This study aimed to investigate the effects of eccentric cycling (ECC_CYC) training on performance, physiological, and morphological parameters in comparison to concentric cycling (CON_CYC) training. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect. Studies comparing the effect of ECC_CYC and CON_CYC training regimens on performance, physiological, and/or morphological parameters were included. Bayesian multilevel meta-analysis models were used to estimate the population’s mean difference between chronic responses from ECC_CYC and CON_CYC training protocols. Group levels and meta-regression were used to evaluate the specific effects of subjects and study characteristics. Fourteen studies were included in this review. The meta-analyses showed that ECC_CYC training was more effective in increasing knee extensor strength, vastus lateralis fiber cross-sectional area, and six-minute walking distance compared to CON_CYC. Moreover, ECC_CYC was as effective as CON_CYC in decreasing body fat percentage. CON_CYC was more effective in increasing $\dot{V}{O}_{2\max }$ and peak power output attained during concentric incremental tests. However, group-level analyses revealed that ECC_CYC was more effective than CON_CYC in improving $\dot{V}{O}_{2\max }$ in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. ECC_CYC is a viable modality for exercise interventions aiming to improve parameters of muscle strength, hypertrophy, functional capacity, aerobic power, and body composition, with more advantages than CON_CYC training in improving neuromuscular variables.

There is great variability in responsiveness to post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). Factors such as greater expression of type II muscle fibers and experience with strength training are associated with greater responsiveness to PAPE. We investigated whether there is an association between markers of muscular function and morphology and responsiveness to PAPE in untrained individuals. Sixty-six active men (22 ± 2 years, 74 ± 11 kg, and 172 ± 27 cm) participated in the study. Their countermovement jump (CMJ) heights were measured before and four minutes after a pre-activation protocol consisting of five squats with a 5RM load. Isometric knee extensor peak torque (IPT), CMJ power (PO_CON), and thickness of the vastus lateralis muscle (VL_MT) of the participants were also determined in an unpotentiated condition. Change in CMJ height (ΔCMJ) following the pre-activation protocol was calculated and its associations with baseline CMJ height (CMJ_CON), PO_CON, IPT, and VL_MT were tested. Linear stepwise multiple regression models were also applied to screen for predictors of ΔCMJ among the dependent variables. No significant change (p = 0.28) in CMJ height was observed after the PA protocol (pre: 30.8 ± 5.1 cm; post: 31.0 ± 5.5 cm). No significant associations (p > 0.05) were found between ΔCMJ and IPT, VL_MT, PO_CON, and CMJ_CON (r = 0.29, 0.18, 0.09, and 0.01, respectively). Linear stepwise multiple regression analyses did not result in any significant models for ΔCMJ prediction. Although we confirmed the high individual variability in response to PA, no associations between neuromuscular performance/morphology and responsiveness to PAPE were found.