Leif Inge Tjelta

Secular trends in aerobic fitness performance in a cohort of Norwegian adolescents

The purpose of the present study was to compare 3000 m running test results between 1969 and 2009 in a cohort of Norwegian high school pupils. Between 1969 and 2009, a total of 4981 (2827 boys) 3000 m running tests were collected from two Norwegian senior high schools. One‐way ANOVA with Tukeys post hoc test was used to analyze the differences in the running times between the different decades. The running times have increased by 10% and 6% from the 1980s to the 2000s for boys and girls, respectively. The distribution showed a decline in aerobic fitness performance for all deciles. The largest negative change in difference was found for pupils with the poorest aerobic fitness level in both boys and girls. The cohort of 16‐ to 18‐year‐old boys and girls in the decade 2000–2009 had a poorer aerobic fitness performance in the 3000 m running test compared with earlier decades. The decline in running performance was greater for boys than girls, and the gap between the most and the least fit is becoming considerably larger.

Health effects of cycling to and from work

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study was to assess whether people could be motivated in a simple way to cycle regularly to and from work during one year, and to assess whether this could lead to any health-related physiological benefits. MATERIAL AND METHODS 25 persons who cycled to and from work during one year were included in the study. Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) and body mass index (BMI) were measured at baseline, after six months and after one year. Total-cholesterol (TC) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL) were measured at the start and the end of the project. RESULTS During the study VO 2max increased with 15.8 %; from 32.5 (8.1: SD) to 37.1 (7.6) ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) (p < 0.001). HDL-cholesterol increased with 15.3 %; from 1.31 (0.31) to 1.51 (0.40) mmol x l(-1) (p < 0.001). No changes were recorded for BMI. The numbers of cycling sessions were greatly reduced during the winter months because of poor cycling conditions. INTERPRETATION This study shows that cycling to and from work may positively affect physiological variables and thereby have a beneficial health effect.

A case study of the training of nine times New York marathon winner Grete Waitz

The purpose of the present study is to give a description of the exceptional running career of Grete Waitz (GW) and give special attention to the distribution of training volume and training intensity in two of her most successful years as an international long-distance and marathon runner. Training data are based on an analysis of GWs training diaries from her early start as a track and field athlete to her best performance years as a long-distance track runner and marathon runner. The main finding in this study was that GWs total running volume, in her best seasons, varied between 119–132 km · week−1 in the different meso-cycles of the training year. Her weekly training volume is far below the volume reported for the current female World Record holder for the marathon distance at the time of writing. Her training typically consisted of two daily sessions of continuous running (50–60 min) at a relatively high intensity. She did very few long interval training sessions, but she usually did one high-intensity session of shorter intervals/sprint training (strides) per week. In the season 1978–1979 she took part in 50 competitions (ranging from 800m to marathon) of which she won 48. Her best track performance in this season was her Nordic record in the 3000 m, 8:31.75 which would have been the best time in the world in 2011 and 2012.

Newspaper Coverage Effects on the Promotion of a Lifestyle Intervention Program

The studys purpose was to measure the impact of an individually designed lifestyle intervention program on the readers of a regional newspaper. A newspaper with 180,000 daily readers covered a story about three untrained and overweight adults who participated in an individually designed lifestyle intervention program. Their goals were to become physically fit and run a half marathon (21.1 km) after 14 weeks of training. The newspaper published on average three weekly articles throughout the project period, including the weekly training program and a record of the physical improvements made by the participants. The number of hits on the projects web site was recorded. Spin-off effects on the responses of readers were mapped. The projects web site had 25,000 unique weekly hits. Significant spin-off effects included the establishment of training groups which were still active after two years and the launch of a similar project by another regional newspaper. This individually designed lifestyle intervention program was successfully scaled up and reached a large number of the newspapers readers. The collaboration between a newspaper and exercise researchers could also be adapted to other press media and represents a novel approach to improve participation in physical activities.

The training of international level distance runners

A limited number of studies have examined the distribution of training at different intensities during longer training periods among elite runners. Runners who want to reach international level in distance running should run ≥110 km/week at the age of 18–19 years. For senior runners, it appears that training volumes around 150–200 km/week are appropriate for 5000 and 10,000 m runners and 120–160 km/week for 1500 m runners. It also appears to be beneficial to combine these weekly training volumes with two to four sessions per week at the velocity at the anaerobic threshold pace, and one to two sessions per week above velocity at the anaerobic threshold pace during the preparation period. For runners who compete over distances from 1500 to 10,000 m, it seems appropriate to reduce the number of sessions carried out at velocity at the anaerobic threshold pace and to increase the number of sessions at specific race pace in the pre-competition period and during the competition period. Top results for the marathon can be achieved by a “low volume/high intensity model” (150–200 km/week), as well as by a “high volume/low intensity model” (180–260 km/week).