Francisco Tavares

Sporting Clube de Portugal · Performance

Objectives The purposes of this review are: (i) to summarize the scientific literature regarding the anthropometric profile of artistic roller and figure skaters by skating discipline, skating level and gender; (ii) to summarize the scientific literature regarding the physical qualities of artistic roller and figure skaters by skating discipline, s...

Aim Medical and performance units are integral components of player development programmes in elite football academies. Nevertheless, the nature of the operational processes implemented by practitioners within clubs and national federations remains unexplored. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to survey elite youth professional football...

Football (soccer) is a high-intensity intermittent sport with large energy demands. In a repeated-measures design, we analysed the nutritional intake and training load of fourteen female football players (22.50 ± 4.38 y; 57.23 ± 8.61 kg; 164 ± 6.00 cm; 18.33 ± 2.48% of fat mass and 23.71 ± 2.51 kg of muscle mass) competing in the highest female Foo...

Introduction. In artistic roller skating, athletes use shoes fitted with small wheels to be used in rinks. The sport consists of seven disciplines characterized by different physical demands. Roller skaters are judged on content and manner of performance, and this includes the skater’s ability to do jumps, spins, and footwork. To date, no study has...

Background It is widely accepted that mouthguards are effective for injury protection in sports. However, findings on the effects of mouthguards in strength and power production remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether controlled-mandible position mouthguards influence strength and power production in well tr...

Groin injuries are a major issue in sports involving kicking or quick changes of direction. Decreased hip adduction and abduction strength have been indicated as one of the main risk factors for groin injury. The methods currently available to measure hip adduction and abduction strength are reliable but highly dependent on the evaluator skills. Fu...

This study evaluated the estimated jump height (JH) differences between an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a linear position transducer (LPT), and two force plates (FPs). Thirty-eight student-athletes were recruited to perform vertical jumps that were simultaneously recorded using two dual-axis FPs (criterion measure), an LPT and an IMU. Very larg...

Background: The use of cold water immersion (CWI) as a recovery strategy following exercise has drawn mixed findings over the last few decades. The purpose of the current study was twofold ; (1) to determine the acute effects of CWI within the training week, and (2) to investigate the longer-term effects of CWI over a 16-day period. Methods: In a r...

Context: Given the relatively novel technique of tissue flossing is currently lacking in the research literature despite some positive findings in preliminary studies, the modality clearly requires further research. Current evidence suggests that band flossing results in performance improvements and may also be an effective method in injury prevent...

Cycling events often include multiple races a day or racing over consecutive days. Congested competition schedules and increased training load have led to the implementation of recovery strategies; with the goal of alleviating post-exercise fatigue and enhancing subsequent performance. This review aims to review the efficacy of recovery strategies...

Groin injuries are a major issue in sports involving kicking or quick changes of direction. Decreased hip adduction and abduction strength have been identified as risk factors for groin injury. The currently available methods to measure hip adduction and abduction strength are reliable but highly dependent on the evaluator skills. Furthermore, seve...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 15-week partial range of motion (ROM) resistance training program on the vastus lateralis (VL) architecture and mechanical properties, when the time under tension (TUT) was equalized. Methods: Nineteen untrained male subjects were randomly assigned to a control (Control; n = 8)...

Leucine metabolites, α-hydroxyisocaproic acid (α-HICA) and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (calcium, HMB-Ca and free acid, HMB-FA), have been proposed to augment resistance training-induced changes in body composition and performance. PURPOSE We aimed to conduct a double-blind randomized controlled pragmatic trial to evaluate the effects of off-the-she...

Evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could reduce muscle soreness and maintain muscle function following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. The aim of this applied field study was to investigate the effectiveness of consuming a protein-based supplement containing 1546 mg of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (551...

Purpose: While the acute effects of cold water immersion (CWI) have been widely investigated, research analysing the effects of CWI over a chronic period in highly-trained athletes is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CWI during an intense three week pre-season phase in elite rugby athletes. Methods: Twenty-three el...

ABSTRACT: Some leucine metabolites like β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (calcium: HMB-Ca and free acid: HMB-FA) and α-hydroxy-isocaproic acid (α-HICA or leucic acid) have been suggested to augment training-induced adaptations in body composition and performance. PURPOSE: To compare the effects of commercially available supplements, HMB-Ca, HMB-FA and α-...

The countermovement jump (CMJ) is widely used to monitor jump performance, with greater interest being demonstrated in the propulsive phase. When landing from a CMJ, high forces are produced; this can increase the risk of injury. The present study aimed to test the validity and reliability of a countermovement jump to a box (CMBJ) where the forces...

