Clinical trial NCT04640883: Effects of Including Sprints During Low-intensity Cycling Exercises on Performance and Muscle/Blood Characteristics
Official title: Effects of Including 30-s Sprints During Low-intensity Cycling Exercises During a Training Camp on Performance and Muscle/Blood Characterisitcs
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy
Cyclists
Keywords: Sprint
Low-intensity cycling
Skeletal muscle
Endurance performance
Lead sponsor: Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-11-23
Enrollment: 18
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Investigating the effects of including sprints during low-intensity training sessions during a 14-d training camp with increased training load on performance and muscle/blood biology
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: 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

Detailed description: 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

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Performance during a 5-minute all-out cycling test
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, after REC)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Sprint performance
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, after REC)
measure: Maximal oxygen uptake
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Maximal aerobic power output
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Gross efficiency (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Gross efficiency (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Power output at lactate threshold (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Power output at lactate threshold (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Fractional utilization of VO2max (incremental test)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Fractional utilization of VO2max (5-min test)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Protein abundance in skeletal muscle
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Haemoglobin mass (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Haemoglobin mass (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Blood volume (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Blood volume (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Plasma volume (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Plasma volume (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Red blood cell volume (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Red blood cell volume (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Mean corposcular volume (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Mean corposcular volume (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Hematocrit (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Hematocrit (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Body mass (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Body mass (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Enzyme activity in skeletal muscle
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Lean body mass (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Lean body mass (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Fat mass (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Fat mass (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
measure: Session rate of percieved exertion
timeFrame: Throughout the training camp (14 days)
measure: Stress-recovery state (training camp)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the training camp (T1)
measure: Stress-recovery state (recovery/REC)
timeFrame: Changes from before the intervention (T0) to immediately after the intervention (T2, i.e. after REC)
Other outcomes:
measure: Training load
timeFrame: From four weeks prior to the intervention and throughout the study, an average of 52 days
Locations:
city: Lillehammer
country: Norway
facility: Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
Study officials:
affiliation: Research Administrator
name: Anne S Lofthus
role: STUDY_CHAIR
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