O propósito do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos do overtraining (OT) nas proteínas relacionadas com a via de sinalização da mammalian target of the rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), no conteúdo proteico de sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) e nas características morfológicas do fígado de camundongos C57BL/6. Os animais foram divididos em grupo controle (CT), overtraining em declive (OTR/down), overtraining em aclive (OTR/up) e overtraining sem inclinação (OTR). Teste do rotarod, incremental, exaustivo e força de preensão foram utilizados para avaliação de performance. Após 36 horas o teste de força de preensão, os fígados foram removidos e utilizados para immunoblotting ou análises histológicas. A fosforilação da proteína kinase B (pAkt; Ser473), mammalian target of the rapamycin (pmTOR; Ser2448), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (pS6K1; Thr389) e da AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK; Thr172) foram significativamente maiores no grupo OTR/down quando comparado com os grupos CT e OTR. A fosforilação da 4E-binding protein-1 (p4E-BP1; Thr37/46) foi significativamente maior no grupo OTR/down quando comparado com o grupo CT. Os níveis proteicos de sterol regulatory element binding protein- 1 (SREBP-1; p125 precursor) foram significativamente maiores nos grupos OTR/down e OTR/up quando comparados com o grupo CT. Enquanto o grupo OTR/down apresentou sinais de esteatose com inchaço celular acompanhado de inflamação aguda, os grupos OTR/up e OTR demonstraram evidências de injúria hepática, com a presença de núcleos picnóticos, hepatócitos em balão e vacúolos citoplasmáticos. Conclui-se que o protocolo de OTR/down aumenta a modulação da via de sinalização da mTOR e induz a sinais de esteatose hepática. / The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of overtraining (OT) on the proteins related to the mammalian target of the rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway, the protein content of the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and the morphological characteristics in the livers of C57BL/6 mice. Rodents were divided into control (CT), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by uphill running (OTR/up) and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR) groups. Rotarod, incremental load, exhaustive and grip force tests were used to evaluate performance. Thirty-six hours after the grip force test, the livers were removed and used for immunoblotting or histological analysis. The phosphorylation of the protein kinase B (pAkt; Ser473), mammalian target of the rapamycin (pmTOR; Ser2448), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (pS6K1; Thr389) and AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK; Thr172) were significantly higher in the OTR/down group when compared to the CT and OTR groups. The phosphorylation of the 4Ebinding protein-1 (p4E-BP1; Thr37/46) was significantly higher in the OTR/down group when compared to the CT group. The protein levels of the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1; p125 precursor) were significantly higher in the OTR/down and OTR/up groups when compared to the CT group. While the OTR/down group presented signs of steatosis with cell swelling accompanied by acute inflammation, the OTR/up and OTR groups demonstrated evidences of injury in liver, with the presence of pyknotic nuclei, ballooned hepatocytes and cytoplasmic vacuoles. In conclusion, the OTR/down protocol up-modulated the mTOR signaling pathway and induced signs of hepatic steatosis.

O overreaching não funcional (NFOR) induzido por consecutivas sessões de treinamentos intensos intercaladas por períodos insuficientes de recuperação, está associado com inflamação e consequente prejuízo da via de sinalização insulínica em músculos esqueléticos de camundongos. Sabe-se que o miocárdio também é capaz de produzir tais proteínas inflamatórias associadas ao comprometimento da via hormonal e que alterações na atividade do receptor insulínico cardíaco levam à forçadas modificações na utilização dos substratos energéticos com prejuízos na mecanoenergética cardíaca predispondo o miocárdio à diversas injúrias. No entanto os efeitos do NFOR nas vias inflamatórias e insulínica cardíaca ainda não foram investigados. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do NFOR no conteúdo de glicogênio cardíaco e ativação de proteínas relacionadas às vias insulínica e inflamatória. Os animais foram divididos em 6 grupos: Naive, Controle, Treinado, e os grupos submetidos ao protocolo de overtraining em declive (OTR/down), aclive (OTR/up) e sem inclinação (OTR). As especificidades das contrações musculares induziram diferentes adaptações cardíacas. Os grupos OTR e OTR/up não apresentaram sinais de inflamação além de superexpressarem a via insulínica, por outro lado, o grupo OTR/down apresentou inflamação cardíaca de baixo grau, contudo, sem queda no conteúdo de pIR. Todos os protocolos de overtraining induziram elevação no conteúdo de glicogênio cardíaco acompanhado de expressiva queda da pAMPK. Os resultados do presente trabalho nos trazem, portanto, a hipótese de que o tecido cardíaco apresente uma maior resistência à inflamação viabilizando dessa forma a melhora da resposta insulínica e acúmulo do glicogênio cardíaco a fim de fornecer a energia necessária ao extenuante exercício físico evitando a lipotoxicidade cardíaca. Por outro lado, a queda da AMPK consequente do excessivo acúmulo de glicogênio cardíaco pode predispor o miocárdio à diversas injúrias, sendo necessários mais estudos na área. / Non-functional overreaching (NFOR) induced by consecutive intense training sessions interspersed by insufficient periods of recovery is associated with inflammation and a consequent impairment of the insulin signaling pathway in skeletal muscle of mice. It is known that the myocardium is also capable of producing such inflammatory proteins associated with the impairment of the hormonal pathway and that changes in cardiac insulin receptor activity lead to forced modifications in the use of energetic substrates with losses in cardiac mecanoenergética predisposing the myocardium to various injuries. However, the effects of NFOR on inflammatory and cardiac insulin pathways have not been investigated yet. