Seasonal changes in cyclists' performance. Part II. The British Olympic track squad.

Abstract

In Part II of the study, the British Olympic track (sprint) squad cyclists demonstrated reductions in body fat index, % body fat and endomorphy (p greater than .05), increased Hb and PCV % (p greater than .05), and lowered HR at rest and in warm-up exercise (p greater than .05), but no change in leg power. Repeated interval sprints of short duration, maximal exercise on an "ergowheel" ergometer, at standardised power output, showed increased anaerobic index (p greater than .05) and acceleratory power (p greater than .01) but no change in sustained power output. Compared with "non-select" riders, a case study of the single "select" rider showed anthropometric differences in terms of lower height, weight, body fat index, % body fat and endomorphy, but enhanced mesomorphy and FEV %. Furthermore, the "select" rider demonstrated temporarily latent functional performance capabilities, in that increased anaerobic index, acceleratory and sustained power indices, as well as enhanced relative power output, were not identified until late in the competitive season.

Anthropometric Clusters of Competitive Cyclists and Their Sprint and Endurance Performance

“…Using unsupervised machine learning, we uncovered three clusters based on the athletes’ anthropometric characteristics. The mesomorphic cluster included all sprinters with a favorable somatotype for strength and speed performance, similar to that of elite [endo-, meso-, and ectomorphy: 2.5, 5.2, and 2.4 (White et al, 1982; McLean and Parker, 1989)] and Olympic track sprinters [1.8, 5.2, and 2.4 (Garay et al, 1974)]. The body size profile of our sprinters was comparable to that of Olympic track sprinters (Craig and Norton, 2001).…”

Muscle Damage and Recovery During a Basketball Competition

“…There are a limited number of studies about post-match recovery stage [3,4].Recovery after exercise can be in form of absolute recreation or active recovery.Gentle exercises during the recovery phase after heavy exercises like jogging causes lactic acid such as (35-40 % Max Vo2) to be removed more quickly. This type of recovery is called recovery with exercise or active recovery.…”