Effects of Including Sprints During Low-intensity Cycling Exercises on Performance and Muscle/Blood Characteristics
- Conditions
- CyclistsHealthy
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Low-intensity cycling during a 14-day training camp (high training load)Behavioral: Inclusion of sprints during low-intensity cycling during a 14-day training camp (high training load)Behavioral: Recovery for 10 days (low training load)
- Registration Number
- NCT04640883
- Lead Sponsor
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
- Brief Summary
To investigate the effects of Including 30-s sprints during low-intensity cycling exercises during a training camp on performance and muscle/blood characterisitcs in elite cyclists
- Detailed Description
Inclusion of sprint intervals during low-intensity training (LIT) sessions has been suggested as a potential mean to improve endurance performance in elite cyclists, facilitated by muscular or systemic physiological adaptations. So far, the effects of such training has been studied exclusively in context of short-lasting low-intensity sessions, representing a scenario with suboptimal ecological validity for such highly trained athetes.
This study will investigate the effects of including sprints during prolonged LIT-sessions sessions during a 14-day training camp focusing on LIT, followed by 10 days recovery (REC), on performance and performance-related measures in elite cyclists. During the training camp, a sprint training group will conduct 12x30-s maximal sprints during five LIT sessions, whereas a control group will perform distance-matched LIT-only. Overall, the training camp will lead to substantial increases in training load compared to habitual training in both intervention groups, followed by subsequent reductions during REC. Performance tests will be conducted before the training camp (T0) and after REC (T2). Muscle biopsies, hematological measures and stress/recovery questionnaires will be collected Pre (T0) and after the camp (T1).
The study was pre-registered at Norwegian Center for Research Data (14/08/2017, Norwegian): http://pvo.nsd.no/prosjekt/55322
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- Male
- Target Recruitment
- 18
- VO2max > 65ml/kg/min
- VO2max < 65ml/kg/min
- Average endurance training per week >10hrs/wk during the four weeks leading up to the study
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Sprints during low-intensity cycling Recovery for 10 days (low training load) - Low-intensity cycling Low-intensity cycling during a 14-day training camp (high training load) - Low-intensity cycling Recovery for 10 days (low training load) - Sprints during low-intensity cycling Inclusion of sprints during low-intensity cycling during a 14-day training camp (high training load) -
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Performance during a 5-minute all-out cycling test Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, after REC) Mean power output measured during a 5-minute all-out cycling test performed at the end of a \~2 hour long exercise protocol
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Sprint performance Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, after REC) Mean power output measured during four consecutive 30-s maximal sprints
Fractional utilization of VO2max (incremental test) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Fractional utilization of VO2max measured at 4 mmol blood lactate concentrations measured during an incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps)
Fractional utilization of VO2max (5-min test) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Fractional utilization of VO2max measured during the 5-min test
Gross efficiency (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Contribution of total energy turnover to power output in the fresh and fatigued state incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps)
Maximal aerobic power output Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Maximal aerobic power output measured as mean power output during the last minute of an incremental cycling exercise test to exhaustion
Haemoglobin mass (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Hemoglobin mass measured using CO rebreathing (g)
Gross efficiency (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Contribution of total energy turnover to power output in the fresh and fatigued state incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps)
Power output at lactate threshold (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Power output at 4 mmol blood lactate concentration measured during an incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps)
Mean corposcular volume (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Mean corposcular volume measured using CO rebreathing
Haemoglobin mass (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Hemoglobin mass measured using CO rebreathing (g)
Blood volume (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Blood volume measured using CO rebreathing
Plasma volume (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Plasma volume measured using CO rebreathing
Maximal oxygen uptake Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Maximal oxygen consumption measured during an incremental cycling exercise test to exhaustion
Red blood cell volume (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Red blood cell volume measured using CO rebreathing
Hematocrit (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Hematocrit measured using centrifugation
Hematocrit (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Hematocrit measured using centrifugation
Body mass (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Body mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Power output at lactate threshold (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Power output at 4 mmol blood lactate concentration measured during an incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps)
Protein abundance in skeletal muscle Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Protein abundances in m. vastus lateralis measured using western blotting
Blood volume (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Blood volume measured using CO rebreathing
Enzyme activity in skeletal muscle Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Enzyme activity in m. vastus lateralis measured using ELISA kits (I.e., CS and PFK)
Fat mass (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Fat mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Session rate of percieved exertion Throughout the training camp (14 days) Session rate of percieved exertion (sRPE) measured after each exercise involving sprints/control exercise using a 9-point scale ranging from "very, very demotivated" to "very, very motivated" (1 to 9)
Plasma volume (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Plasma volume measured using CO rebreathing
Red blood cell volume (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Red blood cell volume measured using CO rebreathing
Body mass (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Body mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Lean body mass (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Lean body mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Lean body mass (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Lean body mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Mean corposcular volume (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Mean corposcular volume measured using CO rebreathing
Fat mass (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Fat mass (kg) measured using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Stress-recovery state (training camp) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1) Recovery state of participants measured using Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-36-R-Sport, 36 questions, 7-point scale ranging from 0/never to 6/always)
Stress-recovery state (recovery/REC) Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC) Recovery state of participants measured using Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-36-R-Sport, 36 questions, 7-point scale ranging from 0/never to 6/always)
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
🇳🇴Lillehammer, Norway