Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02353-9
Felipe V C Machado,Karin Coninx,Daniel Neunhaeuserer,Cajsa Tonoli,Josef Niebauer,Massimo Piepoli,Roberto Pedretti,Evangelia Kouidi,Marco Ambrosetti,Paul Dendale,Birna Bjarnason-Wehrens,Paul Beckers,Véronique Cornelissen,Olga Barna,Patrick Doherty,Bernhard Rauch,Frank Edelmann,Bernhard Schwaab,Tim Takken,Rona Reibis,Constantinos H Davos,Esteban Garcia-Porrero,Fabio Pitta,Nidia A Hernandes,Michael K Stickland,Elena Gimeno-Santos,Jana De Brandt,Andre Nyberg,Ana Machado,Alda Marques,Chris Burtin,Rainer Gloeckl,Ioannis Vogiatzis,Bruno Balbi,Dennis Jensen,William D-C Man,Carolyn L Rochester,Sally J Singh,Frits M E Franssen,Martijn A Spruit,Dominique Hansen
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous chronic lung condition often accompanied by comorbidities and systemic manifestations that affect the person's clinical condition and prognosis and often require specific treatment. Therefore, the management of COPD extends beyond treatment for the lungs per se. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) should be considered as part of person-centered management, and supervised exercise training is a core component of this intervention. PR exercise training parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity, time, and type) should be individualized to maximize each individual's functional gains while targeting systemic manifestations and comorbidities. This manuscript presents evidence-based tailored recommendations for optimizing exercise interventions for people with COPD and comorbidities that significantly affect prognosis (e.g., mortality, hospitalizations) including cardiovascular disease (CVD) (e.g., chronic coronary syndrome, heart failure), CVD risk factors (e.g., type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM], hypertension), and sarcopenia. To achieve these goals, existing guidelines and evidence for exercise training in COPD, CVD, CVD risk factors, and sarcopenia have been reviewed to identify synergies between PR and cardiac rehabilitation, as well as the treatment of T2DM and sarcopenia. In addition, we provided clinical cases to illustrate how PR can be adapted to accommodate specific comorbidities. These examples offer practical guidance for tailoring exercise prescriptions within PR programs to address the unique needs of people with COPD and clinically relevant comorbidities, thereby enhancing overall treatment effectiveness and optimizing health outcomes.
{"title":"Tailored Exercise Prescription for People with COPD and Clinically Relevant Comorbidities: A Consensus Statement of the EXPERT Working Group and Experts in Pulmonary Rehabilitation.","authors":"Felipe V C Machado,Karin Coninx,Daniel Neunhaeuserer,Cajsa Tonoli,Josef Niebauer,Massimo Piepoli,Roberto Pedretti,Evangelia Kouidi,Marco Ambrosetti,Paul Dendale,Birna Bjarnason-Wehrens,Paul Beckers,Véronique Cornelissen,Olga Barna,Patrick Doherty,Bernhard Rauch,Frank Edelmann,Bernhard Schwaab,Tim Takken,Rona Reibis,Constantinos H Davos,Esteban Garcia-Porrero,Fabio Pitta,Nidia A Hernandes,Michael K Stickland,Elena Gimeno-Santos,Jana De Brandt,Andre Nyberg,Ana Machado,Alda Marques,Chris Burtin,Rainer Gloeckl,Ioannis Vogiatzis,Bruno Balbi,Dennis Jensen,William D-C Man,Carolyn L Rochester,Sally J Singh,Frits M E Franssen,Martijn A Spruit,Dominique Hansen","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02353-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02353-9","url":null,"abstract":"Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous chronic lung condition often accompanied by comorbidities and systemic manifestations that affect the person's clinical condition and prognosis and often require specific treatment. Therefore, the management of COPD extends beyond treatment for the lungs per se. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) should be considered as part of person-centered management, and supervised exercise training is a core component of this intervention. PR exercise training parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity, time, and type) should be individualized to maximize each individual's functional gains while targeting systemic manifestations and comorbidities. This manuscript presents evidence-based tailored recommendations for optimizing exercise interventions for people with COPD and comorbidities that significantly affect prognosis (e.g., mortality, hospitalizations) including cardiovascular disease (CVD) (e.g., chronic coronary syndrome, heart failure), CVD risk factors (e.g., type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM], hypertension), and sarcopenia. To achieve these goals, existing guidelines and evidence for exercise training in COPD, CVD, CVD risk factors, and sarcopenia have been reviewed to identify synergies between PR and cardiac rehabilitation, as well as the treatment of T2DM and sarcopenia. In addition, we provided clinical cases to illustrate how PR can be adapted to accommodate specific comorbidities. These examples offer practical guidance for tailoring exercise prescriptions within PR programs to address the unique needs of people with COPD and clinically relevant comorbidities, thereby enhancing overall treatment effectiveness and optimizing health outcomes.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02372-6
