Many athletes incorporate high training volumes and limited recovery periods into their training regimes. This may disrupt the fragile balance and the accumulation of exercise stress may exceed an athlete's finite capacity of resistance. A state of elevated fatigue, increased mood disturbance and decreased exercise performance can result. This is commonly known as overreaching and if increased training and limited recovery is continued, it is believed that the more serious state of overtraining may develop. This is relatively commonly experienced in athletes, however little scientific investigation has been conducted to determine the characteristics and underlying mechanisms. The overall aim of this thesis was to gain a greater understanding of the state of overreaching and to specifically provide new information on potential markers of this state as well as possible mechanisms. To study the cumulative effects of exercise stress and subsequent recovery on performance changes, fatigue indicators and possible mechanisms, the training of endurance cyclists was systematically controlled and monitored in two separate investigations. A number of variables were assessed including performance, physiological, biochemical, psychological, immunological and hormonal variables. In addition heart rate variability and serotonergic responsiveness were also assessed. Some of the more pertinent effects of overreaching included an increase in heart rate variability, a reduction in carbohydrate oxidation, an increase in serotonergic responsiveness and a reduction in stress hormone concentrations. These results suggest that autonomic imbalance in combination with decreased hormonal release appears to be related to the decline in performance and elevated fatigue apparent in overreached athletes. Additionally it also appears that alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis may occur in overreached athletes.

A presente tese investigou o efeito da ingestão de cafeína no desempenho no ciclismo, no recrutamento muscular, na contribuição energética, no lactato sanguíneo, nas respostas fisiológicas e perceptivas e no desenvolvimento de fadiga central e periférica em diferentes modelos de exercício aeróbio de alta intensidade. Nove ciclistas do sexo masculino (32,3 ± 6,0 anos de idade, 79,3 ± 6,8 kg, 181,2 ± 7,9 cm e VO2máx 55,2 ± 5,7 mL.kg-1.min-1) completaram 11 sessões experimentais. Os participantes foram submetidos a testes contrarrelógio de 4.000 m, testes com carga constante até a exaustão realizados na potência média do contrarrelógio (313 ± 41 W e 100 ± 10 rpm), e ainda testes com carga constante com tempo fixo correspondente a 60% do tempo sustentado no teste de carga constante até a exaustão (237,2 ± 56,0 s). Os participantes ingeriram cápsulas contendo placebo ou cafeína (5 mg.kg-1 de massa corporal) 60 minutos antes da realização dos testes, em ordem contrabalançada e em um modelo duplo-cego. Respostas cardiorrespiratórias e perceptivas foram mensuradas durante os testes. Lactato sanguíneo foi coletado antes e após o exercício. Avaliações neuromusculares foram realizadas através de estimulação elétrica no nervo femoral nos momentos Baseline (previamente à ingestão da cápsula), Pré-EX (uma hora após a ingestão, antes do exercício), e Pós-EX (2 min após o exercício). A ingestão de 5 mg.kg-1 de cafeína melhorou o desempenho no teste contrarrelógio de 4.000 m de ciclismo (-6,9 ± 7,4 s; p = 0,024), devido a um aumento na contribuição anaeróbia. O desempenho no teste com carga constante até a exaustão também foi melhor após a ingestão de cafeína (+134,3 ± 81,5 s; p = 0,001), mas neste caso acompanhado por maior contribuição aeróbia. A ingestão de cafeína previamente a realização do exercício proporcionou efeito ergogênico no teste contrarrelógio de 4.000 m e no teste de carga constante até a exaustão, sem alterar o limiar de fadiga periférica. Entre os componentes periféricos avaliados, a taxa máxima de desenvolvimento de força reduziu significativamente menos após o teste de carga constante até a exaustão na condição cafeína, mesmo como o tempo de exercício prolongado, e também reduziu significativamente menos após o teste de carga constante e tempo fixo, o que sugere que a cafeína pode ter alterado o processo acoplamento excitação-contração, o que resultou em atraso da fadiga periférica. Além disso, no teste com carga constante até a exaustão, a disposição e a sensação de prazer foram maiores após a ingestão de cafeína, sugerindo que neste modelo de exercício estas variáveis perceptivas também podem ter contribuído para o efeito ergogênico da cafeína observado no desempenho. Em conclusão, este estudo demonstrou que a cafeína melhorara o desempenho no ciclismo em ambos os modelos de exercício aeróbio de alta intensidade, sendo no contrarrelógio devido ao aumento da quantidade total de energia anaeróbia e no carga constante até a exaustão nas variáveis perceptíveis e alteração no acoplamento excitação-contração, sem alterar o limiar de fadiga periférica / The present thesis investigated the effect of caffeine on cycling performance, muscle recruitment, energetic contribution, blood lactate, physiological and perceptual responses and the development of central and peripheral fatigue in different models of high-intensity aerobic exercises. Nine male cyclists (32.3 ± 6.0 years old, 79.3 ± 6.8 kg, 181.2 ± 7.9 cm and VO2max 55.2 ± 5.7 mL.kg-1.min-1) completed 11 experimental sessions. The participants performed 4,000 m cycling time trial, constant-load to exhaustion in the average power output of the time trial (313 ± 41 W and 100 ± 10 rpm), and also performed constant-load with fixedtime corresponding to 60% of the time sustained in the constant-load to exhaustion (237.2 ± 56.0 s). Participants ingested capsules containing placebo or caffeine (5 mg.kg-1 body weight) 60 minutes prior to the tests, in a counterbalanced order and in a double-blind model. Cardiorespiratory and perceptual responses were measured during the tests. Blood lactate was collected before and after exercises. Neuromuscular assessments were performed via electrical femoral nerve stimulation at Baseline (prior to capsule ingestion), Pre-EX (one hour after capsules ingestion, before exercise), and Post-EX (2 min after exercise). 5 mg.kg-1 of caffeine improved their performance in the 4,000 m cycling time trial (-6.9 ± 7.4 s; p = 0.024), due to an increase in anaerobic contribution. The performance in the constant-load to exhaustion was also enhanced after caffeine intake (+134.3 ± 81.5 s; p = 0.001), but in this case accompanied by greater aerobic contribution. Caffeine intake prior to cycling performance provided an ergogenic effect in the 4,000 m time trial and in the constant-load to exhaustion, without altering the critical threshold of peripheral fatigue. Among the peripheral components evaluated, the maximum rate of force development significantly reduced less after the constant-load to exhaustion in the caffeine condition, even as the prolonged exercise time, and also reduced significantly less after the constant-load with fixed-time, which suggests that caffeine may have altered the excitation-contraction coupling, which resulted in delayed peripheral fatigue. In addition, during the constant-load to exhaustion test, the felt arousal and feeling were higher after the caffeine, suggesting that in this exercise model these perceptions may also have contributed to the observed ergogenic effect of caffeine on the cycling. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that caffeine improved the cycling performance in both models of high-intensity aerobic exercise, being in the time-trial due to the increase of the total amount of anaerobic energy and the constant load until the exhaustion due to alteration in the perceptible variables and in the excitation-contraction coupling, without change the peripheral fatigue threshold