Alex Silva Ribeiro

University of Coimbra | UC · Faculty of Sport Science and Physical Education

(1) Background: Since older adults are more susceptible to dehydration and there is a lack of information on older athletes, this study observed a group of 12 male padel players in this age group (70.42 ± 3.50 years) to characterize their hydration habits, physiological demands, and psychological responses before and during a 90 min padel training...

Background Extreme sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Theories explaining participation in extreme sports tend to focus on risk. Consequently, extreme sports participants are often characterized by an accentuated desire for risk and abnormal personal traits, but the positive aspects of extreme sports are of...

This study aimed to assess the accuracy of one repetition maximum (1RM) prediction equations for three resistance exercises in young men and women before and after a resistance training program. Sixty-two women (21.6±3.7 years, 58.5±12.2 kg, and 162.4±6.2 cm) and 57 men (22.8±3.8 years, 70.5±9.3 kg, and 177.0±6.4 cm) performed 16 weeks of a progres...

Background CrossFit® combines different types of activities (weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardiovascular training) that challenge aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Over the last few years, the scientific interest in CrossFit® has increased considerably. However, there have been no published reviews characterizing the physical demands and physiologi...

The objective of the present study is to analyze the changes in bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PhA) in sarcopenic older people submitted to a 12‐week resistance training (RT) program according to classic and specific analyses. To this end, 20 sarcopenic older adults of both sexes, invited through media, underwent bioimpedance...

Background The elevated blood pressure (BP) and lower cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) are associated with higher morbidity mortality risk among older adults. Although exercise is an important intervention for cardiovascular promotion, it is unclear whether combat sports training could benefit cardiovascular outcomes as much as autonomic in this...

Objective: To investigate the effects of combining a Pilates program with photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP). Methods: Thirty-eight adults with CNLBP were randomly assigned to two groups: Pilates exercise + active PBMT (PIL + PBMT) or Pilates exercise + sham PBMT (PIL + SHAM). Both groups pe...

Background: The purpose of the review was to evaluate the literature exploring nutritional habits and practices in female soccer players. Methods: The PRISMA-ScR Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews were followed. Searches of Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases were conducted for studies exploring...

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been advocated as a potential intervention to improve muscle performance and recovery in the health and sports context. However, the short- and long-term effects of PBMT on endurance running performance remain under-researched and controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute dose-respon...

This study aimed to determine the agreement between fat-free mass (FFM) estimates from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and their use in estimating resting metabolic rate (RMR) in men undergoing resistance training. Thirty healthy resistance-trained men (22.7 ± 4.4 years, 70.0 ± 8.7 kg, 174.6 ± 6.7 c...

BACKGROUND: Although the barbell hip thrust exercise is widely performed in resistance training programs, evidence on its effectiveness to inducing glutes muscle hypertrophy is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of performing 45º leg press and stiff-leg deadlift (L-S) vs. performing 45º leg press, stiff-leg deadlift plus ba...

Purpose: The monitoring of training loads and quantification of physical performance are common practices in youth soccer academies to support coaches in prescribing and programming training for individuals. The interaction between training load and physical performance is unknown during a preseason period in youth soccer players. The current study...

Objective: This study was designed to analyze the association between the risk of undernutrition and indicators of hospital rehabilitation in patients with COVID-19 while controlling for confounding variables. Methods: This was an analytical study conducted by analyzing the medical records of patients with COVID-19. A total of 562 adult patients...

Different methods can be used to assess muscle hypertrophy, but the effects of training on regional changes in muscle size can be detected only using direct muscle measurementssuch as muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, or volume. Importantly, muscle size increases vary across regions both within and between muscles following resistance trainin...

Triceps surae muscle swelling in response to different resistance exercises remain to be determined. The present study compared the effects of straight-leg (STRA-leg) calf raise versus bent-leg (BENT-leg) calf raise exercises on triceps surae muscle swelling. Seventeen young women (23.7 ± 4.0 yrs; 67.4 ± 16.0 kg; 163.5 ± 7.2 cm) performed two resis...

AimResistance training volume is one of the most important variables to induce muscular adaptations. However, high-volume training can be exhausting and cause prior knowledge of training volume in a session to negatively affect the total number of repetitions performed, thus reducing the overall training effect. This study was designed to determine...

Purpose: The optimal intensity of resistance training (RT) to improve muscular, physical performance, and metabolic adaptations still needs to be well established for older adults. Based on current position statements, we compared the effects of two different RT loads on muscular strength, functional performance, skeletal muscle mass, hydration st...

