Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.z.) · 4 authors, 3 centres
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This scoping review identified only 17 relevant studies on the long-term training and performance development of elite endurance athletes, finding a non-linear increase in training volume leading to a plateau, but limited evidence on sex differences and an inconsistent picture for VO2max.
This scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology to map existing research on the long-term development of training characteristics and performance-determining factors in elite/international or world-class endurance athletes. The studies, predominantly retrospective, showed a non-linear, year-to-year increase in training volume for most athletes, resulting in a plateau at the elite level. The review highlights a critical scarcity of evidence, particularly regarding sex differences, as only 27% of the 109 athletes included were women.