Patrick B Wilson
High-carbohydrate fueling in cycling (defined as ≥ 100 g/h for this paper) has received significant media attention in recent years. Whether this practice improves performance, however, remains an unresolved issue in the scientific literature. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the practice of high-carbohydrate fueling, with a specific focus on potential performance implications in professional cycling. Topics covered include historical carbohydrate intake guidelines, research directly comparing high-carbohydrate fueling with traditional fueling guidelines, theorized benefits of high-carbohydrate fueling specific to cycling, potential risks associated with high-carbohydrate fueling, and personalizing carbohydrate intakes. Among a small number of experimental studies that have compared high-carbohydrate fueling with somewhat lower rates (e.g., 60-90 g/h), there is not clear evidence that it reduces reliance on endogenous carbohydrate stores or improves performance. However, these studies have not closely mimicked the demands of multi-day and multi-week stage races, when ingesting carbohydrate at ≥ 100 g/h may be more likely to produce performance benefits. Observational data from professional cyclists suggest that carbohydrate consumption during racing is strongly associated with total daily carbohydrate intakes; therefore, ingesting carbohydrate at ≥ 100 g/h on the bike could facilitate performance over multiple days or weeks by enhancing glycogen resynthesis and recovery. In addition, circumstantial evidence suggests that high-carbohydrate fueling could reduce low energy availability, reduce within-day energy deficits, and stimulate the central nervous system. Personalizing carbohydrate intakes through individual assessments of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation is a novel strategy that should be further explored in the future.
{"title":"A Narrative Review of the High-Carbohydrate Fueling Revolution (≥ 100 g/h) in the Professional Peloton.","authors":"Patrick B Wilson","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02372-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02372-6","url":null,"abstract":"High-carbohydrate fueling in cycling (defined as ≥ 100 g/h for this paper) has received significant media attention in recent years. Whether this practice improves performance, however, remains an unresolved issue in the scientific literature. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the practice of high-carbohydrate fueling, with a specific focus on potential performance implications in professional cycling. Topics covered include historical carbohydrate intake guidelines, research directly comparing high-carbohydrate fueling with traditional fueling guidelines, theorized benefits of high-carbohydrate fueling specific to cycling, potential risks associated with high-carbohydrate fueling, and personalizing carbohydrate intakes. Among a small number of experimental studies that have compared high-carbohydrate fueling with somewhat lower rates (e.g., 60-90 g/h), there is not clear evidence that it reduces reliance on endogenous carbohydrate stores or improves performance. However, these studies have not closely mimicked the demands of multi-day and multi-week stage races, when ingesting carbohydrate at ≥ 100 g/h may be more likely to produce performance benefits. Observational data from professional cyclists suggest that carbohydrate consumption during racing is strongly associated with total daily carbohydrate intakes; therefore, ingesting carbohydrate at ≥ 100 g/h on the bike could facilitate performance over multiple days or weeks by enhancing glycogen resynthesis and recovery. In addition, circumstantial evidence suggests that high-carbohydrate fueling could reduce low energy availability, reduce within-day energy deficits, and stimulate the central nervous system. Personalizing carbohydrate intakes through individual assessments of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation is a novel strategy that should be further explored in the future.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145663942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
Joshua C Pelland,Jacob F Remmert,Zac P Robinson,Seth R Hinson,Michael C Zourdos