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of NFOR on cardiac glycogen content and activation of proteins related to insulin and inflammatory pathways. The animals were divided into 6 groups: Naïve, Control, Trained, and the groups submitted to the overtraining protocol in decline (OTR/down), uphill (OTR /up) and without inclination (OTR). The specificities of muscle contractions induced different cardiac adaptations. OTR and OTR/up groups showed no signs of inflammation and an over expressive of the insulin pathway; on the other hand, the OTR/down group presented low-grade cardiac inflammation, however, without any decrease in the pIR content. All overtraining protocols induced elevation in cardiac glycogen content accompanied by significant drop in pAMPK. The results of the present work hypothesize that the cardiac tissue presents a greater resistance to inflammation, thus enabling the improvement of the insulin response and the accumulation of cardiac glycogen in order to provide the necessary energy to the strenuous physical exercise avoiding cardiac lipotoxicity. On the other hand, the decrease in AMPK due to the excessive accumulation of cardiac glycogen may predispose the myocardium to several injuries, and further studies in the area are required.

O propósito do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos do overtraining (OT) nas proteínas relacionadas com a via de sinalização da mammalian target of the rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), no conteúdo proteico de sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) e nas características morfológicas do fígado de camundongos C57BL/6. Os animais foram divididos em grupo controle (CT), overtraining em declive (OTR/down), overtraining em aclive (OTR/up) e overtraining sem inclinação (OTR). Teste do rotarod, incremental, exaustivo e força de preensão foram utilizados para avaliação de performance. Após 36 horas o teste de força de preensão, os fígados foram removidos e utilizados para immunoblotting ou análises histológicas. A fosforilação da proteína kinase B (pAkt; Ser473), mammalian target of the rapamycin (pmTOR; Ser2448), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (pS6K1; Thr389) e da AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK; Thr172) foram significativamente maiores no grupo OTR/down quando comparado com os grupos CT e OTR. A fosforilação da 4E-binding protein-1 (p4E-BP1; Thr37/46) foi significativamente maior no grupo OTR/down quando comparado com o grupo CT. Os níveis proteicos de sterol regulatory element binding protein- 1 (SREBP-1; p125 precursor) foram significativamente maiores nos grupos OTR/down e OTR/up quando comparados com o grupo CT. Enquanto o grupo OTR/down apresentou sinais de esteatose com inchaço celular acompanhado de inflamação aguda, os grupos OTR/up e OTR demonstraram evidências de injúria hepática, com a presença de núcleos picnóticos, hepatócitos em balão e vacúolos citoplasmáticos. Conclui-se que o protocolo de OTR/down aumenta a modulação da via de sinalização da mTOR e induz a sinais de esteatose hepática. / The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of overtraining (OT) on the proteins related to the mammalian target of the rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway, the protein content of the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and the morphological characteristics in the livers of C57BL/6 mice. Rodents were divided into control (CT), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by uphill running (OTR/up) and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR) groups. Rotarod, incremental load, exhaustive and grip force tests were used to evaluate performance. Thirty-six hours after the grip force test, the livers were removed and used for immunoblotting or histological analysis. The phosphorylation of the protein kinase B (pAkt; Ser473), mammalian target of the rapamycin (pmTOR; Ser2448), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (pS6K1; Thr389) and AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK; Thr172) were significantly higher in the OTR/down group when compared to the CT and OTR groups. The phosphorylation of the 4Ebinding protein-1 (p4E-BP1; Thr37/46) was significantly higher in the OTR/down group when compared to the CT group. The protein levels of the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1; p125 precursor) were significantly higher in the OTR/down and OTR/up groups when compared to the CT group. While the OTR/down group presented signs of steatosis with cell swelling accompanied by acute inflammation, the OTR/up and OTR groups demonstrated evidences of injury in liver, with the presence of pyknotic nuclei, ballooned hepatocytes and cytoplasmic vacuoles. In conclusion, the OTR/down protocol up-modulated the mTOR signaling pathway and induced signs of hepatic steatosis.

