Determinants of endurance in well-trained cyclists

1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 2622-2630 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. F. Coyle ◽  
A. R. Coggan ◽  
M. K. Hopper ◽  
T. J. Walters

Fourteen competitive cyclists who possessed a similar maximum O2 consumption (VO2 max; range, 4.6–5.0 l/min) were compared regarding blood lactate responses, glycogen usage, and endurance during submaximal exercise. Seven subjects reached their blood lactate threshold (LT) during exercise of a relatively low intensity (group L) (i.e., 65.8 +/- 1.7% VO2 max), whereas exercise of a relatively high intensity was required to elicit LT in the other seven men (group H) (i.e., 81.5 +/- 1.8% VO2 max; P less than 0.001). Time to fatigue during exercise at 88% of VO2 max was more than twofold longer in group H compared with group L (60.8 +/- 3.1 vs. 29.1 +/- 5.0 min; P less than 0.001). Over 92% of the variance in performance was related to the % VO2 max at LT and muscle capillary density. The vastus lateralis muscle of group L was stressed more than that of group H during submaximal cycling (i.e., 79% VO2 max), as reflected by more than a twofold greater (P less than 0.001) rate of glycogen utilization and blood lactate concentration. The quality of the vastus lateralis in groups H and L was similar regarding mitochondrial enzyme activity, whereas group H possessed a greater percentage of type I muscle fibers (66.7 +/- 5.2 vs. 46.9 +/- 3.8; P less than 0.01). The differing metabolic responses to submaximal exercise observed between the two groups appeared to be specific to the leg extension phase of cycling, since the blood lactate responses of the two groups were comparable during uphill running. These data indicate that endurance can vary greatly among individuals with an equal VO2 max.

1981 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 840-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Stamford ◽  
A. Weltman ◽  
R. Moffatt ◽  
S. Sady

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of resting and exercise recovery above [70% of maximum O2 uptake (VO2 max)] and below [40% of VO2 max] anaerobic threshold (AT) on blood lactate disappearance following maximal exercise. Blood lactate concentrations at rest (0.9 mM) and during exercise at 40% (1.3 mM) and 70% (3.5 mM) of VO2 max without preceding maximal exercise were determined on separate occasions and represented base lines for each condition. The rate of blood lactate disappearance from peak values was ascertained from single-component exponential curves fit for each individual subject for each condition using both the determined and resting base lines. When determined base lines were utilized, there were no significant differences in curve parameters between the 40 and 70% of VO2 max recoveries, and both were significantly different from the resting recovery. When a resting base line (0.9 mM) was utilized for all conditions, 40% of VO2 max demonstrated a significantly faster half time than either 70% of VO2 max or resting recovery. No differences were found between 70% of VO2 max and resting recovery. It was concluded that interpretation of the effectiveness of exercise recovery above and below AT with respect to blood lactate disappearance is influenced by the base-line blood lactate concentration utilized in the calculation of exponential half times.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taha Khan ◽  
Lina E. Lundgren ◽  
Eric Järpe ◽  
M. Charlotte Olsson ◽  
Pelle Viberg

Blood lactate accumulation is a crucial fatigue indicator during sports training. Previous studies have predicted cycling fatigue using surface-electromyography (sEMG) to non-invasively estimate lactate concentration in blood. This study used sEMG to predict muscle fatigue while running and proposes a novel method for the automatic classification of running fatigue based on sEMG. Data were acquired from 12 runners during an incremental treadmill running-test using sEMG sensors placed on the vastus-lateralis, vastus-medialis, biceps-femoris, semitendinosus, and gastrocnemius muscles of the right and left legs. Blood lactate samples of each runner were collected every two minutes during the test. A change-point segmentation algorithm labeled each sample with a class of fatigue level as (1) aerobic, (2) anaerobic, or (3) recovery. Three separate random forest models were trained to classify fatigue using 36 frequency, 51 time-domain, and 36 time-event sEMG features. The models were optimized using a forward sequential feature elimination algorithm. Results showed that the random forest trained using distributive power frequency of the sEMG signal of the vastus-lateralis muscle alone could classify fatigue with high accuracy. Importantly for this feature, group-mean ranks were significantly different (p < 0.01) between fatigue classes. Findings support using this model for monitoring fatigue levels during running.


1978 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. B. Gladden ◽  
H. G. Welch

This study was undertaken to compare the efficiency of aerobic and anaerobic work. Nine subjects worked at approximately 100% VO2 max for 2 min while inspiring gas mixtures with O2 fractions ranging from 0.13 to 0.21. Exercise O2 uptake, recovery O2 uptake, and blood lactate concentration were measured. Steady level O2 uptake was measured in normoxia at submaximal loads of about 30, 50, and 70% of VO2 max. Fast recovery O2 uptake did not change as PIO2 was varied. Exercise O2 uptake and blood lactate concentrations were linearly related to PIO2. The ratio of the slopes of these lines provided an empirical expression of the O2 equivalent of blood lactate. This ratio was constant, suggesting that it is not less efficient to use ATP synthesized anaerobically. Energy input from lactate was calculated using this factor. Efficiency decreased as power output increased even at the submaximal work rates. This may result from either 1) a decrease in muscle efficiency, 2) an increase in metabolism that is not directly related to the external work, or 3) some combination of 1 and 2.