BACKGROUNDWeekly set volume and frequency are used to manipulate resistance training dosage. Previous research has identified higher weekly set volume as enhancing muscle hypertrophy and strength gains, but the nature of the dose-response relationship still needs to be investigated. Mixed evidence exists regarding the effects of higher weekly frequency.OBJECTIVEWe aimed to explore the dose-response relationships between key resistance training dosage variables (weekly set volume and frequency) and strength and hypertrophy.METHODSBefore meta-analyzing the volume and frequency research, all contributing resistance training sets were classified as direct or indirect, depending on their specificity to the hypertrophy/strength measurement. Then, weekly set volume/frequency for indirect sets was quantified as 1 for 'total,' 0.5 for 'fractional,' and 0 for 'direct.' A series of multi-level meta-regressions were performed for muscle hypertrophy and strength, utilizing 67 total studies of 2058 participants (79.1% male, 20.9% female; average age 25.16 ± 5.22 years). All models were adjusted for the duration of the intervention and training status.RESULTSThe relative evidence for the 'fractional' quantification method was strongest; therefore, this quantification method was used for the primary meta-regression models. The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for the effect of volume on both hypertrophy and strength was 100%, indicating that gains in muscle size and strength increase as volume increases. However, both best-fit models suggest diminishing returns, with the diminishing returns for strength being considerably more pronounced. The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for frequency's effect on hypertrophy was less than 100%, indicating compatibility with negligible effects. In contrast, the posterior probability for strength was 100%, suggesting strength gains increase with increasing frequency, albeit with diminishing returns.CONCLUSIONSDistinguishing between direct and indirect sets appears essential for predicting adaptations to a given resistance training protocol, such as using the 'fractional' quantification method. This method's dose-response models revealed that volume and frequency have unique dose-response relationships with each hypertrophy and strength gains. The dose-response relationship between volume and hypertrophy appears to differ from that with strength, with the latter exhibiting more pronounced diminishing returns. The dose-response relationship between frequency and hypertrophy appears to differ from that with strength, as only the latter exhibits consistently identifiable effects.
{"title":"The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.","authors":"Joshua C Pelland,Jacob F Remmert,Zac P Robinson,Seth R Hinson,Michael C Zourdos","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUNDWeekly set volume and frequency are used to manipulate resistance training dosage. Previous research has identified higher weekly set volume as enhancing muscle hypertrophy and strength gains, but the nature of the dose-response relationship still needs to be investigated. Mixed evidence exists regarding the effects of higher weekly frequency.OBJECTIVEWe aimed to explore the dose-response relationships between key resistance training dosage variables (weekly set volume and frequency) and strength and hypertrophy.METHODSBefore meta-analyzing the volume and frequency research, all contributing resistance training sets were classified as direct or indirect, depending on their specificity to the hypertrophy/strength measurement. Then, weekly set volume/frequency for indirect sets was quantified as 1 for 'total,' 0.5 for 'fractional,' and 0 for 'direct.' A series of multi-level meta-regressions were performed for muscle hypertrophy and strength, utilizing 67 total studies of 2058 participants (79.1% male, 20.9% female; average age 25.16 ± 5.22 years). All models were adjusted for the duration of the intervention and training status.RESULTSThe relative evidence for the 'fractional' quantification method was strongest; therefore, this quantification method was used for the primary meta-regression models. The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for the effect of volume on both hypertrophy and strength was 100%, indicating that gains in muscle size and strength increase as volume increases. However, both best-fit models suggest diminishing returns, with the diminishing returns for strength being considerably more pronounced. The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for frequency's effect on hypertrophy was less than 100%, indicating compatibility with negligible effects. In contrast, the posterior probability for strength was 100%, suggesting strength gains increase with increasing frequency, albeit with diminishing returns.CONCLUSIONSDistinguishing between direct and indirect sets appears essential for predicting adaptations to a given resistance training protocol, such as using the 'fractional' quantification method. This method's dose-response models revealed that volume and frequency have unique dose-response relationships with each hypertrophy and strength gains. The dose-response relationship between volume and hypertrophy appears to differ from that with strength, with the latter exhibiting more pronounced diminishing returns. The dose-response relationship between frequency and hypertrophy appears to differ from that with strength, as only the latter exhibits consistently identifiable effects.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"157 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02348-6
