Keep on Sprinting Through Your Transition Period

Last week we discussed keeping sprint work during a transition period can help maintain fitness with little risk for mental fatigue. The same group just published another study looking at the same idea. What did they find?Winter training doesn’t have to be like thisAs we slowly approach the end of the competitive road season, many cyclists are considering an end-of-season transition period before starting up with their base training over the colder winter months. However, none of us want to forfeit our hard-earned fitness.Perhaps you have asked yourself before: What is the best way to maintain your fitness while still allowing your body to recover? In this weeks Toolbox article, we will investigate a recently published paper published from Brent Ronnestads research group. The researchers investigated the use of sprints during Low Intensity Training (LIT) sessions to increase cycling performance during a 3-week transition period following the competitive season. Lets get started!Who did they study?Eleven male cyclists completed the study. These athletes were certainly elite, with relative VO2max (maximal rate of oxygen uptake) values above 71 mL/kg/min.What did they do?At the start and end of the study, the cyclists completed a series of tests to identify the blood lactate threshold, VO2max, as well as 30 s sprint power and their 20 min power output, like a 20 min FTP test. By performing the tests before and after the intervention, the authors could then determine how changes in performance were affected by the training intervention. The exercise test protocol is outlined...