A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine in the field of Biokinetics. 21 June 2018 / Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe the Endurance Index of automotive workers to determine aerobic capacity to sustain an 8 hour shift. The Endurance Index is the product of Work (in Joules) performed by muscles divided by Peak Heart Rate (in beats per minute). Since there is no clear method for determining full work tolerance (8 hour sustenance) for job specific endurance activities, a new scientific method is warranted. Methods: This was a retrospective study and 44 jobs were randomly selected. In those jobs there was a sample of 101 automotive workers (n = 94 males and n = 6 females). From the 44 jobs, there were 220 endurance activities/tests and peak heart rates and total work performed by muscles was described then these variables were used to calculate Endurance Index which was described for each endurance activity. Results: Peak HR had a mean of 139.85 ±20.96 (100 – 184bpm), total work had a mean of 9224.73 ±5826.04 (897.20 – 33 055) and EI had a mean of 67.14 ±42.88 (8 – 243.10). Total work and EI had significant (p < 0.00) and good positive correlation (r = 0.97). Peak HR and EI had significant (p < 0.01) and poor negative correlation (r = -0.18). Conclusion: The scientific rationale for using Endurance Index as an indicator for aerobic capacity is that the better conditioned an individual the more work that can be produced at lower relative heart rates compared to individuals who are poorly conditioned. So the more the work value and the lower the heart rate value, the better the index. In this study it was found that Endurance index is a good indicator of aerobic capacity since a positive correlation was found between total work and Endurance index and a negative correlation was found between peak heart rate during an endurance activity and Endurance Index. / MT 2019

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Les buts de cette thèse étaient d’explorer les effets de la composition corporelle, de la surcharge pondérale et d’un programme d'entraînement pluridisciplinaire en endurance sur le contenu minéral osseux (CMO) et la densité minérale osseuse (DMO) chez les adolescents. Au total 4 études ont été menées. La première étude avait comme but d’explorer la contribution relative de la masse maigre et de la masse grasse aux valeurs de DMO chez 35 filles et 65 garçons français. Celle-ci a montré que la masse grasse est un déterminant positif de la DMO chez les filles mais pas chez les garçons. En effet, la masse maigre était le meilleur déterminant de la DMO chez les garçons. La deuxième et la troisième étude avaient comme objectif d’étudier les effets de la surcharge pondérale sur le CMO et la DMO du corps entier, du rachis lombaire et de la hanche chez des adolescentes libanaises. Ces 2 études ont montré que la surcharge pondérale est accompagnée d’une augmentation des valeurs absolues de CMO et de DMO. Cependant, après ajustement par le poids, ces différences disparaissent. Dès lors, ces études suggèrent que la DMO des filles en surcharge pondérale soit bien adaptée à l’excès de poids. La quatrième étude a étudié les effets de 12 semaines d’entraînement en endurance sur le CMO et la DMO chez des adolescentes obèses, en surpoids et normo-pondérées. Cette étude a montré une augmentation des valeurs de DMO dans les 3 groupes alors que le CMO n’a augmenté que dans le groupe obèse. Cette étude confirme le rôle positif de l’exercice physique sur la DMO chez les adolescentes obèses et non obèses. / The aims of this thesis were to explore the effects of body composition, overweight and of an endurance training program on bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in adolescents. 4 studies were undertaken to achieve this goal. The first study explored the relative importance of lean and fat mass on BMD in a group of adolescent girls and boys. This study showed that fat mass is a positive determinant of BMD in girls but not in boys. In fact, lean mass was the best positive determinant of BMD in boys. The studies 2 and 3 aimed at studying the effects of overweight on whole-body, lumbar spine and hip BMD in Lebanese adolescent girls. These studies showed that the crude values of BMC and BMD were higher in overweight girls compared to controls. However, there were no differences in BMC or BMD between the two groups after adjusting for weight. Therefore, these studies suggest that the BMD of the overweight girls adapts to the increased body weight. The last study explored the effects of 12 weeks of endurance training on BMC and BMD in obese, overweight and normal-weighted sedentary adolescent girls. The BMD increased in the three groups. However, the whole-body BMC increased only in the obese group. This study confirmed the positive effects of physical exercise on BMD in obese and non-obese adolescent girls.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Edith Cowan University, 2007. / Submitted to the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science. Includes bibliographical references.

