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At a given exercise intensity, blood flow restriction (BFR) reduces the volume of exercise required to impair post‐exercise neuromuscular function. Compared to traditional exercise, the time course of recovery is less clear. After strenuous exercise, force output assessed with electrical muscle stimulation is impaired to a greater extent at low versus high stimulation frequencies, a condition known as prolonged low‐frequency force depression (PLFFD). It is unclear if BFR increases PLFFD after exercise. This study tested if BFR during exercise increases PLFFD and slows recovery of neuromuscular function compared to regular exercise. Fifteen physically active participants performed six low‐load sets of knee‐extensions across four conditions: resistance exercise to task failure (RETF), resistance exercise to task failure with BFR applied continuously (BFRCONT) or intermittently (BFRINT), and resistance exercise matched to the lowest exercise volume condition (REVM). Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force output, voluntary activation and a force–frequency (1–100 Hz) curve were measured before and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 24 h after exercise. Exercise to task failure caused similar reductions at 0 h for voluntary activation (RETF = 81.0 ± 14.2%, BFRINT = 80.9 ± 12.4% and BFRCONT = 78.6 ± 10.7%) and MVC force output (RETF = 482 ± 168 N, BFRINT = 432 ± 174 N, and BFRCONT = 443 ± 196 N), which recovered to baseline values between 4 and 24 h. PLFFD occurred only after RETF at 1 h supported by a higher frequency to evoke 50% of the force production at 100 Hz (1 h: 17.5 ± 4.4 vs. baseline: 15 ± 4.1 Hz, P = 0.0023), BFRINT (15.5 ± 4.0 Hz; P = 0.03), and REVM (14.9 ± 3.1 Hz; P = 0.002), with a trend versus BFRCONT (15.7 ± 3.5 Hz; P = 0.063). These findings indicate that, in physically active individuals, using BFR during exercise does not impair the recovery of neuromuscular function by 24 h post‐exercise. What is the central question of this study?Does the addition of blood flow restriction (BFR) during resistance exercise impaired recovery of neuromuscular function in physically active individuals?What is the main finding and its importance?While BFR during exercise increased fatiguability compared to exercise without BFR, it did not further impair the 24‐h recovery in neuromuscular function compared to exercise without BFR. These findings are relevant for applying BFR exercise in the training and/or rehabilitation of physically active populations such that it does not appear to further exacerbate muscle contractile function compared to regular strenuous exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate whether carbohydrate utilization is altered during exercise in overreached endurance athletes and examine the utility of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to detect overreaching status. Methods: Eleven endurance athletes (M:8, F:3) completed a 5‐week training block consisting of 1 week of reduced training (PRE), 3 weeks of high‐intensity overload training (POST), and 1 week of recovery training (REC). Participants completed a Lamberts and Lambert Submaximal Cycling Test (LSCT) and 5 km time‐trial at PRE, POST, and REC time points, 15 min following the ingestion of a 50 g glucose beverage with glucose recorded each minute via CGM. Results: Performance in the 5 km time‐trial was reduced at POST (∆‐7 ± 10 W, p = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.35) and improved at REC (∆12 ± 9 W from PRE, p = 0.01, ηp2 = 0.66), with reductions in peak lactate (∆‐3.0 ± 2.0 mmol/L, p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.71), peak HR (∆‐6 ± 3 bpm, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.86), and Hooper‐Mackinnon well‐being scores (∆10 ± 5 a.u., p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.79), indicating athletes were functionally overreached. The respiratory exchange ratio was suppressed at POST relative to REC during the 60% (POST: 0.80 ± 0.05, REC: 0.87 ± 0.05, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.74), and 80% (POST: 0.93 ± 0.05, REC: 1.00 ± 0.05, p = 0.003, ηp2 = 0.68) of HR‐matched submaximal stages of the LSCT. CGM glucose was reduced during HR‐matched submaximal exercise in the LSCT at POST (p = 0.047, ηp2 = 0.36), but not the 5 km time‐trial (p = 0.07, ηp2 = 0.28) in overreached athletes. Conclusion: This preliminary investigation demonstrates a reduction in CGM‐derived glucose and carbohydrate oxidation during submaximal exercise in overreached athletes. The use of CGM during submaximal exercise following standardized nutrition could be employed as a monitoring tool to detect overreaching in endurance athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews recent scholarship on the role of the media in the Arab uprisings. After a summary of events, it sets out the debate between researchers who attribute a central and significant role to social media in the mobilizations that spread from Tunisia to Egypt and beyond in early 2011, and those who are more sceptical of such 'techno-enthusiasm'. Different theoretical perspectives on the media and protest are then presented, followed by an overview of empirical approaches to the topic. It is argued that the impact of social media must be viewed in relation to how they fit into wider media ecologies and social and political structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]