Thread by @Gareth_Sandford

What limits maximal muscle power performance?

Lessons from the frontline of Elite Sprint Cycling

Details ⬇️

Most prominent factors:

• Muscle cross-sectional area

• Fiber type composition

But these dynamics shift with specific pedaling rate

At low cycle frequencies:

• Maximal force
• Rate of force development

may be most critical to power production

As frequency ⬆️ to optimal frequency and beyond:

• Maximal shortening velocity

• Activation-relaxation kinetics (especially relaxation)

• Muscle coordination

Have an increasingly prominent role

Assuming:

• Technical/ tactical competency

• Access to modern (i.e. aerodynamic) equipment

The fastest cyclist will have the highest

• Maximum and sustained power relative to

Body mass + CDA (rider drag & frontal surface area)

Force-based determinants of maximum power are
highly trainable

Achieve by:

• Traditional strength training and

• Cycling-based strength and power training

This is the foundation of long term power development

Frequency-based determinants may not be highly modifiable with training

But still explore options to optimize power from both ends of F-V profile

Example ⬇️

https://twitter.com/Gareth_Sandford/status/1285617762883317765?s=20

How does this applying in elite sprinting *running?

Example⬇️of elite case study assessing

Stride length, frequency and speed changes

Across one season of sprint periodization

https://twitter.com/Gareth_Sandford/status/1359235807475757059?s=20

Example of eccentric overload and over speed training intervention in running ⬇️

https://twitter.com/dhmov/status/1328056618920120320?lang=ar

For FREE full text of elite sprint cycling paper by

Jamie Douglas, Jim Martin and Angus Ross

See ⬇️

sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/articles/10.11…