Reduced neuromuscular activity and force generation during prolonged cycling.

We examined neuromuscular activity during stochastic (variable intensity) 100-km cycling time trials (TT) and the effect of dietary carbohydrate manipulation. Seven endurance-trained cyclists performed two 100-km TT that included five 1-km and four 4-km high-intensity epochs (HIE) during which power output, electromyogram (EMG), and muscle glycogen data were analyzed. The mean power output of the 4-km HIE decreased significantly throughout the trial from 319 +/- 48 W for the first 4-km HIE to 278 +/- 39 W for the last 4-km HIE (P < 0.01). The mean integrated EMG (IEMG) activity during the first 4-km HIE was 16.4 +/- 9.8% of the value attained during the pretrial maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). IEMG decreased significantly throughout the trial, reaching 11.1 +/- 5.6% during the last 4-km HIE (P < 0.01). The study establishes that neuromuscular activity in peripheral skeletal muscle falls parallel with reduction in power output during bouts of high-intensity exercise. These changes occurred when <20% of available muscle was recruited and suggest the presence of a central neural governor that reduces the active muscle recruited during prolonged exercise.

Reliability of power in physical performance tests.

The reliability of power in tests of physical performance affects the precision of assessment of athletes, patients, clients and study participants. In this meta-analytic review we identify the most reliable measures of power and the factors affecting reliability. Our measures of reliability were the typical (standard) error of measurement expressed as a coefficient of variation (CV) and the percent change in the mean between trials. We meta-analysed these measures for power or work from 101 studies of healthy adults. Measures and tests with the smallest CV in exercise of a given duration include field tests of sprint running (approximately 0.9%), peak power in an incremental test on a treadmill or cycle ergometer (approximately 0.9%), equivalent mean power in a constant-power test lasting 1 minute to 3 hours on a treadmill or cycle ergometer (0.9 to 2.0%), lactate-threshold power (approximately 1.5%), and jump height or distance (approximately 2.0%). The CV for mean power on isokinetic ergometers was relatively large (> 4%). CV were larger for nonathletes versus athletes (1.3 x), female versus male nonathletes (1.4 x), shorter (approximately 1-second) and longer (approximately 1-hour) versus 1-minute tests (< or = 1.6 x), and respiratory- versus ergometer-based measures of power (1.4 to 1.6 x). There was no clear-cut effect of time between trials. The importance of a practice trial was evident in studies with > 2 trials: the CV between the first 2 trials was 1.3 times the CV between subsequent trials; performance also improved by 1.2% between the first 2 trials but by only 0.2% between subsequent trials. These findings should help exercise practitioners and researchers select or design good measures and protocols for tests of physical performance.

Prediction of triathlon race time from laboratory testing in national triathletes.

PURPOSE: Four days after competing in an Olympic-distance National Triathlon Championship (1500-m swim, 40-km cycle, 10-km run), five male and five female triathletes underwent comprehensive physiological testing in an attempt to determine which physiological variables accurately predict triathlon race time. METHODS: All triathletes underwent maximal swimming tests over 25 and 400 m, the determination of peak sustained power output (PPO) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) during an incremental cycle test to exhaustion, and a maximal treadmill running test to assess peak running velocity and VO2peak. In addition, submaximal steady-state measures of oxygen uptake (VO2), blood [lactate], and heart rate (HR) were determined during the cycling and running tests. RESULTS: The five most significant (P < 0.01) predictors of triathlon performance were blood lactate measured during steady-state cycling at a workload of 4 W x kg(-1) body mass (BM) (r = 0.92), blood lactate while running at 15 km x h(-1) (r = 0.89), PPO (r = 0.86), peak treadmill running velocity (r = 0.85), and VO2peak during cycling (r = 0.85). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed a highly significant (r = 0.90, P < 0.001) relationship between predicted race time (from laboratory measures) and actual race time, from the following calculation: race time (s) = - 129 (peak treadmill velocity [km x h(-1)]) + 122 ([lactate] at 4 W x kg(-1) BM) + 9456. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that race time for top triathletes competing over the Olympic distance can be accurately predicted from the results of maximal and submaximal laboratory measures.

Carbohydrate loading failed to improve 100-km cycling performance in a placebo-controlled trial.

We evaluated the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) loading on cycling performance that was designed to be similar to the demands of competitive road racing. Seven well-trained cyclists performed two 100-km time trials (TTs) on separate occasions, 3 days after either a CHO-loading (9 g CHO. kg body mass(-1). day(-1)) or placebo-controlled moderate-CHO diet (6 g CHO. kg body mass(-1). day(-1)). A CHO breakfast (2 g CHO/kg body mass) was consumed 2 h before each TT, and a CHO drink (1 g CHO. kg(.)body mass(-1). h(-1)) was consumed during the TTs to optimize CHO availability. The 100-km TT was interspersed with four 4-km and five 1-km sprints. CHO loading significantly increased muscle glycogen concentrations (572 +/- 107 vs. 485 +/- 128 mmol/kg dry wt for CHO loading and placebo, respectively; P < 0.05). Total muscle glycogen utilization did not differ between trials, nor did time to complete the TTs (147.5 +/- 10.0 and 149.1 +/- 11.0 min; P = 0.4) or the mean power output during the TTs (259 +/- 40 and 253 +/- 40 W, P = 0.4). This placebo-controlled study shows that CHO loading did not improve performance of a 100-km cycling TT during which CHO was consumed. By preventing any fall in blood glucose concentration, CHO ingestion during exercise may offset any detrimental effects on performance of lower preexercise muscle and liver glycogen concentrations. Alternatively, part of the reported benefit of CHO loading on subsequent athletic performance could have resulted from a placebo effect.

