Robert Śliwowski (Department of Theory and Methodology of Team Sport Games) together with researchers from our university, the University of Szczecin and the University of Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (France) analysed the relationship between objective indicators of external training load and subjective ratings of exertion in young footballers, and assessed the predictive value of decision tree models in evaluating exercise load, highlighting the significant value of combining perceptual measures with machine learning models to improve the monitoring and understanding of training responses [Scientific Reports, 2026, 16:21220].
Jakub Kryściak (Department of Physiology), together with researchers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and the United Kingdom, demonstrated that, in elite footballers, running efficiency during a match is closely linked to their level of aerobic capacity, regardless of their position on the pitch, which suggests the need to incorporate indicators of aerobic capacity into individual strength and conditioning training programmes [Biology of Sport, 2026, 43:213–225].
Kinga Piotrowska (Department of Sports Dietetics), with the support of our university team, demonstrated using competitive female basketball players as an example that iron deficiency may be associated with less favourable nutritional profiles, suggesting the need for quarterly assessment of iron status biomarkers, the provision of nutritional education, and the monitoring of energy and macronutrient intake in relation to training load [Nutrients, 2026, 18(11):1718].
Maciej Wilski (Department of Health and Rehabilitation Psychology), as part of a team of researchers from Poland, Finland and Ukraine, investigated the quality of life of vulnerable Ukrainian children who remained in the country during the war, demonstrating that quality of life depends mainly on levels of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disorders, hence school-based interventions that take trauma into account and focus on sleep should be prioritised [Conflict and Health, 2026, 20(1):61]. The same author, this time with colleagues from Poznań University of Technology and Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, in a study of people with multiple sclerosis, demonstrated that emotional overeating is linked to psychological distress and adaptation to the illness, rather than merely with the perceived physical impact of the illness, which should prompt greater attention to be paid to the emotional triggers of eating [Nutrients, 2026, 18(16):2642].
Alicja Naczk (Department of Physical Education and Sport), in collaboration with Poznań University of Medical Sciences, the University of Zielona Góra and regional partners, analysed the additional benefits in achieving morphological and inertial symmetry between the limbs provided by the early incorporation of inertial training following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in adult patients, without any negative impact on strength and balance [Scientific Reports, 2026, 16:8644].
Sara Górna (Department of Physiology), in collaboration with authors from our university and the Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Adam Mickiewicz University, demonstrated that in patients who have suffered an ischaemic stroke during the regenerative-compensatory rehabilitation, the intensity of endurance exercise in a single session does not significantly affect the levels of peripheral neurotrophic factors in blood serum [Medical Science Monitor, 2026, 32:e952089].
Piotr Krutki and Marcin Bączyk (Department of Neurobiology) summarise, in a review article, the latest intracellular studies conducted on rats, which reveal a pattern of plasticity specific to individual types of motor neurons, and describe the mechanisms by which the spinal cord optimises proprioceptive integration to support improvements in strength, motor coordination and endurance, which has significant implications for training goals and rehabilitation strategies [Neuroscience, 2026, 609:93–100].Hanna Drzymała-Celichowska (Department of Biochemistry), in collaboration with researchers from our university and the Jagiellonian University (Department of Exercise Physiology and Muscle Bioenergetics), demonstrated that the physiological basis for the restoration of initial strength during tetanic contractions of fast motor units in skeletal muscles lies in the kinetics of muscle energy state recovery following initial exertion [Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2026, 58 (5): 937–948].