A comparison of the effect of strength training on cycling performance between men and women

During the last decade numerous review articles have been published on how concurrent strength and endurance training affect cycling performance. However, none of these have reviewed if there are any sex differences in the effects of concurrent training on cycling performance, and most research in this area has been performed with male cyclists. Thus, the aim of the current paper is to review the scientific literature on the effect of concurrent training on cycling performance in male and female cyclists with a special emphasis on potential sex differences. The results indicate that both male and female cyclists experience a similar beneficial effect from concurrent training on cycling performance and its physiological determinants compared to normal endurance training only. Some data indicate that women have a larger effect on cycling economy, but more studies are needed to explore this further. Furthermore, the adaptations to strength training thought to be responsible for the beneficial effects on cycling performance seem to be very similar between men and women. Interestingly, increased muscle cross-sectional area in the main locomotor muscles seems to be an important adaptation for improved performance, and, contrary to popular belief, cyclists should aim for increased muscle cross-sectional area when adding strength training to their normal training. We conclude that both male and female cyclists can improve their cycling performance by adding strength training to their normal training.publishedVersio

Improved cycling performance with ingestion of hydrolyzed marine protein depends on performance level

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect on performance of protein ingestion during or after exercise is not clear. This has largely been attributed to the utilization of different scientific protocols and the neglection of accounting for factors such as differences in physical and chemical properties of protein supplements and differences in athletic performance level.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We hypothesized that ingestion of unprocessed whey protein (15.3 g·h^-1) together with carbohydrate (60 g·h^-1), would provide no ergogenic effect on 5-min mean-power performance following 120 min cycling at 50% of maximal aerobic power (2.8 ± 0.2 W·kg^-1, corresponding to 60 ± 4% of VO_2max), compared to CHO alone (60 g·h^-1). Conversely, we hypothesized that ingestion of the hydrolyzed marine protein supplement NutriPeptin™ (Np, 2.7 g·h^-1), a processed protein supplement with potentially beneficial amino acid composition, together with a PROCHO beverage (12.4 g·h^-1and 60 g·h^-1, respectively) would provide an ergogenic effect on mean-power performance. We also hypothesized that the magnitude of the ergogenic effect of NpPROCHO would be dependent on athletic performance. As for the latter analysis, performance level was defined according to a performance factor, calculated from individual pre values of W_max, VO_2maxand 5-min mean-power performance, wherein the performance of each subject was ranked relative to the superior cyclist whos performance was set to one. Twelve trained male cyclists (VO_2max= 65 ± 4 ml·kg^-1·min^-1) participated in a randomized double-blinded cross-over study.</p> <p>Results and conclusions</p> <p>Overall, no differences were found in 5-min mean-power performance between either of the beverages (CHO 5.4 ± 0.5 W·kg^-1; PROCHO 5.3 ± 0.5 W·kg^-1; NpPROCHO 5.4 ± 0.3 W·kg^-1) (P = 0.29). A negative correlation was found between NpPROCHO mean-power performance and athletic performance level (using CHO-performance as reference; Pearson R = -0.74, P = 0.006). Moreover, ingestion of NpPROCHO resulted in improved 5-min mean-power performance relative to ingestion of CHO in the six lesser performing subjects compared to the six superior performing subjects (P < 0.05). This suggests that with the current protocol, NpPROCHO provided an ergogenic effect on 5-min mean-power performance in athletes with a lower performance level.</p

