Jose Maria Gonzalez Rave

University of Castilla-La Mancha · Department of Sports Sciences. Faculty of Sport Sciences in Toledo

Background: This study aimed to examine the effects of two complex training sequences on acute post-activation potentiation enhancement in countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. Methods: Twenty-two recreationally active males performed CMJ before and 1, 4, and 8 min after two sequences of complex training conducted in reverse order, consisting of...

This study aimed to assess the acute effects of the sequence of concurrent training (CT) on physiological, neuromuscular, and perceptive parameters in recreational athletes. Eighteen active men (mean ± SD: 22.00 ± 2.00 years; 79.40 ± 9.87 kg and 175.62 ± 6.35 cm) performed two CT sessions consisting of repeated sprint endurance exercise followed by...

Objectives. — During interval training, the combination of several training components (stimulus duration, intensity, and recovery) determines the athlete’s acute fatigue, and manipulating these components elicits different acute fatigue responses. We analyzed the effects of manipulating the duration of the recovery period during isoeffort interval...

Background: This study aimed to conduct a detailed and comparative analysis of body composition and dietary habits in elite swimming and water polo athletes. Through the examination of these key parameters, this study seeks to compare the dietary intake of these two distinct aquatic sports disciplines. Methods: A total of 10 top-level swimmers and...

Purpose: To describe how high-level European sprint coaches (from 100 to 400 m) work to improve important factors associated with the quality of the holistic training process and the quality of the specific training session. Methods: A descriptive analysis was conducted using questionnaires from 31 European elite sprint coaches (ie, training ath...

The purpose of this study was to provide percentile curves, peak performance age for all sprint distances, and two linear regression models in order to analyse the individual trajectories of Spanish sprinters to explain the achievement of the senior category. A retrospective analysis was undertaken using rankings of the Spanish Athletics Federation...

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 (...

Introduction Human development is a messy, complex, and difficult road to predict. At an early age, growth, maturation, and development occur simultaneously and influence physical activity, fitness, and performance (Malina, 2014), however, in the sports domain, the development of athletes will be strongly determined by favourable environments (Bake...

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive method to measure and evaluate muscle oxygenation in local tissue (Kitada et al., 2015). It is important to note that possible sex-related differences affect the oxygen transport system depending on exercise intensity (Sendra-Perez et al., 2023). However, there is a lack of information on possible...

Introduction/Purpose Shoe longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) is often considered to influence running economy (RE) and thus, running performance. However, previous results are mixed and LBS levels have not been studied in advanced footwear technology (AFT). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of increased LBS from curved carbon...

Mixed-Team-Relay (MTR) triathlon is a novel Olympic discipline whose performance determinants and tactical behaviors have barely been studied. Additionally, a regulatory change has been made to the male and female relay order for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the performance determinants and race dynamics as a fu...

Purpose : Monitoring performance athletes’ training responses can be efficiently completed at competitive events. This study aimed to explore the changes in swimming, countermovement-jump (CMJ), and pull-up (PU) performance following training across a competitive phase, as well as immediately before and after each race. Methods : Fourteen well-trai...

This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of a wearable device and a phone application for measuring spatiotemporal parameters and their relationship with running economy (RE) by comparing them with photocell data in runners of different abilities. Twenty-three male runners were divided into well-trained and recreational groups and...

Introduction/Purpose: Shoe longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) is often considered to influence running economy (RE) and thus, running performance. However, previous results are mixed and LBS levels have not been studied in advanced footwear technology (AFT). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the isolated effects of increased LBS from curv...

Objectives The relative contribution of each of the four strokes to performance, and whether these contributions differ substantially between short course and long course competitions is unclear. To clarify these issues the aim of this study was to assess the strokes that have more influence on the performance in the 200 and 400 m IM swimming perfo...

The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether a specific approach regarding active swimming recovery could better promote psycho-physiological recovery right after competing in a high-level swimming race. To achieve this, we recruited 50 national level youth swimmers, randomly and equally assigning them to two groups, named “experimental” and...

Scientific knowledge of the training of elite athletic sprinters is limited, and much of their training relies on the intuition and expertise of experienced coaches. Therefore, the objective of this study is to provide an overview of the training practices employed by elite Spanish sprint coaches. A descriptive analysis was conducted using customis...

Background Ethylene and vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyether block amide (PEBA) are recently the most widely used materials for advanced footwear technology (AFT) that has been shown to improve running economy (RE). This study investigated the effects of these midsole materials on RE and biomechanics, in both fresh and worn state (after 450 km). Meth...