Dose-related elevations in venous pH with citrate ingestion do not alter 40-km cycling time-trial performance.

The purpose of the current investigation was to determine whether sodium citrate enhances endurance cycling performance and, if so, what dosage(s) produces this effect. Eight trained [peak power output: 362 (48) W; power:weight: 5.1 (0.4) W x kg(-1), mean (SD)] male cyclists were requested to complete four, 40-km time-trials, each separated by 3-7 days, on their own bicycles, mounted on a Kingcycle ergometer. To mimic the stochastic nature of cycle road races, the time-trials included four 500-m, four 1-km and two 2-km sprints. The experimental conditions involved the ingestion of three dosages of sodium citrate dissolved in 400 ml water: 0.2 g x kg(-1), 0.4 g x kg(-1) and 0.6 g x kg(-1) body mass (b.m.) and a placebo (calcium carbonate, 0.1 g x kg(-1) b.m.). Subjects were asked to complete both the sprints and total distance in the fastest time possible. Venous blood samples were collected before, as well as at 10-km intervals during the trials for the analysis of plasma lactate and glucose concentrations and for the measurement of blood pH and PCO2 levels. Immediately before, as well as during exercise, pH was significantly higher in the group ingesting the highest citrate dose (range 7.36-7.45) compared to the placebo (range 7.31-7.39) and the two lower citrate dosages. Despite this, no significant differences in power output (P = 0.886) or time taken to complete the 40 km (P = 0.754) were measured between the four trials. The average performance times (in min:s, with SD in parentheses) and average power output (in W) for the 40-km time-trials were: 58:46 (5:06) [265 (62) W], 60:24 (6:07) [251 (59) W], 61:47 (5:07) [243 (44) W] and 60:02 (5.05) [255 (55) W] for the 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 g x kg(-1) b.m. sodium citrate and placebo trials, respectively. There were also no significant differences measured between treatments in terms of time, power output, speed or heart rate during the 500-m, 1-km and 2-km sprints. The ingestion of increasing sodium citrate dosages before exercise produced dose-dependent changes in pH, base excess and HCO3- concentrations before and during the 40-km time-trial. However, these changes influenced neither the time-trial time nor the sprinting performance times.

High reliability of performance of well-trained rowers on a rowing ergometer.

High retest reliability is desirable in tests used to monitor athletic performance, but the reliability of many popular tests has not been established. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of performance of a 2000-m time-trial lasting approximately 7 min performed on a Concept II rowing ergometer. Eight well-trained rowers (peak oxygen uptake 61+/-5 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1); mean +/- standard deviation) performed the time-trials on three occasions at 3-day intervals. Mean power (313+/-38 W in trial 1) improved by 2.3% (95% confidence interval 0.1 to 4.5%) in trial 2 and by a further 0.9% (-1.4 to 3.3%) in trial 3. The variability of performance for individual rowers expressed as a coefficient of variation for mean power was 2.0% (1.3 to 3.1%), and the retest correlation was 0.96 (0.87 to 0.99). Variability and changes in performance expressed as time to complete the test were approximately one-third those of mean power, apparently because simulated velocity is proportional to the cube root of power on this ergometer. Such high reliability makes this combination of ergometer, athlete and test protocol very suitable for monitoring rowing performance and for investigating factors that affect performance in short, high-intensity endurance events.

The effect of a preexercise meal on time to fatigue during prolonged cycling exercise.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: Seven subjects exercised to exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer at a workload corresponding to an intensity of 70% maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). On one occasion (FED), subjects consumed a preexercise carbohydrate (CHO) containing breakfast (100 g CHO) 3 h before exercise. On the other occasion (FASTED), subjects exercised after an overnight fast. Exercise time to fatigue was significantly longer (P < 0.05) when subjects consumed the breakfast (136+/-14 min) compared with when they exercised in the fasted state (109+/-12 min). RESULTS: Pre- and post-exercise muscle glycogen concentrations, respiratory exchange ratio, carbohydrate and fat oxidation, and lactate and insulin concentrations were not significantly different between the two trials. Insulin concentrations decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from 4.7+/-0.05 microIU.mL(-1) to 2.8+/-0.4 microIU.mL(-1) in FED and from 6.6+/-0.6 microIU.mL(-1) to 3.7+/-0.6 microIU.mL(-1) in FASTED subjects and free fatty acid concentrations (FFA) increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 0.09+/-0.02 mmol.L(-1) to 1.4+/-0.6 mmol.L(-1) in FED and from 0.17+/-0.02 mmol.L(-) to 0.74+/-0.27 mmol.L(-1) in FASTED subjects over the duration of the trials. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the important finding of this study is the increased time to fatigue when subjects ingested the CHO meal with no negative effects ascribed to increased insulin concentrations and decreased FFA concentrations after CHO ingestion.