O overreaching não funcional (NFOR) induzido por consecutivas sessões de treinamentos intensos intercaladas por períodos insuficientes de recuperação, está associado com inflamação e consequente prejuízo da via de sinalização insulínica em músculos esqueléticos de camundongos. Sabe-se que o miocárdio também é capaz de produzir tais proteínas inflamatórias associadas ao comprometimento da via hormonal e que alterações na atividade do receptor insulínico cardíaco levam à forçadas modificações na utilização dos substratos energéticos com prejuízos na mecanoenergética cardíaca predispondo o miocárdio à diversas injúrias. No entanto os efeitos do NFOR nas vias inflamatórias e insulínica cardíaca ainda não foram investigados. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do NFOR no conteúdo de glicogênio cardíaco e ativação de proteínas relacionadas às vias insulínica e inflamatória. Os animais foram divididos em 6 grupos: Naive, Controle, Treinado, e os grupos submetidos ao protocolo de overtraining em declive (OTR/down), aclive (OTR/up) e sem inclinação (OTR). As especificidades das contrações musculares induziram diferentes adaptações cardíacas. Os grupos OTR e OTR/up não apresentaram sinais de inflamação além de superexpressarem a via insulínica, por outro lado, o grupo OTR/down apresentou inflamação cardíaca de baixo grau, contudo, sem queda no conteúdo de pIR. Todos os protocolos de overtraining induziram elevação no conteúdo de glicogênio cardíaco acompanhado de expressiva queda da pAMPK. Os resultados do presente trabalho nos trazem, portanto, a hipótese de que o tecido cardíaco apresente uma maior resistência à inflamação viabilizando dessa forma a melhora da resposta insulínica e acúmulo do glicogênio cardíaco a fim de fornecer a energia necessária ao extenuante exercício físico evitando a lipotoxicidade cardíaca. Por outro lado, a queda da AMPK consequente do excessivo acúmulo de glicogênio cardíaco pode predispor o miocárdio à diversas injúrias, sendo necessários mais estudos na área. / Non-functional overreaching (NFOR) induced by consecutive intense training sessions interspersed by insufficient periods of recovery is associated with inflammation and a consequent impairment of the insulin signaling pathway in skeletal muscle of mice. It is known that the myocardium is also capable of producing such inflammatory proteins associated with the impairment of the hormonal pathway and that changes in cardiac insulin receptor activity lead to forced modifications in the use of energetic substrates with losses in cardiac mecanoenergética predisposing the myocardium to various injuries. However, the effects of NFOR on inflammatory and cardiac insulin pathways have not been investigated yet. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of NFOR on cardiac glycogen content and activation of proteins related to insulin and inflammatory pathways. The animals were divided into 6 groups: Naïve, Control, Trained, and the groups submitted to the overtraining protocol in decline (OTR/down), uphill (OTR /up) and without inclination (OTR). The specificities of muscle contractions induced different cardiac adaptations. OTR and OTR/up groups showed no signs of inflammation and an over expressive of the insulin pathway; on the other hand, the OTR/down group presented low-grade cardiac inflammation, however, without any decrease in the pIR content. All overtraining protocols induced elevation in cardiac glycogen content accompanied by significant drop in pAMPK. The results of the present work hypothesize that the cardiac tissue presents a greater resistance to inflammation, thus enabling the improvement of the insulin response and the accumulation of cardiac glycogen in order to provide the necessary energy to the strenuous physical exercise avoiding cardiac lipotoxicity. On the other hand, the decrease in AMPK due to the excessive accumulation of cardiac glycogen may predispose the myocardium to several injuries, and further studies in the area are required.