RSS 1.0Sport and Exercise Sciences
The Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences has a strong and energetic research culture. In the RAE2008, a proportion of the Department’s research was considered to be “world-leading” and other esteem indicator scores designated 70% of staff submitted to the Sports-Related studies Unit of Assessment as being “ internationally excellent” or “world leading”. Its research activity can be divided into two distinct groups – Sociology of Sport and Exercise and Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences – which focus on advancing knowledge through high quality research that is of benefit to numerous recipients as a consequence of its impact on the exercising and sporting populations, society, public policy, culture and quality of life. Staff and postgraduate research is positively developed in an energetic environment which provides the opportunity to disseminate and discuss research through Department research seminars. This facilitates an interdisciplinary approach to a number of research questions which have evolved from identified real life problems.
Collections in this community
Recent Submissions
-
Gut microbiota and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): Emerging pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic ImplicationsNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently redefined as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Characterized by excessive hepatic fat accumulation, this disease encompasses a spectrum from simple steatosis to more severe forms, including steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Emerging evidence highlights the pivotal role of gut dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of MASLD. Dysbiosis disrupts the gut–liver axis, an intricate communication network that regulates metabolic, immune, and barrier functions. Alterations in gut microbiota composition, increased gut permeability, and translocation of pro-inflammatory metabolites/factors have been shown to trigger liver inflammatory and fibrotic cascades, exacerbating hepatic inflammation and injury. Recent studies have identified microbiome signatures associated with MASLD, offering promise as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers and paving the way for new potential therapeutic strategies targeting gut dysbiosis. This review explores the crucial role of the gut microbiota in MASLD pathogenesis and highlights the need for further targeted research in this field to validate microbial biomarkers and optimize therapeutic strategies. Comprehensive understanding of the gut–liver axis may enable innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, transforming the clinical management of MASLD.
-
LinkedIn as a research participant recruitment tool: reflections from the football industryPURPOSE: The article explores the process of using LinkedIn to recruit hard-to-reach groups, reflecting on our experience of the football industry. We propose LinkedIn as a viable option to mitigate recruitment challenges, particularly in employment-focussed research. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We examine how LinkedIn was used to recruit 43 football backroom staff for a sociological research study. It outlines the process of using LinkedIn to contact participants, the ethical considerations made throughout the research process and reflects on why LinkedIn was effective for a primarily employment-focussed study. FINDINGS: We discuss the importance of insider knowledge for identifying LinkedIn as a potentially fruitful recruitment tool and how the functionality of the platform can be beneficial for a targeted recruitment method. We also explore the ethical and practical considerations of using social media for recruitment. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Previous research discusses social media as if they are indistinguishable and interchangeable with one another and we argue that this neglects the importance of a platform’s functionality. We discuss how the decision to use a particular social media platform to recruit should be grounded in the researcher’s familiarity with the site, the functionality the platform offers and the sample recruited. This article explicitly explores the considerations taken when using LinkedIn to help overcome recruitment challenges.
-
The double-bind of competitive funding: Exploring the consequences of state-funded bidding processes in a locally managed cycling infrastructure projectIn an era of sustained budget cuts, England’s local authorities are increasingly forced to ‘apply’ for infrastructure funding via competitive bidding processes. However, we currently know little about how this method of funding impacts implementation. Accordingly, we consider the consequences of competitive funding by exploring the constraints associated with implementing infrastructure under the state-funded Cycling Demonstration Towns programme. This was achieved via a case study in Chester, a city that was unable to deliver the ambitions of their bid. This study was informed by figurational sociology in order to focus on relational processes. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with personnel involved in the planning and implementation of the project. The key findings were: (1) participants considered the bidding process to be akin to a ‘beauty contest’ where authorities were consciously making fantasy-laden promises in order to ‘impress’ the awards panel; (2) those involved in the bid did not consult key delivery parties, many of whom held car-centric predispositions, until funding was secured, and this led to complications in the delivery process; (3) during project implementation as the chains of interdependency of those involved widened, several unintended outcomes emerged which contributed to the two ‘flagship’ infrastructure proposals being halted; (4) this led to an intervention package that was heavily weighted towards promotional, or ‘soft’, interventions. Theoretical insight from this study suggests that competitive funding is likely to encourage authorities to present bids that are largely detached from the realities of implementing infrastructure, thus leading to difficulties once funding has been awarded.
