Elite Cyclists
Conditions
Keywords
Cycling, Endurance performance, Skeletal muscle biology, Individualization, Muscle fiber type proportions, Ribosomal RNA
Brief summary
The overall objective of the study is to identify molecular determinants of the efficacy of resistance training for improving endruance performance in elite cyclists
Detailed description
For elite endurance athletes, the addition of resistance training to habitual endurance training routines generally leads to improved endurance performance. However, this is not always the case, with several individuals failing to respond in the expected manner. This inter-individual variation is likely associated with inherent cellular and molecular charateristics of skeletal muscle. Indeed, responses to resistance training seem to be associated with muscle biological characteristics such as muscle fiber composition and ribosomal content (during the early phase of resistance training). The study will investigate the association between muscle fibre composition (type I vs type II muscle fiber proportions) / ribosomal content in m. vastus lateralis and the effects of 10 weeks of resistance training on endurance performance in 52 elite cyclists. Half the participants will perform resistance training in addition to their habitual endurance training routines, the other half will perform endurance training-only. Muscle biopsies will be sampled from m. vastus lateralis before and after the first two weeks of the intervention. For muscle fiber composition, the hypothesis is that larger proportions of type II fibers will be associated with more pronounced benefits of resistance training. For ribosomal content, the hypothesis is that higher rRNA content at baseline and larger increases in rRNA content during the initial part of the intervention will be associated with more pronounced benefits of resistance training. No changes are expected in the non-resistance training control group.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALResistance training
Resistance training sessions twice a week for ten weeks
BEHAVIORALEndurance training (habitual)
Endurance training for ten weeks (habitual routines)
Sponsors
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Masking description
Participants/investigators will be blinded to muscle biological charateristics until after clean-up of main outcome variables. Participants/investigators will be aware of intervention arm affiliation.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* VO2max \> 65 ml/kg/min (male participants) * VO2max \> 50 ml/kg/min (female participants) * \>7 hours of endurance training per week for the 6 months leading up to the study
Exclusion criteria
\- having conducted regular resistance training for the last 6 months leading up to the study
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Performance during a 15-minute all-out cycling test | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Mean power output measured during a 15-minute all-out cycling test |
| Performance during a 40-minute all-out cycling test | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Mean power output measured during a 40-minute all-out cycling test |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total RNA in muscle tissue (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | Total RNA content in m. vastus lateralis (ug per mg tissue) |
| Muscle fiber proportions (before intervention) | Before the intervention | Muscle fiber proportions in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| Muscle fiber proportions (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | Muscle fiber proportions in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| Muscle fiber cross-sectional area (before intervention) | Before the intervention | Cross-sectional area of muscle fibres in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| Muscle fiber cross-sectional area (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | Cross-sectional area of muscle fibres in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| Myonuclear number (before intervention) | Before the intervention | Myonuclei per muscle fiber in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| Myonuclear number (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | Myonuclei per muscle fiber in m. vastus lateralis measured using immunohistochemistry |
| rRNA expression (before intervention) | Before the intervention | rRNA abundances in m. vastus lateralis measured using qPCR |
| rRNA expression (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | rRNA abundances in m. vastus lateralis measured using qPCR |
| mRNA expression (before intervention) | Before the intervention | mRNA abundances in m. vastus lateralis measured using qPCR |
| mRNA expression (changes after two weeks) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the initial two weeks of resistance training | mRNA abundances in m. vastus lateralis measured using qPCR |
| Sprint performance | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Mean power output measured during a 10-second all-out cycling sprint |
| Maximal oxygen consumption | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Maximal oxygen consumption measured during an incremental cycling exercise test to exhaustion |
| Maximal aerobic power output | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Maximal aerobic power output measured as mean power output during the last minute of an incremental cycling exercise test to exhaustion |
| Power output at lactate threshold | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Power output at 4 mmol blood lactate concentration measured during an incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps) |
| Gross efficiency | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Contribution of total energy turnover to power output in the fresh and fatigued state |
| Fractional utilization of VO2max (incremental test) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Fractional utilization of VO2max measured at 4 mmol blood lactate concentrations measured during an incremental cycling exercise test (with 5 minute steps) |
| Fractional utilization of VO2max (15-minute performance test) | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Fractional utilization of VO2max measured during a 15-minute performance test |
| Hemoglobin mass | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Hemoglobin mass measured using CO rebreathing (g) |
| Blood volume | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Blood volume measured using CO rebreathing |
| Plasma volume | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Plasma volume measured using CO rebreathing |
| Red blood cell volume | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Red blood cell volume measured using CO rebreathing |
| Hematocrit | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Hematocrit measured using centrifugation |
| Maximal concentric force production | Changes from before the intervention to immediately after the intervention | Maximal concentric force production measured using a seated leg press test |
| Total RNA in muscle tissue (before intervention) | Before the intervention | Total RNA content in m. vastus lateralis (ug per mg tissue) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance training volume | Throughout study completion (daily), an average of ten weeks | Self-reported endurance training volume measured as time-spent in different exercise intensity zones |
| Resistance training volume | Throughout study completion (daily), an average of ten weeks | Self-reported resistance training volume measured as load x repetitions |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed