Tribulus terrestris L. (TT) supplementation have been shown to enhance sports performance in many but not all studies. Moreover, data regarding the potential impact of TT supplementation on CrossFit^® endurance is limited. This study aimed to determine whether TT supplementation improve body composition, hormonal response, and performance among CrossFit^® athletes. In a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a total of 30 healthy CrossFit^®-trained males were randomly allocated to receive either 770 mg of TT supplementation or a placebo daily for 6 weeks. Body mass, fat mass, fat composition, testosterone and cortisol levels, and CrossFit^® performance (5 common Workouts of the Day: back squat, bench press, dead lift, Grace, and CrossFit^® Total) were assessed before and after intervention. There were no significant group x time interactions for the outcomes of the study except for testosterone levels and bench press performance (p < 0.05). TT supplementation did not impact enhance performance or body composition in CrossFit^® male athletes. However, TT supplementation may act as a testosterone booster helping the recovery after physical loads and mitigating fatigue.

The aim of this study was to simulate the activity pattern of rink hockey by designing a specific skate test (ST) to study the energy expenditure and metabolic responses to this intermittent high-intensity exercise and extrapolate the results from the test to competition. Six rink hockey players performed, in three phases, the 20-metre multi-stage shuttle roller skate test, a tournament match and the ST. Heart rate was monitored in all three phases. Blood lactate, oxygen consumption, ventilation and respiratory exchange ratio were also recorded during the ST. Peak HR was 190.7±7.2 beats · min(-1). There were no differences in peak HR between the three tests. Mean HR was similar between the ST and the match (86% and 87% of HRmax, respectively). Peak and mean ventilation averaged 111.0±8.8 L · min(-1) and 70.3±14.0 L (·) min(-1) (60% of VEmax), respectively. VO2max was 56.3±8.4 mL · kg(-1) · min(-1), and mean oxygen consumption was 40.9±7.9 mL · kg(-1) (·) min(-1) (70% of VO2max). Maximum blood lactate concentration was 7.2±1.3 mmol · L-1. ST yielded an energy expenditure of 899.1±232.9 kJ, and energy power was 59.9±15.5 kJ · min(-1). These findings suggest that the ST is suitable for estimating the physiological demands of competitive rink hockey, which places a heavy demand on the aerobic and anaerobic systems, and requires high energy consumption.

Tribulus terrestris L. (TT) ingredients have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, but their effects on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in trained athletes are uncertain. The purpose of this single-blind placebo-controlled trial, in accordance with CONSORT guidelines, was to examine the effect of 6 weeks of TT supplementation on muscle metabolism, inflammation biomarkers, and oxidant status. Thirty trained male CrossFit^® athletes were randomly assigned to be supplemented with 770 mg/day of TT (intervention group (IG)) or receive a placebo daily (control group (CG)) for 6 weeks. Muscle damage enzymes, inflammation biomarkers, and Total Antioxidant Status (TAS) were assessed at baseline (T1), 21 days after baseline (T2), and after 42 days (T3). Grace, a Workout of the Day, was measured in T1 and T3. Statistical significance (p < 0.05) was found between IG and CG in Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), and TAS levels at the end of the follow-up. Furthermore, TAS levels were significantly (p < 0.05) lower at T2 and T3 relative to baseline in the IG, also LDH and CRP increased significantly (p < 0.05) at T2 and T3 relative to baseline in the CG. No significant (p > 0.05) decreases in muscle damage or inflammation biomarkers were observed, although a slight downward trend was observed after 6 weeks for supplemented athletes. TT supplementation could attenuate the CrossFit^® training program-induced oxidative stress, muscle damage, and inflammation which could be due to the natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of TT.

Transdermal delivery can be accomplished through various mechanisms including formulation optimization, epidermal stratum corneum barrier disruption, or directly by removing the stratum corneum layer. Microneedling, electroporation, a combination of both and also the intradermal injection known as mesotherapy have proved efficacy in epidermal-barrier disruption. Here we analyzed the effects of these methods of epidermal-barrier disruption in the structure of the skin and the absorption of four compounds with different characteristics and properties (ketoprofen, biotin, caffein, and procaine). Swine skin (Pietrain x Durox) was used as a human analogue, both having similar structure and pharmacological release. They were biopsied at different intervals, up to 2 weeks after application. High-pressure liquid chromatography and brightfield microscopy were performed, conducting a biometric analysis and measuring histological structure and vascular status. The performed experiments led to different results in the function of the studied molecules: ketoprofen and biotin had the best concentrations with intradermal injections, while delivery methods for obtaining procaine and caffein maximum concentrations changed on the basis of the lapsed time. The studied techniques did not produce significant histological alterations after their application, except for an observed increase in Langerhans cells and melanocytes after applying electroporation, and an epidermal thinning after using microneedles, with variable results regarding dermal thickness. Although all the studied barrier disruptors can accomplish transdermal delivery, the best disruptor is dependent on the particular molecule.

Multi-ingredient performance supplements (MIPS), ingested pre- or post-workout, have been shown to increase physiological level effects and integrated metabolic response on exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of pre-and post-training supplementation with its own MIPS, associated with CHO (1 g·kg⁻¹) plus protein (0.3 g·kg⁻¹) on exercise-related benchmarks across a training camp for elite cyclists. Thirty elite male cyclists participated in a randomized non-placebo-controlled trial for ten weeks assigned to one of three groups (n = 10 each): a control group treated with CHO plus protein after training (CG); a group treated with MIPS before training and a CHO plus protein after training, (PRE-MIPS); a group treated with CHO plus protein plus MIPS after training, (POST-MIPS). Performance parameters included (VO₂max, peak; median and minimum power (W) and fatigue index (%)); hormonal response (Cortisol; Testosterone; and Testosterone/Cortisol ratio); and muscle biomarkers (Creatine kinase (CK), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and Myoglobin (Mb)) were assessed. MIPS administered before or after training (p ≤ 0.05) was significantly influential in attenuating CK, LDH, and MB; stimulating T response and modulating C; and improved on all markers of exercise performance. These responses were greater when MIPS was administered post-workout.

The current systematic review evaluated the effects of different pre-cooling techniques on sports performance in highly-trained athletes under high temperature conditions. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched from inception to December 2019. Studies performing pre-cooling interventions in non-acclimatized highly-trained athletes (>55 mL/kg/min of maximal oxygen consumption) under heat conditions (≥30 °C) were included. The searched reported 26 articles. Pre-cooling techniques can be external (exposure to ice water, cold packs, or cooling clothes), internal (intake of cold water or ice), or mixed. Cooling prior to exercise concluded increases in distance covered (1.5–13.1%), mean power output (0.9–6.9%), time to exhaustion (19–31.9%), work (0.1–8.5%), and mean peak torque (10.4–22.6%), as well as reductions in completion time (0.6–6.5%). Mixed strategies followed by cold water immersion seem to be the most effective techniques, being directly related with the duration of cooling and showing the major effects in prolonged exercise protocols. The present review showed that pre-cooling methods are an effective strategy to increase sports performance in hot environments. This improvement is associated with the body surface exposed and its sensibility, as well as the time of application, obtaining the best results in prolonged physical exercise protocols.