Javier Courel Ibáñez

University of Granada | UGR · Departamento de Educación Física y Deportiva

This study aimed to analyze the agreement between five bar velocity monitoring devices, currently used in resistance training, to determine the most reliable device based on reproducibility (between-device agreement for a given trial) and repeatability (between-trial variation for each device). Seventeen resistance-trained men performed duplicate t...

In 2020, the IOC released a consensus statement that provides overall guidelines for the recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport. Some aspects of this statement need to be further specified on a sport-by-sport basis. To extend the IOC consensus statement on methods for recording and reporting of epidemiologica...

Hernández-Belmonte, A, Courel-Ibáñez, J, Conesa-Ros, E, Martínez-Cava, A, and Pallarés, JG. Level of effort: A reliable and practical alternative to the velocity-based approach for monitoring resistance training. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-This study analyzed the potential of the level of effort methodology as an accurate indicator of...

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physical exercise, respiratory muscle training and the self-management WHO recommendations leaflet on the recovery of physical fitness, quality of life and symptom status in people with post COVID-19 conditions. Eighty non-hospitalized adults with a post-COVID-19 condition were randomly as...

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is leading to unknown and unusual health conditions that are challenging to manage. Post-COVID-19 syndrome is one of those challenges, having become increasingly common as the pandemic evolves. The latest estimates suggest that 10 t...

Objectives To establish proof of concept of a prehabilitation intervention, a combination of education and behavioural change, preceding a physical activity programme in people with fibromyalgia (FM). Settings Open-label, feasibility clinical trial. Participants Eleven people with FM (10 women). Interventions The prehabilitation intervention con...

Background The EULAR task force “Implementation of a mobile health app for the self-management of juvenile-onset rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (jRMDs) during transitional care” aims at designing, developing and implementing a self-management program through a smartphone app (i.e., the EULAR Move-Up app). The first step of this task force w...

Background: Field-based tests using portable devices are extremely helpful to assist physicians and coaches in the assessment of athletes’ muscle strength and for injury risk screening. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of a field-based test to assess unilateral hamstring and quadriceps isometric muscle strength in a nearly e...

Background: Hamstring strain injuries are one of the most prevalent injuries in football (soccer). We examined the influence of accumulated match-play exposure on the occurrence of hamstring strain injury in professional football from 2 teams (Spanish 1st Division, LaLiga) over 3 seasons, and determined specific cut-off points as indicators of inj...

This study aimed to examine the sensitivity of the isometric knee extension (IKE) test to detect changes in the lower-limb strength of institutionalized older adults after exercise and inactivity periods. Thirty-four and fifteen institutionalized older adults completed the training and inactive periods, respectively. At each time point, the partici...

Workload is calculated from exercise volume and intensity. In endurance sports, intensity has been measured using heart rate or RPE, giving rise to load indexes such as sRPE or TRIMP. In cycling, the advent of power meters led to new indexes, such as TSS. All these indexes have limitations, especially for high intensity exercise. Therefore, a new i...

Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the outcomes of patients with post-COVID-19 condition undergoing supervised therapeutic exercise intervention or following the self-management WHO (World Health Organization) rehabilitation leaflet. Methods: A randomized controlled trial that included 39 participants with post-COVID-19 condition who h...

PurposeIn judo, athletes compete based on weight categories, which are required to adapt the training process accordingly, but not enough research is present to understand their particularities. The present study aimed to verify the differences in judo attack systems performed between the seven male weight categories in world-class athletes.Methods...

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical fitness, cardiopulmonary function and patient-reported severity of symptoms in people with post-COVID-19 condition. We examined ambulatory patients (n = 72) with post-COVID-19 condition who had a chronic symptomatic phase lasting > 12 weeks from the onset of symptoms, but had...

A pesar de que el saque es el golpe más determinante en el tenis moderno, existen hasta la fecha pocas investigaciones en tenis profesional femenino. El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar las diferencias en la dirección y eficacia del saque en función del ranking; así como observar las diferencias según la lateralidad de la jugadora riva...

Benefits of regular exercise for health are beyond any doubt. However, adherence to regular physical activity is an ongoing challenge. Among the options for exercise engagement, racket sports, and particularly padel, stand as emerging practices for children and adults to have fun, improve physical fitness, and potentially develop motor and cognitiv...

Since 2010, the velocity-based approach (VBT) has been established as a reliable method to be used during resistance training (RT) interventions. VBT lies in the monitoring of the barbell velocity during the concentric phase of an exercise, which is a direct consequence of the force applied by the athlete to the external load. VBT offers coaches an...

