Age difference in efficiency of locomotion and maximal power output in well-trained triathletes
Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the influence of age on cycling efficiency and sprint power output in well-trained endurance masters athletes. Methods The investigation was conducted on 60 healthy well-trained triathletes separated into six separate groups ( n = 10) depending on age: 2...
Saved in:
Published in | European journal of applied physiology Vol. 114; no. 12; pp. 2579 - 2586 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Berlin/Heidelberg
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
01.12.2014
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine the influence of age on cycling efficiency and sprint power output in well-trained endurance masters athletes.
Methods
The investigation was conducted on 60 healthy well-trained triathletes separated into six separate groups (
n
= 10) depending on age: 20–29 years old; 30–39 years old; 40–49 years old; 50–59 years old; 60–69 years old; 70 years old. Each participant attended the laboratory on three separate occasions to perform (1) an incremental cycling test, (2) maximal peak sprint power test, involving three 5-s sprint efforts (3) and a 10-min sub-maximal cycling test for determination of cycling efficiency.
Results
Cycling efficiency decreased beyond 50 years (50–59 years compared with 20–29 years: −7.3 ± 1.8 %;
p
< 0.05) and continued to decrease beyond 60 years (60–69 years compared with 50–59 years: −10.7 ± 2.4 %;
p
< 0.05), no further decrease was observed after 70 years. A continuous impairment in maximal sprint power output was observed after the age of 50 years leading to an overall decrease of 36 % between 20–29 years and >70 years. Significant positive relationships were observed between maximal sprint power output and both cycling efficiency (
r
2
= 0.64,
p
< 0.05) and maximal aerobic power (
r
2
= 0.42 and
p
< 0.05).
Conclusion
The present data indicates a significant effect of ageing on cycling efficiency and maximal sprint power output after 50 years and a significant relationship was found between these two parameters. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1439-6319 1439-6327 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00421-014-2977-8 |