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate overtraining (OT) and burnout (BO) in young athletes. Very little data on the incidence of OT in young athletes is available, hence the purpose of the 1st study was to investigate the prevalence and symptomology of NFOR (non-functional overreaching) and OT in young English athletes practicing different sports and competing across all competitive levels. Data from 376 young athletes (age 15.00 ± 1.97 y) indicated that 29 % had experienced at least one episode of NFOR/OT, and that NFOR/OT was significantly higher at national and international competitive levels (p < 0.01). Presenting symptomology was similar to that reported in adults, with both training and non-training stressors identified as important associates: losses of appetite during periods of hard training, frequent injuries and feelings of a lack of recovery from training, combined with apathy, feeling intimidated by opponents, and being “moody” were the most frequently reported physical and psychological symptoms, respectively. Training load, the commonly believed cause of NFOR/OT, had no significant association with NFOR/OT incidence; however competitive level and gender were significant predictors of NFOR/OT, albeit of a small explained variance (~4%). This study demonstrated that NFOR/OT is evident in young athletes and that the associated factors are multifactorial. The 2nd study monitored prospectively, 4 national-level female swimmers during an 11-month competitive season. Two swimmers (16.00 ± 1.41 y) were diagnosed as OT based on performance decrements (mean decrement of 9 %). One of the OT swimmers (OT2) presented with the classical psychophysiological profile, i.e. high monthly training volumes, low IgA concentration, depressed maximal lactates and high self-reported distress. Conversely the other OT swimmer (OT1) only presented with high Training Distress Scale (TDS) scores. These findings show that both, OT is a complex problem to diagnose and that it’s approach needs to be individualized. The 3rd study investigated the acute psycho-physiological responses to a 6-day training camp in 4 young female swimmers (15.00 ± 1.21 y), of which one was OT and another burnt out (OT1 swimmer from study 2). Both mal-adapted athletes showed performance decrements of ~8 % that lasted for more than 6 months. The OT swimmer, unlike her BO friend, showed a depressed IgA concentration, an unresponsive cortisol, reduced maximal lactate production, and high psychological distress, measured by the TDS. Both swimmers reported slower reaction times on the Stroop test, with the BO swimmer evidencing the worst performance. Finally, the BO swimmer reported very high scores on the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; reduced sense of accomplishment = 4.3; emotional/physical exhaustion = 2.6; sport devaluation = 3.7). This study showed that the psychophysiological profile of an OT swimmer may differ considerably from a BO athlete, with the ABQ being potentially the most efficient tool to diagnose BO. Once more, the individuality of the profiles reinforces the importance of investigating this phenomenon on a case by case basis. The final study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to investigate the psychosocial nature of OT and BO in a 15 year-old female swimmer (OT1 and BO from studies 2 and 3, respectively) and revealed how multiple sources of training and non-training stressors all combined to negatively affect the athlete. The swimmer revealed a past in which she experienced rapid success at an early age and a training mentality of “the more, the better” which was promoted by parents, coaches and herself. Her strong unidimensional identity – centred on swimming – provided few recreational or social opportunities outside the sport. She also reported communication difficulties with her coaches, unwelcome changes in coaching staff, periods of separation from her family, and an over-involved mother. The findings of this thesis suggest that NFOR/OT and BO are issues that many young athletes have to contend with during their sporting careers. The multifactorial nature of these conditions mean that any screening, prevention or recovery interventions must address the problem from a holistic standpoint and as such, Ken Wilber’s (1998) Integral Model is proposed as a suitable framework through which this condition may be investigated in young athletes.

