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BACKGROUND: Warm-up is considered essential to optimize running performance, but little is known about the effect of specific warm-up tasks, specifically in the real competitive context. The current study aimed to verify the acute effects of a warm-up including ballistic exercises in 30m running performance. In addition, a second 30m trial was assessed to better understand the warm-up effects in training/competition. METHODS: Twenty-two men (19.32±1.43 years-old) randomly completed the time- trials on separate days and after a typical warm-up (WU), a WU complemented with ballistic exercises (post-activation potentiation - PAP) or no warm-up (NWU). Biomechanical, physiological and psychophysiological variables were assessed. RESULTS: The participants were 1.9% faster in the first 30m sprint after WU compared with NWU, mainly increased performance in the first 15m (p=0.03, ES=0.48). WU resulted in greater stride length in the last 15m of the first sprint. PAP did not differ from NWU and WU, despite eight participants performed better after this warm-up. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the positive effects of warm- up for sprinting, despite failed to evidence positive effects when ballistic exercises are included. In addition, the influence of warm-up in the running technique was highlighted by the changes in the running kinematics and a need for individualization of warm-up procedures.

Este estudo tem como objetivo averiguar se existem diferenças significativas na coordenação motora, comparando indivíduos com Deficiência Intelectual eutróficos, com indivíduos com Deficiência Intelectual com sobrepeso. Participaram no nosso estudo 48 indivíduos (27±8.4 anos) com Deficiência Intelectual. O instrumento aplicado foi a bateria de testes KTK (Kiphard & Schilling, 1974), composta por 4 tarefas. Posteriormente foi feita uma divisão dos participantes pelo nível de IMC, sendo que o grupo dos Eutróficos eram sujeitos com IMC até 24,9 kg/m² e o grupo Sobrepeso, sujeitos com IMC acima de 25 kg/m². Relativamente à análise estatística, recorrendo ao Software SPSS 23.0, procedeu-se à verificação da distribuição da amostra (Shapiro-Wilk), onde apenas uma variável (Saltos Monopedais) não a demonstrou. Para essa variável utilizámos o teste U de Mann-Whitney. Para as restantes variáveis, com distribuição normal, utilizámos o t-teste. Foi também realizado o método de inferências baseadas na magnitude dos efeitos. Verificámos diferenças significativas (p≤0.05) na comparação entre os 2 grupos da amostra, em todas as tarefas da bateria KTK, incluindo o score final, onde o grupo dos eutróficos apresentou os melhores resultados, comparativamente ao grupo com sobrepeso. Concluímos que os indivíduos com deficiência intelectual, com IMC menor ou igual que 25 (eutróficos), apresentam melhor desempenho nos testes de coordenação motora, comparativamente ao grupo com sobrepeso.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the arterial and venous diameters of lower limbs in indoor soccer athletes and non-athletes using Doppler ultrasound to identify the differences in the variation of arterial and venous diameters between groups. Additionally, we intended to verify the differences of arterial and venous diameters between the skilled member (right member) and the not skilled member in each group. 74 male volunteers, aged between 19 and 30 years old, were divided in a group of athletes (n = 37, 24 ± 2.7 years, soccer players from national championship), and a group of non-athletes (n = 37, 26 ± 2.83 years). Vascular lower limb was assessed using Doppler ultrasound (Philips HD7 echograph with linear transducer 7–12 MHz). The athletes showed higher diameters of right common femoral artery (p = 0.009; moderate), left common femoral artery (p = 0.005; moderate), right deep femoral artery (p = 0.013; moderate), right popliteal artery (p = 0.003; moderate), and left popliteal artery (p = 0.017; small) than non-athletes. Veins’ diameters were also higher in athletes, specifically the right deep femoral vein (p ≤ 0.001; large), left deep femoral vein (p ≤ 0.001; large), right popliteal vein (p ≤ 0.001; large), and left popliteal vein (p ≤ 0.001; large). Differences were found between the skilled and non-skilled leg in athletes in the popliteal vein (7.68 ± 1.44 mm vs. 7.22 ± 1.09 mm, respectively, p < 0.003). It seems that futsal athletes have superior mean diameters of lower limbs arteries and veins of the deep venous system to non-athletes. Moreover, the veins presented greater dilation, namely of the leg of the skilled lower limb.

Sports performance is influenced by the interaction of several physical variables. For this reason, most sports need both strength and endurance capacities to maximize overall performance. Therefore, a combination of resistance and aerobic training, usually called concurrent training (CT), has been used recently as a way of simultaneously improving strength and aerobic performances according to the needs of a specific sport. This combination can be challenging and can influence training adaptations, being a problematic issue for coaches. The main objective is to provide coaches with a practical proposal for CT to improve athletes' performance in different sports.