1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 763-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Karlsson ◽  
F. Bonde-Petersen ◽  
J. Henriksson ◽  
H. G. Knuttgen

The ability of additional muscles to perform after certain other muscles of the body had been exercised to exhaustion was studied in three male subjects. Exhaustive exercise was performed in two series: series L-A, a bout of leg exercise preceded a bout of arm exercise; series A-L, arm preceded leg (6-min recovery between bouts). Biopsies were taken during the course of each experiment from both the deltoideus and vastus lateralis muscles for determination of ATP, creatine phosphate, lactate, and pyruvate. Exhaustive exercise led to marked elevations in lactate and decreases in ATP and CP in exercised muscle and marked increases in blood lactate concentration. Similar changes, especially in lactate, were observed during and after the first exercise bout in nonexercised muscle. When arm or leg exercise was performed as the second bout, decreases in performance time were observed as compared to performance as the initial bout. It is suggested that the performance potential of muscle is decreased because of internal changes elicited by elevated blood lactate and/or blood H+ concentrations brought about by other muscle groups previously exercised to exhaustion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1109-1116
Author(s):  
Mathias T. Vangsoe ◽  
Jonas K. Nielsen ◽  
Carl D. Paton

Purpose: Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and postactivation potentiation (PAP) are warm-up strategies proposed to improve high-intensity sporting performance. However, only few studies have investigated the benefits of these strategies compared with an appropriate control (CON) or an athlete-selected (SELF) warm-up protocol. Therefore, this study examined the effects of 4 different warm-up routines on 1-km time-trial (TT) performance with competitive cyclists. Methods: In a randomized crossover study, 12 well-trained cyclists (age 32 [10] y, mass 77.7 [4.6] kg, peak power output 1141 [61] W) performed 4 different warm-up strategies—(CON) 17 minutes CON only, (SELF) a self-determined warm-up, (IPC) IPC + CON, or (PAP) CON + PAP—prior to completing a maximal-effort 1-km TT. Performance time and power, quadriceps electromyograms, muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), and blood lactate were measured to determine differences between trials. Results: There were no significant differences (P > .05) in 1-km performance time between CON (76.9 [5.2] s), SELF (77.3 [6.0] s), IPC (77.0 [5.5] s), or PAP (77.3 [5.9] s) protocols. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in mean or peak power output between trials. Finally, electromyogram activity, SmO2, and recovery blood lactate concentration were not different between conditions. Conclusions: Adding IPC or PAP protocols to a short CON warm-up appears to provide no additional benefit to 1-km TT performance with well-trained cyclists and is therefore not recommended. Furthermore, additional IPC and PAP protocols had no effect on electromyograms and SmO2 values during the TT or peak lactate concentration during recovery.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Kosmidis ◽  
Stefanos Nikolaidis ◽  
Alexandros Chatzis ◽  
Kosmas Christoulas ◽  
Thomas Metaxas ◽  
...  

Aim: Our previous studies have shown that the post-exercise urine lactate concentration is a reliable exercise biomarker under controlled post-exercise hydration conditions. However, the reliability of the urine lactate concentration has been examined only after brief maximal exercise. As a result, there is no information about the reliability of this biomarker after prolonged submaximal exercise. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the reliability of the urine lactate concentration after interval exercise of alternating intensity under controlled or ad libitum hydration during exercise. Material & Method: Twenty-eight physically active adults (16 men and 12 women) performed three identical 45-min running tests (2 sets of 22.5 min with 3 min rest interval) on the treadmill with alternating speed and inclination at 19–24 °C, spaced three days apart. The participants drank the same amount of water during exercise in two of tests and ad libitum in the other test, in random, counterbalanced order. Blood samples were collected before exercise and 1, 3, as well as 5 min post-exercise. The highest lactate value among the post-exercise samples of each individual was recorded as his/her peak post-exercise value. Urine samples were collected before exercise and 10 as well as 60 min post-exercise and the average value of the post-exercise samples was recorded. Blood and urine lactate were analyzed spectrophotometrically. Results: The peak post-exercise blood lactate concentration was 5.5 1.7 mmol/L (mean SD throughout) for men and 4.7 1.8 mmol/L for women. The post-exercise urine lactate concentration was 1.6 1.0 mmol/L for men and 1.5 1.0 mmol/L for women. The reliability of the blood lactate concentration at the three tests was high (ICC 077–0.88), being higher under controlled hydration. However, the reliability of the urine lactate concentration was low or non-significant (ICC 0.29–0.36). Conclusions: The urine lactate concentration after prolonged submaximal exercise was lower than the corresponding blood lactate concentration and showed unsatisfactory reliability regardless of the hydration pattern during exercise. Thus, it cannot be used as a biomarker for this kind of exercise.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1103-1109
Author(s):  
Tiago Turnes ◽  
Rafael Penteado dos Santos ◽  
Rafael Alves de Aguiar ◽  
Thiago Loch ◽  
Leonardo Trevisol Possamai ◽  
...  