Orientador: Denise Vaz de Macedo / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T20:10:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hohl_Rodrigo_D.pdf: 822844 bytes, checksum: fd38d4c98d17c89e25fcfd09540ba103 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: O empirismo do treinamento pode levar a um desequilíbrio entre estímulo da atividade motora e tempo de recuperação do esforço. Como conseqüência o atleta pode experimentar um estado agudo de fadiga e queda de desempenho denominado de overreaching, revertido em poucos dias. A persistência desta situação de desequilíbrio pode levar a um quadro crônico de sensação de fadiga acompanhado de queda de desempenho denominado de síndrome do overtraining (OTS), que pode durar semanas ou meses. O objetivo deste trabalho foi padronizar um protocolo controlado e reprodutível de treinamento em ratos que contivesse um período de desequilíbrio entre o estímulo do exercício e o tempo de recuperação que gerasse queda de desempenho. Há duas formas de exercício em ratos amplamente utilizadas na literatura: a natação e a corrida em esteira. Os primeiros dois capítulos deste trabalho descrevem a padronização de um teste de desempenho em natação, reprodutível ao longo do crescimento animal, para ser utilizado em estudos longitudinais. Para isso, precisávamos considerar o empuxo sofrido pelo animal no meio líquido e validamos (Capítulo I) um aparato de medição de volume para animais vivos e conscientes (AMV). No capítulo II apresentamos os dados da comparação da reprodutibilidade de dois testes de desempenho até a exaustão na natação durante os cinco primeiros meses de vida dos ratos. Um teste com adição de cargas ajustadas de acordo com o porcentual da massa corporal (MC) e outro com cargas constantes (CC). Utilizando o AMV constatamos que a densidade dos animais não variava e, como conseqüência, o teste MC diminuía o tempo de exaustão conforme os ratos aumentavam a massa durante o crescimento, enquanto o teste CC mantinha o tempo de exaustão ao longo do tempo. Paralelamente, iniciamos os estudos com exercício em esteira. No Capítulo III apresentamos um protocolo de 11 semanas, onde o desequilíbrio entre exercício e recuperação foi determinado pelo aumento das sessões diárias nas três últimas semanas em 2, 3 e 4 vezes, com diminuição no tempo de recuperação entre elas. Selecionamos no final desse treinamento dois grupos de ratos, aqueles que apresentaram baixo desempenho (BD) e aqueles que apresentaram aumento ou manutenção do desempenho (AD). Embora ambos os grupos tenham apresentado uma diminuição da massa corporal durante o aumento da freqüência de treinamento, o grupo BD precisou de uma semana a mais de repouso para voltar a aumentar a massa, sem modificar o desempenho. No Capítulo IV comparamos quatro grupos de ratos obtidos desse protocolo (Controle (CO), Treinados (T), BD e AD) em análises no sangue (glutamina, glutamato, alanina e hemograma) e músculo (citrato sintase (CS), lactato desidrogenase e glicogênio). Comparando BD com T e AD observamos: (1) diminuição da concentração plasmática de glutamina e aumento na de glutamato, com valores semelhantes aos do grupo CO; (2) diminuição da capacidade oxidativa (CS) e manutenção dos estoques de glicogênio; (3) leucocitose. Em vista das diferenças encontrada entre os grupos BD e AD, concluímos que o protocolo de treinamento de indução de overreaching representa uma ferramenta metodológica importante, que pode auxiliar no desvendamento dos mecanismos causadores da queda de desempenho nos estados de overreaching/OTS / Abstract: The empirical training can lead to an imbalance between the motor activity stress and recovery. As consequence, the athlete can try an acute state of fatigue and performance decrement called overreaching, reverted in a few days. This continuous unbalance can lead to a chronic fatigue state called as overtraining syndrome (OTS), that may last weeks or months. Our goal was to standardize a controlled and reproducible training protocol in rats that contained an unbalance period between exercise stress and recovery with performance decrement. Two forms of exercise is widely used for rats training in literature: swimming and treadmill running. Chapters I and II describe an adequate standardization for workload in swimming tests when applied to longitudinal studies with sedentary rats. Therefore, considering the rats' buoyance, we validate (Chapter I) an apparatus for measuring conscientious living rat body volume (AMV). In chapter II, we evaluated two types of swimming tests with overload in sedentary rats: one with the load adjusted according to percentage of body weight (BW) and another one with constant load (CL) over time. Through the AMV, we found that the rats' density did not vary significantly, as consequence, MC test showed performance decrement as the rats had their mass increased, while CC test maintained performance along rats growth. In time, we initiate the studies with treadmill exercise. In Chapter III, we present an eleven weeks training protocol where the unbalance between exercise stress and recovery was determined by the increase of the daily sessions in 2, 3 and 4 times in the last three weeks, reducing the recovery time between sessions. We selected two groups of rats in the end of the training protocol, those that presented low