Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial clinical condition characterized by the co-occurrence of abdominal obesity, impaired glucose metabolism, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia. Non-pharmacological strategies, such as hypocaloric diets (HD) and structured physical training (PT), have shown promise in improving metabolic and functional outcomes in this population. The aim of this prospective interventional study was to evaluate the effects of a 16-week program combining HD with PT on ventilatory efficiency and cardiometabolic risk markers in women with MetS. Forty-one sedentary women (aged 45–55 years) with clinically diagnosed MetS underwent anthropometric, metabolic, nutritional, and cardiopulmonary assessments before and after the intervention. Participants engaged in 60 min exercise sessions three times per week and followed a personalized hypocaloric diet targeting 5–10% weight loss. Post-intervention analyses revealed significant reductions (p ≤ 0.05) in body weight (from 86.6 kg ± 3.3 kg to 78.2 kg ± 3.3 kg), body fat percentage (40.1% ± 0.6% to 33.4% ± 1.6%), and waist circumference (105.1 cm ± 1.2 cm to 95.7 cm ± 1.9 cm). Improvements were also observed in fasting glucose (from 117.1 mg/dL to 95.1 mg/dL) and triglycerides (158.8 mg/dL ± 9.1 mg/dL to 111.8 mg/dL ± 9.1 mg/dL), and in lean mass percentage (59.9% ± 6.5% to 66.6% ± 1.7%). Cardiopulmonary variables showed enhanced ventilatory function, with increased VO₂peak (1.59 L/min ± 0.1 L/min to 1.74 ± 0.1 L/min), improved oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES), and a steeper VO₂/workload relationship. Resting heart rate and blood pressure declined significantly (69.9 bpm ± 2.0 bpm to 64.9 ± 1.8 bpm; 145.4 mmHg ± 3.9/80.2 ± 3.0 mmHg to 140.1 mmHg ± 2.7/75.2 ± 1.6 mmHg). In conclusion, the 16-week intervention combining HD with PT proved effective for reducing cardiometabolic risk factors and enhancing ventilatory efficiency, suggesting improved integration of oxygen uptake, transport, and utilization in the women with MetS assessed.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive biomarker widely used to assess autonomic regulation, training adaptation, and recovery status in athletes. However, studies involving soccer players under 17 years of age remain scarce, particularly those integrating physiological and psychophysiological markers in real competitive contexts. This study aimed to analyze autonomic modulation using time-domain HRV (natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive difference LnRMSSD) and its relationship with subjective indicators of recovery and load in under-17 elite soccer athletes. An observational longitudinal study was conducted with fourteen elite male soccer players from Santos Futebol Clube (age: 16.2 ± 0.42 years) monitored over four competitive weeks. Morning HRV was recorded using a validated ultra-short two-minute protocol, while psychophysiological measures included perceived recovery status (PRS), session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), perceived stress, and mood. The athletes demonstrated no statistically significant temporal changes in RMSSD or LnRMSSD throughout the monitoring period, with mean values of LnRMSSD = 4.06 ± 0.68 and RMSSD = 68.78 ± 33.62 ms. Significant associations were observed between LnRMSSD and PRS (r = 0.61; p < 0.04), sRPE (r = −0.67; p < 0.03), and perceived stress (r = −0.77; p < 0.01), indicating, under the conditions of this study, coherence between physiological and perceptual indicators of internal load and recovery status. In conclusion, the results suggest that elite under-17 soccer players maintained stable autonomic modulation during the competitive period analyzed. Furthermore, the observed associations between HRV and subjective measures support the potential value of integrating physiological and perceptual indicators when monitoring recovery and readiness in youth soccer athletes.

Soccer is an intermittent sport that requires complex and well-adjusted physiological responses from athletes. The training load allows athletes to optimize physical adaptations and reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. In women’s soccer, the implementation of load control and individualization strategies has shown promise for enhancing anaerobic performance and injury prevention. This study aimed to compare the performance levels of professional women’s soccer players before and after the implementation of relative external load (RELC) for training prescription. Twenty-seven female professional soccer athletes (mean age 29.4 ± 6.2 years) were evaluated. Metrics such as total distance, sprint distance, number of sprints, accelerations, and decelerations were collected using the GPS-based device Catapult One (Catapult). Athletes were assessed in two games, with 6 months’ difference between matches: Game 1, without RELC implementation, and Game 2, with RELC. Significant differences were found between both periods. Sprint distance increased from 391 m to 450 m (+15%, d = 0.49, p ≤ 0.05), and sprint count increased from 14 to 17 (+21%, d = 0.35, p ≤ 0.05), showing improved performance related to increased physical output in the second half of the season. These findings suggest potential performance improvements associated with individualized load control over the course of the season.