Potential for strength and endurance training to amplify endurance performance.
The impact of adding heavy-resistance training to increase leg-muscle strength was studied in eight cycling- and running-trained subjects who were already at a steady-state level of performance. Strength training was performed 3 days/wk for 10 wk, whereas endurance training remained constant during this phase. After 10 wk, leg strength was increased by an average of 30%, but thigh girth and biopsied vastus lateralis muscle fiber areas (fast and slow twitch) and citrate synthase activities were unchanged. Maximal O2 uptake (VO2max) was also unchanged by heavy-resistance training during cycling (55 ml.kg-1.min-1) and treadmill running (60 ml.kg-1.min-1); however, short-term endurance (4-8 min) was increased by 11 and 13% (P less than 0.05) during cycling and running, respectively. Long-term cycling to exhaustion at 80% VO2max increased from 71 to 85 min (P less than 0.05) after the addition of strength training, whereas long-term running (10 km times) results were inconclusive. These data do not demonstrate any negative performance effects of adding heavy-resistance training to ongoing endurance-training regimens. They indicate that certain types of endurance performance, particularly those requiring fast-twitch fiber recruitment, can be improved by strength-training supplementation.
Hickson
R C
RC
Department of Physical Education, University of Illinois, Chicago 60680.
Dvorak
B A
BA
Gorostiaga
E M
EM
Kurowski
T T
TT
Foster
C
C
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000201:enzymology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010807:Physical Endurance; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012420:Running; D014891:Weight Lifting
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase