Science
The research the BLOCKS assistant answers from: 1,170 studies and 82 guides, each graded for how strong the evidence is and who it was measured on, with a link to the original paper.
1,170 entries
B+Effects of a Manual Treatment on Lumbar Microcirculation and Tissue Stiffness Following Submaximal Eccentric Trunk Extensor Exercise: A Randomized Controlled TrialIn 21 trained adults, submaximal eccentric trunk extension that caused NO soreness still raised erector spinae stiffness at 24 h (+0.875 m/s) and 48 h (+0.869 m/s); myofascial release lowered it…Brandl A 2024B+Multiple cryosauna sessions for post-exercise recovery of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS): a randomized control trialFour −110 °C sessions after 10 × 10 jumps lowered leukocytes (24-72 h) and creatine kinase (24-96 h) versus control; within the cryo group stiffness still rose at 48 h (and at 72 h in two muscles)…Wolska B 2023BThe Time-Course of Hamstring Muscle Passive Stiffness and Perceived Tightness After Strenuous ExerciseAfter prone leg curls to exhaustion in 24 subjects, semitendinosus stiffness peaked at 48 h (+9.7%) and was back to baseline at 96 h, while perceived hamstring tightness peaked at 24 h: feel and…Pieters D 2025BChange in skeletal muscle stiffness after running competition is dependent on both running distance and recovery time: a pilot studySWE of 8 leg muscles in 22 runners before and after races of 3-5, 10-13 or 26+ miles: 67% of muscles trended SOFTER immediately after the race; race distance affected biceps femoris, vastus lateralis…Sadeghi S 2018BAssessing the Recovery of Muscle Fatigue Using Shear Wave ElastographyAfter eccentric elbow flexion at 90% 1RM in 35 athletes and 16 non-athletes, passive shear modulus rose immediately and was back to baseline by 48 h in male athletes and non-athlete males; there was…Cheng R 2026BSkeletal Muscle Elastic Modulus in Marathon Distance RunnersIn 80 runners at a World Marathon Major, pre-race rectus femoris stiffness was LOWER in competitive than recreational runners (13.0 vs 15.6 kPa) and in the fastest than the slowest finishers (11.6 vs…Winn BJ 2025BEffects of Maximal Eccentric Exercise on Deep Fascia Stiffness of the Knee Flexors: A Pilot Study using Shear-Wave ElastographyAfter 6 × 10 maximal eccentric knee flexions in 19 active men, biceps femoris MUSCLE stiffness did not change but the overlying deep FASCIA stiffened (median 18 → 21.12 kPa at 24 h, 21.3 kPa at 72…Wilke J 2022B+Effect of Post-Exercise Massage on Passive Muscle Stiffness Measured Using MyotonometryA Double-Blind Study — after 40 min downhill running in 18 male recreational runners, passive stiffness of four leg muscles rose at 24 h and stayed elevated for up to 96 h; a 16-min massage of one…Kong PW 2018BDifferences in Medial and Lateral Gastrocnemius Stiffness after Exercise-Induced Muscle FatigueIn 35 healthy young adults, 3 × 50 eccentric calf contractions raised RESTING stiffness of both gastrocnemius heads immediately, at 24 h and at 48 h, while stiffness DURING maximal contraction fell…Lall PS 2022BThe Acute Effect of Local Vibration As a Recovery Modality from Exercise-Induced Increased Muscle StiffnessPournot H 2016BChanges in the Viscoelastic Properties of the Vastus Lateralis Muscle With FatigueAfter 6 × 10 maximal 5-s isometric knee extensions in 12 young men, torque fell ~37%, resting VL shear modulus fell 57.9% and viscosity rose 179%; viscosity and active stiffness were back to baseline…Chalchat E 2020BShear-Wave Elastography Assessments of Quadriceps Stiffness Changes prior to, during and after Prolonged Exercise: A Longitudinal Study during an Extreme Mountain Ultra-MarathonIn 50 runners of a 330 km / +24,000 m race, quadriceps shear modulus FELL at the finish (3.56 → 3.31 kPa) and had only partly recovered 48 h later (3.45 kPa)Andonian P 2016BThe Road to Gold: Training and Peaking Characteristics in the Year Prior to a Gold Medal Endurance Performance11 Olympic/World-champion XC skiers and biathletes trained ~800 h / 500 sessions in their gold-medal year; ~90% of endurance training time below the first lactate threshold, 10% above; volume fell…Tønnessen E 2014BSkeletal Muscle Characteristics Among Distance Runners: A 20-Year Follow-up Study28 men who were highly trained distance runners in 1966-74, re-biopsied ~20 years later: the 11 who had stayed highly trained (>70% type I at baseline) were unchanged on average, while