Does post-warm-up rest interval affect the diurnal variation of 30-s Wingate cycle ergometry?

Daily variation in performance measures related to anaerobic power and capacity: A systematic review

Numerous functional measures related to anaerobic performance display daily variation. The diversity of tests and protocols used to assess anaerobic performance related to diurnal effects and the lack of a standardized approach have hindered agreement in the literature. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate and systematically review the evidence relating to time-of-day differences in anaerobic performance measures. The entire content of PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, SPORTDiscus® (via EBSCOhost) and Web of Science and multiple electronic libraries were searched. Only experimental research studies conducted in male adult participants aged ≥ 18 yrs before May 2021 were included. Studies assessing tests related to anaerobic capacity or anaerobic power between a minimum of two time-points during the day (morning vs evening) were deemed eligible. The primary search revealed that a total of 55 out of 145 articles were considered eligible and subsequently included. Thirty-nine studies assessed anaerobic power and twenty-five anaerobic capacity using different modes of exercise and test protocols. Forty-eight studies found several of their performance variables to display time-of-day effects, with higher values in the evening than the morning, while seven studies did not find any time-of-day significance in any variables which were assessed. The magnitude of difference is dependent on the modality and the exercise protocol used. Performance measures for anaerobic power found jump tests displayed 2.7 to 12.3% differences, force velocity tests ~8% differences, sprint tests 2.7 to 11.3% differences and 5-m multiple shuttle run tests 3.7 to 13.1% differences in favour of the evening. Performance measures for anaerobic capacity found Wingate test to display 1.8 to 11.7% differences and repeated sprint tests to display 3.4 to 10.2% differences. The only test not to display time-of-day differences was the running based anaerobic sprint test (RAST). Time-of-day variations in anaerobic performance has previously been partially explained by higher core-body and/or muscle temperature and better muscle contractile properties in the afternoon, although recent findings suggest that differences in methodology, motivation/arousal, habitual training times and chronotypes could provide additional explanations. There is a clear demand for a rigorous, standardised approach to be adopted by future investigations which control factors that specifically relate to investigations of time-of-day.

Factors Contributing to Diurnal Variation in Athletic Performance and Methods to Reduce Within-Day Performance Variation: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

Kusumoto, H, Ta, C, Brown, SM, and Mulcahey, MK. Factors contributing to diurnal variation in athletic performance and methods to reduce within-day performance variation: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 35(12S): S119-S135, 2021-For many individuals, athletic performance (e.g., cycle ergometer output) differs based on the time of day (TOD). This study identified factors contributing to diurnal variation in athletic performance and methods to reduce TOD performance variation. Comprehensive searches of PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Libraries were conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Peer-reviewed publications reporting quantitative, significant diurnal variation (p ≤ 0.05) of athletic performance with explanations for the differences were included. Studies providing effective methods to reduce diurnal variation were also included. Literature reviews, studies involving nonhuman or nonadult subjects, studies that intentionally manipulated sleep duration or quality, and studies deemed to be of poor methodological quality using NIH Quality Assessment Tools were excluded. Forty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Body temperature differences (n = 13), electromyographic parameters (n = 10), serum biomarker fluctuations (n = 5), athlete chronotypes (n = 4), and differential oxygen kinetics (n = 3) were investigated as significant determinants of diurnal variation in sports performance. Successful techniques for reducing diurnal athletic performance variability included active or passive warm-up (n = 9), caffeine ingestion (n = 2), and training-testing TOD synchrony (n = 3). Body temperature was the most important contributor to diurnal variation in athletic performance. In addition, extended morning warm-up was the most effective way to reduce performance variation. Recognizing contributors to diurnal variation in athletic performance may facilitate the development of more effective training regimens that allow athletes to achieve consistent performances regardless of TOD.

Warm-up durations in a hot-dry climate affect thermoregulation, mean power-output and fatigue, but not peak power in specific soccer repeated-sprint ability

Background

This study addressed the lack of data on the effect of warm-up (WU) duration in hot-dry climate (~ 30 °C; ~ 18% RH), on thermoregulation, muscular power-output, and fatigue after specific soccer repeated-sprint test (RSA).

Methods

Eleven amateur soccer players participated in a cross-over randomized study and they underwent the Bangsbo repeated-sprint test, after three WU durations (i.e. WU10, WU15 and WU20 min) at 70% of MAV, and on different days. Peak power (PP), mean power (MP) and the fatigue index (FI) were recorded and analyzed. Likewise, heart rate (HR), tympanic temperature (T_tym), mean body temperature (MBT) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during each session.

Results

The repeated measure ANOVA showed that MP improved after WU15 in comparison to WU10 and WU20 (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001; respectively). Nonetheless, no significant effect on PP was recorded after all WU durations. FI during RSA increased after WU20 in comparison to WU15 and WU10 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003; respectively). Higher RPE values (p < 0.001) were recorded after WU15 and WU20 in comparison to WU10 duration. The two-way ANOVA showed higher ΔT_tym and ΔMBT values after WU15 and WU20 compared to WU10 (p = 0.039 and p < 0.001for T_tym; p = 0.005 and p < 0.001 for MBT, respectively).

Conclusions

The WU15 at 70% of MAV better assists mean power-output during soccer RSA in hot-dry (~ 30 °C; 18% RH) climate, but not peak power. Reducing WU duration up to 10 min seems to be insufficient to induce beneficial physiological changes necessary for optimizing repeated-sprint performance, while its extension up to 20 min remains detrimental for muscular power and induces higher fatigue.