Background: this observational and cross-sectional study aimed to describe training, pharmacological ergogenic aids, dehydration, and nutrition strategies during a peak week in competitive bodybuilders and monitor changes that occurred across this period. Methods: Ten amateur bodybuilders were followed during a peak week phase and one day post-contest. Training, diet, dehydration protocol, anabolic steroid use, and nonsteroidal agents were recorded, prescribed, and supervised by the same coach in charge. Body composition, resting metabolic rate, and circumferences were assessed by the research team. Results: Overall, during the peak week phase, the use of anabolic steroids, diuretics, and other pharmacological aids was high among athletes, and the dose and frequency were similar between competitors. Despite the use of supraphysiological doses of drugs, bodybuilders displayed a statistical reduction of lean mass markers, resting metabolic rate, and fat mass markers, possibly influenced by the performance of high volumes of aerobic exercise combined with dietary energy restriction. Conclusions: The main findings of this study display that the coach in charge of Brazilian bodybuilders applied the same anabolic steroid, diuretic, and other pharmacological protocols for all competitors. Moreover, the protocols employed by bodybuilders did not fully attenuate the loss of lean mass during the peak week period.

This study aimed to evaluate the intensity of posing training in male bodybuilders by comparing it to vigorous intensity parameters and examining the effects of stimulant usage and preparation phases. Specifically, this study compared posing training to established vigorous intensity benchmarks using metabolic equivalents (METs) and heart rate (HR) responses and assessed differences between athletes using stimulants versus those not using stimulants, as well as during peak week versus other preparation phases. Fifteen male bodybuilding athletes (mean age: 32.07 ± 7.82 years; mean body mass: 92.89 ± 9.06 kg; mean height: 1.76 ± 0.05 m; mean body mass index: 29.78 ± 2.24 kg/m²) completed four compulsory posing sets. Findings demonstrated that posing training can be classified as vigorous training intensity using METs (mean difference of −0.50 METs, p = 0.067, ES = −0.51) and maximum HR (mean difference of 14.55 bpm, p = 0.009, ES = 0.79) compared to the established values of 6.0 METs and 77% vigorous intensity of %HRmax, respectively. Additionally, athletes using stimulants exhibited higher ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of 2.20 arbitrary units ( p = 0.008) and maximum HR (mean difference of 24.37 bpm, p = 0.005, ES = 0.79) compared to those not using stimulants. During peak week, athletes showed higher RPE of 2.38 arbitrary units ( p = 0.004) and maximum HR (mean difference of 14.55 bpm, p = 0.009, ES = 0.79) compared to other preparation phases. These results indicate that bodybuilding posing training meets the criteria for vigorous exercise intensity and that stimulant use and peak week significantly affect physiological responses and perceived exertion. Novelty: This study is novel in classifying bodybuilding posing training as vigorous intensity exercise using metabolic equivalents (METs) and heart rate (HR) responses. It provides empirical evidence showing that posing training meets the vigorous intensity benchmarks, with METs and %HRmax values comparable to established vigorous exercise standards. The research highlights the novel finding that stimulant usage and the peak week phase of preparation significantly influence physiological responses and perceived exertion in bodybuilders. Specifically, athletes using stimulants and those in peak week displayed higher ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and maximum heart rates, indicating that these factors notably affect the intensity and perceived difficulty of posing training.

