## 2 Materials and Methods
The highest weight completed for the three repetitions in the bench press and leg press tests was recorded as the 3 RM. Aerobic parameters were assessed through a ramp protocol VO2 max test on a cycling ergometer ([PERSON] cycling ergometer, Groninger, The Netherlands) accompanied by a metabolic cart (Parvo Medics collection system, TrueOne 2400, Salt Lake City, UT, USA). The ramp protocol consisted of an incremental increase (+25 watts) each minute, starting at 75 watts, until volitional exhaustion and/or a failure to maintain a pedalling cadence of 80 RPM \(\pm\) 5 revolutions or higher throughout the test. During the testing, the participants wore a heart rate monitor (Polar H1, M932W60607691, Kempele, Finland) that was linked via Bluetooth with the metabolic cart. Strong verbal encouragement was provided throughout the duration of the test. The VO2 peak was determined by the highest 30 s rolling average sampled during the two minutes prior to test cessation, and the corresponding HR and power output (PPO) were recorded following test cessation. The actual resistance-training volume was calculated using the inferred repetition maximum values [20] from the recorded weights that the participants achieved for each exercise. This was also reflected in the repetition-in-reserve programming process, which was described during familiarisation. The pre-/post-intervention testing sessions were separated by 48 h from the first and last training sessions, respectively. The previous week's exercise minutes were completed and recalled weekly on the first training session of each week. At the start of each session, a standardised warm-up of five minutes of light cycling was completed, and for the RT sessions, each exercise was preceded by a set at 20%, 40%, and 60% of the predicted 1 RM (Table 2). The individual session duration varied from 20 min (HIIT) to 60 min (RT and familiarisation) to 90 min (testing). Based on previous CT literature [21; 22], each resistance-training session consisted of six exercises (barbell bench press, full-depth back squat, rack pull, weighted jump squat, Pendlay row, and deadlift), with three sets performed for each exercise. However, the exercise order was not standardised to encourage an element of individual choice [23]. The RT was periodised using the repetition-in-reserve (RiR) strategy and varying rest times over the four weeks. A repetition range of 8-12 was targeted for each exercise, with an RiR of 3 and 2, corresponding to an individualised training load (10-12 RM) during weeks one and two, respectively. The target repetition range decreased to 5-8 repetitions at an RiR of 1 to 0, respectively, for weeks 3 and 4, which corresponded to an individualised load of 5-8 RM. The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol consisted of eight intervals of work (20 s on and 20 s off), performed on a stationary cycling ergometer (Concept 2, 430952017, QLD, Australia). The ergometer fan resistance was controlled and set to three throughout the duration of the intervention. Periodisation was guided by an increase in the target wattage from the first two weeks (120% \(\mathrm{\dot{V}O_{2}max}\)) to the last two (140% \(\mathrm{\dot{V}O_{2}max}\)). The participants were instructed to reach and maintain their individualised power output (watts) target as quickly as possible during each work interval. The outcome measures were assessed for normality using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and then the pre-/post-intervention data were compared using a paired-samples _l_-test and a Pearson r correlation analysis to determine whether there was uniformity of strength and aerobic changes for each participant. The strength of the correlation was categorised as very weak (r = 0-0.19), weak (r = 0.20-0.39), moderate (r = 0.40-0.59), strong (r = 0.60-0.79), or very strong (r = 0.8-1). A simple linear regression was used to determine the level of effect that the \(\mathrm{\dot{V}O_{2}max}\) post-intervention had on the measures of strength and dynamic performance.