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- Quantification of Maximal Force Produced in Standard and Contra-Standard Sculling in Synchronized Swimming. A Pilot StudyPublication . Diogo, V.; Soares, S.; Tourino, C.; Carmo, C.; Aleixo, I.; Morouço, P.; Figueiredo, P.; Vilas-Boas, J. P.; Fernandes, R. J.Studies carried out in synchronized swimming are very scarce, namely those which include biomechanical analysis of the sculling technique. The purpose of this study was to measure the maximal force produced in standard and contra-standard sculling, using a 30s maximal tethered synchronized swimming test. One former female synchronized swimmer and one former female swimmer performed a 2x30s maximum intensity tethered synchronized swimming test, in standard and contra-standard sculling conditions, respectively. Parameters studied were maximal, mean and minimum force, the time when maximal and minimum force occurred, and fatigue index. Results showed that the higher values of maximal and mean force were found in standard sculling, both for the synchronized swimmer and the swimmer. The swimmer attained higher values of absolute and relative maximal force in the standard sculling, but lower values in the contra-standard technique, when compared to the synchronized swimmer. Fatigue Index results evidence that the maximal force declined during the 30s in both participants and in both sculling conditions. This parameter was higher for the contra-standard sculling performed by the swimmer, and for the standard sculling for the synchronized swimmer. In conclusion, there were differences in force production in standard and contra-standard sculling between a swimmer and a synchronized swimming. Those differences could probably be explained by differences in skill competence.
- The Influence of Muscle Flexibility Training on Chronic Pain in Older Adults: An Exploratory Systematic ReviewPublication . Melenas, Rodrigo; Antunes, Raul; Matos, Rui; Monteiro, Diogo; Amaro, Nuno; Couto, Nuno; Susano Jacinto, Miguel ÂngeloBackground/Objectives: This exploratory systematic review aims to analyze the influence of isolated muscle flexibility training on the reduction of chronic pain symptoms in older adults aged 65 years or more. Articles were selected from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases, using the EndNote software for reference management. The selection process followed the PICOS framework and the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, and the review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database. Methods: The inclusion criteria comprised randomized controlled trials with participants aged 65 or older, evaluating the effect of flexibility training as a standalone intervention on chronic pain, and published in English or Portuguese. Studies were excluded if they involved multimodal training, did not specify participants’ ages, evaluated only acute or postoperative pain, or were not peer-reviewed articles. Results: From an initial pool of 1390 articles, only three met all criteria and were included in the final analysis. These studies—conducted in China (n = 2) and the United States (n = 1)—showed moderate methodological quality (PEDro score = 7/10). Two trials applied Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) in participants with knee osteoarthritis, while the third compared a flexibility-based program to combined strength and aerobic training in a healthy elderly population. All studies reported significant reductions in chronic pain symptoms following flexibility training interventions. Conclusions: The reviewed evidence suggests that muscle flexibility training, particularly using techniques like PNF, may be a promising therapeutic strategy to mitigate specific chronic pain-related symptoms in older adults, particularly reductions in joint stiffness, movement discomfort, and pain intensity associated with osteoarthritis. However, the limited number of high-quality trials and heterogeneity in protocols and pain assessment tools highlight the need for further research.
- Effects of Strength Training on the Quality of Life of Older Adults with Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled TrialsPublication . Fernandes, Luís; Antunes, Raul; Matos, Rui; Monteiro, Diogo; Amaro, Nuno; Nuno Couto; Jacinto, MiguelObjective: The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the effects of strength training on the quality of life (QoL) of older adults diagnosed with sarcopenia, contributing to a better understanding of the impact of this intervention on the physical and psychological well-being of this population. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The search was conducted on the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases, including studies published until 2025. Randomized controlled trials that applied strength training interventions in individuals aged 60 years or older with sarcopenia were included, evaluating QoL as the primary outcome. Data screening, extraction, and analysis were performed by two independent investigators. Results: Three studies from the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and China were included, with interventions ranging from 6 to 16 weeks. The results showed that strength training can improve the quality of life of older adults with sarcopenia (instruments: SarQoL, SF-36, WHOQOL-BREF), being more effective in high-intensity and supervised interventions. One of the studies revealed significant improvements (p < 0.001), while the others showed non-significant increases. Conclusions: Strength training proved to be a promising intervention for promoting improvements in the quality of life of older adults with sarcopenia, especially when performed at adequate intensity and with regular monitoring. However, further studies with larger samples, long-term follow-up, and standardization of QoL assessment tools are needed.