-
Habitus, capital and the shaping of sporting careers: A qualitative study of Norwegian youthPrevious research has established that youngsters’ sporting repertoires become particularly malleable during the early- to mid-teenage years, shifting from formal, organized sports to more informal, recreational activities. This study investigated the processes underlying these changes, using the theoretical framework of social and cultural capital and habitus. Forty-one individual qualitative interviews, with 17–18-year-old middle-class Norwegians, were conducted in order to understand the role of family, friends, and peers in shaping sporting repertoires and careers. Through three analytical themes – ‘Shifting forms, shifting orientations’; ‘Sporting capital and family cultures of sport’; and Sporting repertoires and the growing significance of friends’ – our findings lend support to notions of family cultures as important in initiating young people’s sporting careers by building their sports-related ‘cultural capital’ and establishing sporting routines. However, our findings also indicate that such primary socialization into sport may not be enough for building the sporting repertoires necessary for lifelong engagement. The development of sporting habitus tends to be facilitated by social capital in the form of friendship networks within which friends become increasingly significant in shaping sporting repertoires. Understanding the dynamism and mutability of sporting repertoires during the youth life-stage is crucial for developing sports policies that foster lifelong sports engagement.
-
Relative age effect in male and female elite international amateur boxingThis study aimed to determine whether the Relative Age Effect (RAE) was present in different sexes and age categories in 12 elite-level international amateur boxing competitions. A total of 4813 athletes competing between 2013 and 2022 were analysed. Athletes were split into four quartiles according to their birth date and compared to the expected (equal) birth date distribution using chi-squared goodness of fit. The results revealed greater RAE prevalence in youth compared to the senior group. RAE was more prominent in males compared to females, with the female group showing an inverse RAE trend. Odds ratio (OR) showed an overrepresentation of male boxers born in Q1 compared to Q4 (OR > 1.19-1.33), while senior female boxers presented an inverse trend (OR < 0.95). Odds Ratios for medallists within the youth group were greater than 1.07 (except Q3 × Q4 = 0.93) highlighting an overrepresentation of boxers born earlier in the year. A shift in strategy to reduce the RAE in young boxers whereby coaches focus less on the short-term pursuit of sporting success is encouraged. Organisations and coaches should increase awareness and provide systematic education around RAE, whilst creating equal competitive opportunities for all young boxers to reduce the extent of RAE in boxing.
-
iCan, Empowering Recovery: Evaluating a Patient-Centred Cancer Rehabilitation Programme across the Cancer Care ContinuumBackground/Objectives: The adverse effects of cancer and the long-term sequelae of associated treatments result in reduced quality of life and increased mortality for patients. Supporting patients with cancer to mitigate adverse outcomes is an important aspect of oncology care and the primary purpose of cancer rehabilitation. A retrospective service evaluation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the core iCan patient-centred cancer rehabilitation service. Methods: At the beginning and end of a five-week programme, a series of questionnaires evaluating changes in mental health and wellbeing, and physical activity performance/attitudes, and functional capacity were administered to participants. Results: Following iCan, we found that functional capacity was improved (30 s sit-to-stand: +6.3 repetition; d = −1.00, p < 0.001) and that self-reported physical activity was increased (~1173 MET-mins/wk; d = −0.76, p < 0.001); participants also perceived greater capability, opportunity, and motivation to be active. Mental wellbeing was also improved (SWEMWBS: d = −0.69, p < 0.001), whilst fatigue was reduced (FACIT: d = −0.77, p < 0.001). Conclusion: It appears that iCan has beneficial effects upon the physical/functional and psychological health of its participants. Where data are available, there appear to be clinically significant improvements across the range of measured functional, wellbeing, and activity/sedentariness outcomes, which suggest that participation in iCan is instrumental in adding value to the health and wellbeing of patients.