COLD THERAPIES ARE WIDELY USED MODALITIES TO ENHANCE RECOVERY WITHIN AN ATHLETIC POPULATION IN ADDITION TO OTHER ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF RECOVERY. ALTHOUGH THE BENEFITS OF COLD THERAPIES ARE DOCUMENTED IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE, RECENT RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED SOME POTENTIAL HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SUCH MODALITIES AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO...

An increasing number of young football athletes are competing in elite senior level competitions. However, comparison of strength, power, and speed characteristics between young elite football athletes and their senior counterparts, while controlling for anthropometric parameters, is yet to be investigated. Knee extension concentric peak torque, ju...

The current study aimed to assess the validity and test-retest reliability of a linear position transducer when compared to a force plate through a counter-movement jump in female participants. Twenty-seven female recreational athletes (19 ± 2 years) performed three counter-movement jumps simultaneously using the linear position transducer and forc...

Cold Water Immersion (CWI) is commonly applied in order to speed up the recovery process after exercise. Muscle damage may induce a performance reduction, consequence of the intramuscular pressure induced by the muscular swelling. The aim of the study was to verify the CWI effects on muscle thickness (MT) behavior of the elbow flexors after a stren...

Background: The purpose of the current study is to analyse the acute effects of volleyball training and to compare the responses of different perceptual and neuromuscular measures to overall training load. Methods: The training load, wellness, neuromuscular performance and perceptual measures of soreness of 13 highly-trained volleyball athletes...

A new smartphone application (My Jump) claims to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing jump height but is yet to be evaluated by independent researchers. Sixty-one participants each performed 3 countermovement jumps (totalling 183 jumps) on a force plate while being recorded using an iPhone 6s and jumps were analysed using My Jump. Jumps were...

Objectives: Previous results from our laboratory suggest that band flossing results in increased ankle range of motion (ROM) and jump performance 5-min following application. However, the time-course of such benefits is yet to be examined. Design: Parallel group design. Setting: University laboratory. Participants: 69 recreational athletes (...

OBJECTIVE: Differences in sleep results due to the placement of actigraphy devices (non-dominant vs. dominant wrist) are yet to be determined. METHODS: 65 nights of data from 13 adult participants was collected while participants wore two actigraphy devices, one on each wrist. Sleep indices including total sleep time (TST), total time in bed (TTB),...

The physical demands and combative nature of rugby lead to notable levels of muscle damage. In professional rugby, athletes only have a limited timeframe to recover following training sessions and competition. Through the implementation of recovery strategies, sport scientists, practitioners and coaches have sought to reduce the effect of fatigue a...

Background: The use of recovery modalities to help enhance recovery is popular among athletes. However, little is known about the usage of various recovery modalities and the perception of their benefit amongst different level athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the usage and perceptual understanding of different recovery...

Background: In the elite Rugby setting, it is critical to understand the effects of training load on the levels of fatigue, soreness and readiness of the athletes. Methods: The training load, wellness, neuromuscular markers of fatigue and various perceptual measures of soreness of 16 elite Rugby athletes were monitored during a training week. Tr...

Background: Training adaptations will occur from the balance between training load and recovery. Therefore, it is critical to understand the effects of training load on the levels of fatigue and readiness of athletes. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the effect of training load on acute fatigue and wellness during an in-season non-compe...

The usage and perceived effectiveness of different recovery modalities in amateur and elite rugby athletes

Anaerobic alactic actions are different between different soccer elite age-groups.

Gymaware was demonstrated to be both valid and reliable to measure jumping height with well-trained female athletes.

Oral presentation at the 21st annual Congress of the European College of Sports Science

Introduction: Range of Motion (ROM) can be manipulated in resistance training programs in order to improve strength gains and sports performance. To the best of our knowledge, only two studies (Bloomquist et al. 2013; McMahon et al. 2014) have shown that different ROM training might lead to specific adaptations on muscle size, muscle force and fasc...

Background: The purpose of the study was to assess lower-body neuromuscular power and range of motion in young and masters recreational runners before and after a 12km run. Methods: In a straight-forward parallel group trial, participants performed a number of tests pre and post a 12km run. Participants included 36 recreational runners (mean ± SD;...

The dynamic strength index (DSI) reflects the extent to which athletes are able to apply force dynamically in relation to their maximal force capabilities2. The purpose of this study was to calculate the dynamic strength index (DSI) in a group of amateur rugby athletes. Twenty amateur rugby male players from a team competing on the major Portuguese...

Force production while swimming has been considered a crucial parameter to achieve better performances (1). According to Keskinen (2), tethered swimming allows to accurately evaluate force production performed by a swimmer in specific exercise conditions. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the association between force parameters and swimmi...

Previous studies (Bloomquist et al., 2013) have shown that different range of motion (ROM) training, might influence adaptations on muscle size, force and fascicle geometry. However, training volume was not equalized between different ROM groups. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of different ROM when the ti...