The aim of this study was to investigate the neuromuscular performance responses following successive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) fights. Twenty-three BJJ athletes (age: 26.3 ± 6.3 years; body mass: 79.4 ± 9.7 kg; body height: 1.80 ± 0.1 m) undertook 3 simulated BJJ fights (10 min duration each separated by 15 min of rest). Neuromuscular performance was measured by the bench press throw (BPT) and vertical counter movement jump (VCMJ) tests, assessed before the 1st fight (Pre) and after the last one (Post). Blood lactate (LA) was measured at Pre, 1 min Post, and 15 min Post fights. Paired t-tests were employed in order to compare the BPT and VCMJ results. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests were utilized to compare LA responses. The results revealed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in VCMJ performance (40.8 ± 5.5 cm Pre vs. 42.0 ± 5.8 cm Post), but no significant changes in the BPT (814 ± 167 W Pre vs. 835 ± 213 W Post) were observed. LA concentration increased significantly (p < 0.05) at Post, both in the 1st min and the 15th min of recovery. We concluded that successive simulated BJJ fights demanded considerable anaerobic contribution of ATP supply, reinforcing the high-intensity intermittent nature of the sport. Nevertheless, no negative impact on acute neuromuscular performance (power) was observed.

Study was to evaluate the time course of strength and power recovery after a single bout of strength training designed with fast and slow contraction velocities. Nineteen male subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups: the slow-velocity contraction (SV) group and the fast velocity contraction (FV) group. Resistance training protocols consisted of 5 sets of 12 repetition maximum (5 × 12RM) with 50 seconds of rest between sets and 2 minutes between exercises. Contraction velocity was controlled by the execution time for each repetition (SV—6 seconds to complete concentric and eccentric phases and for FV—1.5 seconds). Leg Press 45° 1RM (LP 1RM), horizontal countermovement jump (HCMJ), and right thigh circumference (TC) were accessed in 6 distinct moments: base (1 week before exercise), 0 (immediately after exercises), 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after exercise protocol. The SV and FV presented significant LP 1RM decrements at 0, and these were still evident 24-48 hours postexercise. The magnitude of decline was significantly (p < 0.05) higher for FV. The SV and FV presented significant HCMJ decrements at 0, but only for FV were these still evident 24-72 hours postexercise. The SV and FV presented significant TC increments at 0, and these were still evident 24-48 hours postexercise for SV but for FV it continued up to 96 hours. The magnitude of increase was significantly (p < 0.05) higher for FV. In conclusion, the fast contraction velocity protocol resulted in greater decreases in LP 1RM and HCMJ performance, when compared with slow velocity. The results lead us to interpret that this variable may exert direct influence on acute muscle strength and power generation capacity....

Background: We sought to determine the time course of changes in neuromuscular performance and muscle damage following a single rugby union match. Methods: Fourteen male amateur rugby players (28.9 ± 3.5 yrs; 1.7 ± 5.1 m; 86.1 ± 11.1 kg) participated. Plasma activity of creatine kinase ([CK]) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), L-run test (change of direction) and 30-m sprint (T30; speed) with 10-m lap time (T10; acceleration) were assessed on six occasions: one week before the match (PRE) and immediately, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h post-match. Results: Relative to PRE, LDH was elevated immediately post-match (+33.6% ± 13.6%; p < 0.001) and [CK] was elevated immediately (+64.1% ± 38.8%, p = 0.001) and 24 h post-match (+352% ± 317%; p = 0.024). L-run test time increased 16.0 ± 8.7% relative to PRE at 24 h post (p < 0.001) and remained elevated through 96 h post-match (p < 0.05). T10 and T30 times increased relative to PRE immediately post-match (+12.0% ± 10.4%, p = 0.008; and +6.1% ± 4.9%; p = 0.006, respectively), though T30 times were similar to baseline by 48 h post-match whereas T10 times remained elevated through 72 h post-match. Conclusions: A single, competitive rugby union match induces significant muscle damage and performance decrements with distinct time courses of recovery in amateur athletes. Notably, change of direction attributes (i.e., L-run) appear to have the longest time course to full recovery.

The current paper discusses the concepts and definitions of external and internal loads in sports science and the quantification of athletes’ performance and psychobiological responses. We provide practical solutions for improving human performance assessment by suggesting related terms and consistent terminology that align with biomechanical standards. This will help to avoid discrepancies in the meaning of terms across various subdisciplines of sport and exercise science and medicine. Where possible, exercise performance should be characterized and quantified according to physical quantities such as time, distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, force, torque, work, power, and the International System of Units. These quantifications can be performed for exercises, sessions, microcycles, and mesocycles. Standardization of these terms and measurements would enable consistent communication among scientists of all knowledge areas.

The inconsistency and disparities in existing functional training definitions have led to confusion when explaining the concept and its potential. The wide range of interpretations suggests that any training approach could be deemed functional, thereby diminishing the significance of the term and significantly limiting its understanding and application. Thus, this paper aimed to develop the first consensual definition of functional training using an international e-Delphi method. From a panel of 31 experts initially selected, 13 participated in the consensus. The panel presented the following definition: 'Functional training is a physical interventional approach that contributes to the enhancement of human performance, according to individual goals, in sports, daily life, rehabilitation, or fitness, and takes into consideration the specificity of the task and the unique responsiveness of each individual'. However, redundancy of the functional training definition emerged as a relevant consideration for this conceptual and methodological advancement, and a proposal to avoid the distinction between functional training and the general concept of training was presented (i.e., no real use of functional training as a concept). It was proposed that a training program or regimen could be analyzed based on a continuum of functionality, which could support further developments in this topic.

The purpose of this study was to observe the time course of muscle damage and inflammatory responses following an eccentric overload resistance-training (EO) program. 3 females (23.8 ± 2.6 years; 70.9 ± 12.7 kg; 1.6 ± 0.08 m) and 5 males (23.8 ± 2.6 years; 75.1 ± 11.2 kg; 1.8 ± 0.1 m) underwent thirteen training sessions (4 × 8–10 eccentric-only repetitions—80% of eccentric 1RM, one-minute rest, 2x week⁻¹, during 7 weeks, for three exercises). Blood samples were collected prior to (Pre) and after two (P2), seven (P7), nine (P9), eleven (P11), and thirteen (P13) sessions, always 96 hours after last session. The reference change values (RCV) analysis was employed for comparing the responses, and the percentual differences between the serial results were calculated for each subject and compared with RCV_95%. Four subjects presented significant changes for creatine kinase at P2, and another two at P13; six for C-reactive protein at P2, and three at P11; two for neutrophils at P2, P4, and P13, respectively; and only one for white blood cells at P2, P4, P7, and P9, for lymphocyte at P7, P9, and P13, and for platelet at P4. We conclude that EO induced high magnitude of muscle damage and inflammatory responses in the initial phase of the program with subsequent attenuation.