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The Impact of Training on the Loss of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Aging Masters Endurance Athletes

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  • Johannes Burtscher

    (Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
    Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Barbara Strasser

    (Medical Faculty, Sigmund Freud Private University, A-1020 Vienna, Austria)

  • Martin Burtscher

    (Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Gregoire P. Millet

    (Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
    Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

Abstract

Elite masters endurance athletes are considered models of optimal healthy aging due to the maintenance of high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) until old age. Whereas a drop in VO 2 max in masters athletes has been broadly investigated, the modifying impact of training still remains a matter of debate. Longitudinal observations in masters endurance athletes demonstrated VO 2 max declines between −5% and −46% per decade that were closely related to changes in training volume. Here, using regression analyses, we show that 54% and 39% of the variance in observed VO 2 max decline in male and female athletes, respectively is explained by changes in training volume. An almost linear VO 2 max decrease was observed in studies on young and older athletes, as well as non-athletes, starting a few days after training cessation, with a decline of as much as −20% after 12 weeks. Besides a decline in stroke volume and cardiac output, training cessation was accompanied by considerable reductions in citrate synthase and succinate dehydrogenase activity (reduction in mitochondrial content and oxidative capacity). This reduction could largely be rescued within similar time periods of training (re)uptake. It is evident that training reduction or cessation leads to a considerably accelerated VO 2 max drop, as compared to the gradual aging-related VO 2 max decline, which can rapidly nullify many of the benefits of preceding long-term training efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannes Burtscher & Barbara Strasser & Martin Burtscher & Gregoire P. Millet, 2022. "The Impact of Training on the Loss of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Aging Masters Endurance Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:17:p:11050-:d:906052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jan Wilke & Oliver Vogel & Lutz Vogt, 2019. "Why Are You Running and Does It Hurt? Pain, Motivations and Beliefs about Injury Prevention among Participants of a Large-Scale Public Running Event," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-9, October.
    2. Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & François Gravelle & Agata Dąbrowska & Patxi León-Guereño, 2020. "Do Years of Running Experience Influence the Motivations of Amateur Marathon Athletes?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Caio Victor Sousa & Samuel da Silva Aguiar & Thomas Rosemann & Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis & Beat Knechtle, 2019. "American Masters Road Running Records—The Performance Gap Between Female and Male Age Group Runners from 5 Km to 6 Days Running," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-9, June.
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