Muscle Typology of World-Class Cyclists across Various Disciplines and Events

Lievens, Eline; Bellinger, Phillip; Vossel, Kim Van; Vancompernolle, Jan; Bex, Tine; Minahan, Clare; Derave, Wim

doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000002518

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Given the fact that high proportions of type-I fibers are suggested to display greater mechanical efficiency at common movement frequencies (i.e., 1–2Hz, e.g., cycling between 60 and 120 rpm) that are close to the type-I fiber's peak efficiency velocity (He et al, 2000 ; Joyner and Coyle, 2008 ), a higher percentage of type-I fibers would relate to a higher gross efficiency (Coyle et al, 1992 ; Horowitz et al, 1994 ), and therefore contributes to a higher endurance performance (Horowitz et al, 1994 ). Nowadays, non-invasive techniques such as 1 H-MRS measurements of muscle carnosine content are also used to estimate type-I and II muscle typology, thereby confirming prior muscle biopsy-based findings across athletes (Baguet et al, 2011 ; Bex et al, 2017 ; Lievens et al, 2020 , 2021 ).…”

Section: The Overlooked Underlying Physiology: Skeletal Muscle Determinants Of Endurance Performancementioning

confidence: 79%

Under the Hood: Skeletal Muscle Determinants of Endurance Performance

Zwaard¹,

Brocherie²,

Jaspers³

2021

Front. Sports Act. Living

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the past decades, researchers have extensively studied (elite) athletes' physiological responses to understand how to maximize their endurance performance. In endurance sports, whole-body measurements such as the maximal oxygen consumption, lactate threshold, and efficiency/economy play a key role in performance. Although these determinants are known to interact, it has also been demonstrated that athletes rarely excel in all three. The leading question is how athletes reach exceptional values in one or all of these determinants to optimize their endurance performance, and how such performance can be explained by (combinations of) underlying physiological determinants. In this review, we advance on Joyner and Coyle's conceptual framework of endurance performance, by integrating a meta-analysis of the interrelationships, and corresponding effect sizes between endurance performance and its key physiological determinants at the macroscopic (whole-body) and the microscopic level (muscle tissue, i.e., muscle fiber oxidative capacity, oxygen supply, muscle fiber size, and fiber type). Moreover, we discuss how these physiological determinants can be improved by training and what potential physiological challenges endurance athletes may face when trying to maximize their performance. This review highlights that integrative assessment of skeletal muscle determinants points toward efficient type-I fibers with a high mitochondrial oxidative capacity and strongly encourages well-adjusted capillarization and myoglobin concentrations to accommodate the required oxygen flux during endurance performance, especially in large muscle fibers. Optimisation of endurance performance requires careful design of training interventions that fine tune modulation of exercise intensity, frequency and duration, and particularly periodisation with respect to the skeletal muscle determinants.

show abstract

Section: The Overlooked Underlying Physiology: Skeletal Muscle Determinants Of Endurance Performancementioning

confidence: 79%

Under the Hood: Skeletal Muscle Determinants of Endurance Performance

Zwaard¹,

Brocherie²,

Jaspers³

2021

Front. Sports Act. Living

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This technique clearly discriminated the muscle typology of different athletes by confirming that all explosive athletes had the highest carnosine levels and thus, a greater estimated proportion of type II fibres, compared to endurance athletes, with intermediate athletes always situated between these two groups 12 . More recently 13 , we demonstrated prominent differences in the muscle typology of elite and world-class cyclists competing in various disciplines. Interestingly, we did not observe such prominent differences in the muscle typology in a cohort of 11 trained swimmers 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Muscle carnosine content was measured by 1 H-MRS in the gastrocnemius medialis and soleus muscle of each participants right limb to estimate muscle typology 11 . 1 H-MRS measurements were performed on a 3-T whole body MRI scanner (Philips Medical Systems Best, The Netherlands) as previously described 13,16 . The carnosine concentration of each muscle was converted to a sex-specific Z-score relative to an age-and sex-matched control population of active, healthy non-athletes, consisting of 40 men and 33 women.…”

