{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T06:48:51Z","timestamp":1782197331709,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,21]],"date-time":"2026-06-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782000000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"government NutriTech programme","award":["Nutritech.I\u201300F\/22"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Nutritech.I\u201300F\/22"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Acute dehydration impairs performance, but its effects on resting neuromuscular and tissue mechanics are unclear. We tested whether baseline hydration status and exercise-induced sweat loss alter the resting neuromechanical phenotype of the rectus femoris (RF) as well as skin, subcutaneous tissue (subQ), and fascia overlying the RF. Methods: Thirty physically active men were randomized to hydration guidance (EXP) or habitual intake (CON). Hydration was verified weekly using first-morning urine specific gravity (USG), with targets of USG &lt; 1.018 (EXP) and USG &gt; 1.018 (CON). Participants performed continuous cycling at 50% maximal power output (Wmax) until ~3% body mass loss. Shear-wave elastography quantified tissue shear modulus (kPa), and tensiomyography assessed RF twitch-derived contractile properties (Dm, Tc, Tr) before and immediately after exercise. SWE data were analyzed using mixed design repeated-measures ANOVA; TMG outcomes were analyzed using non-parametric tests. Results: Baseline measures did not differ between groups. No significant group, time, or interaction effects were observed for RF muscle, skin, or subQ shear modulus. In contrast, fascia shear modulus showed a significant time effect, while TMG outcomes did not change significantly from pre- to post-exercise (all p &gt; 0.05). Deep fascia showed a significant main effect of time, with decreased shear modulus post-exercise (F(1, 21) = 5.06, p = 0.035, \u03b72p = 0.194; \u0394 = 1.25 kPa; d = 0.41; 95% CI [0.04, 0.78]), independent of hydration group. Conclusions: Under moderate-intensity cycling with approximately 3% body mass loss, we did not detect significant hydration-group differences or significant pre\u2013post changes in resting RF twitch-derived contractile properties or in RF muscle, skin, and subQ shear modulus. Fascia shear modulus decreased after exercise irrespective of hydration group. These findings should be interpreted cautiously: the study was underpowered to detect small effects, and the fascial finding emerged from an exploratory, layer-specific analysis without correction for multiple comparisons. It should therefore be regarded as preliminary and hypothesis-generating, requiring confirmation in adequately powered, pre-registered studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18122015","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T06:13:37Z","timestamp":1782195217000},"page":"2015","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Rectus Femoris Neuromechanical Responses to Exercise-Induced 3% Body Mass Loss by Baseline Hydration Status: A Randomized Group Comparison"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8287-4499","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karol","family":"Skotniczny","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sports Science, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3628-8849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Artur","family":"Terbalyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sports Science, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8542-8123","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"Linek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Physioterapy and Health Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2309-4612","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jakub","family":"Chycki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sports Science, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"701","DOI":"10.1007\/s00421-009-1288-y","article-title":"The Effects of Progressive Dehydration on Strength and Power: Is There a Dose\u2013Response?","volume":"108","author":"Hayes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Eur. 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