Javier Abián-Vicén

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• Ph.D.
• Full Professor at University of Castilla-La Mancha

Due to the increase in the number of elderly people in the world, research related to the elderly is becoming more and more relevant, especially with the objective of understanding the factors which can affect the preservation of an adequate quality of life. The objectives of this research were to analyze older adults’ perceived motor competence ac...

Background: This study aimed to analyze the effect of caffeine ingestion on basketball performance in semi-professional female players. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized experimental design was conducted, in two different periods separated by a week. Twelve female basketball players ingested 3 mg of caffeine/kg of body mass or...

The main objective of this study was to assess the ergogenic effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on myotendinous isometric force production in physically active people after being subjected to a fatigue protocol. Twenty-three physically active people were randomly divided into the following two groups: NAC (n = 12; age = 26.8 ± 4.5 years, height = 173...

The neurocognitive response following hypoxia has received special interest. However, it is necessary to understand the impact of acute hypoxic exposure induced by simulated altitude on cognitive performance. This study aimed to determine the effects of acute hypoxic exposure in simulated altitude in healthy adults on reaction time, response accura...

Purpose Caffeine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that increases the activity of the prefrontal cortex and can improve various cognitive skills. An improvement in these cognitive skills can lead to further benefits in athletic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the dose-response of caffeine on cognitive performance. This...

Background : The benefits of oral caffeine intake to enhance several aspects of physical performance, such as aerobic endurance, strength, power, and muscle endurance performance, are well supported. However, how the physical performance benefits of caffeine supplementation are translated into better specific actions in intermittent sports during r...

This study aimed to compare acute physiological responses during the W prime (W´) balance training model (W´BAL-INT) with performance in the critical power test (CPTest). Additionally, the study sought to determine the extent of neuromuscular and metabolic fatigue associated with severe and extreme intensity domains. Fourteen road master cyclists (...

This study aimed to analyse the placebo effect associated with a high dose of caffeine (9 mg/kg) on heart rate and its variability and on strength tests. Methods: 18 participants experienced in strength training (19.7 ± 2.3 years; 72.2 ± 15.0 kg; 169.6 ± 9.0 cm) performed two days of trials (caffeine-informed/placebo-ingested (placebo) and non-inge...

Featured Application The findings of this study have a number of important implications for future practice. The results obtained in the meta-analysis determine that dynamic stretching in the warm-up improves performance and the range of motion of the lower limbs. Furthermore, both types of stretching are considered favourable for improving ROM. Th...

There is a growing interest in studies involving carbohydrate (CHO) manipulation and subsequent adaptations to endurance training. This study aimed to analyze whether a periodized carbohydrate feeding strategy based on a daily training session has any advantages compared to a high-carbohydrate diet in well-trained cyclists. Seventeen trained cyclis...

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) comprise schwannomas and neurofibromas. The finding of increased adipose tissue around benign PNSTs has been described as the “split fat sign” on magnetic resonance imaging exams, which is suggestive of an intramuscular or intermuscular location of the tumor. However, few studies have described this sign as a s...

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different teaching methodologies (comprehensive vs. technical), developed during a unit of ultimate frisbee, on the physical demands, technical–tactical variables, game performance and physical fitness of secondary school children. Forty-seven students were divided into two groups: Comprehensive...

The main objective of this research was to establish the evolution of badminton players’ ages in the modalities of men’s, women’s and mixed doubles in the top-100 of the World Ranking (WR) from 1994 to 2020. Data were obtained from the Badminton World Federation website (7200 entries: 3304 players) from 1994 to 2020. The highest-ranking position an...

α-Actinin-3 is a protein with a structural role at the sarcomeric Z-line in skeletal muscle. As it is only present in fast-type muscle fibers, α-actinin-3 is considered a key mechanical component to produce high-intensity muscle contractions and to withstand external tension applied to the skeletal muscle. α-Actinin-3 is encoded by the gene ACTN3,...

