To compare the acute effects of a cycling intervention on carotid arterial hemodynamics between basketball athletes and sedentary controls. Ten young long-term trained male basketball athletes (BA) and nine age-matched male sedentary controls (SC) successively underwent four bouts of exercise on a bicycle ergometer at the same workload. Hemodynamic variables at right common carotid artery were determined at rest and immediately following each bout of exercise. An ANCOVA was used to compare differences between the BA and SC groups at rest and immediately following the cycling intervention. The repeated ANOVA was used to assess differences between baseline and each bout of exercise within the BA or SC group. In both groups, carotid hemodynamic variables showed significant differences at rest and immediately after the cycling intervention. At rest, carotid arterial stiffness was significantly decreased and carotid arterial diameter was significantly increased in the BA group as compared to the SC group. Immediately following the cycling intervention, carotid arterial stiffness showed no obvious changes in the BA group but significantly increased in the SC group. It is worth noting that while arterial stiffness was lower in the BA group than in the SC group, the oscillatory shear index (OSI) was significantly higher in the BA group than in the SC group both at rest and immediately following the cycling intervention. Long-term basketball exercise had a significant impact on common carotid arterial hemodynamic variables not only at rest but also after a cycling intervention. The role of OSI in the remodeling of arterial structure and function in the BA group at rest and after cycling requires clarification.

Exercise has been found to either reduce or increase arterial stiffness. Land-based exercise modalities have been documented as effective physical therapies to decrease arterial stiffness. However, these land-based exercise modalities may not be suitable for overweight individuals, in terms of risks of joint injury. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 8-week swimming training and 4-week detraining on carotid arterial stiffness and hemodynamics in young overweight adults. Twenty young male adults who were overweight were recruited and engaged in 8-week of swimming training and 4-week detraining. Five individuals withdrew due to lack of interest and failure to follow the training protocol. Body Fat Percentage (BFP) and carotid hemodynamic variables were measured on a resting day at the following intervals: baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks after swimming training and 4 weeks after detraining. A repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the differences between baseline and each measurement. When significant differences were detected, Tukey’s test for post hoc comparisons was used. Eight-week swimming training at moderate intensity decreased BFP, including the trunk and four extremities. Additionally, the BFP of the right and left lower extremities continued to decrease in these overweight adults 4 weeks after ceasing training. Carotid arterial stiffness decreased, while there were no significant changes in arterial diameters. Blood flow velocity, flow rate, maximal and mean wall shear stress increased, while systolic blood pressure and peripheral resistance decreased. No significant differences existed in minimal wall shear stress and oscillatory shear stress. Eight-week swimming training at moderate intensity exhibited beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure, arterial stiffness and blood supply to the brain in overweight adults. Moreover, maximal and mean wall shear stress increased after training. It is worth noting that these changes in hemodynamics did not last 4 weeks. Therefore, further studies are still warranted to clarify the underlying relationship between improvements in arterial stiffness and alterations in wall shear stress.

Sidestep cutting is a critical movement in sports. However, biomechanical research on sidestep cutting has not hitherto reached a consensus. In order to investigate the effects of limb dominance and movement direction on ankle and subtalar joints during sidestep cutting, twelve physically active male participants were recruited in the present study. Trajectory and ground reaction force data were collected by the motion capture system and force platform. Kinematics, kinetics, and muscle forces information were obtained by running OpenSim. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed with movement direction and limb dominance as independent variables. We found that movement direction had a significant effect on ankle dorsiflexion angle. In contrast, the factor of limb dominance had no effect on ankle and subtalar joints angles. For ankle joint moment, the plantarflexion moment was greater by performing a 45° sidestep cutting or using the dominant limb, while the subtalar joint moment was not affected by these two variables. In terms of muscle forces, the soleus of the dominant limb generated greater plantarflexion muscle force on the sagittal plane, while the non-dominant limb tended to contract more strongly (peroneus longus and peroneus brevis) on the frontal plane to stabilize the subtalar joint. Meanwhile, a smaller sidestep cutting angle made participants generate greater plantarflexion muscle forces (soleus and gastrocnemius). In conclusion, our findings indicated that participants should take limb dominance and movement direction into consideration for enhancing athletic performance and reducing the risk of injury during sidestep cutting.

