In-season training responses and perceived wellbeing and recovery status in professional soccer players

This study aimed to describe professional soccer players’ training responses during a competitive season and to investigate the relationship between these responses with wellbeing and recovery indices. Thirteen professional soccer players from the same Spanish Second Division team were monitored during a sixteen-week in-season period. Players’ external loads were analyzed using global positioning measurement units (GPS). Additionally, subjective reporting of sleep quality, sleep duration, fatigue, muscle soreness, and stress were assessed with a customized wellness questionnaire at the beginning of each training session. A two-step cluster analysis identified profiles of different training responses generally described as lower-demand sessions, intermediate-demand sessions, running-based sessions, and sprint-based sessions; which were discriminated by different total distance covered and high-intensity actions. Interestingly, no probabilistic interactions were found between these training responses with wellbeing and recovery markers (i.e., Bayes factor < 1 suggesting no evidence, for all the variables). These findings may raise concerns about using self-reporting tools, as they show that players’ wellness data is probably not accounted for when coaching staff plan and optimize the training process. However, results should be interpreted with caution, due to representing a single team and coaching staff.

Effects of Post-Exercise Whey Protein Consumption on Recovery Indices in Adolescent Swimmers

Purpose: This study examined the effect of whey protein consumption following high-intensity interval swimming (HIIS) on muscle damage, inflammatory cytokines and performance in adolescent swimmers. Methods: Fifty-four swimmers (11–17 years-old) were stratified by age, sex and body mass to a whey protein (PRO), isoenergetic carbohydrate (CHO) or a water/placebo (H2O) group. Following baseline blood samples (06:00 h) and a standardised breakfast, participants performed a maximal 200 m swim, followed by HIIS. A total of two post-exercise boluses were consumed following HIIS and ~5 h post-baseline. Blood and 200 m performance measurements were repeated at 5 h, 8 h and 24 h from baseline. Muscle soreness was assessed at 24 h. Creatine kinase (CK), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured in plasma. Results: No difference in 200 m swim performance was observed between groups. CK activity was elevated at 5 h compared to baseline and 24 h and at 8 h compared to all other timepoints, with no differences between groups. Muscle soreness was lower in PRO compared to H2O (p = 0.04). Anti-inflammatory IL-10 increased at 8 h in PRO, while it decreased in CHO and H2O. Conclusions: Post-exercise consumption of whey protein appears to have no additional benefit on recovery indices following HIIS compared to isoenergetic amounts of carbohydrate in adolescent swimmers. However, it may assist with the acute-inflammatory response.

Physiological and Psychological Changes at the End of the Soccer Season in Elite Female Athletes

This study compares and describes relationships among stress-recovery indices, the heart rate variability index, and the Cooper and Yo-Yo IR1 tests among female soccer players during the last six weeks of the competitive season. Sixteen female soccer players engaged in a pre-test of all of the variables. After having their training monitored for six weeks, a post-test was administered. The results revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in the specific stress-recovery scales of the RESTQ-sport and in the frequency-domain variables of the HRV, although there were no significant differences in the general stress or general recovery scales. The Yo-Yo IR1 test, the Cooper test scores, and the means of the time-domain HRV variables did not exhibit any significant differences between the pre- and the post-test. The RMSSD variations exhibited very large and large correlations with the performance test and the RESTQ-sport variables, respectively. The variations in the HRV frequency-domain variables exhibited significant moderate and large correlations among the variations of the RESTQ-sport scales. Monitoring athletes at the end of the season may reveal contradictions between some variables. To help with the interpretation of these scales, some external aspects, such as athlete strain and monotony of training, should be considered.

Silage production and the chemical composition of corn and Grass-tanzania intercropping

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production and chemical composition of silages of grass Tanzania and corn, grown single or intercropping. The experiment was conducted at UTFPR Câmpus Dois Vizinhos in the period between October 2011 and July 2012, a 600 m² area. The treatments were: TMI - single corn, TMT - corn and grass Tanzania consortium at the time of sowing, TT - Tanzania grass single, TT32 - grass Tanzania silage to 32% dry matter (content similar to that of corn). The experimental design a randomized block design with four treatments and five replications. Agronomic evaluations were performed 120 days after planting, as follows: number of linear-1 plants metro, plant height and ear insertion and number of ears.plants-1. In the grass we evaluated canopy height, where it was held the botanical separation in green leaves, dried and stem. Silage started being held in 100 mm PVC pipe (mini-silos) kept sealed for 60 days. At the time of opening of the silo were determined the following parameters: DM, pH, total loss of DM (PDM), specifies mass (SM), dry matter recovery indices (IRDM), losses gas (LG), and size particle. Chemical analysis of the results of OM, MM, ADF were higher for TMI treatments, TT and TT, respectively. CP and LIG had superior results for the treatments containing grass. Corn intercropping with grass Tanzania silage provides more crude protein and lignin compared to exclusive corn silage without damaging the crop yield. Silage maiden Tanzania has higher levels of ADF and crude protein as well as increased production of dry matter than corn silage. The grass Tanzania should be harvested with 30% DM as presented better pH values, higher dry matter recovery rate, less loss of gas as well as increased production of dry matter that Tanzania harvested at the same age corn.