Background Plyometric training (PT) has been widely studied in sport science. However, there is no review that determines the impact of PT on the structural variables and mechanical properties of the lower limbs and physical performance. Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the effects of PT on lower body...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of a short assessment MyotonPRO protocol to measure the stiffness of the superficial muscles and tendons of the lower limbs. The stiffness of the dominant lower limb vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF) and patellar tendon (PT) was evaluated in 52 healthy participants (26.9 ± 3.4 years)...

The aim of the study was to describe the applicability of shear wave elastography to assess muscular and tendinous stiffness of the lower limbs during an incremental isometric strength test and to differentiate the stiffness evolution between superficial and deep muscle regions. Dominant rectus femoris and patellar tendons of 30 physically active p...

Los objetivos del estudio fueron describir las propiedades estructurales y mecánicas de los tendones rotuliano y de Aquiles en jugadores senior (>35 años) de bádminton y detectar posibles asimetrías entre el lado dominante y no dominante. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 206 jugadores senior de bádminton (Edad: 52.2±9.6 años) que participaron en el...

Objective To analyse the effects of dry needling (DN) in upper trapezius latent trigger points (LTrPs) on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and surface electromyography (sEMG). Design Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial. Settings Sports Rehabilitation Laboratory, University of Castilla-La Mancha. Participants Forty-six partic...

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of eccentric contraction execution time on the morphological and elastic properties of the patellar tendon (PT) in a six-week, single-leg decline squat (SLDS) exercise training program. In addition, the effects of a six-week detraining period on the same variables were evaluated. Fifty participant...

El objetivo del estudio fue describir que perciben y que desean los jugadores adolescentes de bádminton en función del sexo y de la categoría de edad (sub-13 y sub-17) sobre la implicación parental (padre y madre) en la práctica del bádminton. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 128 sujetos que practicaban bádminton como deporte extracurricular y que c...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of secondary school students’ fitness profile on physical and technical–tactical performance in simulated competition conditions of ultimate frisbee when there is no previous experience in the practice of the sport. Forty-three secondary school students participated in this research. The st...

This investigation presents a comparison of calcaneus bone stiffness of endurance runners of different ages and age-matched controls. We found that there was an age-associated decline in calcaneus bone stiffness in the control group while endurance runners prevented this decline, with a higher effect as the participants increased their age.PurposeP...

Simple Summary The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of 12 weeks of core muscle training on core muscle performance in rhythmic gymnasts. Core strength training leads to improvements in body composition, as well as improvements in trunk strength and increases in muscle electromyographic activity. These improvements could therefore improve...

The purpose of this study was to determine the evolution of the age of badminton players in the top 100 of the World Ranking for men and women from 1994 to 2020. Data were collected from badminton players participating in the top 100 World Rankings (4800 entries: 1233 players; 595 men and 638 women) from 1994 to 2020. The mean age of the top 100 an...

Background Badminton is a highly demanding sport characterized by intermittent efforts with energy being provided by both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. To date, no incremental badminton field test has been developed that can be easily used by badminton coaches that requires accessible material for anyone. Objectives The purpose of this study...

Background Latent trigger point (LTrP) can cause motor dysfunction and disturb normal patterns of motor recruitment. Objective To analyze the effects of DN in the upper trapezius (UT) LTrP on pain and the mechanical and contractile properties of the muscle. Design A randomized, double-blinded, parallel-group-trial. Methods Fifty healthy voluntee...

Background: Cross-education of strength refers to the strength gain that is transferred to the contralateral limb after a unilateral training program. Hypothesis: Unilateral eccentric training using different muscle contraction times would improve the structural and functional properties of the untrained contralateral limb. Study design: Rando...

Abián-Vicén, J, Martínez, F, Jiménez, F, and Abián, P. Effects of eccentric single-leg decline squat training performed with different execution times on maximal strength and muscle contraction properties of the knee extensor muscles. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-The eccentric phase of the single-leg decline squat (SLDSe) has been descr...

