Concurrent Training

Question 1

Goals of training

Answer 1

• performance, sports, occupation, daily activities

- short term and long term considerations

Question 2

Concurrent training definition

Answer 2

specific training of endurance and strength capacities in immediate succession or with up to 24 hrs of recovery separating the two

Question 3

Cross-training definition

Answer 3

participating in an alternative training mode exclusive to the one normally used (not task or sport specific) or combining alternative training mode with task-specific training

Question 4

What is interference?

Answer 4

• competing mechanism for accommodation = sub-optimal development
• due to strength-endurance exercise continuum
• in untrained: interference may be minimal
  
  • training phase: general prep or maintenance
• in trained: more likely to experience interference
  
  • endurance minimally affected by strength training
  • but strength training suffers from endurance

Question 5

Study by Hickson 1980

Answer 5

Major points from study

• combining strength and endurance = interference
• aerobic training interferes with strength development
• showed increase in strength in the short term and decrease in strength in long term
• but shows VO2 max increases

Endurance athletes do not need to Strength train

Strength athletes SHOULD NOT Endurance train

Can lead to Overtraining

Question 6

Proposed interference mechanisms

Answer 6

1) Energy balance: fuel availability & protein balance
2) Over-reaching: accumulation of stress, short-term detriment to performance
3) Disrupted muscle fibre hypertrophy
4) Enzyme activation: AMPK (endurance) & mTORC1 (resistance)
5) motor unit recruitment: S, FR, FF
6) Acute residual fatigue

Question 7

Concurrent timing: Murach & Bagly review

Answer 7

• greater time between seems to show benefits for hypertrophy, strat to mitigate interference
  
  • Concurrent seems to elicit more growth than resistance alone when adequate rest time was given

Recommendation from review

• 3 hour minimum, 6-24 hrs ideal
• if endurance first then 6 hr minimum

Question 8

What is a meta-analysis?

Answer 8

statistically combining findings from several similar studies to obtain a summary analysis

Question 9

SMD

Answer 9

Standardized mean difference (SMD): different units eliminated to calculate relative values for comparison

Question 10

Concurrent training meta-analysis values

Answer 10

• trivial < 0.2
• small 0.2 - 0.5
• medium 0.5 - 0.8
• large > 0.8

Question 11

CT vs ET Gabler et al 2018 results

Answer 11

VO2 (CT vs ET)
Significant Trivial Effect

Exercise Economy (CT vs ET)
Non-significant Trivial Effects
Due to the higher variability of the individual studies  

Running Performance (CT vs ET)
Children = Trivial 
Adolescents = Moderate
Overall = Favors CT 

Muscle Power (CT vs RT)
Significant Small Effect
Favors CT

Question 12

Take home points, CT vs ET

Answer 12

• short distance running better affected than longer distances
• CT > ET most evident with time trials, shows benefits of strength training
• minimal effect on running economy & VO2Max

Question 13

Overall concurrent practice recommendation

Answer 13

• adults
  
  • concern with interference effect
  • factors include individual, type of activity
  • inter-session rest should be at least 6 hrs
  • strength athletes should monitor endurance volume
  • if concurrent training, do strength first
• children & adolescents
  
  • not much concern for interference