Block periodization of endurance training – a systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2019 Mølmen et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms. php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).Background: Block periodization (BP) has been proposed as an alternative to traditional (TRAD) organization of the annual training plan for endurance athletes. Objective: To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the effect BP of endurance training on endurance performance and factors determinative for endurance performance in trained- to well-trained athletes. Methods: The PubMed, SPORTdiscus and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to August 2019. Studies were included if the following criteria were met: 1) the study examined a block-periodized endurance training intervention; 2) the study had a one-, two or multiple group-, crossover- or case-study design; 3) the study assessed at least one key endurance variable before and after the intervention period. A total of 2905 studies were screened, where 20 records met the eligibility criteria. Methodological quality for each study was assessed using the PEDro scale. Six studies were pooled to perform meta-analysis for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and maximal power output (Wmax) during an incremental exercise test to exhaustion. Due to a lower number of studies and heterogenous measurements, other performance measures were systematically reviewed. Results: The meta-analyses revealed small favorable effects for BP compared to TRAD regarding changes in VO2max (standardized mean difference, 0.40; 95% CI=0.02, 0.79) and Wmax (standardized mean difference, 0.28; 95% CI=0.01, 0.54). For changes in endurance performance and workload at different exercise thresholds BP generally revealed moderate- to large-effect sizes compared to TRAD. Conclusion: BP is an adequate, alternative training strategy to TRAD as evidenced by superior training effects on VO2max and Wmax in athletes. The reviewed studies show promising effects for BP of endurance training; however, these results must be considered with some caution due to small studies with generally low methodological quality (mean PEDro score =3.7/10).publishedVersio

Comparison of Short-Sprint and Heavy Strength Training on Cycling Performance

Copyright © 2019 Kristoffersen, Sandbakk, Rønnestad and Gundersen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Purpose: To compare the effects of short-sprint training (SST) and heavy-strength training (HST) following a 4-week strength-training period on sprint and endurance capacities in well-trained cyclists. Methods: Twenty-eight competitive cyclists (age 29 ± 6 years) with maximal oxygen uptake (VO˙ 2max) of 61.1 ± 5.9 mL·min−1 ·kg−1 participated. After a 4-weeks preparation strength-training period, the participants were randomized to add either HST or SST to their usual endurance training for the subsequent 6 weeks. Body composition, VO˙ 2max and power output at blood lactate concentration ([La−]) of 4 mmol·L −1 , as well as a 100 min cycling test including 6 and 30-s sprints, 60 min cycling at [La−] of 2 mmol·L −1 and 5-min all-out cycling were performed before the 4-week preparation strengthtraining period, and before and after the 6-week intervention period. In addition, 1 repetition maximum (RM) in half-squat and 55-m maximal sprints on the cyclists’ own bikes were measured before and after the 6-week intervention. Results: SST was superior to HST in 6-s sprint performance, both in a fresh state (4.7 ± 2.6% vs. 1.1 ± 3.5%) and after prolong cycling (6.1 ± 1.8% vs. 1.8 ± 4.2%), in 30-s sprint (3.7 ± 2.8% vs. 1.3 ± 2.5%) and in 55-m seated sprint on own bike (4.3 ± 2.1% vs. 0.2 ± 1.8%) (all p < 0.002). HST induced a larger 1RM improvement in the half-squat test than SST (9.3 ± 3.6% vs. −3.9 ± 3.8%; p < 0.001). No group differences were revealed in the 5-min all-out test, VO˙ 2max, power output at 4 mmol·L −1 [La−], or in gross efficiency. Conclusion: SST led to a greater increase in average and peak power output on all sprint tests compared to HST, whereas HST led to a greater increase in maximal strength. No group differences were found in relative changes in endurance capacities. Altogether, our results show a high degree of specificity in the adaptations of both SST and HST.publishedVersio

Effects of including sprints during prolonged cycling on hormonal and muscular responses and recovery in elite cyclists

