TRIATHLON PHYSIOLOGY FOR DUMMIES AND THE TENDENCY TOWARD THE MEAN

Sixth part

Let us go back to the oldies.  Now a day it is very difficult to do research because there are not enough sponsors paying for.  Everything needs to be useful to get sponsors for research.  “Good old times” are gone.

The research done helps us to have a better planning.  Chris Carmichael gives some guidelines regarding recovery.  They are empirical but very practical.  The Lance Armstrong Performance Program.  Rodale, USA. 2000 (91).

I said in the previous parts in the blog and in this series.  One needs to practice cadence, technique and speed steadily until one is able to do the cadence and speed she/he would like to have for competition; rest two minutes and try again. Five minutes is very difficult to sustain without lowering speed, but that would be the objective; rest two minutes and try again.  Once the speed drops, stop and rest two minutes. Do eight of them or until you accomplish the distance you want to compete in. Eight repetitions would be the gold standard to run a 10k at a good speed.  If you are beginner, it takes around three years of training intensively to accomplish the strength to start training at the speed we would like to compete with.  Life is very specific; one lives according to what one practices.  The same thing for training, one’s performance depends on the quality of one’s practice.

Another oldie: Biology of Sport, Vol. 20 No2, 2003. PLASMA GROWTH HORMONE, CORTISOL AND TESTOSTERONE RESPONSES TO REPEATED AND INTERMITTENT ERGOMETER EXERCISE AT DIFFERENT PEDALLING RATES

In the conclusion it may be stated that the rate/speed of performed work influences the hormonal response through the increase of cortisol and growth hormone concentrations alongside the similar level of the acid – alkali blood balance disturbances during work with higher pedaling rate. The smaller hormonal response on standard loads (constant power and time of the effort) is conditioned by the high physical capacity. Smaller disturbances of the acid – base blood balance correspond with the smaller response of stress hormones which in our research were: the growth hormone and cortisol. The direction and size of hormonal changes may present the criterion of better adaptation to sport effort/training and evaluation of the growth of so called “sport condition”.

Another oldie: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 1996, 10(4),256-262. Influence of Resistance Exercise Volume on Serum Growth Hormone and Cortisol Concentrations in Women.

Our observations support what has previously been reported with regard to the role of specific exercise variables: heavy-resistance exercise protocols using high volume (3 sets), moderate to heavy loads (8- to 10-RM at 70 to 85% of 1-RM resistance), and short rest periods «1 min) augment the magnitude of the GH response in both men and women (4, 20, 22). A less significant and/ or no GH response has been reported with exercise configurations of lower volume, lower intensity, and/ or longer rest periods (20, 22-24, 31, 34, 36). The degree of variance in physiological activity between the exercise protocols may be attributed to such factors as duration of training session, acid-base shifts, anaerobic work performance, circulation of associated sympathetic hormones, age, or muscle mass used; all of these have been reported to affect serum hormone and lactate values(4, 5, 9, 18,20, 31).

I hope it is useful! The photo belongs to Ramón Jiménez.  It looks the way I see training.  What to do during recovery days?  Do not increase your cortisol.  If one eats right during easy works out it is just fine.  Remember Tinley.

Please go back to read parts 1,2,3,4,5.