Ezdine Bouhlel

Effect of Ramadan fasting on fuel oxidation during exercise in trained male rugby players

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on substrate oxidation in trained athletes during moderate-intensity exercise. METHODS Nine trained men (age: 19+/-2 yr, Height: 1.78+/-0.74 m) were tested on three occasions: during a control period immediately before Ramadan (C), at the end of the first week (Beg-R), and during the fourth week of Ramadan (End-R). On each occasion, they performed submaximal cycle ergometer exercise, with work-rates that were increased progressively (loadings corresponding to 20, 30, 40, 50, 60% of Wmax). Steady-state substrate oxidation was evaluated by indirect calorimetry. RESULTS Participants showed significant decreases in body mass and body fat at the end of Ramadan, relative to initial control values (P<0.001). The daily food intake was also reduced during Ramadan (P<0.01). Haemoglobin concentrations and hematocrit were significantly higher at the end-Ramadan, both at rest (P<0.001 and P<0.0001 respectively) and after exercise, (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively) compared to control measurements made before Ramadan. At the end of Ramadan, our subjects had increased their fat utilization during exercise. The cross-over was observed at a higher intensity at the End-R (35% vs. 30% of Wmax, P<0.001). For the same power output, the Lipox max was also higher at the End-R, compared to control value (265+/-38 vs. 199.1+/-20 mg/min, P<0.001). CONCLUSION Ramadan fasting increases the lipid oxidation of trained athletes during submaximal exercise. The increased fat utilisation may be related to decreases in body mass and body fat content.

Effect of Ramadan observance on maximal muscular performance of trained men.

Objective:To assess the influence of Ramadan fasting on maximal performance of moderately trained young men using various tests of muscle performance. Design:Comparison of Ramadan fasting (n = 10) versus control group (n = 10) over 3 test sessions, before Ramadan (B), at the end of the first week of Ramadan (R-1), and during the fourth week of Ramadan (R-4). Setting:At each 2-day test session, 4 tests were performed in the same order: measurement of vertical jump height (VJH) and a force–velocity test using the arms on day 1, and measurement of handgrip force (HGF), and a force-velocity test using the legs on day 2. Participants:Twenty trained men. Main Outcome Measures:Maximal power of the arms and of the legs (force–velocity testing), vertical jump performance, HGF, anthropometric data, dietary intake, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Results:Two-way analyses of variance (group × time) showed Ramadan fasters with decreased maximal anaerobic power of the arms (Wmax-A) and legs (Wmax-L) at R-1, with a partial return of arm data to initial values at R-4. Vertical jump height and HGF remained unchanged throughout. Other changes in Ramadan observers were a decreased energy intake and a decrease of plasma volume at R-1. Conclusions:These results suggest that Ramadan observance initially had detrimental effects on Wmax-A, and Wmax-L, with a tendency to recovery by week 4 of Ramadan. Reductions of total energy intake and intramuscular glycogen may contribute to the reduced Wmax-A and Wmax-L during Ramadan fasting.

Effects of recreational soccer on physical fitness and health indices in sedentary healthy and unhealthy subjects

Recreational soccer (RS) is becoming a popular alternative to the classical continuous exercise mode used for the improvement of cardiovascular and metabolic fitness in untrained people. The objective of this paper was to conduct a detailed systematic review of the literature, identifying the physiological responses to RS and the training effects of RS on aerobic fitness and health in untrained healthy individuals and clinical patients. PubMed, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect databases were searched using terms related to recreational soccer. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCT) that assessed acute physiological responses to RS or the training effects of RS on physical fitness and health in sedentary, untrained subjects of any age or health status. All studies were assessed for methodological quality using the PEDro scale. Thirty-five articles met the inclusion criteria; seven examined the acute response to RS, and 28 assessed training effects. Clear evidence was found that RS had positive effects on many health-related indices and variables, including VO2max (gains of 7-16%), blood pressure (reductions of 6-13 mmHg), body composition (decreased fat mass and improved indices of bone health), and metabolic and cardiac function. These positive effects were observed in both healthy individuals and clinical patients, irrespective of age or sex. Although this review provides clear evidence of the positive effects of RS on health, most studies had limitations of methodology (an average PEDro score < 6). Furthermore, many of the training studies were from a small number of research groups. Future studies should be extended to other countries and institutions to ensure generality of the results. Regular RS training leads to significant cardiovascular and muscular adaptations and gains of health both in sedentary individuals and clinical patients at all ages, suggesting that RS is a potentially highly motivational method to enhance population health.