Cette thèse visait à explorer trois limites des adaptations cardiovasculaires des sportifs endurants. Les athlètes endurants bradycardes ont-ils un risque augmenté de présenter des syncopes réflexes et des particularités électrocardiographiques par rapport à leurs homologues non bradycardes ? Commencer un entraînement après 40 ans est-il trop tard pour espérer améliorer sa santé cardiovasculaire ? La fatigue cardiaque retrouvée à l’issue d’efforts longs et intenses chez les coureurs à pied est-elle également induite par des efforts pratiqués essentiellement avec les bras comme le canoë-kayak ou par les efforts pratiqués par les militaires durant leurs stages intensifs ? Tout d’abord, l’étude BRADY suggère que chez des athlètes endurants de même niveau qui diffèrent uniquement par leur FC de repos (44 vs 61 batt.min-1) les bradycardes ne sont pas plus à risque de syncopes réflexes ni de particularités électrocardiographiques que les non bradycardes. L’hypertrophie cardiaque, plus importante chez les bradycardes, pourrait jouer un rôle central dans le développement de la bradycardie du sportif. Deuxièmement, l’étude COSS suggère que commencer un entraînement en endurance après 40 ans n’est pas trop tard pour être en meilleure santé cardiovasculaire à 60 ans. En effet le VO2max, la FC de repos ainsi que la balance sympathovagal ne diffèrent pas chez des seniors de 60 ans ayant commencé à s’entraîner avant 30 ans de chez ceux ayant commencé après 40 ans. Ces indices de la santé cardiovasculaire étaient meilleurs dans ces deux groupes par rapport aux personnes n’ayant jamais suivi un entraînement en endurance. Seul un entraînement initié avant 30 ans semble cependant apporter certains bénéfices vasculaires à l’effort, non retrouvés chez les seniors ayant commencé après 40 ans. Enfin, l’étude FACEFI visait à évaluer les conséquences cardiaques de 3 types d’efforts : 3 semaines d’entraînements intenses en canoë-kayak au pôle France de Cesson-Sévigné, 24h d’un stage d’aguerrissement chez des élèves des Écoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan, et 4 jours d’un stage chez les Commandos de Marine. Seule une partie des résultats obtenus chez les Commandos de Marine a été analysée. Ils indiquent que 3 jours et 3 nuits d’un stage commando, finalisés par une marche forcée de 20 km en portant une charge de 20 kg, ne semblent pas altérer ni les dimensions ni les fonctions cardiaques. La durée relativement faible de l’effort (< 2h45), le très bon niveau d’entraînement des sujets, ainsi que la composante en résistance importante des efforts réalisés, peuvent expliquer ce résultat. / This PhD Thesis aimed to answer three limits related to cardiovascular adaptations in endurance athletes. Are bradycardic endurance athletes more at risk of reflex syncope and of ECG abnormalities than their non-bradycardic counterparts? Is 40 years old too late to start endurance training in order to improve cardiovascular health in later life? Cardiac fatigue has been shown after long-term intense running events, but do canoeing or military training induce the same alteration? First, BRADY study showed that endurance-trained bradycardic athletes are not more prone to reflex syncope or ECG abnormalities than their non-bradycardic peers. Our results suggest that cardiac hypertrophy may be, at least in part, responsible for the developement of training-induced bradycardia. Second, COSS study showed that commencing structured endurance training after 40 years of age is powerful enough to induce beneficial alterations in VO2max, resting HR, and autonomic status that match those observed in individuals who commenced training prior to 30 years of age. However, only endurance training commenced before 30 years old provides enhancement of certain vascular adaptations during exercise. Last, preliminary results of FACEFI study showed that a 4-day military selection camp does not lead to cardiac fatigue. The relative short duration of the last exercise (< 2h45), the high level of training of the subjects, and the important strenght- related part of the exercices may explain the lack of cardiac fatigue. Data from 4 weeks of canoeing training and 24h of military training in other groups of athletes are in process.

The molecular events that promote or inhibit specific training adaptations (i.e. skeletal muscle hypertrophy or mitochondrial biogenesis) are not completely understood. Accordingly, there is a need to better define both the acute and chronic responses to divergent exercise stimuli in order to elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms that ultimately determine skeletal muscle phenotype. Therefore, the primary aims of the studies undertaken for this thesis were to examine the acute molecular adaptation responses in skeletal muscle following resistance and endurance training. In order to determine the acute molecular events following repeated bouts of exercise, the study described in Chapter Two compared a high-frequency stacked training regimen designed to generate a summation of transient exercise-induced signalling responses with a conventional-frequency resistance training protocol. Groups (n= 6) of Sprague-Dawley rats performed either high-frequency training (four exercise bouts consisting of 3 - 10 repetitions separated by 3 h) or conventional-frequency training (three exercise bouts consisting of 4 - 10 repetitions with 48 h between sessions). Protocols were matched for total work, and repetitions were performed at 75% one-repetition maximum with 3 min recovery between sets. White quadriceps muscle was extracted 3 h after every training bout, and 24 and 48 h following the final exercise session of each protocol. AKT phosphorylation was significantly decreased 3 h following the 2nd bout of high-frequency training, an effect that persisted until 48 h after the final exercise bout (P less than 0.05), while the phosphorylation state of this kinase was unchanged with conventional training. These results suggest that high-frequency training suppressed IGF-1 mediated signalling. Furthermore, high-frequency training generated sustained and coordinated increases in TNFá and IKK phosphorylation (P less than 0.05), indicating an extended response of inflammatory signalling pathways. Conversely, and irrespective of an initial increase after the first bout of exercise, TNFá signalling ultimately returned to control Abstract values by DAY 5 of conventional-frequency training, indicative of a rapid adaptation to the exercise stimulus. Notably, despite differential AKT activation there were similar increases in p70 S6K phosphorylation with both training protocols. These results indicate high-frequency resistance training extends the transient activation of inflammatory cytokine-mediated signalling and results in a persistent suppression of AKT phosphorylation, but these events do not appear to inhibit kinase activity proximal to translation initiation. The aim of the study described in Chapter Three was to determine the effect of prior training history on selected signalling responses after an acute bout of resistance and endurance exercise. Following 24 h diet / exercise control 13 male subjects (7 strength-trained and 6 endurance-trained) performed a random order of either resistance (8 x 5 maximal leg extensions) or endurance exercise (1 h cycling at 70% peak O2 uptake). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at rest, immediately and 3 h post-exercise. AMPK phosphorylation increased after cycling in strength-trained, but not endurance-trained subjects (P less than 0.05). Conversely, AMPK was elevated following resistance exercise in endurance-, but not strength-trained subjects (P less than 0.05). Thus, AMPK was elevated only when subjects undertook a bout of exercise in a mode of training to which they were unaccustomed. Surprisingly, there was no change in AKT phosphorylation following resistance exercise regardless of the training background of the subjects. In the absence of increased AKT phosphorylation, resistance exercise induced an increase in p70 S6K and ribosomal S6 protein phosphorylation in endurance-trained but not strength-trained subjects (Pless than 0.05). AKT phosphorylation was increased in endurance-trained, but not strength-trained subjects after cycling (P less than 0.05). These results show that a degree of signalling

