In this study we assessed the influence of the three different recovery interventions massage (MSG), electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), and passive rest (PR) on lactate disappearance and muscle recovery after exhausting exercise bouts. Twelve healthy male sport students participated in the study. They attended the laboratory on five test days. After measurement of V.O2max and a baseline Wingate test (WGb), the three recovery interventions were tested in random counterbalanced order. High intensity exercise, which consisted of six exhausting exercise bouts (interspersed with active recovery), was followed by MSG, EMS or PR application (24 minutes); then the final Wingate test (WGf) was performed. Lactate, heart rate, peak and mean power, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and total quality of recovery (TQR) were recorded. In WGf mean power was significantly higher than in WGb for all three recovery modalities (MSG 6.29%, EMS 5.33%, PR 4.84% increase, p < 0.05), but no significant differences in mean and peak power were observed between the three recovery modes (p > 0.05). The heart rate response and the changes in blood lactate concentration were identical in all three interventions during the entire protocol (p = 0.817, p = 0.493, respectively). RPE and TQR scores were also not different among the three interventions (p > 0.05). These results provide further evidence that MSG and EMS are not more effective than PR in the process of recovery from high intensity exercise.

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We examined the effects of training (4d/wk for 6 wks) with static stretching (SS) or contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on static balance time and motor neuron excitability. Static balance time, H max /M max ratios and H-reflex recovery curves (HRRC) were measured in 28 healthy subjects (SS: n=10, PNF: n=9, control: n=9) before and after training. SS improved static balance time with a trend observed for PNF. Post training, during 150-200-250 msec interstimulus intervals, we observed a reduction in facilitation, but during 500-700-900 msec interstimulus interval; there was an increase in H2/H1 ratio in the PNF group only. Both stretching techniques improved static balance. The Ia afferent inhibitions during the acute exercises were not found after the SS and PNF training programmes. It was concluded that training with contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation may cause some augmentation in supraspinal and postsynaptic inhibition on the motoneuron pool.

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The aim of this study is to examine the effects of 8-week orienteering training on physical fitness parameters in adolescents. To reveal this effect, this experimental study was designed as a pretest–posttest control group model. A total of 41 volunteers (20 females and 21 males) aged 14–18 years were divided into 2 groups: the orienteering training group (OTG) and control group (CG). Health-related and performance-related parameters of the physical fitness of the participants before and after the 8-week orienteering training were evaluated. After eight weeks of training, body weight (BW) increased by 1 kg on average in the OTG, but the body fat percentage (BFP) did not change. This increase could be due to the effect of the orienteering training. The CG, on the contrary, recorded an increase in BFP. Whereas both groups seemed similar in terms of elastic strength, and a significant improvement was found in the OTG in terms of anaerobic power, which considers BW. In terms of balance performance, the OTG showed a significant improvement, while the CG displayed a 97% rate of negative change. The positive increase rate in aerobic capacity was significantly higher in the OTG compared with the CG. Each participant in the OTG covered approximately 2000 meters engaging in parkour in each training session. Thus, the increase in aerobic capacity for the OTG can be explained by the number of 8-week training sessions. Rockport time decreased statistically in the OTG after training, but there was no difference in comparison with the CG. Moreover, similar results were observed in both the groups in body mass index, flexibility, agility, speed, and VO2max values. Overall, orienteering training once a week for eight weeks resulted in positive developments in physical fitness parameters.