Does Hydrotherapy Help or Hinder Adaptation to Training in Competitive Cyclists?
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Author(s)
L. Halson, Shona
Bartram, Jason
West, Nic
Stephens, Jessica
Argus, Christos K.
W. Driller, Matthew
Sargent, Charli
Lastella, Michele
G. Hopkins, Will
T. Martin, David
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2014
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Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: Cold water immersion (CWI) may be beneficial for acute recovery from exercise, but it may impair long-term performance by attenuating the stimuli responsible for adaptation to training. We compared effects of CWI and passive rest on cycling performance during a simulated cycling grand tour. Methods: Thirty-four male endurance-trained competitive cyclists were randomized to CWI for four times per week for 15 min at 15àor control (passive recovery) groups for 7 d of baseline training, 21 d of intensified training, and an 11-d taper. Criteria for completion of training and testing were satisfied by 10 cyclists in the ...
View more >Purpose: Cold water immersion (CWI) may be beneficial for acute recovery from exercise, but it may impair long-term performance by attenuating the stimuli responsible for adaptation to training. We compared effects of CWI and passive rest on cycling performance during a simulated cycling grand tour. Methods: Thirty-four male endurance-trained competitive cyclists were randomized to CWI for four times per week for 15 min at 15àor control (passive recovery) groups for 7 d of baseline training, 21 d of intensified training, and an 11-d taper. Criteria for completion of training and testing were satisfied by 10 cyclists in the CWI group (maximal aerobic power, 5.13 ᠰ.21 W竧-1; mean ᠓D) and 11 in the control group (5.01 ᠰ.41 W竧-1). Each week, cyclists completed a high-intensity interval cycling test and two 4-min bouts separated by 30 min. CWI was performed four times per week for 15 min at 15î Results: Between baseline and taper, cyclists in the CWI group had an unclear change in overall 4-min power relative to control (2.7% ᠵ.7%), although mean power in the second effort relative to the first was likely higher for the CWI group relative to control (3.0% ᠳ.8%). The change in 1-s maximum mean sprint power in the CWI group was likely beneficial compared with control (4.4% ᠴ.2%). Differences between groups for the 10-min time trial were unclear (-0.4% ᠴ.3%). Conclusion: Although some effects of CWI on performance were unclear, data from this study do not support recent speculation that CWI is detrimental to performance after increased training load in competitive cyclists.
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View more >Purpose: Cold water immersion (CWI) may be beneficial for acute recovery from exercise, but it may impair long-term performance by attenuating the stimuli responsible for adaptation to training. We compared effects of CWI and passive rest on cycling performance during a simulated cycling grand tour. Methods: Thirty-four male endurance-trained competitive cyclists were randomized to CWI for four times per week for 15 min at 15àor control (passive recovery) groups for 7 d of baseline training, 21 d of intensified training, and an 11-d taper. Criteria for completion of training and testing were satisfied by 10 cyclists in the CWI group (maximal aerobic power, 5.13 ᠰ.21 W竧-1; mean ᠓D) and 11 in the control group (5.01 ᠰ.41 W竧-1). Each week, cyclists completed a high-intensity interval cycling test and two 4-min bouts separated by 30 min. CWI was performed four times per week for 15 min at 15î Results: Between baseline and taper, cyclists in the CWI group had an unclear change in overall 4-min power relative to control (2.7% ᠵ.7%), although mean power in the second effort relative to the first was likely higher for the CWI group relative to control (3.0% ᠳ.8%). The change in 1-s maximum mean sprint power in the CWI group was likely beneficial compared with control (4.4% ᠴ.2%). Differences between groups for the 10-min time trial were unclear (-0.4% ᠴ.3%). Conclusion: Although some effects of CWI on performance were unclear, data from this study do not support recent speculation that CWI is detrimental to performance after increased training load in competitive cyclists.
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Journal Title
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Volume
46
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2014 LWW. This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, ugust 2014 - Volume 46 - Issue 8 - p 1631–1639. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal link for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Sports science and exercise
Medical physiology