-
"I code as much as I can because you never know what they might ask for”. The role of the coach in Performance Analysis: The view of the analystPerformance Analysis (PA) is viewed as an integral feature of soccer; however, the processes underpinning such practice are often described as simple, linear procedures. This fails to acknowledge the dynamism of PA and given increased investment and employment of analysts in professional soccer, scrutiny of the current processes and duties associated with the role would seem timely. To this purpose, eight full-time analysts in the English Football League (EFL) and English National League (National League) participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews and transcripts were subjected to inductive reflective thematic analysis. The data analysis revealed two higher-order categories (Flying solo / Coach control) and four themes classified as lower-order (PA pragmatism / Identifying indicators / The reticent coach / Autocratic presentations). The findings of this study highlight that the responsibilities of the performance analyst range from acting on their own initiative to responding to requests and instructions from the coach. Subsequently, the responsibility for individual actions/activities related to PA is dependent on what aspects of analysis are to be used, who is the recipient of the data/video/presentation, when in the relationship between analyst and coach the activities are developed and when in the match-play process they are carried out.
-
The effect of PETTLEP-based imagery interventions on motor performanceAbstract available in hard copy
-
The effectiveness of exercise as a treatment for patients with intermittent claudicationAbstract available in hard copy
-
The physiological effects of massage post exercise in humansAbstract available in hard copy
-
Sports participation among Norwegian youth: a study of early sporting careersDespite a growing body of evidence suggesting that establishing sporting repertoires during youth is intimately related to ongoing participation in sport, little is known about how such repertoires develop during the crucial early teenage years, when the sporting habits that provide a basis for sporting careers take shape. The aim of the study was, therefore, to describe the structure of young people’s sporting repertoires as they move through a key formative period, as a basis for theorising their retention in sports participation. By providing a detailed analysis of a cohort of young Norwegians as they progressed through lower-secondary into upper-secondary school (13–16-year-olds), this study offers insights into how different sporting forms fluctuate during a period typically characterised by heavy drop-out and drop-off from sports participation. Data were obtained from a longitudinal cohort study of Norwegian youngsters attending 11 lower secondary schools based on annual surveys conducted from grade 8 through to grade 10 and used to describe cohort changes in sports participation rates and sporting forms over time. The noticeable movement between sporting forms alongside the marked shift towards informal sports during the period is likely to provide an important insight into how Norwegian teenagers not only maintain high levels of participation during the teenage years but also enhance their sporting repertoires in a manner likely to sustain sports participation through youth into early adulthood.
-
An Examination of the Field-Based Training Practices in European Super League’s first Quadruple Winning ChampionsUsing a case study approach, the primary aim of this thesis was to develop an understanding of field-based training practices of a successful professional rugby league team. The research findings were applied to inform the coaching practices of the club but also offered insight that might be of interest more widely given the success of the team over an extended period. Chapter 4 quantified the types of training used during a preseason by the team. There was a 4-week increase in external load, followed by a “regeneration week” in week 5 before an increase in load during week 6. A weekly cycle also emerged with Monday primarily comprising Rugby Skill drills and Speed drills, Tuesday largely Rugby Skill based alongside Conditioning and Game-Based Training, Thursday was a mix of training types with Friday primarily consisting of Game-Based Training that also coincided with the week’s highest values for total distance, high-speed running, and high metabolic distance. Chapter 5 examined the associations between the types of training in preseason and improvements in intermittent running performance (i.e., prone Yo-Yo IR1). The intensity (r = 0.61; 95% CI 0.18, 0.84) and PlayerLoadTM (r = 0.44; 95% CI -0.05, 0.76) during Game-Based Training and high-speed running (r = 0.61; 95% CI 0.18, 0.84) in Conditioning had positive associations with the mean change in prone Yo-Yo IR1 performance (200 ± 143 m [18.1 ± 13.5%]). Total duration of Game-Based Training had a negative association with change in prone Yo-Yo IR1 performance (r = -0.57; 95% CI -0.82, -0.12). These data enable the manipulation of training practices to target specific external metrics (e.g., intensity, PlayerLoadTM, high-speed running) when improvements in intermittent running capacity of professional rugby league players is the desired goal. Chapter 6 examined the differences in external and internal load of field-based training between the three different in-season match-day microcycles and assessed the differences in external demands of matches between the microcycles. Game-Based Training contributed the most to external (total