Approche clinique du surentraînementClinical aspect of overtraining

Purpose. – Isolate the objective and subjective clinical symptoms usually obtained in routine medical practice which more clearly characterise the overtraining syndrom in order to improve its diagnosis. Compare objective parameters with subjective parameters obtained by using the SFMS questionnaire to assess its validity.Synthesis of facts. – The subjective parameters usually used in this questionnaire (sleep, appetite, muscular symptoms, anxiety, irritability, headache…) and objective parameters (biometry, nutritional status, cardio-respiratory and metabolic during rest and exercise) are retrospectively analysed in 17 athletes who suffered from overtraoning syndrome. Some objectives clinical parameters are frequently observed (alteration of the resting and submaximum exercise heart rate, lower differential resting blood pressure, higher submaximal exercise lactatemia, lower recovery index). The fat mass and maximal exercise lactatemia are correlated to the score of the overtraining questionnaire.Conclusion. – This retrospective study puts forward the valuability of the subjective symptoms assessed by the SFMS questionnaire in conjunction with simple objective clinical parameters obtained in routine laboratory to facilitate the diagnosis of overtraining syndrom.     

L''hémorhéologie permet-elle de comprendre le « paradoxe de l''hématocrite » lors de l’entraînement et du surentraînement ?Does hemorheology explain the paradox of hematocrit in training and overtraining?

Purpose. – Doping with EPO increases both hematocrit and performance. On the opposite, training reduces hematocrit due to plasma volume extension and overtraining both increases hematocrit and decreases performance. This apparent paradox seems to be explained by a new concept proposed interpreting the interactions between viscosity factors and blood flow.Facts. – Viscosity factors exert a non linear “all or none” effect that can be described according to the “ percolation theory”. Blood viscosity has no hemodynamic relevance by its own, but viscosity factors (hematocrit, red cell deformability and aggregability, plasma viscosity) can result according to flow conditions in self-potentiating phenomena of quick transition between a state of high fluidity and a state of red cell aggregate clumping. In muscle, this model predicts that: (a) during exercise the only viscosity factor that could influence flow is plasma viscosity; (b) at rest all viscosity factors (including high hematocrit) may induce a self-potentiating “viscidation” process.Conclusion. – According to these concepts, supraphysiologic hematocrit values are probably unable to disturb muscular perfusion at exercise, but are likely to promote self-potentiated stasis at rest and thus to increase the risk of thrombosis.     

Le questionnaire de surentraînement de la Société française de médecine du sport : reproductibilité à court termeOvertraining questionnaire of the Société française de médecine du sport (French Society of Sport Medicine): short term reproducibility

Purpose. – To assess the short-term stability, over time, of a slightly modified version of the overtraining questionnaire proposed by the SFMS.Methods. – Three or 7-day test–retest of the questionnaire was completed in 30 high level athletes. In a first stage analysis, the score obtained during the first test was compared to and correlated with that obtained during the second one. Then, in a second stage analysis, the individual reproducibility of each item was assessed using a similitude index: a value of 100% meant that all the athletes gave an identical response for the two trials.Results. – Scores were not different between the two tests and intra-class correlation coefficients were r = 0.82. Overall reproducibility of the similitude index was quite good even if six items of 52 displayed a lower similitude index (around 80%).Conclusion. – The short-term reproducibility of the overtraining questionnaire is quite good. This result reinforces its reliability and warrants its use in a longitudinal follow-up framework aimed to detect precociously an overtraining syndrome.     

Intérêt du questionnaire de surentraînement de la Société française de médecine du sport lors d’un suivi de sportifsOvertraining questionnaire of Société française de médecine du sport for a continuous observation in a sport population

Aim. – Verify the sensibility of a standardised overtraining questionnaire during a weekly observation in a sport population.Methods and results. – The experiment was carried out in 12 athletes, 20–23 years old, students at the University in Licence STAPS, with a standardised overtraining questionnaire given every week during 8 weeks. Results were analysed individually and for the total population. Those showed that overtraining questionnaire could allow individualised training programs, and could provide some pertinent information on sleep quality and physical condition for each athlete. For the coach, the overtraining questionnaire permits to identify some fatigue state, consecutively to training variations. On the total population, the analysis of overtraining questionnaire showed some items more reliable than other.Conclusion. – This questionnaire was very interesting for coaches, allowing a good individualisation of the training program. Nevertheless, this questionnaire presents intricate statistical analysis when given at high frequency.     

