The use of massage guns has become increasingly popular in recent years. Although their use is more and more common, both in a clinical and sports context, there is still little information to guide the practitioners. This systematic review aimed to determine the effects of massage guns in healthy and unhealthy populations as pre- and post-activity or part of a treatment. Data sources used were PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, and the study eligibility criteria were based on “healthy and unhealthy individuals”, “massage guns”, “pre-activity, post-activity or part of a treatment” and “randomized and non-randomized studies” (P.I.C.O.S.). Initially, 281 records were screened, but only 11 could be included. Ten had a moderate risk of bias and one a high risk of bias. Massage guns could be effective in improving iliopsoas, hamstrings, triceps suralis and the posterior chain muscles’ flexibility. In strength, balance, acceleration, agility and explosive activities, it either did not have improvements or it even showed a decrease in performance. In the recovery-related outcomes, massage guns were shown to be cost-effective instruments for stiffness reduction, range of motion and strength improvements after a fatigue protocol. No differences were found in contraction time, rating of perceived exertion or lactate concentration. Massage guns can help to improve short-term range of motion, flexibility and recovery-related outcomes, but their use in strength, balance, acceleration, agility and explosive activities is not recommended.

In this study, we intended to identify psychosocial and environmental factors common to both, coach and athlete, in a situation of relational dyad, perceived by themselves, in a context of individual sport. In the same way, to perceive which factors were considered most preponderant in the sports performance by the two elements of the dyad. Two interviews were conducted individually, to both coach and athlete, and identified the variables present in this dyad by the coding of the interviews. In the analysis of the collected data, the method used was qualitative. Ten common factors were identified: environment, confidence, empathy, mental exigency, motivation, objectives, perfectionism, resilience, overcoming and values. However, there were significant differences in the relative frequencies of each of these factors, depending on whether they came from the coach or the athlete. It was concluded that, despite the existence of factors common to both subjects, the perception of their significance for the relationship, is not the same. The results also suggest that coaches have a significant focus on the variables of competence. On the other hand, the athletes, in addition to the competence variables, also focus on bond factors such as confidence, or self-knowledge factors such as overcoming.Resumen. En este estudio pretendemos identificar factores psicosociales y ambientales comunes a ambos, entrenador y atleta en situación de pareja relacional, percibidos por los propios, en contexto de modalidad individual. De igual modo, percibir cuáles los factores juzgados más preponderantes en el rendimiento deportivo por los dos elementos de la pareja. Fueron realizadas dos entrevistas, individualmente, a ambos, entrenador y atleta, identificadas las variables presentes en esta pareja a través de la codificación de las entrevistas. En el análisis de los datos recogidos, el método utilizado fue cualitativo. Se identificaron diez factores comunes: ambiente, confianza, empatía, exigencia mental, motivación, objetivos, perfeccionismo, resiliencia, superación y valores. Sin embargo, se verificaron diferencias significativas, en cuanto a las frecuencias relativas de cada uno de estos factores, dependiendo se provenían del entrenador o del atleta. Se concluyó que, a pesar de la existencia de factores comunes a ambos sujetos, la percepción de su significancia para la relación no es igual. Los resultados sugieren que los entrenadores tienen un foco significativo en las variables de cualificaciones. Por otro lado, los atletas, más allá de las variables de cualificación, también tienen foco en factores de vínculo como la confianza, o de autoconocimiento, como la superación.

Although the coach–athlete relationship has been widely examined across competitive levels, limited research has focused on its dynamics within elite national team settings. This study explored the coach-athlete relationship in the context of national team coaches participating in major international competitions (e.g., European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games). A semi-structured protocol was used to interview 13 elite national team coaches from team and individual sports. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed three higher-order themes: (1) Coaching identities are shaped through experience and transition, highlighting how national team coaches build their profiles through personal pathways, lifelong learning, and relational competence; (2) Constructing performance beyond skill, showing that athlete selection transcends technical-tactical criteria, integrating psychosocial fit and team dynamics; and (3) Navigating connections in high-stakes contexts, illustrating how relational management, closeness, and complementarity influence sports success across competition phases. These findings expand existing knowledge by offering an in-depth understanding of coach-athlete relationship in elite national team settings, emphasising the interplay between individual profiles and relational processes. This study reinforces the importance of relational expertise as a core coaching skill and underlines the value of adaptive leadership in managing interpersonal dynamics. The practical implications include guiding the design of professional development programmes to strengthen interpersonal coaching skills and informing selection and communication strategies within national teams. By addressing a gap in the literature, this study contributes to enhancing the quality of coach–athlete interactions in high-performance environments and offers practical insights for federations, coaching organisations, and sport governing bodies aiming to optimise professional development and team performance.

Objective: This study aimed to perform an umbrella review of existing systematic reviews on the effects of saddle position on cycling. Material and methods: We conducted a systematic search across the electronic databases EBSCO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and B-On for systematic reviews investigating the effects of saddle position on cycling, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. To prevent the risk of bias, two researchers independently performed the search. To evaluate the methodological quality of the included reviews, the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) checklist was used. Results: A total of seven systematic reviews that met the eligible criteria were included. The systematic reviews showed high heterogeneity among themselves (e.g., type of included studies, participants’ characteristics, or evaluated outcomes) and low to critically low methodological quality. Relationships have been found between the rider’s saddle position and health issues (such as low back pain (four studies), knee injury or pain (three studies), lumbar kyphosis (one study), and impact on perineum (two studies)), and on performance alterations (such as, muscle activation, oxygen uptake, load and intensity, efficiency (one study), and comfort (one study)). The results showed that some research provided conflicting evidence in regard to the studied relations (e.g., knee injury or pain, impact on perineum, and efficiency). Conclusions: Cyclists’ saddle position impacts various issues related to health and performance. More research is needed, and future studies should focus on the clarification of the conflicting evidence observed in this review.

Background: Athletes commonly use innovative strategies that aim to enhance their cycling performance. Among them, the effectiveness of non-circular chainrings has been a frequent topic of discussion. This systematic review aims to analyze the physiological and performance effects of using non-circular chainrings in cyclists. Methods: A literature search was conducted on populations ranging from recreational to elite-level athletes, following the PRISMA guidelines. The electronic databases searched were PubMed, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, Scopus, and SportDiscus, using the search terms (“oval chainring*” OR “non-circular chainring*” OR “elliptical chainring*” OR “asymmetric chainring*” OR “Q-Ring*” OR “eccentric chainring*” OR “chainring*”) AND (cycl*), on 11 May 2025. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool with an extension for crossover studies, indicating some concerns regarding the included studies. Results: The initial search identified 291 research articles, which, after applying the screening criteria, resulted in the inclusion of 18 manuscripts. The results suggest that non-circular chainrings do not appear to improve cycling performance metrics or physiological variables during prolonged efforts; however, it is possible that they enhance the sprinting capacity. Conclusions: While the research remains inconclusive, future studies should further explore the effects of non-circular chainrings on sprinting performance.

The process of optimizing the cyclist-bicycle relationship has been referred to as fundamental for optimizing cyclist performance. In the published literature, studies are scarce to understand and make decisions about the consequences of changing the saddle position in mountain bike cyclists. The main objective of this study was to determine the performance implications resulting from changing the position of a mountain bike cyclist's saddle through its horizontal displacement, in relation to the reference position obtained by traditional methods. The experimental design of this study consisted of a cross-sectional, randomized experimental study, where submaximal tests were conducted in laboratory on six high-level mountain bike cyclists. Six saddle positions in flat and uphill simulation were tested and the horizontal displacement of the saddle was related to the variables oxygen consumption, lactate concentration, heart rate and rate of perceived exertion. The results demonstrated that, as the saddle is moved horizontally towards the handlebars, oxygen consumption and blood lactate concentration values decrease. There were no significant differences in the mean values for heart rate and rate of perceived exertion. However, there were significant differences between participants regarding all variables under study in all saddle positions. In conclusion, the results suggest that the horizontal variation of a mountain bike cyclist's saddle has an impact on oxygen consumption, lactate concentration, heart rate and rate of perceived exertion and, consequently, on performance. The results also seem to suggest that horizontal displacement of the saddle position towards forward positions in the direction of the handlebars has benefits for the cyclist by reducing energy consumption and, when determining the ideal position of the saddle, the cyclist’s individual characteristics must be considered.