Background: Faced with the lack of physical activity caused by mandatory home isolation during special periods and patients' inconvenience in carrying out professionally supervised exercise, many home-based exercise programs have been developed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of home-based exercise on measures of motor symptoms, quality of life and functional performance in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, and searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane library, and Web of Science from their inception date to April 1, 2023. The quality of the literature was assessed using PEDro's quality scale. The data was pooled using R software. Results are presented as pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 20 studies involving 1885 PD patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that home-based exercise had a small effect in relieving overall motor symptoms in PD patients (SMD = -0.29 [-0.45, -0.13]; P < 0.0001), improving quality of life (SMD = 0.20 [0.08, 0.32]; P < 0.0001), walking speed (SMD = 0.26 [0.05, 0.48]; P = 0.005), balance ability (SMD = 0.23 [0.10, 0.36]; P < 0.0001), finger dexterity (SMD = 0.28 [0.10, 0.46]; P = 0.003) and decreasing fear of falling (SMD = -0.29 [-0.49, -0.08]; P = 0.001). However, home-based exercise did not significantly relieve the overall motor symptoms of PD patients when the training period was less than 8 weeks and the total number of sessions was less than 30. Conclusion: During times of limited physical activity due to pandemics such as COVID-19, home-based exercise is an alternative to maintain and improve motor symptoms in PD patients. In addition, for the minimum dose of home-based exercise, we recommend that the exercise period is no less than 8 weeks and the total number of sessions is no less than 30 times. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022329780.

Creatine supplementation reduces the impact of muscle fatigue on post-activation potentiation (PAP) of the lower body, but its effects on the upper body remain unknown. This study examined the effects of creatine supplementation on muscle strength, explosive power, and optimal individual PAP time of the upper body during a set of complex training bouts in canoeists. Seventeen male high school canoeists performed a bench row for one repetition at maximum strength and conducted complex training bouts to determine the optimal individual timing of PAP and distance of overhead medicine ball throw before and after the supplementation. Subjects were assigned to a creatine or placebo group, and later consumed 20 g of creatine or carboxymethyl cellulose per day for six days. After supplementation, the maximal strength in the creatine group significantly increased (p < 0.05). The optimal individual PAP time in the creatine group was significantly earlier than the pre-supplementation times (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in explosive power for either group. Our findings support the notion that creatine supplementation increases maximal strength and shortens the optimal individual PAP time of the upper body in high school athletes, but has no effect on explosive power. Moreover, it was found that the recovery time between a bench row and an overhead medicine ball throw in a complex training bout is an individual phenomenon.

Background: Resistance training is often a part of the routine training regimen for competitive swimmers. However, due to the variety of resistance training methodology, the results can be inconsistent and sometimes unsatisfactory. Clear recommendations are still lacking at present.Aims: 1) Quantify the impact of resistance training on swimmers’ upper limb maximum strength, front crawl performance and key technical parameters; 2) Find out the key technical parameters for improving front crawl performance—stroke rate or length; 3) Through subgroup analysis determine the best methodology of resistance training to enhance the front crawl.Methods: Systematic search in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Meta-analyses using the inverse-variance are performed to compare swimmers’ upper limb maximum strength, front crawl performance and key technical parameters in resistance training and habitual aquatic training. A subgroup analysis was performed to examine whether the results were affected by the methodology of resistance training.Results: Thirteen studies (267 competitive swimmers) met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that resistance training significantly improved upper limbs maximum muscle strength, and 25, 50, 100, and 200 m front crawl performance in competitive swimmers. And improvements in swimming performance may simply resulted from resistance training increasing stroke rate rather than stroke length. In addition, the results of subgroup analysis showed that only concurrent resistance training (CRT) and power training (PT) ultimately improved swimming performance by increasing the maximum muscle strength of the upper limbs.Conclusion: Resistance training significantly enhances competitive swimmers’ upper limb strength and front crawl performance across various distances. The improvement in performance is likely attributed to an increased stroke rate rather than stroke length. In addition, CRT and PT are particularly effective, indicating the importance of selecting the appropriate methodology of resistance training for optimal swimming performance enhancement.Systematic review registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3JEGW.

To examine the dose–response relationship between specific types of exercise for improving walking velocity in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This systematic review and network meta-analysis included searches of PubMed, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception until February 18th, 2024. Data analysis was performed using R software with the MBNMA and RJAGS packages. Outcome indicators were measured as mean standard deviation (SMD) along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CrI). The network’s risk of bias was independently evaluated by two reviewers employing the ROB2 tool. Our review encompassed 54 studies with 2,828 PD patients, examining the dose–response effects of different exercises on walking velocity. Aerobic Exercise (AE) demonstrated the greatest improvement at an optimal dose of 1,400 METs-min/week (SMD:1.215, 95% Crl: 0.113 to 2.306). Both Multicomponent Exercise (Mul) (SMD: 1.202, 95% Crl: 0.193 to 2.231) and Sensory Exercise (SE) (SMD: 0.649, 95% Crl: 0.139 to 1.183) showed optimal outcomes at a dose of 1,000 METs-min/week. Resistance Training (RT) was most effective at 750 METs-min/week (SMD:0.778, 95% Crl: 0.062 to 1.549), while Mind–Body Exercise (MBE) yielded significant improvements at a lower optimal dose of 500 METs-min/week (SMD: 0.580, 95% Crl: 0.218 to 1.137), offering valuable insights for exercise prescription in PD management. Various types of exercise showed specific optimal benefits at corresponding doses, among which AE was the most effective in improving the walking speed of PD patients at 1,400 Mets*min/week. Trial registration: PROSPERO (CRD42024506919).