distance, high metabolic distance and PlayerLoadTM) and internal load (highest HRmax, time spent in HR band 5 and HR band 6) for the main training day in long (MD-5), medium (MD-4), and short (MD-2) turnarounds. Both short (86.7 ± 7.9 m.min-1) and medium (86.5 ± 10.9 m.min-1) turnaround matches resulted in lower intensity values than long turnarounds (89.5 ± 7.6m.min-1; P < 0.05). No other differences in external demands were observed between the 3 different match-day microcycles. The consistency in match-day external demands is a desirable outcome as the training week has effectively prepared athletes to perform in match. Additionally, the extensive use of Game-Based Training allowed for the maintenance of physical qualities whilst technically and tactically developing and preparing players for competition. Chapter 7 examined the effect altering match rules (because of COVID-19) had on the external demands of match play. There were increases in whole team high-speed running (r = 0.09; 95% CI 0.02, 0.15 c.f. r = 0.29; 95% CI 0.20, 0.38) and an increased ball-in-play time (52.16 ± 5.01 min c.f. 55.58 ± 4.04 min). These changes highlight the impact of rule changes on the movement demands of professional rugby league matches and the implications for the design of appropriate training practices to better prepare players. Chapter 8 assessed the effects altering the area size per-person of Game-Based Training and the length of Conditioning drills has on key external load metrics. The study showed that increasing the area of Game-Based Training by 10 m2 per-person resulted in athletes covering greater distance (539.3 ± 49.6 m c.f. 500.9 ± 62.9 m & 555.4 ± 55.9 m c.f. 491.4 ± 40.1 m), higher intensities (132.1 ± 12.1 m.min-1 c.f. 122.4 ± 15.4 m.min-1 & 136.8 ± 13.8 m.min-1 c.f. 121.4 ± 9.9 m.min-1), and greater high metabolic distances (122.4 ± 32.0 m c.f. 81.8 ± 22.9 m & 153.0 ± 33.0 m c.f. 120.3 ± 27.1 m). However, the smaller area Game-Based Training showed significantly greater cognitive load (dRPE-C; 73.2 ± 7.8 c.f. 56.3 ± 17.9 AU), possibly due to increased technical/tactical involvements. Increasing the length of conditioning drills resulted in an increase in all external metrics for the shuttle runs, with the linear run experiencing an increase in intensity but a reduction in total distance and PlayerLoadTM. Chapter 8 also found that the coefficient of variation (%CV) between-players during Game-Based Training was higher than previously reported in soccer, with high-speed distance found to have the highest level of variability (23 – 58%), whereas linear running Conditioning drills had much lower variability (4 – 5 %). Game-Based Training is an effective training method, however the variability experienced could leave players under or over trained if this method was solely used, highlighting the importance of using it as a part of balanced programme.
-
A formative investigation assessing menstrual health literacy in professional women’s footballThe aim of this study was to assess and compare menstrual health literacy in professional women’s football. A three-section questionnaire was completed by professional players (n = 25), development players (n = 22) and staff (n = 19). The mean total knowledge score (out of 19) was lower for development players (5.4 ± 2.9) than professional players (7.8 ± 3.2) and staff (9.1 ± 4.8) (p < 0.001). No group achieved >50% correct answers. For each group, knowledge of the menstrual cycle (MC) was greater than knowledge of hormonal contraceptives (HC) (p < 0.001). Previous MC and HC education did not correspond to higher knowledge scores in professional players (p = 0.823) or development players (p = 0.274). In professional and development players, comfort of communication was influenced by the sex of whom they were communicating with (p < 0.001), with a preference for females. In conclusion, results from the present study suggest refined education strategies and new approaches are required for both players and staff to improve menstrual health literacy in professional women’s football.
-
Effects of a transoceanic rowing challenge on cardiorespiratory function and muscle fitnessUltra-endurance sports and exercise events are becoming increasingly popular for older age groups. We aimed to evaluate changes in cardiac function and physical fitness in males aged 50-60 years who completed a 50-day transoceanic rowing challenge. This case account of four self-selected males included electro- and echo-cardiography (ECG, echo), cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness measures recorded nine-months prior to and three weeks after a transatlantic team-rowing challenge. No clinically significant changes to myocardial function were found over the course of the study. The training and race created expected functional changes to left ventricular and atrial function; the former associated with training, the latter likely due to dehydration, both resolving towards baseline within three weeks post-event. From race-start to finish all rowers lost 8.4-15.6 kg of body mass. Absolute cardiorespiratory power and muscular strength were lower three weeks post-race compared to pre-race, but cardiorespiratory exercise economy improved in this same period. A structured programme of moderate-vigorous aerobic endurance and muscular training for >6 months, followed by 50-days of transoceanic rowing in older males proved not to cause any observable acute or potential long-term risks to cardiovascular health. Pre-event screening, fitness testing, and appropriate training is recommended, especially in older participants where age itself is an increasingly significant risk factor.
