Marital status mediates an association between physical activity (PA) and TV time with health outcomes. However, population-based studies have revealed that the health effect of marriage or divorce is age-dependent and differs between women and men. The study aimed to identify the age and sex-related associations between marital status with PA and TV time. We used data from Vigitel, an annual telephone survey started in 2006 in Brazil. We applied a complex sample logistic regression model to estimate the odds for PA and TV time comparing marital statuses according to age and sex subgroups, independent of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, self-assessed poor health, and smoking. Our sample included 561,837 individuals from 18 to 99 years, with a TV time > 3 h/day (prevalence = 25.2%) and PA > 150 min/week (prevalence = 35%). Later, we divided our sample in seven age groups by marital status and sex. Compared to single individuals, married men and women were less likely to watch TV more than 3 h/day in participants >30 years old. When compared to single, married participants were less likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week at younger age groups. Married women older than 40 years were more likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week than the single ones, while there were no differences among married men by age group. In conclusion, our study suggests that the investments in public policies to encourage the practice of PA and reduction of TV time could be based on the marital status, sex, and age, prioritizing less active groups.

We compared the effects of different weekly calf training sets on muscle size changes. Sixty-one untrained young women performed a calf training program for 6 weeks, 3 d·wk–1, with differences in resistance training volume. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: 6-SET, 9-SET, and 12-SET weekly calf training sets. The calf raise exercise was performed in sets of 15–20 repetitions maximum. The muscle thickness measurements of medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), and soleus (SOL) were taken via B-mode ultrasound. We used the sum of the three-muscle thickness as a proxy for the triceps surae (TSSUM). The 12-SET group elicited greater increases than the 6-SET in LG (6-SET=+ 8.1% vs. 12-SET=+ 14.3%; P=0.017), SOL (6-SET=+ 6.7% vs. 12-SET=+ 12.7%; P=0.024), and TSSUM (6-SET=+ 6.9% vs. 12-SET=+ 12.0%; P=0.005), but there was no significant difference in MG changes (6-SET=+ 6.6% vs. 12-SET=+ 9.9%; P=0.067). There were no significant differences when comparing 9-SET vs. 6-SET and 12-SET (P≥0.099). Although all groups experienced calf muscle hypertrophy, our results suggest that the higher dose range may optimize triceps surae muscle size gains.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever experiências e resultados vinculados ao projeto de extensão “Clínica e Academia Escola de Educação Física: prescrição de exercícios físicos baseados em evidências científicas”. O público atendido é constituído de pacientes portadores de doenças crônicas. A prescrição dos exercícios é planejada e ministrada por acadêmicos, pós-graduandos e docentes mediante informações individualizada do participante. O programa é elaborado considerando evidências científicas obtidas a partir de diretrizes e ensaios clínicos randomizados que respaldam a determinação da dose adequada de exercícios físicos individualizados. Resultados de 64 pacientes revelaram melhoras significativas na adiposidade abdominal, na força de preensão manual, na frequência cardíaca de repouso e na pressão arterial diastólica. Em relação à qualificação, observou-se envolvimento e interesse dos acadêmicos com programas de mestrado, de residência e com a prática profissional neste contexto, durante e após a graduação. A proposta extensionista tem potencial de desenvolvimento contínuo, aplicação prática e formação profissional, consolidando em importante papel das instituições de ensino superior no que diz respeito à consolidação da tríade acadêmica: ensino, pesquisa e extensão.

This study analyzed the effects of 2 years of training interruption imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on muscular strength, body composition, metabolic biomarkers, and physical performance in older women engaged in resistance training (RT). Additionally, to assess resilience capacity, we compared the changes provoked by 12 weeks of retraining with those achieved after 12 weeks of training (pre-pandemic block 1) on physiological and functional outcomes. Muscular strength, body composition, metabolic biomarkers, and physical performance were analyzed at five time points. A progressive RT program was performed during the pre-pandemic block 1 (12 weeks of training) and block 2 (24 weeks). Subsequently, 2 years of training interruption were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants performed 12 weeks of retraining. A significant impairment in all outcomes was observed after 2 years of training interruption compared to pre-pandemic block 2. Retraining did not change muscle mass, lipid profile, and functional motor tests compared to pre-pandemic block 1. When compared to the pre-pandemic block 1, retraining induced greater 1RM gains in the chest press (20.4% vs. 6.2%), leg extension (15.9% vs. −1.0%), preacher curl (31.1% vs. 8.2%), and total lifted load (21.4% vs. 3.6%), and similar fat mass loss at gynoid (−4.9% vs. −3.7%) and trunk (−3.8% vs. −4.2%). The results indicate that two years of training interruption imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in older women engaged in RT led to worsening physiological and functional outcomes, which did not fully recover/regain after retraining, suggesting low resilience capacity. Novelty: Two years of training interruption imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic impair physiological and functional outcomes in older women engaged in resistance training. Retraining led to resilience capacity only in muscular strength gains.

To investigate the potential role of muscle size changes on changes in strength following regimented resistance training, 175 older women completed 12 weeks of no intervention time-matched control (Ctrl, n = 84) or resistance exercise training (RET, n = 91). One-repetition maximum (1RM) strength of knee extension exercise and muscle thickness of the anterior and lateral thigh (B-mode ultrasound) were assessed pre- and post-12 weeks. The effect of RET on muscle thickness relative to the Ctrl was significant for the anterior (β = 0.32 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.24, 0.41) cm) and lateral thigh (β = 0.23 (95% CI = 0.17, 0.30) cm). The effect of RET on 1RM knee extension relative to Ctrl was significant (β: 7.02 (95% CI, 6.01 to 8.04) kg; P < 0.001). There was evidence of mediation for the anterior thigh model, where 10.6% of the changes in 1RM knee extension were explained by changes in the anterior thigh muscle thickness (average causal mediation effect (ACME) = 0.74 (95% CI = 0.20, 1.35) kg, P = 0.002). Conversely, there was no significant effect of mediation for the lateral thigh model, evident by the ACME (0.45 (95% CI = −0.03, 1.10) kg, P = 0.066). The findings indicate that part of the effect of RET on increases in knee extension strength is mediated by anterior thigh muscle growth.