Objective: To examine the dose–response relationship between specific types of exercise for alleviating Timed up and Go (TUG) in Parkinson’s disease PD.Design: Systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.Data sources: PubMed, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception until February 5th, 2024.Study analysis: Data analysis was conducted using R software with the MBNMA package. Effect sizes of outcome indicators were expressed as mean deviation (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CrI). The risk of bias in the network was evaluated independently by two reviewers using ROB2.Results: A total of 73 studies involving 3,354 PD patients. The text discusses dose–response relationships in improving TUG performance among PD patients across various exercise types. Notably, Aquatic (AQE), Mix Exercise (Mul_C), Sensory Exercise (SE), and Resistance Training (RT) demonstrate effective dose ranges, with AQE optimal at 1500 METs-min/week (MD: −8.359, 95% CI: −1.398 to −2.648), Mul_C at 1000 METs-min/week (MD: −4.551, 95% CI: −8.083 to −0.946), SE at 1200 METs-min/week (MD: −5.145, 95% CI: −9.643 to −0.472), and RT at 610 METs-min/week (MD: −2.187, 95% CI: −3.161 to −1.278), respectively. However, no effective doses are found for Aerobic Exercise (AE), Balance Gait Training (BGT), Dance, and Treadmill Training (TT). Mind–body exercise (MBE) shows promise with an effective range of 130 to 750 METs-min/week and an optimal dose of 750 METs-min/week (MD: −2.822, 95% CI: −4.604 to −0.996). According to the GRADE system, the included studies’ overall quality of the evidence was identified moderate level.Conclusion: This study identifies specific exercise modalities and dosages that significantly enhance TUG performance in PD patients. AQE emerges as the most effective modality, with an optimal dosage of 1,500 METs-min/week. MBE shows significant benefits at lower dosages, catering to patients with varying exercise capacities. RT exhibits a nuanced “U-shaped” dose–response relationship, suggesting an optimal range balancing efficacy and the risk of overtraining. These findings advocate for tailored exercise programs in PD management, emphasizing personalized prescriptions to maximize outcomes.Systematic Review Registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42024506968).

Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become a popular exercise strategy in modern society, with the Tabata training method being the most popular. In the past, these training methods were mostly done without equipment, but incorporating exergaming into the training may provide a new option for muscle training. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the differences in upper limb muscle activation using an HIIT program combined with exergaming. Methods: A total of 15 healthy male participants were recruited for the study, and the differences in muscle activation were compared between push-ups and exergaming (Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure with the Ring-Con accessory) during HIIT. Prior to the tests, participants underwent pretests, including maximal voluntary contractions of various muscle groups, maximal push-up tests, and maximal movement tests using the exergaming device. The push-up and exergaming tests were conducted on separate days to avoid interference, with a warm-up period of 5 minutes on a treadmill before testing. Muscle activation in the lateral and anterior portions of the deltoid muscle, the sternal and clavicular heads of the pectoralis major muscle, and the latissimus dorsi muscle were measured during the maximal voluntary contractions and single-round tests for each exercise mode. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the variations in muscle activation observed across the 2 distinct modes of exercise, specifically push-ups and exergaming. Results: In exergaming, the number of repetitions for push-ups was significantly fewer than for single-site exercises across both exhaustive (mean 23.13, SD 6.36 vs mean 55.67, SD 17.83; P=.001; effect size [ES]: 2.43) and single-round (mean 21.93, SD 7.67 vs mean 92.40, SD 20.47; P=.001; ES: 4.56) training. Heart rate differences were not significant (all P>.05), yet exergaming led to better muscle activation in specific muscle groups, particularly the right anterior deltoid (mean 48.00%, SD 7.66% vs mean 32.84%, SD 10.27%; P=.001; ES: 1.67) and right pectoralis major (sternal head: mean 38.99%, SD 9.98% vs mean 26.90%, SD 12.97%; P=.001; ES: 1.04; clavicular head: mean 43.54%, SD 9.59% vs mean 30.09%, SD 11.59%; P=.002; ES: 1.26) during exhaustive training. In single-round training, similar patterns were observed with the anterior deltoid (mean 51.37%, SD 11.76% vs mean 35.47%, SD 12.72%; P=.002; ES: 1.30) and pectoralis major (sternal head: mean 53.27%, SD 10.79% vs mean 31.56%, SD 16.92%; P=.001; ES: 1.53; clavicular head: mean 53.75%, SD 13.01% vs mean 37.95%, SD 14.67%; P=.006; ES: 1.14). These results suggest that exergaming may be more effective for targeted muscle activation. Conclusions: In conclusion, HIIT can increase muscle activation in the upper extremities and can be incorporated into exergaming strategies to provide a fun and engaging way to exercise.