- Effects of dry-land strength training on swimming performance: a brief reviewPublication . Morouço, Pedro; Marinho, Daniel Almeida; Amaro, Nuno; Pérez-Turpin, José Antonio; Marques, Mário CardosoMorouço PG, Marinho DA, Amaro NM, Peréz-Turpin JA, Marques MC. Effects of dry-land strength training on swimming performance: a brief review. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 553-559, 2012. This article provides a brief review over the state of art concerning dry-land training for swimmers. It is important to understand the role of muscular strength for swimming performance and how it might be improved. Firstly, this article analyzes the relationships between strength or power assessment in dry-land and swimming performance. Secondly, the results of studies aiming to evaluate the influence of dry-land strength training to swimming performance improvement are presented. These results allow coaches to realize the benefits that may be obtained by an appropriate strength training program, according to gender and level.
- Motivation and intention to remain in swimming training throughout a competitive season: an age-group comparisonPublication . Souza, Luis; Santos, CC; Fernandes, R.J.; Monteiro, Diogo; Costa, Mário J.El presente estudio buscó analizar las variaciones en la regulación motivacional y la intención de continuar en el entrenamiento de natación a lo largo de una temporada competitiva, en función de la edad. Participaron 154 nadadores federados, agrupados en categorías infantil, juvenil, júnior y sénior. La recogida de datos se realizó en tres momentos diferentes de la temporada (diciembre, marzo y junio), utilizando el Cuestionario de Regulación Conductual en el Deporte y tres ítems específicos de intención. Los resultados mostraron que los nadadores más jóvenes mantuvieron altos niveles de motivación autodeterminada, mientras que los grupos juvenil y júnior presentaron mayores fluctuaciones motivacionales y un descenso progresivo en la intención. En contraste, los nadadores sénior manifestaron un incremento en la motivación controlada y una mayor intención de continuar. Estos hallazgos sugieren que la motivación y la intención en la práctica deportiva evolucionan de forma diferenciada según la edad, lo que subraya la necesidad de adaptar las estrategias motivacionales a cada etapa del desarrollo deportivo.
- Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch (Tripela) Test: More Than Just a Measure of Gross Manipulative CoordinationPublication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Lopes, Nataniel; Susano Jacinto, Miguel Ângelo; Coelho, Luis; Ibáñez, Sergio J.; Estevan, Isaac; Menescardi, Cristina; Monteiro, Diogo; Antunes, RaulPrevious work has shown that the Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch (Tripela) test has a strong correlation with the manipulative component (the two tests) of the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) battery, especially for boys. In the present study, our aim was to broadly examine the association between the Tripela test and the six MCA battery’ tests. We recruited 68 children and early adolescents (36 boys; 32 girls; M age = 11.48, SD = 0.73 years) for assessment. Within the entire sample and in boys, the Tripela test significantly correlated with all the six MCA tests (“r” from 0.285 to 0.785 with the entire sample, and from 0.424 to 0.760 with boys). In girls, the Tripela test only correlated with two out of the six MCA tests (0.388 and 0.517). Results suggest that, for boys, the Tripela test may be an appropriate field-based test to assess motor competence. Compared to several MC assessment batteries, Tripela is much less time-consuming and does not require expensive resources. For girls, results are to be taken with care, as only two significant correlations occurred.
- The relationship between coaches’ interpersonal behaviors, basic psychological needs, behavioral regulation, and intentions towards sport persistencePublication . Monteiro, Diogo; Teixeira, Diogo S.; Morales-Sanchéz, Veronica; Chica-Merino, Encarnación; Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Antunes, Raul; Jacinto, MiguelThis study investigates the relationships between coaches’ need-supportive and need-thwarting behaviors, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, motivation, intentions to continue, and athletes sport persistence. A total of 518 athletes (212 male, 306 female), 18 to 32 years (M = 23.18, SD = 4.19), participated in the study, with participants from football (n = 179), basketball (n = 166), and swimming (n = 173). A structural equation model and a mediation model were performed to understand the associations between motivational factors based on self-determination theory and a 2-year sport persistence assessment. Intentions to continue sport practice accounted for 12% of the variance related to sport persistence in the structural equation model. The mediation model did not reveal any direct effects for need-supportive or need-thwarting behaviors towards sport persistence. However, significant indirect paths were identified in the bright side of the model. Total indirect effect of the need-supportive behaviors in the model was β = .14 (CI95% = .26, .37) while for need-thwarting behaviors was β = −.05 (CI95% = −.11, −.01) towards sport persistence, indicating a positive mediation process. Coaches by being perceived as need-supportive may increase athletes’ intention to continue participating in sport, and consequently sport persistence.