The purpose of the study was to describe the differences between the dominant and non-dominant leg regarding contractility response and quadriceps strength and the morphology and stiffness of the patellar tendon (PT) in a group of physically active men and women. Fifty physically active subjects (36 men and 14 women) were evaluated for morphology a...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of four methods of assessing vastus lateralis (VL) stiffness, and to describe the influence of structural characteristics on them. The stiffness of the dominant lower-limb’s VL was evaluated in 53 healthy participants (28.4 ± 9.1 years) with shear wave elastography (SWE), strain elastograp...

Background The aim of this study was to describe the differences in structural and mechanical properties between operated and non-injured Achilles tendons in senior badminton players who had had Achilles tendon surgery and had returned to play. Methods Eighteen players (age = 48.9(10.0)years), assigned to the unilateral Achilles tendon rupture gro...

Objective The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the short-, medium-, and long-term effectiveness of dry needling (DN) applied by physical therapists to myofascial trigger points for the treatment of pain. Methods PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science databases were searched from their inception t...

The aim of the present study was to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the main biases in practical applications of the different types of elastography in assessment of the stiffness of healthy patellar tendons. A literature search on four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed and SportDiscus) was conducted on March 25, 2020. Afte...

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of dry needling (DN) in upper trapezius latent trigger points (LTrPs) on muscle stiffness. A total of 51 recreational physically active subjects with LTrPs in the upper trapezius volunteered to participate and were randomly divided into a DN-group (n=27) and a sham-DN group (n=24). Volunteers receive...

The aim of this study was to analyse the association of the use of the mobile phone with physical fitness (PF) and academic performance in secondary school students and its gender-related differences. A total of 501 high school students participated in the study (236 girls and 265 boys; 12–18 years). Use of the mobile phone and sample distributions...

The purpose was to examine the effect of 6-week eccentric single-leg decline squat (SLDSe) training with two technical execution times (3 s or 6 s) on changes related to the structural properties of the vastus lateralis (VL) and patellar tendon (PT). Thirty-six physical active volunteers were randomly divided into three groups: control group (CG, n...

Volleyball players and gymnasts need strength training to achieve their optimum sport performance. The aims of this study were to describe body composition, strength, performance, and characteristics of trunk muscle activation in volleyball players and gymnasts, and to analyze the differences between the sports. The sample consisted of 40 female at...

Regular sport practice could prevent age-related changes in tendinous tissues. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of regular badminton practice on patellar and Achilles tendon mechanical properties in senior competitive badminton players (>35 years old) and to compare the results with physically active people matched by age. One...

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is a new tendency in training used to complement conventional training. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to analyze the effects of training with WB-EMS on body composition, strength and balance in middle-aged women. METHODS: Twenty-eight women were randomly assigned to two groups: the WB-EMS gro...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of muscular injuries in the lower limbs on the technical and physical performance of professional soccer players when they return to the league competition. Methods: Seventy-six muscular injuries incurred by Spanish male professional soccer players (Age: 27.5 ± 3.5 years) were analyze...

The aim of this investigation was to determine age-related trends for anthropometric and physical variables in elite young soccer players. For this purpose, a total of 114 young male soccer players from a high-performance soccer academy participated in this investigation. Anthropometric and physical variables (countermovement jump, 6×40 m shuttle r...

Background The continued practice of a sport linked to the unilateral predominance of the dominant side can provoke chronic asymmetric adaptations in the myotendinous structure and mechanical properties. Objectives: The main purpose was to determine whether asymmetry between the preferred and non-preferred lower limb is present in the lower limb te...