ABSTRACT: Speed climbing will be a new discipline in Paris 2024. The physical requirements of speed climbing are different from the other climbing modalities due to the short event time requiring higher level of strength and power. These parameters have been measured through the Force-Velocity (F-V) profile in different climbing disciplines. Howeve...

A regular endurance training program may elicit different adaptations compared to an isolated training method. In this study, we analyzed the effects of 8 weeks of a regular endurance training program on running economy (RE), particularly neuromuscular and biomechanical parameters, in runners of different athletic abilities. Twenty-four male runner...

Introduction: This study aimed to determine if adjusting the loads via velocity-based training (VBT) in each session is more efficient in monitoring the relative intensity than programming loads assessing 1RM pre-training. Methods: To achieve this, six national level sprinters were randomly divided into two groups, i.e., adjusting loads (AL, n = 3)...

Introduction/purpose: Previous results about longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) and running economy (RE) show high variability. This study aimed to assess the effects of shoes with increased LBS on RE and performance in trained and national runners. Methods: Twenty-eight male runners were divided into two groups according to their 10-km perfor...

Speed climbing will be a new discipline in Paris 2024. The physical requirements of speed climbing are different from the other climbing modalities due to the short event time requiring higher level of strength and power. These parameters have been measured through the Force-Velocity (F-V) profile in different climbing disciplines. However, there a...

The aim of the study was to describe the relationship between success in junior categories and success in the senior category, in sprint events. An observational and longitudinal analysis was carried out using the rankings of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation database. We analysed 547 sprinters (238 women and 309 men) from their U14 to their s...

Swimming performance achieved in 50-m, 100-m and 200-m events in each swimming stroke can have an influence on the final performance in individual medley (IM) events. We attempted to quantify the relative contributions of performance in individual stroke events to top-10 world ranked IM competition performance. We examined competition results of to...

This study aimed to determine the importance of the different relay legs and sport disciplines in the overall result of the triathlon Mixed-Team-Relay (MTR) events. The study analysed the results of 80 Mixed-Team-Relay triathlon teams ( n =320 professional triathletes) corresponding to the top ten finishers at the World Championships in Hamburg fro...

INTRODUCTION Endurance running performance is influenced by factors related to muscle recruitment and force production (1). Fatigue will result in kinematic compensations due to impaired muscle contractility and reduced leg stiffness (2). Understanding the acute mechanical alterations produced by neuromuscular fatigue is of primary interest to indi...

Introduction: There is a growing interest in the scientific community about the progression and congruity in the performance of talented participants who complete representing different nations in the most important international events. The prediction of incoming performances is nowadays in demand with the objective of returning in talent investme...

Background Interval training (IT) is influenced by several variables and its design. However, there is no consensus about the acute effects of this type of training on running kinematics and gait patterns due to the variety of session designs. Research question The aim of this systematic review was to determine the acute effects of IT on gait patt...

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) changed footwear design concepts by using a curved carbon fibre plate in combination with new, more compliant and resilient foams. The aim of this study was (1) to examine the individual effects of AFT on the evolution of the main road events and (2) to reassess the impact of AFT on the world's top-100 performance...

The objective was to quantify parallel changes in performance and physiological measures in relation to periodization of sequential altitude training over a season in elite swimmers. The altitude training of four female and two male international swimmers in selected seasons was examined using a collective case study approach. All swimmers were a m...

Critical speed represents the highest exercise intensity at which the oxidative phosphorylation is sufficient to satisfy the energy demand. Since the release of the advanced footwear technology in May 2017, every road record from the 5-km event to the marathon has been broken. The question arises whether this type of footwear improves critical spee...

Evaluating force–velocity characteristics on dry-land is of the utmost importance in swimming, because higher levels of these bio-motor abilities positively affect in-water performance. However, the wide range of possible technical specializations presents an opportunity for a more categorized approach that has yet to be seized. Therefore, the aim...

We analyzed the effects of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly (VPF) on long-interval training performance, kinematic parameters, running power and fatigue compared to a traditional running shoe. Twelve well-trained men (mean ± SD: 32.91 ± 7.50 years; 69.29 ± 7.55 kg and 172.73 ± 5.97 cm) performed two long-interval training sessions (5 × 1000 m with 90s recov...

Unlabelled: A well-planned periodized approach endeavors to allow road cyclists to achieve peak performance when their most important competitions are held. Purpose: To identify the main characteristics of periodization models and physiological parameters of trained road cyclists as described by discernable training intensity distribution (TID),...

