Moacir Marocolo

Low appendicular muscle mass is correlated with femoral neck bone mineral density loss in postmenopausal women

BackgroundAfter menopause, rapid bone mass loss occurs in response to hypoestrogenism. Several studies suggest that muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD) are positively associated in postmenopausal women. Therefore, it may be assumed that postmenopausal low appendicular muscle mass (aMM) can increase BMD loss in a short period of time.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess relationship of aMM with femoral neck BMD in postmenopausal women.MethodsProspective, controlled clinical Trial including 64 women aged 45-70 years, who had not had their last menstruation for at least one year. Subjects were divided into two groups: low aMM (n = 32), and normal aMM (n-32). Femoral neck BMD and muscle mass were measured by DXA at baseline and after twelve months. Pairwise and independent t tests were used for data analysis.ResultsBaseline weight, BMI and muscle mass (total and appendicular) significantly differ between groups (p < 0.05). After twelve months, femoral neck BMD was significantly lower in the group with low aMM, whereas no significant difference was observed in the group with normal aMM (p < 0.05).ConclusionIn postmenopausal women, low appendicular muscle mass is associated negatively with femoral neck BMD in a short period of time.

Acute effect of ischemic preconditioning is detrimental to anaerobic performance in cyclists.

We verified the acute effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) in cyclists before high-intensity and short-duration activity. 15 amateur cyclists participated in a random crossover model on 2 different days [IPC or CONTROL (CON)]. Ischemic preconditioning consisted of 4 cycles of 5 min occlusion/5 min reperfusion in each thigh. After IPC or CON, volunteers performed a series of Wingate tests to evaluate anaerobic performance (maximal [Pmax] and medium [Pmed] power output, total anaerobic power, and fatigue index). Blood lactate concentrations were assessed at 6 min after each Wingate test. Ischemic preconditioning decreased Pmax (p

Ischemic Preconditioning and Placebo Intervention Improves Resistance Exercise Performance

Abstract Marocolo, M, Willardson, JM, Marocolo, IC, da Mota, GR, Simão, R, and Maior, AS. Ischemic preconditioning and PLACEBO intervention improves resistance exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res 30(5): 1462–1469, 2016—This study evaluated the effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on resistance exercise performance in the lower limbs. Thirteen men participated in a randomized crossover design that involved 3 separate sessions (IPC, PLACEBO, and control). A 12-repetition maximum (12RM) load for the leg extension exercise was assessed through test and retest sessions before the first experimental session. The IPC session consisted of 4 cycles of 5 minutes of occlusion at 220 mm Hg of pressure alternated with 5 minutes of reperfusion at 0 mm Hg for a total of 40 minutes. The PLACEBO session consisted of 4 cycles of 5 minutes of cuff administration at 20 mm Hg of pressure alternated with 5 minutes of pseudo-reperfusion at 0 mm Hg for a total of 40 minutes. The occlusion and reperfusion phases were conducted alternately between the thighs, with subjects remaining seated. No ischemic pressure was applied during the control (CON) session and subjects sat passively for 40 minutes. Eight minutes after IPC, PLACEBO, or CON, subjects performed 3 repetition maximum sets of the leg extension (2-minute rest between sets) with the predetermined 12RM load. Four minutes after the third set for each condition, blood lactate was assessed. The results showed that for the first set, the number of repetitions significantly increased for both the IPC (13.08 ± 2.11; p = 0.0036) and PLACEBO (13.15 ± 0.88; p = 0.0016) conditions, but not for the CON (11.88 ± 1.07; p > 0.99) condition. In addition, the IPC and PLACEBO conditions resulted insignificantly greater repetitions vs. the CON condition on the first set (p = 0.015; p = 0.007) and second set (p = 0.011; p = 0.019), but not on the third set (p = 0.68; p > 0.99). No difference (p = 0.465) was found in the fatigue index and lactate concentration between conditions. These results indicate that IPC and PLACEBO IPC may have small beneficial effects on repetition performance over a CON condition. Owing to potential for greater discomfort associated with the IPC condition, it is suggested that ischemic preconditioning might be practiced gradually to assess tolerance and potential enhancements to exercise performance.

Optimal load for the peak power and maximal strength of the upper body in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes.