the 10…Trappe 1995BMuscle Fiber Composition and Enzyme Activities of Elite Distance RunnersGastrocnemius biopsies in 14 elite distance runners, 18 middle-distance runners and 19 untrained men: elite runners had 79% slow-twitch fibers, ST fibers 22% larger than FT, and SDH activity 3.4×…Costill DL 1976BMyosin Heavy Chain IIX Overshoot in Human Skeletal MuscleIn sedentary men, 3 months of heavy resistance training cut vastus lateralis MHC IIX from 9.3% to 2.0% (IIA 42.4% → 49.6%); after 3 months of detraining MHC IIX overshot to 17.2%, above the…Andersen JL & Aagaard P 2000C+The Effects of Endurance, Strength, and Power Training on Muscle Fiber Type ShiftingNarrative review: IIA↔IIX interconversion is well established; whether type I and type II interconvert is disputed; high-velocity/ballistic work is discussed as a route toward more type II…Wilson JM 2012BMuscle Fiber Typology Substantially Influences Time to Recover from High-Intensity ExerciseAfter 3 × 30-s Wingates, knee-extension MVC torque had fully recovered in 20 min in slow-typology men but was still not recovered 5 h later in fast-typology men (power drop −61% vs −41%); n=20Lievens E 2020BMuscle Metabolic and Neuromuscular Determinants of Fatigue During Cycling in Different Exercise Intensity DomainsBlack MI 2017BBreak Point of Serum Creatine Kinase Release After Endurance Exercise15 healthy young men, 90 min cycling on 3 consecutive days: CK rose from 3 h after the first session; peak CK split into high (>500 IU/l) and low (<300 IU/l) responders, so the "break point" of CK…Totsuka M 2002BQuantifying Training Intensity Distribution in Elite Endurance Athletes: Is There Evidence for an "Optimal" Distribution?11 nationally competitive junior XC skiers over 32 days: ~75% of endurance sessions in zone 1, 6-8% in zone 2, 17-18% in zone 3 — a polarized pattern with little training at thresholdSeiler KS & Kjerland GØ 2006A-Polarized Training Has Greater Impact on Key Endurance Variables than Threshold, High Intensity, or High Volume TrainingStöggl T & Sperlich B 2014BTraining Session Models in Endurance Sports: A Norwegian Perspective on Best Practice RecommendationsTønnessen E 2024B+Does Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training within a High-Volume Low-Intensity Approach Represent the "Next Step" in the Evolution of Distance Running Training?Casado A 2023BThe Effect of Warm-up Intensity on Range of Motion and Anaerobic Performance15 min running at 60% or 70% VO2max improved treadmill time-to-fatigue (+10% and +13%) in 9 men; 80% VO2max did not; warm-up intensity had little effect on ROMStewart IB & Sleivert GG 1998C+Should Postactivation Potentiation Be the Goal of Your Warm-up?Commentary: PAP dissipates over 4-6 min after the inducing contraction, so it cannot contribute to performance more than 5 min after the warm-upMacIntosh BR 2012BThe Effects of Different Warm-up Volumes on the 100-m Swimming Performance: A Randomized Crossover Study1,200 m and 600 m warm-ups gave faster 100-m freestyle (59.29 s and 59.38 s) than an 1,800 m warm-up (60.18 s) in 11 national-level swimmersNeiva HP 2015BA Plyometric Warm-Up Protocol Improves Running Economy in Recreational Endurance AthletesWei 2020B+Flexibility and Its Effects on Sports Injury and PerformanceGleim GW & McHugh MP 1997BEffects of Varying Post-warm-up Recovery Time on 200-m Time-trial Swim PerformanceZochowski T 2007BInfluence of Post-warm-up Recovery Time on Swim Performance in International SwimmersWest DJ 2013B+Warm-up and Performance in Competitive SwimmingNeiva HP 2014BMuscle Temperature and Sprint Performance During Soccer Matches: Beneficial Effect of Re-warm-up at Half-timeMohr M 2004BEffects of General, Specific, and Combined Warm-up on Explosive Muscular PerformanceAndrade DC 2015BComparison of Three Types of Warm-up Upon Sprint Ability in Experienced Soccer PlayersVan den Tillaar R 2019BWarm-Up Exercises May Not Be So Important for Enhancing Submaximal Running PerformanceTakizawa K 2018BImprovement of 800-m Running Performance With Prior High-Intensity ExerciseIngham SA 2013B+A Review of the Acute Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching on PerformanceBehm DG & Chaouachi A 2011BRelationship Between Upper Body Anaerobic Power and Freestyle Swimming PerformanceHawley JA & Williams MM 1991BEffects of Work-matched Moderate- and High-Intensity Warm-up on Power Output During 2-min Supramaximal CyclingFujii N 2018