Curvatura del raquis en escolares y relación del peso de sus mochilas con el grado de incapacidad física en función del sexo Spine curvature in school children and relation of the weight of their backpacks with the degree of physical disability depending on the gender Resumen. Objetivo: Analizar la morfología del raquis en escolares, comparar su fo...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the plantar pressures and bone stiffness of the calcaneus in badminton players compare to healthy participants, as well as to detect possible asymmetries and chronic adaptations derived from the prolonged practice of badminton. Methods: Twenty-two badminton players (35.2 ± 13.6 years, 169.4 ± 8.2 c...

BACKGROUND There is no information about the reliability of a comprehensive way to assess muscle tone that contains the different dimensions that define or could influence it in the ankle plantar flexors. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relative and absolute test-retest intra-day and inter-day reliability of a comprehensive protocol for the assessment o...

Objetivo: Analizar la morfología del raquis en escolares, comparar su forma en función del género y relacionar la aparición de anomalías con el peso de sus mochilas y el grado de incapacidad física. Material y Métodos: Se sometió a 219 escolares de entre 12 y 15 años (127 chicos y 92 chicas) a una medición de la situación de los cuerpos vertebrales...

The purpose was to compare the timing factors of top world-level badminton in men’s and women’s doubles matches in the Olympic Games in Beijing, London and Rio to observe the evolution of this sport between 2008 and 2016. All the matches from the quarterfinals to the final of the men’s and women’s doubles events from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic...

Purpose The aim of this investigation was to analyze the influence of the genetic variations of the -163C>A polymorphism of the CYP1A2 gene on the ergogenic effects of caffeine in elite basketball players. Methods Nineteen elite basketball players (10 men and 9 women) ingested 3 mg⋅kg⁻¹ of caffeine or a placebo 60 min before performing 10 repetiti...

Context: Deficits in the propioceptive system of the ankle contribute to chronic ankle instability (CAI). Recently, whole-body-vibration training has been introduced as a preventive and rehabilitative tool. Objective: To evaluate how a 6-week WBV training program on an unstable surface affected balance and body composition in recreational athlet...

Background: Previous studies have reported the factors contributing to chronic ankle instability, which could lead to more effective treatments. However, factors such as the reflex response and ankle muscle strength have not been taken into account in previous investigations. Methods: Fifty recreational athletes with chronic ankle instability an...

Introduction: The objective was to evaluate the effect of badminton training on the skin temperature of lower limbs and the possible asymmetries derived from the one-sidedness of the sport. Material and method: 19 badminton players participated in the study (Age: 34.4±14.1 years, Height: 168.1±7.8 cm, Body mass: 66.2±13.9 kg). Each player was teste...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of caffeine intake on overall basketball performance in experienced players. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized experimental design was used for this investigation. In two different sessions separated by one week, 20 experienced basketball players ingested 3 mg of caffeine/kg of body mas...

The aim of the present investigation was to compare physical and technical performance in two types of small sided games (7-a-side and 8-a-side) during official under 12 soccer matches. 154 male under 12 regional soccer players (10.7 ± .8 years) participated in the study. The participants were categorised into two soccer-groups, 76 were classed in...

The aim of this study was to assess different physiological variables before and after a 5 km (women) and 10 km (men) cross-country skiing competition to determine potential mechanisms of fatigue. Fourteen elite-level skiers competed in an official cross-country skiing competition using the classical style (9 men and 5 women). Instantaneous skiing...

Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between anthropometry, training characteristics, muscular strength and effort-related cardiovascular response and marathon race time in male amateur runners. Methods: A total of 84 male amateur marathon runners aged between 23 and 70 years took part in this study (41.0±9.5 years)....

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 6-week WBV training program, performed on a soft, unstable surface, on peak torque, reaction time and the electrical activity of ankle muscles in recreational athletes with chronic ankle instability (CAI). 50 recreational athletes with self-reported unilateral CAI were randomly assigned to a vi...

Background: While there is widespread scientific information about the physiological challenges imposed on elite endurance runners during competitions, the information regarding the amateur population is scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the physical and physiological load imposed by competing in a real half-marathon vs a marathon race....

