We compared the effects of 16-week-training on rest metabolic rate, aerobic power, and body fat, and the post-exercise effects upon rest oxygen uptake and respiratory exchange ratio in overweight middle-aged females. Twenty nine overweight women (BMI 29.9 ± 1.2 kg*m−2) participated in training (3 days a week). The subjects were divided onto groups of aerobic (AT) and strength (ST) training. The results showed that the total body mass decrease and VO2 max increase did not differ in both groups. Decrease in waist circumference after 16 weeks was higher in the ST group. In the ST group fat-free mass increased during the first 8 weeks. Rest metabolic rate was increased significantly at 16th week compared to initial value in ST group only. Significant increase in post-exercise resting VO2 and respiratory exchange ratio at 12 and 36 h was observed after the strength training session only. Increase in rest metabolic rate and post-exercise rest energy expenditure occurred after strength training but not after aerobic training despite the similar increase in aerobic power. The effect of 8–16 weeks of strength training on body mass decrease was higher in comparison to aerobic training.

Slow circular movements of the hand with a fixed wrist joint that were produced in a horizontal plane under visual guidance during conditions of action of the elastic load directed tangentially to the movement trajectory were studied. The positional dependencies of the averaged surface EMGs in the muscles of the elbow and shoulder joints were compared for four possible combinations in the directions of load and movements. The EMG intensities were largely correlated with the waves of the force moment computed for a corresponding joint in the framework of a simple geometrical model of the system: arm - experimental setup. At the same time, in some cases the averaged EMGs exit from the segments of the trajectory restricted by the force moment singular points (FMSPs), in which the moments exhibited altered signs. The EMG activities display clear differences for the eccentric and concentric zones of contraction that are separated by the joint angle singular points (JASPs), which present extreme at the joint angle traces. We assumed that the modeled patterns of FMSPs and JASPs may be applied for an analysis of the synergic interaction between the motor commands arriving at different muscles in arbitrary two-joint movements.

The experiments presented here and performed in anaesthetized cats aimed at studying the dynamics of interactions between antagonist muscle groups. The tendons of triceps surae muscles of both hindlimbs were connected with an artificial joint (a pulley installed on a shaft). The muscles were activated by the distributed stimulation of five filaments of cut ventral roots L7–S1 on both sides of the spinal cord; movements were evoked by the rate-modulation of the stimulation trains. The study mostly compared programs of reciprocal activation and co-activation, including different changes in stimulation rates of muscle antagonists. The most common feature of the movements in both activation modes was hysteresis of the joint angle changes in dependence on stimulus rate. Reciprocal activation appeared suitable for a precise regulation of both amplitude and velocity of the movements in direction of the agonist shortening; maximal effectiveness was achieved during full switching off the antagonist stimulation at plateaus of the movement traces. The reverse movements during decrease of the agonist’s stimulation rate demonstrated an explicit nonlinear form with pronounced initial phase of the joint angle fixation. The co-activation pattern distinctly reduced the hysteresis of joint movements and suppressed the stimulation after-effects, such as the lasting residual movements after fixation of the stimulation rates.

It is known that high sports performances are based upon optimization of adaptation process. In order to achieve the above, one should provide aidual vivid features of athlete's abilities, peculiarities of his/her physiological reactivity. The aim was to study individualities of sensitivity to shifts in respiratory homeostasis and responsiveness to high intensity physical exercises in homogeneous groups of high performance endurance athletes. Individual peculiarities of the cardiorespiratory system (CRS) physiological reactivity were evaluated in 118 high performance endurance athletes (cyclists, runners and rowers) aged 20-27 years (competing regularly in sports for 6.8 ± 1.1 years). The sensitivity of response to СО2-Н + (rebreathing), fast kinetics and the peak response of CRS to various physical loads were measured. The level of V° O2max and accumulated oxygen deficit were determined as well. The results indicate distinctive individual peculiarities of CRS response to the shifts of respiratory homeostasis in homogeneous groups of endurance athletes with respect to sensitivity and stability of responses to СО2-Н +. Sensitivity to СО2-Н + demonstrated a positive correlation with fast kinetics and peak levels in responses to physical loads and anaerobic potential realization. Hyperkinetic and hypokinetic types of an individual physiological responsiveness of CRS to shifts in the respiratory homeostasis and physical exercise in homogeneous groups of high performance athletes were revealed as a premise for athletes' high specific work capacity.

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