Olympic sailing is a complex sport where sailors are required to predict and interpret weather conditions while facing high physical and physiological demands. While it is essential for sailors to develop physical and physiological capabilities toward major competition, monitoring training status following the competition is equally important to minimize the magnitude of detraining and facilitate retraining. Despite its long history in the modern Olympics, reports on world-class sailors\' training status and performance characteristics across different periodization phases are currently lacking. This case study aimed to determine the influence of training cessation and subsequent retraining on performance parameters in a world-class female sailor. A 31-year old female sailor, seventh in the Women\'s Sailing 470 medal race in Tokyo 2020, completely stopped training for 4 weeks following the Olympics, and resumed low-intensity training for 3 weeks. Over these 7 weeks, 12.7 and 5.3% reductions were observed in 6 s peak cycling power output and jump height, respectively, with a 4.7% decrease in maximal aerobic power output. Seven weeks of training cessation-retraining period induced clear reductions in explosive power production capacities but less prominent decreases in aerobic capacity. The current findings are likely attributed to the sailor\'s training characteristics during the retraining period.

BACKGROUND: Whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more efficient than moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) to increase cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with acute coronary syndrome at moderate-to-high cardiovascular risk is controversial. The best approach to guide training intensity remains to be determined.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess intensities achieved with self-tailored HIIT and MICE according to perceived exertion and to compare the effect on cardiorespiratory fitness in patients early after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
METHODS: We included 69 males starting cardiac rehabilitation within 4 weeks after STEMI. After a 3-week run-in phase with MICE, 35 patients were randomised to 9 weeks of HIIT (2×HIIT and 1×MICE per week) and 34 patients to MICE (3×MICE). Training workload for MICE was initially set at the patients\' first ventilatory threshold (VT). HIIT consisted of 4×4-min intervals with a workload above the second VT in high intervals. Training intensity was adjusted weekly to maintain the perceived exertion (Borg score 13-14 for MICE, ≥15 for HIIT). Session duration was 38min in both groups. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing pre- and post-intervention.
RESULTS: Both groups improved peak VO2 (ml/kg/min) (HIIT +1.9, P<0.001; MICE +3.2, P<0.001, Cohen\'s d -0.4), but changes in VO2 were not significantly different between groups (P=0.104). Exercise regimes did not differ between groups in terms of energy expenditure or training time, but perceived exertion was higher with HIIT.
CONCLUSIONS: Self-tailored HIIT was feasible in patients early after STEMI. It was more strenuous but not superior nor more time-efficient than MICE in improving peak VO2. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02627586).

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation increases peak oxygen uptake (peak VO₂), which is an important predictor of mortality in cardiac patients. However, it remains unclear which exercise characteristics are most effective for improving peak VO₂ in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Proof of concept papers comparing Aerobic Interval Training (AIT) and Moderate Continuous Training (MCT) were conducted in small sample sizes and findings were inconsistent and heterogeneous. Therefore, we aimed to compare the effects of AIT and Aerobic Continuous Training (ACT) on peak VO₂, peripheral endothelial function, cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life and safety, in a large multicentre study.
METHODS: Two-hundred CAD patients (LVEF >40%, 90% men, mean age 58.4 ± 9.1 years) were randomized to a supervised 12-week cardiac rehabilitation programme of three weekly sessions of either AIT (90-95% of peak heart rate (HR)) or ACT (70-75% of peak HR) on a bicycle. Primary outcome was peak VO₂; secondary outcomes were peripheral endothelial function, cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life and safety.
RESULTS: Peak VO₂ (ml/kg/min) increased significantly in both groups (AIT 22.7 ± 17.6% versus ACT 20.3 ± 15.3%; p-time<0.001). In addition, flow-mediated dilation (AIT+34.1% (range -69.8 to 646%) versus ACT+7.14% (range -66.7 to 503%); p-time<0.001) quality of life and some other cardiovascular risk factors including resting diastolic blood pressure and HDL-C improved significantly after training. Improvements were equal for both training interventions.
CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to earlier smaller trials, we observed similar improvements in exercise capacity and peripheral endothelial function following AIT and ACT in a large population of CAD patients.