Clinical Research Directory

Combined Rhodiola Rosea and Caffeine Supplementation for Aerobic Gymnastics Performance

Aerobic gymnastics requires repeated explosive movements, upper-body support elements, and the ability to maintain performance under fatigue. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluates the effects of Rhodiola rosea supplementation, acute caffeine ingestion, and their combination on sport-specific performance and recovery in female competitive aerobic gymnasts. Ninety-six female aerobic gymnasts will be randomly assigned to placebo, Rhodiola rosea, caffeine, or combined Rhodiola rosea plus caffeine groups. All participants will complete an 8-week standardized aerobic gymnastics training program. Rhodiola rosea will be supplemented daily during the intervention period, while caffeine or matched placebo will be administered before post-intervention performance testing. The primary outcome is the change in Specific Aerobic Gymnastics Anaerobic Test (SAGAT) total completion time. Secondary outcomes include neuromuscular performance, fatigue-related responses, perceived exertion, muscle soreness, and perceived recovery status.

Effect of Whole-body Photobiomodulation on Muscular Performance Enhancement.

Introduction: Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is based on the emission of light ranging from red to near-infrared spectra by different devices based on diode lasers or light-emitting diodes. These devices emitting different wavelengths can increase mitochondrial activity and energy synthesis (ATP - adenosine triphosphate) that in turn can help to prevent muscle damage, decrease muscle fatigue and enhance muscle performance. Thus, PBMT can be a promising therapeutic resource in the sports field. Objectives: The aim of this study is to verify the effect of PBMT on the muscle performance and prevention of muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in professional soccer players submitted to a muscle damage protocol. Methodology: The present study is a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial following the CONSORT guidelines.

Development of a Performance Model for Amputee Football Players

This study aims to investigate the effects of a cognitive game-based exercise program on cognitive and physical performance in amputee football players. Participants will complete a structured exercise program incorporating cognitive game activities designed to simultaneously stimulate cognitive and motor functions. Cognitive and physical performance outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention. The findings are expected to provide evidence regarding the potential benefits of integrating cognitive game-based activities into exercise and rehabilitation programs for amputee football players.

Effect of Cordyceps Supplementation Timing on Physiological Responses and Aerobic Adaptation in Athletes

Athletes frequently perform high-intensity exercise to improve physical performance and aerobic capacity. However, such training can induce exercise-induced muscle damage, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses that may delay recovery and compromise subsequent training adaptations. Optimizing recovery strategies is therefore essential to maintain performance, reduce injury risk, and support long-term athletic development. Cordyceps is a medicinal mushroom that contains several bioactive compounds, including cordycepin and polysaccharides, which have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Although previous studies have reported beneficial effects of Cordyceps supplementation on exercise performance and physiological function, limited evidence exists regarding the optimal timing of supplementation relative to exercise. This study aims to investigate the effects of different Cordyceps supplementation timing strategies on physiological responses and aerobic adaptation following acute and chronic exercise training. Participants will be assigned to receive Cordyceps supplementation before exercise, after exercise, or placebo. The study will evaluate biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6), oxidative stress (MDA), muscle damage (CK), aerobic capacity (VO2max), and neuromuscular performance assessed using countermovement jump (CMJ) testing. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence-based recommendations regarding nutritional recovery strategies and supplementation timing to optimize recovery and training adaptation in athletes and physically active individuals.

Effects of L-Tyrosine and Caffeine on Performance in Elite Boxers

Participants will complete six sessions, including one familiarization and baseline session followed by five experimental conditions: control (no supplementation), placebo, L-tyrosine, caffeine, and combined L-tyrosine plus caffeine. The experimental conditions will be performed in a randomized, counterbalanced crossover design with a washout period of at least 72 hours between sessions. Resting physiological and cognitive assessments will be performed during the familiarization session, while biochemical, cognitive, and boxing-specific performance assessments will be conducted before and after each experimental session.

Multi-Ingredient Supplementation in Professional Football Players

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial will investigate the effects of multi-ingredient supplementation containing taurine, caffeine, and phosphatidylserine on physical performance, cognitive function, cognitive fatigue responses, recovery, sleep quality, and autonomic nervous system activity in elite male soccer players. Participants will complete a 14-day supplementation protocol and undergo football-specific performance, reaction-time, cognitive-fatigue, recovery, and sleep-related assessments before and after the intervention. The study aims to determine whether phosphatidylserine dose influences physical, cognitive, fatigue-related, and recovery-related outcomes when combined with taurine and caffeine.