The aim of this study was to establish the effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on skills and technical performance during a match in female elite rugby sevens players. On two non-consecutive days of a friendly tournament, sixteen women from the Spanish national rugby-sevens team (mean age = 23±2 yr) ingested 3 mg of caffeine per kg of bod...

The aim of this investigation was to analyze the physical and physiological demands of experienced basketball players during a real and competitive game. Twenty-five well-trained basketball players (8 guards, 8 forwards, 9 centers) played a competitive game on an outdoor court. Instantaneous running speeds, the number of body-impacts above 5-g as w...

Scientific information about the effects of caffeine intake on combat sport performance is scarce and controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of caffeine to improve Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ)-specific muscular performance. Fourteen male and elite BJJ athletes (29.2 ± 3.3 years; 71.3 ± 9.1 kg) participated in a rando...

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between marathon race time and expiratory pulmonary parameters in a heterogeneous group of amateur marathoners. Methods: A total of 110 marathon runners (age=41.9±9.4 yr, body mass=74.0±9.1 kg, height=175.0±8.0 cm) volunteered to participate in this study. First, they complete...

Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of endurance running on calcaneus bone stiffness in male and female runners. Methods: A total of 122 marathoners (longer distance runners, men = 101; women = 21) and 81 half-marathon and 10-km runners (shorter distance runners; men = 48; women = 33), competing in an internatio...

Background and Study Aim: The wrestling events included in the Olympic Games have different weight classes. Most wrestlers reduce their body weight a few days before competition so they can enter the right weight category. Often they use irrational nutritional strategies to make the weight, sometimes even drastically reducing their water intake. Th...

Purpose: Although caffeine is one of the most commonly used substances in combat sports, information about its ergogenic effects on these disciplines is very limited. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of ingesting a moderate dose of caffeine to enhance overall performance during a simulated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ)...

El trabajo se basó en comprobar el orden de los síntomas relacionados con el estrés en las horas previas a la competición. También se comparó el estrés total entre categorías (sub 13 y sub 17) y sexos (masculino y femenino), y se determinó si existían correlaciones entre el estrés con las horas de entrenamiento y la posición que ocupaban los jugado...

The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of sweat electrolyte concentration on body water and electrolyte homeostasis during a marathon. Fifty-one runners completed a marathon race in a warm and dry environment (24.4 ± 3.6 °C). Runners were classified as low-salt sweaters (n = 21; <30 mmol/L of sweat Na(+) concentration), typica...

The aim of this study was to identify basketball game performance indicators that best explain the number of wins achieved during a regular basketball season. Accumulated statistics were analyzed for 18 teams from the Spanish Basketball League (34 games per regular season per team) over 10 years (from 2003-to-2013) including a total of 3,060 basket...

P-Synephrine is a protoalkaloid widely used as an ergogenic aid in sports. This substance has been included in the World Anti-Doping Agency monitoring program, although scientific information about its effects on performance and athletes’ well-being is scarce. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of p-synephrine to i...

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between changes in serum free amino acids, muscle fatigue and exercise-induced muscle damage during a half-ironman triathlon. Twenty-six experienced triathletes (age = 37.0 ± 6.8 yr; experience = 7.4 ± 3.0 yr) competed in a real half-ironman triathlon in which sector times and total race tim...

The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of CFTR genotype on body water and electrolyte balance during a marathon. Fifty-one experienced runners completed a marathon race. Before and after the race, body mass and a sample of venous blood were obtained. During the race, sweat samples were collected using sweat patches, and fluid...

This study investigated the effect of a caffeinated energy drink on various aspects of performance in sprint swimmers. In a randomised and counterbalanced order, fourteen male sprint swimmers performed two acute experimental trials after the ingestion of a caffeinated energy drink (3 mg/kg) or after the ingestion of the same energy drink without ca...

