Hypobaric live high-train low does not improve aerobic performance more than live low-train low in cross-country skiers.

Live high-train low (LHTL) using hypobaric hypoxia was previously found to improve sea-level endurance performance in well-trained individuals; however, confirmatory controlled data in athletes are lacking. Here, we test the hypothesis that natural-altitude LHTL improves aerobic performance in cross-country skiers, in conjunction with expansion of total hemoglobin mass (Hbmass , carbon monoxide rebreathing technique) promoted by accelerated erythropoiesis. Following duplicate baseline measurements at sea level over the course of 2 weeks, nineteen Norwegian cross-country skiers (three women, sixteen men, age 20 ± 2 year, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) 69 ± 5 mL/min/kg) were assigned to 26 consecutive nights spent at either low (1035 m, control, n = 8) or moderate altitude (2207 m, daily exposure 16.7 ± 0.5 hours, LHTL, n = 11). All athletes trained together daily at a common location ranging from 550 to 1500 m (21.2% of training time at 550 m, 44.2% at 550-800 m, 16.6% at 800-1100 m, 18.0% at 1100-1500 m). Three test sessions at sea level were performed over the first 3 weeks after intervention. Despite the demonstration of nocturnal hypoxemia at moderate altitude (pulse oximetry), LHTL had no specific effect on serum erythropoietin, reticulocytes, Hbmass , VO2 max, or 3000-m running performance. Also, LHTL had no specific effect on (a) running economy (VO2 assessed during steady-state submaximal exercise), (b) respiratory capacities or efficiency of the skeletal muscle (biopsy), and (c) diffusing capacity of the lung. This study, showing similar physiological responses and performance improvements in the two groups following intervention, suggests that in young cross-country skiers, improvements in sea-level aerobic performance associated with LHTL may not be due to moderate-altitude acclimatization.

Strength training improves double-poling performance after prolonged submaximal exercise in cross-country skiers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding strength training with or without vibration to cross-country (XC) skiers' endurance training on double-poling (DP) performance, physiological, and kinematic adaptations. Twenty-one well-trained male XC-skiers combined endurance- and upper-body strength training three times per week, either with (n = 11) or without (n = 10) superimposed vibrations for 8 weeks, whereas eight skiers performed endurance training only (CON). Testing included 1RM in upper-body exercises, work economy, neural activation, oxygen saturation in muscle, and DP kinematics during a prolonged submaximal DP roller ski test which was directly followed by a time to exhaustion (TTE) test. TTE was also performed in rested state, and the difference between the two TTE tests (TTEdiff ) determined the ability to maintain DP performance after prolonged exercise. Vibration induced no additional effect on strength or endurance gains. Therefore, the two strength training groups were pooled (STR, n = 21). 1RM in STR increased more than in CON (P < .05), and there were no differences in changes between STR and CON in any measurements during prolonged submaximal DP. STR improved TTE following prolonged DP (20 ± 16%, P < .001) and revealed a moderate effect size compared to CON (ES = 0.80; P = .07). Furthermore, STR improved TTEdiff more than CON (P = .049). In conclusion, STR superiorly improved 1RM strength, DP performance following prolonged submaximal DP and TTEdiff , indicating a specific effect of improved strength on the ability to maintain performance after long-lasting exercise.

Reliable determination of training-induced alterations in muscle fiber composition in human skeletal muscle using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Determination of muscle fiber composition in human skeletal muscle biopsies is often performed using immunohistochemistry, a method that tends to be both time consuming, technically challenging, and complicated by limited availability of tissue. Here, we introduce quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)-based Gene-family profiling (GeneFam) of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) mRNA expression as a high-throughput, sensitive, and reliable alternative. We show that GeneFam and immunohistochemistry result in similar disclosures of alterations in muscle fiber composition in biopsies from musculus vastus lateralis and musculus biceps brachii of previously untrained young women after 12 weeks of progressive strength training. The adaptations were evident as (a) consistent increases in MyHC2A abundance; (b) consistent decreases in MyHC2X abundance; and (c) consistently stable MyHC1 abundance, and were not found using traditional reference gene-based qRT-PCR analyses. Furthermore, muscle fiber composition found using each of the two approaches was correlated with each other (r = 0.50, 0.74, and 0.78 for MyHC1, A, and X, respectively), suggesting that GeneFam may be suitable for ranking of individual muscle phenotype, particularly for MyHC2 fibers. In summary, GeneFam of MyHC mRNA resulted in reliable assessment of alterations in muscle fiber composition in skeletal muscle of previously untrained women after 12 weeks of strength training.