performance (BD) and those that presented performance increase or maintenance (AD). Although both groups (AD and BD) showed corporal mass reduction during the increase of the daily frequency, BD group return to increase the mass one week later than AD group, without modifying the performance. In Chapter IV, we compare four groups of rats after the eleven weeks training protocol (Control (CO), Trained (T), AD and BD) in blood (glutamine, glutamate, alanine and hematological variables) and muscle analyses (citrate synthase (CS), lactate dehydrogenase and glycogen). Comparing BD with AD and T groups, we observe: (1) reduction of the glutamine plasma concentration and increase of glutamate, with similar CO values; (2) reduction of the oxidative capacity (CS) and maintenance of the glycogen stores; (3) leucocitosys. We conclude that the training protocol induces the rats to overreaching and it represents a relevant methodological tool in overreaching / OTS metabolical mechanisms research envolved in performance decrement / Doutorado / Fisiologia / Doutor em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

High training loads or prolonged bouts of acute exercise can increase susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Such infections, although generally medically innocuous, can have profound negative implications for athletic performance. This thesis presents a series of studies investigating which factors influence infection risk in athletes, as well as exploring potential strategies to maintain immunocompetence during heavy training. In Chapters 2 and 3, a large cohort of elite winter endurance athletes were followed over a number of years to determine patterns and frequency of illness in this population, and to identify training- and competition-related predictors of infection. Incidence rates and seasonal patterns of illness were found to be broadly similar to elite athletes from summer sports, and to the general population. Competition, air travel, greater day-to-day fluctuations in training load and lower performance level were significant predictors of illness. When high training loads are combined with insufficient recovery, athletes may become overreached or overtrained. Previous studies suggest that increasing carbohydrate intake can be an effective means of preventing overreaching during periods of intense training. In Chapter 4 we therefore investigated the efficacy of carbohydrate supplementation in reducing immune disturbances and symptoms of overreaching. The lower carbohydrate does (20 g/h during exercise) was found to be equally effective in preserving immunity and power output as the higher dose (60 g/h), with modest immune and performance changes observed in both groups following eight days of intensified training. Many athletes fail to ingest sufficient fluid to maintain euhydration during exercise. However, Chapter 5 found that moderate hypohydration, elicited by a 24 h period of fluid restriction, had little effect on immune responses to prolonged exercise. Altitude training is an important component of the training process of most of today s elite endurance athletes. Chapters 6 and 7 explored the effects of acute and prolonged hypoxic training on immunity. Despite a somewhat augmented stress hormone response to exercise in hypoxia, altitude training was found to have little negative effect on host defence, providing relative exercise intensity at altitude and sea-level was matched.

Les modèles explicatifs de l’état d’épuisement lors de performances en endurance se sont récemment distancés des seules implications périphériques pour magnifier le rôle du système nerveux central dans le développement de la fatigue. En particulier, le « Flush Model » (Millet, 2011) a rassemblé les opinions en introduisant la pénibilité perçue de l’effort en tant que régulateur princeps de la performance. Brièvement, cette sensation émergerait de l’ensemble des interactions psycho-physiologiques inhérentes à l’accomplissement de l’exercice et demeurerait modulable pour retarder l’atteinte de l’état d’épuisement. Au sein de cette thèse et dans la perspective des Jeux Olympiques (JO) de Rio, nos efforts se sont concentrés autour de la mise en pratique de ce modèle au service de la performance des athlètes. Les aspects fonctionnels du Flush Model ont ainsi été revisités tant à l’égard des contraintes de l'entraînement que de celles propres à cette compétition (i.e., l’éventualité d’un stress thermique important). Plus précisément, le développement du phénomène de fatigue a été confronté aux problématiques de charges d’entraînement et d’effort en chaleur à travers une double approche de la compétition, aigue et chronique. Une approche aigüe de la compétition renvoie à l’ensemble des stratégies ponctuelles dont dispose l’athlète pour moduler l’évolution de la pénibilité de son effort et optimiser le rapport « difficulté perçue / intensité d’exercice » au cours de l’épreuve. De façon spécifique aux efforts en endurance et au contexte potentiellement chaud des JO, cinq travaux ont alors été entrepris. Deux d’entre eux ont appréhendé les effets sur la performance en endurance en conditions chaudes de stratégies à court-terme i.e., la familiarisation à la chaleur, et le port d’une veste réfrigérante lors de la période d’échauffement. Les résultats indiquent une évolution des