André Brand Bezerra Coutinho

Some strategies can be used to improve pectoralis major (PM) demand such as grip width, movement velocity, type of resistance and range of motion. Also, the normalized surface electromyography is commonly used to assess muscle activity during resistance training and allows the analyses of muscle activation across different portions of the exercise. The investigators aimed to compare sternal and clavicular PM's regions activity at the initial, middle, and final portions of the concentric phase during both flat and incline bench press. External and clavicular portions of PM EMG signals of thirteen males which performed 1 set of maximal repetitions of both flat and incline bench press at 60% of maximal load were analyzed. On flat bench press the final portion of concentric phase had lower muscular activation compared to middle (p < 0.001) and initial (p < 0.001) portions (clavicular) and to middle (p < 0.05) portion (sternal). For incline bench press the middle portion had a higher activity than initial (p < 0.001) and final (p < 0.05) portions at clavicular region while in sternal region final portion was lower than initial and middle (both p < 0.001) portions. The results suggest that reducing the range of motion by excluding the final portion of the concentric phase in the bench press may help maintain higher pectoralis major activation. It can be particularly advantageous in hypertrophy-oriented training, as it avoids the decrease in muscle activity during exercise.

Objective: Identify the protocols used in normobaric hypoxia and the main symptoms in that context. Theoretical Framework: Hypoxia, particularly hypoxic hypoxia, is a critical challenge in aviation, caused by reduced atmospheric pressure at high altitudes. Controlled hypoxia training allows aviators to recognize symptoms, assess the time of useful consciousness, and practice emergency responses. This study synthesizes key parameters in normobaric hypoxia training, addressing gaps in oxygen concentrations, exposure times, and symptom monitoring. Method: Systematic electronic searches were conducted in MEDLINE and Embase databases. Inclusion criteria required original studies involving aircraft crews, descriptions of gas mixtures used for altitude simulation, and details of simulated altitudes during training. Results and Discussion: From 295 identified articles, eight met the inclusion criteria. Sample sizes ranged from 8 to 89 participants, predominantly male. Protocols varied widely, with O₂ concentrations of 6%, 7%, and 8% frequently used to simulate altitudes of 25,919 feet (7,900 m) to 20,341 feet (6,200 m). Considerable heterogeneity was found in protocols for the same simulated altitude, likely due to differences in equipment calibration. Continuous exposure periods of three to five minutes were common, and diverse hypoxia symptoms were reported, emphasizing the importance of symptom recognition for operational safety. Research Implications: This study offers practical insights for standardizing hypoxia training protocols, enhancing safety procedures, and developing guidelines for normobaric environments. Originality/Value: By synthesizing hypoxia training parameters, this research highlights the need for protocol standardization to ensure aviator safety and operational efficiency.

Background: Increasingly valuable, sophisticated, and powerful aircraft are developed and incorporated into the armed forces. Technological advances are notable for increasing physiological load during the flight, making human resources a limiting factor in such operations. It is necessary to understand the physiological demands to which aircraft pilots are exposed, especially combat pilots. Objective: This study aimed to present: i. the physiological consequences on the human body due to high accelerative forces during high-performance flights; ii. the efficiency of the Anti-G Straining Maneuver (AGSM) countermeasure to such consequences; and iii. the state of the art about surface electromyography's uses (sEMG) in AGSM. Method: It was conducted a bibliographic search in the PubMed database using the keywords “anti-G effort maneuver” and “electromyography” and their synonyms. After this, a narrative review of the results was performed. This research model allows a comprehensive discussion about the topic, enabling an in-depth contextualization in a prosperous field of study. These characteristics are suitable for detecting literature gaps and directing the research discussion. Discussion: There is a consensus in the literature that AGSM is the most effective resource to prevent loss of consciousness induced by G-load (G-LOC). The sEMG is an affordable and useful tool for AGSM training, especially given the unavailability of human centrifuges. The current literature on the application of sEMG in the context of AGSM training is limited, presenting a diversity of objectives, methodology, and analyzed parameters. Conclusion: The use of sEMG as real-time biofeedback can improve the pilot's muscle control skills during AGSM.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for numerous diseases and, paradoxically, can also be a risk factor for symptoms of overtraining syndrome (OTS). Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the physical activity levels of military personnel and compare these levels with the symptoms of OTS. Methods: The sample consisted of 95 military personnel (29.6 ± 1.1 years; 27.5 ± 3.7 kg/m2) participating in a career course, which were divided into (inactive)IN, (active)AT and (very active) VA. The Overtraining Questionnaire (OTQ) was applied, in addition to an anamnesis and the short version of the IPAQ to characterize and stratify the sample. The comparison between the means of the scores obtained in the questionnaires was performed using ANOVA of one entry with Tukey's post-hoc when necessary. Results: The results revealed that 41% of the military were IN, 40% AT and 19% VA. ANOVA indicated a significant difference in QOT scores between IN (38.62 ± 17.58) and VA (29.06 ± 11.65) (p=0.04). Conclusion: It is concluded that most of the military had adequate levels of physical activity, however, the IN showed more evident symptoms of OTS when compared to the VA. Although this subject is controversial, the literature is already well established that OTS does not only involve issues related to exercise. Other stressors, such as sleep and psychological stress, for example, when associated, can serve as triggers for physical and mental exhaustion, regardless of the level of physical activity.