Suivi de l’entraînement de nageurs de haut niveau par questionnaire de fatigue, dosages hormonaux et variabilité de la fréquence cardiaqueTraining follow up by questionnaire fatigue, hormones and heart rate variability measurements

Introduction. – A short questionnaire of fatigue, urinary cortisol/cortisone ratio and heart rate variability were measured in 14 elite swimmers during heavy, light and moderate training periods.Results. – The questionnaire was strongly related to the variations of training and performance (r > 0.70). Correlations were lower with the hormonal ratio and insignificant with the heart rate variability.Conclusion. – The questionnaire and the hormonal ratio were good markers of the variations of training and performance contrary to the heart rate variability.     

Les effets d''une exposition répétée à l''oxygène hyperbare (OHB) sur la performance physique du sportif

Objectifs. – Le but de cette étude a été de vérifier que l'hyperoxie permettait d'augmenter les performance d'un exercice physique.Méthodes. – Vingt-deux sportifs de spécialités différentes, « explosif » (musculation) et « endurance » (cyclisme) ont été étudiés. Les groupes « explosif » et « endurance » comportaient respectivement six sujets hyperoxie + trois contrôles et six sujets hyperoxie + sept contrôles. Douze séances d'entraînement de 90 minutes ont été réalisées : groupe hyperoxie = 100 % d'oxygène à 1,6 b (PO2 = 160 kPa), groupe témoin = pression atmosphérique normale (PO2 = 21 kPa). Des paramètres anthropométriques et biologiques , la force utile maximale (groupe « explosif ») et la VO2 max (groupe « endurance ») ont été mesurés avant et après les 12 séances. L'évolution des puissances développées à la fréquence cardiaque correspondant au seuil de 4 mmol d'acide lactique a été suivie dans le groupe « endurance ».Résultats. – Il n'existait pas de différence significative entre les groupes pour les paramètres anthropométriques, sanguins et la VO2 max. Le groupe « explosif » hyperoxie présentait à la fin des séances, une force utile maximale plus importante (p = 0,03) que celle des témoins. Le groupe « endurance » présentait une augmentation plus importante (p < 0,05) des puissances sous-maximales que le groupe témoin.Conclusion. – L'hyperoxie permet une optimisation de l'entraînement du sportif.Aims. – Evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen on physical exercise performance.Methods. – Twenty two athletes with different specialties: “explosive” (musculation) and “endurance” (cycling), were studied. The “explosive” and “endurance” groups included respectively 6 “hyperoxy” subjects + 3 controls and 6 “hyperoxy” subjects + 7 controls. Twelve 90 min-sessions of training were scheduled: “hyperoxy” group = 100% oxygen at 1.6 b (PO₂ = 160 kPa), control group = atmospheric pressure (PO₂ =21 kPa). Anthropometric and biologic parameters, useful maximum strength (“explosive” group) and VO_2max (“endurance” group) were assessed before and after the 12 sessions. Modifications of strength developed at the cardiac frequency corresponding to the 4 mmol threshold of lactic acid were noted in the “endurance” group.Results. – No difference was noted between the two groups in the variations of the anthropometric and biologic parameters as well as in the VO_2max determinations. The “explosive/hyperoxy” group developed, at the end of the sessions, a more important (P = 0.03) increase of the useful maximum strength that controls. The “endurance” group developed a more important increase (P < 0.05) of sub maximum powers that controls.Conclusion. – Hyperbaric oxygen optimize athletic training.     

Réponses corticotropes à un stress intense en fonction de l'entraînement chez deux souches de rats. Résultats préliminairesCorticotropic responses to acute stress according to exercise training in different rat strains: preliminary results

Aims – Determine the corticotropic responses to acute stress with or without prior exercise training and following the corticotropic phenotype of the rats.Methods and results – Lewis and SHR strains were selected for their opposite corticotropic responsiveness characteristics (high and low in SHR and Lewis strain, respectively). This study shows that exercise training induces opposite adrenal responses in SHR strain and in Lewis strain (which decrease increase its corticosterone concentration, respectively).Conclusion – This suggests that genetic may play an key role in pituitary-adrenal adaptations to exercise training.     

Effets du repas précompétitif sur la perception de l'effort et sur la glycémie lors d'un exercice de pédalage