This study investigated the acute effects of including 30‐second sprints during prolonged low‐intensity cycling on muscular and hormonal responses and recovery in elite cyclists. Twelve male cyclists (VO2max, 73.4 ± 4.0 mL/kg/min) completed a randomized crossover protocol, wherein 4 hours of cycling at 50% of VO2max were performed with and without inclusion of three sets of 3 × 30 seconds maximal sprints (E&S vs E, work‐matched). Muscle biopsies (m. vastus lateralis) and blood were sampled at Pre, immediately after (Post) and 3 hours after (3 h) finalizing sessions. E&S led to greater increases in mRNA levels compared with E for markers of fat metabolism (PDK4, Δ‐Log2 fold change between E&S and E ± 95%CI Post; 2.1 ± 0.9, Δ3h; 1.3 ± 0.7) and angiogenesis (VEGFA, Δ3h; 0.3 ± 0.3), and greater changes in markers of muscle protein turnover (myostatin, ΔPost; −1.4 ± 1.2, Δ3h; −1.3 ± 1.3; MuRF1, ΔPost; 1.5 ± 1.2, all P < .05). E&S showed decreased mRNA levels for markers of ion transport at 3h (Na+‐K+ α1; −0.6 ± 0.6, CLC1; −1.0 ± 0.8 and NHE1; −0.3 ± 0.2, all P < .05) and blunted responses for a marker of mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC‐1α, Post; −0.3 ± 0.3, 3h; −0.4 ± 0.3, P < .05) compared with E E&S and E showed similar endocrine responses, with exceptions of GH and SHBG, where E&S displayed lower responses at Post (GH; −4.1 ± 3.2 μg/L, SHBG; −2.2 ± 1.9 nmol/L, P < .05). Both E&S and E demonstrated complete recovery in isokinetic knee extension torque 24 hours after exercise. In conclusion, we demonstrate E&S to be an effective exercise protocol for elite cyclists, which potentially leads to beneficial adaptations in skeletal muscle without impairing muscle recovery 24 hours after exercise.acceptedVersio

Increased biological relevance of transcriptome analyses in human skeletal muscle using a model-specific pipeline

Abstract Background: Human skeletal muscle responds to weight-bearing exercise with signifcant inter-individual diferences. Investigation of transcriptome responses could improve our understanding of this variation. However, this requires bioinformatic pipelines to be established and evaluated in study-specifc contexts. Skeletal muscle subjected to mechanical stress, such as through resistance training (RT), accumulates RNA due to increased ribosomal biogenesis. When a fxed amount of total-RNA is used for RNA-seq library preparations, mRNA counts are thus assessed in diferent amounts of tissue, potentially invalidating subsequent conclusions. The purpose of this study was to establish a bioinformatic pipeline specifc for analysis of RNA-seq data from skeletal muscles, to explore the efects of diferent normalization strategies and to identify genes responding to RT in a volume-dependent manner (moderate vs. low volume). To this end, we analyzed RNA-seq data derived from a twelve-week RT intervention, wherein 25 participants performed both low- and moderate-volume leg RT, allocated to the two legs in a randomized manner. Bilateral muscle biopsies were sampled from m. vastus lateralis before and after the intervention, as well as before and after the ffth training session (Week 2). Result: Bioinformatic tools were selected based on read quality, observed gene counts, methodological variation between paired observations, and correlations between mRNA abundance and protein expression of myosin heavy chain family proteins. Diferent normalization strategies were compared to account for global changes in RNA to tissue ratio. After accounting for the amounts of muscle tissue used in library preparation, global mRNA expression increased by 43–53%. At Week 2, this was accompanied by dose-dependent increases for 21 genes in rested-state muscle, most of which were related to the extracellular matrix. In contrast, at Week 12, no readily explainable dose-dependencies were observed. Instead, traditional normalization and non-normalized models resulted in counterintuitive reverse dose-dependency for many genes. Overall, training led to robust transcriptome changes, with the number of diferentially expressed genes ranging from 603 to 5110, varying with time point and normalization strategy. Conclusion: Optimized selection of bioinformatic tools increases the biological relevance of transcriptome analyses from resistance-trained skeletal muscle. Moreover,normalization procedures need to account for global changes in rRNA and mRNA abundance.publishedVersio

Equal-Volume Strength Training With Different Training Frequencies Induces Similar Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Improvement in Trained Participants

