekly soccer-specific training sessions. All players were tested by 15-m sprint, change-of-direction and acceleration test (CODAT), squat jump, and countermovement jump with arms swing tests. CMPT group improved CODAT, squat jump and countermovement jump to a higher extent compared to CNT group (large vs small or trivial effects, p < 0.05), while both groups had similar 15-m sprint performance (p > 0.05). These results support the use of compound training to improve change of direction and vertical jump performances in young novice soccer players, which are unfamiliar with structured and advanced strength and plyometric training. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance and Physical Fitness Effect of Training and Exercise)
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14 pages, 1091 KiB  
Brief Report
The 360° Performance System in Team Sports: Is It Time to Design a “Personalized Jacket” for Team Sports Players?
by Igor Jukic, Julio Calleja-González, Francesco Cuzzolin, Jaime Sampaio, Francesc Cos, Luka Milanovic, Ivan Krakan, Sergej Ostojic, Jesús Olmo, Bernardo Requena, Nenad Njaradi, Roberto Sassi, Mar Rovira and Baris Kocaoglu
Sports 2021, 9(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9030040 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5219
Abstract
Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the best players became incredibly skilled and physically powerful, which is a fact that potentiates the delivery of a product that is considered attractive, exciting, and competitive. Not surprisingly, [...] Read more.
Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the best players became incredibly skilled and physically powerful, which is a fact that potentiates the delivery of a product that is considered attractive, exciting, and competitive. Not surprisingly, this is a very valuable product from an economic and social standpoint; thus, all sports professionals are extremely interested in developing new procedures to improve their sports performance. Furthermore, the great interests of the various stakeholders (owners, chief executive officers (CEOs), agents, fans, media, coaches, players, families, and friends) are one of the main reasons for this development under the sports science umbrella and the accompanying sports industry. All their personal performances should be coordinated and put into practice by the sports team. In this scientific and applied study, we primarily dealt with the individual treatment of players in order to improve their personal performance and, consequently, the team’s sporting performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance and Physical Fitness Effect of Training and Exercise)
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