Background: Warm-up strategies are essential for optimizing strength-training performance. Traditional warm-ups improve neuromuscular readiness, whereas post-activation potentiation (PAP) has been proposed to acutely enhance muscular output. This randomized crossover study compared the acute effects of traditional and PAP-based warm-ups on local muscular endurance (LME) during free weight back squats in resistance-trained men. Methods: Twelve trained males (age: 41.3 ± 5.7 years; one repetition maximum squat: 129.3 ± 14.3 kg) completed three randomized squat sessions: mobility with LME (M + LME), traditional warm-up with LME (T + LME), and PAP with LME (PAP + LME). The sessions were spaced 48 h apart. Outcomes included the number of repetitions, blood lactate concentration, time under tension (TUT), perceived exertion through OMNI Resistance Exercise Scale (OMNI-RES), and pain perception through visual analogue scale (VAS). One-way ANOVA and partial eta-squared (η²p) were used for statistical analyses. Results: PAP + LME significantly increased the number of repetitions (15.63 ± 3.66) compared to both M + LME (12.38 ± 3.89) and T + LME (13.63 ± 3.82; p < 0.0001). Blood lactate levels were significantly higher in PAP + LME (8.98 ± 3.87 mmol/L) compared to M + LME (5.08 ± 0.97 mmol/L; p = 0.01). TUT was significantly shorter in both the PAP + LME and T + LME groups than in the M + LME group (p < 0.05). VAS scores were higher after PAP + LME (8.50 ± 0.45) than after M + LME (6.50 ± 1.20; p = 0.02), while OMNI-RES scores did not differ significantly between the protocols. Conclusions: Both traditional and PAP-based warm-ups improved squat LME compared with mobility alone. PAP elicited greater repetition performance and metabolic stress but also increased discomfort. Warm-up selection should align with training goals, balancing performance benefits and perceived fatigue.

Background: This study compared energy expenditure (EE), substrate metabolism, and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) during moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and high-intensity circuit training (HICT) isocaloric sessions. Methods: Twelve trained male participants completed isocaloric exercise sessions equalized for EE and average power (AP) across the three modalities. Postexercise EE, carbohydrate and lipid oxidation rates, and EPOC were measured 30 and 60 min after training. Results: Total EE and AP during exercise were similar between the protocols. However, EPOC was significantly higher for HIIT (319.0 ± 88.03 mL) and HICT (329.1 ± 27.79 mL) than for MICT (168.5 ± 21.84 mL), demonstrating greater post-exercise metabolic demand in high-intensity protocols. At 30 min post-exercise, carbohydrate oxidation remained elevated in the HIIT (3.70 ± 1.04 mg/kg/min) and HICT (4.06 ± 1.03 mg/kg/min) groups compared to that in the MICT group (1.42 ± 0.58 mg/kg/min), while lipid oxidation rates were also higher (HIIT: 1.08 ± 0.41; HICT: 1.20 ± 0.24 mg/kg/min; MICT: 0.61 ± 0.20 mg/kg/min). These effects persisted for 60 min, with HIIT and HICT maintaining significantly greater carbohydrate and lipid oxidation than MICT. Correlation analysis indicated a strong relationship between carbohydrate oxidation during exercise and lipid oxidation after 60 min of exercise. Conclusions: High-intensity protocols (HIIT and HICT) promote prolonged postexercise EE, enhance carbohydrate and lipid oxidation, and optimize metabolic recovery, making them effective strategies for maximizing energy utilization beyond the training session.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for numerous diseases and, paradoxically, can also be a risk factor for symptoms of overtraining syndrome (OTS). Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the physical activity levels of military personnel and compare these levels with the symptoms of OTS. Methods: The sample consisted of 95 military personnel (29.6 ± 1.1 years; 27.5 ± 3.7 kg/m2) participating in a career course, which were divided into (inactive)IN, (active)AT and (very active) VA. The Overtraining Questionnaire (OTQ) was applied, in addition to an anamnesis and the short version of the IPAQ to characterize and stratify the sample. The comparison between the means of the scores obtained in the questionnaires was performed using ANOVA of one entry with Tukey's post-hoc when necessary. Results: The results revealed that 41% of the military were IN, 40% AT and 19% VA. ANOVA indicated a significant difference in QOT scores between IN (38.62 ± 17.58) and VA (29.06 ± 11.65) (p=0.04). Conclusion: It is concluded that most of the military had adequate levels of physical activity, however, the IN showed more evident symptoms of OTS when compared to the VA. Although this subject is controversial, the literature is already well established that OTS does not only involve issues related to exercise. Other stressors, such as sleep and psychological stress, for example, when associated, can serve as triggers for physical and mental exhaustion, regardless of the level of physical activity.