Abstract
Purpose: Peripheral adaptations, as assessed via near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) derived changes in muscle oxygenation (SmO2), are good predictors of sprint kayak performance. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to assess changes in SmO2 and O2 following a training camp in elite sprint kayakers to evaluate if the training prescribed elicits peripheral adaptations, and to assess associations between training-induced changes in physiological responses and performance.Methods: Eight male elite sprint kayakers, members of the Canadian National Team, performed a 200-m and 1,000-m on-water time trial (TT) before and after a 3-weeks winter training camp. Change in performance, O2 and SmO2 of the biceps brachii were assessed in relation to training load.Results: Training load and intensity were increased by ~20% over the course of the training camp, which resulted in a 3.7 ± 1.7% (ES 1.2) and 2.8 ± 2.4% (ES 1.3) improvement in 200-m and 1,000-m performance, respectively. Performance improvement in the 200-m was concomitant to a reduced SmO2, an increased O2 peak and an increased reoxygenation rate after the TT. The 1,000-m TT performance improvement was concurrent with a reduced SmO2 in the last half of the TT and an increased O2 in the first minute of the TT.Conclusion: Our results strongly suggest that peripheral skeletal muscle adaptations occurred in these athletes with the proposed training plan. This further attests the benefit of using portable NIRS as a monitoring tool to track training-induced adaptations in muscle oxygen extraction in elite athletes.
Highlights
IntroductionIndividual Olympic events are 200-m and 1,000-m races (∼34 s and ∼210 s) for men
In sprint kayak, individual Olympic events are 200-m and 1,000-m races (∼34 s and ∼210 s) for men
As measured by the work done during a 30-s and a 2-min ergometer test, has been associated with 1,000-m performance in male kayakers ranging from club to international level
Summary
Individual Olympic events are 200-m and 1,000-m races (∼34 s and ∼210 s) for men. Using the accumulated oxygen deficit method, aerobic contribution in highly-trained to international-level canoe-kayak athletes has been estimated to be ∼37% for 200-m and ∼85–87% for 1,000-m events (Byrnes and Kearney, 1997; Zamparo et al, 1999; Zouhla et al, 2012). As measured by the work done during a 30-s and a 2-min ergometer test, has been associated with 1,000-m performance in male kayakers ranging from club to international level (van Someren and Howatson, 2008). Performance in the 200-m TT has been related to maximal aerobic power and/or V O2max in some (Borges et al, 2015; Paquette et al, 2018; Pickett et al, 2018), but not all (van Someren and Palmer, 2003) studies, suggesting aerobic fitness may partly contribute to performance in 200-m races
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