Effects of Including Sprints During Low-intensity Cycling Exercises on Performance and Muscle/Blood Characteristics

Effects of Including 30-s Sprints During Low-intensity Cycling Exercises During a Training Camp on Performance and Muscle/Blood Characterisitcs

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

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

Inclusion Criteria:

• VO2max > 65ml/kg/min

Exclusion Criteria:

• VO2max < 65ml/kg/min
• Average endurance training per week >10hrs/wk during the four weeks leading up to the study