We compared the magnitude of strength and muscle mass changes in response to resistance training (RT) between stronger older women and their weaker counterparts. Older women (n = 207) were grouped into tertiles according to their baseline muscular strength index. The upper and lower tertiles participants were categorized as stronger (STR, n = 69) a...

Aims The concomitant increase in skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and decrease in fat mass has been termed body recomposition. This study aimed to analyze the influence of pre-training levels of fat mass on body recomposition, muscular strength, and (phase angle) PhA after 24 weeks of resistance training (RT) in older women. Methods Data from 99 older w...

Coronary heart diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in middle-aged women. In this sense, resistance training (RT) has been gaining prominence for promoting important adaptations for health. The present study aimed to determine the risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease in middle-aged women who practice and do not pr...

This study's purpose was to compare the effects of different carbohydrate (CHO) intakes on body composition and muscular strength following eight weeks of resistance training (RT) in pre-conditioned men. In addition, we explored the individual responses to different CHO intakes. Twenty-nine young men volunteered to participate in this study. The pa...

Resistance exercise range of motion (ROM) influences muscular adaptations. However, there are no consistent practical guidelines about the optimal ROM for maximizing muscle hypertrophy. The objective of the present paper was to systematically review the literature for studies that compared the effects of full ROM (fROM) and partial ROM (pROM) on mu...

Abstract Aim: to compare the impact of different resistance exercise orders on postexercise hemodynamic measures in resistance-trained nonhypertensive middle-aged and older women. Methods: Twenty-three women (age 50-78 yrs) were randomized into two resistance training (RT) groups: one group started training sessions performing multi-joint exercises...

Purpose: To compare the effects of four resistance exercise orders on muscular strength, body composition, functional fitness, cardiovascular risk factors, and mental health parameters in trained older women. Methods: The intervention lasted 63 weeks. Sixty-one physically independent women (> 60 years) after completing a 12-week resistance train...

A flexibilidade é uma capacidade física de suma importância para a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos haja vista que inúmeros trabalhos comprovaram melhora na postura, redução nos níveis de lesões tanto nas atividades diárias como esportivas, entre outros. O treinamento com peso (TP) melhora o desempenho das atividades físicas o que é fundamental par...

Although one-repetition maximum (1RM) and lean soft tissue (LST) are the most common measures to assess muscular strength and skeletal muscle mass in older adults, reference data is still missing. Therefore, the present study aimed to produce reference values for the 1RM tests and LST in physically independent older women. Furthermore, the effect o...

Aims The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of different resistance training loads on the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and feelings of pleasure/displeasure (sFPD) of the session in older women. Method In a randomized, counterbalanced, and cross-over design, 16 older women (66.1 ± 3.9 years, 67.0 ±...

Objectives: A single session of high-intensity exercise promotes exaggerated increases in sympathetic cardiac activity, which may increase the risk of acute cardiovascular events. However, it is not clear if similar responses occur after an FT session. Thus, this study aimed to (1) analyze the acute autonomic responses to a single FT session in hea...

We read with interest the meta-analytic review of Pallarés et al. (doi: 10.1111/sms.14006), which assessed the effects of full vs. partial range of motion (fROM vs. pROM) resistance training interventions on neuromuscular, functional, and structural adaptations. We congratulate the authors on a comprehensive review of current data on a topic that h...

The present study analyzed the effects from day-before to day-of bodybuilding competition on intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), total body water (TBW), and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) parameters (resistance, R; reactance, Xc; and derived scores) in bodybuilding athletes. We assessed anthropometry and BIA (foot-to-hand; tetrapolar...

Fitness professionals routinely employ a variety of resistance training exercises in program design as a strategy to enhance muscular adaptations. However, it remains uncertain whether such an approach offers advantages over a fixed-exercise selection. The objective of this paper was to review the effects of exercise variation on muscle hypertrophy...

The squat is one of the most widely used exercises in resistance-training programs. The aim of the present narrative review was to analyze the effect of the squat on lower-limb muscle hypertrophy. Briefly, the available literature indicates that the squat is an effective exercise for inducing hypertrophy of the quadriceps, mainly the vastii, but al...

The present study compared strength responses between preferred (PREF) and non-preferred (N-PREF) legs in older women. Muscular strength was measured unilaterally using an isokinetic dynamometer and was analyzed for reproducibility scores, acute performance, and responsiveness to a resistance training (RT) program. One hundred and eleven women (≥60...