Physical deterioration is a frequent characteristic among people with musculoskeletal pain. This deterioration often causes serious limitations in people’s daily life which leads to reductions in their physical activity and fitness levels (strength, flexibility, aerobic fitness, balance, and agility) and increases the risk of falling. Physical fitn...

We examined the changes in performance during congested (two matches within a 7-day interval) and non-congested (one match within≥7-day interval) fixtures in 17 elite football (soccer) referees during 181 official matches. External demands comprised 20 GPS-based metrics. Internal load was assessed by heart rate and rating of perceived exertion. Com...

Introduction There is not a doubt that tailored exercise is an effective non-pharmacological approach for preventing, mitigating and even reversing ageing-related alterations. However, older adults are likely to experience prolonged periods of inactivity and training cessation periods as a consequence of falls or hospitalisation. Although recent ev...

There is a lack of research assessing Motion Performance Indicators (MPIs), which have been recently made commercially available. Therefore, this study explored: (1) the influence of incremented exercise on MPIs and; (2) the relationships between MPIs and cycling performance at different intensities during a graded exercise test (GXT) in profession...

Patients recovering from COVID-19 commonly report persistence of dyspnea, exertional fatigue, and difficulties in carrying out their daily activities. However, the nature of these symptoms is still unknown. The purpose of the study was to identify limiting causes of cardiopulmonary origin for the performance of physical exercise in post-COVID-19 co...

To investigate the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on match-play metrics in professional football referees during official matches of the Spanish professional leagues. Forty-two professional football referees from the First (n = 20) and Second Division (n = 22) were monitored during 564 official games using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. D...

Physical exercise may activate a number of important biochemical processes in the human body. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the long-term effect of physical activity on irisin blood levels. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles addressing the long-term effect of physical exercise on irisin...

We aimed to analyze the isometric knee extension test (IKE) test in terms of i) intra- and inter-session repeatability, and ii) relationship with functional and body composition factors of sarcopenia among institutionalized older adults. Thirteen institutionalized older adults (age = 87 ± 10 years, body mass [BM] = 73.1 ± 10.9 kg, body mass index [...

This study aimed to determine which attack systems resulted in higher effectiveness in judo combats. We examined 5847 attacks from 152 high-level international male medallist athletes. Both successful (score) and unsuccessful attacks (no-score) were comprehensively analysed including six variables per action: attacker/defender approach, grip, stanc...

Background Nowadays, there is a lack of consensus and high controversy about the most effective range of motion (ROM) to minimize the risk of injury and maximize the resistance training adaptations. Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific evidence examining the effects of full and partial ROM resistance trainin...

Despite being a key sport-specific characteristic in performance, there is no practical tool to assess the quality of the pass in basketball. The aim of this study was to develop a tool (the Quality-Pass index or Q-Pass) able to deliver a quantitative, practical measure of passing skills quality based on a combination of accuracy, execution time an...

Despite the growth of research on padel, available literature is mainly focused on male samples of modest size. This study characterised the differences in performance between men’s and women’s top-class padel players competing in the World Padel Tour (WPT) across four entire seasons (2016–19). Game performance indications from 1070 sets (532 match...

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether the benefits of long (24 weeks) and short (4 weeks) training programs persisted after short (6 weeks) and long (14 weeks) periods of inactivity in elderly nursing home residents with sarcopenia. Design: Multicenter randomized trial. Intervention: The Vivifrail tailored, multicomponent exercise programme (h...

The aims of this study were to identify key game patterns and to determine the sequential relationship between each possible combination to assess the usefulness and effectiveness of certain behaviours in elite men padel players. A total of 3,811 stroke-by-stroke actions were collected from 12 sets from five final games of the professional men’s pa...

Purpose: This study was aimed to analyze the mediation role of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the association between fatness and cardiometabolic risk scores (CMRs) in European adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in adolescents (n = 525; 46% boys; 14.1 § 1.1 years old, mean § SD) from 10 European cities involved in the H...

Purpose: To examine the reproducibility (intradevice and interdevice agreement) of the Rotor 2INpower device under a wide range of cycling conditions. Methods: Twelve highly trained male cyclists and triathletes completed 5 cycling tests, including graded exercise tests at different cadences (70-100 rpm), workloads (100-650 W), pedaling position...

This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the recently developed Assioma Favero pedals under laboratory cycling conditions. In total, 12 well-trained male cyclists and triath- letes (VO2max = 65.7 ± 8.7 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed five cycling tests including graded exercises tests (GXT) at different cadences (70–100 revolutions per...

