Francisco Corbi

Popularity of hypoxic training methods for endurance-based professional and amateur athletes.

Scientific debate continues into whether hypoxic training has any performance benefit for athletes, and although this type of training seems popular, to our knowledge little empirical evidence on its popularity with endurance-based athletes exists. To quantify the usage of hypoxic training in endurance-based athletes we asked 203 athletes (amateur = 108, professional = 95) to complete a 17-question survey during 2013-2014 season. Compared to amateurs, professional athletes were 4.5 times (3.0-6.8, odds ratio, 95% confidence limits) more likely to undertake hypoxic training. Live-high train-low was the most popular hypoxic training protocol for athletes (52% professional and 80% amateur) with live-high train-high also used (38% professional, 20% amateur). Compared to amateurs, professional athletes tended to use evidence-based hypoxic training methods, seek advice on hypoxic training from reliable sources and were generally more realistic about the potential performance gains as a result of hypoxic training. Almost one third (25-30%) of all athletes suffered illness during their hypoxic training. Compared to amateurs, professional athletes are more likely to undertake hypoxic training and tend to follow current scientific guidelines. Attenuation of the ill effects that occur during hypoxic training may be accomplished if athletes give more attention to monitoring stress and training levels.

Effects of Carrying Out a Low-Intensity Isometric Contraction of the Proximal Thigh Muscles on the Electromyographic Activity of the Leg Muscles when Simulating an Ankle Sprain

Background: The patterns of activation of the leg musculature can be altered after suffering from a sprained ankle, which can contribute negatively to the biomechanics of the leg. Ankle sprains can generate changes in muscle electromyographic activity in both the thigh and ankle regions, for which physiotherapy is the most common treatment. This study aimed to determine the effect of a low-intensity isometric contraction of the proximal thigh muscles (gluteus maximus (Gmax), gluteus medius (Gmed), tensor fasciae latae (TFL) on the electromyographic response of the tibialis anterior (TA), peroneus longus (PL), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), and soleus muscles (SL) in a sudden ankle supination. Methods: Fifteen healthy volunteers were subjected to 2 series of three trials on a sudden ankle supination platform (50°). This involved a multiple analysis of variance per trial and muscle for the dependent variables and an analysis of variance in the measures repeated under study for the different time windows evaluated, according to the intended factors and muscle studied. Results: No significant differences were observed in the variables concerning the time of activation, the moment of maximum EMG registration or registered peak value. Conclusion: Inducing a low-intensity isometric contraction of the abductor leg muscles did not generate changes in the muscular values studied.