Warning Signs, Monitoring Tools, and Actions Taken by World-Class Endurance Coaches in Cases of Underperformance.

Purpose: To describe warning signs, monitoring tools, and training- and non-training-related actions taken by world-class endurance coaches in cases of underperformance.

Methods: Twelve highly acclaimed male Norwegian coaches known for coaching world-class endurance athletes with a remarkable collection of over 350 Olympic, World, and European Championship medals-primarily with Norwegian athletes-participated in the study. Data collection and analyses followed a 3-step pragmatic qualitative study design, including an initial questionnaire, in-depth interviews, and structured negotiation between researchers and coaches.

Mind the intention-behavior gap: a qualitative study of post-myocardial infarction patients' beliefs and experiences with long-term supervised and self-monitored physical exercise.

Background: Many post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients struggle with physical activity behavior change (BC) for life-long secondary prevention. There is limited knowledge about factors influencing long-term physical activity BC among post-MI patients. This qualitative study aimed to explore the beliefs and experiences related to post-MI patients' physical activity BC process following a year's participation in a supervised and self-monitored exercise program: the Norwegian Trial of Physical Exercise After MI (NorEx).

The Training and Development Process for a Multiple-Grand-Slam Finalist in Tennis.

Purpose: To investigate the training and development process of a multiple-Grand-Slam finalist.

Methods: A mixed-methods case-study design was used to capture the quantitative and qualitative aspects related to the training and successful development process. We used a 3-step data-collection process and pragmatic analyses of (1) training history based on logs, plans, and questionnaires; (2) in-depth semistructured interviews with the player's head coach/father, physical coach, and team administrator/mother; and (3) systematic quality assurance through negotiation among researchers and all key informants, including the player.

Training Session Models in Endurance Sports: A Norwegian Perspective on Best Practice Recommendations.

Background: Our scientific understanding of the mechanistic and practical connections between training session prescriptions, their execution by athletes, and adaptations over time in elite endurance sports remains limited. These connections are fundamental to the art and science of coaching.

Objective: By using successful Norwegian endurance coaches as key informants, the aim of this study is to describe and compare best practice session models across different exercise intensities in Olympic endurance sports.

New insights from Norwegian and Swedish sports coaches' employment, practices, and beliefs during the first COVID-19 restriction period.

Introduction: This study (i) examined Norwegian and Swedish sports coaches' employment, practices, and beliefs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) compared these aspects between coaches in Norway and Sweden, two countries with clearly different movement restrictions strategies in this period.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to coaches via email and social media. The survey was open between June and August 2020.

The Evolution of World-Class Endurance Training: The Scientist's View on Current and Future Trends.

Background: Elite sport is continuously evolving. World records keep falling and athletes from a longer list of countries are involved.

Purpose: This commentary was designed to provide insights into present and future trends associated with world-class endurance training based on the perspectives, experience, and knowledge of an expert panel of 25 applied sport scientists.

Ten-year mortality among older male recreational endurance athletes in the Birkebeiner Aging Study in comparison with older men from the Tromsø Study.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced mortality. However, whether there is an added benefit of long-term endurance training is unclear. Thus, we aimed to examine 10-year mortality in older male endurance athletes compared with an older male general population.

Training Quality-What Is It and How Can We Improve It?

Purpose: The concept of training quality reflects that the effect of training is dependent on more than the mere product of training load (eg, duration, intensity, frequency). The aims of this commentary are to (1) propose a practice-oriented framework to describe training quality and its general and context-dependent characteristics and (2) discuss how athletes and coaches can work to improve training quality.

Conclusions: Training quality can be viewed from different perspectives.

Risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke among older men exposed to prolonged endurance sport practice: a 10-year follow-up. The Birkebeiner Ageing Study and the Tromsø Study.

Aims: Endurance sport practice is associated with a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases the risk of stroke in the general population. However, stroke risk in endurance athletes with AF is sparsely investigated. Most studies have been limited by design and are largely restricted to younger and middle-aged populations.

