Fig 1.
Study design showing the training load undertaken in TSS points per week, the training sessions prescribed, and the corresponding physiological and perceptual measures taken.
Key: Monitored Laboratory Session—consisting of the standardised warm up, assessment of cycling performance, and HIIT training session; Biochemical Markers—PRE and POST warm up blood samples for leptin and fT3; On-road Cycling Session– 1) long duration, aerobic-based session and 2) hill repeats; Power Meter Calibration—timed repetition of a known distance and elevation; RMR—Resting Metabolic Rate; Body Composition—from Dual-Energy X-Ray Densitometry (DXA); Energy Intake—from 3-day food diaries; Appetite—visual analogue scales to determine appetite; Mood Questionnaire—consisting of the Multicomponent Training Distress Scale, Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-52 Sport); HRV—Heart Rate Variability. The spotted bars indicate a laboratory-training day; the striped bars indicate an on-road cycling training day; the white bars indicate a rest day.
Table 1.
Outline of the monitored laboratory sessions and assessment of cycling performance.
Fig 2.
Data are presented as (mean ± SD) for the actual TSS achieved by the participants on the left y-axis, and the corresponding Δ% in TSS from Baseline on the right y-axis.
Table 2.
Linear mixed model data for the resting metabolic rate (RMR) model.
Fig 3.
Percentage change in measured variables from baseline in relation to training load across the study duration for A) RMR, B) Body mass, C) Total energy intake, D) Appetite, E) Mood disturbance, F) Biochemical markers leptin and fT3, G) Heart rate variability (LnRMSSD), and H) Cycling performance.
The left y-axis depicts Δ% in each of the measured variables, with Δ% in training load on the right y-axis, shaded beneath the curve.