Werner Lormes

New aspects of the hormone and cytokine response to training

Exercise training is associated with peripheral-cellular and central-cerebral processes, hormonal-neuronal regulation and transmission mechanisms. During the acute training response, peripheral cellular mechanisms are mainly metabolostatic to achieve energy supply and involve associated cytokine and hormonal reactions. Glycogen deficiency is associated with increased expression of local cytokines (interleukin-6, IL-6), decreased expression of glucose transporters, increased cortisol and decreased insulin secretion and β-adrenergic stimulation. A nutrient-sensing signal of adipose tissue may be represented by leptin which, as for insulin, IL-6 and insulin-like growth-factor I (IGF-I), has profound effects on the hypothalamus and is involved in the metabolic hormonal regulation of exercise and training. Muscle damage and repair processes may involve the expression of inflammatory cytokines (e.g. tumour necrosis factor-α, TNF-α) and of stress proteins (e.g. heat shock protein 72). During overreaching and overtraining, a myopathy-like state is observed in skeletal muscle with depressed turnover of contractile proteins (e.g. in fast-type glycolytic fibres with a concomitant increase in slow type myosins). These alterations are influenced by exercise-induced hypercortisolism, and by decreased somatotropic hormones (e.g. IGF-I). The hypothalamus integrates various error signals (metabolic, hormonal, sensory afferents and central stimuli) and therefore pituitary releasing hormones represent the functional status of an athlete and long-term hypothalamic hormonal and sympathoadrenal downregulation are some of the prominent hormonal signs of prolonged overtraining and performance incompetence syndrome.

Training of rowers before world championships.

In rowing, static and dynamic work of approximately 70% of the bodys muscle mass is involved for 5.5 to 8 min at an average power of 450 to 550 W. In high load training phases before World Championships, training volume reaches 190 min.d-1, of which between 55 and 65% is performed as rowing, and the rest is nonspecific training like gymnastics and stretching and semispecific training like power training. Rowing training is mainly performed as endurance training, rowing 120 to 150 km or 12 h.wk-1. Rowing at higher intensities is performed between 4 and 10% of the total rowed time. The increase in training volume during the last years of about 20% was mainly reached by increasing nonspecific and semispecific training. The critical borderline to long-term overtraining in adapted athletes seems to be 2 to 3 wk of intensified prolonged training of about 3 h.d-1. Sufficient regeneration is required to avoid overtraining syndrome. The training principles of cross training, alternating hard and easy training days, and rest days reduce the risk of an overtraining syndrome in rowers.

Physical Exercise as an Adjunct Therapy in Sleep Apnea—An Open Trial

Background: The aim of this study was to determine in an open trial if physical exercise in sleep apnea patients is safe and/or influences respiratory disturbance index (RDI).Methods: After being treated 3 months or more with nasal CPAP for moderate to severe sleep apnea syndrome, eleven patients (1 female, 10 male, mean age 52.2 years) began a six-month period of supervised physical exercise twice a week, 2 hours each time. Before and after this period a Polysomnography without CPAP was recorded, along with a bicycle exercise test with lactate profile, echocardiography, body-weight, and body-height measurement.Results: No adverse effects or cardiopulmonary problems were observed. There was no significant change in body weight with physical training; no significant difference in either min SaO2 nor mean SaO2; and no significant improvement in fitness. No adverse cardiopulmonary effects or problems were observed. There was a decrease of the RDI from 32.8 to 23.6 (p < 0.05), without a significant change in the REM-sleep portion of total sleep time (TST), NREM sleep, or TST.Conclusions: A prescription for mild to moderate exercise is safe in the management of sleep apnea, and, even in the absence of a fitness improvement, there occurred a decrease in RDI without a change in sleep architecture.

Oxygen consumption and metabolic strain in rowing ergometer exercise

SummaryOxygen consumption (

Clinical Findings and Parameters of Stress and Regeneration in Rowers Before World Championships

\dot V_{O_2 }

Human skeletal muscle HSP70 response to training in highly trained rowers

) when rowing was determined on a mechanically braked rowing ergometer (RE) with an electronic measuring device.

Different skeletal muscle HSP70 responses to high-intensity strength training and low-intensity endurance training

\dot V_{O_2 }