Performing continuous sets to failure is fatiguing during the plyometric training. Cluster sets have been used to redistribute total rest time to create short frequent sets so that muscle fatigue can be avoided. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of inter-set recovery time on lower extremity explosive power, neuromuscular activity, and tissue oxygenation during plyometric exercise and recovery. An integrated assessment of explosive power, muscle electrical activity, and tissue oxygenation was adopted in the present study to help understand local muscle metabolism and fatigue during plyometric exercise and recovery. Ten university male basketball players participated in this study. Subjects performed 4 groups of exercise, each group comprised of 3 sets of jumps: 1, 2, 3, or 5 min. Surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were collected from 9 lower extremity muscles; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was recorded on vastus lateralis; mechanical data during plyometric exercise were collected from a force plate. No significant differences among sets and among groups were found regarding explosive power, jump height, EMG intensity, mean power frequency, the rate of tissue saturation index, and HbO₂ changes between baseline and recovery. The current study has shown no muscular fatigue induced during the 4 groups of exercise. The results of this study may help inform recommendations concerning the recovery time during plyometric exercises at low loads (30% 1 RM).

Background. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is closely related to arterial elasticity and hemodynamics. Exercises have been reported to immediately decrease arterial apparent elasticity and regulate hemodynamic variables. However, the relationship between them and exercise intensity remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of different intensities of acute cycling exercise on carotid arterial apparent elasticity and hemodynamics. Methods. 32 healthy men (age: 19.4 ± 0.6 years) attended the laboratory on five occasions and completed cycling acute exercise for 20 minutes at five intensities (40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% heart rate reserve (HRR)). At the right carotid artery, center‐line velocity and arterial inner diameter waveforms were examined before and immediately after exercise. Based upon the measured data, the classical hemodynamic theory was used to calculate the apparent elasticity and the local hemodynamic variables. Results. The arterial apparent stiffness and the apparent elastic modulus following acute cycling exercise at 60% to 80% HRR were significantly higher than baseline. The mean center‐line velocity accelerated from 50% to 80% HRR, but no intensity of intervention altered mean blood flow. Immediately after intervention, the mean wall shear stress and oscillatory shear index increased. Conclusions. Aerobic cycling intervention, with intensity from 40% to 80% HRR, did not change the brain blood supply. A bout of cycling intervention decreased apparent elasticity, and there was an intensity‐dependent effect on apparent elasticity and hemodynamic variables. This study would provide referable data for the further study on the effects of aerobic exercise on arterial hemodynamics and elasticity and underlying physiological mechanisms.

Purpose: This research aims to study and compare the effects of moderate-intensity continuous exercise and accumulated exercise with different number of bouts on common carotid arterial stiffness and hemodynamic variables.Methods: Thirty healthy male adults were recruited to complete four trials in a randomized crossover design: no-exercise (CON); continuous exercise (CE, 30-min cycling); accumulated exercise including two or three bouts with 10-min rest intervals (AE15, 2 × 15-min cycling; AE10, 3 × 10-min cycling). The intensity in all the exercise trials was set at 45%–55% heart rate reserve. Blood pressure, right common carotid artery center-line velocity, and arterial inner diameter waveforms were measured at baseline and immediately after exercise (0 min), 10 min, and 20 min.Results: 1) The arterial stiffness index and pressure–strain elastic modulus of the CE and AE15 groups increased significantly at 0 min, arterial diameters decreased in AE15 and AE10, and all indicators recovered at 10 min. 2) The mean blood flow rate and carotid artery center-line velocity increased in all trials at 0 min, and only the mean blood flow rate of AE10 did not recover at 10 min. 3) At 0 min, the blood pressure in all trials was found to be increased, and the wall shear stress and oscillatory shear index of AE10 were different from those in CE and AE15. At 20 min, the blood pressure of AE10 significantly decreased, and the dynamic resistance, pulsatility index, and peripheral resistance of CE partially recovered.Conclusion: There is no significant difference in the acute effects of continuous exercise and accumulated exercise on the arterial stiffness and diameter of the carotid artery. Compared with continuous exercise, accumulated exercise with an increased number of bouts is more effective in increasing cerebral blood supply and blood pressure regulation, and its oscillatory shear index recovers faster. However, the improvement of blood flow resistance in continuous exercise was better than that in accumulated exercise.