A new reliable laboratory test of endurance performance for road cyclists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to devise and evaluate a laboratory test of cycling performance that simulates the variable power demands of competitive road racing. The test is a 100-km time trial interspersed with four 1-km and four 4-km sprints. METHODS: On three occasions separated by 5-7 d, eight endurance-trained cyclists (peak oxygen uptake 5.0 +/- 0.7 L.min-1, peak power output 411 +/- 43 W, mean +/- SD) performed the test on their own bikes mounted on an air-braked Kingcycle ergometer. Subjects were free to regulate their power output but were asked to complete each sprint and the full distance as quickly as possible. The only feedback given to the cyclists during each test was elapsed distance. RESULTS: In the first test, time for the 100 km and mean times for the 1-km and 4-km sprints were 151:42 +/- 10:36, 1:16 +/- 0:06, and 5:31 +/- 0:16 min:s, respectively; these times improved by 1.6-2.2% in the second test, but there was little further improvement in the third test (0.7 to -0.5%). The between-test correlation for 100-km time was 0.93 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.98), and the within-cyclist coefficient of variation was 1.7% (95% CI 1.1 to 2.5%). Mean sprint performance showed similar good reliability (within-subject variation and correlations for the 1-km and 4-km sprint times of 1.9%, 2.0%, 0.93, and 0.81, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The high reliability of this laboratory test will make the test useful for research on performance of competitive road cyclists.

Reproducibility of self-paced treadmill performance of trained endurance runners.

The reproducibility of performance in a laboratory test impacts on the statistical power of that test to detect changes of performance in experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine the reproducibility of performance of distance runners completing a 60 min time trial (TT) on a motor-driven treadmill. Eight trained distance runners (age 27 +/- 7yrs, peak oxygen consumption [VO2peak] 66 +/- 5 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1), mean +/- SD) performed the TT on three occasions separated by 7-10 days. Throughout each TT the runners controlled the speed of the treadmill and could view current speed and elapsed time, but they did not know the elapsed or final distance. On the basis of heart-rate, it is estimated that the subjects ran at an average intensity equivalent to 80-83% of VO2peak. The distance run in 1 h did not vary substantially between trials (16.2 +/- 1.4 km, 15.9 +/- 1.4 km, and 16.1 +/- 1.2 km for TTs 1-3 respectively, p = 0.5). The coefficient of variation (CV) for individual runners was 2.7% (95% Cl = 1.8-4.0%) and the test-retest reliability expressed as an intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.90 (95% Cl = 0.72-0.98). Reproducibility of performance in this test was therefore acceptable. However, higher reproducibility is required for experimental studies aimed at detecting the smallest worthwhile changes in performance with realistic sample sizes.

Carbohydrate-loading and exercise performance. An update.

This review suggests that there is little or no effect of elevating pre-exercise muscle glycogen contents above normal resting values on a single exhaustive bout of high-intensity exercise lasting less than 5 minutes. Nor is there any benefit of increasing starting muscle glycogen content on moderate-intensity running or cycling lasting 60 to 90 minutes. In such exercise substantial quantities of glycogen remain in the working muscles at the end of exercise. However, elevated starting muscle glycogen content will postpone fatigue by approximately equal to 20% in endurance events lasting more than 90 minutes. During this type of exercise, exhaustion usually coincides with critically low (25 mmol/kg wet weight) muscle glycogen contents, suggesting the supply of energy from glycogen utilisation cannot be replaced by an increased oxidation of blood glucose. Glycogen supercompensation may also improve endurance performance in which a set distance is covered as quickly as possible. In such exercise, high carbohydrate diets have been reported to improve performance by 2 to 3%.

Physiological and subjective measures of workload when shovelling with a conventional and two-handled ('levered') shovel.

Previous studies have suggested that the two-handled (levered) shovel is advantageous over the conventional spade from a biomechanical point of view. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether less energy was consumed while shovelling a load of sand with this shovel compared to a conventional tool. Accordingly, an experiment was designed in which subjects (n = 10) shovelled 1815 kg sand under laboratory conditions using either a conventional or a levered shovel. Heart rate and oxygen consumption were measured continuously during the trial and subjective data on perceived exertion, general fatigue and body discomfort were recorded after the trial. Although total energy expenditure was similar under both conditions (120 +/- 20 and 125 +/- 25 kcal; conventional versus two-handled spade), average heart rate was 4% higher when the two-handled shovel was used (p < 0.05). In addition, the mass of sand per scoop was 4% less with the two-handled shovel (p < 0.05). In conclusion, subjects used similar energy expenditure to shovel 1815 kg sand with the conventional shovel and the two-handled tool despite lower mass of sand per scoop with the latter. This can be explained by the fact that the increased mass of the additional handle compensated for the lower mass of sand per scoop. The higher average heart rate while shovelling with the two-handled shovel can be explained by the more erect posture.