Abstract da Silva, BVC, de Moura Simim, MA, Marocolo, M, Franchini, E, and da Mota, GR. Optimal load for the peak power and maximal strength of the upper body in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes. J Strength Cond Res 29(6): 1616–1621, 2015—We determined the optimal load for the peak power output (PPO) during the bench press throw (BPT) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) athletes and compared the PPO and maximal strength between advanced (AD) and nonadvanced (NA) athletes. Twenty-eight BJJ athletes (24.8 ± 5.7 years) performed the BPT at loads of 30, 40, 50, and 60% of their 1 repetition maximum (RM) in a randomized order (5-minute rest between BPTs). The PPO was determined by measuring the barbell displacement by an accelerometer (Myotest). The absolute (F = 7.25; p < 0.001; effect size [ES] = 0.21) and relative intensities were different (F = 7.11; p < 0.001; ES = 0.21) between the AD and NA. There was also a group and intensity interaction effect (F = 2.79; p = 0.046; ES = 0.10), but the differences were centered around the AD group, which achieved higher values using 40% (p = 0.001) and 50% of the 1RM (p < 0.001) than the PPO with 60% of 1RM. The AD athletes presented with higher 1RM than NA (p ⩽ 0.05; ES = 1.0), but there was no difference (p > 0.05) in the PPO (30–60% 1RM). A polynomial adjustment indicated that the optimal load was ∼42% of 1RM for all groups and subgroups (R 2 from 0.82 to 0.99). Our results suggest that there can be (1RM) differences between AD and NA BJJ athletes; however, there is no difference in the muscle power between the AD and NA groups. Additionally, ∼42% of 1RM seems to be the optimal load for developing maximal power using the BPT for the BJJ athletes.

Neuromuscular responses to simulated brazilian jiu-jitsu fights.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the neuromuscular performance responses following successive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) fights. Twenty-three BJJ athletes (age: 26.3 ± 6.3 years; body mass: 79.4 ± 9.7 kg; body height: 1.80 ± 0.1 m) undertook 3 simulated BJJ fights (10 min duration each separated by 15 min of rest). Neuromuscular performance was measured by the bench press throw (BPT) and vertical counter movement jump (VCMJ) tests, assessed before the 1st fight (Pre) and after the last one (Post). Blood lactate (LA) was measured at Pre, 1 min Post, and 15 min Post fights. Paired t-tests were employed in order to compare the BPT and VCMJ results. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests were utilized to compare LA responses. The results revealed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in VCMJ performance (40.8 ± 5.5 cm Pre vs. 42.0 ± 5.8 cm Post), but no significant changes in the BPT (814 ± 167 W Pre vs. 835 ± 213 W Post) were observed. LA concentration increased significantly (p < 0.05) at Post, both in the 1st min and the 15th min of recovery. We concluded that successive simulated BJJ fights demanded considerable anaerobic contribution of ATP supply, reinforcing the high-intensity intermittent nature of the sport. Nevertheless, no negative impact on acute neuromuscular performance (power) was observed.

The Effects of Ischemic Preconditioning on Human Exercise Performance: A Counterpoint

Contrary to assertions made by many researchers, ischemic preconditioning (IPC) was not developed in the 1980s but instead had been tested in some manner since the 1950s, with controversial results [1–4]. The recent review published by Incognito et al. [5] presented important insights into IPC and exercise performance. The authors stated that it was necessary to investigate individual phenotypes because of the high heterogeneity of their results. They suggested that IPC could affect some subjects but not others, and classified them as IPC responders and nonresponders. Although their idea is interesting and well grounded [6], we would like to provide additional information regarding IPC and a counterpoint to their findings. First, the authors concluded that IPC can be an interesting ergogenic aid because of the 21 investigations they evaluated, ten showed some significant (p \ 0.05) exercise performance benefits of IPC, such as improved time-trial performance, increased maximal/peak oxygen uptake (VO2max/VO2peak), increased power output, or reduced selfreported perceived exertion ratings. However, upon further review of these studies, of the ten studies the authors mentioned as beneficial, five (50 %) did not have a placebo control group [7–11]. Although the authors acknowledged the potential influence of the placebo effect (as per the final paragraph of their discussion: ‘‘Further, a major confounder with all human studies remains the inability to effectively sham-control IPC treatments. Highlighting the potential influence of placebo effects on results...’’), only five studies [12–16] (24 % of the total) of the 21 selected studies in their review measured beneficial effects of IPC on athletic performance (or associated variables) when a placebo control group was present. The other 16 studies (76 % of the total) either did not have a placebo control group (nine studies) or did use a placebo control group (seven studies) but did not describe any improvement in exercise performance with IPC in comparison with placebo. Another point of interest was the absence of figures on the number of responders and non-responders in those studies in which conventional statistics (i.e. mean ± standard deviation) showed significantly detrimental effects (p\0.05) of IPC. For instance, Paixão et al. [17] tested 15 subjects. Eleven (73 %) had worse outcomes in comparison with placebo when the Wingate test was preceded by IPC. The other two studies were not mentioned at all. This may have been because of limitations in the authors’ literature search criteria. One placebo-controlled study showed no acute impact of IPC on specific aspects of shortterm neuromuscular function—such as resistance exercises, sprints, and squat jumps—but noted some beneficial effects of IPC 24 hours after use [18]. Finally, another study concluded that following strenuous eccentric exercise, IPC was unable to accelerate muscle recovery (24, 48, and 72 h later; there was no evaluation immediately after IPC) [19]. It is therefore reasonable to think that the numbers of responders and non-responders could be substantially different if the negative or equivocal studies were re-evaluated. Since the placebo effect can influence general human sport and exercise performance [20], it is critical to & Gustavo Ribeiro da Mota grmotta@gmail.com

Acute ischemic preconditioning does not influence high-intensity intermittent exercise performance

This study evaluated the acute effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on a high-intensity intermittent exercise performance and physiological indicators in amateur soccer players. Thirteen players (21.5 ± 2 yrs) attended three trials separated by 3–5 days in a counterbalanced randomized cross-over design: IPC (4 × 5-min occlusion 220 mmHg/reperfusion 0 mmHg) in each thigh; SHAM (similar to the IPC protocol but “occlusion” at 20 mmHg) and control (seated during the same time of IPC). After 6-min of each trial (IPC, SHAM or control), the players performed the YoYo Intermittent Endurance Test level 2 (YoYoIE2). The distance covered in the YoYoIE2 (IPC 867 ± 205 m; SHAM 873 ± 212 m; control 921 ± 206 m) was not different among trials (p = 0.10), furthermore, lactate concentration and rate of perceived exertion did not differ (P > 0.05) among protocols. There were also no significant differences in either mean heart rate (HR) or peak HR (p > 0.05) for both IPC and SHAM compared to control. Therefore, we conclude that acute IPC does not influence high-intensity intermittent exercise performance in amateur soccer players and that rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and lactate do not differ between the intervention IPC, SHAM and control.

Cold Water Immersion is Acutely Detrimental but Increases Performance Post-12 h in Rugby Players.

We evaluated the effectiveness of cold water immersion on recovery of performance (i. e., the ability of repetitively performing a physical test) in rugby players acutely and 12 h later. 8 male rugby union players (23±4.7 years; 176.9±4.5 cm; 87.5±8.6 kg) performed a rugby-specific exercise protocol (40 min) followed by recovery strategies: cold water immersion (8.9±0.6°C; 9 min with 1 min out of water, repeated twice) or control (players remained seated for 20 min) in a random order. The players underwent performance tests (countermovement and 30 s continuous jumps and agility T) at 4 time points: at baseline, immediately after rugby-specific exercise, post-recovery strategies and 12 h later. The performance of the agility and countermovement jump test were not different between cold water immersion and control immediately post rugby-specific exercises and 12 h thereafter. However, the 30 s continuous jump test performance decreased immediately but increased 12 h later after cold water immersion compared with control. Perception of recovery was better in the cold water immersion group compared with controls post 12 h exercise. Cold water immersion improves 30 s continuous jump performance, total quality recovery and seems to be an easy and practical tool for coaches and players, especially during congested periods of the season when fast recovery (~12 h) for the following activity is essential.

ACUTE RESPONSES OF RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT IN SETS OF RESISTANCE EXERCISE

Objective: To compare the acute responses of rate pressure product (RPP) between dynamic and isometric sets of resistance exercise (RE); compare the acute responses of RPP between upper and lower limbs in RE. Methods: Nineteen active men (22.7 ± 2.2 years) attended this study in a random crossover model. In the first day they performed hemodynamic measurements and one maximum repetition tests (1RM) in leg press (LGP) and bench press (BCP) exercises. In the second, third, fourth and fifth days they performed the following tests: LGP isometric, BCP isometric, LGP dynamic and BCP dynamic, respectively. Isometric protocols were conducted in 3 sets of 40 s (1 st set: 25% 1RM, 2 nd set: 50% 1RM, 3 rd set: 75% 1RM) and dynamic protocols in 3 sets of 10 repetitions (1 st set: 25% 1RM, 2 nd set: 50% 1RM, 3 th set: 75% 1RM). The RPP was obtained immediately after each set. Results: A comparison between protocols showed that RPP was higher (P < 0.05) in dynamic than in isometric protocol. A comparison between exercises showed that RPP was higher (P < 0.05) in LGP than BCP exercise. Conclusions: In similar relative intensities, the acute cardiac responses are influenced by the exercise protocol, since the RPP was higher in the dynamic condition. Furthermore, RPP seems to be related with recruited muscle mass, since that were observed higher values of RPP in exercises for lower limbs .

Physical activity helps to control music performance anxiety.

We evaluated if regular physical activity could influence musical performance anxiety (MPA) in college music students. Levels of MPA, as measured with the Kenny MPA Inventory, and a survey about the physical activity habits were obtained from 87 students of music. The results showed that physically active musicians had lower MPA scores (p<0.05) than non-active ones, independent of gender. We conclude that there is an association between physical activity and minor MPA, and studies with a longitudinal design should be done to explore this important issue.