Background Reverse periodization is commonly touted as a salient planning strategy to improve sport performance in athletes, but benefits have not been clearly described. Objectives We sought to identify the main characteristics of reverse periodization, and the influence of training volume and periodization models on enhancing physiological measu...

The aim of this study was to analyze the acute effects of high vs low-intensity cycling efforts, combined with plyometrics, on vertical jump performance. Twenty-four physically active men (mean ± SD: 23 ± 2 years, 72.1 ± 10.1 kg, 1.73 ± 0.07 m) were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (EXP, n = 16) and control group (CON, n = 8). E...

The present study aims to determine the utility of integrating balance model (W´BAL-INT) in designing interval training programs as assessed by improvements in power output, critical power (CP), and W prime (W´) defined as the finite work capacity above CP. Fourteen male cyclists (age = 42 ± 7 yr, body mass = 69.6 ± 6.5 kg, height = 175 ± 5 cm, CP...

Background Trained breath-hold divers have shown physiological adaptations that might improve athletes’ aerobic and anaerobic performance. Objective This study aimed to systematically review the scientific literature and perform a meta-analysis to assess the effects of voluntary apnoea training on markers of anaerobic and aerobic performance, such...

Intro: In 2017, the "#Breaking2" project (an event aimed to run the first marathon under 2 h) introduced a new advanced shoe technology, the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Elite (VPF). This type of footwear changed the footwear design conception by using a curved carbon-fibre plate inserted into a very light midsole composed of a novel compliant and resilient...

INTRODUCTION The ability to exert muscle power is critical for successful results in sports [1]. Exercises (e.g., sprint or heavy load exercises) performed in the warm-up have shown improvements in the subsequent performance [2]. The phenomenon of acute performance enhancement is called post-activation potentiation (PAP) and it increases acutely mu...

TO THE EDITOR: We appreciate the physiologically informed discussion presented in the Viewpoint by Podlogar et al. (1). However, it is well known that the determinants of endurance performance are the maximal oxygen uptake (V_ o2max), exercise economy (RE), and lactate threshold (LT) (2). The inclusion of the critical power/speed as proposed by the...

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of recovery period during long interval training (IT) on mechanical, physiological, perceptive, and neuromuscular parameters. Six men and six women trained runners (23.82 ± 7.83years; 56.27 ± 8.95kg; 167.55 ± 9.77cm) performed three treadmill interval sessions (4x4min) at 1% incline with 1min, 2min or...

Swimming performance achieved in 50-m, 100-m and 200-m events in each swimming stroke could have an influence in the final performance in individual medley events. We sought to quantify the relative contributions of performance in individual stroke events to top-10 world ranked IM competition performance. We examined competition results of top-10 w...

Purpose: This review aimed to determine (1) performance and training characteristics such as training intensity distribution (TID), volume, periodization, and methods in highly trained/elite distance runners and (2) differences in training volume and TID between event distances in highly trained/elite distance runners. Methods: A systematic revi...

BACKGROUND: The determination of critical power (CP) during training is a useful tool monitoring performance progression and to demarcate training intensity zones. The aims of this study were: 1) to compare CP with varied effort short, medium and long intervals (SML-INT) with a field CP test; 2) to assess if SML-INT is an effective way to improve C...

Swimmers take great advantage by reducing the drag forces either in passive or active conditions. The purpose of this work is to determine the frontal area of swimmers by means of an automated vision system. The proposed algorithm is automated and also allows to determine lateral pose of the swimmer for training purposes. In this way, a step toward...

We examined the degree to which 200-m and 400-m Individual Medley (IM) performance was related to sprint-, middle- and long-distance events before a swimmer reached a Top-20 world ranking. A retrospective longitudinal modelling study was conducted. Data on Top-20 swimmers between 2010 and 2018 were obtained from publicly available websites. A gener...

BACKGROUND: The determination of the 1-repetition maximum (1RM) is one of the most frequently performed evaluations to assess maximal dynamic strength in athletes. Several formulas have been proposed to estimate the 1RM. The objective of this study was to compare 1RM measurement with a 1RM estimate obtained from the Brzycki formula to estimate 1RM...

We have read with great interest the manuscript recently published in your journal on the technological unfairness of the use of Nike Vaporfly and Alphafly running footwear models [1]. In the section "Do the Nike Vaporfly/Alphafly Shoes Provide an Unfair Advantage?", the author claimed that the performance progression in long-distance, such as the...

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of running wide on bends regarding intermediate changes of position, dispersion of athletes, and speed relative to season best (SB) between medalists and non-medalists in men's and women's 800 m championship finals. Extra distance covered on bends was measured using official videos. The total dis...