Sarcopenia and frailty are age-related syndromes with negative effects on the quality of life of older people and on public health costs. Although extensive research has been carried out on the effects of physical exercise and physical syndromes, there is a knowledge gap when it comes to the effect of resistance training on muscular strength, physi...

The aim of this study was to identify the differences in body composition and physical fitness between children who played table tennis regularly during a two-year period compared to physically active children who were not engaged in a regular activity. Three hundred seventy-four children aged 10 to 11 years were divided into two groups: table tenn...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of changes in cardiopulmonary fitness on the mental health of patients with severe obesity who underwent gastric bypass surgery (prior to and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery). Study participants were recruited from among patients of a regional hospital in Czechia who underwent gastric bypass surger...

This study aimed to examine the fitness characteristics and to identify the influence of gender and practice experience between young amateur padel players. A total of thirty-four padel players (n = 19 boys and 15 girls) aged 13 to 17 years old (age 14.6 ± 1.5 years; body mass 63.4 ± 14.5 kg; height 166.6 ± 9.8 cm; 6.2 ± 2.5 padel experience) volun...

Purpose: A variation of the traditional squat (SQ) rebound technique (REBOUND) including a momentary pause ∼2 seconds (PAUSE) between eccentric and concentric phases has been proposed. Although there is a consensus about the lower acute effects on performance of this PAUSE variant compared with traditional REBOUND technique, no information exists...

The existence of three walls on both court sides in padel is a unique characteristic from which particular offensive and defensive behaviours emerged. The aim of this study was to assess the differences on kinematics parameters using two types of balls – Head and Dunlop – in the two-existing kind of wall surfaces – concrete and glass – during a pad...

Table tennis has recently evolved towards a more spectacular sport increasing match-play demands and the intensity and speed of actions by regulations and equipment modification. Since these changes can alter the body composition and performance, this study aimed to analyze the differences in anthropometric attributes of 495 table tennis players (2...

Racket sports such as padel are characterized by the repetition of unilateral gestures, which can lead to negative adaptations like asymmetries or overuse musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in ball impact positions (i.e., forward or backward of the center of gravity) in nine stroke types in a sample...

Centrándonos en estudiantes con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 17 años de edad, el objetivo de este trabajo fue conocer la relación entre el nivel de actividad física y las funciones ejecutivas (flexibilidad cognitiva e inhibición); así como las diferencias en función del género, edad y tipo de deporte practicado. La muestra de la investigación est...

The aim of this study was to identify distinctive profiles (clusters) of high-level, young handball players according to their motivation, fear of failure and competitive state anxiety. In addition, we examined differences in the distribution of gender, age, and players' position within each profile. The study participants were 479 young handball p...

Objective Beetroot juice is a source of dietary nitrate (NO3-) recognized as a potential ergogenic aid to enhance tolerance during endurance exercise of submaximal-to-maximal intensity. However, little is known about the effects of beetroot juice on exercise performance in intermittent sports such as tennis. The present study aimed to determine the...

This study aimed to analyze the validity and sensitivity of two time-shortened Wingate anaerobic tests (WAnTs), by means of three phases. In Phase A, 40 participants performed a traditional 30 s WAnT, whereas the first 15 s (WAnT15) and 20 s (WAnT20) were used to elaborate two predictive models. In Phase B, another 30 s WAnT was performed by 15 dif...

This is a randomized trial on sarcopenic older adults aged ≥ 75 years living in nursing homes. Participants completed 4 weeks of the tailored multicomponent exercise training program Vivifrail© (www.vivifrail.com).One group continued the intervention for a further 14 weeks, while the other interrupted the intervention for 14 weeks because of the CO...

Whereas 3D optical motion capture (OMC) systems are considered the gold standard for kinematic assessment in sport science, they present some drawbacks that limit its use in the field. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) incorporating gyroscopes have been considered as a more practical alternative. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the level...

BACKGROUND: To describe the lower limb range of motion (ROM) profile in professional road cyclists. METHODS: Cohort study. One hundred and twenty-one road cyclists volunteered to participate. ROM measurements of passive hip flexion, extension, internal rotation, external rotation, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion in dominant and non-dominant lim...

The purpose of this study was threefold: i) to analyse the load-velocity relationship of the shoulder press (SP) exercise, ii) to investigate the stability (intra-individual variability) of this load-velocity relationship for athletes with different relative strength levels, and after a 10-week velocity-based resistance training (VBT), and iii) to...