Section: Muscle Carnosine Quantification By 1 H-mrsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, the sample size and performance level of these swimmers was not sufficient to make firm conclusions as to the importance of muscle typology for discipline specialisation in swimming. As such, based on historic [7][8][9][10] and contemporary evidence 12 it remains to be elucidated whether muscle typology is equally deterministic for event specialization in swimming as in other sports such as running and cycling [12][13][14][15] . To this end, the present study aimed to compare the estimated muscle typology of elite sprint-, middleand long-distance swimmers to determine whether; i) muscle typology is associated with the specialist distance event category of each swimmer; ii) swimming stroke-style is associated to muscle typology, and; iii) whether the muscle typology of world-class (i.e., world top-10) sprint-or long-distance swimmers would display a more extreme value than elite (i.e., world top-100 swimmers outside of the world top-10) swimmers within the same distance categorization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Muscle Typology of Elite and World-Class Swimmers

Bellinger

Lievens

Kennedy³

et al. 2022

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: To examine whether the muscle typology of elite and world-class swimmers could discriminate between their best distance event, swimming stroke style, or performance level. Methodology: The muscle carnosine content of 43 male (860 [76] FINA [Fédération Internationale de Natation] points) and 30 female (881 [63] FINA points) swimmers was measured in the soleus and gastrocnemius by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and expressed as a carnosine aggregate Z score (CAZ score) to estimate muscle typology. A higher CAZ score is associated with a higher estimated proportion of type II fibers. Swimmers were categorized by their best stroke, distance category (sprinters, 50–100 m; middle distance, 200–400 m; or long distance, 800 m–open water), and performance level (world-class, world top 10, or elite and world top 100 swimmers outside of the world top 10). Results: There was no significant difference in the CAZ score of sprint- (−0.08 [0.55]), middle- (−0.17 [0.70]), or long-distance swimmers (−0.30 [0.75], P = .693). World-class sprint swimmers (all strokes included) had a significantly higher CAZ score (0.37 [0.70]) when compared to elite sprint swimmers (−0.25 [0.61], P = .024, d = 0.94). Breaststroke swimmers (0.69 [0.73]) had a significantly higher CAZ score compared to freestyle (−0.24 [0.54], P < .001, d = 1.46), backstroke (−0.16 [0.47], P = .006, d = 1.42), and butterfly swimmers (−0.39 [0.53], P < .001, d = 1.70). Furthermore, within the cohort of breaststroke swimmers, there was a significant positive correlation between FINA points and CAZ score (r = .728, P = .011); however, this association was not evident in other strokes. Conclusion: While there was no clear association between muscle typology and event distance specialization, world-class sprint swimmers possess a greater estimated proportion of type II fibers compared to elite sprint swimmers, as well as breaststroke swimmers compared to freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly swimmers.

show abstract

“…The test is commonly performed over 30 s, but may range from 4-60 s. From this test, PPO, time to PPO, average power for the test-duration and fatigue index (based on a ratio of peak and average power) are measured [ 67 ]. The use of a laboratory test allows easy measurement of blood, expired gases, muscle biopsy, electromyography, and most recently proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy [ 69 ].…”

Section: -60 S Sprint Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Using Field Based Data to Model Sprint Track Cycling Performance

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cycling performance models are used to study rider and sport characteristics to better understand performance determinants and optimise competition outcomes. Performance requirements cover the demands of competition a cyclist may encounter, whilst rider attributes are physical, technical and psychological characteristics contributing to performance. Several current models of endurance-cycling enhance understanding of performance in road cycling and track endurance, relying on a supply and demand perspective. However, they have yet to be developed for sprint-cycling, with current athlete preparation, instead relying on measures of peak-power, speed and strength to assess performance and guide training. Peak-power models do not adequately explain the demands of actual competition in events over 15-60 s, let alone, in World-Championship sprint cycling events comprising several rounds to medal finals. Whilst there are no descriptive studies of track-sprint cycling events, we present data from physiological interventions using track cycling and repeated sprint exercise research in multiple sports, to elucidate the demands of performance requiring several maximal sprints over a competition. This review will show physiological and power meter data, illustrating the role of all energy pathways in sprint performance. This understanding highlights the need to focus on the capacity required for a given race and over an event, and therefore the recovery needed for each subsequent race, within and between races, and how optimal pacing can be used to enhance performance. We propose a shift in sprint-cyclist preparation away from training just for peak power, to a more comprehensive model of the actual event demands.

show abstract

Muscle Typology of World-Class Cyclists across Various Disciplines and Events

Cited by 20 publications

References 33 publications

Under the Hood: Skeletal Muscle Determinants of Endurance Performance

Under the Hood: Skeletal Muscle Determinants of Endurance Performance

The Muscle Typology of Elite and World-Class Swimmers

Using Field Based Data to Model Sprint Track Cycling Performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About