Seasonal changes in fitness and body composition in triathletes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A cross-sectional analysis of season-long changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, resting metabolic rate and body composition in age-group triathletes.
IRAS ID
264132
Contact name
Sam Shepherd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool John Moores University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. Made up of swimming, cycling and running in quick succession, triathlon is a unique sport offering races over a variety of distances (sprint, olympic, middle- and long-distance). In addition, amateur athletes also compete in relatively small age categories (~5 years) meaning that athletes can remain competitive throughout their triathlon lifespan. A number of physiological factors determine performance in triathlon, including VO2max, peak fat oxidation, lactate threshold and body composition. Because of the wide-range of distances over which people can race a triathlon, the intensity and duration of each event can differ markedly, and therefore the specific training that will be undertaken by age-group athletes will also be highly varied. Routine monitoring of body composition, as well as other key physiological factors, is important to evaluate athlete health, track changes, and make necessary adjustments to a diet or training programme. The aim of this study is to understand how these physiological factors are altered throughout two successive triathlon seasons, with a view to understanding how these factors vary depending on the demands of the competition. 150 age group triathletes will be recruited to undergo a series of measurements in a repeated-measures design separated by 8-12 weeks across two triathlon seasons. Measurements of resting metabolic rate, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and substrate oxidation during exercise will be assessed at each visit.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0247
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion