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Swimming and Cycling Overload training Effects on Running Economy

Swimming and Cycling Overload training Effects on Running Economy

Submitted by TheTriGuy on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 09:07
in

By G. John Mullen

The International Journal of Sports Medicine designed a study to investigate the effects of 3 weeks of overload training in swimming and biking with trained triathletes on running economy and kinematics. The study had four analysis days before the intervention was added and at this analysis the study team looked at VO2 max on two of the days (to determine running economy) and running kinematics at 65% VO2 max (studying various joint angles during different aspects of the gait cycle). Following this analysis the study team split the participants into two groups, one control and one overload training group. The control group maintained their current training protocol for three weeks which included: 24.3 km swimming (26,500 yards)/week, 528 km biking (328 miles)/week, and 109 km running (67 miles)/week. The overload training group increased their swimming load by 46% (34,488 yards/week) and biking by load by 57% (551 miles/week). To ensure the overload training group achieved over training syndrome, symptoms and surveys were assessed each week. This survey is the best means of measuring over training syndrome because over training's most detrimental effects are psychological.

Following the three weeks of over load training, the subjects were retested in VO2max (running economy) and running kinematics. Surprisingly, the subjects had little change in either of these categories. This result had the researchers questioning their study design: "Several hypotheses may explain these results: a low magnitude of a break of the habitual training structure and training load, a shorter duration of OT period, a high level of training adaptations in initial conditions...." Personally, I feel the study needed to assess running kinematics at a higher intensity ~75% VO2 max or higher to see variations in running or increase the duration of the overload training to 6 weeks where physiological adaptations of muscles began to occur.


As a swimmer or triathlete, we have all gone through overload training, do you think it affects your running mechanics? Does overload training in swimming effect your running efficiency? I sure remember having a tough time swimming in-season meets at Purdue...

References: Palazzetti S, Margaritis I, Guezennec CY.Swimming and cycling overloaded training in triathlon has no effect on running kinematics and economy. Int J Sports Med. 2005 Apr;26(3):193-9.