Critical Areas of Investigation (CRAs):
CRA-1 - Sports Nutrition
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Research on nutrients and sports supplements oriented to the improvement of human performance, health, or the use of ergogenic supplementation and nutritional strategies for the improvement of sports performance, the improvement of the athlete's health and the prevention of injuries.
- Research on macronutrients and timing associated with sports performance.
- Specific sports nutrition for the reduction of inflammation and reduction of injuries in sport.
- Research in specific supplementation for the improvement of sports performance: Caffeine, Nitrates, Bicarbonate, Cyclodextrin, Maltodextrin, Phenyl capsaicin…
CRA-2 - Sports Genetics
Define genetic variants that have contrasted research to show effect on sports performance, response to training (trainability) and predisposition to injury. More specifically, the following will be considered:
- Research on new genetic variants of candidate genes associated with sports performance and predisposition to injury for high performance athletes, amateur athletes and clinical population that exercises.
- Creation of replication studies in Spaniard population in variants contrasted in previous studies in non-Spaniard populations.
- Generation of applied reports to translate the usefulness of genetic information to sports training and competition.
CRA-3 - Training and Competition Performance Analysis
- Determining optimal training characteristics in cyclic endurance sports and team sports (line currently funded by Industrial Doctorates of the Community of Madrid (PI Arturo Casado Alda)).
- Quantification of training load in collective and cyclic endurance sports.
- Performance optimization from the manipulation of running strategies in cyclic endurance sports.
Projects:
| Project title | Principal Investigator(s) | Funding Entity(ies) | Amount Financing | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology-Based Company (TBC) Fitgenoma | Juan del Coso Garrigos | Universidad Rey Juan Carlos | 3.000€ | 10/12/2024 | 31/10/2025 |
| Effect of menstrual cycle phases on sports performance, energy substrate oxidation and different needs of women in sports hydration strategies | Juan del Coso Garrigos | Instituto de las Mujeres, Ministerio de Igualdad | 28.036,65€ | 01/01/2025 | 31/12/2025 |
| Learning professional development (LPD) for coaches and physical trainers in Basketball and Sports Training (2) | Sergio L. Jiménez Sáiz | Club Baloncesto Zentro | 2.500€ | 12/11/2024 | 30/06/2025 |
| Learning professional development (LPD) for coaches and physical trainers in Basketball and Sports Training (1) | Sergio L. Jiménez Sáiz | Club Baloncesto Zentro | 3.500€ | 22/11/2024 | 30/06/2024 |
| Research in relation to performance measurement and injury prevention, using data from the ‘Mediacoach’ platform | Juan del Coso Garrigos | LALIGA GROUP INTERNATIONAL, S.L. | 6.780€ | 04/12/2023 | 03/12/2024 |
| Effects of acute and chronic caffeine ingestion to increase fat oxidation during exercise in real sport situations | Juan del Coso Garrigos | Plan Propio de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos | 6.780€ | 01/01/2024 | 31/12/2024 |
| Attitudes, intentions and behavior toward doping among athletics in Spain: a combination of quantitative and experimental studies | Arturo Casado Alda | World Antidoping Agency (WADA) | 12.000€ | 01/03/2020 | 01/03/2022 |
| Industrial Doctorates 2022. GO fit Super-Run: optimising performance in amateur long-distance runners by manipulating the distribution of training intensities and assisting heart rate variability. | Arturo Casado Alda | COMUNIDAD DE MADRID | 73.066,72€ | 01/01/2023 | 01/01/2026 |
LABORATORY - Performance and Physiology (GIREF) LAB.:
Services developed in the Lab:
- Body composition assessment using kinanthropometry.
- Incremental intensity test to exhaustion on treadmill or cycle ergometer with gas analysis measurement to obtain maximum oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption and velocities/strengths associated to ventilatory thresholds without ECG.
- Incremental intensity test to exhaustion on cycle ergometer or treadmill with measurement of blood lactate concentration to obtain maximal lactate concentration, lactate thresholds and associated velocities/strengths.
- Assessment of body composition by kinanthropometry and incremental intensity test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer with measurement of blood lactate concentration to obtain maximum lactate concentration, lactate thresholds and associated velocities/strengths. In addition, in that incremental intensity test, a gas analysis measurement would be performed to obtain maximal oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption and associated velocities/strengths at ventilatory thresholds without ECG.
Equipment and Resources of the Lab:
- Gas analyser, 3 masks, 3 flow meters (1).
- Rolling mat (1)
- Cyclo-ergometer (2)
- Encoder (1)
- Smith machine+ disks (1)
- Photoelectric cells (3 pairs)
- Bioimpedance meter (2)
- Holtain Plicometer (1)
- Portable laptop (2)
- Manual dynamometer (1)
- Lactate analyser (1)
- Automatic lancing devices (2)
- Goniometry rules (10)
- Sit & reach box (1)
- Stethoscopes (10)
- Pressure cuffs (10)
- Radar (1)
- Force platform (1)
- Pulse Oximeter (2)
- 1 EGG (1)
- Portable gas analyser (2)
- Occlusive cuff, force(1)
- Precision scale (1)
- Infrared thermometers (3)