Goal: The present study aimed to investigate the behavior of dynamic electrical impedance myography (dEIM) signals during a 100-s period of the dynamic contraction of Wistar rats’ gastrocnemius evoked by electrical stimulation and to link the variations in bioimpedance with muscular energy systems. Methods: Muscle contraction used 30% of the maximum muscular force and persisted for 100 s, along which dynamic bioimpedance signals were acquired. Based on the bioimpedance signals, two parameters, ΔZc and ΔZpc, were calculated to allow the analysis of their changes with the energy systems that supplied adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to the muscle. ΔZc indicated the variation of impedance of a twitch cycle compared to the values observed during the rest period preceding the cycle, and ΔZpc indicated slow bioimpedance variations compared to the values obtained during the rest period. Results: The results indicated that ΔZc followed the force behavior, achieving a change rate of ∼14%. This parameter was associated with instantaneous impedance changes owing to the occurrence of each twitch. Conclusion: Although the findings of this study were linked to energy system processes, future studies are required for improving the understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in dEIM. Significance: The results contributed to understanding the relation of energy systems that supply ATP to the muscles with dEIM variations that occurred during muscle activity.

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is as an experimental technique that associates muscle impedance with muscular activity. Changes in muscle impedance during contraction occur mainly due to changes in the morphological and physiological characteristics of muscles that lead to different impeditivities in comparison with the resting condition. There is no consensus on the details of muscular impedance during muscle activity. EIM measurements on humans are also influenced by factors such as the electrode–skin interface, layers of skin and fat, and the connective tissue that can generate undesirable effects in the impedance signal. These effects can be avoided if EIM measurements are carried out directly on the muscle by using the models of animals. This study investigates changes in the EIM signal in the gastrocnemius muscles of Wistar rats during different levels of muscular contraction. In vivo experiments were conducted on 19 male rats. The muscle was exposed, fixed on a load cell, and electrically stimulated to evoke different levels of muscle contraction. Signals of the components of impedance were analyzed against the muscular force signal. The results show moderate correlations (p < 0.05) among the impedance-related parameters of resistance (r = −0.76), reactance (r = 0.57), and phase (r = 0.53). In addition to providing an experimental protocol for the invasive collection of data on electrical impedance to minimize problems associated with surface electrodes, this study shows that of the components of impedance, resistance is most affected by the intensity of muscular contractions and that morphological changes influence impedance mainly at low intensities.

Lactate threshold (LT) is one of the physiological parameters usually used in rowing sport training prescription because it indicates the transitions from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. Assessment of LT is classically based on a series of values of blood lactate concentrations obtained during progressive exercise tests and thus has an invasive aspect. The feasibility of noninvasive LT estimative through bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) data collected in thigh muscles during rowing ergometer exercise tests was investigated. Nineteen professional rowers, age 19 (mean) ± 4.8 (standard deviation) yr, height 187.3 ± 6.6 cm, body mass 83 ± 7.7 kg, and training experience of 7 ± 4 yr, were evaluated in a rowing ergometer progressive test with paired measures of blood lactate concentration and BIS in thigh muscles. Bioelectrical impedance data were obtained by using a bipolar method of spectroscopy based on the current response to a voltage step. An electrical model was used to interpret BIS data and to derive parameters that were investigated to estimate LT noninvasively. From the serial blood lactate measurements, LT was also determined through Dmax method (LT_Dmax). The zero crossing of the second derivative of kinetic of the capacitance electrode (Ce), one of the BIS parameters, was used to estimate LT. The agreement between the LT estimates through BIS (LT_BIS) and through Dmax method (LT_Dmax) was evaluated using Bland-Altman plots, leading to a mean difference between the estimates of just 0.07 W and a Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.85. This result supports the utilization of the proposed method based on BIS parameters for estimating noninvasively the lactate threshold in rowing.