Effects of Afternoon Napping, Caffeine, and Standardised Active Recovery on Evening Athletic Performance

This study evaluated whether afternoon napping, caffeine ingestion, and a standardised active recovery and nutritional protocol could influence evening physical and cognitive performance in healthy university athletes. Participants completed five experimental conditions in a randomised crossover design: placebo without napping, napping with placebo, caffeine without napping, napping combined with caffeine, and napping combined with caffeine plus a standardised active recovery and nutritional protocol. The nap opportunity lasted 90 minutes and caffeine was administered at 5 mg/kg body mass. The main outcome was repeated agility performance. Additional outcomes included sprint performance, jumping performance, reaction time, subjective sleepiness, sleep characteristics during the nap opportunity, and selected physiological measures. The study also explored whether responses differed according to sex and chronotype.

Stroboscopic Vision Training in Softball

Enhanced sports performance, in our current world, is being pushed at the professional level and down to school-age children as well. Money is being spent on lessons and equipment to enhance performance. One new method to enhance performance is stroboscopic vision goggles. The glasses lenses flicker removing visual information for a brief moment. The claim is that they train connections between the eyes, brain, and body. We want to see if this product truly does enhance visual performance during a softball season for high school girls.

Flywheel Training Effects on Power and Performance in Youth Olympic Weightlifters

This study investigated the effects of flywheel inertial training on lower-limb power, trunk stability, and Olympic weightlifting performance in youth athletes. Eighteen youth Olympic weightlifters were allocated to a flywheel training group or a control group. Both groups continued their regular weightlifting training over a 10-week intervention period. The experimental group performed additional flywheel-based exercises twice weekly. Outcomes included measures of lower-limb power, trunk inclination during lifting, weightlifting performance, and technical error frequency.

Effect of Hot Spring Therapy on Central Fatigue Elimination During Altitude Training

This randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of hot spring balneotherapy on central fatigue elimination in adolescent rowers undergoing altitude training at approximately 1600 meters (Tengchong, Yunnan). Thirty adolescent athletes (aged 12-16 years) will be stratified by sex and randomly allocated to three groups: Group A (natural recovery, no immersion), Group B (38°C pure water immersion), and Group C (38°C sodium bicarbonate hot spring immersion). Interventions will be administered 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes are central fatigue indices including voluntary activation (VA) and central activation ratio (CAR). Secondary outcomes encompass cognitive function (Stroop test, Psychomotor Vigilance Test), cerebral hemodynamics (functional near-infrared spectroscopy, transcranial Doppler ultrasound), exercise performance (maximal oxygen uptake, 1000m test, 500m test), blood lactate, and hematological parameters (white blood cells, neutrophils, platelets).

Effects of Carbon Fiber Insoles on CMJ and Sprint Performance

This study evaluates the effects of VKTRY carbon fiber insoles on vertical jump and sprint performance in moderately active men. Participants will perform tests with and without insoles, assessing both objective performance and subjective perception using a Likert-type scale.

Acute Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Warm-up on Muscular Performance and Pulmonary Function in Natural Bodybuilders

The present study aims to investigate the acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up (IWU) on 1RM performance in professional natural bodybuilders. The hypothesis is that IWU will lead to an increase in the pressure-generating capacity of the inspiratory muscles, thereby resulting in improved 1RM strength performance. The anticipated findings are expected to contribute not only to the enhancement of maximal strength performance but also to the improvement of exercise efficiency through increased respiratory muscle endurance. It is submitted that these outcomes may ultimately provide insights into the long-term sustainability of professional athletes' performance. Twenty male athletes who had competed in national and international professional natural bodybuilding competitions were recruited for this study. The participants had an average experience in natural bodybuilding of 3.21 years, with a standard deviation of ± 1.44 years, and trained for more than five hours per week. The data collection period commenced in July 2025. The study was designed as a randomized controlled experimental trial. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups by a computerized program at three visits after the trial, based on their first measurement: inspiratory warm-up (IWU) group or control (CON) group.

Unstable Core Training in Air Pistol Athletes

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of unstable versus stable trunk core strength training on shooting performance and postural stability in elite 10 m air pistol athletes. Twenty national-level athletes will be randomly assigned to either an unstable training group or a stable training group for an 8-week intervention. Both groups will perform identical core exercises with matched intensity and volume, differing only in the stability of the training surface. Shooting performance and gun-holding stability will be assessed using a SCATT system, and postural control will be evaluated using a plantar pressure system. The results of this study may help determine whether unstable core training provides additional benefits for improving shooting accuracy and stability in elite athletes.