stratégies d’allure possiblement induite par des adaptations psycho-physiologiques spécifique à l’intervention. En complément, trois autres travaux ont analysé la réponse cognitive à l’exercice aigu, en conditions tempérées et de chaleur, afin de mieux comprendre l’évolution des paramètres d’autorégulation comportementale (i.e., les fonctions exécutives) impliqués dans la performance sportive. Les dynamiques cognitives identifiées suggèrent l’utilisation de stratégies ponctuelles susceptibles de préserver le niveau d’efficacité de l’individu à l’exercice. Une approche chronique de la compétition fait écho aux interventions durables mises en place par l’athlète en phase précompétitive et visant à maximiser son niveau de performance le jour de l’épreuve. Trois travaux ont été entrepris dans cette perspective. Deux d’entre eux ont investi les problématiques de charge d’entraînement et d’acclimatation à la chaleur afin de déterminer les effets sur la performance et les composantes psycho-physiologiques de stages d’acclimatation à la chaleur. Ces études démontrent la nécessité d’un ajustement précis des charges d’entraînement en chaleur afin de ne pas conduire l’athlète à un état de surmenage contre-productif. Un travail complémentaire a consisté à analyser, via imagerie par résonance magnétique fonctionnelle, les soubassements neuronaux de l’état de surmenage possiblement rencontré par les athlètes en phase précompétitive. Les résultats indiquent une moindre activation du cortex préfrontal lors de la réalisation de tâches cognitives, accompagnée de réponses comportementales tendant vers un plus grand degré d’impulsivité. Ensemble, ces travaux autorisent une approche complexe du phénomène de fatigue, à partir d’angles de vue aigu et chronique, mais aussi physiologique et central, de ses composantes. (...) / Explanatory models of endurance performance-based physical exhaustion recently moved from peripheral implications to highlight the role of the central nervous system in the phenomenon of fatigue development. In particular, the “Flush Model” (Millet, 2011) underpins a consensus in that it introduces the rate of perceived exertion as the main regulator of performance. Briefly, this sensation would emerge from the whole psychophysiological interactions inherent to exercising and would be modulable to delay exhaustion. Within this thesis and in the perspective of the Olympic Games in Rio, we focused on the practical dimension of this model at the service of athletes’ performance. Accordingly, functional aspects of the Flush Model were revisited both in regards of training and competition constraints (i.e., the possibility of an important thermal stress). More precisely, the development of the fatigue phenomenon has been challenged to training load and heat strain issues through a chronological approach of the competition, acute and chronic. An acute perspective of the competition relates to all punctual strategies that the athlete can use to modulate his/her perceived exertion and optimize the ratio “perceived strain / exercise intensity” during the event. Specific to endurance effort and to the potential hot climate of Olympic Games, five works have been driven. Two of them investigated the effects on endurance performance of short-term strategies i.e., heat-familiarization, and the wearing of an ice vest during the warm-up phase. Results indicate changes in pacing strategies that possibly result from psychophysiological adaptations specific to the intervention. In complement, three other works have analyzed the cognitive response to acute exercise, both in temperate and hot conditions, to better understand the evolution of behavioral self-regulatory parameters (i.e., executive functions) during endurance performance. The cognitive dynamics that have been identified suggest the use of punctual strategies that could protect athlete’s efficacy during exercise. A chronic perspective of the competition reflects medium-term interventions used by athlete during the precompetitive phase and aiming at maximizing his/her performance level the day of the event. Three studies have been conducted in this direction. Two of them have investigated training load and heat-acclimation issues to determine performance effects and psychophysiological correlates of heat camps. Results demonstrate the requirement of an accurate adjustment of training load in the heat in order to optimize athlete’s performance while preserving from overreaching development. A complementary work aimed, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, at identifying neural underpinnings of the overreaching state that athletes could meet during the precompetitive period. Results display a reduced activation of a specific part of the prefrontal cortex during the completion of cognitive tasks, associated to increased choice impulsivity. Together, these studies attempt to apprehend the fatigue phenomenon from a complex perspective i.e., combining acute and chronic, and physiological and central components of fatigue during exercise. On the basis of a better understanding of this phenomenon, and of the functional dimension of the Flush Model, practical strategies can then be recommended for athletes to optimize both their physical condition during pre-competition and their level of efficacy in situ of the competition.