The purpose of the study was to assess the occurrence of muscle damage after a simulated badminton match and its influence on physical and haematological parameters. Sixteen competitive male badminton players participated in the study. Before and just after a 45-min simu-lated badminton match, maximal isometric force and badminton-specific running/...

The aim of this investigation was to determine the efficacy of a caffeine-containing energy drink to improve physical performance of elite field hockey players during a game. On two days separated by a week, 13 elite field hockey players (age and body mass=23.2±3.9 yrs and 76.1±6.1 kg) ingested 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass in the form of an...

The aim of this study was to determine the physical and physiological demands of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) competition. Twenty-six expert male BJJ athletes competing in the 2013 European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship participated in the study. Before and after an official fight, maximal handgrip strength and maximal height during a countermovement...

This paper presents a new method to automatically obtain linguistic descriptions from a multivariate time series. The first step consists of the induction from the multivariate time series of a fuzzy model called the temporal fuzzy model. Later this fuzzy model is analyzed in order to obtain trends based on the output variable. With this informatio...

Objectives to determine the effect kinesiotaping (KT) versus sham kinesiotaping (sham KT) in the repositioning of pronated feet after a short running. Design prospective, randomized, double-blinded, using a repeated-measures design with no cross-over Methods 116 amateur runners were screened by assessing the post-run (45 minutes duration) foot post...

Study design: Case-control study; ecological study. Objectives: To examine the efficacy of wearing compression stockings to prevent muscle damage and to maintain running performance during a marathon competition. Background: Exercise-induced muscle damage has been identified as one of the main causes of the progressive decrease in running and...

Objetivo. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar los efectos de un mesociclo de pretemporada que incluía un entrenamiento de fuerza en la capacidad de salto y la fuerza y potencia del tren inferior. Material y método. En el estudio participaron ocho futbolistas semi profesionales pertenecientes a un equipo filial de un equipo de élite. Realizaron un...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of oral salt supplementation to improve exercise performance during a half-ironman triathlon. Twenty-six experienced triathletes were matched for age, anthropometric data, and training status, and randomly placed into the salt group (113 mmol Na(+) and 112 mmol Cl(-) ) or the control group...

Background: Running can be considered a high impact practice, and most of people practicing continuous running suffer from lower limb injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of 45 minutes of running on foot posture and plantar pressures. Methods. The sample comprised of 116 healthy adults (92 men and 24 women) with no foot-re...

Introduction: The triathlon is an endurance sport in which 3 consecutive events are performed: swimming, cycling and running. It has been found that the loss of muscle strength is related to the blood markers'concentration of muscle damage during a half-ironman triathlon. It has also been observed that an electrolyte imbalance is produced in triath...

The paper was based on finding out the order of stress-related symptoms in pre-competition hours. We also compared total stress between categories (Under-13 and Under-17) and gender, and determined whether there existed any correlations between stress and hours of training, and stress and players' position in the ranking. The study sample consisted...

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a caffeine-containing energy drink to enhance physical and match performance in elite badminton players. Sixteen male and elite badminton players (25.4 ± 7.3 year; 71.8 ± 7.9 kg) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomised experiment. On two different sessi...

The aim of the study was to assess physical performance during competition in elite youth rugby players with respect to their specific position on the field (backs vs. forwards). Twenty two elite male under-19 rugby union players voluntary participated in the study (13 forwards and 9 backs). Players' activity profiles were assessed using Global Pos...

The purpose of this study was to determine if the training on a vibration platform influenced in the static and dynamic balance of physically active older women. 21 older women participated in the study, 10 in the control group (age = 65.2 ± 4.0 years) and 11 in the experimental group (age = 63.5 ± 7.5 years). The Standing Balance Test and the Star...

The use of caffeine containing energy drinks has dramatically increased in the last few years, especially in the sport context because of its reported ergogenic effect. The ingestion of low to moderate doses of caffeinated energy drinks has been associated with adverse side effects such as insomnia or increased nervousness. The aim of the present s...