tructure; tendencies for reduced or unchanged girth measurements after training were not explained. Body density is found to increase in male and female competitors, following periods of seasonal training and periods of rest (detraining). Changes in body fat trends for competitors suggest a lack of subcutaneous fat changes during different seasons of training or detraining; skiers show increases in body fat following reduced levels of physical fitness at the latter stages of competition (Koutedakis, 1995).
Novice athletes with low aerobic capacities tend to demonstrate fluctuations in aerobic fitness between training and detraining seasons. Detraining is associated with significantly reduced maximum oxygen uptake and maximum pulmonary ventilation. Three months of detraining were associated with these reductions, in young female athletes; the 16 percent decrease in maximum oxygen uptake was similar to the 17 percent loss found in a group of young men after 20 days of complete bed rest. Athletes with more developed aerobic capacities tend to show no seasonal variations in respiratory parameters. Elite athletes participating in physically demanding sports demonstrate unchanged or increased maximal respiratory parameters, during both off- and in-season periods; no reports of reductions have been found (Koutedakis, 1995).
Athletes competing at levels lower than elite demonstrate decreases in muscle strength; a significant drop in both maximal concentric and eccentric quadriceps and hamstring torques, occurring over a season of amateur ice hockey, was found, in spite of two-three training sessions and two games per week throughout the season; no relationships were reported between the drop in muscle strength and injury rates and/or performance. Inappropriate training intensities could account for these reported findings. Also, gains in off-season muscle strength cannot be maintained for the entire competition season for elite...