-
Effect of movement‐evoked and tonic experimental pain on muscle force productionIntroduction: When performing an exercise or a functional test, pain that is evoked by movement or muscle contraction could be a stronger stimulus for changing how individuals move compared to tonic pain. We investigated whether the decrease in muscle force production is larger when experimentally‐induced knee pain is directly associated to the torque produced (movement‐evoked) compared to a constant painful stimulation (tonic). Methods: Twenty‐one participants performed three isometric knee extension maximal voluntary contractions without pain (baseline), during pain, and after pain. Knee pain was induced using sinusoidal electrical stimuli at 10 Hz over the infrapatellar fat pad, applied continuously or modulated proportionally to the knee extension torque. Peak torque and contraction duration were averaged across repetitions and normalized to baseline. Results: During tonic pain, participants reported lower pain intensity during the contraction than at rest (p < 0.001), whereas pain intensity increased with contraction during movement‐evoked pain (p < 0.001). Knee extension torque decreased during both pain conditions (p < 0.001), but a larger reduction was observed during movement‐evoked compared to tonic pain (p < 0.001). Participants produced torque for longer during tonic compared to movement‐evoked pain (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Our results indicate that movement‐evoked pain was a more potent stimulus to reduce knee extension torque than tonic pain. The longer contraction time observed during tonic pain may be a result of a lower perceived pain intensity during muscle contraction. Overall, our results suggest different motor adaptation to tonic and movement‐evoked pain and support the notion that motor adaptation to pain is a purposeful strategy to limit pain. This mechanistic evidence suggests that individuals experiencing prevalently tonic or movement‐evoked pain may exhibit different motor adaptations, which may be important for exercise prescription.
-
It’s about inspiring the greater community to continue supporting this sector: Elite sport success as a main policy objective for disability sport promotion in ASEAN member statesPromoting sport participation among people with disabilities is often counted as one of the policy priorities of the national government as well as a main activity of sport for development initiatives to aid the Global South. However, little is known about specific systems, policy, history, and plans for disability sport promotion understood by disability sport administrators in the Global South. The current study focused on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and aimed to explore how ASEAN government officials perceive the status of sport for people with disabilities. Representatives from nine ASEAN member countries participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The results of thematic analysis generated three themes: (1) Perceived lack of disability awareness and disability sport recognition; (2) Elite sport successes address problems at hand; and (3) Elite sport success to motivate funders. These themes suggest that successes in elite sports are of central importance for sport promotion among people with disabilities in ASEAN countries because they perceive that elite sport success can raise disability awareness, popularise disability sport, and motivate funders. Also, Paralympic success is viewed as an opportunity for them to demonstrate success otherwise unattainable in the Olympics. Some of the participants’ accounts appear to go against the current knowledge generated in the Global North; however, as funding is important to develop disability sport administration, it might be inevitable for them to continue promoting elite sport success for now.
-
Understanding active travel as a public health issue in Greater Manchester: A figurational sociology studySeveral policies in the United Kingdom (UK) have highlighted the multifaceted benefits to be gained from active travel (AT), and in doing so, have increasingly positioned AT as a public health issue. However, little is known about the experiences and views of public health individuals in relation to AT. Accordingly, this thesis explores the realities of AT as a public health issue, focusing on public health figurations in Greater Manchester (GM). GM was identified as an area of interest because of ‘devolvement deals’ in health and transport. The devolution deals afforded GM leaders with greater powers to make decisions, separate from national government. Importantly for this study, health devolution policies focused heavily on ‘shifts’ towards ill-health prevention, where AT was described as a key activity. The study was informed by figurational sociology in order to trace the relational processes formed and maintained across participants’ figurations. Primary data consisted of 42 semi-structured interviews with people in various roles related to public health. Thematic analysis was applied to the data, generating four theoretically informed themes. Findings illustrated how various processes meant that AT work within public health figurations in GM was often more constrained than it was enabled. Constraining processes included: habitual attachments to cars and car dominated environments; enduring financial constraints; entrenched medicalised and individualistic habituses amongst figurations. These processes meant that AT programmes were regularly pushed to the peripheries of key concerns. This was strongly related to the relatively weak power of those most interested in AT to counter the stronger collective power of those who prioritised more treatment-centred work. This was exacerbated by a heavy reliance on assumptions that individuals in GM were well-placed to be ‘successful’ in implementing devolution. However, the more detailed elements of implementation were not deliberated until after the government’s financial deal. Here the realities were found to be quite different from some early, more fantasy-laden, intentions, which contributed to stagnation for ‘newer’ public health issues such as AT. A further layer of complexity was that many were, to varying degrees, dependent on councillors when seeking to make AT changes, as councillors were often closest to the centre of power dynamics in local decision-making. However, there appeared to be disparity between public health aspirations for evidence-based policy making, and the political forms of decision making that councillors had become accustomed to. In particular, councillors often placed greater importance on communication with local residents. Decisions on AT were therefore often the outcomes of blends between evidence, political and financial thinking, and various ideologies, often leading to partial stasis for AT within public health figurations.