Effects of soccer training on health-related physical fitness measures in male adolescents

Purpose The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the health-related physical fitness profile of untrained adolescent boys in comparison to adolescent soccer players, (2) determine the intensity and enjoyment of 6 v 6 and 4 v 4 small-sided games, and (3) evaluate the health-related effects of a short-period of soccer training in the untrained group. Methods Forty-one adolescent boys (untrained, n = 24: age = 15.9 ± 0.6 years; trained, n = 17: age = 15.7 ± 0.7 years) were recruited. For Purpose 1, the players (n = 17) and the untrained (n = 24) boys were tested for speed, jumping power, postural balance, flexibility, and aerobic capacity. After baseline testing, Purposes 2 and 3 were addressed by randomly assigning the untrained boys to either a soccer-training group (small-sided games, 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks) or to a control group, followed by identical retesting. Results At baseline, physical fitness was higher (p < 0.001) in trained players than in untrained for aerobic fitness, sprinting, jumping power, and postural balance. Small-sided games using 6 v 6 or 4 v 4 elicited similar heart rate (HR) (mean:  ~ 85% peak heart rate, HRpeak), rate of perceived exertion, and enjoyment responses. Over 8 weeks, the between-group analysis revealed that soccer training had a large beneficial effect on postural balance (45%) when compared with control group with unclear effects on other fitness parameters. Conclusion Adolescent soccer players had markedly higher physical fitness compared with untrained adolescents. Small-sided soccer games practiced by untrained adolescents elicited high exercise intensity. While 8 weeks of twice-weekly soccer training sessions induced significant improvement in postural balance, the short duration of the study was not sufficient to result in between-group differences in sprint and jump performance or aerobic fitness.

The Impact of Short-Duration Static Stretching or Combined Static Stretching with Dynamic Stretching on Sprint Performance in Moderately Trained Subjects

The Impact of Short-Duration Static Stretching or Combined Static Stretching with Dynamic Stretching on Sprint Performance in Moderately Trained Subjects The aim of this study was to compare the effects of short-duration static stretching or static stretching combined with dynamic stretching on sprint performance. Twelve moderately trained subject (mean ± SD: age 19.20 ± 1.32 years, body mass 61.90 ± 8.41 kg, height 1.73 ± 0.51 m, % body fat 12.71 ± 1.20%) participated in three randomly experimental trials: warm-up without stretching (WNS), warm-up with a single and isolated 10 s static stretch (WSS), and warm-up with a single 10 s static stretch combined with dynamic stretching (WSSDS). Sprint testing over 5-10 m was conducted before (pre) and 5 min post-warm-up (post). The static stretching interventions included passive stretching of the lowerlimb’s musculature (planter flexors, knee flexors, hip extensors, adductors, and knee extensors). The stretch position was held once for 10 s each per muscle group (100 s total duration). The dynamic stretching included 2 sets of active dynamic stretch of the same muscle groups mentioned previously. There were no significant time, condition and interaction effects over the 5-and 10-m sprint time (with p>0.05). Analysis of effect sizes showed that the warmup without stretching (WNC) decreased 5-m sprint time by 2.72% (small effect) and 10-m sprint time by 1.60% (minimal effect). WSS and WSSDS produced minimal effects on 5- and 10-m sprint time. Preliminarily, static stretching appears to reduce short-duration sprint performance.