Stephen W West,Sharief Hendricks,Sean P Cumming,Kathryn Dane,Siobhán O'Connor,Ben Jones,Brooke Patterson,Ash T Kolstad,Steven Broglio,Carolyn A Emery,Carly D McKay
Participation in sport offers numerous physiological, psychological, and social benefits, yet injury remains an inherent risk, particularly in collision-based sports. Increasing scrutiny surrounds these sports, especially for youth, with inconsistency in the age for introducing deliberate contact (e.g., body checking, tackle) and debate regarding proposals for banning high-risk actions to reduce injuries. This article explores the policies and controversies regarding how, and when, physical contact is introduced in sports. Current policies vary significantly across sports, sexes, and national jurisdictions, leading to inconsistent implementation and outcomes. We outline arguments for both delaying and lowering the contact introduction age, including implications for participation rates, skill acquisition, and injury risk. Raising the age may reduce injury history and cumulative head impacts, while earlier, progressive contact training may enhance technical competence. Growth, maturation and size discrepancies further complicate such policy decisions. Evidence supports multimodal approaches, including training guidelines (e.g., reduced contact in practices), neuromuscular training, and rule modifications, to enhance safety without compromising play. Weight-based categorisation and bio-banding (grouping players by attributes associated with growth and/or maturation instead of chronological age) strategies show potential for injury-risk reduction but lack comprehensive evaluation. Despite polarised opinions, developing sport-specific recommendations on best practices for contact introduction remains critical to ensuring athlete welfare and sustainable participation in collision sports.
{"title":"The Contact Conundrum: Are We Introducing Contact at the Correct Time in Youth Sports?","authors":"Stephen W West,Sharief Hendricks,Sean P Cumming,Kathryn Dane,Siobhán O'Connor,Ben Jones,Brooke Patterson,Ash T Kolstad,Steven Broglio,Carolyn A Emery,Carly D McKay","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02348-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02348-6","url":null,"abstract":"Participation in sport offers numerous physiological, psychological, and social benefits, yet injury remains an inherent risk, particularly in collision-based sports. Increasing scrutiny surrounds these sports, especially for youth, with inconsistency in the age for introducing deliberate contact (e.g., body checking, tackle) and debate regarding proposals for banning high-risk actions to reduce injuries. This article explores the policies and controversies regarding how, and when, physical contact is introduced in sports. Current policies vary significantly across sports, sexes, and national jurisdictions, leading to inconsistent implementation and outcomes. We outline arguments for both delaying and lowering the contact introduction age, including implications for participation rates, skill acquisition, and injury risk. Raising the age may reduce injury history and cumulative head impacts, while earlier, progressive contact training may enhance technical competence. Growth, maturation and size discrepancies further complicate such policy decisions. Evidence supports multimodal approaches, including training guidelines (e.g., reduced contact in practices), neuromuscular training, and rule modifications, to enhance safety without compromising play. Weight-based categorisation and bio-banding (grouping players by attributes associated with growth and/or maturation instead of chronological age) strategies show potential for injury-risk reduction but lack comprehensive evaluation. Despite polarised opinions, developing sport-specific recommendations on best practices for contact introduction remains critical to ensuring athlete welfare and sustainable participation in collision sports.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145674382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02262-x
Paris A T Jones, Emma Brockwell, Sinéad Dufour, Amal Hassan, Brittany A Matenchuk, Margie H Davenport
Background: Current guidelines recommend avoiding activities with the risk of contact during pregnancy, despite a lack of empirical data to support this recommendation. As a result, individuals who participate in contact and collision sports such as football or rugby are often confronted with difficult decisions and, in the absence of clear guidance, may resort to making choices based on personal experience, limited advice, or fear.