Sex-based differences in sub-technique selection during an international classical cross-country skiing competition.

The purpose of this study was to compare speed, sub-technique selection and temporal patterns between world-class male and female cross-country (XC) skiers and to examine the combined associations of sex and speed on sub-technique selection. Thirty-three XC skiers performed an international 10-km (women; n = 8) and 15-km (men; n = 25) time-trial competition in the classical style (with the first 10 km of the race being used for analyses). An integrated GNSS/IMU system was used to continuously track position speed and automatically classify sub-techniques and temporal patterns (i.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Prevalence and all-cause mortality according to sedentary behaviour and cardiorespiratory fitness. The HUNT Study.

Purpose: Sedentary behaviour (SB) and low physical activity (PA) are independently associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Compared to PA, high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has been associated with a higher protection against all-cause mortality and a number of specific diseases. However, this relationship has not been investigated in NAFLD.

Exercise patterns in older adults instructed to follow moderate- or high-intensity exercise protocol - the generation 100 study.

Background: Making older adults exercise and keeping them in exercise programs is a major challenge. Understanding how older adults prefer to exercise may help developing tailored exercise programs and increase sustained exercise participation in ageing populations. We aimed to describe exercise patterns, including frequency, intensity, type, location and social setting of exercise, in older adults instructed to follow continuous moderate-intensity training (MCT) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) over a one-year period.

Cardiorespiratory Reference Data in Older Adults: The Generation 100 Study.

Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is regarded a clinical vital sign, and accurate reference values for all age groups are essential. Little data exist on CRF and cardiorespiratory function in older adults. The aim of this study was to provide normative values for CRF and cardiorespiratory function in older adults, including people with history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Absolute and relative accelerometer thresholds for determining the association between physical activity and metabolic syndrome in the older adults: The Generation-100 study.

Background: When assessing population adherence to physical activity (PA) recommendation using accelerometers, absolute intensity threshold definition is applied despite having limited validity in those with low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), who are unable to reach them (e.g older adults). Thus, PA thresholds relative to CRF may be an alternative approach.

Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI), Sedentary Behavior and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Clustering - the HUNT Study.

Prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) positively associates with clustering of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The recently developed metric for physical activity (PA) tracking called Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) takes into account age, sex, resting and maximum heart rate, and a score of ≥100 weekly PAI has been shown to reduce the risk of premature CVD death in healthy as well as individuals with known CVD risk factors, regardless of whether or not the current PA recommendations were met. The aim of the present study was to examine if PAI modifies the associations between SB and CVD risk factor (CV-RF) clustering in a large apparently healthy general population cohort (n=29,950, aged ≥20 years).

Effects of acute supplementation of L-arginine and nitrate on endurance and sprint performance in elite athletes.

This study examined the effects of acute supplementation with L-arginine and nitrate on running economy, endurance and sprint performance in endurance-trained athletes. In a randomised cross-over, double-blinded design we compared the effects of combined supplementation with 6 g L-arginine and 614 mg nitrate against 614 mg nitrate alone and placebo in nine male elite cross-country skiers (age 18 ± 0 years, VO2max 69.3 ± 5.

The velocity and energy profiles of elite cross-country skiers executing downhill turns with different radii.

This study examined the influence of turn radius on velocity and energy profiles when skidding and step turning during more and less effective downhill turns while cross-country skiing. Thirteen elite female cross-country skiers performed single turns with a 9- or 12-m radius using the skidding technique and a 12- or 15-m radius with step turning. Mechanical parameters were monitored using a real-time kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System and video analysis.

The physiology and biomechanics of upper-body repeated sprints in ice sledge hockey.

Purpose: To investigate performance and the associated physiological and biomechanical responses during upper-body repeated-sprint work.

Methods: Twelve male ice sledge hockey players from the Norwegian national team performed eight 30-m sprints with start every 30 s and an active recovery between sprints. Time was captured every 10 m by photocells, cycle length and rate were determined by video analyses, and heart rate and blood lactate concentration were measured by conventional methods.