The effect of concurrent resistance and sprint training on health and performance in masters road cyclist

The well established guidelines for developing speed and power in younger athletes may not apply to masters athletes due to a number of age-related changes in muscle morphology and neural factors affecting speed and power. These age-related changes include decreased muscle mass, a decrease in type II muscle fibre size, and decreased neural activation of muscle. These age-related declines strongly suggest concurrent sprint and resistance training may be required to improve speed and power in masters athletes. However, limited research has examined the impact of concurrent sprint and resistance training on sprint performance in masters athletes. Moreover, no studies to date have investigated the potential health benefits of concurrent resistance and sprint training in masters athletes. Indeed, the majority of research into age-related declines in sprint performance in masters athletes has examined track sprint runners with no research to date having examined masters cyclists, a growing cohort in masters sport. Furthermore, few studies have examined the effect of either sprint training and/or resistance training on sprint performance and/or health in masters cyclists.