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables that has exhibited powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in rodents and in vitro. In humans, the ergogenic effects of antioxidant supplementation on exercise performance and adaptations are still equivocal and need to be further investigated. A powerful antioxidant such as quercetin may inhibit the high levels of oxidative stress associated with the high volume and intensity of exercise training seen with trained individuals. There have been equivocal findings thus far regarding the ergogenic effect of either acute or chronic supplementation of quercetin on exercise performance. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of 28 days of daily quercetin supplementation on cycling time trial performance and the associated exercise performance variables. METHODS: Thirteen trained cyclists (VO2peak 58.8 ± 3.9 ml/kg/min) were recruited for this study from the University of Texas at Austin and the local Austin, Texas community and participated in this placebo controlled, randomized, crossover designed study. After initial assessment of baseline data (VO2peak, lactate threshold, and two familiarization time trials), participants began daily supplementation of either an antioxidant supplement containing vitamins and quercetin (Q-VIT: 1000mg quercetin, 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3) or the same vitamin supplement without quercetin (VIT: 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3). A simulated time trial using an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer in which subjects had to complete a set amount of work (kJ) as fast as possible was performed on the last day of supplementation. Measured performance variables included: time to completion, average power output, average oxygen consumption (VO2), Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), gross mechanical efficiency (GE), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). RESULTS: Quercetin had no effect on HR, RER, power output, or RPE. There was also no difference in time to complete the time trial between treatments. However, an approximately ~2% higher, but not significantly different, VO2 during Q-VIT supplementation significantly lowered the GE compared to VIT (Q-VIT: 20.49 ± 0.26 % and 19.94 ± 0.33 %; VIT: 20.9 ± 0.24 % and 20.37 ± 0.33 %; p < .01) at 15 and 30 min respectively. CONCLUSION: Chronic supplementation for 28 days with a quercetin based antioxidant supplement lowered cycling gross efficiency in well trained cyclists, but it did not affect performance time. The results of the current study suggest that chronic supplementation with quercetin does not influence aerobic exercise performance in well trained athletes. / text

Endurance exercise capacity is a powerful predictor of health status. Having low levels of endurance exercise capacity has been linked with cardiovascular disease. Variation in endurance exercise capacity, measured during a graded exercise test, has been reported across cross-section, twin, and family studies. This variation is evidence of a genetic component to the phenotype of endurance exercise capacity: however, the genetic factors responsible for explaining this variation are undefined, in part because previous research has been performed on a limited scale. Therefore, three sets of experiments were designed to identify: 1) Novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) for endurance exercise capacity in 34 strains of inbred mice using genome-wide association mapping. 2) The effect of chromosome substitution on endurance exercise capacity using linkage analysis in F2 mice. 3) The effect of chromosome substitution on endurance exercise capacity using wild-derived mice. The main findings of this dissertation are: 1) There are strain-specific differences in endurance exercise capacity across 34 strains of male inbred mice. Genome-wide association mapping identified novel putative QTL on chromosomes 2, 7, 11, and 13. 2) Linkage analysis identified a novel QTL on chromosome 14 at the 56 cM position for run time and work. Linkage analysis also identified a potential sex-specific QTL, with the identified QTL significant for male mice only. 3) Novel putative QTL were identified on chromosomes 3 and 14 in chromosome substitution mice from wild-derived mice. These data suggest that chromosome 14 is an important contributor to the genetic regulation of intrinsic endurance exercise capacity. These studies support a genetic component to endurance exercise capacity by identifying strain-specific differences and novel, putative QTL.

Thesis (PhDHumanMovement)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (MApSc(HumanMovement))--University of South Australia, 2002.