Objective: We aimed to examine the impact of continued participation in contact sport during pregnancy on maternal and fetal health outcomes.
Methods: We conducted an online survey study of individuals (≥ 18 years of age) who participated in contact or collision sports during pregnancy. The survey collected self-reported information on participant demographics, sport participation (type, hours, and contact exposure) from pre-conception to postpartum, maternal and infant health outcomes, feelings towards continuing/stopping participation in sport, and medical advice received during the perinatal period. Odds ratios or relative risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all categorical outcomes using regression adjusted for relevant covariates to compare outcomes in individuals who stopped participating in contact sport ≤ 12 weeks and > 12 weeks gestation as well as individuals who did and did not sustain a hit (contact) during pregnancy.
Results: Between September 2023 and February 2024, 395 participants (age 34.6 ± 5.0, months postpartum 27.2 ± 34.3; primarily from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA) were recruited to participate in the survey. Participants participated in contact sports for an average of 12.8 ± 6.4 weeks of pregnancy with 84 individuals sustaining hard hits and 114 individuals sustaining cumulative low impact contact. Participants reported partaking in a total of 11,687.2 h of contact exposure during pregnancy and the rate of adverse events was 1.11 per 1000 h of exposure. Overall, continued participation in contact sport during pregnancy was associated with better mental health status. Over half of participants stated that they had concerns about participating in contact sports during their pregnancy; however, 90% felt "happy" or "very happy" about continuing their sport during pregnancy.
Conclusions: Pregnant individuals continue to participate in contact sports during pregnancy. Participants who continued participating in contact sports were more likely to report decreased depression. Continued participation in contact activities was not associated with the odds of other maternal or fetal complications during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Further investigation is required to direct safe participation in contact sports during pregnancy.
{"title":"What are the Risks of Contact Sport During Pregnancy: a Survey-Based Investigation.","authors":"Paris A T Jones, Emma Brockwell, Sinéad Dufour, Amal Hassan, Brittany A Matenchuk, Margie H Davenport","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02262-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40279-025-02262-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Current guidelines recommend avoiding activities with the risk of contact during pregnancy, despite a lack of empirical data to support this recommendation. As a result, individuals who participate in contact and collision sports such as football or rugby are often confronted with difficult decisions and, in the absence of clear guidance, may resort to making choices based on personal experience, limited advice, or fear.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to examine the impact of continued participation in contact sport during pregnancy on maternal and fetal health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted an online survey study of individuals (≥ 18 years of age) who participated in contact or collision sports during pregnancy. The survey collected self-reported information on participant demographics, sport participation (type, hours, and contact exposure) from pre-conception to postpartum, maternal and infant health outcomes, feelings towards continuing/stopping participation in sport, and medical advice received during the perinatal period. Odds ratios or relative risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all categorical outcomes using regression adjusted for relevant covariates to compare outcomes in individuals who stopped participating in contact sport ≤ 12 weeks and > 12 weeks gestation as well as individuals who did and did not sustain a hit (contact) during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between September 2023 and February 2024, 395 participants (age 34.6 ± 5.0, months postpartum 27.2 ± 34.3; primarily from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA) were recruited to participate in the survey. Participants participated in contact sports for an average of 12.8 ± 6.4 weeks of pregnancy with 84 individuals sustaining hard hits and 114 individuals sustaining cumulative low impact contact. Participants reported partaking in a total of 11,687.2 h of contact exposure during pregnancy and the rate of adverse events was 1.11 per 1000 h of exposure. Overall, continued participation in contact sport during pregnancy was associated with better mental health status. Over half of participants stated that they had concerns about participating in contact sports during their pregnancy; however, 90% felt \"happy\" or \"very happy\" about continuing their sport during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pregnant individuals continue to participate in contact sports during pregnancy. Participants who continued participating in contact sports were more likely to report decreased depression. Continued participation in contact activities was not associated with the odds of other maternal or fetal complications during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Further investigation is required to direct safe participation in contact sports during pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"3143-3156"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144508353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02367-3
