Giuseppe Bellistri

Aerobic Fitness Affects the Exercise Performance Responses to Nitrate Supplementation.

PURPOSE Dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to reduce O2 cost of submaximal exercise, improve exercise tolerance, and enhance performance in moderately trained individuals. In contrast, data have been provided that elite athletes do not benefit from nitrate supplementation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of short-term nitrate supplementation on endurance performance in subjects with different levels of aerobic fitness. METHODS Twenty-one subjects (mean age, 22.7 ± 1.8 yr) with different aerobic fitness level (V˙O2peak value ranging from 28.2 to 81.7 mL·kg·min) participated in a crossover double-blind placebo-controlled study. Subjects were tested after 6 d of supplementation with either 0.5 l per day of nitrate (5.5 mmol)-containing water (NITR) or nitrate-free water (PLA). Participants performed an incremental running test until exhaustion and four repetitions of 6-min submaximal (approximately 80% of gas exchange threshold) constant load exercise on a motorized treadmill. Moreover, subjects performed a 3-km running time trial on the field. RESULTS After NITR, a negative correlation between reduction of O2 cost of submaximal exercise and individual aerobic fitness level was observed (r = 0.80; P < 0.0001). A significant inverse correlation was also found between aerobic fitness level and improvement in performance for 3-km time trial after NITR (r = 0.76; P < 0.0001). Additionally, subjects responded differently to dietary nitrate supplementation according to aerobic fitness level with higher-fit subjects showing a lower increase in plasma [NO3] (r = 0.86; P < 0.0001) and [NO2] (r = 0.75; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggest that the individual aerobic fitness level affects the ergogenic benefits induced by dietary nitrate supplementation. The optimal nitrate loading regimen required to elevate plasma [NO2] and to enhance performance in elite athletes is different from that of low-fit subjects and requires further studies.

Training Effects on ROS Production Determined by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in Master Swimmers

Acute exercise induces an increase in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production dependent on exercise intensity with highest ROS amount generated by strenuous exercise. However, chronic repetition of exercise, that is, exercise training, may reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 6-weeks high-intensity discontinuous training (HIDT), characterized by repeated variations of intensity and changes of redox potential, on ROS production and antioxidant capacity in sixteen master swimmers. Time course changes of ROS generation were assessed by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in capillary blood by a microinvasive approach. An incremental arm-ergometer exercise (IE) until exhaustion was carried out at both before (PRE) and after (POST) training (Trg) period. A significant (P < 0.01) increase of ROS production from REST to the END of IE in PRE Trg (2.82 ± 0.66 versus 3.28 ± 0.66 µmol·min−1) was observed. HIDT increased peak oxygen consumption (36.1 ± 4.3 versus 40.6 ± 5.7 mL·kg−1·min−1 PRE and POST Trg, resp.) and the antioxidant capacity (+13%) while it significantly decreased the ROS production both at REST (−20%) and after IE (−25%). The observed link between ROS production, adaptive antioxidant defense mechanisms, and peak oxygen consumption provides new insight into the correlation between ROS response pathways and muscle metabolic function.

Exercise testing in late-onset glycogen storage disease type II patients undergoing enzyme replacement therapy.

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has recently became available for patients with glycogen storage disease type II. Previous studies have demonstrated clinical efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy, however, data on physiological variables related to exercise tolerance are scarce. Four glycogen storage disease type II late-onset patients (45 ± 6 years) performed an incremental exercise on a cycle ergometer, up to voluntary exhaustion, before (BEFORE) and after 12 months of ERT (AFTER). Peak workload, oxygen uptake, heart rate, cardiac output (by impedance cardiography) and vastus lateralis oxygenation indices (by continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy, NIRS) were determined. Peak workload and oxygen uptake values significantly increased during ERT (54 ± 30 vs. 63 ± 31 watt, and 17.2 ± 4.4 vs. 19.7 ± 3.5 ml/kg/min, respectively, in BEFORE vs. AFTER). On the other hand, for both peak cardiac output (12.3 ± 5.3 vs. 14.8 ± 4.5 L/min) and the NIRS-determined peak skeletal muscle fractional O2 extraction, expressed as a percentage of the maximal values during a transient limb ischemia (30 ± 39% vs. 38 ± 28%), the observed increases were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that in glycogen storage disease type II patients enzyme replacement therapy is associated with a mild improvement of exercise tolerance. The findings need to be validated during a longer follow-up on a larger group of patients.