Purpose: Resistance training combined with appropriate dietary intake can promote a concomitant increase in skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and reduction in fat mass, a condition termed body recomposition. This study's primary purpose was to explore the effects of protein ingestion on body recomposition following 24 weeks of resistance training (RT) in...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of whey protein (WP) versus leucine-matched collagen peptides (CP) on muscle thickness (MT) and performance after a resistance training (RT) program in young adults. Twenty-two healthy untrained participants were randomly assigned to either a WP (n = 11) or leucine-matched...

O equilíbrio postural sofre alterações fisiológicas devido à idade, diminuindo a capacidade de se equilibrar na posição ortostática e/ou em um movimento dinâmico. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar se a dorsiflexão tem influência e se correlaciona com diferentes avaliações de equilíbrio postural em mulheres idosas. Um total de 54 mulheres...

BACKGROUND: We aimed to analyze the impact of previous resistance training (RT) experience on cognitive function in older women. METHODS: Sixty-one physically independent women (> 60 years) were assigned to one of the three groups: novice (n = 21, untrained individuals with no RT experience or who had not trained for several months), intermediate (...

The induced adaptations from resistance training are dependent on the adequate manipulation of the variables involved in training, and volume is one of the most important. However, high volume training can be more stressful, thus prior information of the training volume to be performed may affect performance. The aim of this study is to verify the...

Objectives Photobiomodulation (PBM) with light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) are among the most common strategy for improving performance and recovery from physical exercise in young adults. However, its effectiveness in resistance-trained women remains contradictory. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of light-emitting diode...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of intensity of load and cuff pressure on training volume and myoelectric activation during the knee extension exercise executed with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) to failure. Ten young men (22 ± 2 y), with at least six months of training experience, visited the laboratory on...

Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of laser photobiomodulation (PBM) at 808 nm on biceps brachii performance to exhaustion, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in untrained young women. Methods Thirteen young women (20.1 ± 2.9 years) participated in a crossover study in which they received...

Cessation of resistance training could result in loss of the gains acquired. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to verify the effect of 1-year of detraining following resistance training on body composition, functional capacity, handgrip strength, localized muscular endurance, and countermovement jump performance (CMJ) in older adults. Fif...

Background and purpose: Physical and therapeutic strategies to maintain and rehabilitate skeletal muscle mass, strength, and postural balance are clinically relevant to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of older adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM)/laser therapy combined wit...

We compared the effects of different resistance training (RT) volume reduction strategies on muscular strength and lean soft-tissue (LST) in older women. Fifty seven physically independent women (> 60 years) performed a 20-week pre-conditioning phase of a standardized whole-body RT program (eight exercises, three sets, 8-12 repetitions, three sessi...

Calculating resistance-training volume in programs focused on muscle hypertrophy is an attempt to quantify the external workload carried out, then to estimate the dose of stimulus imposed on targeted muscles. The volume is usually expressed in some variables that directly affected the total training work, such as the number of sets, repetitions, an...

The objectives of this paper were to: (a) systematically review studies that explored the effects of exercise order (EO) on muscular strength and/or hypertrophy; (b) pool their results using a meta-analysis; and (c) provide recommendations for the prescription of EO in resistance training (RT) programmes. A literature search was performed in four d...

An individual’s training status is a key factor used to determine the volume, the intensity, and the selection of exercises for resistance training pre- scription. Interestingly, there are no objective parameters to assess train- ing status, so there is ambiguity in determining the appropriate volume and other resistance training variables in this...

This study aimed to investigate the effects of free leucine supplementation on muscle recovery from resistance exercise (RE) in young adults. Fourteen untrained subjects (23.9 ± 3.6 years old) underwent RE sessions (leg press and hack squat; 3 sets of 8-12 reps at 70% 1RM) supplemented with leucine (LEU; 2 daily doses of 3 g) or placebo (PLA), sepa...

Manipulation of resistance training variables has been shown to have a substantial effect on muscular adaptations. A major variable in this process is exercise selection. In addition to the effectiveness of a given exercise to recruit the target muscle groups, safety considerations and individual comfort during execution of a lift should be conside...

Specialized resistance training techniques (e.g., drop-set, rest-pause) are commonly used by well-trained subjects for maximizing muscle hypertrophy. Most of these techniques were designed to allow a greater training volume (i.e., total repetitions x load), due to the supposition that it elicits greater muscle mass gains. However, many studies that...

The aims of this study were: (i) to analyze the relationship between the performance of different measures of muscular strength, and (ii) to identify which measurements present a greater relationship with an overall strength score. Sixty older women (aged 69 ± 6 years) were submitted to muscular strength measurements from isotonic, isokinetic, and...