The main goal of the current study was to compare the effects of volume-equated training frequency on gains in muscle mass and strength. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether the effect of training frequency was affected by the complexity, concerning the degrees of freedom, of an exercise. Participants were randomized to a moderate training frequency group (two weekly sessions) or high training frequency group (four weekly sessions). Twenty-one participants (male: 11, female: 10, age: 25.9 ± 4.0) completed the 9-week whole-body progressive heavy resistance training intervention with moderate (n = 13) or high (n = 8) training frequency. Whole-body and regional changes in lean mass were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, while the vastus lateralis thickness was measured by ultrasound. Changes in muscle strength were measured as one repetition maximum for squat, hack squat, bench press, and chest press. No differences between groups were observed for any of the measures of muscle growth or muscle strength. Muscle strength increased to a greater extent in hack squat and chest press than squat and bench press for both moderate (50 and 21% vs. 19 and 14%, respectively) and high-frequency groups (63 and 31% vs. 19 and 16%, respectively), with no differences between groups. These results suggest that training frequency is less decisive when weekly training volume is equated. Further, familiarity with an exercise seems to be of greater importance for strength adaptations than the complexity of the exercise.publishedVersio

Systemic and muscular responses to effort-matched short intervals and long intervals in elite cyclists

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2020 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports published by John Wiley & Sons LtdThe purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of time- and effort-matched high-intensity intervals on physiological, endocrine, and skeletal muscle molecular variables in elite cyclists. Eight elite cyclists performed short intervals (SI: 30-seconds) and long intervals (LI: 5-minutes) with work:recovery ratio 2:1, using a randomized crossover design. SI was associated with 14% ± 3% higher mean power output (SI; 421 ± 27 vs LI; 371 ± 22 W), and longer working time above 90% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max, 54% ± 76%) and 90% peak heart rate (HRpeak, 153% ± 148%) than LI (all P < .05), despite similar degrees of perceived exertion, blood lactate levels and muscle activation measured using EMG root mean square (EMG rms). In blood, SI was associated with more pronounced increases in testosterone and testosterone-tosex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) ratios, as well as prolonged cortisol responses (P < .05). In skeletal muscle (m. Vastus lateralis), SI and LI led to similar changes in mRNA abundance for a range of transcripts, with the exception of NHE1 mRNA, which decreased after SI (P < .05). Overall, SI was associated with more pronounced physiological and endocrine responses than LI in elite cyclists, suggesting that such training might lead to superior adaptations in elite cyclists.publishedVersio

Compatibility of concurrent aerobic and strength training for skeletal muscle size and function: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Both athletes and recreational exercisers often perform relatively high volumes of aerobic and strength training simultaneously. However, the compatibility of these two distinct training modes remains unclear. Objective: This systematic review assessed the compatibility of concurrent aerobic and strength training compared with strength training alone, in terms of adaptations in muscle function (maximal and explosive strength) and muscle mass. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the influence of training modality, training type, exercise order, training frequency, age, and training status. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus were systematically searched (12 August 2020, updated on 15 March 2021). Eligibility criteria were as follows. Population: healthy adults of any sex and age; Intervention: supervised concurrent aerobic and strength training for at least 4 weeks; Comparison: identical strength training prescription, with no aerobic training; Outcome: maximal strength, explosive strength, and muscle hypertrophy. Results: A total of 43 studies were included. The estimated standardised mean differences (SMD) based on the random-effects model were − 0.06 (95% confidence interval [CI] − 0.20 to 0.09; p = 0.446), − 0.28 (95% CI − 0.48 to − 0.08; p = 0.007), and − 0.01 (95% CI − 0.16 to 0.18; p = 0.919) for maximal strength, explosive strength, and muscle hypertrophy, respectively. Attenuation of explosive strength was more pronounced when concurrent training was performed within the same session (p = 0.043) than when sessions were separated by at least 3 h (p > 0.05). No significant effects were found for the other moderators, i.e. type of aerobic training (cycling vs. running), frequency of concurrent training (> 5 vs. < 5 weekly sessions), training status (untrained vs. active), and mean age ([removed] 40 years). Conclusion: Concurrent aerobic and strength training does not compromise muscle hypertrophy and maximal strength development. However, explosive strength gains may be attenuated, especially when aerobic and strength training are performed in the same session. These results appeared to be independent of the type of aerobic training, frequency of concurrent training, training status, and age

The inclusion of sprints in low-intensity sessions during the transition period of elite cyclists improves endurance performance 6 weeks into the subsequent preparatory period

acceptedVersio