Euswim is an academic and research network whose aim is to develop and spread knowledge about swimming science. Whether you are a student, researcher, or professor, our platform (www.euswim.eu) offers the opportunity to exchange, interact and participate with us through our First annual conference. The book provides an overview of the European Conf...

The aims of the current study were to compare the pacing patterns of all-time 800 m, 1500 m and mile running world records (WRs) and to determine whether differences exist between sexes, and if 800 m and 1500 m WRs were broken during championship or meet races. Overall and lap times for men and women's 800 m, 1500 m, and mile WRs from World Athleti...

We present a case study of the periodized training by a world-class 400-m Individual Medley (IM) swimmer (4th in 2019 World Championships) in the season leading to a bronze medal in the 2018 European Championship. The complexity of this IM preparation was based on the experiences, observations and innovations of an Olympic swimming coach. Over 52 w...

The NIKE Vaporfly shoe was introduced in May 2017 as part of the original #Breaking2 Project (an event aimed to run the first marathon under 2 h). This new advanced shoe technology (NAST) changed the footwear design conception. The aim of this study was (i) to analyse the effect of NAST in men’s marathon performance, (ii) to analyse whether the cha...

Introduction: Reverse linear periodization is characterised by high-intensity and low-volume training predominates during the preparatory period, before increasing the volume and maintaining the intensity slightly as the season progresses, as opposed to traditional periodisation which is characterised by low-intensity and high-volume training in th...

The aims of the present research were to estimate the age of peak performance (APP) and to examine the role of previous experience at the world-level open water race performances. Finishing positions and age of swimmers (639 females and 738 males) in the 10-km events of World Championship (WCH) and Olympic Games (OG) from 2000 to 2019 were obtained...

Concurrent training (CT) consists of resistance training (RT) and endurance training (ET) in a unique session. The training content done first affects performance in the second content and likely the chronic adaptation to CT could be different. The countermovement squat jump (CMJ) height loss is used for monitoring the levels of fatigue during a tr...

Background: Critical speed (CS) represents the highest exercise intensity at which the oxidative phosphorylation is sufficient to satisfy the energy demand. Since the release of the Nike Vaporfly (VPF) shoes in May 2017, every road record from the 5k event to the marathon have been broken. The question arises whether this type of footwear improves...

Swimming coaches have prescribed dry-land training programs over the years to improve the overall swimming performance (starts, clean swimming, turns and finish). The main aim of the present systematic review was to examine the effects of dry-land strength and conditioning programs on swimming turns. Four online databases were scrutinised, data wer...

This study aimed to address the effects of increased longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) on running economy (RE) and running biomechanics. A systematic search on four electronic databases (Pubmed, WOS, Medline and Scopus) was conducted on 26 May 2021. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria and were included. Standardised mean difference with 95...

The aim of the present research was to examine the stroking rate (SR) values of successful and non-successful swimmers in the 10 km and 25 km races of the FINA 2019 World Swimming Championships. Data from 175 participants (95 men and 80 female) were classified according to their finishing positions. There were no meaningful differences in the overa...

We appreciate the continued interest by Drs. Garcia-Tabar and Gorostiaga [1] in the distinction between Critical Power and maximal lactate steady state (MLSS), in part, as they relate to the maximal metabolic steady-state (MMSS) [2, 3]. Their letter [1] reinforces many points of agreement and, for the sake of brevity, those will not be reiterated h...

The underwater phase is perhaps the most important phase of the swimming start. To improve performance during the underwater phase, it is necessary to improve our understanding of the key variables affecting this phase. The main aim of this study was to identify key kinematic variables that are associated with the performance of an underwater glide...

Knowledge in the scientific domain of individual medley (IM) swimming training over a competitive season is limited. The purpose of this study was to propose a detailed coaching framework incorporating the key elements of a periodized training regimen for a 400 m IM swimmer. This framework was based on the available coaching and scientific literatu...

Periodization can be defined as a logical sequential, phasic method of manipulating fitness and recovery phases to increase the potential for achieving specific performance goals while minimizing the potential for nonfunctional overreaching, overtraining, and injury. Periodization deals with the micromanagement of timelines and fitness phases and i...

A well-planned periodized approach allows swimmers to achieve peak performance at the major national and international competitions. Purpose: To identify the main characteristics of endurance training for highly trained swimmers described by the training intensity distribution (TID), volume, and periodization models. Methods: The electronic databas...

The present study focused on propulsive forces applied during tethered swimming. The main aims were to identify asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant arms, quantify the effect of breathing on force application and, explore any association between each variable and swimming performance. Fifteen regional level swimmers completed a maximal fro...