Futsal athletes are exposed to a high number of injures. Purpose: This study aimed to gather data on the injures produced in futsal, attending to the prevalence, part of the body injured, type of injury and mechanism, and severity. Also, to evaluate the influence that sociodemographic factors and the position on the pitch may have on the injuries. Finally, we pursued to summarize the prevention strategies proposed by the expert literature. Design: Different search strategies were entered in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Sport Discuss databases. Results: 36 articles were selected to be reviewed. Futsal is situated among the sports with the highest injury incidence, being the main body part injured the lower limb, specifically the knees and ankles. Regarding the type of injury and the mechanism causing the injury, bone injuries are usually related to contact with rivals and muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries related to non-contact mechanisms. In this concern, non-contact injuries are frequently more severe than impact injuries. There is not a clear consensus on if more injuries occur in training or games, and on the severity of the major part of the injuries that occur in futsal. Concerning sex, male players seem to present a higher prevalence of ankle injuries while woman players present more incidence of knee sprains. The age was reported to be correlated with the incidence of injuries during futsal practice. No influence of the position on the field of play on the prevalence of injuries was observed in the literature. Som e recommendations are gathered concerning the prevention of injuries. These recommendations are focused on player equipment, playing facilities, rules, physical assessment, and appropriate strength and conditioning preparation. Conclusion: The results presented in this study may help coaches and practitioners to understand crucial factors on the common injuries that occur in futsal. This may allow them to prevent potential injuries and maintain the athlete's performance.

The objective was to compare the mean propulsive velocity (MPV), maximum power (PMAX), heart rate, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) during the parallel squat using elastic bands (EB) or weight plates (WP) to load the bar. The effect of relative strength on the dependent variables was analysed. Additionally, the potential of the RPE to predict external load parameters was assessed. Eighteen trained volunteers squatted at 40%, 55%, 70%, and 85% of their one-repetition maximum with EB and WP (a total of eight sets) in random order. Dependent variables were measured at the first and last repetition (i.e., 10% velocity loss). Two identical sessions were conducted to assess the reliability of measurements. Compared to WP, EB allowed a significantly greater number of repetitions, MPV, and PMAX, and significantly lower RPE. The RPE of the first repetition was a significant predictor of the external load of the set. The RPE showed good repeatability and was not influenced by the relative strength of athletes. In conclusion, compared to WP, the use of EB allows for greater external load with reduced internal load responses in a wide spectrum of load-based intensities. The potential implications of these novel findings are discussed in the manuscript.

The aim was assessing the short-term effects of multicomponent training including some elastic exercises on body composition and balance in healthy older women. In two sessions/week for 12 weeks, 24 women performed 4 blocks of exercise in 2 experimental conditions: a) Control Group; b) Multicomponent Training Group (EMC). The following variables were assessed: % of body fat and different static and dynamic balance tests. EMC protocol including exercises with elastic bands performed at progressive intensity and volume over time is effective for improving body composition and balance in healthy older women.

The deadlift is one of the most widely used resistance exercises by different types of trainees and with different aims including aesthetics, performance and health. There are numerous variations of the deadlift exercise which have different effects on the exercise biomechanics and muscular activation. The main objective of this research was to systematically review the literature looking forward to gathering data on the muscular activation on the lower limbs with different variations of the deadlift exercise (conventional, sumo, Romanian, straight legs and hex-bar). 19 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Quality of the articles was assessed through the PEDro scale. Main findings were that deadlift is a posteriorchain dominant exercise. Changes in activation between the variations majorly depend on the hip flexion in relation to the knee flexion. For instance, the straight-legs deadlift does not involve knee flexion and mainly activates hip extensors. Other factors such as the distance between the load and the centre of mass, the knee flexion planes, or the total intensity also condition the muscular activation. For example, the hex-bar deadlift allows the subject being in alignment with the load and performing the exercise with relatively vertical back, which provokes an increase on the activation of the knee extensors. In conclusion, this study may help the strength and conditioning professionals and practitioners with the exercise selection depending on the muscular targets and the individual characteristics of the athlete.

In 2019, a new condition caused by the COVID-19, became a global pandemic, presenting a disparate symptomatological picture. The immune response to the virus depends on multiple factors, making the practice of physical exercise an important enhancer of the immune system, but it is unknown what effects it could have on the very different symptoms. In order to achieve and summarize the most outstanding information on the influence of the different types and parameters of physical exercise on the immune system and symptoms presented by COVID-19, it was decided to carry out a review of the literature in the databases PubMed and Medline until August 2020. The results showed that while high intensity and prolonged volume exercise produces counterproductive alterations in the immune system, increasing the possibility of contracting infections; low and moderate intensity exercise reverses these effects, increasing the benefits, providing the body with better protection against viruses. For the symptoms of COVID-19 related to cough, dyspnea, pulmonary obstruction, hypoxia, muscle pain and neuromuscular conditions, exercise at low and moderate intensity is recommended, while those people who present gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue are recommended to exercise at low intensity. Exercise is completely contraindicated in case of fever and myocarditis.