Purpose: To compare the intensity and physiological responses of deoxygenated hemoglobin breaking point ([HHb]BP) and anaerobic threshold (AnT) during an incremental test and to verify their association with 2000-m rowing-ergometer performance in well-trained rowers. Methods: A total of 13 male rowers (mean [SD] age = 24 [11] y and  = 63.7 [6.1] mL·kg−1·min−1) performed a step incremental test. Gas exchange, vastus lateralis [HHb], and blood lactate concentration were measured. Power output, , and heart rate of [HHb]BP and AnT were determined and compared with each other. A 2000-m test was performed in another visit. Results: No differences were found between [HHb]BP and AnT in the power output (236 [31] vs 234 [31] W; Δ = 0.7%), 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.7%), (4.2 [0.5] vs 4.3 [0.4] L·min−1; Δ = −0.8%, 95% CI 4.0%), or heart rate (180 [16] vs 182 [12] beats·min−1; Δ = −1.6%, 95% CI 2.1%); however, there was high typical error of estimate (TEE) and wide 95% limits of agreement (LoA) for power output (TEE 10.7%, LoA 54.1–50.6 W), (TEE 5.9%, LoA −0.57 to 0.63 L·min−1), and heart rate (TEE 2.4%, LoA −9.6 to 14.7 beats·min−1). Significant correlations were observed between [HHb]BP (r = .70) and AnT (r = .89) with 2000-m mean power. Conclusions: These results demonstrate a breaking point in [HHb] of the vastus lateralis muscle during the incremental test that is capable of distinguishing rowers with different performance levels. However, the high random error would compromise the use of [HHb]BP for training and testing in rowing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1215-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Ouvrard ◽  
Alain Groslambert ◽  
Gilles Ravier ◽  
Sidney Grosprêtre ◽  
Philippe Gimenez ◽  
...  

Purpose: To identify the impact of a leading teammate in front of a cyclist on psychological, physiological, biomechanical, and performance parameters during an uphill maximal effort. Methods: After familiarization, 12 well-trained competitive cyclists completed 2 uphill time trials (UTTs, 2.7 km at 7.4%) in randomized order; that is, 1 performed alone (control condition) and 1 followed a simulated teammate during the entire UTT (leader condition). Performance (UTT time) and mean power output (PO) were recorded for each UTT. For physiological parameters, mean heart rate and postexercise blood lactate concentration were recorded. Psychological parameters (rating of perceived exertion, pleasure, and attentional focus) were collected at the end of each trial. Results: Performance (UTT time) significantly improved by 4.2% (3.1%) in the leader condition, mainly due to drafting decrease of the aerodynamic drag (58% of total performance gains) and higher end spurt (+9.1% [9.1%] of mean PO in the last 10% of the UTT). However, heart rate and postexercise blood lactate concentration were not significantly different between conditions. From a psychological aspect, higher pleasure was observed in the leader condition (+41.1% [51.7%]), but attentional focus was not significantly different. Conclusions: The presence of a leading teammate during uphill cycling had a strong impact on performance, enabling higher speed for the same mean PO and greater end spurt. These results explain why the best teams competing for the general classification of the most prestigious and contested races like the Grand Tours tend to always protect their leader with teammates during decisive ascents.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (1) ◽  
pp. C172-C178 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Sahlin ◽  
K. Soderlund ◽  
M. Tonkonogi ◽  
K. Hirakoba

The effect of sustained submaximal exercise on muscle energetics has been studied on the single-fiber level in human skeletal muscle. Seven subjects cycled to fatigue (mean 77 min) at a work rate corresponding to approximately 75% of maximal O2 uptake. Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle at rest, at fatigue, and after 5 min of recovery. Muscle glycogen decreased from 444 +/- 40 (SE) mmol glucosyl units/kg dry wt at rest to 94 +/- 16. Postexercise glycogen was inversely correlated (P < 0.01) to muscle content of inosine monophosphate, a catabolite of ATP. Phosphocreatine (PCr) in mixed-fiber muscle decreased at fatigue to 37% but was restored above the initial value (106.5%, P < 0.025) after 5 min of recovery. The overshoot was localized to type I fibers. The rapid reversal of PCr is in contrast to the slow recovery in contraction force. Pi increased at fatigue but less than that expected from the changes in PCr and other phosphate compounds. Mean PCr at rest was approximately 20% higher in type II than in type I fibers (86.4 +/- 3.6 and 71.6 +/- 1.8 mmol/kg dry wt, respectively, P < 0.05), but at fatigue similar PCr contents were observed in the two fiber types. Reduction in PCr in all fibers at fatigue suggests that all fibers were recruited at the end of exercise. PCr content in single fibers showed a great variability in samples at rest, exercise, and recovery. The variability was more pronounced than for ATP, and the data suggest that it is due to interfiber physiological-biochemical differences. At fatigue ATP was maintained relatively high in all single fibers, but a pronounced depletion of PCr was observed in a large number of fibers, and this may contribute to fatigue through the associated increases in Pi or/and free ADP. It is noteworthy that the increase in calculated free ADP at fatigue was similar to that after high-intensity exercise.


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