-
The effects of an acute dose of New Zealand blackcurrant extract on 5-km running performanceThis study investigated the effects of an acute dose (900 mg) of New Zealand Blackcurrant (NZBC) extract on 5 km running performance, alongside associated physiological and metabolic responses. Sixteen trained male runners (age 26 ± 5 years, stature 173.4 ± 7.3 cm, body mass, 73.7 ± 6.9 kg, V̇O2max 55.4 ± 6.1 ml.kg-1.min-1) ingested either capsules containing NZBC extract (3 x 300 mg CurraNZTM, 315 mg anthocyanins) or a matched placebo (3 x 300 mg gluten free flour) 2 hours before exercise in a double-blind, randomised, crossover design. Performance time, physiological, and metabolic responses were assessed in a 5-km time-trial, preceded by 10 min exercise at the lactate threshold on a treadmill. NZBC extract did not alter the physiological or metabolic responses to exercise at the lactate threshold (V̇O2, RER, V̇E, carbohydrate oxidation, fat oxidation, heart rate, blood lactate or Rating of Perceived Exertion, P>0.05). The 5-km time-trial was completed in a faster time in the NZBC extract condition compared to placebo (NZBC: 1308.96 ± 122.36 s, Placebo: 1346.33 ± 124.44, P=0.001, d=-0.23, CI range=-0.46 to 0.00 s). No differences in physiological or metabolic responses were apparent between conditions for the 5-km time-trial (P>0.05). Ingesting 900 mg of NZBC extract as an acute dose improves performance in trained male runners without altering physiological or metabolic responses to exercise. Further research is needed to assess a wider range of possible mechanisms (e.g., cardiovascular function, metabolite profiles) to advance insight into improved performance following supplementation.
-
A dynamic model of the bi-exponential reconstitution and expenditure of W′ in trained cyclistsThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different recovery power outputs on the reconstitution of W′ and to develop a dynamic bi-exponential model of W′ during depletion and reconstitution. Ten trained cyclists (mass 71.7 ± 8.4 kg; V̇O2max 60.0 ± 6.3 ml·kg-1·min-1) completed three incremental ramps (20 W·min-1) to the limit of tolerance on each of six occasions with recovery durations of 30 s and 240 s. Recovery power outputs varied between 50 W (LOW); 60% of critical power (CP) (MOD) and 85% of CP (HVY). W′ reconstitution was measured following each recovery and fitted to a bi-exponential model. Amplitude and time constant (τ) parameters were then determined via regression analysis accounting for relative intensity and duration to produce a dynamic model of W′. W′ reconstitution slowed disproportionately as recovery power output increased (p < 0.001) and increased with recovery duration (p < 0.001). The amplitudes of each recovery component were strongly correlated to W′ reconstitution after 240 s at HVY (r = 0.95), whilst τ parameters were found to be related to the fractional difference between recovery power and CP. The predictive capacity of the resultant model was assessed against experimental data with no differences found between predicted and experimental values of W′ reconstitution (p > 0.05). The dynamic bi-exponential model of W′ accounting for varying recovery intensities closely described W′ kinetics in trained cyclists facilitating real-time decisions about pacing and tactics during competition. The model can be customised for individuals from known CP and W′ and a single additional test session.