Aim: The purpose of this study was: 1) to investigate the alterations and relationships among training variables, performance variables, and physiological variables and 2) investigate the effects of strength training on potentiation complexes. Methods: The study enrolled nine D-1 collegiate throwers and four control subjects. The throwers participated in an 11-week resistance training and throws program. Resistance training volume load and throwing volume were recorded for 11 weeks. Measurements of maximal strength (isometric mid-thigh pulls) and dynamic mid-thigh pulls (DMTP) across a spectrum of loads: Males- 60kg, 140kg, 180kg, 220kg, 140kg, 30% isometric peak force (IPF), Females- 60kg, 80kg, 100kg, 120kg, 80kg, 30% IPF), were measured at weeks 1, 7, and 11. The control group was tested for isometric maximum strength at T1 (week 1) and T3 (week 11) Results: The throwers increased at each time point in isometric peak force (IPF), allometrically scaled IPF (IPFa), and isometric impulse. The throwers strength (IPF and IPFa) was significantly greater than the controls and the throwers experienced statistically significant changes in maximum strength from T1 to T3 when compared to the controls. The throwers demonstrated statistically significant changes in total load variables (variable for load 1+ load 2 + load 3 etc.) for DMTPs. Conclusion: As a whole these data suggest a potential for increased performance capabilities specific to throwing. Some data trends indicate that potentiation can occur as a result of performing a heavy pull before a lighter one. However, increasing maximum strength as a result of focusing on strength training did not enhance this potentiation effect.

Background: The number of women participating in sports has increased dramatically, though research in sports are often performed on men. Physical exercise is known to increase physical performance and improve well-being. Although exercise has beneficial health effects for most of the women, it is known that strenuous exercise may also have negative health consequences. Common are menstrual dysfunctions and the medical effects of a long-standing amenorrhea are serious. Moreover, strenuous exercise without adequate recovery may lead to overreaching (OR) /overtraining syndrome (OTS). An improved muscle strength are of great importance in many sports, hence an increased understanding on how to generate optimal strength training programs in women without negative side effects are essential. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the effects on strength and power of high frequency periodised leg resistance training to evaluate a training regime and moreover to investigate if the training was well accepted and without potential exercise-related negative consequences. Moreover, to provide normative data on oxytocin and cortisol to elucidate if these hormones could be one diagnostic marker in combination with others to monitor and diagnose female athletes that may be at risk to develop OR/OTS. Methods: Fifty-nine women, participated in the four month intervention study. Two groups performed high frequency leg resistance training for two weeks of each menstrual/oral contraceptive (OC) cycle. The remaining part of the cycle they performed the leg training once a week. Group 1, trained with high frequency (5 times·w-1) during the first two weeks of each cycle, and group 2, during the last two weeks of each cycle. A control group performed regular (3 times·w-1) leg resistance training. Another 33 women participated in the observational study. The OC users and non-users, were followed over a nine-month period with monthly blood sampling of oxytocin and cortisol, and the Profile of Mood State (POMS) as a subjective measure of OR/OTS. Results: The women who performed high frequency leg resistance training, 5 times·w-1, during the first two weeks of each cycle showed significant increase in jump height, peak torque values in hamstrings, increased lean body mass of the legs, and their experiences of the training were positive. These results were not found when the periodised training was performed during the last two weeks of each cycle. In the control group an increase in jump height, and peak torque (left hamstring) was observed. There were no evident differences in the training effects between women with or without OC use. Moreover, no exercise-related negative consequences were detected in any of the three groups. The women in the observational study showed seasonal variations in oxytocin and cortisol, with different pattern in OC users to non-users. No convincing relationships to POMS were found.  Conclusions: The high frequency periodised leg resistance training during the first two weeks of the cycle is more beneficial to optimize resistance training, than the last two weeks. The high frequency periodised leg resistance training was not associated with exercise-related negative consequences and was well accepted when performed during the first two weeks of each cycle. Due to seasonality and impact of OC use, oxytocin and cortisol are not suggested to be optimal, diagnostic markers alone/in combination with others, to detect OR/OTS in physically active women.