title: Monitoring Physical and Cognitive Overload During a Training Camp in Professional Female Cyclists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High training loads combined with other stressors can lead to performance decrements. The time needed to recover determines the diagnosis of (non)-functional overreaching or the overtraining syndrome. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of an 8-day (intensified) training camp of professional female cyclists on physical and cognitive performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine subjects performed a 30-min time trial (TT), cognitive test, and Profile of Mood States questionnaire before, during, and after a training camp (49% increased training volume). On data collection, cyclists were classified as "overreached" (OR) or "adapted" (A) based on TT performance. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to detect changes in physical and cognitive parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five cyclists were described as OR based on decreased mean power output (MPO) (-7.03%) on day 8. Four cyclists were classified as A (increased MPO: +1.72%). MPO and maximal heart rate were significantly different between A and OR groups. A significant slower reaction time (RT) (+3.35%) was found in OR subjects, whereas RT decreased (-4.59%) in A subjects. The change in MPO was negatively correlated with change in RT in the cognitive test (R2= .52).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the use of objective, inexpensive, and easy-to-interpret physical and cognitive tests can facilitate the monitoring of training adaptations in professional female athletes.
authors.forename: Lieselot
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Decroix
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rietjens
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meeusen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid
keywords: cognition; overreaching; performance