Search

Introduction. – Assess the energetic cost during small craft competition.Methods. – Height healthy sailors have been tested during three regattas. Heart rate, vertical jump, glycemia, cortisol and testosterone have been recorded.Results and discussion. – Regattas did not show significant difference for hormones. However, a significant 10% decrease of glycemia was presented. Heart rate increased during competition, but it was different according to the wind velocity and wind direction. The oxygen cost of sailing is relatively light. However, this cost could be increase with bad conditions of sailing. It seems that aerobic capacity is important regarding performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aims. – To examine the different components of fatigue.Current knowledge. – Numerous works have shown that enhanced physical load could result in fatigue which is characterised by a decrease in physical and mental performance. Fatigue is caused by an energy imbalance between nutritional intake and energy expenditure due to muscular work. Supplementary chronobiological and psychological stress facilitates fatigue. The general effect of these different factors is responsible for hormonal and immune changes.Points of view and plans. – The main hormonal axes, which respond to fatigue, are the gonadal and somatotrope axes, the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis, the medullo-sympathetic axis, and the neurotransmitters. The metabolic and hormonal changes during fatigue are responsible of important modifications, both of some central neurotransmitters and of some immune functions. Several data underline that increases and decreases in serotonergic activity during prolonged exercise hasten and delay fatigue. It has been also shown that there is a functional link between the hormonal response and the immune status decrease, which is under influence of muscle inflammation because of exercise excess. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]