Endurance running has become an immensely popular sporting activity, with millions of recreational runners around the world. Despite the great popularity of endurance running as a recreational activity during leisure time, there is no consensus on the best practice for recreational runners to effectively train to reach their individual objectives and improve physical performance in a healthy manner. Moreover, there are lots of anecdotal data without scientific support, while most scientific evidence on endurance running was developed from studies observing both recreational and professional athletes of different levels. Further, the transference of all this information to only recreational runners is difficult due to differences in the genetic predisposition for endurance running, the time available for training, and physical, psychological, and physiological characteristics. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present a selection of scientific evidence regarding endurance running to provide training guidelines to be used by recreational runners and their coaches. The review will focus on some key aspects of the training process, such as periodization, training methods and monitoring, performance prediction, running technique, and prevention and management of injuries associated with endurance running.

Knee peak torque (PT) is associated to jump performance in volleyball players. It is not clear whether muscle strength imbalances of the knee joint can influence jump performance. The purpose of study was to analyse the association between PT and knee muscular imbalances with jump performance in professional volleyball players. Eleven elite male volleyball players (90.3 ± 9.7 kg body mass and 1.94 ± 0.06 m height) were evaluated in an isokinetic dynamometer at speeds of 60, 180 and 300 deg/s. Muscle strength imbalances were obtained through calculation of contralateral deficit between limbs and the conventional ratio (hamstrings/quadriceps). Countermovement jump (CMJ) was performed on a force plate to calculate mechanical power and height. Association was found between knee extensor PT at 180 deg/s with CMJ power (r = 0.610, p = 0.046). Conventional ratio at 300 deg/s showed negative association with CMJ (r = −0.656, p = 0.029). The optimal ratio between knee extensors PT in relation to the flexors PT is associated with the greater mechanical power in CMJ. Contralateral deficit does not seem to be associated with the CMJ performance. Considering the knee extensor PT is associated with CMJ power, our findings suggest that strength-based training in volleyball athletes should not omit the conventional muscle ratio.

Background: Elastic bouncing is a physio-mechanical model that can elucidate running behavior in different situations, including landing and takeoff patterns and the characteristics of the muscle-tendon units during stretch and recoil in running. An increase in running speed improves the body’s elastic mechanisms. Although some measures of elastic bouncing are usually carried out, a general description of the elastic mechanism has not been explored in running performance. This study aimed to compare elastic bouncing parameters between the higher- and lower-performing athletes in a 3000 m test. Methods: Thirty-eight endurance runners (men) were divided into two groups based on 3000 m performance: the high-performance group (P_high; n = 19; age: 29 ± 5 years; mass: 72.9 ± 10 kg; stature: 177 ± 8 cm; 3000_time: 656 ± 32 s) and the low-performance group (P_low; n = 19; age: 32 ± 6 years; mass: 73.9 ± 7 kg; stature: 175 ± 5 cm; 3000_time: 751 ± 29 s). They performed three tests on different days: (i) 3000 m on a track; (ii) incremental running test; and (iii) a running biomechanical test on a treadmill at 13 different speeds from 8 to 20 km h⁻¹. Performance was evaluated using the race time of the 3000 m test. The biomechanics variables included effective contact time (t_ce), aerial time (t_ae), positive work time (t_push), negative work time (t_break), step frequency (f_step), and elastic system frequency (f_sist), vertical displacement (S_v) in t_ce and t_ae (S_ce and S_ae), vertical force, and vertical stiffness were evaluated in a biomechanical submaximal test on treadmill. Results: The t_ae, f_sist, vertical force and stiffness were higher (p < 0.05) and t_ce and f_step were lower (p < 0.05) in P_high, with no differences between groups in t_push and t_break. Conclusion: The elastic bouncing was optimized in runners of the best performance level, demonstrating a better use of elastic components.

Aerobic training has a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson’s disease. Recent evidence indicates that Nordic walking seems a promising alternative due to positive outcomes in functional mobility. However, the effects of Nordic walking compared to free walking on static and functional balance parameters are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of nine weeks of Nordic and free walking training on static and functional balance. The sample size was 33 individuals with eight dropouts, leaving 25 individuals in the final sample (Nordic Walking, n=14, Free Walking, n=11). The participants underwent two evaluations in the present randomized clinical trial, pre- and post-training, to determine average velocity and root-mean-square values from center of pressure with eyes open and eyes closed. The functional balance showed approximately 5% improvement for the two groups (p=0.04). The results indicate that nine weeks of Nordic and free walking training were enough to induce improvements in the proprioceptive system and functional balance.