The first purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of three different preexercise meals on perceived exertion and glycaemia during a one-hour bicycle exercise at 80% VO₂ max. The second purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between glycaemia and perceived exertion. Eight athletes (age: 24.6 ± 2.7 years, weight: 78.0 ±6.8 kg, height: 182.6 ± 9.9 cm) completed three assessment sessions, each being preceeded by one of the following meals, ingested 3 h before exercise: 400 mL of water, 400 mL of water and 75 g of glucose, and 100 mL of water and 375 g of potatoes. The subjects 'perceived exertion were measured at times 6, 15, 30, 45, 60 min and glycaemia at 0, 30, 60 min of the exercise. The results showed that perceived exertion (RPE and ETL) of each meal increased as a function of time (P <- 0.05) whereas glycaemia did not differ except for the glucose meal between 30 min and 1 h(P < 0.02). There was no significant difference in ratings of perceived exertion among any meal whereas glycaemia was different between the three conditions only at the beginning and the middle of the exercises (P < 0.04 and P < 0.02, respectively). Moreover, the vectorial angles between the variables ofperceived exertion and the glycaemia are close to 90 °. These results would suggest that perceived exertion does not seem to be affected by the three preexercise meals used in our study. Perceived exertion is not correlated to glycaemia changes during one-hour high intensity exercise. The results would, therefore, suggest that glycaemia is not a contributor signal of perceived exertion in this study. It seems that physiological factors other than glycaemia may have mediated the perceptual intensity at exhaustion. The respiratory-metabolic signals of exertion which are most pronounced at high relative exercise intensity are suggested to influence the perceptual signal of exertion.     

Effets de l'entraînement sur les potentiels aérobie et anaérobie de jeunes nageurs. Exercice réalisé avec les brasEffect of training on aerobic and anaerobic capacity in young swimmers. Exercise performed with arms

Aims – Investigate the influence of exercise training on the aerobic and anaerobic capacities of young swimmers.Methods – Ten male swimmers aged 15.2 ± 3.8 years participated: five sprint specialists and five middle-distance specialists. Each subject performed, an arm ergocycle, two laboratory tests, a maximal incremental exercise test and a force–velocity test, once in February (T1) and then again in June (T2).Results – For all subjects combined (n=10), the results showed a significant increase in maximal anaerobic power (p < 0.01) between T1 and T2. Aerobic capacity did not change significantly between the two tests in either group.Conclusion – This study demonstrates the interest of evaluating aerobic and anaerobic capacity in young swimmers during arm exercise. The change in results over the 5-month period between the two tests indicates the importance of scheduling exercise tests during the course of athletic training programs.     

Activité physique et remodelage osseux : étude chez une population de jeunes gymnastesPhysical exercise and bone turnover: a study in young girl gymnasts

Aims – Intensive exercise is known to improve the bone mass acquisition. One of the main explanations consists in the mechanical strains exerted on the skeleton. Little is known about the effects of physical exercise on the bone remodelling process.Methods and results – The bone remodelling rate evaluated in a group of young female (24 gymnasts and 21 controls), using a bone resorption marker, the CrossLaps peptides CTx. We measured in our subjects the bone mineral density at the whole body and at six regional sites. The bone density was statistically higher in the gymnasts compared to the controls at all the specific sites. The CTx level corrected by urinary creatinine was significantly higher in the gymnasts, reflecting a faster bone remodelling rate.Conclusion – Intensive physical activity could improve the bone mineral acquisition probably by a stimulation of the bone remodelling activity.     

Étude comparative de l'analyse spectrale de la fréquence cardiaque au cours de l'exercice sur ergocycle et de l'entraînement en judoHeart rate comparative study by spectral analysis between two exercises: ergocycle vs judo randori

Aim – Heart rate comparative study by spectral analysis between a 6 minutes judo randori et a 4 minutes ergocycle exercise at .Materials and methods – By ten male judokas, both time series were analyzed by short term Fourier transform (time/frequency analysis). Each 512 RR time series drawn from ECG was subdivided by Hanning windowing in 13 samples of 128 values (32 RR periods step). For each sample, both exercise types, means of the ten spectrograms have been computed, yielding two mean spectrograms for each sample.Results – 1) Despite a near maximal heart rate (HR) level between the two exercise types, the spectral energy computed from judo randori was significantly more important than ergocycle spectral energy. This phenomenon yields a qualitative effect of the exercise type (judo or ergocycle) on HRV. 2) the normalized spectral powers of low frequency and high frequency bands respectively, were not significantly different between both exercise types.Conclusion – The autonomie nervous control on HR would depend rather on exercise load than on exercise type.     

Le « syndrome des jambes lourdes » chez les athlètes surentraînés est-il le reflet de désordres hémorhéologiques ?Is the feeling of heavy legs in overtrained athletes related to impaired hemorheology?

Introduction. – The aim of this work is to evaluate if the feeling of heavy legs in athletes is correlated with overtraining syndrome-related hemorheological disturbances.Results. – The subjects who quoted the item: “I have the feeling of heavy legs” had higher plasma viscosity and higher red cell aggregation parameters. The overtraining score was correlated positively with plasma viscosity, and aggregability parameters. The feeling of heavy legs was correlated with plasma viscosity and aggregability.Conclusion. – These findings suggest that the feeling of heavy legs in overtrained athletes is related to overtraining syndrome-related hemorheologic disturbances, namely mild plasma hyperviscosity and mild erythrocyte hyperaggregability.