- The Combined Effect of the Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity on the Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled TrialsPublication . Teixeira, Luíza; Monteiro, Diogo; Matos, Rui; Susano Jacinto, Miguel Ângelo; Antunes, RaulMetabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global public health challenge, characterized by the coexistence of cardiometabolic risk factors such as abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Non-pharmacological strategies, including the Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA), have been widely studied for their potential to prevent and manage MetS. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the combined effect of MD and PA on MetS components in adults, based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Twenty-two RCTs published between 2018 and 2024 were included, involving 11,478 participants. The interventions ranged from 8 weeks to 3 years and combined adapted or hypocaloric MDs with moderate-to-high-intensity PA, typically including walking, aerobic exercise, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), performed 3 to 7 times per week. The combined interventions resulted in reductions in body weight (−2.5 to −7.2 kg), body mass index (−0.7 to −2.2 kg/m2), waist circumference (−5.1 to −7.8 cm), and blood pressure (up to −9.0 mmHg systolic and −6.7 mmHg diastolic). Improvements in HDL cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and insulin sensitivity were also observed. These findings suggest that integrated interventions based on the Mediterranean lifestyle are effective in reducing MetS components and may support future public health strategies.
- Biomechanical and bioenergetical evaluation of swimmers using fully-tethered swimming: A qualitative reviewPublication . Amado, Nuno M.; Morouço, Pedro, G.; Marques, Mário C.; Fernandes, Ricardo J.; Marinho, Daniel A.It is presented a qualitative review of the specialized literature on fully-tethered swimming, with the scopes of summarizing and highlighting published knowledge, identifying its gaps and limitations, and motivate future research. The major research conclusions can be summarized as follows: (i) tethered swimming is a reliable test to evaluate force exerted in water by swimmers; (ii) higher maximum values of force are obtained in breaststroke and butterfly, while average values are higher in front crawl; (iii) tethered forces present moderate to strong relationships with swimming velocity, and associations between forces diminish as swimming distance increases; (iv) 30 s maximal tethered swimming may be used as an adaptation of Wingate test for swimming; (v) differences in stroke mechanics can occur in tethered swimming but there is no evidence to suggest that they affect swimming performance; (vi) Tethered swimming is a valid methodology to evaluate aerobic energy contribution in swimming and recent investigations concluded that it can also provide information on the anaerobic contribution. Based on and stimulated by current knowledge, further research should focus on the following topics: (i) the usefulness of tethered swimming as a valid tool to evaluate other swimming techniques; (ii) differences in force parameters induced by gender or competitive level; (iii) defining accurate variables for estimation of anaerobic power and/or capacity using tethered swimming; (iv) bilateral asymmetries in exerted forces, and corresponding influence of breathing; (v) relative contribution of arms and legs for whole-body propelling forces
- Behavioral regulation in sport questionnaire and sport motivation scale-II: a scale comparisonPublication . Bica, Joana; Susano Jacinto, Miguel Ângelo; Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Antunes, Raul; Couto, Nuno; Cid, Luis; Forte, Pedro; Monteiro, DiogoIntroduction: This study compared the psychometric properties of two primary instruments for assessing sport motivation based on Self-Determination Theory: the Sport Motivation Scale-II (SMS-II) and the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ). Methods: A cross-sectional analysis evaluated the scales’ internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and model fit, which required post-hoc modifications. Measurement invariance and adherence to the theoretical simplex pattern were also tested. Results: The BRSQ demonstrated generally acceptable reliability, while the SMS-II showed deficiencies in its introjected, external, and amotivation subscales. Both scales faced validity challenges in distinguishing adjacent motivational constructs. Although measurement invariance was supported, correlations deviated from the theoretical quasi-simplex pattern. Discussion: The BRSQ appears more robust, but neither scale is flawless. Researchers must select instruments aligned with their specific objectives and interpret scores cautiously due to these psychometric limitations. This underscores the need for refined tools to better capture the dynamic complexity of motivation in sports.