Purpose: The COVID-19 outbreak has challenged professional athletes' training and competition routines in a way not seen before. This report aims to inform about the changes in training volume and intensity distribution and their effects on functional performance due to a 7-week home-confinement period in professional road cyclists from a Union Cy...

Objectives To investigate the relationship between one eccentric and two isometric tests commonly used to assess hamstring strength in professional soccer. Settings Professional soccer club. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants Twenty male professional soccer players. Main outcome measures Hamstring force was quantified during 3 tests (No...

This study determined the effects of a 4-week individualized multicomponent exercise program (Vivifrail) on physical frailty and functional disability in older adults living in nursing homes. Fourteen institutionalized older adults (aged 81.7 ± 9.7 years) volunteered to completed 4 weeks of the individualized Vivifrail exercise program (5 days a we...

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Despite the rising interest in the use of portable force sensors during isometric exercises to inform on neuromuscular performance, the design of practical field-based methods to obtain reliable measures is an ongoing challenge. We aim at identifying the intra-session and test-retest reliability of a rapid, isometric knee extension test to evaluate...

Velocity-based training (VBT) is gaining popularity in strength and conditioning due to multiple practical advantages for auto-regulating and individualizing training volume and load on a day-to-day basis. Because the load-velocity relationship varies among exercises, the knowledge of particular equations is indispensable to effectively implement t...

This study investigated the inter- and intra-device agreement of four new devices marketed for barbell velocity measurement. Mean, mean propulsive and peak velocity outcomes were obtained for bench press and full squat exercises along the whole load-velocity spectrum (from light to heavy loads). Measurements were simultaneously registered by two li...

This study investigated the inter- and intra-device agreement of four new devices marketed for barbell velocity measurement. Mean, mean propulsive and peak velocity outcomes were obtained for bench press and full squat exercises along the whole load-velocity spectrum (from light to heavy loads). Measurements were simultaneously registered by two li...

Highlights • Theoretical power models, based on laws of physics, would represent interesting proposals to examine the sensitivity of running power devices. • Running power output estimated by commercial technologies are particularly influenced by environment (indoor vs. outdoor) and running conditions (body weight, slope and running speed). • Th...

Training prescription and load monitoring in running activities have benefited from power output (PW) data obtained by new technologies. Nevertheless, to date, the suitability of PW data provided by these tools is still uncertain. In order to clarify this aspect, the present study aimed to: i) analyze the repeatability of five commercially availabl...

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the use of bounce on performance in wheelchair tennis. Data pertaining to all the hits on the ball (n = 4021) were recorded from 16 men’s singles professional matches. Performance parameters regarding to players’ skill level (high- and low-ranked) the game situation (players and the serve-...

Una de las causas atribuibles a la reducción de los niveles de práctica de actividad física en jóvenes es el aumento del uso de los videojuegos. El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer el nivel de práctica de actividad física y su relación con el uso de videojuegos y el rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios. Ochenta y siete estudiante...

Stroke accuracy is highly related with tennis performance and has traditionally been quantified using general areas of scoring. Hence there is a need to develop methods that allow accuracy to be measured with higher resolution. The aim of the work is to develop a field test and an Excel spreadsheet associated that allows to evaluate the accuracy of...

The aims of this study were to describe and compare the anthropometric and physical fitness attributes of male padel players according to their competitive level, and to establish a functional anthropometric and physical profile. A total of 60 males participated in the present study. Athletes were grouped according to competition level, forming an...

Whereas beetroot juice (BJ) supplementation is shown to increase physical performance in endurance activities, its benefits in team sports has been barely studied. In this randomized placebo-controlled study, we investigated the effects of BJ acute supplementation in improving neuromuscular performance and physical match activity in basketball. Ten...

Purpose : To investigate how a physical activity education program based on the teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model affected disruptive behaviors in teenagers. Method : A total of 338 students (13–15 years old) from the 672 recruited completed a 4-month TPSR-model-based program during their physical education lessons. Disruptiv...

El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer las estadísticas de competición de tenis en los JJOO de Río de Janeiro 2016. Para ello, se analizaron 282 sets de los 128 partidos en los que participaron un total de 128 tenistas (64 jugadores y 64 jugadoras). Los datos fueron seleccionados de la información publicada en la Web Oficial de la Federación Inter...

The purposes of this study were to identify which major constraint contributes to greater task workload and to determine distinctive training task profiles using an integrative approach during a regular season from a professional women’s soccer team. Twenty-seven elite soccer players from a team competing in the first Spanish women’s soccer league...