Effects of Manipulating Volume and Intensity Training in Masters Swimmers

PURPOSE Recently, some studies have suggested that overall training intensity may be more important than training volume for improving swimming performance. However, those studies focused on very young subjects, and/or the difference between high-volume and high-intensity training was blurred. The aim of this study was to investigate in masters swimmers the effects of manipulation of training volume and intensity on performance and physiological variables. METHODS A group of 10 male masters swimmers (age 32.3 ± 5.1 y) performed 2 different 6-wk training periods followed by 1 wk of tapering. The first period was characterized by high training volume performed at low intensity (HvLi), whereas the second period was characterized by low training volume performed at high intensity (LvHi). Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) during incremental arm exercise, individual anaerobic threshold (IAT), and 100-m, 400-m, and 2000-m-freestyle time were evaluated before and at the end of both training periods. RESULTS HvLi training significant increased VO2peak (11.9% ± 4.9% [mean change ± 90%CL], P = .002) and performance in the 400-m (-2.8% ± 1.8%, P = .002) and 2000-m (-3.4% ± 2.9%, P = .025), with a likely change in IAT (4.9% ± 4.7%, P > .05). After LvHi training, speed at IAT (12.4% ± 5.3%, P = .004) and 100-m performance (-1.2% ± 0.8%, P = .001) also improved, without any significant changes in VO2peak, 2000-m, and 400-m. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that in masters swimmers an increase of training volume may lead to an improvement of VO2peak and middle- to long-distance performance. However, a subsequent period of LvHi training maintains previous adjustments and positively affects anaerobic threshold and short-distance performance.

Determinants of the half-turn with the ball in sub-elite youth soccer players.

Abstract We explored the biomechanics of the 180° change-of-direction with the ball (half-turn) in soccer. We aimed at identifying movement strategies which enhance the players’ half-turning performance, by characterising technique kinematics and understanding the structure of biomechanical and anthropometrics variables. Ten Under-13 sub-elite male players were recorded with an optoelectronic motion analyser while performing a 5-m straight dribbling followed by a half-turn with the sole. Joints kinematics differences between faster and slower trials were found in support-side hip rotation, driving-side hip adduction, trunk flexion and rotation, and arms abduction. To unveil the data-set structure, a principal component (PC) analysis and a stepwise linear discriminant analysis were performed using 30 biomechanical parameters and four anthropometric variables for each trial. Seven retained PCs explained 79% of the overall variability, featuring combinations of original variables that help in understanding the factors facilitating fast half-turns: keeping short steps, minimising lateral and forward body movements, and centre-of-mass lowering, even with ample lower limbs ranges of motion (RoM); abducting the upper limbs while limiting trunk flexion and pelvic inclination RoM. Balance and task-constrained exercises may be proposed to improve this technique. Moreover, a quantitative knowledge of the movement structure could give coaches objective insights to better instruct young players.

The role of individual thresholds to monitor training load in elite young soccer players

SISMES VII NATIONAL CONGRESS Padova 2–4 October 2015 THE MARCELLO FAINA LECTURE Citius, altius, fortius: beneficial effects of resistance training for children and adolescentsThe new scoring system (5x11) proposed by the Badminton World Federation, despite a similar physiological commitment with respect to the actual system (3x21), requires a lower total EE. Therefore, according to the present findings, this new scoring system should be adopted, some changes in training modalities need to be introduced. Ramp Test (mean ± SD) VO2 peak (ml·min -1) 3661 ± 328 VO2 peak (mlO2·min -1·kg-1) 54.8 ± 6.7 VEpeak (l·min -1) 152 ± 14SISMES VII NATIONAL CONGRESS Padova 2–4 October 2015 THE MARCELLO FAINA LECTURE Citius, altius, fortius: beneficial effects of resistance training for children and adolescents