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CASE REPORT article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1508642

Effect of 12 weeks of detraining and retraining on the cardiorespiratory fitness in a competitive master athlete: a case study

Provisionally accepted
Romuald Lepers Romuald Lepers 1*Adrien Mater Adrien Mater 2Hervé Assadi Hervé Assadi 2Nadège Zanou Nadège Zanou 3Vincent Gremeaux Vincent Gremeaux 3Nicolas Place Nicolas Place 3
  • 1 Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
  • 2 INSERM U1093 Cognition, Action et Plasticité Sensomotrice, Dijon, Burgundy, France
  • 3 Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: This study examined the physiological effects of 12 weeks of detraining and retraining in a highly trained master triathlete (age 53.8 years). Methods: Variables associated with swimming, cycling, and running performance, including V ̇O2max, peak power output (PPO), gross cycling efficiency (CE), running maximal aerobic velocity (MAV), running economy (RE), muscle strength, and body composition were assessed before the last race of the season (baseline), after 12 weeks of detraining, and after 12 weeks of retraining. Results:Detraining resulted in a 9.1% and 10.9% decrease in relative V ̇O2max for cycling and running, respectively. PPO and MAV declined by 12.7 % and 8.6%, respectively. After detraining, CE decreased by 6.2 %, and RE was 22% higher than the baseline. The maximal strength capacity of the knee extensor muscles decreased by an average of 8.2%. Body fat percentage increased from 10.5 to 13.8%, while lean mass decreased by 2.2 kg. After retraining, almost all variables returned to baseline or even slightly increased, except RE and lean mass, which did not return to baseline. Conclusion: After 12 weeks of detraining, a lifelong master triathlete can regain his cardiorespiratory fitness (i.e., V ̇O2max) with 12 weeks of progressive and structured retraining, but his running economy and lean mass remain slightly depressed.

    Keywords: Endurance, triathlon, Running, Cycling, Reconditioning, VO2max, peak power output, Running economy

    Received: 09 Oct 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lepers, Mater, Assadi, Zanou, Gremeaux and Place. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Romuald Lepers, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.