Domingo J. Ramos-Campo, Carl Foster, Luis Andreu-Caravaca, Jacobo Á. Rubio-Arias, Michael A. Rosenblat
{"title":"Comparative Effects of Pacing Strategies on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis","authors":"Domingo J. Ramos-Campo, Carl Foster, Luis Andreu-Caravaca, Jacobo Á. Rubio-Arias, Michael A. Rosenblat","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02367-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02367-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145611080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02359-3
Thomas Sawczuk, Greg Roe, James Tooby, Cameron Owen, James Brown, Matt Cross, Éanna Falvey, Mark S. Gilthorpe, Sharief Hendricks, Samuel Hudson, Simon Kemp, Lindsay Starling, Keith Stokes, Ross Tucker, Ben Jones
Background This study simulated the effect of reducing contact training duration on overall in-season head acceleration event (HAE) exposure within men’s and women’s rugby union. Methods Players ( n = 982) from two professional men’s and two semi-professional women’s competitions wore instrumented mouthguards in training and match-play for one season. Generalised linear mixed models were used to estimate the in-season weekly HAE exposures per position, sex and contact type. Simulation of modelled estimates evaluated the impact of reducing contact load guidelines by 25%, 50% and 75% (scenario 1), and replacing full contact training with controlled contact (scenario 2) or non-contact (scenario 3) training for different seasonal match exposures. Previously established contact load guidelines were used as a reference point. Results HAEs were decreased by a maximum of 3.2 per week (0–95 HAEs per season; 0–23%). In scenario 1, the decrease in HAEs was disproportionately smaller than the reduction in contact training duration (e.g. 23.7% reduction in overall rugby minutes for 7% decrease in HAEs). Scenario 2 decreased HAEs similarly to scenario 1 but with no reduction in contact time. Scenario 3 decreased HAEs proportionally with contact time reductions (e.g. 8.9% decrease in HAEs >10 g for 9.6% reduction in overall rugby minutes). Conclusions HAEs were reduced in all scenarios, but the reduction was relatively small due to the low overall rate of HAEs in training. Policymakers should be aware of the tradeoffs involved in any change. Managing individuals with higher HAE exposures may be more appropriate than reducing contact training guidelines.
{"title":"The Effect of Changing Weekly Contact Training Duration Beyond Current Guidelines on Head Acceleration Events in Rugby Union","authors":"Thomas Sawczuk, Greg Roe, James Tooby, Cameron Owen, James Brown, Matt Cross, Éanna Falvey, Mark S. Gilthorpe, Sharief Hendricks, Samuel Hudson, Simon Kemp, Lindsay Starling, Keith Stokes, Ross Tucker, Ben Jones","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02359-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02359-3","url":null,"abstract":"Background This study simulated the effect of reducing contact training duration on overall in-season head acceleration event (HAE) exposure within men’s and women’s rugby union. Methods Players ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 982) from two professional men’s and two semi-professional women’s competitions wore instrumented mouthguards in training and match-play for one season. Generalised linear mixed models were used to estimate the in-season weekly HAE exposures per position, sex and contact type. Simulation of modelled estimates evaluated the impact of reducing contact load guidelines by 25%, 50% and 75% (scenario 1), and replacing full contact training with controlled contact (scenario 2) or non-contact (scenario 3) training for different seasonal match exposures. Previously established contact load guidelines were used as a reference point. Results HAEs were decreased by a maximum of 3.2 per week (0–95 HAEs per season; 0–23%). In scenario 1, the decrease in HAEs was disproportionately smaller than the reduction in contact training duration (e.g. 23.7% reduction in overall rugby minutes for 7% decrease in HAEs). Scenario 2 decreased HAEs similarly to scenario 1 but with no reduction in contact time. Scenario 3 decreased HAEs proportionally with contact time reductions (e.g. 8.9% decrease in HAEs >10 <jats:italic>g</jats:italic> for 9.6% reduction in overall rugby minutes). Conclusions HAEs were reduced in all scenarios, but the reduction was relatively small due to the low overall rate of HAEs in training. Policymakers should be aware of the tradeoffs involved in any change. Managing individuals with higher HAE exposures may be more appropriate than reducing contact training guidelines.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145608829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02339-7
Damian J. Harper, Nicolas M. Philipp, Ola Eriksrud, Paul A. Jones, Philip Graham-Smith, Thomas Dos’Santos