Lean bodybuilder athletes may encounter challenges in adapting their eating habits during ad libitum refeed, either intuitively or consciously. Aims: This paper investigates whether there is a relationship between adaptive eating and energy intake coping strategies in a refeed model for bodybuilders. Methods: Fourteen male bodybuilders (29.6 ± 3.1 years; 85.6 ± 6.8 kg, ≥6 competitions) completed a 4-week regimen consisting of 5 days of energy restriction followed by 2 days of refeed. Dietary assessment, body composition (ultrasound), recovery stress questionnaire (REST-Q) and Brunel mood scale (BRUMS) were utilized pre- and post-regimen. Coping function questionnaire (CFQ), mindful eating scale version 2 (MES 2) and the intuitive eating scale-2 (IES-2) were evaluated at the 4th week. Results: Compared to the initial values, the refeed day resulted in a daily caloric increase of 44% compared to the average energy intake on the energy restriction days, culminating in a weekly calorie deficit of 27% and a drop in body mass of 3.1 ± 1.4%. Most participants showed reduced body fat and preserved or gained lean mass. The energy consumption during the refeed maintained an inverse relationship with the perception of satiety (r = −0.9; p < 0.01), the IES 2 total scores (r = −0.82; p < 0.01), as well as the confidence in hunger and satiety cues (r = −0.62; p = 0.02) and congruence in food–body choice dimensions (r = −0.56; p = 0.04). Emotional coping maintained an inverse relationship with the IES 2 total scores (r = 0.54; p < 0.05) and an inverse relationship with energy intake during refeed (r = −0.42; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that a heightened perception of internal hunger and satiety signals and higher scores in intuitive eating may contribute to adequate energy intake, even when high scores of emotional coping are present.

O Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) é um distúrbio do neurodesenvolvimento que afeta habilidades físicas, cognitivas e sociais. Com sua prevalência crescente e impacto significativo no desenvolvimento infantil, a atividade física ou exercício físico ajuda a melhorar esses parâmetros. Esta revisão tem como objetivo avaliar os efeitos da atividade física e do exercício físico em diferentes intensidades na melhora da saúde de crianças com TEA. Esta é uma revisão sistemática conduzida de acordo com a diretriz PRISMA. Foram incluídos estudos publicados nos últimos 5 anos, escrito em inglês, ensaios clínicos randomizado e os que avaliaram crianças de 4-12 anos de idade com diagnóstico clínico de TEA. Foram encontrados 211 estudos, mas nove compuseram a revisão. Para avaliar a qualidade metodológica dos estudos foi utilizado a escala Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Os principais resultados foram que os estudos indicaram que intervenções envolvendo exercício físico de intensidade moderada ou moderada/vigorosa foram associados a melhorias nos aspectos físicos e na qualidade do sono em crianças com TEA. Com relação aos benefícios da atividade física os achados foram inconclusivos, embora um estudo identificou aumento no desempenho e na satisfação após a prática da atividade. Em conclusão, o exercício físico com intensidade entre moderada a vigorosa foram eficazes para melhorar os aspectos físicos e a qualidade do sono de crianças com TEA. Recomenda-se que mais programas que incluam atividades físicas sejam implementados, considerando sua importância para a promoção da saúde.

The study aimed to evaluate the metabolic flexibility of sedentary elderly women in response to resistance training (RT) plus photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) or RT alone, after two months of intervention. Nineteen elderly women were allocated into two groups, RT (n = 9, 68.44 ± 5.27 years old) and RT plus PBMT (RTPT) (n = 10, 69.40 ± 5.21 years old). The RTPT group received the PBMT, while for the RT group, the equipment was turned off. An incremental treadmill test together with a gas analyzer was performed to record variables such as heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and power output (PO) at the anaerobic threshold (AT), respiratory compensation point (RCP) and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and thus indirectly verify metabolic flexibility. In comparison with baseline RTPT displayed significant differences in VO2max (pre: 18.32 ± 3.01; post: 21.89 ± 2.35), carbohydrate oxidation (CHox) (pre: 1.54 ± 0.61; post: 2.45 ± 0.91), CHox/FFM (fat-free mass) (pre: 36.12 ± 12.28; post: 55.92 ± 16.74) and energy expenditure normalized to FFM, EE/FFM (pre: 147.00 ± 49.95; post: 227.56 ± 68.08) during maximum effort incremental testing, while the RT group did not demonstrate a significant difference in these variables.The intervention with RT plus PBMT seems to result in a positive impact on metabolic variables in sedentary elderly women when compared with RT alone, making this approach a viable alternative to improve VO2max, CHox, CHox/FFM and EE/FFM during maximal effort testing.