Cycle ergometer training and resistance training similarly increase muscle strength in trained men

Feasibility of a new bicycle ergometer with adjustable pedaling configuration for personalized lower limb rehabilitation

Muscle atrophy due to prolonged immobilization leads to severe dysfunction and progression of disease and injury. This highlights the necessity for early rehabilitation, even during the non-ambulatory stages. As manifestations vary among individuals, target-specific rehabilitation is crucial for achieving optimal outcomes. Conventional bicycle ergometers, despite their wide usage in rehabilitation and sports training, fail to adequately recruit the muscles that predominantly operate in the coronal or axial plane. This is thought to be due to the restriction of pedaling trajectory in the sagittal plane. This study introduces a new bicycle ergometer capable of tilting the pedaling plane and adjusting the pedal orientation, in order to alter muscle recruitment patterns and limb alignments. A biomechanical analysis of eight healthy volunteers suggests that our device can elicit dynamic valgus/varus alignment and alter the axial rotations of the lower extremities. An electromyography analysis revealed a significant increase in the activation of specific muscle groups, particularly the abductors and adductors, suggesting promising results for targeted muscle recruitment. We expect this ergometer to provide a new method for target-specific rehabilitation and the treatment of bedridden patients or those with weak muscles.

A Novel Tilted-Plane Ergometer System for Subject-Specific Rehabilitation

Immobilization due to various reasons can lead to disuse muscle atrophy. If prolonged, the circumstance is exacerbated and may lead to joint contracture, dysfunction, and long-term sequela. Thus, a balanced exercise regimen is crucial. While able-bodied individuals can perform a variety of exercises, bedridden patients typically resort to exercising primarily with bicycle ergometers. However, since the pedaling trajectory with ergometers is confined to the sagittal plane, muscles responsible for medial-lateral movement and balance are not effectively trained. Furthermore, the direction of joint reaction forces, which is crucial for specific patients with ligament injuries, recurrent dislocations, and medial osteoarthritis, is not well facilitated. Thus, it would be beneficial for patients without full body weight support ability to train ab-/ad-ductor muscles by altering the direction of extrinsic load via ergometers. In this study, we present a novel Tilted-Plane Ergometer and proof-of-concept experiment with one healthy subject. The results suggest that subtle changes in ergometer configurations lead to different movements, joint alignments, and muscle recruitment patterns.

Effect of intra-session exercise sequence of an 8-week concurrent training program on the components of physical fitness in recreationally trained young adults

This study aimed to determine the effect of the intra-session exercise sequence of a concurrent training programme on the components of health-related physical fitness. Twenty-four healthy young adults were allocated into two different groups differing only in the exercise order to conduct an 8-week intra-session concurrent training programme consisting of three sessions of 60-90 minutes (180-270 min/week), with all-out running sprint intervals, back squat, and bench press endurance and resistance exercises (i.e., ET+RT and RT+ET). The 8-week intra-session concurrent training programme overall improved all the components of physical fitness regardless of the exercise sequence. However, ET + RT and RT + ET groups reported moderate and small improvements for squat jump (ET + RT: 3.82 cm [1.11 to 6.53 cm]; RT + ET: 0.31 cm [-1.72 to 2.33 cm]), countermovement jump (ET + RT: 3.76 cm [1.43 to 6.08 cm]; RT + ET: 2.07 cm [-0.03 to 4.17 cm]) and maximum oxygen uptake (ET + RT: 4.75 ml/kg/min [1.14 to 8.35 ml/kg/min]; RT + ET: 1.66 ml/kg/min [-0.89 to 4.21 ml/kg/min]), respectively. Therefore, greater lower-body power and cardiorespiratory fitness gains might be induced following the ET + RT sequence.

Resistance Training before, during, and after COVID-19 Infection: What Have We Learned So Far?

At the end of 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 started a pandemic, leading to millions of deaths and many important political and social changes. Even in the absence of contamination, the mobility reduction, social distancing and closing of exercise facilities negatively affected physical activity and conditioning, which is associated with muscle atrophy, loss of muscle strength, and reductions in functional capacity. In cases of infection, it has been shown that increased physical capacity is associated with decreased hospitalization and mortality risk. Although millions of people have died from COVID-19, most contaminated individuals survived the infection, but carried different sequelae, such as the severe loss of physical function and a reduced quality of life. Among different physical exercise models that might help to prevent and treat COVID-19-related conditions, resistance training (RT) might be particularly relevant. Among its benefits, RT can be adapted to be performed in many different situations, even with limited space and equipment, and is easily adapted to an individual's characteristics and health status. The current narrative review aims to provide insights into how RT can be used in different scenarios to counteract the negative effects of COVID-19. By doing this, the authors expect to provide insights to help deal with the current pandemic and similar events the world may face in the future.