Psychological aspects like anxiety, injuries’ effects, professional psychological support (PPS), psychological training (PT), or athlete-coach relationships could influence shooters’ performance. This study tried to determine which aspects were critical from the shooters’ perspective. Eight elite shooters were interviewed. After using qualitative methods, the following categories were obtained: importance of PT; anxiety and competition relationship; mental preparation; PPS; stress during training; injuries’ psychological effects and coach’s influence. PT is important for shooter’s performance, being PPS a key aspect. Moreover, anxiety levels are critical, raising during the pre-competitive period and oscillating during competition. Furthermore, shooters considered more effective the stress placed on training by the coach than by themselves. Accordingly, the coach plays a key role. Surprisingly, injuries did not affect shooters psychologically, nor in their competitive performance. We conclude that the combination of PPS, shooter competitive experience and the optimal coach’s work can promote a greater performance in Olympic shooting.

Most intervention studies investigating the effects of ergogenic aids (EAs) on sports performance have been carried out in the male population. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the effects in the existing literature of EAs used by female athletes on performance. A literature research was conducted, and a descriptive analysis of the articles included in the systematic review was carried out. Meta-analyses could be performed on 32 of the included articles, evaluating performance in strength, sprint, and cardiovascular capacity. A random-effects model and the standardized mean differences (SMD) ± 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. The results showed that caffeine helped to improve jumping performance, isometric strength values, and the number of repetitions until failure. Caffeine and sodium phosphate helped to improve sprint performance. Aerobic tests could be improved with the use of taurine, caffeine, and beta-alanine. No conclusive effects of beetroot juice, polyphenols, or creatine in improving aerobic performance were shown. In terms of anaerobic variables, both caffeine and sodium phosphate could help to improve repeated sprint ability. More studies are needed in female athletes that measure the effects of different EAs on sports performance, such as beetroot juice, beta-alanine or sodium phosphate, as the studies to date are scarce and there are many types of EA that need to be further considered in this population, such as creatine and taurine.

Hyperthermia accelerates dehydration and can lead to a glycolysis malfunction. Therefore, to deeply understand the relationship between dehydration and hyperthermia during exercise, as well as in the recovery time, there might be important factors to improve athletic performance. A systematic review was carried out in different databases using the words “hydration” OR “dehydration” AND “glycogen” OR “glycogenesis” OR “glycogenolysis” AND “muscle” OR “muscle metabolism” OR “cardiovascular system” and adding them to the “topic section” in Web of Science, to “Title/Abstract” in PubMed and to “Abstract” in SPORTDiscus. A total of 18 studies were included in the review and 13 in the meta-analysis. The free statistical software Jamovi was used to run the meta-analysis (version 1.6.15). A total sample of 158 people was included in the qualitative analysis, with a mean age of 23.5 years. Ten studies compared muscle glycogen content after hydration vs. remaining dehydrated (SMD −4.77 to 3.71, positive 80% of estimates, \hat{\mu} = 0.79 (95% CI: −0.54 to 2.12), z = 1.17, p = 0.24, Q-test (Q(9) = 66.38, p < 0.0001, tau² = 4.14, I² = 91.88%). Four studies examined the effect of temperature on postexercise muscle glycogen content (SMD −3.14 to −0.63, 100% of estimates being negative, \hat{\mu} = −1.52 (95% CI: −2.52 to −0.53), (z = −3.00, p = 0.003, Q-test (Q(3) = 8.40, p = 0.038, tau² = 0.68, I² = 66.81%). In conclusion, both hyperthermia and dehydration may contribute to elevated glycogenolysis during exercise and poor glycogen resynthesis during recovery. Although core and muscle hyperthermia are the key factors in glycogen impairments, they are also directly related to dehydration.

Previous studies have shown that polyphenol consumption enhances recovery of the muscle after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). However, EIMD markers have not been studied by sport type. The main aim of this research was to perform a systematic review to determine the efficacy of polyphenolic consumption in increasing muscle recovery for performing team sport skills. Eligible studies included, following PICOS structure, presented at least one of the following outcomes: maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVIC); countermovement jump (CMJ); delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS); 20 m sprint test; creatine kinase (CK); and C-reactive protein (hsCRP). A structured search was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The risk of bias was assessed using the PEDro scale tool. The review showed a possibly positive impact of polyphenol consumption on recovery after EIMD in team sports athletes. No differences were found between sexes. Considering the limitations, there is moderate to very low certainty of polyphenol supplementation effects on recovery of team sport females and males. A dose of 60 mL/day, divided into two times per day, ingested for >7 days may present positive effects on muscle function and muscle soreness in team sport athletes. However, further investigation is required, specifically in females.

Background: Many aspects affect precision sports like shooting. Skills such as strength and balance are related to shooting performance and therefore, they should be trained. Thus, planned physical workouts can help to improve Olympic Shooting performance. The main objective of this study was to determine elite shooters’ perspective about fitness trainings. Methods: Eight elite international shooters were interviewed using a semi-structured script validated by an expert shooting committee. Their responses were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. The following categories were obtained: fitness training importance on performance, fitness professional support, precompetitive fitness exercises’ orientation and intensity, main motor abilities, recovery process, fitness evaluation and test and physical training influence on the psychological state. Results: The results suggest that athletes consider physical training as a key factor in their performance. Shooters mainly train strength and endurance exercises, depending on the competitions schedule. However, no consensus exists regarding the professional in charge of fitness trainings, nor the recovery methods to minimize performance losses. In addition, general balance trainings or physical condition tests to evaluate the training progress do not seem to be used. Conclusion: We conclude that there should be greater control of fitness training and recovery processes in Olympic shooting.