Inspiratory Muscle Warm-Up in Combat Athletes

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) on technical performance and physiological responses in combat athletes. A total of 20 volunteer athletes (10 males, 10 females), aged 15-22 years, registered with the Turkish Kickboxing and Muay Thai Federation, with at least two years of licensed sports experience and medal achievements at the national or international level, will be included in the study. The study will be conducted using a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover experimental design, in which participants will complete the control (general warm-up), placebo (15% MIP), and IMW (40% MIP) conditions in a random order. In each session, before and after the warm-up, pulmonary function tests (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEF), respiratory muscle strength (MIP, MEP), heart rate, perceived exertion, and dyspnea levels will be assessed. In addition, athletes will perform the Kickboxing Fitness Test (KFT), and the same measurements will be repeated during the rest intervals of the test and immediately after its completion. The IMW protocol will be performed using a POWERbreathe device at 40% of MIP, consisting of 2 sets of 30 breaths. Furthermore, maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) tests will be conducted to evaluate the athletes' general physiological capacity. This study is expected to provide original data for the field of sports sciences by demonstrating the potential contributions of inspiratory muscle warm-up to the improvement of technical skills and physiological capacity in combat athletes, and to generate practical scientific recommendations for coaches and athletes.

Plyometrics vs PAPE Training in Football: Effects on Agility, Explosive Power and Speed

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of 8 week plyometric training and post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) training on explosive power, agility, acceleration and sprint speed, muscle strength and flexibility in healthy male semi-professional football players aged 18-35. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does PAPE training have effects on performance metrics of football players when planned and applied long-term (8 weeks)? Does long term PAPE training improve agility, acceleration and speed, flexibility, vertical jump height, and muscle strength more effectively than Plyometric training? Is there a significant difference in performance gains between PAPE and plyometric training compared to a control group receiving only routine football training? Researchers will compare a plyometric training group, a PAPE training group, and a control group to determine which method most effectively enhances football-specific performance outcomes. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to one of three groups (Plyometric, PAPE, or Control) * Continue their routine football training as usual * Receive additional training sessions applied immediately after warm-up and before continuing regular team training alongside the Control group (for PAPE and Plyometric group) * Undergo an 8-week training program (3 times per week for Plyometric and PAPE groups) Assessments will be conducted at baseline, week 4, and week 8, including: * Vertical Jump Test (explosive power) * 30-Meter Sprint Test, including 10-meter acceleration recording * Illinois Agility Test * Isometric strength measurements of quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius using a handheld dynamometer * Sit and Reach Test and Modified Thomas Test (flexibility) In addition, all participants will complete a sociodemographic and lifestyle assessment form capturing: Age, height, weight, BMI Football experience and playing position Education level, employment status Sleep duration, training frequency, and training intensity Smoking and alcohol use status.

Effectiveness of a Judo-specific Injury Prevention Programme on Performance in Judo Athletes

Judo is a popular international combat sport with an estimated 20 million active participants world-wide and participation in judo entails a substantial risk of injury in both elite and recreational judo. It is known that judo involves a significantly higher risk of sports per activity compared with another combat sports such as wrestling, karate, taekwondo an deven popular team sports such as football, basketball and volleyball. Therefore, preventing injuries in judo is so important and various interventions can use in this regard. These include; taping, warm-up and cool-down programs, proper technique trainings and exercise programs. Injury prevention programmes in other sports have been proven effective in reducing injury rates for elite and recreational athletes. In judo, research on exercise-based prevention is limited to the description of injury prevention programs, but the effectiveness of these programs has never been evaluated. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the judo-specific ''IPPON'' warm-up programs for injury prevention of judokas on performance parameters and incidence of injuries among professional judo athletes. In this study, the investigators research the Judo-Specific Special Conditioning Test and the Isometric/Dynamic Judogi Grip Strength Test will be evaluated for performance parameters. In addition, the Upper and Lower Extremity Y Balance Test will be evaluated for balance and the Upper Extremity Internal/External Rotation Strength Test and the Lower Extremity Hamstring/Quadriceps Strength Test will be evaluated for muscle strength assessment. The Turkish translation of the Oslo Trauma Research Center Overuse Questionnaire (OSTRC-O) will be used to monitor the incidence of injuries among professional judo athletes.