Deceleration is a critical locomotor skill for athletes competing in multi-directional speed sports. Greater deceleration can help athletes perform rapid reductions in velocity facilitating rapid changes of direction, whilst the high mechanical forces associated with braking can be linked to a heightened risk of fatigue, tissue damage and injuries. Despite the clear importance of deceleration in sport, research and applied practices in the past have predominantly focused on assessing an athlete’s sprint acceleration and maximum velocity capabilities, neglecting the necessity to be able to decelerate. With tactical evolutions in sports demanding athletes to accelerate and attain higher sprinting speeds more frequently in competition, there is increased necessity to decelerate and to be able to accurately assess this movement skill. Therefore, the aim of this article is to discuss methodological and practical considerations of the protocols and measurement technologies that can be used to assess deceleration in an applied field-based environment. The article highlights a range of different protocols (i.e. change of direction and acceleration-deceleration ability tests) and measurement technologies (i.e. radar, laser, video, global navigation satellite systems, inertial measurement units and motorised resistance devices) that can be used to evaluate deceleration and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Key metrics used to measure deceleration performance, and the kinematics underpinning deceleration technique are highlighted. Given the performance, health and injury-risk implications associated with deceleration, assessment of this movement skill should be given high priority within any athlete multi-disciplinary support system.
{"title":"Assessing Deceleration Performance: Methodological and Practical Considerations","authors":"Damian J. Harper, Nicolas M. Philipp, Ola Eriksrud, Paul A. Jones, Philip Graham-Smith, Thomas Dos’Santos","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02339-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02339-7","url":null,"abstract":"Deceleration is a critical locomotor skill for athletes competing in multi-directional speed sports. Greater deceleration can help athletes perform rapid reductions in velocity facilitating rapid changes of direction, whilst the high mechanical forces associated with braking can be linked to a heightened risk of fatigue, tissue damage and injuries. Despite the clear importance of deceleration in sport, research and applied practices in the past have predominantly focused on assessing an athlete’s sprint acceleration and maximum velocity capabilities, neglecting the necessity to be able to decelerate. With tactical evolutions in sports demanding athletes to accelerate and attain higher sprinting speeds more frequently in competition, there is increased necessity to decelerate and to be able to accurately assess this movement skill. Therefore, the aim of this article is to discuss methodological and practical considerations of the protocols and measurement technologies that can be used to assess deceleration in an applied field-based environment. The article highlights a range of different protocols (i.e. change of direction and acceleration-deceleration ability tests) and measurement technologies (i.e. radar, laser, video, global navigation satellite systems, inertial measurement units and motorised resistance devices) that can be used to evaluate deceleration and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Key metrics used to measure deceleration performance, and the kinematics underpinning deceleration technique are highlighted. Given the performance, health and injury-risk implications associated with deceleration, assessment of this movement skill should be given high priority within any athlete multi-disciplinary support system.","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"110 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145608866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-26DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02352-w
Renjie Bing, Jianyu Gan, Dapeng Bao
{"title":"Comment on “Aerobic Exercise Preconditioning Does Not Augment Muscle Hypertrophy During Subsequent Resistance Exercise Training in Healthy Older Adults”","authors":"Renjie Bing, Jianyu Gan, Dapeng Bao","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02352-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02352-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145608831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-26DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02351-x
Milan W. Betz, Alejandra P. Monsegue, Lex B. Verdijk, Luc J. C. van Loon, Tim Snijders
{"title":"Response to Comment on “Aerobic Exercise Preconditioning Does Not Augment Muscle Hypertrophy During Subsequent Resistance Exercise Training in Healthy Older Adults”","authors":"Milan W. Betz, Alejandra P. Monsegue, Lex B. Verdijk, Luc J. C. van Loon, Tim Snijders","doi":"10.1007/s40279-025-02351-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02351-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21969,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145608830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}