Blood pressure changes acutely during resistance exercise. Continuous, beat-by-beat assessment provides detailed temporal resolution of blood pressure profiles, through techniques including intra-arterial catheterization, photoplethysmography, or applanation tonometry. However, noncontinuous measurements may be conducted before and after resistance exercise through auscultatory sphygmomanometry or oscillometry. Blood pressures tend to increase across repetitions within sets, influenced by load magnitude, repetitions and sets performed, muscle mass recruited, and rest periods; the highest pressures result from multi-joint, large muscle group exercises. Evaluation of such factors may facilitate better understanding of blood pressure responses to acute resistance exercise and influence program design considerations relative to anticipated hemodynamic changes.

Completion of the following assessment will renew your current status within the NSCA Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC) Program

Completion of the following assessment will renew your current status within the NSCA Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC) Program

Join the 2026 NSCA Power Sports Performance Summit in Plainfield, IN, Sept. 26. Build explosive qualities with cueing, loading, + sport transfer. Earn 0.8 CEUs

Nutrition and dietary intake are key factors for exercise and sport performance. While a substantial body of research highlights the impact of nutrition on exercise, many dietary and nutrient recommendations are based on research studies only conducted in men. However, the distinct physiological, neurological, and hormonal changes across a woman’s life cycle significantly affect nutritional needs. This narrative review explores key recommendations for calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and select supplements, highlighting the absence of sex-specific guidelines in current dietary frameworks for strength and conditioning female athletes. The review synthesizes current literature to provide practical guidance for coaches, sport dietitians, and health practitioners to optimize both performance and health outcomes for female athletes.

This study aimed to analyze the time under tension (TUT) behavior in the bench press exercise performance in recreationally trained individuals. A systematic review was performed based on the PRISMA recommendations and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022301830). MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Lilacs (BVS) databases were consulted with the terms (resistance training [Title/Abstract]) OR (strength training [Title/Abstract]) AND (time under tension [Title/Abstract]). Cohort studies that analyzed the TUT in the bench press exercise in individuals with experience in resistance training were included. We used the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool to analyze the methodological quality of the included studies. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants was 215 individuals (179 men and 36 women). TUT was analyzed from the manipulation of each study variable. The behavior of the TUT in the bench press exercise varies according to the training protocol and method used. The TUT and the number of repetitions can vary to quantify the training volume.