This study analyzed the effects of the pyramidal resistance training (RT) system with two repetition zones on cardiovascular risk factors in older women (≥ 60 years old). Fifty-nine older women were randomly assigned in three groups: non-exercise control (CON, n = 19), narrow-pyramid system (NPR, n = 20), and wide-pyramid system (WPR, n = 20). Trai...

Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PhA) have been widely used to monitor changes in health-related parameters in older adults, while resistance training (RT) is one of the potential strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of aging. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the crescent-pyramid RT system...

Muscular strength and hypertrophy following resistance training may be obtained in different degrees depending on the approach performed. This study was designed to compare the responses of the biceps brachii to two preacher curl exercises, one performed on a cable-pulley system (CAB; in which a greater torque was applied during the exercise when e...

The main purpose of this study was to assess the effects of resistance training (RT) frequency following a retraining period on muscular strength, body composition, and metabolic biomarkers after a detraining period in older women. Fourty older women ( 60 yrs) were randomly assigned to two groups that perform RT two or three times per week during...

Objective This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of laser photobiomodulation (λ: 808 nm) therapy on muscle performance and perceived exertion in physically active elderly women. Methods Seventeen physically active elderly women (72.6 ± 4.1 years) participated in a crossover study in which they received active or placebo laser therapy on...

We aimed to compare the effects of creatine (Cr) supplementation combined resistance training (RT) on skeletal muscle mass (SMM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), and extracellular water (ECW) in resistance-trained men, as well as determining whether the SMM/ICW ratio changes in response to the use of this ergogenic aid. Twenty-se...

This study aimed to compare the effects of resistance training performed with low versus moderate loads on systemic resting blood pressure (BP) in older women. A total of 29 women (72.6 ± 5.1 years) were randomized into two groups: low load (LOW, n = 15) and moderate load (MOD, n = 14). An 8-week whole-body resistance training program was carried o...

Resistance training has been widely recommended as a strategy to enhance the functional autonomy and quality of life in older individuals. Among the variables that comprise a training session, the selection of exercises stands out as an important consideration for the elderly. Although a wide range of resistance exercise options exists, current gui...

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of three resistance exercise orders on muscular strength, body composition, and functional fitness in trained older women. Forty-five women (aged ≥ 60 years), after performing 12 weeks of a pre-conditioning resistance-training program were randomly assigned in one of the following groups t...

Background: Many factors may influence the magnitude of individual responses to resistance training (RT). How the manipulation of training volume and/or frequency affects responsiveness level for muscle mass gain in older women has not been investigated. Aims: This study had the objective of identifying responders (RP) and non-responders (N-RP) old...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of resistance training (RT) performed using low vs. moderate loads on muscular strength, muscle mass, and muscle quality index (MQI) in older women. Twenty-seven older women (71.5 ± 5 years, 65.2 ± 11 kg, 154.2 ± 5 cm, 27.4 ± 4 kg.m-2) were randomized into two groups: one that performed RT wi...

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of holding the chair handles during the assessment of older women’s knee flexion and extension isokinetic and isometric strength. Of 57 older women (≥ 60 years) selected from a convenience sample for this research, 23 were randomly chosen to perform the tests twice for reproducibility analyses. Each...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of resistance training (RT) performed with a higher versus lower training volume on oxidative stress (OS) biomarkers in older women. Thirty-eight older women (≥ 60 years) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a group that performed one set per exercise (LV, n = 18), or 3 sets pe...

Stretch training is widely used in a variety of fitness-related capacities such as increasing joint range of motion, preventing contractures, and alleviating injuries. Moreover, some researches indicate that stretch training may induce muscle hypertrophy; however, studies on the topic have been primarily relegated to animal and in vitro models. The...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 24-week resistance-training (RT) program performed 2 vs. 3 times per week on body fat and metabolic health markers in older women. METHODS: Thirty-nine women (≥60 years old) were randomly assigned to two groups according to RT frequency (G2x = two sessions per week, n=19; and G3x...

The purpose of the study was to verify the effect of two dispositions of resistance exercises on rate of perceived of effort (RPE), discomfort and affectivity in older women. Twenty older women (68.0±6.6 years, 69.8±12.7 kg, and 155.9±7.0 cm) performed in a balanced and randomized design two experimental conditions, namely: a circuit (CIRC) fashion...

The aim of this study was to compare the acute effects of four resistance-training (RT) exercise orders on rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and RT variables with exercise load properly adjusted according to its position within the sequence in older women. That is, the load was adjusted so that it was possible that the sets were performed within the...